Evolution, Behaviour, Adaptation Group

Members

The Evolution, Adaptation and Behavior group aims at studying the evolution of phenotypic and behavioral traits through a combination of long-term monitoring of natural populations, of field and lab experiments, of molecular analyses, and of mathematical and computational modeling. Our research mainly focuses on animals, in particular mammals (alpine marmot, giraffe), birds (white-throated dipper, collared flycatcher, great tit) and insects (various Drosophila species, the parasitoid wasp Venturia canescens).

 
We study the evolution of fitness-related traits in interaction, either selective or plastic, with an individual’s biotic and abiotic environment. Interactions between individuals have a special importance in our reasoning and are thus the object of a first axis of research on group dynamics and social interactions. We also consider the environment as providing resources and informative signals through two other axes, one on phenotypic plasticity and the other on resource allocation and the sensitivity to environmental variables. In both, we consider the impact of stress factors caused by human activities — such as global warming, artificial lighting or invading species — or by the presence of pathogens.
 
 
Group dynamics and social interaction. The environment encountered by numerous animals contains, on top of resources and other elements, other individuals. Social interactions vary immensely between species, from a solitary lifestyle to such an extreme degree of cooperation that a part of the group sacrifices their reproduction at the benefit of others, specialized in this task. In this axis, we try to understand how groups form and how social structures are maintained, at various scales extending from unicellular organisms to cooperative mammals.
Here are a few examples of questions that we address:

  • Evolution of sociality: what are the consequences of climate change on the benefits of group living (in the alpine marmot)? How does that impact group composition and the probability and age of dispersal?
  • Group dynamics: how does the size and composition of familial groups evolve in the context of climate change? In giraffes, how do temporary groups form, and what role do kinship play in the probability and duration of pairing?
  • Which evolutionary trajectories have led to multicellular organisms expressing differentiated cell types, a part of which sacrifice their reproduction?
  • What are the neurogenomic determinants that signal the presence of related individuals in solitary individuals, triggering altruistic behaviors?

 
Phenotypic plasticity. Evolution by natural selection can drive phenotype changes on short timescales, in the order of a few generations. Yet it remains inefficient to track more frequent environmental changes. Phenotypic plasticity is a means to buffer such environmental variations, either through informed decisions or fixed reaction norms, which are the object of study in this axis.
Here are a few examples of questions that we address:

  • How do individual characteristics, in particular personality traits, shape the use of information on the environment for decision-making?
  • Is there a trade-off between the speed of decision making and its accuracy? What conditions favor genotypes that make fast, error-prone decisions, or slower, more accurate genotypes?
  • What types of environmental variations select for plastic genotypes?
  • Do changes in gene expression observed during environmental fluctuations induce behavioral changes?

 
Resource allocation and sensitivity to environmental variables. Organisms make other decisions throughout their lives as they decide how much resources to allocate to various traits, such as survival, growth, reproduction or immunity. This differential allocation of resources relies on complex systems, or instance the endocrine system in animals, that we study. These systems can be disturbed by anthropogenic changes that disrupt the long-term ecological setting in which they have evolves, resulting in major phenotype perturbations.
Here are a few examples of questions that we address:

  • How do endocrine systems — that allow the communication between tissues and control the differential allocation of resources — evolve?
  • How do chemical pollutants affect physiological processes, ageing and thereby life-history strategies in response to environmental variation?
  • What role do climatic fluctuations play in the heterogeneity of parasite infection, especially at stages that go through the external environment?

 

Publications

Display of 211 to 240 publications on 449 in total

Modes of transmission of Simian T-lymphotropic Virus Type 1 in semi-captive mandrills (Mandrillus sphinx)

M. Roussel, D. Pontier, B. Ngoubangoye, M. Kazanji, D. Verrier, D. Fouchet

Veterinary Microbiology . 179 : 155-61

DOI: 10.1016/j.vetmic.2015.06.010

Journal article

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In-planta sporulation phenotype: a major life history trait to understand the evolution of Alnus-infective Frankia strains

A. Pozzi, H. H. Bautista-Guerrero, I. Nouioui, L. Cotin-Galvan, R. Pepin, P. Fournier...

Environmental Microbiology . 17 : 3125-38

DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.12644

Journal article

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Early-life events and their consequences for adult performance in populations of large herbivores : evolutionary, ecological and demographic perspectives

Mathieu Douhard

Thesis

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Determining the instar of a weevil larva (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) using a parsimonious method

A. Merville, A. Vallier, Samuel Venner, A. Siberchicot, D. Fouchet, A. Heddi...

European Journal of Entomology . 111 ( 4 ) : 567-573

DOI: 10.14411/eje.2014.056

Journal article

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Variation in clutch size in relation to nest size in birds.

