Alexandra Magro
38
Documents
Identifiants chercheurs
- alexandra-magro
- ResearcherId : G-8328-2011
- 0000-0002-7043-0845
- IdRef : 088052885
Présentation
My main research interests lie in the area of evolutionary ecology of predator-prey interactions. Within this field, my current research topic is on the evolution of predator life-history traits under the constraints imposed by their prey and the chemical ecology of predator-prey interactions. The predators and preys I’m interested in are ladybirds (Coccinellidae: Coleoptera) and aphids / coccids (Aphididae / Coccoidea: Hemiptera) and therefore my research covers also the applied field of biological control.
In the beginning of my career, as a Master and PhD student, I worked on the communities of predatory ladybirds living on citrus groves and their role as beneficial insects for the control of pests in spring and summer. Recently, I became interested in the overwintering behaviour of ladybirds (Susset et al, 2013, J. Chem. Ecol, Susset et al, 2017, Ecol. Ent.). Because “Nothing in evolution or ecology makes sense except in the light of the other” (Pelletier et al, 2009, Philos. Trans. R. Soc. B) and a phylogeny of ladybirds was missing, I developed a collaboration with colleagues on the subject (Magro et al, 2010, Mol. Phyl. Evol.). This experience together with my skills on the natural history and community ecology of the Coccinellidae is an asset to ladybirds’ ecology in general: I was driven to participate to projects running from the ecology of myrmecophilous ladybirds to the study of ladybird invasions.
In the first years of my associate professor career (2000-2006) I was faced with a new field – teachers training in ecology (French agricultural secondary school system). The objective of the ecology national curriculum, following European regulations favouring sustainable agriculture, was to give pupils (future agricultural professionals) a better understanding of the environmental framework within which they would be working and a better appreciation of environmental questions. Although well intentioned, the curriculum was difficult to teach: teachers felted unable to link ecology concepts to the applied agricultural matters pupils were interested in and to motivate them. Therefore, with a colleague, I developed a research project on ecological education and suggested a new approach (Magro & Hemptinne, 2011, “Enseigner l’écologie: une autre approche didactique – Teaching ecology: a new pedagogical approach”). This proposal was appreciated by teachers, well received in international conferences and I was invited to present it in the symposium « Motivation and Interest » in 2001 at Rendsburg - Germany. Today, although my research activities are focused on ecology, I still devote some time to a partnership with secondary school teachers to produce teaching resources for ecology education, often based on my own research projects in ecology. I believe this collaboration between research in ecology and ecology education, is essential to foster the adoption of agroecology practices by farmers, teachers and pupils
Publications
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Consequences of hybridization between invasive and biocontrol individuals of the harlequin ladybird Harmonia axyridis in FranceMeeting IOBC / WPRS “Harmonia axyridis and other ladybirds”, Sep 2009, Engelberg, Switzerland
Communication dans un congrès
hal-01231284v1
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Flower strips increase natural enemy abundances: experimental evidence across French agricultural fieldsColloque de la Société Française d’Écologie, Oct 2018, Rennes, France
Poster de conférence
hal-04483371v1
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Chemical ecology of an invasive speciesIOBC/WPRS. Harmonia Meeting, Sep 2009, Engelberg, Switzerland
Poster de conférence
hal-01905262v1
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Communications chimiques chez les coccinelles : étude de phylogénieMIEC-JIREC, May 2007, La Rochelle, France
Poster de conférence
hal-01905318v1
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Les pratiques de l'aménagement: de l'observation aux projetsEducagri Editions, 200 p., 2008, 978-2-84444-698-5
Ouvrages
hal-02824408v1
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