Search

Clonal reproduction (also named asexuality, i.e. reproduction without genetic modification) is a reproductive mode that has been adopted (at least partially) by a wide variety of organisms across the Tree of Life. Understanding their evolution and dynamics requires a good appraisal of the extent and

The biological basis of social attachment has attracted interest for 15 years. Biology thus joined Human Sciences in the effort towards an understanding of social bonding existing in Humans as well as in many animal social groups. Because of its importance in Human social system, the monogamous pair

Modern farm animal production has to cope with numerous economic, environmental and social concerns. Both the efficiency of feed conversion into meat, egg or milk products, the composition of animal products themselves, and the environmental wastes associated to these productions are important to co

The first objective will be to develop theoretical approaches on the evolutionary issues and eco-epidemiological implications of the maternal transfer of antibodies. This will allow us to investigate feedback loops between ecological and evolutionary processes, notably in relation to the dynamics of

A large fraction of the organic matter consists of hydrophobic organic compounds (HOC) such as lipids and hydrocarbons. The assimilation of these weakly soluble compounds requires the establishment of specialized strategies such as the formation of biofilms at the water-HOC interface. By studying th

A better knowledge of growth variation in modern humans and its adaptive mechanisms will allow to gain a better understanding of hominid evolution. Our principal aim is to characterise growth in Baka Pygmies. We conduct multidisciplinary data collection and analysis in order to quantify growth (som

The root hair plays crucial roles in water and nutrient uptake, and thus in plant development. In Legumes, it also plays a central role in the establishment of the nitrogen-fixing symbiotic interaction with rhizobia, which has a crucial importance for sustainable agriculture as it largely contribute

The GIME proposal will focus at i) characterization of microbiota in the mosquito larval habitats and midguts and ii) examination of the immune status of A. gambiae in natural populations to determine the effect of exposure to microbiota on the mosquito ability to sustain malaria parasite developmen

Repeated evolution is a major feature in evolution, usually interpreted as a similar response to strong similar selective pressures. Yet, conceptual and methodological advances in evolutionary biology and developmental biology increasingly suggest that genetic and developmental networks can favor ce

Objectives are: 1) To decipher strategies and mechanisms involved in iron uptake by representative marine micro-algae. 2) To Determine how these mechanisms are regulated, as a function of iron availability and of circadian cycles. 3) To identify and characterize molecular components involved in iron

We wish to answer a very general —still unanswered— question: what is the importance of insect wings in their orientation to odorant sources? Solving this fundamental question will shed light on the mechanisms underlying insect chemosensory-driven orientation to cues emitted by food sources, conspe

In a pure genetic sex determinism system, the master sex determining gene is the inductor of the gonadal sex differentiation process of the embryo leading to the formation of ovaries or testis. Despite many studies in that area, relatively few master sex determining genes have been found and charact

Phosphorus (P) is of vital importance for the metabolic requirements for growth and replication and therefore for plant production. However, P is taken up by plants and microorganisms only as orthophosphate (Pi), represented by H2PO4- and HPO42-. Due to its strong capacity to make complexes with cat

How the gender of a flower or plant is determined is an important issue in plant developmental biology. The goal of this proposal is to use the information obtained from the sex determinism genes, recently cloned in melon, as a starting point to understand how the combination of alleles at these two

Vibrios are bacteria responsible for a significant proportion of infections affecting marine invertebrates and represent the major cause of mortality in farmed marine species. They are able to colonize many habitats, existing as planktonic forms, in biofilms or associated with various hosts. This hi

The overall objecive of the project is to gain significant insights on the role of marine photoheterotrophic bacteria in the ocean carbon cycle. We will first evaluate the contribution of photoheterotrophs to bacterial abundance and activity. The second objective of the project is to perform physio

One of the major hurdles in predicting how biological diversity will respond to environmental factors in the 21st century is the current limits to assemble large and standard diversity data that are repeatable over time. Sequencing technologies are currently evolving at a fast pace and should offer

The proposed project aims at investigating the ecological significance of the quorum quenching (QQ) phenomenon that is by definition opposed to quorum sensing (QS). QS is a regulatory mode that couples in bacteria gene expression with cell density. It relies upon the production and sensing of signal

One of the greatest challenges facing microbiology today is the task of linking taxonomy and function. Understanding the underlying metabolic mechanisms and regulatory networks as integrated units in complex communities is paramount. The comprehension of the mechanisms of microbial community assembl

In the context of climate changes, mixed and heterogeneous stands are recommended for wood production because they are more resistant to storms. Trees of mixed and heterogeneous stands are subjected to a light environment that can highly vary and induce tropic reactions by the production of reaction

The variation of the sensory environment can generate the production of hybrids and induce the divergence of communication systems on the long term (signals, sensory receptors, behaviour). We will test this hypothesis in the Palmate newt and the Smooth newt by analysing sexual preferences in differe

Parasites impose a permanent threat for hosts. As a consequence, immune defenses are important for host fitness. However, the immune response can also produce self-damage and impair host fitness if not properly regulated. Effectors that up- and downregulate the immune response should, therefore, evo

. . . The work is still in progress. No data has been published yet. This proposal aims at uncovering the contribution of different members of a gene family to the acquisition of the zinc tolerance trait in the wild zinc tolerant and hyperaccumulating plant species Arabidopsis halleri. As

The survival of an individual and its reproductive success rely on the successful localization of proper food sources, mates, or favourable sites for rearing the progeny. Sensory systems must optimize the processing of input to permit timely and efficient extraction of information. Thus, the olfacto

In many species of acoustic animals, males exhibit specialized patterns of collective display. These displays, termed ‘choruses’, range from advertisement signaling during a particular time of the day to precisely adjusted phase relationships between the call rhythms of neighboring individuals. Call

Lanternfishes (Family Myctophidae) are small luminous species that dominate the mesopelagic fishes of all the world’s oceans. Their large biomass and high nutritional quality make them among the few new fish resources available for commercial fisheries. However, myctophids play a pivotal role in the

The diversity and evolution of breeding systems have fascinated evolutionary biologists for long. They are very labile and can evolve rapidly, sometimes in response to human activities; furthermore, they have important evolutionary and ecological consequences. Understanding the causes and consequenc

The role of ecological factors and biological adaptations in species formation has gained strong support in the last decade. However, the precise steps involved in the accomplishment of ecological specialization and reproductive isolation are not fully understood and neither is the evolutionary time