Description du sujet de thèse

This PhD project aims to better understand how mountain animal species adjust their behavior in response to rising summer temperatures, particularly during heatwaves. The increase in temperatures in mountainous regions forces homeothermic animals to adopt thermoregulatory strategies that are primarily behavioral (seeking thermal refuges, adjusting activity periods, etc.). These behavioral adjustments allow animals to respond quickly to unpredictable climatic variations. However, they may increase the animals' exposure to predation and force them to use suboptimal habitats in terms of food availability. These potential trade-offs between thermoregulation, safety, and foraging remain poorly understood.
To better understand them, it is essential to reconstruct the actual thermal conditions experienced by individuals, at a biologically relevant scale. This PhD project therefore focuses on the fine-scale modeling of the microclimate to which several emblematic mountain species are exposed. By combining GPS animal telemetry data, local weather variables, and high-resolution remote sensing data, the project aims to characterize the thermal landscape as perceived by these animals.
This approach will allow for an analysis of their behavioral responses to heat episodes, particularly their selection of thermal refuges, and to examine the trade-offs with other vital needs such as safety and food. Through intra- and interspecific comparisons and the identification of potential thermal refuges, these analyses will help identify the most vulnerable profiles in the face of climate warming.

The PhD project includes several objectives:
Identify and analyze the behavioral responses of the studied species to climate warming (especially during summer heatwaves)
Model the thermal conditions experienced by individuals at the microclimate scale
Assess trade-offs between thermoregulation and other vital needs that could threaten the studied species
Analyze the variability of behavioral responses at individual, population, and species levels
Identify, map, and project potential thermal refuges
Promote and disseminate the project's findings

Contexte de travail

The PhD is funded by the project RESALP, a collaborative project between CNRS and the Office Français de la Biodiversité (OFB). The hired person will be co-supervised by Philippe CHOLER (CNRS) and Mathieu GAREL (OFB).

Contraintes et risques

Constraints and risks associated with field activities in mountain areas.