Christopher Carcaillet is working on the influences of climate and social processes on the pattern of plant communities or ecosystems in space and time. His main research focuses on the chrono-ecology (including paleo-ecology) of disturbances (fire, snow avalanche, insect outbreak, etc.) in relation to climatic changes and plant diversity dynamics in boreal, mountain and Mediterranean areas. Since few years, he is also studying the interplay of disturbed ecological systems with the socio-ecological systems.