phone: +32 (0)2 650 45 11
e-mail: armeloic@gmail.com
Research interests
PhD research project
Origin evolution and diversity of Afzelia species: implication for African forest conservation and sustainable management
Supervisor: Jean-Louis Doucet
Co-supervisor: Olivier Hardy
Dense Humid Tropical Forests (FDHT) represent the most diverse terrestrial ecosystems on the planet. Despite the important services they provide, Central African FDHT regress in a context of global change. Understanding how FDHT woody species responded to past climate changes and currently meet the increasing human pressure, participate in the prediction of future evolutionary trajectory and the formulation of appropriate mitigation strategies. This project addresses the genus Afzelia and particularly a complex of species listed under the denomination "doussié". This seems to be an ideal model to test various hypotheses concerning the impacts of past climate changes (speciation in forest refuges) and current anthropogenic impacts (reduction of genetic diversity). Indeed, the distribution of "doussié" on the continent suggests various adjustments according to ecological gradients, and the quality of their wood makes them priority species for the forest industry. By studying the genetic and ecology of the genus Afzelia, this project aims at: (1) understanding more accurately the ecological factors involved in the mechanisms of speciation, (2) testing the correlation between patterns of genetic diversity and supposed Pleistocene forest refuges, (3) assessing the impacts of selective exploitation of timber on intraspecific genetic diversity. Strategies for conservation and sustainable management can be deduced from the results of this study.
Educational background
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• PhD in Ecological and Evolutionary Biology (2013- today)
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• Master of Science in Systematic, Evolution and Paleobiodiversity (2012, Université Pierre Marie Curie, France)
