Welcome to Newcomers

Welcome to Newcomers !

 

• Noémie Coulon,  is PhD in BIOPAC team since 1th october 2021, at CRESCO/Dinard, under the supervision of  Eric Feunteun and Alexandre Carpentier.

General topics: « Structural and functional characterization of the elasmobranch community of the Channel and North Atlantic in the context of global change ».

«  The objective of my thesis is to test the structural and functional responses of the elasmobranch community in the Channel and North Atlantic to global change over the last 70 years. Skates and sharks are particularly sensitive species and many of them have a degraded conservation status. The first axis aims at characterizing the structural fluctuations of the community which will be confronted with the observed temperature variations. We will use available data (Data Collection Framework (DCF), fisheries surveys, climatic data). The recent data will be compared to an analysis of the eDNA of the waters in the study area. On this basis, a second axis will test the links between fluctuations in abundance and the life traits of the species (e.g. age at maturity, sex ratio, physical condition, trophic level) and to define the levels of interaction and the real sympatry between some of these species (niche partition). Finally, the third axis will aim at the experimental analysis of the functional responses to temperature and pH variations in juveniles of 3 sympatric species: the curly ray and the brown skate, the former being more northern than the latter, and the dogfish which is not at the limit of its range ».

Contact: noemie.coulon.2605@gmail.com

 

• Ehsan Kayal, Research assistant, joined  ECOFUNC team, since 1th october 2021, at University of Caen Normandy.

General topics: « Phenology and inter-annual variability of the diversity of toxic diatoms Pseudo-nitzschia: Analysis of 10 years of monitoring and innovative approaches ».

« After exploring different fields of biology (trophic networks, ecophysiology, systematics), it is on genetics that I focused my attention with a doctoral thesis at Iowa State University (Ames, IA, United States of America) on the evolution of linear mitochondria in cnidarians and calcareous sponges. A technician contract at the Smithsonian Insitution National Museum of Natural History (Washington DC, United States of America) gave me the time to obtain a postdoctoral fellowship for the more in-depth exploration of the mitochondrial genomes in cnidarians as well as their expression. In addition, I have also participated in the sequencing and assembly of cnidarian genomes, allowing us to offer the most comprehensive phylogeny for the group to date. Another postdoc at the Roscoff Biological Station introduced me to microalgae from the dinoflagellate group, in particular by participating in the annotation of the genomes of two syndinales parasites of dinoflagellates (HAPAR project). I also found the presence of a mitochondrial genome in this group, countering an earlier study that claimed its absence in the clade. Finally, we have also demonstrated the "zombification" of the dinophycean host by these syndiniales. A research engineer position within the Phaeoexplorer project which aims at sequencing and annotating the genomes of fifty brown macroalgae allowed me to explore the energy metabolism of the phaeophycea Ectocarpus, highlighting the presence of horizontal gene transfers and domain fusion.

I joined the BOREA laboratory as an ATER for teaching in Master (Marine Sciences and Microbiology) and License (Health Sciences), and to participate in the PHENOMEN project, "Phenology and inter-annual variability of the diversity of toxic diatoms Pseudo-nitzschia: Analysis of 10 years of monitoring and innovative approaches”, in collaboration with the Detection, Sensors and Measurements laboratory of IFREMER-Brest. My role will be to set up molecular methods for the identification and quantification of the main species of Pseudo-nitzschia as well as the transfer of these technologies to the University of Caen ».

Contact: ehsan.kayal@sb-roscoff.fr

 

• Coline Royaux, PhD, joined BIOPAC team, at Marine station of Concarneau, since 1th october, under the supervision of Nicolas Rabet (BOREA) and Yvan Le Bras (Patrinat - Concarneau).

General topics :  « Micro-endemism in New Caledonia : Characterization from freshwater zooplankton, identification of major explicative factors and submission of a functional ecology model ».

« The biological, geological and climatic context of New Caledonia is particularly remarkable through the association of outstanding factors and conditions. Although of small area (approximately the same as the Pyrenees), the island is one of the major global biodiversity hotspots and possesses the greatest proportion of endemic species described on all french territories (56% according to the INPN, 2021). It has long been thought that this extraordinary biodiversity came from its dissociation from Australia 80 Ma ago followed by independant speciations in New Caledonia but it has been demonstrated that the island has been submerged until 37 Ma ago and would have known a later re-colonisation of terrestrial life. The tectonic event that led to the emergence of New Caledonia has also provoked the carriage of the Earth's mantle that created, after alteration, massifs rich in heavy metal that are under high mining exploitation pressure.

