group leader
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Thomas L.P. Couvreur (HDR, Directeur de Recherche 2)
Besides activities described on the homepage, I am active in taxonomical research in two wonderful plant families characteristic of tropical rain forests: Palms and Annonaceae. I undertake monographs and revisions of several little known genera in both families. I also write floras for both families for different countries. I work in herbaria and undertake field work for collecting plants in South America, Africa and South East Asia (see here). This last part is the basis of my research. Without taxonomy the above research projects would be hampered. Finally, I use the internet and special tools available to disseminate and make this information available to everyone (open access journals, scratchpad websites like World Annonaceae and Palms of Africa). I am also Chair of the Species Survival Commission - Palm Specialist Group of the IUCN. |
post doctoral researchers
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Dr. Delphine Tardif, ERC GLOBAL project
IRD, but based at the LSCE in Paris, together with Pierre Sepulchre 2022-2024 Delphine is a paleo-climatologist. She will work with Pierre Sepulchre on generating past climates across the tropics throughout the Cenozoic (at different discrete time frames). She will then link these paleo-climates together with diversification rates of Annonaceae and test different hypotheses linked to past climates and rain forest evolution.
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Dr. Francis Nge, ERC GLOBAL project
IRD Montpellier, France 2022-2024 Francis will work on reconstructing the phylogenetic tree of Annonaceae and undertake diversification analyses of the whole family. We shall use this to test different hypotheses of evolution across tropical rain forest worldwide.
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phd students
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Suzanne Kamga Mogue (co supervised by Prof. Bonaventure Sonké)
Université de Yaoundé I, Cameroon 2015-2018 (defense 2023) Suzanne is doing her PhD on the socio-economic importance and taxonomy of the palm genus Raphia within the RAPHIA project.
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Paola Santacruz (co supervised with Prof. Rommel Montufar, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador (PUCE), Quito Ecuador).
Universty of Montpellier 2021 - 2023 Paola is part of the ERC GLOBAL project. She is based in Ecuador at the PUCE. Her project focuses on studying the interactions between Neotropical Annonaceae and their herbivores. She will also undertake metabolic and spectroscopy analyses of leaves to infer the chemical defense of Annonaceae and how they evolved within the family. She undertakes her research mainly at the Yasuni Forest Dynamics Plot. |
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Erica Onjaniaina Ravomanana (co supervised with Dr. Mijoro Rakotoarinivo)
University of Antananarivo, Madagascar 2022-2025 Erica is working on redlisting the Annonaceae of Madagascar. We generated a verified taxonomic database of the family for Madagascar. She will use different R packages (eg ConR) and bibliography to assess these species. She will also undertake the taxonomic revision of an Annonaceae genus in Madagascar. Her research is part of the ERC GLOBAL project. |
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Serafin Streiff (co supervised by Roy Erkens)
University of Montpellier, Montpellier / Paris 2022-2025 Serafin will work o the spatial evolution and diversifcation of Annonaceae at global scales. he will investigate drivers of species evolution spatially, and what explains differences between continents, but alos at local scales. His research is part of the ERC GLOBAL project. |
master students
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Valérie Ramarosandratana (co supervised with Dr. Mijoro Rakotoarinivo)
University of Antananarivo, Madagascar 2022-2023 Valérie is working on the morphological delimitation of species in the Malagasy endemic genus Ambavia (Annonaceae). Ambavia is one of the two endemic genera of Annonaceae in Madagascar (the other being Fenerivia). Her research is part of the ERC GLOBAL project. |
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Lily Bennett
Université de Montpellier, France 2023 Lily is a M2 student from the Erasmus Mundus Programme in Evolutionary Biology. She will undertake her internship on analyzing Near Infra Red data extracted from herbarium specimens across the Annonaceae family, and look at the evolution of this signal. She will test some broad scale hypothesis about plant defense mechanism using this new appraoch. Her master is part of the ERC GLOBAL project. |
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Ishaq Muawiyya (co-supervised withDr. Abubakar Bello)
Umaru Musa Yar'Adua University, Nigeria 2023-2024 Ishaq works on the diversity and conservation of Annonaceae in Nigeria. He will compile a check list and distribution database, and undertake IUCN redlisting of the species. |
engineers, international volunteers, other contracts
Sonia Hamdi
Project manager (based in Montpellier)
Sonia is the project manager of the ERC GLOBAL project. She helps with the management of the project at both the administration and financial levels.
Project manager (based in Montpellier)
Sonia is the project manager of the ERC GLOBAL project. She helps with the management of the project at both the administration and financial levels.
