Thomas Desvignes

My research covers many aspects of fish biology that converge to the theme of life in extreme and changing environmental conditions. I mostly study Notothenioid fish in Antarctica and around Sub Antarctic Islands but I also have projects on eelpouts and snailfishes from Antarctica and fish from outside the Southern Ocean. I study the evolution and relatedness of species, their reproduction and embryonic development, their capacity to cope with environmental changes and the underlying genetic mechanisms with a special focus on the role of microRNAs in genetic noise buffering, adaptation and evolution. I also study the genetic and physiological adaptations in the evolutionary remarkable white-blooded icefishes leading to the broader study of the evolution of erythropoiesis in Antarctic notothenioid species. Finally, I study X-cell parasites in Antarctic fish.