Patrick LhommeUniversité de Mons · Department of Biology
Patrick Lhomme
PhD
Co-founder and Head of R&D of Entomonutris
About
51
Publications
25,489
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1,118
Citations
Citations since 2017
Introduction
I am an ecologist / entomologist interested in the taxonomy, ecology and conservation of wild bees.
I'm also co-founder and Head of R&D of the biotech startup EntomoNutris specialized in breeding farming (black soldier flies) to produce proteins for animal feed, as well as biofertilizers.
Additional affiliations
January 2021 - present
Entomonutris
Position
- Head of Department
Description
- Entomonutris is a biotech company specialized in rearing insects to produce proteins and oils for animal feed, as well as biofertilizers.
September 2017 - December 2020
March 2016 - August 2017
Education
October 2012
Publications
Publications (51)
The presence of pollinating insects in crop fields is an essential factor for agricultural production and pollinator conservation. Agricultural intensification has been identified as a driver of pollinator decline over the last decades and challenges the efficiency of pollination. Several approaches are used to support pollinators and their ecosyst...
Several management practices have been suggested to mitigate the global pollinator decline in agro‐ecosystems, including wildflower strips and Farming with Alternative Pollinators (FAP). FAP proposes to dedicate 25% of the field area to seed Marketable Habitat Enhancement Plants (MHEP) around the main crop, occupying 75% of the field. However, wild...
Agroecosystems are often impoverished ecosystems, but they can host diverse communities of insects which provide ecosystem services. Specifically, crops may benefit from insect pollinators that increase their quantity and quality of yields. Basic knowledge is still needed regarding the identity, diversity, abundance, and ecology of insect pollinato...
Pollinators are threatened worldwide and strategies and measures to support their conservation are proliferating. Among them, the approach “Farming with Alternative Pollinators” (FAP) aims to support pollinators by seeding strips of pollinator-attracting cultivated plants surrounding the crops, and simultaneously providing income to the farmer. In...
Climate, landscape composition, management practice, and wild bee pollination are all variables thought to play significant roles in commercial apple production. However, how these variables affect production efficiency under field-realistic conditions has not been investigated at large geographical scales. We combined intensive standardized field...
Food production is highly dependent on pollination services provided by insects; 75% of the leading global food crops need animals for successful production. Pollinators, including managed and wild bees, are declining in many parts of the world. The loss of natural habitats providing nesting sites is considered as one of the main factors driving th...
Pollinators are facing declines at a global level. One of the main factors driving this decline is insufficient access to floral resources due to habitat loss and degradation that can affect both diet generalist species as well as those with more restricted floral preferences. Here we evaluated the effect of a novel mitigation strategy in agricultu...
The mealworm Tenebrio molitor (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) is the most consumed insect in the world. This study aims to optimize the space in the mass-rearing facilities of this insect, as well as to evaluate the effect of photoperiod on the reproduction and growth of the larvae. The two cross-over factors studied were photoperiods regimes (8L:16D a...
The yellow mealworm Tenebrio molitor (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) started recently to be used as a feed and food to replace traditional products. The optimization of mass rearing conditions and the choice of appropriate diets are the most important factors governing the production of these insects and secondary products. The aim of this study was to...
The bacterium Xylella fastidiosa represents a potential risk to the Moroccan flora. For this reason, several surveys were conducted in 2019 and 2020 to assess its occurrence and to establish an inventory of its potential insect vectors with emphasis on their characterization and importance from 85 sites in 25 provinces across the country. Using a s...
Many wild bee species are declining globally. To design efficient mitigation strategies to slow down or reverse these trends, we urgently need to better understand their basic ecological requirements. In this context, we studied two specialist species for which ecological data are scarce: Dasypoda visnaga and Dasypoda maura. We provide for the firs...
Recent bumble bee declines have made it increasingly important to resolve the status of contentious species
for conservation purposes. Some of the taxa found to be threatened are the often rare socially parasitic bumble
bees. Among these, the socially parasitic bumble bee, Bombus flavidus Eversmann, has uncertain species
status. Although multiple s...
Morocco is a well known hot-spot of biodiversity in the Mediterranean basin. While some taxa like vascular plants are
relatively well recorded, important groups of pollinators like bees are still understudied. This article presents an updated
checklist of the bee species of Morocco and includes a summary of global and regional distribution of each...
