Elodie Renvoisé

Ph.D., Post-doctoral Researcher

Elodie Renvoisé -at- helsinki.fi Publications

As a palaeontologist, I have been interested for a long time in the evolutionary mechanisms leading to the morphological diversity of past and present organisms. My objective is to link morphological evolution from the fossil record to the developmental mechanisms producing these forms.

I completed my PhD at the University of Burgundy (France) in 2009. My dissertation focused on the evolution of small mammals (voles, Arvicolinae, Rodentia) during the Quaternary climatic change using a multidisciplinary approach including morphometrics, molecular biology and evo-devo. Despite the recent evolutionary origins of voles (5–6 My), they show all the features of an explosive radiation resulting in the appearance of modern voles 2 My ago. We have demonstrated that vole tooth evolution was characterized by a sudden and stable elongation of the first lower molar (m1) during this radiation event. Moreover, this radiation event is contemporaneous with the onset of the Pliocene glacial/interglacial cycles.

I work as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Helsinki (Finland) since October 2009. My research project focuses on developmental mechanisms involved in vole tooth elongation. I link morphological innovation during a fast radiation to developmental mechanisms with the overarching goal of elucidating primary evolutionary mechanisms through tooth study.