Today, the priority fields of research in ecology are the organisation and monitoring of life history traits, interactions between the levels of complexities (genes, development, life history, biotic interactions) under environmental forcing, and the links between biodiversity and functions. 

The objective of SETE is to address these issues through the development of a suitable instrumentation, in particular taking into consideration, simultaneously, the three dimensions: time-space-evolution that are necessary for developing predictions on the future state of the environment within a context of change.

Many SETE services are provided by the research infrastructure AnaEE France (Ecosystems Analysis and Experimentation), which offers full access to the study of continental terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems through its experimental platforms distributed throughout the national territory.

•  A terrestrial metatron, on 4 hectares of land, comprising of 48 propagation cages (controlled climate conditions),

•  An aquatic metatron ,

•  520 m² of aviaries (48 replicates),

•  Two natural caves, with equipment and instruments,

•  750m² of greenhouses organised in 12 identical cells, which can programmed independently

• Laboratories (molecular biology, cellular biology, physiology, experimental-surgery room)

• Breeding rooms for raising invertebrates, fish, amphibians, reptiles.

The SETE can host researchers and conferences in an accommodation building with a capacity of 28 individual rooms and a 95m2 conference room.

The SETE, in partnership with the Faculty of Economics of Toulouse (TSE), the laboratory Evolution & Biological Diversity (EDB) and the University Toulouse 3 Paul Sabatier, is offering an M2 Economics and Ecology (ECY2) - Multidisciplinary Master that provides students with a unique opportunity to study advanced methods in economics and ecology.