Aïssa Morin, Ph. D.
I completed my Ph.D. in Ecology in late 2023 at the Laboratory of Biometry and Evolutive Ecology (LBBE, University of Claude Bernard Lyon 1). My thesis focused on mammal communities responses to human imprint. More specifically, I explored the effects of climate change on predator-prey interactions and the impacts of human management actions and human practices on predator-predator interactions, mainly in a southern African context. I used theoretical models (predator-prey dynamics), fieldwork, camera traps and multi-species occupancy models to explore these questions.
Before my Ph.D., I have completed a Master’s degree in Conservation Biology at the National Museum of Natural History of Paris (France). Being particularly interested in ecology, conservation and mammals, I have realized several internships and work experiences over the course of my education, which gave me the opportunity to explore these topics,
Now, I am looking for research positions exploring these topics. I am especially interested in (but not only) mammal ecology and/or interactions (between predators and prey or among predators), methodology and methods development (camera-trapping, programming, etc...), and conservation biology. I believe I can bring useful skills and knowledge, so, if you have an opportunity or would like to discuss a project, please get in touch.
Aside from my work, I love walks in nature, observing and learning about birds, going to the cinema and reading books. I also love baking and am always looking for people to taste new recipes.
Research interests
Predator-Prey Interactions, Predator-Predator Interactions, Biodiversity, Conservation Biology, Global Change, Climate Change, Anthropogenic Activities, Community Ecology, Conservation Translocations, Carnivores, Mammals, Occupancy Modelling, Camera-trapping, Progamming, Methodology, Spatial Ecology
Projects
Ph.D. Thesis (2018-2023)
Responses of mammal communities to human imprint: impacts of climate change, management and exposure to humans on carnivores and their interactions.
Human populations are exerting an increasing pressure on species and ecosystems. It is now widely recognised that human activities are accelerating climate change, and the associated changes in temperature, precipitation patterns and increases in extreme events occurrence are expected to become a major pressure for biodiversity. Similarly, a growing body of literature has reported the increasing influence of disturbance associated with human activities such as hunting, tourism or agriculture on species worldwide. These pressures are not only putting individual species at risk, but communities and ecosystems as well, because of cascading effects through species interactions. As human population keep rising, there is a need for a better understanding of the impact of human activities on species communities and their network of interactions.
Carnivores are at risk from global changes while they play important roles in the functioning of communities and ecosystems, mainly through interactions with their prey but also with smaller predators. This thesis thus focuses on interactions between mammalian species and the impact of humans on these interactions. The goal of this thesis is twofold. I first investigate the impact of climate change on terrestrial mammalian predator-prey interactions. Then, I addressed the effects of human practices on interactions among mammalian carnivores. I used theoretical modelling, fieldwork, camera trapping data, multispecies occupancy models and activity pattern analysis methods. Finally, the thesis mainly focused on Southern African species and ecosystems but some hypotheses, findings, and methods may be applicable to other ecosystems.
Previous projects
European translocation database : TransLoc
2017
The TransLoc database aims at gathering information on plant and animal European Translocations. During my time with the project, I mainly focused on mammal translocation programs.
Indicators of common bird populations functioning
2017
This project aimed at informing French common birds population temporal variation through a set of indicators (abundance, productivity, body condition and local survival). My mission focused on building a tool that automatically produced these indicators from ringing data.