Elise Huchard                                                               

CNRS Researcher

Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive

Campus du CNRS UMR 5175                                                     

1919 route de Mende
34293 Montpellier cedex 5
Tél: +33/0 4 67 61 32 47

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Research

I am interested in the evolution of mammalian social and mating systems. At the interface between sexual and kin selection, a major axis of my work explores the genetic causes and consequences of reproductive and life history strategies in mammalian societies using observational and experimental data, mostly in the context of long-term, individually-based studies. My research has examined the evolution of sexual signals, mate choice, multiple mating (polyandry) and reproductive competition in females in natural populations of primates. I am currently focusing on sexual conflict as well as on social and genetic influences on development, growth and immunity in the context of life-history theory, occasionally using quantitative genetics and comparative approaches, and using as main models (see below) the Tsaobis baboons, the Kirindy lemurs, the Kalahari meerkats and the Bakoumba mandrills.

A quick overview of my main study systems: a. the Tsaobis baboons from Namibia, b. The Kirindy mouse lemurs from Madagascar and c. the Kalahari meerkats from South Africa.

CV

2014-présent: CNRS Researcher (CR2), Evolutionary Ecology Department, CEFE UMR 5175, Montpellier, France

2012-2014: Postdoc (NERC), LARG, Zoology Department, University of Cambridge, UK (with Tim Clutton-Brock)

2009-2012: Postdoc (German Science Foundation), Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology Unit, German Primate Center, Goettingen, Allemagne (with Peter Kappeler). 

2005-2008: PhD in Evolutionary Biology, University of Montpellier, France (advised by Michel Raymond) and Institute of Zoology, UK (advised by Guy Cowlishaw).

2004-2005: Master 2 in Evolutionary biology and Ecology, University of Montpellier

1998-2004: Veterinary studies, DVM, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire de Toulouse, France.

Publications

For an up-to-date list and associated citation metrics, please visit my page on Google Scholar

35. Huchard E, English S, Bell M, Thavarajah N, Clutton-Brock T. Competitive growth in a cooperative primate. Nature, in press.

34. Baniel A, Cowlishaw G, Huchard E. 2016. Stability and strength of male-female associations in a promiscuous primate society. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 70: 761-775.

33. Pechouskova E, Dammhann M, Brameier M, Fichtel C, Kappeler P, Huchard E. 2015. MHC variation in a rare and ecological specialist mouse lemur reveals lower allelic richness and contrasting selection patterns compared to a generalist and widespread congener. Immunogenetics 67: 229-245.

32. Lukas D & Huchard E. 2014. The evolution of infanticide by males in mammalian societies. Science 346, 841-844.

31.  Huchard E, Charmantier A, English S, Bateman A, Nielsen JF, Clutton-Brock T. 2014. Additive genetic variance and developmental plasticity in growth trajectories in a wild cooperative mammal. Journal of Evolutionary Biology 27, 1893-904.

30.   Carter AJ, Horrocks NP, Huchard E, Logan CJ, Lukas D, MacLeod KJ, Marshall HH, Peck HL, Sanderson JL, Sorensen MC. 2014. Junior scientists are sceptical of sceptics of Open Access: a reply to Agrawal. Trends in plant science 19, 339-340.

29.    Huchard E & Pechouskova E. 2014. The Major Histocompatibility Complex and primate behavioural ecology: new tools and future questions. International Journal of Primatology 35: 11-31.

28.    Clutton-Brock T & Huchard E. 2013. Social competition and selection in males and females. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society Series B 368: 20130074.

27.    English S, Huchard E, Nielsen J & Clutton-Brock T. 2013. Early growth, dominance acquisition and lifetime reproductive fitness in male and female cooperative meerkats. Ecology and Evolution 3: 4401-4407.

26.    Huchard E, Baniel A, Schliehe-Diecks S & Kappeler P. 2013. MHC-disassortative mate choice and inbreeding avoidance in a solitary primate. Molecular Ecology 22: 4071-4086.

25.    Clutton-Brock T & Huchard E. 2013. Social competition and its consequences in female mammals. Journal of Zoology 289: 151-171.

24.     Pyritz LW, Fichtel C, Huchard E & Kappeler PM. 2013. Determinants and outcomes of decision-making, group coordination and social interactions during a foraging experiment in a wild primate. PLOS One 8: e53144.

23.    Huchard E, Charpentier MJE, Marshall H, Knapp LA & Cowlishaw G. 2013. Paternal effects on access to resources in a promiscuous primate society, Behavioral Ecology 24: 229-236.

22.    Charpentier MJE, Huchard E, Gimenez O, Sallé B, Kappeler PM, Renoult J. 2012. Distribution of affiliative behavior across kin classes and fitness consequences in mandrills, Ethology 118: 1198-1207.

