Post Doc

portrait_Jean-Charles_Leclerc

I am a community ecologist, interested in examining the natural and human-mediated processes affecting the diversity, structure and functioning of marine habitats and associated communities. My expertise encompasses various fields, especially taxonomy, sampling design, data analyses and ecological theories. My current research focusses on the interactions among communities and ecosystems across natural and urban seascapes, at multiple scales.

Currently ongoing, my main project (Kelp me !) is related with marine urbanization, which causes important change to the marine environment. As they proliferate at sea, artificial infrastructures are colonized by novel assemblages and generate novel species interactions. Besides providing a better understanding into the biotic and abiotic factors that influence the distribution of these organisms, Kelp me ! is paying a particular attention into the putative influence of foundation species, including kelp and other seaweeds. In particular, the project is addressing whether certain interactions (habitat formation, nursery role, transfer of microbiota, feeding relationships) between species take place in these novel assemblages and to what extent they affect the functioning (e.g. gas and nutrient fluxes) of these neo-ecosystems.

 

Background

 

2022-2024        Postdoctoral MSCA fellow Sorbonne Université, France. Station Biologique de Roscoff, UMR 7144, Adaptation and Diversity in the Marine Environment (AD2M)

2021-2022        Postdoc Université de Caen-Normandie, France. UMR BOREA, Biology of aquatic organisms and ecosystems

2020-2021        Associate lecturer (Teaching and Research Temporary Attaché) – Sorbonne Université, France.

Station Biologique de Roscoff, UMR 7144, Adaptation and Diversity in the Marine Environment (AD2M)

2016-2020        Postdoctoral FONDECYT fellow Universidad Católica de la Santísima Concepción, Chile.

Departamento de Ecología - Centro de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Ambientes Sustentables

2014-2015        Postdoc SBR – FR 2424 Marine Operations and Services Department (SMO) - French Agency for Biodiversity - UMR 7144 AD2M (UPMC, Univ. Paris 6, CNRS)

2013-2014        Associate lecturer (Teaching and Research Temporary Attaché) UPMC, Univ. Paris 6, Station Biologique de Roscoff, UMR 7144 AD2M

2010-2013        PhD Marine Sciences – Benthic EcologyS.B. Roscoff (France) – UMR 7144 AD2M

 

projects

 

2022-2024    KELP ME! (P.I., Bienvenüe # 98, Eur 100,000): Kelping the future marina ecosystems? A pilot study testing the effect of suspended forests to promote biotic resistance and other ecosystem services”, with E Thiébault (SU)

2022-2024    LAMINET (Col.) Environmental DNA applied to investigate variations in food webs in Breton kelp forests. Including a postdoc (B Bailet) supervision, with E Quemeré (INRAE)

2021-2023    MARINEFF (Col.) Developing coastal infrastructure to enhance and protect the ecological status of cross-channel coastal waters, with J-C Dauvin (M2C, CNRS) & P Claquin (BOREA, UCN)

2020-2022    HABITOUF (P.I.) Community assembly rules in a mosaic of artificial and natural habitats, with D Davoult (SU)

2019-2020    NATURALG (Col.), Methodological development for community surveys in Natura 2000 areas, with T de Bettignies (UMS Patrinat, OFB-CNRS-MNHN)

2016-2020    NIESCH, (P.I., FONDECYT #3160172, CLP 76,000,000): Investigating Non-Indigenous Species establishment and spread with regards to shipping and biotic resistance along Chilean coasts, with A Brante & F Viard (UCSC/CNRS)

2019-2020    PANAMEX (Col.), Pan American Experimental Initiative (Macroecology), with G Ruiz, G Ashton, M Torchin, A Freestone, E Duffy (Smithsonian Institution & Temple University, USA)

2019-2020    IDEAL (Col.) Biodiversity and Dynamics of High Latitude Ecosystems), with N Valdivia, L Cardenas (UACH)

2014-2015    MELOINE (Col.) Biodiversity inventory, development and implementation of quantitative and semi-quantitative survey of community structure in Méloine subtidal reefs, in collaboration with L Lévêque (CNRS-SBR).

2014-2015    BOULDER (P.I.) Biodiversity patterns across multiple spatial scales among micro-habitats in boulder fields.

2013-2015    EMBOS-Cost pilot project, Intertidal rocky shore survey (coordinator in charge of the sampling at the SBR)

2013-2014    COMMUNTOUF (P.I.) Habitat and trophic cascades in subtidal communities in marina, with F Viard (CNRS).