Morocco has a diverse bee fauna, but one that has also been relatively understudied in recent years. Here a revision of the species-rich genus Andrena is presented that reveals eleven new species for science and substantially improves our understanding of North African Andrena. From Morocco, Andrena (Aciandrena) semiadesus Wood, sp. nov., Andrena (...
Many species use early life sensory experiences to guide phenotypic plasticity and facilitate decision making during later adult settlement in new habitats or location of suitable resources. However, only some of the available sensory information in the environment is relevant for future decision making and, in addition, it may only be informative...
Environmental variation experienced by a single genotype can induce phenotypic plasticity in various traits, such as behavioural, physiological and developmental characteristics. It can occur within the lifetime of an individual through within-generation phenotypic plasticity (WGP) or vertically across generations through transgenerational phenotyp...
Natural phenotypic radiations, with their high diversity and convergence, are well-suited for informing how genomic changes translate to natural phenotypic variation. New genomic tools enable discovery in such traditionally nonmodel systems. Here, we characterize the genomic basis of color pattern variation in bumble bees (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Bomb...
Natural phenotypic radiations, with their high diversity and convergence, are well-suited for informing how genomic changes translate to natural phenotypic variation. New genomic tools enable discovery in such traditionally nonmodel systems. Here, we characterize the genomic basis of color pattern variation in bumble bees (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Bomb...
Rhodanthidium ordonezi (Dusmet, 1815) is recognized here as a valid species endemic to central and southern Morocco. It has previously been regarded as a subspecies of R. sticticum (Fabricius). The two taxa are in allopatry throughout most of their respective ranges, but probably cooccur in the Middle Atlas Mountains. They are clearly distinguished...
Most social insect lineages contain socially parasitic cheater species that, rather than produce their own workers , infiltrate the nests of closely related social species and force the hosts to rear their offspring. These parasites have often lost social traits, like the ability to rear and produce workers, while retaining abilities for reproducti...
In eusocial insects, the high cost of altruistic cooperation between colony members has favoured the evolution of cheaters that exploit social services of other species. In the most extreme forms of insect social parasitism, which has evolved multiple times across most social lineages, obligately parasitic species invade the nests of social species...
It is a brochure (file type does not exist in researchgate) for farmers on Farming with Alternative Pollinators (FAP) enhancing yields from faba bean
In many species, adults exploit sensory information experienced in their natal habitat when searching for resources. This behavioral plasticity may help animals to establish themselves in new habitats by quickly locating suitable resources and avoiding unsuitable resources in complex environments. However, the processes guiding positive or negative...
Socially parasitic Hymenoptera have evolved morphological, chemical, and behavioral adaptations to overcome the sophisticated recognition and defense systems of their social host to invade host nests and exploit their worker force. In bumblebees, social parasitism appeared in at least three subgenera independently: in the subgenus Psithyrus consist...
Ecological control has often focused on factors enhancing control of pests by their natural enemies, while factors reducing the colonization rate of crops by pests have been comparatively neglected. We present an approach to assess landscape influence on the intensity of wheat colonization by a major crop pest, the aphid Rhopalosiphum padi. We used...
In social insects, the high cost of parental investment has promoted the evolution of traits that reduce or avoid care for unrelated offspring. They have evolved a sophisticated recognition system which enables them to reject foreign individuals, and therefore prevent their nest's exploitation by parasites and predators. Nonetheless, many social pa...
Many species display local variations in pre-mating signals and in mating preferences. This may lead to discrimination against potential foreign mates that may ultimately lead to reproductive isolation. However, the extent to which population differentiation in mating cues affects the species recognition has received little empirical support. Here...
Many islands are biodiversity hotspots that host numerous endemic species. Unfortunately, insular faunas suffer from high rates of extinction and endangerment, and numerous conservation plans have been developed for their protection. These conservation plans are often assessed on the basis of occurrence and proportion of endemic taxa. However, deli...
Overall, 9.2% of bees are considered threatened in all of Europe, while at the EU 27 level, 9.1% are threatened with extinction. A further 5.2% and 5.4% of bees are considered Near Threatened in Europe and the EU 27, respectively (101 species at both levels). However, for 1,101 species (56.7%) in Europe and 1,048 species (55.6%) at the EU 27, there...
The Pleistocene climatic oscillations are considered as a major driving force of intraspecific divergence and speciation. During Ice Ages, populations isolated in allopatric glacial refugia can experience differentiation in reproductive traits through divergence in selection regimes. This phenomenon may lead to reproductive isolation and dramatical...