Anders P. Møller, Frank Adriaensen, Alexandr Artemyev, Jerzy Bańbura, Emilio Barba, Clotilde Biard...

Ecology and Evolution . 4 ( 18 ) : 3583-3595

DOI: 10.1002/ece3.1189

Journal article

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Accounting for sampling error when inferring population synchrony from time-series data: a bayesian state-space modelling approach with applications

H. Santin-Janin, B. Hugueny, P. Aubry, David Fouchet, O. Gimenez, D. Pontier

PLoS ONE . 9 : e87084

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0087084

Journal article

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Natural selection acts in opposite ways on correlated hormonal mediators of prenatal maternal effects in a wild bird population

B. Tschirren, E. Postma, L. Gustafsson, T. G. Groothuis, Blandine Doligez

Ecology Letters . 17 : 1310-5

Journal article

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Avoiding perceived past resource use of potential competitors affects niche dynamics in a bird community

Jt. Forsman, S. Kivela, T. Jaakkonen, Jt. Seppänen, L. Gustafsson, Blandine Doligez

BMC Evolutionary Biology . 14 : 175

DOI: 10.1186/s12862-014-0175-2

Journal article

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Clutch-size variation in Western Palaearctic secondary hole-nesting passerine birds in relation to nest box design.

Anders Pape Møller, Frank Adriaensen, Alexandr V. Artemyev, Jerzy Bańbura, Emilio Barba, Clotilde Biard...

Methods in Ecology and Evolution . 5 ( 4 ) : 353-362

DOI: 10.1111/2041-210X.12160

Journal article

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The rapid northward shift of the range margin of a Mediterranean parasitoid insect (Hymenoptera) associated with regional climate warming

Emilie Delava, Roland Allemand, Lucas Léger, Frédéric Fleury, Patricia Gibert, Robert Whittaker

Journal of Biogeography . 41 ( 7 ) : 1379 - 1389

DOI: 10.1111/jbi.12314

Journal article

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Fitness consequences of environmental conditions at different life stages in a long-lived vertebrate.

Mathieu Douhard, Floriane Plard, Jean-Michel Gaillard, Gilles Capron, Daniel Delorme, François Klein...

Biology Letters . 281 ( 1785 ) : 20140276

DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2014.0276

Journal article

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The Evolution of Bet Hedging in Response to Local Ecological Conditions

Etienne Rajon, Emmanuel Desouhant, M. Chevalier, François Débias, Frédéric Menu

The American Naturalist . 184 : E1-E15

Journal article

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Early infections by myxoma virus of young rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) protected by maternal antibodies activate their immune system and enhance herd immunity in wild populations.

Stéphane Marchandeau, Dominique Pontier, Jean-Sébastien Guitton, Jérôme Letty, David Fouchet, Jacky Aubineau...

Veterinary Research . 45 ( 1 ) : 26

DOI: 10.1186/1297-9716-45-26

Journal article

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The past and the present in decision-making: the use of conspecific and heterospecific cues in nest site selection

Sm. Kivelä, Jt. Seppänen, O. Ovaskainen, Blandine Doligez, L. Gustafsson, M. Mönkkönen...

Ecology . 95 ( 12 ) : 3428-3439

DOI: 10.1890/13-2103.1

Journal article

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Construction of standardized surveillance indicators for bovine cysticercosis

C. Dupuy, C. Morlot, P. Demont, Christian Ducrot, D. Calavas, Marie-Pierre Callait-Cardinal...

Preventive Veterinary Medicine . 115 ( 3-4 ) : 288-92

DOI: 10.1016/j.prevetmed.2014.03.024

Journal article

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Prévalence, facteurs associés et répartition spatiale de la cysticercose bovine en France en 2010 et perspectives en termes de surveillance épidémiologie

Céline Dupuy, Claire Morlot, Emmanuelle Gilot-Fromont, Pierre Demont, Michel Mas, Claude Grandmontagne...

