Description du sujet de thèse

Sexual selection is generally thought to apply to all sexually reproducing anisogamous organisms typically presenting males producing greater numbers of smaller gametes than females. Sexual selection should therefore include plants. Yet, the test of general predictions from sexual selection theory are still largely lacking for the plant kingdom. In the context of the ERC project SEXIPLANTS (coordinated by Jeanne Tonnabel), this PhD aims at testing the most fundamental predictions of sexual selection theory, including female choice models (Fisherian and good-genes models) with a special focus on pollen and pistil traits. Indeed, cryptic female choice in plants might stem from simple morphological pistil traits or from the physiology of pistil tissues, which is known to actively provide nutritive and guidance molecules to pollen tubes. The PhD will benefit from a unique material developed for plants: the output of an experimental evolution protocol in which lines of Brassica rapa 'fast plants' have been maintained for 19 generations in monogamy vs. polygamy. The PhD candidate will study the evolution of pollen and pistil traits in these experimental evolution lines, but also the paternity biases induced by those traits and the genetic correlations between them through quantitative genetics.

Contexte de travail

The recruited person will be responsible for collecting data, analyzing it, and writing manuscripts presenting the associated results:
1. Collection and analysis of datasets on trait evolution in common gardens;
2. Implementation of controlled crossing protocols and paternity analyses to test for cryptic female choice;
3. Implementation of quantitative genetics protocols and trait measurements to quantify genetic correlations;
4. Bioinformatics analyses to quantify the diversity of incompatibility alleles in experimental evolution populations.
The recruited person will also be jointly responsible, along with Jeanne Tonnabel, for supervising the activities of technicians and Master's students involved in these projects.
The PhD student will join a stimulating working atmosphere comprising enthusiastic researchers working on sexual selection in plants in the context of the SEXIPLANTS project with high collaboration opportunities (Agnès Mignot, François Rousset, Tim Janicke). The PhD student will work at the Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution de Montpellier (ISEM, UMR 5554). Montpellier offers a very stimulating scientific environment for evolutionary biologists with many seminars and opportunities to interact with many renowned scientists. The working language will be English but some notions of French will be handy in the daily life.

Contraintes et risques

Constraints associated with working with computers and experimental work.

Informations complémentaires

We are looking for candidates with a MSc degree in biology (or equivalent) with strong motivation both for understanding and testing general concepts in evolutionary biology and for highly experimental work. Knowledge on sexual selection and/or plant evolution and experience on experimental evolution/quantitative genetics/paternity analyses would be an advantage but are not required.