Populations on islands often exhibit lower levels of genetic variation and ecomorphological divergence compared to their mainland relatives. While phenotypic differentiation in characters, such as size or shape among insular organisms, has been well studied, insular differentiation in quantitative reproductive traits involved in chemical communicat...
MMS data matrix (relative amounts of each compound) of B. vestalis.
(XLS)
List of the identified compounds in Corsican, Sardinian and continental B. terrestris Molecular weight (MW (m/z)). Median (Med (%)). First and fourth quartiles (Q1 (%) and Q2 (%)). Minimum and maximum (Min (%) and Max (%)) of the 105 identified compounds. Unknown Terrestris x are undetermined compounds.
(XLS)
List of the identified compounds in Corsican and continental B. lucorum. Molecular weight (MW (m/z)), median (Med (%)), first and fourth quartiles (Q1 (%) and Q2 (%)), minimum and maximum (Min (%) and Max (%)) of the 55 identified compounds. Unknown Lucorum x are undetermined compounds.
(XLS)
MMS data matrix (relative amounts of each compound) of B. terrestris.
(XLS)
List of the identified compounds in B. perezi and B. vestalis. Molecular weight (MW (m/z)). Median (Med (%)). First and fourth quartiles (Q1 (%) and Q2 (%)). Minimum and maximum (Min (%) and Max (%)) of the 56 identified compounds. Unknown Vestalis x are undetermined compounds.
(XLS)
The study of the social interactions between host bumblebees and their inquiline species requires rearing them. Here we provide a simple method for rearing of cuckoo bumblebees (Bombus subgenus Psithyrus) in the laboratory. Two bumblebee cuckoo-host systems are used: Bombus (Psithyrus) vestalis hosted by B. (Bombus) terrestris and B. (Psithyrus) sy...
Social parasites exploit the colony resources of social insects. Some of them exploit the host colony as a food resource or as a shelter whereas other species also exploit the brood care behavior of their social host. Some of these species have even lost the worker caste and rely completely on the host's worker force to rear their offspring. To avo...
Table of sampling. Group = Group model species; Code = Sample labels used in figures; Population = names of populations used in SMP and genetic analyses; Land: BE = Belgium, CZ = Czech Republic, DE = Germany, DK = Denmark, FR = France, GR = Greece, HU = Hungary, IT = Italy, NL = Netherlands, PL = Poland, RO = Rumania, SE = Sweden, SK = Slovakia, SL...
MMS data matrix (relative amounts of each compound) of B. lucorum.
(XLS)
In social insects, the high energetic costs of brood care have promoted the evolution of social parasites that exploit worker force of conspecifics or heterospecifics. In bumblebees, all the species of the subgenus Psithyrus have lost their worker caste and are completely dependent on host workers to produce their offspring. One of the most strikin...
Many methods, based on morphological, molecular or chemical characters, have been used to address the question of species taxonomic status. Integrative taxonomy aims to define stronger supported taxonomic hypotheses by considering complementary datasets from different characters. By following an integrative approach, the present study includes mole...
In social insects, severe brood care costs have promoted the evolution of cheaters that exploit workers services of conspecifics or heterospecifics. In Bumblebees, a lot of species use hosts facultatively as an alternative to care for their own brood, while true cuckoo bumblebees (subgenus Psithyrus) have lost their worker caste and are completely...
In social insects, severe brood care costs have favoured the evolution of cheaters that exploit workers services of conspecifics or heterospecifics. In Bumblebees, a lot of species use hosts facultatively as an alternative to care for their own brood, while Psithyrus species have lost their worker caste and are completely dependant on hosts to prod...
Organisms often perceive risk to be attacked by natural enemies through cues that accompany or persist after attacks on conspecifics. Under the risk of attack, preys may prioritize anti-enemy behaviours, sacrificing their feeding activities. These enemy-induced changes can affect the prey population growth. The presence of killed congeners is a pas...
Projects
Projects (5)
This project aimes to improve crops yield.
The IKI/BMUB funded project (2017-2022) introduces Farming with Alternative Pollinators (FAP) in 7 countries, assesses the average income gain and the effect on pest control. It develops an inventory of crop pollinators from North Africa. In collaboration with the benchmark country Morocco it develops a cross-sector policy mix, which would allow also Low Income Countries to protect wild pollinators. Additionally the project shall develop an International Stewardship for pollinator protecting agriculture.