Wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter
Inhaltsverzeichnis
Curriculum Vitae
Training course
2014/2015 | University Pierre et Marie Curie (Paris VI) Master mention SDUEE (Sciences de l’Univers, Environnement, Ecologie) speciality Biodiversity, Ecology, Evolution. Course Ecologie Evolution. (obtained with mention) |
2009/2013 | University Pierre et Marie Curie (Paris VI) Licence of Biology and Sciences of Life (obtained with mention) |
Previous work experiences
2015 | Internship (5 months) at the Departement of Ecology and Evolution, UNIL Supervisor: Nathalie Stroeymeyt, DR Post-Doc Object: Reproductive conflicts in a polydomous ant |
2014 | Internship (2 months) at Station of Experimentale Ecology CNRS of Moulis, USR 2936 - supervisor: Virginie Stevens, CR CNRS Object: Genetic struture of population of Myrmica |
2013 | Internship (6 weeks) at the UPMC, UMR7625 ecologie evolution Team: Evolution of sociality in animals Supervisor: Christan Peeters, DR CNRS Object: functional morphology in the ant Carebara FAS10 |
2011 | Internship (1 month) at the Institut de Biologie du Développement M. L. Supervisor: Nicolas Gompel / Benjamin Prud’homme, CR CNRS Object: evolution & developpement of morphology and behavior |
2005 | Internship at the Museum d’Histoire Naturelle de Paris, en Entomologie, (5 days) departement « Systématic & Evolution », supervised by Louis Justin-Joseph |
Skills
- Behavioural observations (ant) / ant dissection (brain ovaries and fat body) / Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) photography (ant) / Morpho-metric measurement (ant)
- DNA / RNA extraction / PCR / Electrophoresis
- Genetic structure of population analysis
- Plant and ant identification
Forschungsinteressen
Aim of my research
My studies focus on the evolution of longevity and fecundity in social insects, using as study model a species with alternative reproductive strategies: the ant Temnothorax rugatulus. Through experimental manipulations, observations, and genetic analysis I seek to precisely elucidate the relationship between longevity and fecundity, and also to characterize the effect of phenotype and social structure on the regulation of these two traits.
PhD project
In nature organisms face a trade off in resources allocation between longevity and fecundity. In social insects this trade off is apparently reversed where by the most fertile individual (the queen) is also the longest lived while non reproductive individuals (workers) are significantly shorter lived. Furthermore, associated to division of labour and differences in extrinsic mortality, this divergence in life history between the two castes can arise from the same genome. Ant queens are under strong longevity and fecundity selection in species where colony is headed by a single queen, whereas selection is relaxed in polygynous species. I aim to investigate the association between fecundity and longevity and its genetic basis in the ant Temnothorax rugatulus. In that species there are two queen morphs, the large macrogyne living alone in the colony and the smaller microgyne cohexisting in the same nest. I firstly try to understand how social structure, queen phenotype and food availability affect longevity-fecundity in queen. Second, as in that species queen removal results in worker fertility, I aim experimentally to test how fertility affects worker longevity, gene expression and oxidative stress and to which extend these effects are reversible.
Publikationen
Negroni, MA, Foitzik S, Feldmeyer S. Long-lived Temnothorax ant queens switch from investment in immunity to antioxidant production with age. Scientific Reports, in press.
Kohlmeier P, Negroni M, Kever M, Emmling S, Stypa H, Feldmeyer B und Foitzik S. 2017. Intrinsic worker mortality depends on behavioural caste and the queens' presence in a social insect. The Science of Nature, 104: 34.
Negroni M, Jongepier E, Feldmeyer B, Kramer BH, Foitzik S. 2016. Life History Evolution in social insects: a female perspective. Current Opinion in Insect Science, 16: 51–57.