This thesis revolves around three main parts, the first two are paricularly focusing on the documentation and explanation of endemism and micro-endemism among zooplanktonic communities of neo-caledonian ponds. Indeed, ponds in New Caledonia are quite unknown and a preliminary work, carried out during my internship also within the BIOPAC team, suggests the existence of numerous species to discover and describe. The documentation of endemism and micro-endemism within these communities will unfold through the combination of genetic and morphologic approaches. From this documentation, several models (species niche models, predictive repartition models and extrapolation in high potential areas) will be constructed to caracterize major explicative factors of this phenomena in freshwater zooplanktonic communities.

These two first parts will allow an enrichment of the knowledge and understanding of neo-caledonian ecosystems and will constitute a basis to the establishment of the third and last major part of the thesis : the provision of methods and tools to study endemism and micro-endemism. This part of the thesis is particularly possible through the collaboration with the UMS Patrimoine Naturel and the french biodiversity data hub (Pôle National de Données de Biodiversité) and has emerged from several observations made in ecology and around biodiversity conservation sciences. In fact, great advances have been accomplished since the first main alerts on biodiversity loss in the 1960s : we have great quality research and expertise in these domains at a global scale, we have functional concepts and various, adaptable and practical methods. Yet, all these things are greatly under-used and would gain to be more transparent, reproducible and accessible. The idea with this part of the thesis is to make the findings and knowledge produced by this research directly actionable to protect ecosystems ».

Contact: coline.royaux@mnhn.fr

 

• Aurélie Jeantet, PhD, joined BIOPAC team, since 1th october 2021, under the supervision of Julien Gasparini (IIES - Paris) and Fabienne Audebert (BOREA).

General topics: « Can parasites help “detoxify” their hosts ? Effects of element trace metals on feral pigeon parasites ».

« These last decades, anthropic activities induced heavy chemical pollution. For example, we observe a pollution by element trace metals, which are naturally present in small amount in the environment, but whose concentration can be increased by some anthropic activities. Concentrations in element trace metals differ according to urbanization degree of the environment that we consider. In urban environment, we find those metals in high level concentrations, that negatively impact organisms living in those environments. Those negative effects on organisms have been studied a lot, but we don’t know much about the effect of those metals on ecological interactions, such as parasitism. Nevertheless, it has been shown that some parasites are able to accumulate pollutants in their own tissues, which allows to “detoxify” their hosts. So, those parasites would have a positive effect on their hosts in those polluted environments, by reducing trace metal rates in their hosts.

 This project aims to understand if the presence of trace metals in the environment could impact a host-parasite interaction. We will test this hypothesis on feral pigeon (Columba livia), found a lot in urban areas and in which we observe a large diversity of parasites. The first axis will aim to determine if it could exist a benefit for the host fitness to be parasitized when he lives in polluted environment. The second axis will be to test if parasites accumulate pollutants in their tissues, which would allow a detoxification of their hosts. Finally, the third axis will be to verify if there exists a direct negative effect of pollutants on parasites, which would be less harmful for their hosts ».

Contact: aureliejeantet92@gmail.com

 

• Fabian Jeanne, PhD, joined EVOREG team, since 1th october 2021, at University of Caen Normandy, under the supervision of Pascal Sourdaine.

General topics: « Evolution des systèmes GnRH et de leurs neuropeptides régulateurs dans les contrôles endocrine et paracrine de la spermatogenèse chez la roussette, Scyliorhinus canicula ».

« The objective of this project is to identify peptides involved in the regulation of spermatogenesis in a shark, the small dogfish. The program envisaged is the identification of the sequences of peptide precursors regulating the GnRH system (GnRHs, GnIH, Kisspeptin/Neurokinin/Dynorphin) from available genomic data and the study of their biological activities on pituitary and testicular cultures. The study of the testicular paracrine function of these peptides constitutes an emerging theme in the understanding of the influence of environmental factors on reproductive functions.

This project, by targeting a chondrichthyan, will allow us to place the results in an evolutionary scheme of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal system of the Gnathosomes and to improve our knowledge on the reproduction of Elasmobranchs, a group with a high conservation concern ».

