CNRS Researcher
Station d’Ecologie Théorique et Expérimentale
My interests lie in experimentally understanding the traits linked to organisms' success in a warming climate at various levels of biological organization, and with different biological models. Using semi-natural mesocosm experiments, I have studied the impacts of climate change on common lizards from the individual level – which phenotypic traits are linked to individual success – to the population and community level. I now use the same experimental set up to study climate change consequences on predator-prey interactions using terrestrial arthropods as a model. Finally, I have also worked on aquatic ecosystems, through lab- and mesocosms-based experiments, specifically investigating the traits linked to competition between species in different climatic conditions in phytoplankton communities, and to how climate and habitat fragmentation shape phytoplankton and zooplankton communities.
NEWS
New articles:
Richard, M., Garreau, A., Bestion, E., Cucherousset, J., Montoya, J.M., and Blanchet, S. 2025. The Aquatic Metatron: A large-scale experimental facility to study the combined effects of habitat fragmentation and climate change on aquatic meta-ecosystems. Methods in Ecology and Evolution. 16:57-65. doi:10.1111/2041-210X.14431.
Bestion E, Legrand D, Baines CB, Bonte D, Coulon A, Dahirel M, Delgado M, Deshpande JN, Duncan AB, Fronhofer EA, Gounand I, Jacob S, Kaltz O, Massol F, Mathyssen E, Parmentier T, Saade C, Schtickzelle N, Zilio G, Cote J. 2024. Species interactions affect dispersal: a meta-analysis. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 379: 20230127. doi:10.1098/rstb.2023.0127
Thierry M, Cote J, Bestion E, Legrand D, Clobert J, Jacob S. 2024. The interplay between abiotic and biotic factors in dispersal decisions in metacommunities. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 379: 20230137. doi:10.1098/rstb.2023.0137
Fronhofer EA, Bonte D, Bestion E, Cote J, Deshpande JN, Duncan AB, Hovestadt T, Kaltz O, Keith SA, Kokko H, Legrand D, Malusare SP, Parmentier T, Saade C, Schtickzelle N, Zilio G, Massol F. 2024. Evolutionary ecology of dispersal in biodiverse spatially structured systems: what is old and what is new? Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 379: 20230142. doi:10.1098/rstb.2023.0142
Fromm E, Zinger L, Pellerin F, Di Gesu L, Jacob S, Winandy L, Aguilée R, Parthuisot N, Iribar A, White J, Bestion E, Cote J. 2024. Warming effects on lizard gut microbiome depend on habitat connectivity. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 291: 20240220. doi:10.1098/rspb.2024.0220
Richard, M., Garreau, A., Bestion, E., Cucherousset, J., Montoya, J.M., and Blanchet, S. 2025. The Aquatic Metatron: A large-scale experimental facility to study the combined effects of habitat fragmentation and climate change on aquatic meta-ecosystems. Methods in Ecology and Evolution. 16:57-65. doi:10.1111/2041-210X.14431.
Bestion E, Legrand D, Baines CB, Bonte D, Coulon A, Dahirel M, Delgado M, Deshpande JN, Duncan AB, Fronhofer EA, Gounand I, Jacob S, Kaltz O, Massol F, Mathyssen E, Parmentier T, Saade C, Schtickzelle N, Zilio G, Cote J. 2024. Species interactions affect dispersal: a meta-analysis. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 379: 20230127. doi:10.1098/rstb.2023.0127
Thierry M, Cote J, Bestion E, Legrand D, Clobert J, Jacob S. 2024. The interplay between abiotic and biotic factors in dispersal decisions in metacommunities. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 379: 20230137. doi:10.1098/rstb.2023.0137
Fronhofer EA, Bonte D, Bestion E, Cote J, Deshpande JN, Duncan AB, Hovestadt T, Kaltz O, Keith SA, Kokko H, Legrand D, Malusare SP, Parmentier T, Saade C, Schtickzelle N, Zilio G, Massol F. 2024. Evolutionary ecology of dispersal in biodiverse spatially structured systems: what is old and what is new? Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 379: 20230142. doi:10.1098/rstb.2023.0142
Fromm E, Zinger L, Pellerin F, Di Gesu L, Jacob S, Winandy L, Aguilée R, Parthuisot N, Iribar A, White J, Bestion E, Cote J. 2024. Warming effects on lizard gut microbiome depend on habitat connectivity. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 291: 20240220. doi:10.1098/rspb.2024.0220
