Jérôme NIOGRET

e-mail : jniogret@uga.edu

2009-2011
Research Entomologist, USDA-ARS, Subtropical Horticulture Research Station, 13601 Old Cutler Road Miami Fl, 33158, USA

2007-2009
Postdoctoral Research Associate, Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, USA
www.uga.edu/rohanilab/

2005-2007
Temporary Assistant Professor (ATER), Montpellier University, France.
 

Research Projects in the Odum School of Ecology

"The level of an organism’s investment in defences against its natural enemies depends not only on the fitness costs of parasitism, but also on the costs of maintaining defences in the absence of infection. The presence of heritable variation in resistance suggests that costs exist, but very little is known about the nature or magnitude of these costs in natural populations of animals. A powerful technique for identifying trade-offs between fitness components is the study of correlated responses to artificial selection. We propose to select the Indian meal moth, Plodia interpunctella for increased resistance against a koinobiont parasitoid, Venturia canescens.  Parasitoid larvae develop internally within the host, resulting in eventual death in the absence of any immune response. Hosts may, however, survive parasitoid attack by investing in a cellular immune response.  We will measure the cost of countering parasitism and the cost of maintaining resistance in absence of immune challenge by measuring the trade-offs between increased resistance and other components of host fitness. We predict that costs of host defences will correlated with fecundity, growth, developmental time, size and/or competitive ability of the resistant lines compared with control lines. This study is especially timely because the proposed host species is a major pest of stored products worldwide while the parasitoid is a potential biocontrol agent. The understanding of factors that determine control of pest species and their evolutionary response clearly requires the marriage of ecological, physiological, behavioral and evolutionary perspectives. Thus, we believe our proposed multi-disciplinary approach to this novel question affecting an economically significant pest is of particular importance."

Research Projects in the Zoogeography Laboratory (Functional and Evolutionary Ecology Center)

PhD, 2007:

'Multipolar interactions between beetle (Scarabaeidae)/mite (Macrochelidae)/fly (Sphaeroceridae): dispersal strategies for using ephemeral trophic resources',
Pass with distinction

Board of examiners:TRABALON M. (Professor, chairman, reviewer), UMR CNRS 7178 DPE, Physiology of behaviour, University of Nancy I, France; KREITER S. (Professor, reviewer), SupAgro, Montpellier, France; BERTRAND M. (Assistant professor, examiner), UMR 5175 CEFE, Montpellier, France; ROCHAT D. (researcher, examiner), UMR 1272 Insect Physiology, INRA, Versailles, France; LUMARET J.-P. (Professor, PhD director), UMR 5175 CEFE, Montpellier, France; ZUNINO M. (Professor, examiner), University of Urbino, Italie.

Summary:

       Phoresy is a dispersal mode for inadequately mobile organisms that use carriers. The aim of our work is to study the mechanisms that govern phoresy among three partners: Scarabaeidae beetles – Sphaeroceridae flies – Macrochelidae mites. The diversity of host-phoretic interactions has been analysed, with descriptions of new mite species and the study of two main dispersal strategies: generalist and specialist. Phoresy determination needs precise recognition of the host by the phoretics, with a choice of potential available carriers, and a tendency to specialization which probably favours speciation.
      Laboratory experiments (behavioural and olfactometric tests) and chromatographic analyses have been driven to separate visual and chemical stimuli (cuticular products) in carrier discrimination. The host choice is based on chemical criteria for mites, on visual criteria for flies. Dung beetles carry their phoretics to their pedotrophic nest where the mites regulate the number of phoretic flies by predation on eggs and larvae, with, in reaction, a shortening of the fly development length compared to other coprophilous flies.
      An analysis of different Macrochelid mite species affinity, using morphological, molecular and behavioural data, shows that the specialized choice of a carrier could appear independently in the different mites lineages.

Keywords: Phoresy, dispersal strategies: generalist/specialist, behaviour, olfactométrie, GC-MS, molecular phylogeny, taxonomy, new species

Discipline (cnu) : 67, population biology and ecology

Research Programs

• Agronomic Research Program for Development, 2006 (PRAD 04-10): Strategy to fight against Sphodroxia maroccana Ley population (Coleoptera, Melolonthidae): sampling and isolation of sexual pheromone (Mamora Forest, Morocco).
• Protected Areas Program, 2006 (French Environmental Ministry): Effects of the structure of the habitat on the insect diversity and use this knowledge for management of protected areas.
• Agronomic Research Program for Development, 2007 (PRAD  07-01): Chemical fight against a pest of young cork oak plantations and analyse of the environmental risk in Morocco.

TEACHING EXPERIENCES

2007-2011, Qualification section CNU 67, 68, 67museum, 68 museum

2005-2007, Temporary attaché of Education and Research, Montpellier University, France

• Physiology & Genetic applied to Human Sciences (Licence).
• Human Ecology (Master).

2003-2005, Tutorial support: Physiology and Genetic applied to Human Sciences. Montpellier University, France

PUBLICATIONS

• Niogret J. Sait S., Rohani P. 2009. Parasitism and Constitutive Defense Costs to Host Life History Traits in a Parasitoid-Host interaction. Ecological Entomology: In press.

• Niogret J. and Lumaret J.P. 2009. Identification of the cues used in the host finding behavior during the phoretic association Ceroptera rufitarsis (Diptera: Sphaeroceridae) and dung beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae). Journal of Insect Behavior: In press.

