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Extinctions in the Hymenoptera: genes, behaviour, and the dynamics of bottlenecked populations – SEXTINCTION
Most populations deserving the elaboration of management practices are bottlenecked populations. Such populations are experiencing a drastic decrease in population size and are therefore affected by the specific processes occurring with such a decrease. These populations include declining population
Evolution of the posterior elongation process in chordates – EVOLONGATION
The objective of the EVOLONGATION project is to understand the mechanisms controlling the process of posterior elongation and somitogenesis in the cephalochordate amphioxus. For this we will consider in particular the role of the FGF signal during the embryonic development of amphioxus through the e
Genetics and Evolution of Specialization in herbivorous or predator mites – GENEVOLSPE
In this project, we will use a combination of ecology, genetics and mathematical modelling to decipher the ecological and evolutionary mechanisms of specialisation, with special emphasis on the molecular genetics basis of local adaptation and host preference. We will take advantage of recent advance
Behavioral Adjustments to Mitigate BIodiversity loss: does living fearless allow adjusting to self inflicted ecological meltdown? – BAMBI
In the absence of predation large herbivores build up to high abundance often leading to biodiversity loss and biotic homogenization of their environment. Although these populations are expected to decline due to density-dependent processes caused by resource depletion, they are often maintained at
Evolutionary dynamics of genes controlling meiotic recombination in polyploid crop plants – DUPLIC
Meiosis and meiotic recombination are at the heart of sexual reproduction, heredity and plant breeding. Major international efforts have therefore been made to identify the genes that are responsible for meiotic recombination in a handful of model organisms. Despite this, our understanding still rem
Immunity and Symbiosis in Arthropods – ImmunSymbArt
Animals are engaged in symbiotic interactions with microorganisms, with outcomes ranging from parasitism to mutualism. In all cases, these associations shape the individual host phenotype and thus impact the host fitness. As such, they constitute an important selective force as evidenced by the spec
From molecule to cell: Deciphering what makes Pyrococcus yayanosii CH1 a strict piezophile – Living Deep
Our project aims to establish the genetic basis of high hydrostatic pressures (HHP) adaptation, or piezophily, by investing the influence of HHP on cell molecular dynamics, genome expression, metabolic capabilities and enzymatic structure and activity of microbial models originating from oceanic hyd
Experimental evolution of cooperation and information exchange – COOPINFO
The evolution of cooperation and the evolution of genetic information transfer are two of the most contentious and interesting topic in modern biology. Both challenge our understanding of the evolutionary process, because they present situations in which individuals engage in activities that may be
A novel molecular tracing system for rice and citrus pathogenic Xanthomonas – XANTHracing
The originality and novelty of this project reside on the identification, characterization, sequencing of CRISPR loci (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) and VNTR (variable number of tandem repeats) in a large collection of strains of Xanthomonas oryzae and Xanthomonas citri.
Novel genetic approaches to dissect host range control in the rhizobium-legume symbiosis – NODON -NODOFF
Rhizobia are soil bacteria that induce the formation of nodules on the roots of host legume plants, inside which they fix atmospheric nitrogen. This symbiosis enables legume plant growth to be independent of added nitrogen fertiliser that represents more than 50% of the energy costs of European agri
The forebrain of the blind cavefish Astyanax mexicanus as a model system to link developmental evolution of neural circuits and of animal behavior – ASTYCO
1) A full understanding at molecular and cellular level of the Shh- and Fgf8-induced mechanisms of lens apoptosis and eye degeneration in cavefish. 2) A functional and experimental testing of the correlation between modifications of organizer centers, neuro-developmental modifications of neuronal
EPIGENETIC AND GENETIC MECHANISMS OF ADAPTIVE EVOLUTION: CAN METAZOAN PARASITES OUTRUN THE RED QUEEN? – EPIGEVOL
A common characteristic of living systems is their capacity to adapt to (to fit into) an environment. No environmental condition remains static. Consequently, in order to fit into an ever-changing environment, organisms must produce phenotypes that change at least as fast as their environment. Other
cyclic AMP signalling and the control of infection in the Medicago symbiont Sinorhizobium meliloti – RhizocAMP
The overall objective of the present project is to decipher the cAMP-mediated control of infection in the S. meliloti-Medicago symbiosis. A plant-activated cAMP cascade negatively controls Medicgao infection by S. meliloti. The project involves two partners and four different tasks. We have shown th
An isolation-migration model of the history of coral reef fish communities: theory and data – IM-MODEL@CORALFISH
Patterns of molecular variation provide sufficient information to infer the history of populations over thousands of generations. The fact that the different forms of molecular variation (microsatellites, various DNA sequences) have very different mutation rates has often been viewed as a limitation
