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Understanding how ecosystems respond to and influence climate change is crucial as environments worldwide are changing rapidly, threatening biodiversity. Classical approaches to studying ecosystems have overlooked the interaction between soil, microbial communities, and plant communities. The global

The TOXOPRED project will investigate the role of the parasite Toxoplasma gondii in altering predator-prey dynamics in the large mammal communities of savanna ecosystems. T. gondii is known to manipulate the behavior of intermediate infected hosts, reducing fear and increasing risk-taking, thereby e

Isoprenoid quinones are lipids that shuttle electrons between enzymes of electron transport chains, thus playing a central role in cellular energy production. Quinones are structurally diverse, with differences in the quinone moiety modulating their redox potential. Low potential quinones are used p

Tropical forests and savannas are crucial for global biodiversity, carbon storage, and local livelihoods, yet their responses to climate change remain difficult to predict. A key challenge lies in resolving the mechanisms controlling their distribution and stability. While some theories suggest that

Fluctuations in water level, currents or the activities of living organisms can massively affect the stability of the physico-chemical gradients in aquatic sediments on which many micro-organisms depend. A thin layer of sediment around the oxic-anoxic transition can be particularly affected due to t

The ability of some plants to hyperaccumulate toxic metal(oid)s in their leaves is fascinating. Physiological studies revealed the basis of this counterintuitive trait: it requires active absorption, translocation, detoxification and storage of metals. Clearly, for this trait to evolve, the fitness

The study of sexual selection has become one of the most persuasive but also most controversial fields in evolutionary biology due to a continuing debate on the extent to which it operates in both sexes. Classic theory posits that typically males but not females compete for access to mates. Until to

The astonishing diversity of eukaryotes is the result of a continuous evolution and the emergence of functional traits such as their capacity to establish mutualistic interactions with fungi or bacteria. In both plants and insects, such interactions have played a central role in their adaptation to

The origin of life necessarily implies the emergence of Darwinian dynamics in a non-biological world. To explain this transition, the first hypothesis, commonly referred to as "gene first," suggests the spontaneous emergence of objects capable of reproducing while undergoing mutations that generate

Engineering actions of African elephant are diverse, here we select one specific engineering effect, dry savanna woodland transformation, to measure the consequences for carbon sequestration in sites presenting dry woodlands used by elephants (protected area) and used by elephants and humans (natur

Understanding the dynamic interplay between ecological change and rapid evolution, the so-called eco-evolutionary feedback loops (EEFLs), is a frontier in biology. Although a wealth of theoretical studies predict that EEFLs play a key role in shaping and maintaining the natural world, empirical stud

Biodiversity is unevenly distributed across the globe, with many terrestrial hotspots concentrated in mountainous regions. A key feature of alpine regions is their tremendous vegetation diversity occurring along steep and complex environmental gradients, with some vegetation elements such as alpine

Orchids in the genus Ophrys have a fascinating pollination strategy (sexual swindling). Their flowers mimic the visual, olfactory and tactile characteristics of female pollinator insects to such an extent that the males of these species are attracted, attempt to mate with the flower, and take pollen

A central aim of modern evolutionary biology is to understand how new species arise and how they cope with environmental changes. At the microevolutionary scale, research has focused on the mechanisms driving trait evolution and progressive reproductive isolation up to speciation in living taxa. At

Balancing selection is a form of natural selection that results in the maintenance of genetic diversity, and which can arise from contrasted evolutionary dynamics. Recently, with the accumulation of genomic data and the development of more robust methods, it has been suggested that it might be more

Hydrogen (H2)-rich fluids released by serpentinization-driven hyperalkaline springs represent a unique opportunity for exploration of natural H2, seen as a huge source of potentially exploitable natural and decarbonized energy. In the subsurface and more specifically in the ultramafic environment, H

