Jean-Luc Boevé

Jean-Luc Boevé is a senior researcher devoting his scientific career to the study of the chemical ecology of insects, mainly the hymenopteran subgroup of sawflies, which have larvae that resemble caterpillars in morphology and ecology. Jean-Luc’s main research topics are various chemical defences in these insect larvae and by which these insects are defended against attacking predators. The chemicals can however affect non-predators, such as toxic peptides discovered in two sawfly families and that killed hundreds of cattle, sheep, goats, and pigs in Eastern Australia, Denmark, and South America. By studying insects under the light of chemical ecology, it becomes obvious that biodiversity includes the diversity of chemical compounds.

Researchgate

Function

Research team: Entomology
Research theme:  Evolution and the Web of Life
                                       Biodiversity in a changing world

Area of Expertise

Jean-Luc has an expertise as biologist and entomologist. Since his research is focusing on insect chemical ecology, he studies predator-prey & plant-insect relationships, as well as the behavior, physiology, chemistry, and evolution especially of sawflies. In the area of applied entomology, he also performed, for instance, lab and field experiments to search for a skin lotion that would repel wasps. In short, his skills are: field collection of insects, dissections, preparation of extracts, field and lab bioassays, analytical chemistry, data banking, etc.

Professional Experience

After completing his PhD at the ULB, Jean-Luc pursued his research in Germany (Bayreuth and Berlin) and Switzerland (Bern and Zürich), then again in Brussels, at the Institute of Natural Sciences. He was the coordinator, 2000–2004, of the Research Training Network project INCHECO “Insect Chemical Ecology: Integrated approach to defence strategies in herbivorous Hymenoptera“ funded by the European Commission. He was a partner, 2014–2017, of the belspo BRAIN-be project BELBEES “Multidisciplinary assessment of BELgian wild BEE decline to adapt mitigation management policy“, and he is also presently a partner, 2020–2025, of the BRAIN-be 2.0 project ISeBAF “Insect Service and Biodiversity in Agroecological Farming“.

Dissemination activities

In the frame of the Global Taxonomy Initiative that promotes capacity building abroad, Jean-Luc got several projects in collaboration with institutions successively from Benin, Ethiopia, Ecuador, and Tanzania.

Publication highlights

Boevé J-L, Giot R (2021) Chemical composition: Hearing insect defensive volatiles. Patterns, 2:100352. https://doi.org/10.1016/ j.patter.2021.100352
Boevé J-L, Nyman T, Shinohara A, Schmidt S (2018) Endogenous toxins and the coupling of gregariousness to conspicuousness in Argidae and Pergidae sawflies. Scientific Reports 8: e17363. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-35925-z
Boevé J-L, Eertmans F, Adriaens E, Rossel B (2016) Field method for testing repellency of an icaridin-containing skin lotion against vespid wasps. Insects 7: 22. (6 pp.) doi:10.3390/insects7020022
Boevé J-L, Rozenberg R, Shinohara A, Schmidt S (2014) Toxic peptides occur frequently in pergid and argid sawfly larvae. PLoS ONE 9(8): e105301.
Boevé J-L, Blank SM, Meijer G, Nyman T (2013) Invertebrate and avian predators as drivers of chemical defensive strategies in tenthredinid sawflies. BMC Evol. Biol. 13: e198.