M. Vincent Foray

Mail

vincent.foray@univ-tours.fr

Site internet

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Vincent_Foray

• Génétique : "Génétique évolutive" (L3) et "Génétique des populations" (M1)
• Biologie des organismes : "Diversité du monde vivant" (L1) et "Ecologie - Ethologie" (L1)

My research aims to understand the proximal and ultimate mechanisms linking genotype, phenotype and environment. More specifically, I am interested in the impact of temperature and endosymbiotic bacteria on the phenotype and fitness of insects. Currently, I am developing a project investigating the factors underlying the thermal adaptation of aphids, with a special focus on thermal heterogeneity and fluctuations.

Thermal biology

Temperature is probably the most structuring abiotic factors for ectotherm organisms, like insects. Insects have to cope with thermal fluctuations within their microhabitat and we need a comprehensive of their impacts to predict the ecological consequences of global changes. Due to the classical non-linear relationship between insect performance traits and temperature, one part of the answer resides in the Jensen Inequality, a mathematical property of non-linear function. However, thermal fluctuations are expected to induce time-dependent effect, like acclimation or accumulation of stress defects. Based on a comparative and integrative approach, my aim consists in deciphering the molecular, physiological and behavioral consequences of thermal fluctuations.

Symbiotic interactions

Aphids represent a valuable system model to study symbiotic associations. Like many invertebrates feeding on nutrient-deficient substrates, these sap feeding insects typically harbor a nutritional obligate endosymbiont, Buchnera aphidicola, that delivers essential amino acids that cannot be sufficiently taken up from the phloem. In addition, aphids can host facultative endosymbiont in the sense they only display beneficial effects to their host according to specific environmental conditions. Both obligate and facultative endosymbionts seem to play a role in aphid thermal tolerance and stressful temperatures can disrupt their association with their host. Thus, my general aim consists in characterizing i) the role of endosymbionts in thermal adaptation and ii) the impact of thermal conditions on symbiotic associations.