Welcome to Newcomers
Welcome to Newcomers
Welcome to Newcomers in BOREA !
- Salomé Fabri-Ruiz, research assistant, joined the SOMAQUA team on September 1, in collaboration with Eric Goberville (SOMAQUA team) and Boris Leroy (BIOPAC team).
Research project: « ADIVMAR - Disentangling the drivers of DIVersity patterns in MARtinique ».
« Tropical coastal marine ecosystems protect coastal communities against flooding and beach erosion, and provide important goods and services. While tropical islands such as Martinique display a high biodiversity and endemism – but seldom documented - they are impacted by multiple stressors such as urbanization, harvesting, or climate change. How life is organized and how biodiversity patterns are constrained by forcing drivers is still poorly understood, but an essential prerequisite for implementing monitoring and conservation strategies. Here, our project will 1) assess the spatial patterns of assemblages biodiversity in Martinique and 2) identify “hotspots” to 3) help the setting up of a conservation plan. Biodiversity will be explored from a multi-faceted perspective, and sensitivity of assemblages to variations in their environment will be defined. The originality of the project lies in the use of the Madibenthos database that results from an expedition led in Martinique with: 1) thousands of specimens collected, 2) a sampling strategy specifically designed to appraise biodiversity as a whole, 3) a focus on overlooked taxa (algae, mollusks, crustaceans) instead of the classical "flagship" (corals or fish) taxa approach ordinarily used in conservation. The project will 1) contribute to a comprehensive understanding of biodiversity patterns in a tropical ecosystem, 2) challenge the relevance of commonly-used conservation strategies – e.g. based on umbrella and emblematic species - in such ecosystems and 3) help to improve future monitoring surveys and conservation actions in tropical regions. Close collaborations will be undertaken with stakeholders of the Martinique marine park: outcomes of the project are expected to be of crucial importance for protecting Martinique's marine ecosystems and tropical marine ecosystems in general, while ensuring the sustainability of marine and economic activities. Project analysis could be then transposed to other territories ».
- Marina Morini, research assistant, joined the EVOREG team on September 1, under the supervision of Sylvie Dufour, for a 2-year international post-doctorate.
Research project: « APOSTD 2020 : Spermatogonia proliferation in the European eel : molecular mechanisms involved and their modulation by temperature ».
« The 2-year international post-doctorate of Dr Marina MORINI, will be performed between France (BOREA, MNHN, Paris) and Spain (Grupo Acuicultura y Biodiversidad (GAB), Polytechnic University of Valencia, UPV) under the co-supervision of S. Dufour (France) and J. Asturiano (Spain). The project concerns the molecular and environmental mechanisms of the regulation of the first steps of spermatogenesis (spermatogonia proliferation), in the European eel, Anguilla anguilla. The European eel is an endangered species of biological and phylogenetical interests, of importance for aquaculture, but the reproduction of which is not controled yet. The objectives concern the identification of the molecular actors of the regulation and their phylogenetical evolution. The effects of water temperature and salinity will be studied in order to investigate the roles of environmental factors on eel life cycle and of the impact of climatic and global changes ».
- Alexandre Leduc, research assistant, joined the PHYPAQ team on September 1, under the supervision of Céline Gaudin and Joël Henry.
Research project: « Nutrition for sustainable fish farming ».
« Main field: Structural and functional analysis of protein sources alternative to fishmeal for farmed fish feeding.
The use of alternative sources of protein to fishmeal for farmed fish feeding is validated (or not) by zootechnics, histology and "omics" combined approaches. These new ingredients must reach a double requirement: i) be accessible and sustainable and ii) achieve the same performance as rich fishmeal diet. The performance of a diet is based on a close link between nutritional properties and "health" benefit provided by protein and peptides. The protein fraction of the feed is essential for the proper functioning of fish energy metabolism, a guarantee of growth performance. The health benefits are ensured by bioactive peptides found in fishmeal. These active compounds are capable of both compensating for the anti-nutritive factors contained in vegetable meal of the diet but also promoting immunostimulation and/or morphological (and therefore functional) improvement of the intestinal epithelium.
Conbining zootechnical, histological and "omics" approaches makes it possible to identify biomarkers associated with nutrition (nutrient transporters, morphogenesis of the intestinal epithelium), metabolic pathways and immunity signaling pathways specifically modulated by alternative sources of protein in diet during trial and challenge.
Secondary field: Identification of bioactive peptides.
Bioactive peptide identification from complex matrices (animal meals, hydrolysates) developing functional tests coupled with peptidomics approaches is a major objective which aims to allow their use as functional additives in aquafeed.
Keywords: sustainable aquaculture, transcriptomics, proteomics, peptidomics, alternatives to fishmeal, nutrition, fish, bioactive peptides ».
- Oumayma Chkili, is PhD student in BOREA Laboratory, in ECOFUNC team, in University of Caen Normandy, since july 5, under the supervision of Nathalie Niquil (BOREA) and Asma Sakka Hlaili (Université de Carthage, Faculté des Sciences de Bizerte Tunis).
Research project: « Étude de l’état de santé des écosystèmes côtiers sud méditerranéens anthropisés à partir du fonctionnement du réseau trophique planctonique : modélisation des indicateurs écologiques en situation de contamination chronique ou pulsée ».