Bulletin épidémiologique . 63 : 24-28

Journal article

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Prevalence of Taenia saginata cysticercosis in French cattle in 2010

Céline Dupuy, C. Morlot, Emmanuelle Gilot-Fromont, M. Mas, C. Grandmontagne, P. Gilli-Dunoyer...

Veterinary parasitology . 203 ( 1-2 ) : 65-72

DOI: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2014.02.054

Journal article

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Prévalence, facteurs associés et répartition spatiale de la cysticercose bovine en France en 2010 et perspectives en termes de surveillance épidémiologique

Céline Dupuy, Claire Morlot, Emmanuelle Gilot Fromont, Pierre Demont, Michel Mas, Claude Grandmontagne...

Bulletin épidémiologique . ( 63 ) : 24-28

Journal article

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Invasive host for invasive pest: when the Asiatic cherry fly ( Drosophila suzukii ) meets the American black cherry ( Prunus serotina ) in Europe

Mathilde Poyet, Patrice Eslin, Marie Heraude, Vincent Le Roux, Geneviève Prevost, Patricia Gibert...

Agricultural and Forest Entomology . 16 ( 3 ) : 251 - 259

DOI: 10.1111/afe.12052

Journal article

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Bayesian approaches to the quantitative genetic analysis of natural populations

M.B. Morrissey, P. de Villemereuil, Blandine Doligez, O. Gimenez

Quantitative Genetics in the Wild . 978-0-19-967424-4

Book chapter

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Quantifying transmission by stage of infection in the field: The example of SIV-1 and STLV-1 infecting mandrills.

Marion Roussel, Dominique Pontier, Mirdad Kazanji, Barthélémy Ngoubangoye, Renaud Mahieux, Delphine Verrier...

American Journal of Primatology .

DOI: 10.1002/ajp.22346

Journal article

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Drosophila suzukii, vers une lutte biologique contre ce ravageur des fruits rouges

S. Chabert, Roland Allemand, Mathilde Poyet, N. Ris, Patricia Gibert

Phytoma . 660 : 34-38

Journal article

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Tracking prospecting movements involved in breeding habitat selection: insights, pitfalls and perspectives

A. Ponchon, D. Grémillet, Blandine Doligez, T. Chambert, T. Tveraa, J. González-Sol'Is...

Methods in Ecology and Evolution . 4 : 143--150

DOI: 10.1111/j.2041-210x.2012.00259.x

Journal article

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Candidate Chemosensory Genes in the Stemborer Sesamia nonagrioides

Nicolas Glaser, Aurore Gallot, Fabrice Legeai, Nicolas Montagne, Erwan E. Poivet, Myriam Harry...

International Journal of Biological Sciences . 9 ( 5 ) : 481-495

DOI: 10.7150/ijbs.6109

Journal article

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Exploitation de la plante hôte pour l'alimentation et la reproduction

Didier D. Rochat, Emmanuel Desouhant, Frédéric Menu

Interactions insectes-plantes . 978-2-7592-2018-2 978-2-7099-1746-9 : 749 p.

Book chapter

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Trans-generational effects of mild heat stress on the life history traits of an aphid parasitoid

I. Ismaeil, G. Doury, E. Desouhant, F. Dubois, G. Prevost, Aude Couty

PLoS ONE . 8 : e54306

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0054306

Journal article

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Le choix de la plante hôte et les conséquences adaptatives

Emmanuel Desouhant, Frédéric Menu

Interactions insectes-plantes . 978-2-7592-2018-2 : 249-252

Book chapter

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Synchronisation des cycles de reproduction des insectes et des plantes

Emmanuel Desouhant, Frédéric Menu

Interactions insectes-plantes . 978-2-7592-2018-2 : 253-262

Book chapter

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The role of epistasis in protein evolution

D. M. Mccandlish, E. Rajon, P. Shah, Y. Ding, J. B. Plotkin

Nature . 497 : E1--E2

DOI: 10.1038/nature12219

Journal article

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From Income to Capital Breeding: When Diversified Strategies Sustain Species Coexistence

Pierre-François Pelisson, Marie-Claude Bel-Venner, David Giron, Frédéric Menu, Samuel Venner

PLoS ONE . 8 ( 9 ) : e76086

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0076086

Journal article

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