2014-2015    LINK (Col.) Latitudinal and Inter-hemispherical Network in Kelp ecophysiology, collab. UWA, AUS – NIVA, NW –UP, PT –SBR, with T de Bettinies, T Wernberg

2013-2014    VALMER (Exp.): Invited committee on kelp forest ecosystem services

2010-2015    IDEALG (PhD, Col.), Biodiversity, trophic structure and functioning in Laminaria hyperborea forests and associated communities, among pristine and harvested areas in Brittany”, with P Riera & D Davoult, Seaweeds for the future WP3, Sustainability of abalone aquaculture, Seaweed uses in natural communities, WP8, Impacts of kelp harvesting (HYPERIMP), P Le Nilliot (Iroise Marine Natural Park), coor. P Potin (CNRS-SBR)

 

EXPERTISE

 

2022-2023           Invited expert on marine non-indigenous species – Patrimoine Naturel cf. MSFD implementation (France)

2022                      Invited expert on marine non-indigenous species – Ministerio del Medio Ambiente (Chile)

2020                      Invited expert on kelp forest ecosystem services – Marha project, OFB-UBO (France)

2019                      Invited expert on marine NIS and biosecurity – Charles Darwin Research Station (Ecuador)

2013-2014           Invited expert on kelp forest ecosystem services – VALMER project , UBO (France)

Peer reviewing (https://www.webofscience.com/wos/author/record/1024780), 41 reviews of 32 scientific manuscripts.

 

Publications

Leclerc J-C, Figueroa NN, Viard F, Brante A (in press). Functionally distinct native and non-indigenous species are associated with differences in taxonomic but not in functional structure among urban habitats. Diversity and Distributions

Massé C, Viard F, Humbert S, Antajan E, Auby I, Bachelet G,…Curd A (2023) An overview of marine non-indigenous species found in three contrasting biogeographic metropolitan French regions: insights on distribution, origins and pathways of introduction. Diversity, 15:161. doi : 10.3390/d15020161

Detrée C, Navarro J, Garrido I, Bruning P, Leclerc J-C (2023) Evaluation of Sub-Antarctic and Antarctic sea urchins’ thermal reaction norm through righting behavior and comparison with in situ measurements. Journal of thermal biology, 103496. doi : 10.1016/j.jtherbio.2023.103496

Ashton GV, Freestone A, Duffy E, Torchin M, Sewall B, Tracy B,… Ruiz GM (2022) Predator control of marine communities increases with temperature across 115 degrees of latitude. Science, 376:1215-1219, doi: 10.1126/science.abc4916

Leclerc J-C, de Bettignies T, de Bettignies F, Christie H, Franco JN, Leroux C, Filbee-Dexter K, Pedersen MF, Davoult D, Wernberg T. (2021) Local flexibility in feeding behaviour leads to contrasting function of an omnivore across latitudes. Oecologia, 196:441–453, doi :  10.1007/s00442-021-04936-5 

Leclerc J-C, Viard F, Brante A. (2021) Rapid recovery of native habitat-builders following physical disturbance on pier pilings offsets colonization of cryptogenic and non-indigenous species in a Chilean port. Marine Environmental Research, 163:105231. doi :  10.1016/j.marenvres.2020.105231

Leclerc J-C, Viard F, González E, Díaz C, Neira J, Pérez K, Silva F, Brante A. (2020) Habitat type drives the distribution of non-indigenous species in fouling communities regardless of associated maritime traffic. Diversity and Distributions, 26:62-75. doi : 10.1111/ddi.12997

Leclerc J-C, Viard F and Brante A (2020) Experimental and survey-based evidences for effective biotic resistance by predators in ports. Biological Invasions, 22:339-352. doi : 10.1007/s10530-019-02092-9

Cardenas L†, Leclerc J-C†[shared first authorship], Bruning P, Garrido I, Détrée C, Figueroa I, Astorga M, Navarro J, Johnson LE; Carlton JT, Pardo L. (2020) First mussel settlement observed in Antarctica reveals the potential for future invasions. Scientific Reports 10:5552. doi :10.1038/s41598-020-62340-0

Leclerc J-C, Viard F, González E, Díaz C, Neira J, Pérez K, Silva F, Brante A. (2018) Non-indigenous species contribute equally to biofouling communities in international vs local ports in the Biobío region, Chile. Biofouling, 34: 784-799. doi: 10.1080/08927014.2018.1502276

