Theoretical and Experimental Ecology Station
I am an evolutionary ecologist interested in the responses of organisms to environmental changes.
I try to disentangle the roles of respective roles of eco-evolutionary processes (dispersal, local adaptation, plasticity, mutation, drift) in species ability to persist under altered conditions.
Multi-dimensional phenotypes in multi-dimensional environments
Individuals are mosaics of traits confronted to multiple environmental factors. Using experimental evolution, I study how the accumulation of environmental pressures, especially linked to global change, modifies trait assemblages using the ciliate Tetrahymena thermophila. I then measure the fitness effects of the observed phenotypic changes to determine which phenotypic assemblage drives adaptive patterns when environmental pressures accumulate.
Evolution of dispersal
Dispersal, the movement leading to gene flow, is a key process in ecology and evolution. At the phenotypic level, dispersal depends upon several correlated traits linked to morphology, physiology and behavior. I'm studying the evolution of this suite of traits under varying environmental conditions.
Molecular bases of adaptations
Adaptations to new environmental conditions or changes in dispersal abilities can rely on many different molecular mechanisms. I'm using whole-genome sequencing, optical maps (collaboration with the CNRGV, INRA), and the sequencing of candidate genes in the ciliate Tetrahymena thermophila to link adaptive patterns observed in experiments to the genomic regions involved. Special emphasize is put on nucleotidic substitutions, rearrangements and ploidy change.
Patterns of local adaptation in Pyrenean lakes
Pyrenean lakes are important but vulnerable systems. I am involved in a collaborative project realizing biodiversity inventories using eDNA in lakes differentially submitted to human alterations (pollution, tourism, agriculture, ...). We also isolate protist species (ciliates, micro-algae, ...) to run microcosms experiments in the lab searching for the effect of anthropization level on microorganisms' adaptability.
Metapopulation dynamics
Inter-individual variability has long been neglected in metapopulation dynamic studies, where dispersers were considered as a random fraction of individuals. I work both in semi-natural and natural systems to determine the effects of different levels of phenotypic variability in the dynamics of metapopulations.
Bestion E., Cote J., Jacob S., Winandy L. & Legrand D.
(2019) - Habitat fragmentation experiments on arthropods: what to do next? - Current Opinion in Insect Science 35Larranaga N., Baguette M., Calvez O. & Legrand D.
(2019) - Mobility affects copulation and oviposition dynamics in Pieris brassicae in semi-natural cages. - Insect Science 26(4): 743-752Staffan J., Chaine A.S., Huet M., Clobert J. & Legrand D.
(2019) - Variability in dispersal syndromes is a key driver of metapopulation dynamics in experimental microcosms. - The American Naturalist in pressFronhofer E., Legrand D., Altermatt F., Anstart A., Blanchet S., Bonte D., Chaine A., Dahirel M., De Laender F., de Raedt J., Di Gesu L., Jacob S., Kaltz O., Laurent E., Little C., Madec L., Manzi F., Masier S., Pellerin F., Pennekamp F., Schtickzelle N., Therry L., Vong A., Winandy L. and Cote J.
(2018) - Bottom-up and top-down control of dispersal across major organismal groups. - Nature ecology & evolution 2: 1859–1863Saastamoinen M., Bocedi G., Cote J., Legrand D., Guillaume F., Wheat C.W., Fronhofer E.A., Garcia C., Henry R., Husby A., Baguette M., Bonte D., Coulon A., Kokko H., Matthysen E., Niitepõld K., Nonaka E., Stevens V.M., Travis J.M.J., Donohue K., Bullock J.M. & del Mar Delgado M.
(2018) - Genetic of dispersal. - Biological Reviews 93: 574–599Jacob S., Laurent E., Haegeman B., Bertrand R., Prunier J.G., Legrand D., Cote J., Chaine A.S., Loreau M., Clobert J. and Schtickzelle N.
(2018) - Habitat choice meets thermal specialization: Competition with specialists may drive suboptimal habitat preferences in generalists - PNAS 11988–11993, vol. 115, no. 47Larranaga N., Baguette M., Calvez O. & Legrand D.
(2018) - Mobility affects copulation and oviposition dynamics in Pieris brassicae in seminatural cages: Mobility and copulation dynamics. - Insect Science 26: 743-752Saastamoinen M.,Bocedi G., Cote J., Legrand D., Guillaume F., Wheat C.W., Fronhofer E.A, Garcia C., Henry R., Husby A., Baguette M., Bonte D., Coulon A., Kokko H., Matthysen E., Niitepold K., Nonaka E., Stevens V.M., Travis J.M.J, Donohue K., Bullock J.M. & del Mar Delgado M.
(2017) - Genetics of dispersal. - Biological Reviews 93(1): 574-599Legrand A., Frondas A., Aubret F., Corre A., Flamant C., Simon L., Desrobert C. & Rozé J.C.
(2017) - Randomised controlled trial shows that co-bedding twins may reduce birthweight recovery delay, parenteral nutrition weaning time and hospitalisation. - Acta Paediatrica 106(12): 2055-2059Jacob S., Wehi P., Clobert J., Legrand D., Schtickzelle N., Huet M. & al.
(2016) - Cooperation-mediated plasticity in dispersal and colonization. - Evolution 70: 2336–2345Legrand D., Larranaga N., Bertrand R., Ducatez S., Calvez O., Stevens V.M. & Baguette M.
(2016) - Evolution of a butterfly dispersal syndrome. - Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Series B- Biological Sciences 283: 20161533Turlure C., Legrand D., Schtickzelle N. & Baguette M.
(2016) - Male disguised females: costs and benefits of female-limited dimorphism in a butterfly: Evolutionary ecology of female-limited dimorphism. - Ecological Entomology 41: 572-581Baguette M., Legrand D. & Stevens V.M.
(2015) - An Individual-Centered Framework For Unravelling Genotype-Phenotype Interactions. - Trends in Ecology & Evolution 30: 709–711Altermatt F., Fronhofer E.A., Garnier A., Giometto A., Hammes F., Klecka J., Legrand D. & al
(2015) - Big answers from small worlds: a user’s guide for protist microcosms as a model system in ecology and evolution. - Methods in Ecology and Evolution 6: 218–231Jacob S., Bestion E., Legrand D., Clobert J. & Cote J.
(2015) - Habitat matching and spatial heterogeneity of phenotypes: implications for metapopulation and metacommunity functioning - Evolutionary Ecology 29(6): 851-871Legrand D., Trochet A., Moulherat S., Calvez O., Stevens V.M., Ducatez S., Baguette M. & Clobert J.
(2015) - Ranking the ecological causes of dispersal in a butterfly. - Ecography 38: 822–831Navascués M., Legrand D., Campagne C., Cariou M.-L. & Depaulis F.
(2014) - Distinguishing migration from isolation using genes with intragenic recombination: detecting introgression in the Drosophila simulans species complex. - BMC Evolutionary Biology 14: 89Chaput-Bardy A., Ducatez S., Legrand D. & Baguette M.
(2014) - Fitness Costs of Thermal Reaction Norms for Wing Melanisation in the Large White Butterfly (Pieris brassicae). - Plos One 9: e90026Legrand D., Chaput-Bardy A., Turlure C., Dubois Q., Huet M., Schtickzelle N., Stevens V.M. & Baguette M.
(2014) - Isolation and characterization of 15 microsatellite loci in the specialist butterfly boloria eunomia. - Conservation Genetics Resources 6: 223-227