Description du sujet de thèse

Title: Biodiversity and Allergy Risks: Modeling the Impact of Climate Change and Extreme Events on the Distribution and Phenology of Allergenic Plants

This PhD project aims to understand and anticipate the impacts of climate change - particularly droughts, heatwaves, and land-use change - on allergenic pollen-producing plants, and the associated public health risks. Using a functional biogeography approach, the project will integrate novel biodiversity, phenology, and climate projection data to model the future distribution of allergenic plant species, with a focus on key functional traits (flowering period, pollen production, drought response).
The project has two main objectives:
1. To identify the ecological mechanisms driving spatial and temporal variations in allergenic pollen exposure.
2. To produce high-resolution risk maps that incorporate plant responses to extreme climatic events, in order to support public health and biodiversity management policies.
Special attention will be given to invasive alien species, some of which are highly allergenic and likely to spread under warming and aridification scenarios. The project will draw on two major databases - BIEN (global) and DivGrass (France) - as well as phenological monitoring networks such as the USA National Phenology Network and the Observatoire des Saisons. The thesis will contribute to the development of an interdisciplinary One Health framework linking biodiversity, climate, and human health.

Contexte de travail

This PhD is part of the joint CNRS–University of Arizona program, and will include research stays in Montpellier (CEFE) and Tucson (University of Arizona), along with training in ecological modeling, functional trait data analysis, and science-policy interface.

Contraintes et risques

None