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Archimède Patipe
Bioinformatics engineer, based in Montpellier. Archimède works within the ERC GLOBAL project, 20203-2025. Archimède in in charge of assisting and managing the scripts and databases that are generated within the GLOBAL project. He is also uploading our scripts to the team GitHub. |
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Dr. Carlos Rodrigues-Vaz
Botanical engineer (based in Paris, MNHN) Carlos works within the ERC GLOBAL project, 2020-2023 Carlos is in charge of herbarium leaf sampling for DNA extractions, Near InfraRed Scanning (NIRs) of herbarium specimens, field collecting in tropical areas of the globe, morphological data entries in eFLOWER using PROTEUS, and coordinator of citizen science projects on "Les Herbonautes" (http://lesherbonautes.mnhn.fr). His background is in tropical botany and ecology. He obtained his Ph.D. from The New York Botanical Garden working on a subgroup of the genus Schefflera (Araliaceae) from The Andes mountain range. He did taxonomic, systematic, and phylogenetic works along with ecological niche modeling applied to IUCN Red List assessments. |
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Vincent Soulé
Molecular Biology engineer (Based in Montpellier) Vincent works within the ERC GLOBAL project, 2020-2023 Vincent is in charge of extracting, sequencing and undertaking bioinformatics data analyses of Annonaceae species within the GLOBAL project. Vincent has acquired a large expertise in NGS sequencing and dealing with large amounts of samples. He also has an expertise in extracting DNA from difficult herbarium specimens. |
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Andrea Fernandez
Botanist (Based in Quito, Ecuador). Andrea is recruited by the IRD as a local staff (2023). Andrea works a the projects botanist in Ecuador, helps with field work and specimen curation within the ERC GLOBAL project. |
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Alix Lozinguez
French International Volunteer, (Based in Quito, Ecuador). 2021-2023 Alix is a French International Volunteer with a Masters degree in Biodiversity. She will bring expertise and assistance to the various projects we have running in Ecuador in collaboration with the PUCE. She will specifically help in the following 4 programs: (i) to complete the online database of the ERC GLOBAL project on morphological traits of Annonaceae and assist students in the field within the insect-Annonaceae interaction program (in Yasuni); (ii) to support the reforestation project in the "El Carmen" region, in particular through ecological monitoring; (iii) to inventory the species of the palm tree group eligible for the IUCN red list coordinator, (iv) to train, in collaboration with the PUCE University (Quito), basic training courses for the statistical analysis of data with the R software. She is also the RCL for the IUCN SSC PALM group. |
Past members
- Nicolas Zapata: Botanist (Based in Quito, Ecuador).
- Laureline Petit-Bagnard (co supervised Dr. Germinal Rouhan) University of Montpellier, Montpellier / Paris 2022
- Dr. Mariano Kpatenon Joly (co directed with Adeoti Adeola Zouri-Kifouli, Université de d'Abomey-Calavi, Bénin) and Estelle Jaligot (CIRAD, Montpellier).
Université de Abomey-Calavi & Université de Montpellier, 2018-2021
- Laureline Petit-Bagnard (co supervised Dr. Germinal Rouhan) University of Montpellier, Montpellier / Paris 2022
- Dr. Mariano Kpatenon Joly (co directed with Adeoti Adeola Zouri-Kifouli, Université de d'Abomey-Calavi, Bénin) and Estelle Jaligot (CIRAD, Montpellier).
Université de Abomey-Calavi & Université de Montpellier, 2018-2021
- Kpatènon, M. J.; Salako, K. V.; Santoni, S.; Zekraoui, L.; Latreille, M.; Tollon-Cordet, C.; Mariac, C.; Jaligot, E.; Beulé, T.; Adéoti, K. Transferability, Development of Simple Sequence Repeat (SSR) Markers and Application to the Analysis of Genetic Diversity and Population Structure of the African Fan Palm (Borassus Aethiopum Mart.) in Benin. BMC Genetics 2020, 21 (1), 145. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12863-020-00955-y
- Dagallier, L.-P.M.J., Janssens, S.B., Dauby, G., Blach‐Overgaard, A., Mackinder, B.A., Droissart, V., Svenning, J.-C., Sosef, M.S.M., Stévart, T., Harris, D.J., Sonké, B., Wieringa, J.J., Hardy, O.J., Couvreur, T.L.P., 2020. Cradles and museums of generic plant diversity across tropical Africa. New Phytologist 225, 2196–2213. https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.16293 [open access]
- Dagallier, L.-P. M. J.; Mbago, F. M.; Luke, W. R. Q.; Couvreur, T. L. P. Three New Species of Uvariodendron (Annonaceae) from Coastal East Africa in Kenya and Tanzania. PhytoKeys 2021, 174, 107–126. https://doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.174.61630.
- Escobar, S., Pintaud, J.-C., Balslev, H., Bernal, R., Ramírez, M.M., Millán, B., & Montúfar, R. Genetic structuring in a Neotropical palm analyzed through an Andean orogenesis-scenario. Ecology and Evolution, https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.4216
- Escobar, S.; Helmstetter, A. J.; Jarvie, S.; Montúfar, R.; Balslev, H.; Couvreur, T. L. P. Pleistocene Climatic Fluctuations Promoted Alternative Evolutionary Histories in Phytelephas Aequatorialis, an Endemic Palm from Western Ecuador. Journal of Biogeography 2021. https://doi.org/10.1111/jbi.14055
- Helmstetter, A. J.; Béthune, K.; Kamdem, N. G.; Sonké, B.; Couvreur, T. L. P. Individualistic Evolutionary Responses of Central African Rain Forest Plants to Pleistocene Climatic Fluctuations. PNAS 2020. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2001018117.
