*3-yr PhD position in ecology, phylogeography and landscape genetics*
*/_Title_/*
*Incorporating Phylogeographic infOrmation into niche moDels to improve
species re-distribution projections under climAte waRming and habitat
fragmentation: the Case of forest-dwelling specIes across European
agricultural landscapeS[PODARCIS]*
*/_Aim_/*
Climate warming and habitat fragmentation are two key components of
global change that push species to redistribute or evolve to adapt to
the new conditions (Lenoir & Svenning, 2015; Pecl /et al/., 2017). To
hindcast and forecast species redistribution under past and future
environmental conditions, respectively, the state-of-the-art is to use
species distribution models (SDMs) (Guisan & Zimmermann, 2000). However,
traditional SDMs assume that individuals from all populations of a given
species respond equally to environmental changes although different
populations from the same species may respond differently to
environmental changes (Valladares /et al/., 2014). The most recent
scientific literature on SDMs suggests that incorporating intraspecific
variation into SDMs leads to less pessimistic redistribution projections
(Pearman /et al/., 2010; Oney /et al/., 2013). Both phylogeography
(Guiller & Madec, 2010; Guiller /et al/., 2012) and landscape genetics
can provide spatially and temporally explicit information on the genetic
structure and differences among populations of the same species that
could be used to incorporate intraspecific variation into SDMs and thus
improve redistribution projections under climate change.This PhD project
entitled PODARCIS specifically aims at incorporating intraspecific
variationdata obtained from a union of phylogeography and landscape
genetics (Rissler, 2016) into SDMs. PODARCISis part of the EU
(BiodivERsA) project Woodnet and the regional (Hauts-de-France) project
Pegase. Three model species of European temperate forests will be
studied throughout the PhD project: the plants /Geum urbanum/ and
/Oxalis //acetosella/characterized by different dispersal capacities as
well as the tick /Ixodes ricinus/ considered as the main vector of the
Lyme Borreliosis in Western Europe and thus implying potential public
health hazards. PODARCIS rests on three basic pillars:
i.*P**hylogeography and historical demography*to determine the
phylogeographic structure of each species and to disentangle the
relative impacts of past /versus/ current climatic changes in shaping
the geographic distributions of genealogical lineages;
ii.*Fundamental ecology*to develop SDMs adapted to each genealogical
lineage and to compare these lineage-specific SDMs to classical SDMs at
different periods (Pleistocene and Anthropocene);
iii.*Landscape genetics*to identify landscape and environmental features
that constrain genetic connectivity and thus to account for dispersal
and gene flow across the landscape.
*/_Keywords_/*
/Climate/change, ecoepidemiology, forest ecosystems, landscape genetics,
phylogeography, population genetics, spatial statistics,species
distribution modelling
*/_Qualifications_/*
The candidate is expected to have good training in statistics or
mathematical modelling and have a strong background in ecology or
evolutionary biology (population genetics and phylogeography). Typical
PhD candidates will have a master degree in ecology or evolutionary
biology. Basic knowledge and interest in ecology and landscape genetics
is required.Experience in molecular genetics and GIS knowledge will be
further appreciated. /Programming skills in Free and Open Source
Software (FOSS) such as in the R and GRASS environments will be a clear
advantage//. /Teamwork skills, curiosity, autonomy at work as well as
good oral and written communication skills in English will also be valued.
*/_Supervision_/*
The student will be hosted within the research unit EDYSAN (/Ecologie et
Dynamique des Systèmes Anthropisés/, FRE 3498 CNRS – UPJV, head Prof.
Guillaume Decocq),33 rue Saint Leu, 80000 Amiens, France. EDYSAN is a
young, diverse, vibrant and international research community with strong
collaborative interdisciplinary ties within and beyond Amiens. More
information about the people and research activities of the group can be
found at http://www.u-picardie.fr/edysan/?lang=en
Main supervisor: Annie Guiller(Professor), annie.guil...@u-picardie.fr
<mailto:annie.guil...@u-picardie.fr>, 03 22 82 75 76
Cosupervisor: Jonathan Lenoir(Associate Professor),
jonathan.len...@u-picardie.fr <mailto:jonathan.len...@u-picardie.fr>, 03
22 82 54 67
*/_Application_/*
Applications (letter, CV and 2 contacts for references) should be sent
to Annie Guiller, Jonathan Lenoir and Guillaume Decocq
(guillaume.dec...@u-picardie.fr <mailto:guillaume.dec...@u-picardie.fr>)
no later than June 15. The selected candidate will have an audition with
the Doctoral Department at UPJV (Université de Picardie Jules Verne,
Amiens)in the beginning of July and, if successful, will start in
September 2017.
*/_References_/*
Guiller & Madec (2010). Historical biogeography of the land snail /Cornu
aspersum/: a new scenario inferred from haplotype distribution in the
Western Mediterranean Basin. /BMC Evolutionary Biology/, 10: 18
Guiller /et al/. (2012) Tracing the invasion of the Mediterranean land
snail /Cornu aspersum aspersum/ becoming an agricultural and garden pest
in areas recently introduced. /PLoS ONE/, 7: e49674
Guisan & Zimmermann (2000) Predictive habitat distribution models in
ecology. /Ecological Modelling/, 135: 147–186
Lenoir & Svenning (2015). Climate-related range shifts – a global
multidimensional synthesis and new research directions. /Ecography/, 38:
15–28
Oney /et al/. (2013). Intraspecific variation buffers projected climate
change impacts on /Pinus contorta/. /Ecology and Evolution/, 3: 437–449
Pearman /et al/. (2010). Within-taxon niche structure: niche
conservatism, divergence and predicted effects of climate change.
/Ecography/, 33: 990–1003
Pecl /et al/. (2017). Biodiversity redistribution under climate change:
Impacts on ecosystems and human well-being. /Science/, 355: eaai9214
Rissler (2016). Union of phylogeography and landscape genetics. /PNAS/,
113: 8079–8086
Valladares /et al/. (2014). The effects of phenotypic plasticity and
local adaptation on forecasts of species range shifts under climate
change. /Ecology Letters/, 17: 1351–1364
