Frédéric LEGENDRE
Maître de Conférences
Chargé(e) de collection
Chargé(e) d'enseignement
Entité de rattachement
Evolution fonctionnelle et Taxonomie (EvoFoncT)
Recherches
Habilité(e) à diriger des recherches
Spécialité
Phylogénie, Evolution, Diversification, Socialité, Entomologie
Contact
Réseaux sociaux
Site(s) web
Courriel
frederic.legendre [at] mnhn.fr
legendre [at] mnhn.fr
Téléphone
01 40 79 81 26
Adresse(s)
45 rue Buffon
CP50
75005 Paris
Responsabilités dans l'unité
Responsabilités actuelles :
- Responsable de l’équipe Evolution Fonctionnelle et Taxonomie (2014-)
- Représentant de l’ED 227 pour l’ISYEB (2024-)
Responsabilités passées :
- Membre élu puis nommé du conseil d’unité (2005-2007; 2013-2018)
Responsabilités hors unité
Responsabilités actuelles :
- Co-responsable du parcours Systématique, Evolution, Paléontologie (SEP) co-habilité MNHN-SU
- Section Editor de European Journal of Taxonomy
- Subject Editor de Zookeys
Responsabilités passeés :
- Membre de deux comités ATM au MNHN (2013-2020)
- Membre du conseil de la Société Française de Systématique (2012-2015)
Collections
Chargé de conservation des collections de Dictyoptera, Plecoptera, Trichoptera, Mecoptera et Psocodea (2008-)
Drawer demonstrating the morphological diversity of cockroaches flanked by collection drawers of Mantodea and Mecoptera
Enseignements
Responsabilité
- Co-responsable avec R. Allain du parcours Systématique, Evolution, Paléontologie (Master BEE / SEP) (2015-)
- Co-responsable avec R. Nattier de l’UE Taxonomie et Phylogénie (SEP - 9 ECTS) (2024-)
Enseignements
- Master Biodiversité Ecologie Evolution / SEP : Phylogénie probabiliste (M1 et M2 ; 2008-)
- Master Ethologie / Comportement Animal et Humain (CAH) : Comportement et Phylogénie (M2 ; 2018-)
Graduate students
- Barbara Bignon (PhD fellow, 2024 - ) : Mutual insights from ethology and physics on the burial of insects in a granular medium - co-direction avec Baptiste Darbois-Texier.
- Ancheng Peng (PhD fellow, 2023 - ) : Phylogenetics and evolution of Dermaptera and Grylloblattodea
- Manuel Brazidec (PhD fellow, 2021 - ) : Impact des optimums climatiques sur l’évolution des entomofaunes: le cas des guêpes chrysidoïdes - co-direction avec Vincent Perrichot.
- Corentin Jouault (PhD fellow, 2021 - 2024) : Impact des interactions biotiques et des changements paléo-environnementaux sur la diversification des Neuropterida - co-direction avec Vincent Perrichot et Fabien Condamine.
- Juliette Berger (PhD fellow, 2020 - 2024) : Socialité et convergences évolutives: apport des données écomorphologiques et transcriptomiques - co-direction avec Philippe Grandcolas.
- Julien Malem (PhD fellow, 2019 - 2023) : Apports de la géologie dans l’analyse biogéographique de la Nouvelle-Calédonie - co-direction avec Tony Robillard et Dominique Cluzel.
- Thomas Schubnel (PhD fellow, 2018 - 2021) : Evolution et homologie des ailes chez les insectes - co-direction avec André Nel et Laure Desutter.
- Dominic Evangelista (NSF post-doctoral fellow, 2016-2018) : Phylogenomics and diversification in Blaberoidea. Co-advisor with Akito Kawahara.
- Julien Troudet (PhD fellow, 2014 - 2017) : Latitudinal Diveristy Gradient : the message of systematics through the biodiveristy databases - co-direction with Régine Vignes-Lebbe.
- Sandra Goutte (PhD fellow, 2010 - 2014) : Adaptations to noisy torrent environments in frogs : combining morphological, eco-ethological and phylogenetic approaches - co-direction with Alain Dubois.