21.    Huchard E¹, Benavides JA¹, Pettorelli N, King AJ, Brown ME, Archer CE, Appleton CC, Raymond M & Cowlishaw G. 2012. From parasite encounter to infection: multiple-scale drivers of parasite richness in a wild social primate population, American Journal of Physical Anthropology,147: 52-63. ¹ Contributions égales.

20.   Huchard E¹, Gomez D¹, Henry PY & Perret M. 2012. Mutual mate choice in a female-dominant and sexually monomorphic primate, American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 147: 370-371.¹ Contributions égales.

19.    Huchard E, Canale CI, Le Gros C, Perret M, Henry PY & Kappeler PM. 2012. Convenience polyandry or convenience polygyny? Costly sex under female control in a promiscuous primate, Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 279: 1371-1379.

18.    Huchard E¹, Canale CI¹, Perret M & Henry PY. 2012. Reproductive resilience to food shortage in a small heterothermic primate, PLOS One 7: e41477. ¹ Contributions égales.

17.    Sepil, I., Moghadam HK, Huchard E & Sheldon B. 2012. In-depth characterization and 454 pyrosequencing of Major Histocompatibility Complex class I genes in the great tit reveal complexity in a passerine system, BMC Evolutionary Biology 12: 68.

16.    Huchard E, Albrecht C, Roos C, Walter L, Kappeler PM & Brameier M. 2012. Large scale MHC class II genotyping of a wild lemur population by next-generation sequencing, Immunogenetics 64: 895-913.

15.    Huchard E & Cowlishaw G. 2011. Female–female aggression around mating: an extra cost of sociality in a multimale primate society, Behavioral Ecology 22: 1003.

14.    King AJ, Sueur C, Huchard E & Cowlishaw G. 2011. A rule-of-thumb based on social affiliation explains collective movements in desert baboons, Animal Behaviour 82: 1337.

13.    Huchard E, Raymond M, Benavides J, Marshall H, Knapp LA & Cowlishaw G. 2010. A female signal reflects MHC genotype in a social primate, BMC Evolutionary Biology 10:96.

12.    Huchard E, Knapp LA, Wang J, Raymond M & Cowlishaw G. 2010. MHC, mate choice and heterozygote advantage in a wild social primate, Molecular Ecology 19: 2545.

11.    Wang J, Brekke P,Huchard E, Knapp LA & Cowlishaw G. 2010. Estimation of parameters of inbreeding and genetic drift in populations with overlapping generations, Evolution 64: 1704.

10.    Célerier A, Huchard E, Alvergne A, Féjan D, Plard F, Cowlishaw G, Raymond M & Bonadonna, F. 2010. Detective mice assess relatedness in baboons using olfactory cues, Journal of Experimental Biology 213: 1399.

9.    Huchard E, Alvergne A, Fejan D, Knapp LA, Cowlishaw G & Raymond M. 2010. More than friends? Behavioural and genetic aspects of heterosexual associations in wild chacma baboons, Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 64:769.

8.     Setchell JS & Huchard E. 2010. The hidden benefits of sex: Evidence of MHC-associated mate choice in primate societies, BioEssays 32: 940.

7.     Huchard E, Benavides JA, Setchell JM, Charpentier MJE, Alvergne A_, King AJ, Knapp LA, Cowlishaw G, Raymond M. Studying shape in sexual signals: the case of primate sexual swellings, 2009, Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 63:1231.

6.     Huchard E, Courtiol A., Benavides JA, Knapp LA, Raymond M & Cowlishaw G. 2009. Can fertility signals lead to quality signals? Insights from the evolution of primate sexual swellings, Proceedings of the Royal Society B. 276: 1889.

5.     Alvergne A, Huchard E, Ruppli C, Caillaud D, Martinez L & Raymond M. 2009. Human ability to visually recognize kin within primates, International Journal of Primatology 30: 199.

4.     Huchard E, Weill M, Cowlishaw G, Raymond M & Knapp LA. 2008. Polymorphism, haplotype composition, and selection in the Mhc-DRB of wild baboons, Immunogenetics 60: 585.

3.     King AJ, Douglas C, Huchard E, Isaac N & Cowlishaw G. 2008. Dominance and affiliation mediate despotism in a social primate, Current Biology 18: 1833.

2.     Huchard E, Cowlishaw G, Raymond M, Weill M& Knapp LA. 2006. Molecular study of Mhc-DRB in wild Chacma baboons reveals high variability and evidence for transpecies inheritance, Immunogenetics 56: 805.

1.     Huchard E, Martinez M, Alout H, Douzery JPE, Berthomieu A, Berticat C, Raymond M& Weill M. 2006. Acetylcholinesterase genes within the Diptera: Take-over and loss in true flies, Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 273: 2595.