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I understood
Claire Loiseau

Claire Loiseau

Auxiliary Researcher

Details
Position
Auxiliary Researcher
Member type
Former Members
Degree
PhD
Address
CIBIO-InBIO, Universidade do Porto, Campus de Vairão, Rua Padre Armando Quintas, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal
Groups

Research Interest
My interests can broadly be defined as evolutionary ecology in different aspects. I am particularly interested in anthropogenic impacts on host-parasite interactions, such as changes in habitat and climate change that affect the prevalence, the distribution and the strategy of specialization of parasites.

Key words
Host-parasite Interactions
Global changes
Island Biogeography
Avian malaria
Passerines

Past Research Projects
Between 2008 and 2014 my postdoctoral research focused on two main projects. One was on the evolutionary strategies of malaria parasites among different bird host communities across Africa. With environmental changes, we anticipate a change in the distribution of both specialist and generalist parasites with potential impacts on bird communities. My second project focused on global climate change and spread of avian malaria in Alaska. I determined how climate change could affect parasite transmission in Arctic regions with the main prediction that malaria parasites will spread to both higher altitudes and to northern latitudes with global warming.

Other Research Themes (PhD and Master)
- Association between MHC diversity and risk of infection with avian malaria parasites
- Effects of stress on behavior and immunity
- Effects of corticosterone on carotenoid-based signal 

Current Projects
I focus now on island ecosystems. The characteristics of islands, such as their lower species diversity, as compared to their mainland counterparts, help to provide a controlled environment for studying many aspects of ecology. Controlling for confounding factors in an environment is particularly important for studies of vector-borne diseases, where the ecology of parasites, vectors, and hosts must each be considered.
I propose to investigate how increasing anthropogenic (i.e. deforestation and agricultural activity) and natural (i.e. climate, altitude) pressures influence avian blood parasite dynamics on Sao Tome and Principe Islands that exhibit an exceptional high level of endemism. I am also studying the strategy of parasites (generalist vs. specialist) at the bird community level in what we can call "continental” islands, the oases.

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