- Helmstetter, A. J.; Amoussou, B. E. N.; Bethune, K.; Kamdem, N. G.; Kakaï, R. G.; Sonké, B.; Couvreur, T. L. P. Phylogenomic Approaches Reveal How Climate Shapes Patterns of Genetic Diversity in an African Rain Forest Tree Species. Molecular Ecology 2020, 29 (18), 3560–3573. https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.15572.
- Ghogue J.P., Sonké, B., Couvreur, T.L.P. 2017. Revision of the African genera Brieya and Piptostigma. Plant Ecology and Evolution. 217: 173-216
- Lissambou B-J, Hardy OJ, Atteke C, Stévart T, Dauby G, Mbatchi B, Sonke B, Couvreur TLP (2018) Taxonomic revision of the African genus Greenwayodendron (Annonaceae). PhytoKeys 114: 55–93. https://doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.114.27395 [open access]
- Lissambou B-J, Couvreur TLP, Atteke C, Stévart T, Piñeiro R, Dauby G, Monthe FK, Ikabanga DU, Sonké B, M’batchi B, Hardy OJ (2019) Species delimitation in the genus Greenwayodendron based on morphological and genetic markers reveals new species. TAXON 68: 442–454. https://doi.org/10.1002/tax.12064
- Dr. Marie Claire Veranso: PhD student (2014-2017).
University of Buea, Cameroon
Institute für Spezielle Botanik, University of Mainz, Germany
(I was one of the co supervisors together with Dr. Gudrun Kadereit, Douglas Stone and Dr. Fongod).
University of Buea, Cameroon
Institute für Spezielle Botanik, University of Mainz, Germany
(I was one of the co supervisors together with Dr. Gudrun Kadereit, Douglas Stone and Dr. Fongod).
- Veranso–Libalah, M.-C., Douglas, R.S., Fongod, A.G.N., Couvreur, T.L.P., Kadereit, G. 2017. Phylogeny and systematics of African Melastomateae (Melastomataceae). Taxon 6: 584-614
- Alix Pugeaut: Master II student (2017). (Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris)
- Dr. Amira Azizan: Master I student (2016) (Université de Montpellier 2, Agro Paris Tech)
- Dr. Gilles Dauby: Post doctoral fellow of RAINBIO project (2014-2016)
- Dauby G, et al. (2016) RAINBIO: a mega-database of tropical African vascular plants distributions. PhytoKeys 74: 1-18. https://doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.74.9723
- Sosef M.S.M.*, Dauby G.*, et al. 2017. Exploring the floristic diversity of tropical Africa. BMC Biology, 15, 1-15.
- Dr. Adama Faye: Master II and then PhD student (2011-2015)
Université de Montpellier, IRD grant.
Université de Montpellier, IRD grant.
- Faye, A., Pintaud, J.–C., Baker, W.J., Vigouroux, Y., Sonké, B. & Couvreur, T.L.P. 2016. Phylogenetics and diversification history of African rattans (Calamoideae, Ancistrophyllinae). Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society. 182, 256–271
- Faye, A., Pintaud, J.–C., Baker, W.J., Sonké, B. & Couvreur, T.L.P. 2014. A plastid phylogeny of the African rattans (Ancistrophyllinae, Arecaceae). Systematic Botany 39: 1099–1107.
- Faye, A., Deblauwe, V., Mariac, C., Richard, D., Sonké, B., Vigouroux, Y. & Couvreur, T.L.P. 2016. Phylogeography of the genus Podococcus (Palmae/Arecaceae) in Central African rain forests: climate stability predicts unique genetic diversity. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 105, 126–138
- Scarcelli, N., Mariac, C., Couvreur, T.L.P., Faye, A., Richard, D., Sabot, F., Berthouly‐Salazar, C. & Vigouroux, Y. 2016. Intra‐individual polymorphism in chloroplasts from NGS data: where does it come from and how to handle it? Molecular Ecology Resources 16: 434-445.
- Dr. Vincent Deblauwe Post doctoral fellow (2014-2015)
IRD, Université de Yaoundé I
IRD, Université de Yaoundé I
- Deblauwe, V., Droissart, V., Bose, R., Sonké, B., Blach-Overgaard, A., Svenning, J.C., Wieringa, J.J., Ramesh, B.R., Stévart, T. & Couvreur, T.L.P. 2016. Remotely sensed temperature and precipitation data improve species distribution modelling in the tropics. Global Ecology and Biogeography 25: 443-454.