Search
IMproving Microbial INoculation based on Ecological Niche Theory - From theory to practice – IMMINENT
The inoculation of beneficial bacteria can improve the sustainability of agricultural systems in terms of agricultural production and environmental outcomes. However, the poor survival of these inocula often limits their effectiveness, which contributes to the low repeatability of the results obtain
Alpine Microalgae – ALPALGA
Photosynthetic microorganisms are called «microalgae« or phytoplankton. Phytoplankton includes various groups of species in two domains of life, bacteria and eukaryotes. One eukaryotic group, the Chlorophyta (or green algae), is noteworthy because the majority of species populate terrestrial ecosyst
Skull trait interactions and macroevolutionary dynamics of the adaptive radiation of rodents. – DispaRat
We will employ a holistic, integrative approach combining state-of-the-art methods of morphological quantification with the latest macroevolutionary methods to address the following hypotheses: Hypothesis 1 – Osteological, dental, and muscular traits are highly interdependent functionally and charac
Mytilus mussels and their Environment: a phenotypic and genomic Exploration through Time – MEET
MEET, “Mytilus mussels and their Environment: a phenotypic and genomic Exploration through Time”, is a multi-disciplinary project aiming at better understanding the responses of coastal populations to environmental shifts. This will be achieved by tracking morphological and genomic changes in wild M
Addressing the phenotype gap for oceanic phytoplankton – PHENOMAP
Rapidly accumulating environmental sequencing data have revealed that eukaryotic microbes are far more diverse and complex than previously thought. However, meta-barcoding and meta-genomics surveys are severely limited by the fact that the majority of environmental sequences do not match a sequence
Feedbacks between epidemiology and evolution in spatially complex host-parasite metapopulations – FEEDME
Understanding and predicting the spatial spread of infectious disease represents an important challenge to biologists, given global trends in habitat change, anthropogenic import of animal species and their pathogens and generally increasing mobility. The role of evolution in these processes is stil
Understanding transient dynamics of Alpine grasslands under climate warming through the lens of plant-soil interactions – TransAlp
In Alpine grasslands, climate warming and land-use change threaten the structure and dynamics of above- and belowground biodiversity, and their associated ecosystem functions. In our project TransAlp we propose to study short- to long-term effects of these threats by combining transplant experiments
Suscept-Ext: UNDERSTANDING SUSCEPTIBILITY TO EXTINCTION USING HISTORICAL MUSEUM SPECIMENS AS A GENETIC TIME SERIES – Suscept-Ext
Our objectives are to make what is to our knowledge, the first real time assessment of genetic response to anthropogenic environmental change across multiple species following first human presence. See 18 month report See 18 month report See 18 month report Evolutionary history is expected to play a
What makes Drosophila suzukii such a successful invader? An integrative analysis of its thermal ecology. – DroThermal
The recent invasion by the Spotted Wing Drosophila (SWD) is a major concern for the fruit production sector worldwide. Temperature and thermal biology of this species are recognized as the main factors dictating the distribution, populations’ dynamics and seasonal phenology of SWD. However, major kn
Genomics of invasion of the ladybug Harmonia axyridis – GANDHI
We will focus on three main objectives. (1) we will consolidate our H. axyridis genomic resources by generating a high-quality annotated genome assembly and a medium-density linkage map; (2) we will explore the genome response of H. axyridis during invasion by refining the routes of invasion and by
Diversification and adaptation along environmental gradients: identification of genes and traits involved in species differentiation in alpine butterflies – DIVALPS
Our aim is to identify the mechanisms underlying the repeated evolution of reproductive barriers among entities adapted to different altitudinal niches, but that are still interconnected by gene-flow. This will be achieved by identifying genomic regions that are more or less permeable to introgressi
Life during past super-warm climate events: evolutionary dynamics of Early Eocene mammals from Southwestern France – EDENs
Investigating biotic responses to past warming events is of great interest for predicting the long-term consequences of anthropogenic climatic and environmental degradation on biodiversity loss. The study of the early Eocene (56-47.8 Ma) is of primary importance here as it represents the warmest dee
