Research

My research aims at (i) understanding the role of soil macroinvertebrate diversity on litter decomposition in the soil and, (ii) to a lesser extent assessing the filtering action of multi-scalar factors (local, landscape) on soil macroinvertebrate diversity. I position my research in the conceptual framework of trait-matching, which states that effects of soil invertebrates on decomposition depend on both litter and invertebrate traits and their interaction. 

Past and current project(s) :

Trofic (2024-2025), participant: Using soil Trophic networks, Functional trait-based approach and socio-economIC assessment to assess best-management practices in Mediterranean cropping systems, Défi Clé Octaave

Elementary (2022-2024), PI: Trait-matching between soil macrodetritivores (consumers) and litters (resources) elementomes to better predict decomposition, EC2CO

Diagnotrait (2022-24), participant: outil de diagnostic écologique pour les sols contaminés aux métaux : utilisation des traits fonctionnels des bactéries et invertébrés, ADEME

FaunaServices (2022-24), participant: the relationship between soil macrofauna biodiversity and ecosystem services delivery across land use systems in neotropical rainforest biomes, Cesab (France) – Fapesp (Brésil)

COST CA18237 (2019-2024), participant: European Soil-Biology Data Warehouse for Soil Protection

Charcofauna (2017-2019), PI: CHARCOal kilns: how historical events shape soil FAUNA communities? LABEX DRIIHM, OHM Vicdessos

Teaching

Teaching at the ENSAT (Ecole National Supérieure d’Agronomie de Toulouse, master degree) and DNO (Diplôme National d’œnologie)

Ecology, Soil science

Responsabilities, other activities

• BETSI database co-administrator : http://betsi.cesab.org
• Active member of TEBIS network (Traits Ecologiques et Biologiques des organIsmes du Sol): http://www.reseau-tebis.fr
• Member of the SemandDiv GDR: http://www.semandiv.cnrs.fr
• Member of the Ecologie trophique GDR
• Review editor in Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution
• Alternate member of the pedagogical commission of the SDU2E doctoral school https://adum.fr/as/ed/page.pl?site=sdu2e&page=accueil

List of selected publications

Marchand, T., Estabes, L., Pey, B. (2024). Litter consumption by macrodetritivores depends more on mechanical than on nutritional constraints. Oikos, n/a(n/a), e10280. https://doi.org/10.1111/oik.10280

Marchand, T., Pey, B., Pautot, C., Lecerf, A. (2024). Mechanical traits as drivers of trophic interaction between macrodetritivores and leaf litter. Oecologia. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-024-05515-0

Brown, G. G., Demetrio, W. C., […], Pey, B., […], Cooper, M., Mathieu, J. (2024). Soil macrofauna communities in Brazilian land-use systems. Biodiversity Data Journal, 12, e115000. https://doi.org/10.3897/BDJ.12.e115000

Le Guillarme, N., Hedde, M., […], Pey, B., […], D., Thuiller, W. (2023). The Soil Food Web Ontology: Aligning trophic groups, processes, resources, and dietary traits to support food-web research, Ecological Informatics. 78, 102360

Hedde, M. […], Pey, B., […], Capowiez, Y. (2022). A common framework for developing robust soil fauna classifications, Geoderma, Volume 426, 116073

Rota, T., Lecerf, A., Chauvet, E., Pey, B. (2022). The importance of intraspecific variation in litter consumption rate of aquatic and terrestrial macro-detritivores. Basic and Applied Ecology.

Leroy, M., Pey, B., Jassey, V.E.J, Liné, C., Elger, A., Probst, A., Flahaut, E., Silvestre, J., Larue, C. (2022).  Interactive effects of metals and carbon nanotubes in a microcosm agrosystem. Journal of Hazardous Materials. Volume 431, 128613

Pollet, S., Chabert, A., Burgeon, V., Cornélis J-T, Fouché, J., Gers, C., Hardy, B., Pey, B. (2021). Limited effects of century-old biochar on taxonomic and functional diversities of collembolan communities across land-uses. Soil Biology and Biochemistry. 164, 108484.

Majdi, N., Hette-Tronquart, N., Auclair, E., Bec, A., Chouvelon, T., Cognie, B., Danger, M., Decottignies, P., Dessier, A., Desvilettes, C., Dubois, S., Dupuy, C., Fritsch, C., Gaucherel, C., Hedde, M., Jabot, F., Lefebvre, S., Marzloff, M.P., Pey, B., Peyrard, N., Powolny, T., Sabbadin, R., Thébault, E., Perga, M.-E. (2018). There’s no harm in having too much: A comprehensive toolbox of methods in trophic ecology. Food Webs 17, e00100. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fooweb.2018.e00100

Pey, B., Trân, C., Cruz, P., Hedde, M., Jouany, C., Laplanche, C., Nahmani, J., Chauvet, E., Lecerf, A. (2018). Nutritive value and physical and chemical deterrents of forage grass litter explain feeding performances of two soil macrodetritivores. Applied Soil Ecology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsoil.2018.09.006

Pelosi, C., Pey, B., Caro, G., Cluzeau, D., Peigne, J., Bertrand, M., Hedde, M. (2016). Dynamics of earthworm taxonomic and functional diversity in ploughed and no-tilled cropping systems. Soil Tillage Research. 156, 25–32.

Hedde, M., Mazzia, C., Decaëns, T., Nahmani, J., Pey, B., Thénard, J., Capowiez, Y (2015). Orchard management influences both functional and taxonomic ground beetle (Coleoptera, Carabidae) diversity in South-East France. Applied Soil Ecology, 88, 26-31.

Pey, B., Laporte, M-A, Nahmani, J., Auclerc, A., Capowiez, Y., Caro, G., Cluzeau, D., Cortet, J., Decaëns, T., Dubs, F., Joimel, S., Guernion, M., Briard, C., Grumiaux, F., Laporte, B., Pasquet, A., Pelosi, C., Pernin, C., Ponge, J-F., Salmon, S., Santorufo, L., Hedde, M (2014). A Thesaurus for Soil Invertebrate Trait-Based Approaches. Plos One 9, 10, e108985.

Pey, B., Nahmani, J., Auclerc, A., Capowiez, Y., Cluzeau, D., Cortet, J., Decaëns, T., Deharveng, L., Dubs, F., Joimel, S., Briard, C., Grumiaux, F., Laporte, M-A., Pasquet, A., Pelosi, C., Pernin, C., Ponge, J-F., Salmons, S., Santorufo, L., Hedde, M. (2014). Current use of and future needs for soil invertebrate functional traits in community ecology. Basic and Applied Ecology, 15, 194-206.

Pelosi, C., Pey, B., Hedde, M., Caro, G., Capowiez, Y., Guernion, M., Peigné, J., Piron, D., Bertrand, M., Cluzeau, D (2014). Reducing tillage in cultivated fields: a way to improve soil functional diversity. Applied Soil Ecology, 83, 79-87.

Pey, B., Cortet, J., Capowiez, Y., Nahmani, J., Watteau, F., C Schwartz, C. Technosol composition affects Lumbricus terrestris surface cast composition and production (2014). Ecological Engineering, 67, 238-247.

Pey, B. , Cortet, J., Watteau, F., Cheynier, K., Schwartz, C. (2013). Structure of earthworm burrows related to organic matter of a constructed Technosol. Geoderma, 202–203, 103–111

Séré, G., Ouvrard, S., Magnenet, V., Pey, B. , Morel, J-L., Schwartz, C. (2011). Predictability of the evolution of the soil structure using water flow modeling for a constructed Technosol. Vadose Zone Journal, 11.