Ecological researcher measuring a specimen in an ecological research laboratory. This specimens is a lepidopteran (moth or butterfly). Known as an ecotron, this laboratory is dedicated to the study of ecological processes using semi-controlled environments. This example is in the settlement of Caumont in Ariege, France. It consists of 48 populations cages, each with a surface of 100 square metres and a height of 2 metres, in which climate conditions (temperature, humidity and solar radiation) are monitored and controlled. The researchers can also manipulate species movements between units. Each enclosure acts as a mini-ecosystem, with natural vegetation and insect communities and a relatively wide variety of thermal microhabitats. Photographed in 2013.