In this project, we will use AI to explore the links between information processing in the brain of information and complex behaviours expressed by non-human primates in the natural environments. We will study the influence of face perception on socio-sexual behaviours in Mandrill (Mandrillus sphinx
This project offers to (Task 1) identify which gut bacteria are associated with the sociality of earwigs, (Task 2) test how these gut microbes benefit from earwigs’ social life and (Tasks 3 & 4) explore whether and how the experimental transfer of these gut microbes modifies the sociality of the rec
HYPERthermophiles and their BIOMINeralization mechanism – HYPERBIOMIN
HYPERBIOMIN objective is to explore the underlying mechanisms by which hyperthermophilic archaea contribute to the mineralogy and biogeochemistry of sulfide-rich hydrothermal chimneys. Numerous microorganisms have been isolated from hydrothermal vents including archaea able to active life well ab
Assessing Resilience of DEep COrals – ARDECO
Similar to their tropical analogues, cold-water colonial scleractinians are autogenic engineers that create complex habitats while fixing carbon dioxide in the form of aragonite and thus provide important support, provision and regulation services. These cold water corals (CWC) that thrive in the d
Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi interactions in the nitrogen cycle for mitigating nitrous oxide emissions from agroecosystems – FUNCTION
N-cycling research has largely focused on prokaryotes and fungi that are directly involved in the processes of nitrification and denitrification, both of which produce nitrous oxide. However, the role of other organisms indirectly affecting these processes by mediating N availability is rarely consi
Evolution of a kin recognition system in social insects – EVOKIN
In evolutionary terms, life is about reproduction. Yet, in some species, individuals forgo their own reproduction to support the reproductive efforts of others. Bees, ants and wasps (Hymenoptera) are well known for their ‘eusocial’ lifestyle where queens regulate the reproductive output of up to a m
The return to an aquatic life, the evolution of propulsive efficiency & biomimetics – DRAGON2
The return to an aquatic life has shaped many organisms and profoundly impacted fossil and extant marine ecosystems. Understanding how terrestrial organisms adapted to a drastically novel environment poses fundamental challenges, however. Indeed, in most lineages this major transition entailed deep
Influence of effective population size on animal genome architecture – NeGA
Eukaryotic organisms exhibit strikingly complex gene and genome architectures whose origin remains largely debated. In 2003, Michael Lynch proposed that this complexity emerged thanks to non-adaptive forces. Under this hypothesis, many genomic traits would be controlled by the balance between the em
Characterization of a sex chromosome born from a feminizing endosymbiont genome – SymchroSex
Although sex may be the most impactful trait of an individual, the mechanisms by which sex chromosomes emerge, and the genes that orient development into one sex or the other, are not well characterized. A sex chromosome is assumed to derive from an autosome that acquired a sex-determining gene. A m
Replicability of adaptive divergence at broad taxonomic scales: What can butterflies teach us about frogs? – RANAPOSA
If distantly related species are exposed to the same selective pressures, do they evolve similar adaptive solutions? Why are some species better than others at exploiting ecological opportunities? These questions are crucial as they can provide important insights on how life has diversified on Earth
Multi-Scale Convergent Adaptation of Ostrinia pests – MUSCADO
A fundamental question in evolutionary biology is how repeatable evolutionary trajectories are when species adapt to a new environment: will similar evolutionary solutions be found, or will alternative routes be followed? Does evolution repeatability depend on the scale considered (phenotype, molecu
Reassortments in multipartite viruses – Reassort
Genetic exchanges are one of the main mechanisms generating within-population diversity that selection can act on. Even though some extremely successful genotypes may be thus produced, many deleterious genotypes are also produced; the net balance that could result from systematic experimental gene e
Exploring the contribution of sex chromosomes to male/female differences in aging and longevity – LongevitY
This proposal focuses on the differences in longevity between males and females in animals (including humans). The origin of these differences is not well understood. Here we want to explore the role of sex chromosomes. Having a single X or a Y may have consequences on male aging and lifespan. This