Chlorophototrophy is a key microbial innovation that has played a crucial role in the success of life on Earth. Attesting to the plasticity and diversity of chlorophototrophy, some microbes are able of photosynthesis without oxygen evolution. These anoxygenic phototrophic bacteria (APB), which use b

In sexual organisms, males and females share most of their genomes but often respond to distinct selective pressures. Theory predicts that males evolve to be more reproductively persistent and females to be more resistant to males’ manipulations. This can lead to a phenomenon known as intra-locus se

Chromosomal rearrangements have a major impact on genomes and can therefore strongly influence local adaptation and speciation that generate biodiversity. Thanks to recent technological advances, it is now possible to carry out genome-wide studies on natural populations of virtually any organism. Ne

Elucidating the mechanisms that give rise to the origin of new species remains a major goal in evolutionary biology. Disruption of genome integrity in hybrid individuals accompanied by the dysregulation of core molecular processes represents one important route to reproductive isolation and speciati

Ticks are widely studied for their ability to transmit pathogens that pose major risks to human and veterinary health. However, our recent publications show that the microbial communities hosted by ticks are mainly composed of maternally inherited bacteria that do not infect vertebrates. Notably, o

Understanding how behavioral variability has evolved in response to environmental fluctuations is crucial for assessing population resilience to climate change. We focus on foraging behavior to investigate how populations balance specialization and diversification of strategies in response to enviro

Humans are rapidly altering ecosystems and significantly impacting biodiversity. Understanding species' resilience—their ability to recover from disturbances—is crucial for effective conservation. GUTPOWER explores the role of gut microbiota in enhancing resilience. The gut microbiota, composed of b

The quagga mussel (Dreissena rostriformis bugensis) is an invasive species recognized as particularly threatening freshwater ecosystems in Europe and North America. Its invasion contributes to the standardization of natural habitats and causes a loss of biological diversity through the decline and d

Marine phytoplankton and heterotrophic bacteria are essential microorganisms whose biological activity shapes the world we live in. Marine phytoplankton are responsible for up to 50% of global primary production, half of which is quickly remineralized by bacteria. Interactions between phytoplankton

Recombination rates across the genome—referred to as recombination landscapes—vary within and between species due to differences in crossover number and position during meiosis. These landscapes are heritable, can evolve readily, and influence the levels of genome-wide genetic diversity in natural p

In many gonochoristic species, selfish alleles or endosymbionts transmitted maternally bias the sex ratio toward the sex that transmits these elements at a higher rate. This Sex-ratio distortion (SRD) then opens the way to ‘genetic conflicts’ in which an SRD suppressor arises because it is more freq

Genetic dominance significantly influences how mutations are seen by natural selection and affects evolutionary outcomes. Traditionally viewed as a fixed parameter in population genetics models, recent findings suggest that dominance can vary across lineages, sexes, and environmental conditions. Thi

Genetic variation is the primary source of variability on which evolution acts. However, the observation that species can evolve rapidly to cope with changing environments in the apparent absence of genetic variation poses a challenge for integration into standard evolutionary theory. In response to

Benthic ecosystem engineer species play a key role in the structure and functioning of coastal ecosystems that are currently threatened by global change. Rising ocean temperature (ocean warming) and decreasing pH (ocean acidification) can have a substantial impact on those species with cascading eff

The Mediterranean coralligenous ecosystems are rich in biodiversity but they are under increasing threat due to climate change. Among the key inhabitants are the colorful Oscarella sponges, which cover up to 37% of the coralligenous seafloor covered by sponges in some regions. Yet, they remain large

This research will evaluate the vulnerability of keystone species structuring high-altitude forests to climate change. Mountains of Europe harbor a large diversity of environments that fuels both species diversification and intraspecific adaptation to local conditions. While alpine ecosystems host a

The deposits of silica stones in plant tissues (that is, silicification) have long fascinated archaeologists and plant scientists. Important functions have been attributed to silicification in plants, especially in terms of stress resistance, and silicon (Si) is today widely accepted as a key plant