ECR Spotlight is a series of interviews with early-career authors from a selection of papers published in Journal of Experimental Biology and aims to promote not only the diversity of early-career researchers (ECRs) working in experimental biology but also the huge variety of animals and physiological systems that are essential for the ‘comparative’ approach. Jean-Noël Houchat is an author on ‘ Barometric pressure decrease induces density dependent changes in foraging behaviour in a parasitoid fly’, published in JEB. Jean-Noël conducted the research described in this article while a postdoc in the Laboratorio de Entomología Experimental - Grupo de Investigación en Ecofisiología de Parasitoides y Otros Insectos (LEE-GIEP), Universidad de Buenos Aires. He is now a postdoc in the Laboratorio de Neurofisiología y Ritmos Biológicos, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, investigating insect neurobiology and behavior, toxicology, and control of pest insects.
Jean-Noël Houchat
How did you become interested in biology?
As is the case of many children, I wanted to be a vet. Then, my whole knowledge of the term ‘biology’ itself turned around it: no plants, no microorganisms, only pets. Moreover, everything dealing with humans was, for me, medicine. This was until I was 12, when I went to middle school and saw that biology was such a wide world. At the same time, the middle school had a relevant role providing me with information on the existing diversity of jobs related to biology. From that moment, I went far from my idea of becoming a vet, but my curiosity and interest for living beings in general were growing. I finally decided to study biology at the university.
Describe your scientific journey and your current research focus
My adventure as a researcher began in 2017, when I was selected for a PhD in insect neurobiology at the University of Orléans, France. I studied the role of several intracellular calcium-dependent regulation pathways in the modulation of insect nicotinic receptors. The latter are the main target of neonicotinoid insecticides, which are at the centre of a controversy because of the repercussions of their intensive use on the environment, and notably on bee populations. After my PhD, I wanted to complete my neurobiology skills working on insect behaviour. I got a two-year postdoc at the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina. There, I studied how atmospheric pressure modulates the foraging for hosts in the larva of a parasitoid fly that is a threat to apiculture, as the adult is a predator of bees and other insects. The present article reports these investigations. Recently, I moved to the National Autonomous University of Mexico for a second postdoc and am investigating the potential use of a native plant extract as a bioinsecticide against the fall armyworm Spodoptera frugiperda, an important corn pest.
How would you explain the main findings of your paper to a member of the public?
The main finding of the present article is that some insects anticipate unfavourable conditions of the environment and modify their behaviour while accomplishing some crucial tasks to deal with their needs. Here, a fly larva needs to find a beetle larva and parasitize it, otherwise it does not reach the adult stage and dies. We observed that this larva anticipates decreases in atmospheric pressure, which are events occurring prior to adverse conditions such as a storm. Indeed, the larva stops searching for beetle larvae when atmospheric pressure decreases, although it is still able to find them. We interpret these observations as a probable trade-off between the reduction of its life expectancy upon adverse conditions and its chances to find and parasitize a suitable beetle larva.
Collecting insects in the field for experiments, with José E. Crespo and Marcela K. Castelo (Pampas region, Argentina, December 2023).
Collecting insects in the field for experiments, with José E. Crespo and Marcela K. Castelo (Pampas region, Argentina, December 2023).
What do you enjoy most about research, and why?
For me, research is a kind of perpetual mystery: you never know what will happen, even if you expect something in particular. It is like making gambles and it appears to me very funny. I do not feel any frustration if I obtain results that are different from those I was expecting. On the contrary, I am convinced that unexpected results are interesting as they lead to new questions you did not think of. I feel that the only issue with these new questions is to find time to set up experiments and try to answer them in an already very busy research world. But if so, you keep making gambles on what you think will happen.
What is your favourite animal, and why?
Maybe people thought I was going to name some insect species, but I won't. I actually love ducks. I had one as a pet when I was a child. He followed me everywhere I went and was very kind. I just melt every time I see ducks walk, with their somewhat clumsy appearance. My friends, as well as my family, know about this ‘fanaticism’ and have been making me a lot of gifts representing ducks for years. Now I have a moving box full of mugs, cuddly toys, figurines, etc.…
What do you like to do in your free time?
I like a lot of things: drawing, painting, cooking, jogging, fitness.... However, what I prefer above all in my free time is travelling. I am fond of trips, explorations, discoveries and new experiences. My postdoc in Argentina has been a perfect opportunity to concretize a dream I had since I was a teenager, which consisted of knowing South America. I have been to a lot of places, every time amazed by the natural landscapes, ruins, gastronomies and, of course, people.
Jean-Noël Houchat's contact details: Laboratorio de Neurofisiología y Ritmos Biológicos (Laboratory of Neurophysiology and Biological Rhythms), Departamento de Ecología y Recursos Naturales, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico.
E-mail: [email protected]
