Boris Leroy

Maitre de Conférences, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle

Lab. Biology of Aquatic Organisms and Ecosystems
Co-leader of group AQUATREND “Quantitative analysis of aquatic biodiversity trends in response to global changes”
43 rue Cuvier, CP 26
75005 Paris, France

borisleroy.com - lab page

GitHub: Farewe - ORCID: 0000-0002-7686-4302 - RG: Boris_Leroy - @BLeroyEcology

My current research focuses on global biogeographical patterns of aquatic biodiversity and their underlying direct and indirect drivers. I investigate with various macroecological and biogeographical methods how global changes alter the natural distribution of biodiversity. My main research topics are: biogeography, macroecology, invasion biology; with a special emphasis on the development of methods, such as species distribution modelling, and facilitating community access to these methods by publishing open-source software in R.

Education

2012 Ph.D., Life Sciences, Muséum national d’histoire naturelle/Université de Rennes 1, Rennes, France

2009 M.Sc., Biodiversity, Ecology, Evolution, University of Montpellier 2, Montpellier, France

2007 B.Sc., Biology of Organisms, University of Rennes 1, Rennes, France

2004 2-year degree (DEUG), Chemistry & Physics, University of “Littoral Côte d’Opale”, Calais, France

Experience

2014 to the end of times Maître de conférences (lecturer), Lab. Biology of Aquatic Organisms & Ecosystems, Muséum national d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France.

2014 Post-doctoral fellow, UMR 8079 Ecology Systematics & Evolution, University of Paris South XI, Orsay, France.

2013 Post-doctoral fellow, Lab. Biodiversity & Territory Management, University of Rennes 1, Rennes, France.

Publications

Full Publication list available here.

Main projects I currently participate in

Journal articles

74 published peer-reviewed articles. h-index: 41; i10-index: 64.

Number of papers as 1st author: 13, 2nd author: 16, last author: 13.

Selected publications:

Leroy B, Bellard C, Dias MS, Hugueny B, Jézéquel C, Leprieur F, Oberdorff T, Robuchon M, Tedesco PA. 2023. Major shifts in biogeographic regions of freshwater fishes as evidence of the Anthropocene epoch. Science Advances 10.1126/sciadv.adi5502 — HAL

Leroy B. 2023. Choosing presence-only species distribution models. Journal of Biogeography 50:247-250 10.1111/jbi.14505 — HAL

Leroy B, Kramer AV, Vaissière AC, Kourantidou M, Courchamp F, Diagne C. 2022. Analysing global economic costs of invasive alien species with the invacost R package. Methods in Ecology & Evolution 13:1930-1937 10.1111/2041-210X.13929 — HAL

Diagne C, Leroy B, Vaissière AC, Gozlan RE, Roiz D, Jarić I, Salles JM, Bradshaw CJA & Courchamp F. 2021. High and rising economic costs of biological invasions worldwide Nature 592, pages 571–576 10.1038/s41586-021-03405-6

Leroy B, Dias MS, Giraud E, Hugueny B, Jézéquel C, Leprieur F, Oberdorff T, Tedesco PA. 2019. Global biogeographical regions of freshwater fish species. Journal of Biogeography, 46:2407-2419 10.1111/jbi.13674

Leroy B, Meynard CN, Bellard C, Courchamp F. 2016. virtualspecies: an R package to generate virtual species distributions. Ecography 39:599-607 10.1111/ecog.01388

Leroy B, Canard A & Ysnel F. 2013. Integrating multiple scales in rarity assessments of invertebrate taxa. Diversity and Distributions 19:794-803 10.1111/ddi.12040

Software

Lenormand M, Leroy B, Denelle P. 2023-2025. bioregion: Comparison of Bioregionalisation Methods. Current version: 1.2.0 https://cran.r-project.org/package=bioregion Open-source code repository available here: https://github.com/bioRgeo/bioregion

Leroy B., Kramer A, Vaissière AC, Diagne C. 2020-2025. invacost, package for the R software. Analyse Biological Invasion Costs with the ‘InvaCost’ Database. Published on the Comprehensive R Archive Network. Current version: 1.1-6. https://cran.r-project.org/package=invacost Open-source code repository available here: https://github.com/Farewe/invacost

Leroy B. 2019-2024. biogeonetworks, package for the R software. Biogeographical networks in R. Current (and last) version : 0.1.2. https://github.com/Farewe/biogeonetworks This package has been replaced by bioregion

Leroy B. 2014-2025. virtualspecies, package for the R software. A package to generate virtual species distribution for improvements of modeling techniques. Published on the Comprehensive R Archive Network. Current version : 1.6 http://borisleroy.com/virtualspecies

Leroy B. 2012-2025. Rarity, package for the R software. A package to calculate rarity indices for species and assemblages of species. Published on the Comprehensive R Archive Network. Current version : 1.3-8. https://cran.r-project.org/package=Rarity

Expertise

20 expertise reports published

2024 Consultant, DREAL Corse, Predictive mapping of species subject to national action plans

2020-2023 Consultant, Southern Indian Ocean Fisheries Agreement, Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems

2020-2023 Contributing Author, Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity & Ecosystem Services, Invasive Alien Species Assessment

2015-2018 Lead Author, Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity & Ecosystem Services, Europe and Central Asia Assessment

Selected expertise reports

2024

Leroy B. (2024). Cartographie prédictive des habitats des groupes d’espèces ciblées par les Plans Nationaux d’Actions en Corse. Rapport pour la DREAL de Corse. Zenodo. 110 pp. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.11067678

2023

Ramiro-Sanchez B., Woolley S. and Leroy B. (2023). Bioregionalization of the SIOFA area based on vulnerable marine ecosystem indicator taxa (Project PAE2021-01). Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, France. 30pp.