Undergraduate students (M2)
- Barbara Bignon (2023 - Master 2 - co-direction with Raphaël Cornette and Arnaud Delapré)
- Thibaud Glinez (2022 - Master 2 - co-direction with Rosa Fernandez)
- Hadrien Jouanne (2019 - Master 2 - co-direction with Rodolphe Rougerie)
- Thomas Schubnel (2018 - Master 2 - co-direction with André Nel)
- Julien Malem (2018 - Master 2 - co-direction with Tony Robillard)
- France Thouzé (2016 - Master 2 Labex BCDiv- co-direction with Philippe Lopez)
- Augustin Lafond (2014 - Master 2 - co-direction with Tony Robillard)
Présentation
Presentation
My research deals with the evolution of insects. I reconstruct phylogenies before using them as a historical reference to test evolutionary hypotheses. Following this phylogenetic approach, I investigate the evolution of social behavior in termites and cockroaches (Insecta : Dictyoptera), test biogeographic and diversification hypotheses, and study the ecomorphology of cockroaches.
Research interests
Nasutitermitinae, Soldiers and workers in Singapore
Crédits
© MNHN
1. Social evolution in cockroaches and termites
In collaboration with E. Bornberg-Bauer (University of Münster, Germany), this project is supported by ANR and DFG. The PhD project of Juliette Berger is instrumental for this project.
Crédits
Frédéric Legendre
2. Ecomorphology and burrowing in granular substrate
The aim of Barbara Bignon’s PhD project is to establish a new dialogue between the physics of granular media (soil, sand, etc.) and behavioral observations of burrowing cockroaches, in order to address fundamental questions about the biology and physics of movement in granular environments for these insects.
Image
3. Factors of diversification in Insects
Combining tip-dating and diversification analyses, Corentin Jouault and Manuel Brazidec (Phd students) want to decipher the factors that have driven the diversification of insects.
4. Systematics of Blattodea
A. Phenacisma peltata Karsch, 1896 B. Perisphaerus flexicollis (Walker, 1868) C. Rhabdoblatta pluriramosa (Karny, 1915)
Grants
- ANR-DFG PRCI SocioGenomics (226,700 € ANR + 196,200 € DFG) - 2020-2024.
- Action Transversale du MNHN (25,000 €) - 2011-2018.
- Lavoisier Grant (18,000 €), Ministère des Affaires Etrangères, December 2007 - December 2008.
- Rosen Price (500 $), 3rd best student oral presentation, Hennig XXV, Oaxaca (Mexico), 2006.
- Marie Stopes Student Travel Award (500 $) in 2005, 2006 and 2007.
- Travel Grant from Paris Doctoral School ED 392 (1,000 €) in 2006 and 2007
- PhD Grant, Ministère de l’Education nationale, de la Recherche et des Technologies, October 2004 - September 2007.
- Master 2 Grant, Ministère de l’Education nationale, de la Recherche et des Technologies, October 2003 - June 2004.
Dans les media
Brut (2024) : Le fascinant cannibalisme sexuel des mantes
France Culture (2020) : Des insectes et des hommes : s’organiser et cohabiter
Zeste de Sciences (2019) : Faut-il être mignon pour survivre ?
Arte Snapschat (2019) : Faut-il sauver les pandas ?
France Info (2019) : Pourquoi les animaux moches sont plus menacés que les autres ?
The Conversation (2018) : Quand l’oiseau fait de l’ombre à l’insecte
RFI (2017) : Nouvelle-Calédonie : des scientifiques pour la protection de la biodiversité
Sciences & Vie (2016) : Comment les cafards peuvent-ils résister aux radiations des essais nucléaires ?
ARTE (2013) : L’odyssée papoue
Wapiti (2011) : La reproduction chez les insectes
CV
legendre_cv_2021.pdf
Format (Pdf) - 1.13 Mo
Terrains de recherche
- Australia 2019. Collecting Blattidae in Queensland.
- New Caledonia 2016-2017. Our Planet Reviewed. Study of cockroach communitues and micro-endemism.