Adaptive speciation: an integrative approach in the house mouse. – ASSORTMATE
We want to investigate the proximal and causal mechanisms leading to odor based assortative mating and species recognition. Particularly we want to understand the mechanisms involved when divergence occurs between populations that hybridize and exchange genes. Our hypothesis is that assortative mati
Role of NAXT nitrate excretion transporters in stomatal aperture control and plant tolerance to salinity and drought. – NAXTRESS
NAXTRESS aims at deciphering the role of some members of the NAXT family in adaptation of the model plant Arabidopsis to water or salt stress. Special attention is paid to stomata which control water losses and carbon assimilation. NAXT2 has been identified as an efflux transporter for NO3-, located
Evolution of honeybee olfaction: from sexual communication to olfactory representation – EVOLBEE
The project proposes a comprehensive study of the evolution of male olfactory processing structures dedicated to sexual communication in honeybees of the genus Apis, at the species and at the subspecies level. To this goal, it will use a range of techniques including neuroanatomy, neurophysiology, m
Biophysical and molecular determinisms of tree vulnerability to embolism – PitBulles
Identify the molecular basis of cavitation is a major challenge for genetic improvement and protection of woody species in a changing climate. The objective of this project is to understand the key factors that control the vulnerability of xylem to cavitation. The main hypothesis underlying this pro
Ecology-climate feedbacks due to evolution of phytoplankton size and shape – PHYTBACK
Some of the strongest interactions between ecological and climatic processes concern phytoplankton. While the importance of phytoplankton ecology for the global carbon cycle is well established, the role of their evolution is much less so. Adaptation is of particular importance in predicting the sys
Symbiotic Exchange of Signals: Analysis of Molecular Mechanisms in Nod-independent nitrogen fixing symbioses – SESAM
Symbiotic nitrogen fixation plays a crucial role in natural ecosystems and sustainable agriculture. Rhizobial/legumes and actinorhizal symbioses represent the two most important nitrogen-fixing symbioses between plants and microbes. Legumes include important agricultural crops such as soybean, alfal
Postmating sexual interactions: behavioural, molecular and evolutionary aspects in Drosophila – SexDro
IIn organisms with sexual reproduction, mating success depends on two primary components: 1) finding and recognizing sexual partners and 2) female receptivity to males. These components are controlled by chemical signals, or pheromones, produced by both the male and female. These pheromones also imp
The multiplicity of cellular infection in plant viruses: characterization and mechanisms of regulation – MOI
The interactions between mutant genomes within viral populations profoundly influences infection dynamics and viral evolution. Within eukaryotes, at the intra-host scale, the potential for these interaction events is defined in a large extent by one key parameter that is the number of viral genomes
Cascading from global to micro-climate: Thermal budgets of a plant-herbivore interaction – MicroCliMite
Numerous studies have shown the impacts of climate change on species distributions and extinctions, but the mechanisms through which climate variations influence individuals and populations remain poorly understood. This lack of knowledge severely hampers our ability to forecast and anticipate the e
Bodyguard manipulation: from mechanisms to ecological consequences – BODYGUARD
Alteration of host behavioural phenotypes is a widespread strategy of host exploitation among parasitic organisms. Understanding such strategies is important for applied aspects of parasitology as well as for evolutionary and ecological reasons. In this proposal, we wish to study, from proximate and
Thyroid hormone -mediated control of Sertoli cell proliferation – TimeOfLife2
In agronomy, research in male reproduction is intensive in the aim to optimize sperm production in males with desirable genetic traits. In all mammals, the number of Sertoli cells (SC), the unique somatic cells of the seminiferous tubules, directly conditions the spermatogenesis yield. This number i
Formation, biochemical composition and function of stress-induced cytoplasmic RNP aggregates in Arabidopsis – PLANT RNPBODIES
The capacity of plants to survive exposure to a variety of environmental stresses is of prime importance for food production, especially in the context of global warming. Currently, we have a limited knowledge of the molecular mechanisms by which plants survive stress. Therefore, studying the regula
Penguins as Indicators of Climate Anomalies in the Southern Ocean – PICASO
The Southern Ocean plays a key role in the world climate, supports some of the most productive ecosystems, and has the most important seabird communities on Earth. The impact of climate variability on these marine ecosystems is, however, still poorly understood. But a sharp decrease in most seabird
Investigation of the life cycle of the brown alga Ectocarpus siliculosus – Bi-cycle
See report See report See report See report The life cycle of an organism is one of its most elemental features, underpinning a broad range of phenomena including developmental processes, reproductive fitness, interaction with the environment and population structure. However, despite their fundamen