Choppin, Marina

Curriculum Vitae

Education

2016-2018	Master degree in Behavioral ecology, Evolution and Biodiversity completed with honors, University of Tours (Tours, France)
2013 - 2016	Bachelor degree in Ecosystems and Organisms Biology completed with honors, University of Bordeaux (Bordeaux, France)

 

Working experiences

2018	PhD position, Johannes Gutenberg University (Mainz, Germany) Supervisors: Prof. Dr. Susanne FOITZIK and Dr. Barbara FELDMEYER Project: Functional basis of the fecundity-longevity reversal in the ant Temnothorax rugatulus
2018	Research project, James Cook University (Cairns, Australia) Supervisor: Dr. Lori LACH Project: Parasite recognition among Asian and European honey bees
2017	Research project, Institut de Recherche sur la Biologie de l’Insecte (Tours, France) Supervisor: Dr. Christophe LUCAS Project: Social control of reproductives differentiation in Reticulitermes flavipes
2015	Research project, Centre d’Etudes Biologiques de Chizé (Villiers-en-Bois, France) Supervisor: Dr. Frédéric ANGELIER Project: Influence of rainfall on reproductive success in great tit Parus Major

 

Forschungsinteressen

I have a strong interest in the evolution of life history traits, mechanisms underlying castes differentiation and more broadly societal organizations in social insects. The complexity of these societies makes them interesting to explore from an evolutionary perspective and I am enthusiastic at the idea to investigate such research questions using behaviour, genetics and epigenetics, which I find fascinating.

PhD project

Most living organisms are facing a trade-off between fecundity and longevity regarding their resource allocations. However, in social insects, this trade-off is reversed so that the queen, which is the most fertile individual, is also the longest lived while the workers are non-reproductive individuals and live shorter. The aim of my project is to explore the underlying molecular basis of this positive association using the ant Temnothorax rugatulus as study model. Using experimental manipulations, behavioral observations and gene expression analyses I will investigate (i) the regulation and connectivity of candidate genes in gene regulatory pathways and (ii) epigenetic mechanisms regulating expression in these pathways as well as (iii) the influence of diet and particularly protein content on ant fecundity and longevity and finally (iv) the potential improved immunocompetence in queens following an induced increased fecundity.

Publikationen

Choppin, M., Feldmeyer, B., Foitzik, S. Histone acetylation regulates the expression of genes involved in worker reproduction in the ant Temnothorax rugatulus. BMC Genomics, in press

Ruhland, F., Moulin, M., Choppin, M., Meunier, J., Lucas, C., 2020. Reproductives and eggs trigger worker vibration in a subterranean termite. Ecol. Evol. 00, 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.6325 

Choppin, M., Graf, S., Feldmeyer, B., Libbrecht, R., Menzel, F., Foitzik, S., 2021. Queen and worker phenotypic traits are associated with colony composition and environment in Temnothorax rugatulus (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), an ant with alternative reproductive strategies. Myrmecological News 31, 61–69. https://doi.org/10.25849/myrmecol.news

 

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