Morgane Monteil

Interested in functional marine ecology, I started a PhD on October 2024 in which I am studying long-term effects of climate change on marine biodiversity, especially sponges.

My research focuses on 4 sponge’ species (Spongia officinalis, Oscarella tuberculata, Aplysina cavernicola and Paraleucilla magna) in NW Mediterranean sea and involves embryology, histology and cytology approaches.

My thesis is splitted into three axes:

1. Long-term changes of marine warming on phenology and reproduction of sponges: by describing and comparing over 20 years the sexual reproductive cycles and the reproductive effort
2. Evolutive trend of sponge’s population in the face of thermal stress: by studying reproductive success of these sponges and the invasive feature of Paraleucilla magna
3. Consequences of an extreme event on sponge populations: by studying population monitoring of Spongia officinalis and its resiliency capability after several marine heat waves, as the one in summer 2022.