Negroni, Matteo

Curriculum Vitae

Training course

2014/2015	University Pierre et Marie Curie (Paris VI) Master mention SDUEE (Sciences de l’Univers, Environnement, Ecologie) speciality Biodiversity, Ecology, Evolution. Course Ecologie Evolution. (obtained with mention)
2009/2013	University Pierre et Marie Curie (Paris VI) Licence of Biology and Sciences of Life (obtained with mention)

Previous work experiences

2015	Internship (5 months) at the Departement of Ecology and Evolution, UNIL Supervisor: Nathalie Stroeymeyt, DR Post-Doc Object: Reproductive conflicts in a polydomous ant
2014	Internship (2 months) at Station of Experimentale Ecology CNRS of Moulis, USR 2936 - supervisor: Virginie Stevens, CR CNRS Object: Genetic struture of population of Myrmica
2013	Internship (6 weeks) at the UPMC, UMR7625 ecologie evolution Team: Evolution of sociality in animals Supervisor: Christan Peeters, DR CNRS Object: functional morphology in the ant Carebara FAS10
2011	Internship (1 month) at the Institut de Biologie du Développement M. L. Supervisor: Nicolas Gompel / Benjamin Prud’homme, CR CNRS Object: evolution & developpement of morphology and behavior
2005	Internship at the Museum d’Histoire Naturelle de Paris, en Entomologie, (5 days) departement « Systématic & Evolution », supervised by Louis Justin-Joseph.

Skills

• Behavioural observations (ant) / ant dissection (brain ovaries and fat body) / Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) photography (ant) / Morpho-metric measurement (ant)
• DNA / RNA extraction / PCR / Electrophoresis
• Genetic structure of population analysis
• Plant and ant identification

Research Interests

Aim of my research

My studies focus on the evolution of longevity and fecundity in social insects, using as study model a species with alternative reproductive strategies: the ant Temnothorax rugatulus. Through experimental manipulations, observations, and genetic analysis I seek to precisely elucidate the relationship between longevity and fecundity, and also to characterize the effect of phenotype and social structure on the regulation of these two traits.

PhD project

In nature organisms face a trade off in resources allocation between longevity and fecundity. In social insects this trade off is apparently reversed where by the most fertile individual (the queen) is also the longest lived while non reproductive individuals (workers) are significantly shorter lived. Furthermore, associated to division of labour and differences in extrinsic mortality, this divergence in life history between the two castes can arise from the same genome. Ant queens are under strong longevity and fecundity selection in species where colony is headed by a single queen, whereas selection is relaxed in polygynous species. I aim to investigate the association between fecundity and longevity and its genetic basis in the ant Temnothorax rugatulus. In that species there are two queen morphs, the large macrogyne living alone in the colony and the smaller microgyne cohexisting in the same nest. I firstly try to understand how social structure, queen phenotype and food availability affect longevity-fecundity in queen. Second, as in that species queen removal results in worker fertility, I aim experimentally to test how fertility affects worker longevity, gene expression and oxidative stress and to which extend these effects are reversible.

Publications

Negroni, MA, Foitzik S, Feldmeyer S. Long-lived Temnothorax ant queens switch from investment in immunity to antioxidant production with age. Scientific Reports, in press.

Kohlmeier P, Negroni M, Kever M, Emmling S, Stypa H, Feldmeyer B und Foitzik S. 2017. Intrinsic worker mortality depends on behavioural caste and the queens' presence in a social insect. The Science of Nature, 104: 34.

Negroni M, Jongepier E, Feldmeyer B, Kramer BH, Foitzik S. 2016. Life History Evolution in social insects: a female perspective. Current Opinion in Insect Science, 16: 51–57.