Stage de M2: identifier comment les poisons font face aux vagues de chaleur par l’étude des coordinations et compromis entre limites thermiques et traits fonctionnels
One internship position focusing on the identification of ecological strategies of freshwater fishes related to thermal resistance is available at the RECOVER laboratory in Aix-en-Provence (France). The student will work under the supervision of Arnaud SENTIS, Alexandra ENGLER, and Marie LEVET.
Topic:
Extreme climatic events are becoming more intense and frequent with climate change as illustrated by the record long heatwaves experienced in France in summer 2026. Thermal limits such as CTmax (Critical Thermal Maximum) are often used to understand how ectothermic organisms can cope with rapid warming. Previous studies have reported that thermal limits are related to size and trophic level. Yet, little is known about the relationships between thermal limits and other types of traits such as tolerance to hypoxia, swimming capacity or egg size. Studying correlations among traits can provide insights into patterns of trait coordination and trade-offs, and thereby help identify combinations of traits associated with particular ecological strategies. Different species may exhibit different trait combinations and strategies in response to the same environmental stressor or selective pressure. Determining these coordination axes could also help us identifying species that deviate from this expected coordination and reveal unique ecological strategies.
Objective:
The goal of this internship is to investigate the patterns of trait coordination and trade-offs among tolerance, interaction and life history traits to identify the existence of ecological strategies related to thermal limits in freshwater fishes.
The intern will:
• Use existing databases to create a unique trait dataset
• Review the existing literature to create a conceptual and analytical framework for this study
• Use computational tools to standardize and analyse the data
Methods and data:
The project will require to wrangle data from different databases to harmonise and standardize the available trait data and create a custom dataset. For the data analyses, we will use multivariate tools, such as PCA and network analyses.
Candidate competences:
We are seeking a motivated student with a strong interest in ecology and biodiversity research. Skills in ecological data analysis, statistics (R) and some knowledge on functional ecology are desirable. Previous experience with database management and data wrangling would be appreciated.
Practical information:
Starting date (flexible): February 2027
Duration: 6 months
Location: INRAE, RECOVER laboratory, 3275 route Cézanne, 13182 Aix-en-Provence, France
Main advisors: Arnaud Sentis, Alexandra Engler, Marie Levet
Application:
Deadline for applications: October 30 2026.
Please send your CV and a motivation letter (1 page maximum, in French or English) to:
– arnaud.sentis@inrae.fr
– alexandra.engler@inrae.fr
-marie.levet@inrae.fr
Informal enquiries are welcome – please contact us by email in French or English.
Key-words:
thermal tolerance, functional ecology, freshwater fishes
References:
Junker, R. R., Albrecht, J., Becker, M., Keuth, R., Farwig, N., & Schleuning, M. (2023). Towards an animal economics spectrum for ecosystem research. Functional Ecology, 37(1), 57-72.
Barrett, H. S., & Armstrong, J. B. (2022). Move, migrate, or tolerate: Quantifying three tactics for cold‐water fish coping with warm summers in a large river. Ecosphere, 13(6), e4095.
Recsetar, M. S., Zeigler, M. P., Ward, D. L., Bonar, S. A., & Caldwell, C. A. (2012). Relationship between fish size and upper thermal tolerance. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society, 141(6), 1433-1438.
Marks, C. O., & Lechowicz, M. J. (2006). Alternative designs and the evolution of functional diversity. The American Naturalist, 167(1), 55-66.
Baumgartner, J. V. (1995). Phenotypic, genetic, and environmental integration of morphology in a stream population of the threespine stickleback, Gasterosteus aculeatus. Canadian Journal of Fisheries
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