My research mainly focuses on the study of animal movements – especially dispersal – and their consequences on population structure. I am particularly interested in understanding how landscape structure influences dispersal movements. I study these questions through the sampling and analysis of direct (e.g. GPS locations) and indirect (e.g. microsatellite genotypes) movement data.

GPS collar used to monitor roe deer movements

Bleeding of a Florida scrub-jay for DNA analyses

I started to work on this topic during my PhD on the influence of landscape features on roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) dispersal. This project was performed in the Lab Wildlife Behavior and Ecology (CEFS, INRA, Toulouse, France), under the direction of Mark Hewison and Jean-François Cosson (Centre de Biologie et de Gestion des Populations, INRA, Montpellier, France). I used GPS locations of about 30 individuals to model roe deer movements as a function of landscape structure. I also performed landscape genetic analyses to understand how landscape affects roe deer gene flow (Bayesian genetic clustering, isolation-by-distance analyses based on landscape-modified geographic distances). The combination of these two sources of information provided complimentary insights about the factors influencing landscape connectivity for roe deer.

A graceful roe deer in a field...

Before running to a quieter place, a quick glance from this roe deer to the persons who just released it after fitting the GPS collar ...

My post-doc in the Cornell Lab of Ornithology consists in the further extending of my work to the conservation genetics of the threatened Florida scrub-jay (Aphelocoma cœrulescens). This species is endemic to Florida and restricted to early-successional xeric oak scrub, which has been consistently reduced and fragmented by human activities (development of citrus plantation and residencies, and suppression of lightning-caused fires which historically maintained this habitat) since the second half of the 20th century. As a result, Florida scrub-jay populations have been declining throughout the whole species range: by 1993, Florida scrub-jay populations had declined an estimated 97%, to about 10000 individuals. I use samples from across the entire species’ range to characterize the genetic structure of the species and infer the effects of landscape fragmentation on Florida scrub-jay gene flow and genetic diversity. The applied aims of this work are to provide clues for the protection and rescuing of the remaining populations of jays.

Sentry Florida scrub-jay sitting on a perch to detect territorial intrusions