« The Gulf of Gabès, on which 60% of the fishing activity in Tunisia is based, has experienced a serious degradation of its physico-chemical environment and its biocenosis. Within the framework of her Master's degree in 2019, doctoral student Oumayma Chkili provided a first evidence of the combined influence of contamination and hydrodynamics on primary production and its trophic transfer. However, the impact of these forcings on the functional properties of the ecosystem remains to be understood, which will be possible through the modelling of food webs. This will be the first objective of the thesis, based on the complementarity of the two supervisors, Asma Sakka-Hlaili, a specialist in planktonic network analysis, and Nathalie Niquil, a specialist in their modelling. It will thus be possible to characterize the state of health of the Gulf of Gabès by applying the "pelagic habitat" indices used by the OSPAR (North East Atlantic Regional Seas Convention) as well as the indices of the network analysis (of which Nathalie Niquil is a specialist) and to select the most suitable ones in the assessment of the state of health of the Gulf.
The models will then be applied to the data collected during the 2018 oil spill in the Bizerte Lagoon canal. This pole of shellfish farming in Tunisia also supports a strong fishing activity, while experiencing increased anthropization leading to its eutrophication and chemical contamination. Following the crude oil spill, the response of the ecosystem to this contaminating shock is not yet known. We will thus be able to test the health indicators of the planktonic food web in the context of pulsed contamination.
The dataset collected in these two situations of chronic and pulsed pollution by the Phytoplanktonology laboratory headed by Asma Sakka-Hlaili is very valuable for Nathalie Niquil's research objective, which is to characterize the state of ecosystem health using various indicators based on the organization of interaction networks in coastal ecosystems ».
Contact: chkili.oumayma94@gmail.com
- Fred Burner, technician, joined the RECAP team on July 1, in Marine Biology Laboratory, University of Antilles, Guadeloupe, under the supervision of Malika René-Trouillefou.
Research projects: « Suivi d’écosystèmes naturels et anthropisés, de leur dynamique d’évolution dans le cadre de programmes d’observations et de suivis à long terme développés en Guadeloupe par le laboratoire BOREA ».
« Les travaux effectués permettront d’avoir une approche diachronique afin d’appréhender, le long de continuum terre- mer et villes-rivages l’acclimatation et l’adaptation des organismes à différentes échelles spatiales et temporelles. Liées à une meilleure connaissance du fonctionnement des écosystèmes tropicaux, ces études permettront d’évaluer la résilience des grandes fonctions écosystémiques en relation avec les pressions environnementales.
Pour répondre aux enjeux du laboratoire BOREA sur la thématique des organismes et écosystèmes aquatiques, je valorise mes compétences techniques et organisationnelles acquisent dans le domaine des Sciences de l’environnement. Je réalise mes missions à partir de protocoles défininis : mesures, prélèvements et suivis spatio-temporels des écosystèmes cotiers en zone littorale, mangrove, herbiers, récifs coralliens. Mes activités comprennent également, des analyses et la préparation des échantillons. Enfin, je suis impliqué dans la mise en place des dispositifs d’acquisition de données du laboratoire BOREA (dispositifs sondes multiparamétriques, station météorologique, autres appareils de mesures, et équipements informatique), de l’assistance technique et opérationnelle, notamment en matière d’H&S pour les enseignants chercheurs et étudiants du laboratoire ».
Contact: fred.burner@ird.fr
- Laëtitia Aprile-Larand, technician, joined the BOREA Laboratory, MNHN Paris, on September 1st, as Administrative and Financial Manager (AFM), under the supervision of Tarik Meziane. She is in charge of coordinating and managing the administrative and financial staff of the Lab, to act as an interface between BOREA, the Department and the Central Administrative Services of our six institutions (MNHN, CNRS, IRD, SU, UniCaen, UA), and to ensure compliance with management practices
Contact: laetitia.aprile-larand@mnhn.fr
- Yann Fréjaville, research assistant, joined the RECAP team in Marine Biology Laboratory, University of Antilles, Guadeloupe, on June 1, under the supervision of Malika René-Trouillefou.
Research projects: « I have been a researcher in marine ecology since 2007. My doctorate, obtained at the University of the West Indies (Guaseloupe island), was a study of the ichthyological colonization of coral reefs. I then went abroad (Madagascar, Ghana ...) to focus on research applied to conservation (highlighting the influence of the "reserve effect", study of the impact of destructive fishing and anthropogenic activities on marine biocenoses, study of the optimal parameters for the creation of MPAs ...). Back in Guadeloupe as part of a post-doctorate, I have the opportunity to perfect my experience in these two aspects of my career as an ecologist through the following two programs:
• CÁYOLI: Environmental program of the Grand Port Maritime de la Guadeloupe (2020-2022)
The CÁYOLI program (www.cayoli.fr) aims to develop and implement concrete solutions adapted to the restoration of coastal ecosystems.
In addition to contributing to a better knowledge of the dynamics of marine and coastal ecosystems under the management of the GPMG (setting up of rigorous ecological monitoring), the program has acquired research and development resources concerning, in particular:
- Coral reefs (coral nurseries by cuttings and cultivation),
- Reef fish (capture-culture-reintroduction of post-larvae),
- Marine phanerogam beds (nursery by sowing),
- Mangroves (nurseries by collecting and cultivating mangrove propagules) ...
• DIDILAC: Diversity and dispersal of Caribbean reef fish (2020-2021)
The DIDILAC project (led by C. DROMARD of the RECAP team) is a multidisciplinary approach aimed at studying the recruitment of post-larvae of reef fish on the reefs of the Caribbean, with three main objectives: 1) assess the composition and diversity of the larval community using a metagenomic approach, 2) estimate the pelagic lifespan of larvae of two model species using a sclerochronological approach, 3) define the influence of sea currents on larval recruitment using a micro- current approach ».