Killam Seminar Series: Ecology and evolution of sleep

Abstract: Sleep is a universal and vital behavior. However, research has largely focused on its mechanisms in a few model organisms and in humans, limiting our understanding of how sleep varies across ecological contexts, populations, and species. This talk will examine current knowledge on the ecology and evolution of sleep and identify the critical gaps that must be addressed to explain its ultimate evolutionary function.

Bio: Paul-Antoine Libourel is a CNRS researcher whose work lies at the intersection of neuroscience, ecology, and engineering. Trained in biomedical engineering and electronic imaging, he began his career as an instrumentation engineer at the National Museum of Natural History in Paris, where he contributed to research on locomotion and biomechanics. In 2009, he joined the SLEEP team at the Neuroscience Research Center of Lyon (CRNL) and later earned his PhD, focusing on the evolutionary origins of sleep states in reptiles.

Over the past 15 years, Paul-Antoine has developed an eco-physiological approach to studying sleep in natural environments, moving beyond traditional laboratory models. He recently joined the Centre for Functional and Evolutionary Ecology (CEFE) in Montpellier, where he investigates sleep from an ecological and evolutionary perspective. His research integrates neurophysiology, biologging technologies, and behavioral analysis to explore the diversity, evolution, and adaptive functions of sleep across species.He has led and contributed to numerous international research projects on sleep in a wide range of animals, including reptiles, penguins, sharks, and elephant seals.Paul-Antoine Libourel is also the inventor of innovative tools for studying sleep both in natural environments and in the laboratory.His current work aims to understand how ecological pressures, such as predation risk and climate change, shape sleep strategies in wild animals.

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