Contact: jeanne211@unicaen.fr

 

• Bérénice Bichon, is PhD, under the supervision of Hervé Tostivint (UMR PhyMA) & Pascal Sourdaine (BOREA), funding by Institut de l'Ocean of Alliance Sorbonne University.

General topics: « Comparative study of the functions of the caudal neurosecretory system in dogfish and zebrafish ».

« The hypothalamus-pituitary complex is the most well-known neuroendocrine system in vertebrates. In fish, a second neuroendocrine system has been identified, called the caudal neurosecretory system, because of its position at the caudal end of the spinal cord. Like the hypothalamic-pituitary complex, the caudal neurosecretory system consists of two components: a small population of secretory neurons called Dahlgren cells, and a highly vascularized ventral expansion of nerve tissue called the urophysis (literally meaning "caudal pituitary"), towards which the Dahlgren cells project their axons and release hormones, called urotensins. Although these hormones are known to exert various actions, notably in the control of water balance and stress, the functions of the caudal neurosecretory system are still poorly understood. Initially characterized in teleost fishes, the caudal neurosecretory system is also present in all actinopterygians as well as chondrichthyans, suggesting that it is an ancestral attribute of gnathostomes. Furthermore, the absence of this system in tetrapods suggests that it was lost at the latest at the base of this lineage. My PhD project aims to better understand the functions of the caudal neurosecretory system by using the dogfish Scyliorhinus canicula and the zebrafish Danio rerio as models ».

Contact: berenice96b@gmail.com

 

• Marion Vilain, PhD, joined SOMAQUA team, since 1th september 2021, at MNHN Paris, under the supervision of  Frederic Olivier and  Eric Goberville.

General topics: «  Spatio-temporal dynamics and habitats of zooplankton communities: characterization of the ecological state of French pelagic ecosystems »

« Plankton is an essential component of the pelagic domain. It includes all plant (phytoplankton) and animal (zooplankton) organisms living in the water column, which have a relative passivity towards water mass movements. Planktonic organisms are thus particularly sensitive to changes in environmental conditions (hydrodynamic, hydrological, physico-chemical, biological) which can affect both their structure (e.g. composition, size spectrum, diversity) and their distribution (e.g. horizontal, vertical). These spatio-temporal variations in communities can condition the functioning of the food web (e.g. phytoplankton-herbivore food chain; remineralization) and the balance of biogeochemical cycles. Plankton is therefore a good component for studying and monitoring the evolution of marine ecosystems. In this context, the objective of my thesis is to analyse the spatio-temporal variations of zooplankton communities from marine and coastal ecosystems of the French coastline, to characterise the forcing factors influencing these dynamics at different scales, and to assess the ecological status of these pelagic habitats. This work will be at the interface between research and management, since the aim will be to: 1) Characterise zooplankton assemblages along the English Channel, Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts in order to identify sites/periods at stake (e.g. hotspot of abundance, biomass, diversity) in the ecosystems studied ;  2) Analyse the variations of these assemblages in response to physical, hydrological, hydrographical and climatic forcing, at different spatial and temporal scales while considering different levels of ecological integration (species, communities, functional groups, stocks) ;  3) Develop and/or adapt indicators to detect changes and quantify variations in zooplankton communities (structure, functional types, diversity, etc.) in support of public policies (in particular in the context of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive) ;  4) Assess the ecological status of the pelagic habitats of the French coastline (Descriptor 1 - Biodiversity of the MSFD) and consider management support measures in the case of degraded status ».

Contact: marion.vilain@protonmail.com

 

• Joséphine Broussin, PhD, joined SOMAQUA team since 1th october, at MNHN Paris, under the supervision of Eric Goberville and Tarik Meziane.

General topics: « A framework for modelling CLImate change impacts on Northeast Atlantic MARine RESources (CLIMARES) ».

« Climate change impacts the oceans and its flora and fauna directly (warming, increase in acidity) and indirectly (trophic disruption). This change could lead to a biogeographic shift of many endemic species (northward shift of temperate species, decline of polar species) as well as an increase in the range and/or number of invasive species. The North-East Atlantic, important at the ecosystemic and economic level, remains an area where these impacts are poorly known.

 My thesis will attempt to determine the ecological and socio-economic impact of climate change in the North-East Atlantic by achieving 3 objectives:

(1)Project the redistribution of the major marine resources exploited in the North-East Atlantic during the 21st century through ecological niche modeling and the ecological filter method. These methods are predictive but are associated with uncertainty. Quantifying and incorporating this uncertainty will be an important part of the work.

