Céline BELLARD

Consequences of fish invasions worldwide and Extinction rate of freshwater fish species
 

Climate warming is one of the biggest challenge for species survival and reproduction. The distribution of many fish species is limited by a combination of local temperature climate and biotic interactions; warming is therefore expected to result in the spread of warm adapted species that cause local extinctions. I will develop scenarios of fish invasions in collaboration with B. Leroy (PI of this project) to address the potential consequences of such invasions for biodiversity. 

Recently, I have also focused my research on background extinction and contemporary extinctions rates. Anthropogenic fragmentation has particularly strong effects in dendritic networks, like river-scapes with dramatic consequences on fish communities. Barriers may cause local extinctions because spawning sites can no longer be reached or because the accessible habitat area is too small Because extinctions take time and many barriers are recent, it is likely that the extinction debt is large, i.e., many more extinctions will occur in the future. Within this line of research, I quantify the relationship between the area occupied by species, their rate natural extinction rates and under the pressure of current threats.