the evolutionary dynamics of plastic foraging and its ecological consequences: a resource-consumer model

Phenotypic plasticity has important ecological and evolutionary consequences. In particular, behavioural phenotypic plasticity such as adaptive foraging (AF) by consumers, may enhance community stability. Yet little is known about the ecological conditions that favor the evolution of AF, and how the evolutionary dynamics of AF may modulate its effects on community stability. In order to address these questions, we constructed an eco-evolutionary model in which resource and consumer niche traits underwent evolutionary diversification. Consumers could either forage randomly, only as a function of resources abundance, or adaptatively, as a function of resource abundance, suitability and consumption by competitors. AF evolved when the niche breadth of consumers with respect to resource use was large enough and when the ecological conditions allowed substantial functional diversification. In turn, AF promoted further diversification of the niche traits in both guilds. This suggests that phenotypic plasticity can influence the evolutionary dynamics at the community-level. Faced with a sudden environmental change, AF promoted community stability directly and also indirectly through its effects on functional diversity. However, other disturbances such as persistent environmental change and increases in mortality, caused the evolutionary regression of the AF behaviour, due to its costs. The causal relationships between AF, community stability and diversity are therefore intricate, and their outcome depends on the nature of the environmental disturbance, in contrast to simpler models claiming a direct positive relationship between AF and stability

the evolutionary dynamics of plastic foraging and its ecological consequences: a resource-consumer model

Phenotypic plasticity has important ecological and evolutionary consequences. In particular, behavioural phenotypic plasticity such as adaptive foraging (AF) by consumers, may enhance community stability. Yet little is known about the ecological conditions that favor the evolution of AF, and how the evolutionary dynamics of AF may modulate its effects on community stability. In order to address these questions, we constructed an eco-evolutionary model in which resource and consumer niche traits underwent evolutionary diversification. Consumers could either forage randomly, only as a function of resources abundance, or adaptatively, as a function of resource abundance, suitability and consumption by competitors. AF evolved when the niche breadth of consumers with respect to resource use was large enough and when the ecological conditions allowed substantial functional diversification. In turn, AF promoted further diversification of the niche traits in both guilds. This suggests that phenotypic plasticity can influence the evolutionary dynamics at the community-level. Faced with a sudden environmental change, AF promoted community stability directly and also indirectly through its effects on functional diversity. However, other disturbances such as persistent environmental change and increases in mortality, caused the evolutionary regression of the AF behaviour, due to its costs. The causal relationships between AF, community stability and diversity are therefore intricate, and their outcome depends on the nature of the environmental disturbance, in contrast to simpler models claiming a direct positive relationship between AF and stability

Evaluation of the personal bioaerosol sampler CIP 10-M for measuring environmental fungal exposure

International audienc

the evolutionary dynamics of plastic foraging and its ecological consequences: a resource-consumer model

Phenotypic plasticity has important ecological and evolutionary consequences. In particular, behavioural phenotypic plasticity such as adaptive foraging (AF) by consumers, may enhance community stability. Yet little is known about the ecological conditions that favor the evolution of AF, and how the evolutionary dynamics of AF may modulate its effects on community stability. In order to address these questions, we constructed an eco-evolutionary model in which resource and consumer niche traits underwent evolutionary diversification. Consumers could either forage randomly, only as a function of resources abundance, or adaptatively, as a function of resource abundance, suitability and consumption by competitors. AF evolved when the niche breadth of consumers with respect to resource use was large enough and when the ecological conditions allowed substantial functional diversification. In turn, AF promoted further diversification of the niche traits in both guilds. This suggests that phenotypic plasticity can influence the evolutionary dynamics at the community-level. Faced with a sudden environmental change, AF promoted community stability directly and also indirectly through its effects on functional diversity. However, other disturbances such as persistent environmental change and increases in mortality, caused the evolutionary regression of the AF behaviour, due to its costs. The causal relationships between AF, community stability and diversity are therefore intricate, and their outcome depends on the nature of the environmental disturbance, in contrast to simpler models claiming a direct positive relationship between AF and stability

Comment mesurer les aldehydes impliques dans la promotion du cancer colorectal par les viandes rouges ?

National audienceRecent epidemiological studies show that red meat and processed meat are, in the context of a large consumption, a risk factor for colorectal cancer. Current research is aimed at proposing preventive strategies limiting this risk. Hydroxyalkenals, as lipid peroxidation products, may participate in this promotion through their cytotoxic and genotoxic activities. A method for determination of these compounds was developed and used to evaluate the intensity of lipid peroxidation processes arising in the intestine in rats fed different meat diets (Sécuri-Viande, ANR-10-ALIA-014). Our results show that our method is appropriate for hydroxyalkenal determination (free and protein-bound forms), these levels depending on the content of meat in the diet