(2) Evaluate the economic consequences of this expected redistribution using metrics such as Maximum Catch Potential (MCP) and Mean Revenue Potential (MRP). The evolution of revenues will be estimated at the national and local (fishing port) scales.

(3)Estimate the resilience of existing conservation strategies and propose spatial planning scenarios in relation to this expected redistribution and provide sustainable management scenarios, from the least ecologically relevant to the most politically controversial. These scenarios will be produced with two decision support tools, Marxan (achieving specified objectives at minimum cost) and Zonation (maximizing benefits for a fixed cost) ».

Contact: josephine.broussin@gmail.com

 

• Camille Détrée, Assistant professor,  joined PHYPAQ team, at University of Caen Normandy, since 1th september 2021.

General topics: « Nutrition chez des espèces exploitées par la pêche et l’aquaculture ».

« My research work was driven by a desire to better understand and describe the regulatory mechanisms involved in the physiological adjustments of marine organisms in response to biotic and abiotic pressures. Thus, I worked on a diversity of organisms within contrasting ecosystems from depths to coastal environments and from temperate to polar environments. More particularly, my research can be divided into three major axes: The first one aims at identifying the molecular mechanisms involved in host-symbionts interactions (including parasitism), the 2nd axis focuses on the physiological adjustments established by organisms in the face of environmental variations or stressful events. Finally, the 3rd axis aims to examine the impact of food limitation (qualitatively or quantitatively) on the physiology of aquaculture or exploited species and the role of nutrition in stress reduction. It is in particular on this third aspect that my future research will be developed within the PHYPAQ team. I will participate in the development of alternative, functional and sustainable foods, determine the mechanisms of action of these alternative and functional diets in carnivorous fish as well as their role in fish resistance to aquaculture and environmental stresses ».

Contact: camille.detree@unicaen.fr

 

• Mariem Zaidi, Research assistant, joined  BOREA (EMERGE and EVOREG teams), since 1th september 2021, at University of Caen Normandy.

General topics: « Génomique et épigénomique environnementale chez l’huître ».

« Après ma formation d’ingénieure en Génie Halieutiques et Environnement j’ai fait une thèse en Biologie des organismes, des populations et d’écologie. J’ai travaillé sur des approches en biologie moléculaire et sur l’étude de la valorisation des gastéropodes marins en écotoxicologie. Ce travail m’aura amené à travailler sur la variabilité génétique (phylogéographie, diversité) de mes modèles, leurs réponses précoces (méthylation de l’ADN, génotoxicité, expression génique, réponses biochimiques) aux stress environnementaux (métaux, produits médicamenteux) infligés en conditions expérimentales, mais également aux dosages métalliques sur des échantillons de terrain.  Passionnée par le monde marin, la biologie de la conservation et la protection des espèces marines en danger, j’ai donc fait une formation d’expertise à Chypre (Cyprus Wildlife Society, Akamas, Chypre) financée par le Conseil de l’Europe et la Convention de Berne pour la contribution au suivi de la nidification des tortues marines et la communication au grand public autour de la vulnérabilité des populations de ces espèces marines protégées. J’ai intégré le laboratoire BOREA en tant qu’ATER pour faire des enseignements mais aussi pour travailler au sein des deux équipes de recherche EVOREG et EMERGE sur des projets qui portent sur l’étude des modifications génomiques et réponses physiologiques en réponse aux fluctuations de paramètres environnementaux chez les mollusques dans le cadre des programmes de recherches ECUME et SCHEMAh ».

Contact : mariem.zaidi@unicaen.fr

 

• Damien Chevallier, Research engineer, joined RECAP team 1th july 2021 at University of the French West Indies, Campus of Schoelcher, Martinique.

General topics: « BEPHYTES Réponses comportementales et physiologiques des tortues marines au stress environnemental (BEhavioral and PHYsiological responses of marine Turtles to Environmental Stress) ».

more: Video :  'Les tortues instrumentées'  et 'Les géantes de Yalimapo'

Contact: damien.chevallier@iphc.cnrs.fr

 

• Luis Molina Carrillo, Research officer, joined EVOREG team, 17th may 2021, at MNHN Paris, for the project Upside, under the supervision of Laure Bonnaud-Ponticelli.

General topics: « UPSIDE : UV effects & pigments during Sepia officinalis development ».