- French Guiana 2015. Our Planet Reviewed. Collecting Orthopteroid Insects in Mitaraka.
- Philippines 2014. Collecting Blaberidae and Blattidae cockroaches.
- United States 2013. Collecting in Virginia (Jefferson National Forest).
- Papua New Guinea 2012. Our Planet Reviewed, IBISCA Niugini. Collecting Orthopteroid Insects along an altitudinal transect on Mount Wilhelm.
- New-Caledonia 2010. Rapid Assessment Program (Conservation International) on Mount Panié. In charge of Orthopteroïd Insects.
- Indonesia 2010. Study of cockroach communities with emphasis on Perisphaerus sp. (Blaberidae : Perisphaeriinae).
- Singapore 2009. Collecting cockroaches with a special emphasis on the subsocial species Perisphaerus flexicollis (Blaberidae : Perisphaeriinae).
- United States 2008. Field observations and collecting of Tylopelta gibbera (Hemiptera : Membracidae) in Missouri.
- French Guyana 2006. Study of cockroach communities on Kaw Mountain.
Publications
2025
- , janvier 2025 — Rapid, without focus stacking, 3D photogrammetric digitization of cockroaches. Natural history collections are seen as treasure troves we need to both preserve and study. Campaigns of 2D and 3D digitization… , , tex.hal_id: mnhn-04893713 tex.hal_version: v1
- , janvier 2025 — In good form: morphological adaptations to burrowing lifestyles in cockroaches (Dictyoptera: Blattodea). 1. Investigating forms specialized for their ecology (i.e. ecomorphs) is a major theme in ecology and evolution. Among… , , tex.hal_id: mnhn-04893911 tex.hal_version: v1
- , 2025 — An annotated list of the Blattodea (Insecta) described by Henri de Saussure. Part 4: the Blaberidae subfamilies Blaberinae, Geoscapheinae and Panesthiinae. Revue suisse de zoologie vol. 132, , p. 65-77
- , janvier 2025 — Reduced regulatory complexity associated with the evolutionary transition to sociality from cockroaches to termites despite evolutionary parallels with Hymenoptera. Abstract In social species, the phenotypic diversity within a single species has often been associated with more complex… , , Type: 10.1101/2024.11.25.625201
- , 2025 — Reduced regulatory complexity associated with the evolutionary transition to sociality from cockroaches to termites despite evolutionary parallels with Hymenoptera. , , tex.hal_id: mnhn-04893963 tex.hal_version: v1
- , 2025 — The radiation of Hymenoptera illuminated by Bayesian inferences from the fossil record. Current Biology vol. 35, n° 9, 2164–2174.e4 Publisher: Elsevier tex.hal_id: insu-05016576 tex.hal_version: v1ISSN0960-9822
- , 2025 — Descending from trees: a Cretaceous winged ice-crawler illuminates the ecological shift and origin of Grylloblattidae. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences vol. 292, n° 2049, p. 20250557ISSN1471-2954
2024
- , novembre 2024 — Phylogenomic analyses of Blattodea combining traditional methods, incremental tree-building, and quality-aware support.
Despite the many advances of the genomic era, there is a persistent problem in assessing the uncertainty of… Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution vol. 200, , p. 108177 ISBN: 1055-7903 Publisher: Elsevier Type: 10.1016/j.ympev.2024.108177
, avril 2024 — « Bayesian modelling approaches clarify the evolutionary timing and diversification patterns of Hymenoptera » in Article de colloque - 9th International Conference on Fossil Insects, Arthropods and Amber.. Understanding the origins and macroevolutionary trajectories of lineages is central in evolutionary biology. The insect order… , ,, mars 2024 — The Angiosperm Terrestrial Revolution buffered ants against extinction. With ~14,000 extant species, ants are ubiquitous and of tremendous ecological importance. They have undergone remarkable… Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America vol. 121, n° 13, e2317795121 Publisher: National Academy of Sciences tex.hal_id: insu-04501144 tex.hal_version: v1ISSN0027-8424, 1091-6490