BIOPAC - Biodiversity, Plasticity, Adaptation and Conservation
The Knowledge of the mechanisms that regulate the structure, the dynamics, the functioning and the future of the aquatic populations is essential for the development of models and is a prerequisite for proposing management tools for species and habitats of ecological, heritage and/or fisheries interest. It is therefore necessary to study the diversity of these taxonomic groups and their life history traits in order to understand the relationships between the biodiversity and the ecosystem. Our team developed expertise in the study of communities in particular environments such as the southern seas, tropical island systems and temperate coastal and freshwater environments, based on extensive databases and reference collections it has built up. These environments are subject to strong climatic perturbations (cyclonic depressions, frost...), hydraulic (high rainfall, devastating floods, forced marine currents...), hydrodynamic (fronts, tides, retention processes,...) or mechanical (erosion,...) disturbances that lead to a particular adaptation of the organisms that live there, both on the colonization and settlement process and dispersion. In this context, our research is developed in 4 major themes: (i) Description, origin and evolution of biodiversity, (ii) Plasticity and adaptations during development, (iii) Dispersal and migrations, and (iv) Macroecology and conservation.
Description, origin and evolution of biodiversity
Our team is working on the origin of the establishment of current aquatic fauna following post-glacial recolonization and the persistence of refuge areas; the exploration of island biodiversity and assemblage diversity; and the biogeographic study of Southern Ocean diversity at meso- and macro-scale on pelagos and plateaux scale for benthic and demersal organisms.
Plasticity and adaptations during development
Aquatic organisms often have complex life cycles, alternating between planktonic larval life phases and various juvenile and adult life phases. It is often through these larval phases that species are dispersed before adults settle. In this context, the team is studying the diversity and plasticity of shellfish life traits and adaptive responses.
Dispersal and migrations
Our team is studying these migratory aquatic species that have developed specific life traits that allow them to colonize particular environments and or to shift habitats during their life cycle. Dispersal strategies are a key driver of community structure and persistence, ranging from the local scale of a river, island or archipelago to the regional scale. Diadromy, which is a life strategy with migrations between marine and freshwater habitats, is one of the most studied model in our team.
Macroecology and conservation
Our work seeks to (i) describe biodiversity patterns and their dynamics at several spatial scales and levels of organization of living organisms; (ii) link these patterns not only to the processes underlying them, but also to search for direct or indirect forcing drivers such as global or anthropogenic changes; (iii) use this knowledge to produce indicators of status and predictive trends to better guide conservation policies and programs.
Latest scientific articles
2022
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. 2022. “Increasing Numbers Of Killer Whale Individuals Use Fisheries As Feeding Opportunities Within Subantarctic Populations”. Biology Letters 18 (2). doi:10.1098/rsbl.2021.0328. https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsbl.2021.0328.
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. 2022. “Macrozooplankton And Micronekton Diversity And Associated Carbon Vertical Patterns And Fluxes Under Distinct Productive Conditions Around The Kerguelen Islands”. Journal Of Marine Systems 226: 103650. doi:10.1016/j.jmarsys.2021.103650. https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0924796321001457.
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. 2022. “Seascapes Of Fear And Competition Shape Regional Seabird Movement Ecology”. Communications Biology 5 (1). doi:10.1038/s42003-022-03151-z. https://www.nature.com/articles/s42003-022-03151-z.
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. 2022. “First Evidence Of Migration Across The South Pacific In Endangered Amsterdam Albatross And Conservation Implications”. Marine Policy 136: 104921. doi:10.1016/j.marpol.2021.104921. https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0308597X21005327.
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. 2022. “Knowledge Gaps In Economic Costs Of Invasive Alien Fish Worldwide”. Science Of The Total Environment 803: 149875. doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.149875. https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0048969721049500.
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. 2022. “From Taxonomic To Functional Dark Diversity: Exploring The Causes Of Potential Biodiversity And Its Implications For Conservation”. Journal Of Applied Ecology 59 (1): 103 - 116. doi:10.1111/jpe.v59.110.1111/1365-2664.14033. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/13652664/59/1.
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. 2022. “Similar Trait Structure And Vulnerability In Pelagic Fish Faunas On Two Remote Island Systems”. Marine Biology 169 (1). doi:10.1007/s00227-021-03998-6. https://link.springer.com/10.1007/s00227-021-03998-6.
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. 2022. “Spatially Explicit Food Web Modelling To Consider Fisheries Impacts And Ecosystem Representation Within Marine Protected Areas On The Kerguelen Plateauabstract”. Ices Journal Of Marine Science 79 (4): 1327 - 1339. doi:10.1093/icesjms/fsac056. https://academic.oup.com/icesjms/article/79/4/1327/6572845.
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. 2022. “A Multi-Approach Study To Reveal Eel Life-History Traits In An Obstructed Catchment Before Dam Removal”. Hydrobiologia. doi:10.1007/s10750-022-04833-9. https://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10750-022-04833-9.
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. 2022. “Classification Of Underwater Photogrammetry Data For Temperate Benthic Rocky Reef Mapping”. Estuarine, Coastal And Shelf Science 270: 107833. doi:10.1016/j.ecss.2022.107833. https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0272771422000920.
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