ZOstera Biological Evolution and Ecology (ZOBEE project)

 

Postdoctoral position of Ronan Becheler (2019-2020)

 

Elucidating the determinism of the genetic and genotypic structure at the fine-grained spatial scale in a Zostera meadow.

 

The project Zobee is included in Indigene, founded by the OFB. Zobee focuses on the workpackage related to the population genetics of both Zostera marina and Z. noltei, in order to complete our knowledge of the dynamics of these meadows.

The partial clonality of marine phanerogams influences a number of population processes, from population dynamics to the evolution of clonal lineages and populations. Vegetative growth, an eminently local phenomenon, participates in the genesis of genetic islands within meadows (also referred as “genetic patchiness”). Clonality thus competes with seed immigration during local extinction / recolonization successions. The balance between (re) colonization by vegetative growth and immigration of sexual propagules is determined by various factors, including the rate of clonality.

However, this balance is extremely variable, at different spatial and temporal scales. Understanding its variability within a meadow would thus allow a better understanding of its demographic functioning. Ultimately, the objective is to point out the importance of considering the meadow other than from the point of view of a homogeneous entity, an important nuance if one wishes to set up effective conservation plans, integrating in particular the evolutionary dimension of living things.

 

Supervisors: Flavia Nunes

 

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