Leclerc J-C (2018) Patterns of spatial variability between contrasting substrata: a boulder-fields study. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 597:23-38; doi : 10.3354/meps12585

Leclerc J-C, Viard F. (2018) Habitat formation prevails over predation in influencing fouling communities. Ecology & Evolution, 8:477-492. doi : 10.1002/ece3.3654

Pinochet J, Leclerc J-C, Brante A, Daguin-Thiébaut C, Díaz C, Tellier F, Viard F. (2017) Presence of the tunicate Asterocarpa humilis on ship hulls and aquaculture facilities in the coast of the Biobío Region, south central Chile. Peer J 14;5:e3672. doi: 10.7717/peerj.3672

Dal Bello M, Leclerc J-C, Benedetti-Cecchi L, Arvanitidis C, van Avesaath P, Bachelet G, Bojanic N, … Hummel H. (2017) Consistent patterns of spatial variability between Atlantic and Mediterranean rocky shores. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the UK 97:539-547. doi : 10.1017/S0025315416001491

Hummel H, van Avesaath P, Wijnhoven S, Kleine-Schaars L, Degraer S, Kerckhof F, Bojanic N,… Rilov G. (2017) Geographic patterns of biodiversity in European coastal marine benthos. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the UK 97:507-523. doi: 10.1017/S0025315416001119

Kotta J, Orav-Kotta H, Jänes H, Hummel H, Arvanitidis C, Van Avesaath P, Bachelet G,… Weslawski JM. (2017) Essence of the patterns of cover and richness of intertidal hard bottom communities: a pan-European study. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the UK 97:525:538. doi : 10.1017/S0025315416001351

Puente A, Guinda, Juanes JA, Echavarri-Erasun B, Ramos E, de la Hoz CF, Degraer S,… van Avesaath P. (2017) The role of physical variables in biodiversity patterns of intertidal macroalgae along European coasts. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the UK 97:549-560. doi : 10.1017/S0025315416001673

Leclerc J-C, Davoult D, Lévêque L, Riera P. (2016) Contrasting temporal variation in habitat complexity and species abundance distributions in four kelp forest strata, Hydrobiologia, 777:33-54. doi: 10.1007/s10750-016-2742-6

Schaal G, Leclerc J-C, Droual G, Leroux C, Riera P. (2016) Biodiversity and trophic structure of invertebrate assemblages associated with understory red algae in a Laminaria digitata bed, Marine Biology Research, 12(5): 513-523. doi: 10.1080/17451000.2016.1164318

Gouillieux B, Lavesque N, Leclerc J-C, Le Garrec V, Viard F, Bachelet G. (2016) Three non-indigenous species of Aoroides (Crustacea: Amphipoda: Aoridae) from the French Atlantic coast, Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the UK, 96:1651-1659. doi: 10.1017/S0025315415002027

Bennett S, Wernberg T, de Bettignies T, Kendrick GA, Anderson R, Bolton J, Rodgers K, Shears N, Leclerc J-C, Lévêque L, Davoult D, Christie HC. (2015) Canopy interactions and physical stress gradients in subtidal marine communities, Ecology Letters 18: 677-686. doi: 10.1111/ele.12446

Leclerc J-C, Riera P, Leroux C, Lévêque L, Laurans M, Davoult D. (2015) Community, trophic structure and functioning in two contrasting Laminaria hyperborea forests, Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science 152:11-22. doi: 10.1016/j.ecss.2014.11.005

Leclerc J-C, Riera P, Noël L M-L J, Leroux C, Andersen AC. (2014) Trophic ecology of Pomatoschistus microps within an Intertidal Bay (Roscoff, France), investigated through gut content and stable isotope analyses, Marine Ecology 35:261-270. doi : 10.1111/maec.12071

Leclerc J-C, Riera P, Leroux C, Lévêque L, Davoult D. (2013) Temporal variation of organic matter supply in kelp forests: linking structure to trophic functioning, Marine Ecology Progress Series 494:87-105. doi:10.3354/meps10564

Leclerc J-C, Riera P, Leroux C, Lévêque L, Laurans M, Schaal G, Davoult D. (2013) Trophic significance of kelps in kelp communities in Brittany (France) inferred from isotopic comparisons, Marine Biology 160:3249-3258. doi: 10.1007/s00227-013-2306-5