• Niogret J. & Nicot A. 2008. Combined approach using morphology and ITS-sequences for description of three new species of Macrocheles (Acari: Macrochelidae). Zootaxa, 1873: 39-49.

• Jay-Robert P., Niogret J., Errouissi F., Labarussias M., Paoletti E., Vazquez Luis M. & Lumaret J.P. 2008. Reltive efficiency of extensive grazing vs. wild ungulates management for dung beetle conservation in a heterogeneous landscape from Southern Europe (Scarabaeinae, Aphodiinae, Geotrupinae). Biological Conservation, 141: 2879-2887.

• Ghaioule D., Lumaret J.-P., Rochat D., Maatouf N., Niogret J. 2007. Estimation of white grub damage (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) in cork oak (Quercus suber L.) regeneration plots of the Mamora forest (Morocco) and search for biological control using sex-pheromone. Annales de la Société Entomologique de France 43(1): 1-8.
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• Niogret J. 2007. Interactions multipolaires entre coléoptères, acariens et diptères : stratégies de dispersion pour l’utilisation de ressources trophiques éphémères. Résumé de thèse. In: Les nouvelles de l’entomologie (Union de l'entomologie française, UEF ed.), Bulletin des Entomologistes de France, 21-22, p14.

• Niogret J., Nicot A., De Stordeur E., Bertrand M. 2007. Combination of morphological characters and ITS-sequence to characterize a new Macrocheles species (Acari: Mesostigmata). Zootaxa 1386: 19-29.
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• Niogret J., Nicot A. & Bertrand M. 2007. New Macrocheles species from France  (Mesostigmata: Macrochelidae). Acarologia 47 (3-4): 115-120.

• Niogret J., Lumaret J.P., Bertrand M. 2006. Review of the phoretic association between coprophilous insects and macrochelid mites (Acari : Mesostigmata) in France. Elytron 20: 99-121. 
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• Niogret J., Lumaret J.P., Bertrand M., 2006. Semiochemicals mediating host-finding behaviour in the phoretic association between Macrocheles saceri (Acari: Mesostigmata) and Scarabaeus species (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae). Chemoecology 16 (3): 129-134.
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• Haloti S., Glida H., Niogret J., Janati-Idrissi A., Bertrand M. & Lumaret J.P., 2005, Acariens Macrochelidae (Acari : Mesostigmata) phoretiques d’Afrique. I] Macrochelides coprophiles du Maroc, Acarologia XLV (2-3) : 155-159.

• Niogret J. & Bertrand M., 2005, Supplement to the description of Macrocheles vernalis Berlese, 1887: Male description from Moroccan population. Acarologia XLV: 267-272.

• Trabalon M., Niogret J. & Frossi-Legrand C., 2005, Effect of 20-Hydroxyecdysone on cannibalism, sexual behaviour and contact sex pheromone in the solitary female spider, Tegenaria atrica. General and Comparative Endocrinology 144: 60-66.
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• Niogret J., Bertrand M., Glida H. & Lumaret J.P., 2004, Dung or Beetles, that is the question… Olfactory sensitivity, a significant trait of life of the phoretic mite Macrocheles perglaber (Acari : Mesostigmata : Macrochelidae), Phytophaga XIV : 215-222.

• Lumaret J.P., Jay-Robert P., Dormont L., De Stordeur E., Errouissi F., Niogret J., Dimanche M., Paris A., Launay S., Brosse Genevet E., Le bourg N., Bousquel V., Kermabon J., Hugonnet S., Verdier G., Digier M., Lemmet S., Descaves B. & Breton F., 2006. Programme Espaces Protégés: Effets du degré d’ouverture de l’habitat sur la diversité de l’entomofaune des milieux pâturés et utilisation de cette connaissance pour la gestion des espaces protégés. Rapport final Septembre 2006, Ministère de l’Ecologie et du Développement Durable. 158p.

Oral communication

• Niogret J., Bertrand M. & Lumaret J.P. 2006. Constraints due to the selected host and behavioural response by coprophilous Macrochelidae (Acari: Mesostigmata). 12^th International Congress of Acarology, Amsterdam.

Posters

• Kendra PE, Montgomery WS, Schnell EQ, Niogret J, Epsky ND, Heath RR, Schnell RJ, Ayala-Silva T, Meerow AW, Winterstein M. 2009. Strategies to address the imminent threat of redbay Ambrosia beetle and Laurel Wilt Disease to Floridaa Avocados. 92nd Annual Meeting of the Florida Entomological Society.

• Niogret J. 2008. Identifying host by Macrochelids: chemical cues in the host recognition. 6th European Smposium of Acarologist, Montpellier - France.

• Niogret J., Bertrand M. & Lumaret J.P. 2006. Host selection under predation pressure: case of mites and flies both phoretic on the same dung beetle. 12^th International Congress of Acarology, Amsterdam, THE NETHERLANDS.
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• Niogret J., Bertrand M., Glida H. & Lumaret JP., Dung or Beetles, that is the question... or the chemical determinism of the phoretic behaviour of the mite Macrocheles perglaber, 5th Symposium of the European Association of Acarologists, Berlin 2004, GERMANY.
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• Niogret J., Pourie G., Legrand-Frossi C. & Trabalon M., Etude de l'effet des ecdystéroïdes sur le comportement agonistique et le taux de lipides cuticulaires au cours du cycle reproducteur chez Tegenaria atrica (Agelenidae), Colloque SFECA (Société d'Etude du Comportement Animale), Tours 2003, FRANCE. First award.
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