
Magalie CASTELIN

Bref CV
Associate Professor MNHN – ISYEB, Curator of Cnidaria
Qualification : Ph.D., MNHN or Paris (2010) - Relationship between endemism and larval development in seamount gastropods from New Caledonia EEZ
Postdoc French Southern and Antarctic Lands (TAAF) – MNHN, Paris
(01-09/2016) Diversity, endemism, and connectivity of the deep-sea ecosystems surrounding Mayotte and Eparses Islands.
I graduated from the University Pierre & Marie Curie with a Master degree in Oceanography and did my PhD thesis at the French National Museum of Natural History (MNHN) in Paris on evolutionary systematics and molecular ecology of gastropods living on seamounts. The aim of my thesis was to understand how habitat fragmentation and mode of larval development affect : (1) the genetic connectivity within species ; and (2) the divergence processes among closely related species. This work included integrative approaches to taxonomy, population genetics and phylogenetic analyses. By conducting this research, I also became at ease with Barcoding framework, an approach that requires management of collections including a large amount of voucher specimens and related data.
For the last past four years, I worked as a postdoctoral fellow at the Pacific Biological Station of Nanaimo in Canada BC. This research, centred on littoral gastropods and crabs, was a straight continuation of my previous work with genetic structure and diversity assessments, but this time with a whole community aspect, and a more applied approach regarding the detection and monitoring of invasive species via DNA barcodes. This new dimension forced me to find fast and accurate phylogenetic methods enabling recognition of species limits in taxonomically broad genetic datasets. Later, my work showed that the application of community assembly approaches to a broad-scale taxonomical framework constitutes a tremendous advancement for exploring ecological processes in marine systems.
Since 2017, I am working at the MNNH-ISYEB as an Assistant Professor in charge of the Cnidaria Collection. My research focus on the documentation and understanding of the eco-evolutionary dynamics acting on the distribution, connectivity, and functioning of tropical benthic communities. In term of expertise, my work is to provide conclusions to political decision-makers on the heritage value of natural habitats. Dissemination wise, my mission is to involve schoolchildren in the building of oceanic knowledge.