Environmental and Evolutionary Epigenetics
 
Our research interest is to understand the role of epigenetics in evolution. Evolutionary processes rely on the generation of variability in populations. We propose that the "raison d'étre" of an additional information transmitting system - the epigenetic system - lies in its capacity to generate phenotypic variants without changes in the genotype. These epigenetic changes could be induced by changes in the environment and the resulting phenotype could be selected for until genetic assimilation occurs. Variability generating mechanisms are particularly important in biological systems in which selective pressure is high and evolution is fast. Parasitic and non-parasitic symbionte-host interactions are this type of biological systems.

This, and the fact that in a part of the life-cycle clonal amplification occurs (i.e. no changes in the genotype) makes the human blood-fluke Schistosoma mansoni and its intermediate host Biomphalaria glabrata a model of choice that allow us to study co-evolution dynamics at the experimental scale. An emerging model is the reef-building coral Pocillopora damicornis that forms clonal colonies in which we study a potential epigenetic basis of transgenerational acclimatization ("Dauermodifikation").

The ultimate goal of our project is to elucidate the relation between environment, epigenetic and genetic diversity/variability and fitness (infection success, resitance to bleaching) in the field and to develop new approaches to control and monitor host-symbiont interactions.

Meeting Epigenetics in Ecology and Evolution of the INEE, Dec. 3-4, 2013 in Gif-sur-Yvette.

Research axis 3 - Grunau
Laboratoire Ecologie et Evolution des Interactions (2EI)
UMR 5244 CNRS - Université de Perpignan Via Domitia
52 Avenue Paul Alduy
66860 Perpignan cedex, France
Tel 33 (0)4.68.66.21.80
Fax 33 (0)4.68.66.22.81