Redpath Museum
McGill University


Claire de Mazancourt

 Claire de Mazancourt
Assistant Professor
Redpath Museum, McGill University
859 Sherbrooke St. W
Montreal, Qc, H3A 2K6, Canada

Mailing address and office location:
McGill University
c/o Biology Dept
1205 av Docteur-Penfield
Montreal, Qc, H3A 1B1, Canada

Phone: +1 514 398 6508
Fax: +1 514 398 5069
e-mail: claire.demazancourt "at" mcgill.ca
Office: W3/25

Research interests

Research group

Projects available for MSc and PhD graduate students

C.V.

Publications



Research interests:

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My research focuses on developing ecological theory of species interactions such as herbivory, competition and mutualism, and their effects on ecosystem functioning and evolution in ecosystems. Understanding evolutionary dynamics in ecosystems requires taking into account the effect on individuals of ecosystem constraints such as nutrient cycling processes as well as species interactions. However, ecosystem ecology typically ignores ecological interactions, and evolutionary ecology typically ignores ecosystem functioning. By linking these different aspects, my work has uncovered interesting and counterintuitive relationships.


Research group:

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Vincent Calcagno, post-doc.

Tamara Gregg, MSc student

Allen Larocque, MSc student, co-supervised by Michel Loreau


Projects available for MSc and PhD graduate students:

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Candidates with background and strong interests in mathematical ecology will be given priority. Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until positions are filled. To apply, e-mail a letter of application, a CV, and a statement of research interests to: Claire de Mazancourt, claire.demazancourt@mcgill.ca

New!!! PhD position - ecosystem modelling of Lake Tanganyika


C.V.:

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After completing a Master Degree in Science and Executive Engineering, Ecole des Mines de Paris (France), I wanted to proceed to research in Ecology. I went to Pierre and Marie Curie University in Paris, to complete a Masters and PhD in Ecology. I studied the ecological and evolutionary effects of herbivores on plants through nutrient cycling, using mathematical models with Michel Loreau. I then went to Imperial College at Silwood Park (UK), to do a post-doc with Mick Crawley, where I worked on one of the oldest experiments in Ecology, Park Grass experiment. After 2 years of post-doc, I obtained a lectureship at Imperial College. I have been holding an assistant professorship at the Redpath Museum, McGill University, since October 2006. I am also a member of the editorial board of the American Naturalist.


Publications:

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Pdf de Mazancourt, C., E. Johnson, and T. G. Barraclough. 2008. Biodiversity inhibits species' evolutionary responses to changing environments. Ecology Letters 11:380-388.


Pdf Loreau, M., and C. de Mazancourt. 2008. Species synchrony and its drivers: Neutral and nonneutral community dynamics in fluctuating environments. American Naturalist 172:E48-E66.


Pdf Perring, M. P., L. O. Hedin, S. A. Levin, M. McGroddy, and C. de Mazancourt. 2008. Increased plant growth from nitrogen addition should conserve phosphorus in terrestrial ecosystems. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 105:1971-1976.


Pdf Olofsson, J., C. de Mazancourt, and M. J. Crawley. 2008. Spatial heterogeneity and plant species richness at different spatial scales under rabbit grazing. Oecologia 156:825-834.


Pdf Olofsson, J., de Mazancourt, C. and Crawley, M.J. 2007. Contrasting effects of herbivore exclusion on N availability and primary production at different time-scales. Oecologia, 150: 582-589.


Pdf AppendixA AppendixB AppendixC Clark, B., Hartley, S.E., Nash Sudling, K., de Mazancourt, C. 2005. The effect of recycling on plant competitive hierarchies. American Naturalist. 165: 609-622.


Pdf de Mazancourt, C., Loreau, M., & Dieckmann, U. 2005. Understanding mutualism when there is adaptation to the partner. Journal of Ecology, 93: 305-314.


Pdf Crawley, M.J., Johnston, A.E., Silvertown, J., Dodd, M., de Mazancourt, C., Heard, M.S., Henman, D.F., & Edwards, G.R. 2005. Determinants of species richness in the park grass experiment. American Naturalist, 165: 179-192.


Pdf de Mazancourt, C., and Dieckmann, U. 2004. Trade-off geometries and frequency-dependent selection. American Naturalist. 164: 765-778.


Pdf Loreau, M., de Mazancourt, C., and Holt, R.D. 2004. Ecosystem evolution and conservation. in Evolutionary Conservation Biology. Ferrière, R., Dieckmann, U. and Couvet, D., eds. Cambridge Studies in Adaptive Dynamics, IIASA and Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp 327-343.


Pdf Voituron, Y., Mouquet, N., Clobert, J. and de Mazancourt, C. 2002. To freeze or not to freeze? an evolutionary perspective on the cold hardiness strategies of overwintering ectoterms. American Naturalist, 160: 255-270.


Pdf de Mazancourt, C., Loreau, M, and Dieckmann, U. 2001. Can the evolution of plant defense lead to plant-herbivore mutualism? American Naturalist, 158: 109-123.


Pdf de Mazancourt, C. 2001. The unified neutral theory of biodiversity and biogeography by Hubbell SP. Science 293: 1772-1772.


Pdf de Mazancourt, C., and Loreau, M. 2000. Effect of herbivory and plant species replacement on primary production. American Naturalist, 155: 735-754.


Pdf de Mazancourt, C., and Loreau, M. 2000. Grazing optimization, nutrient cycling, and spatial interaction of plant herbivore interactions: should a palatable plant evolve? Evolution, 54: 81-92.


Pdf Loreau, M, and de Mazancourt, C. 1999. Should plants in resource-poor environments invest more in antiherbivore defence? Oikos, 87: 195-200.


Pdf de Mazancourt, C., Loreau, M., and Abbadie, L. 1999. Grazing optimization and nutrient cycling: Potential impact of large herbivores in a savanna ecosystem. Ecological Applications, 9: 784-797.


Pdf de Mazancourt, C., Loreau, M., and Abbadie, L. 1998. Grazing optimization and nutrient cycling: When do herbivores enhance primary production? Ecology 79: 2242-2252.