Thierry Lodé

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Born in 1956, Thierry Lodé is a French biologist, professor, teaching evolutionary ecology in the CNRS Units ETHOS (Ethology, Evolution, Ecology, [University of Rennes1] [1], France). As VicePresident of council for natural and biodiversity preservation, Thierry Lodé widely contributes in conservation biology, chiefly carnivores (otters, polecat, mink etc…) and aquatic fauna (beaver, amphibians). His work deals mainly with sexual conflict[1], stressing that sexuality appears as a confrontation between males and females. "No norms, he said, no exclusive behaviors exist in natural sexuality but variations of sexual behaviors, from homosexuality to polygyny". Resulting in an antagonistic co-evolution, the sexual conflict leads to speciation i.e. the development of new species. Thierry Lodé wrote more than 80 international scientific papers (in english) and 3 books.

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[edit] Scientific conceptions

Developing an original point of view, (biodiversity in love), Thierry Lodé analyses the beauty as a result of the supra-normal stimulus in evolution and builts a theory including bilateral symmetry and supra-normal stimulus from the concept developed by Lorenz. Thierry Lodé said that bilateral symmetry is an essential characters in life. Most animals prefer to mate with sexual partners exhibiting symmetric pattern. Actually, symmetric traits are largely altered by growth and health, and asymmetry often reveals genetic problem or immune system (MHC) deficiencies.

Besides, the French kiss consists in a saliva exchange resulting from the exploration of the sexual partner’s immune responses (MHC). He stresses that the divergences which occur resulting from the conflict could lead to sympatric speciation. Arguing that evolution is a historic process for adaptation, he is one of the opponents to creationism and the new intelligent design theory. Finally, analyzing numerous animal strategies, Thierry Lodé denies some major genetic explications in sociobiology and behavioral ecology, especially regarding kin selection, homosexuality and sympatric speciation.

Thierry Lodé proposed that the sexual conflict, as a new paradigm in evolutionary biology, provides valuable information that refutes most of common places arguments for theories of preference in sexual selection.

[edit] Social engagement

Thierry Lodé is a nonconformist biologist, engaged in social struggles and extolling a libertarian biology. Thierry Lodé championed also several human rights causes, especially as an anarchist, prison abolition. He developed activities for the liberty of the contraception, asserting that he is against the institution of the marriage, for the equality between sexes and for a sexuality stamping contemporary taboos. He supported José Bové to the last French presidential elections and collaborates to the monthly Monde Libertaire and to the anarchist newspaper l’Endehors.

[edit] Books

  • Thierry Lodé "La guerre des sexes chez les animaux, une histoire naturelle de la sexualité" 2006 Eds Odile Jacob ISBN 2-7381-1901-8[2] (Preface by Patricia Adair Gowaty. Distinguished Research Professor Odum School of Ecology University of Georgia.
  • Thierry Lodé "Les stratégies de reproduction des animaux" 2001 Éditions Dunod Masson Sciences[3]
  • Thierry Lodé "Génétique des populations" 1998 Editions Ellipses

[edit] References

  1. ^ Göran Arsqvist and Locke Rowe "Sexual conflict" Eds Princeton Univ Press, 2005
  2. ^ Thierry Lodé "La guerre des sexes chez les animaux, une histoire naturelle de la sexualité" 2006
  3. ^ Thierry Lodé "Les stratégies de reproduction des animaux" 2001 Éditions Dunod Masson Sciences
  • Göran Arnqvist and Locke Rowe "Sexual conflict" Eds Princeton Univ Press, 2005
  • Thierry Lodé et al. 2004 Sex-biased predation by polecats influences the mating system of frogs. Proc Roy Soc 271 (S6):S399-S401
  • Bifolchi A & Lodé Thierry 2005 Efficiency of conservation shortcuts: a long term investigation with otters as umbrella species. Biological Conservation 126: 523-527
  • Thierry Lodé 2001. Genetic divergence without spatial isolation in polecat Mustela putorius populations. Journal of Evolutionary Biology.14 : 228-236

[edit] External links

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