Ramiro-Sánchez B., Devillers R. and Leroy B. (2023). Systematic conservation planning in the SIOFA area (Project PAE2021-01). Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, France. 56pp.

Ramiro-Sánchez B. and Leroy B. (2023). Biodiversity models based on VME indicator taxa in the SIOFA area (Project PAE2021-01). Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, France. 25pp.

Ramiro-Sanchez B. and Leroy B. (2023). Identifying significant adverse impacts on vulnerable marine ecosystems: a review of measures and applicability to SIOFA (Project PAE2021-01). Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, France. 12pp.

Ramiro-Sanchez B. and Leroy B. (2023). An assessment of significant adverse impacts from fishing activities in the SIOFA area (Project PAE2021-01). Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, France. 36pp.

2022

Ramiro-Sánchez B, Leroy B. 2022. SIOFA bioregionalisation and VME project - Final report Southern Indian Ocean Fisheries Agreement consultancy report. 111 pp. link

2021 Manfrini E, Leroy B, Diagne C, Soubeyran Y, Sarat E & Courchamp F. 2021. Les coûts économiques des invasions biologiques en France. Synthèse à l’intention des décideurs. Rapport MNHN/Université Paris Saclay/ IUCN, Paris, France.

Bourgouin A, Ramiro Sánchez B, Selles J, Favreau A, Péron C, Corbari C, Bourguignon P, Lozouet P, Le Gall L, Sergi S, Devilliers R, Martin A, Pagniez C, Guéné M, Leroy B. 2021. Cartographie prédictive des biorégions benthiques autour des îles Saint-Paul et Amsterdam. 28 pp.

2018 IPBES (2018), The IPBES regional assessment report on biodiversity and ecosystem services for Europe and Central Asia. Rounsevell, M., Fischer, M., Torre-Marin Rando, A. and Mader, A. (eds.). Secretariat of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, Bonn, Germany. 892 pages.

Grants and funding

Research funding

2023-2026 3-year research project, PPR Océan & Climat, Developing bioindicators for rocky foreshores: citizen sciences, a mechanism for interaction between science and society. Co-PI with Eric Feunteun & Florian Charvolin. 110 000€

2023-2025 2-year research project, Agence Nationale pour la Recherche, ESPOIRS - Etude de la réponse des estrans aux changements globaux par les Sciences Participatives : biOindication à l’InteRface sciences Société. 250 000€.

2021-2023 1.5-year research project, Southern Indian Ocean Fisheries Agreement, Indian Ocean, 60 000€.
Bioregionalisation and Management of Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems in the Indian Ocean.

2021 Expertise project, Planification de l’extension de la réserve Naturelle de Saint Paul et Amsterdam, Terres Australes et Antarctiques Françaises, ~20k€.

2020-2022 2-year research project, Southern Indian Ocean Fisheries Agreement, Indian Ocean, 96 000€.
Mapping the biogeography of Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems in the Indian Ocean.

2017–2019 2-year research project Labex, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, France, 100 000€.
Co-PI with Sarah Samadi & Maud Mouchet.
Valuing natural history collections and naturalist expeditions for the conservation and management of deep sea habitats: the Tropical Deep Sea Benthos program.

2017–2019 2-year research project Labex, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, France, 100 000€.
Co-PI with Sandrine Pavoine.
New indicators for biodiversity conservation based on phylogenetic originality and extinction risks : HEDGE and LEDGE species.

2016-2019 3-year research project, ANR/France Energies Marines, France.
PI: Nathalie Niquil.
TROPHIK project: Ecosystemic approach of Renewable Marine Energies: Modelling the role of offshore windfarms in modifying coastal trophic network functionning and cumulated impacts of other drivers of change.

Teaching

Main courses

2018-present Master’s degree, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Sorbonne Universités, Paris, France.

2015-present Doctoral school, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Sorbonne Universités, Paris, France.

2015-2023 Doctoral school, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Sorbonne Universités, Paris, France.

Short courses

2016 Spring school, Aix-Marseille University, Barcelonette, France.
- - Statistical course in R

2014-2018 Master’s degree, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Sorbonne Universités - - Modelling and statistics

2010-2013 Bachelor’s degree, University of Rennes 1, Rennes, France. - - Aquatic Ecology - - Animal Biodiversity - - Statistics

Online courses

2020 The INVACOST R Package: Global Costs of Biological Invasions Online tutorial

2019 Biogeographical networks in R, Online tutorial

2014, 2019 The virtualspecies R package: a complete tutorial, Online tutorial

Supervision

Postdoctoral researchers

2023-2025 Bruno Serranito, BOREA, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Dinard, France.
Co-supervised with Eric Feunteun
Developing bioindicators for rocky foreshores: citizen sciences, a mechanism for interaction between science and society.

2020-2023 Berta Ramiro-Sánchez, BOREA, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France.
Mapping the biogeography of Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems in the Indian Ocean.

2018-2019 Lissette Victorero, BOREA, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France.
Co-supervised with Sarah Samadi & Maud Mouchet.
Tropical Deep Sea Benthos project.

2017-2019 Marine Robuchon, BOREA, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France.
Co-supervised with Sandrine Pavoine.
Phylogenetic originality project.

2017-2018 Juliette Delavenne, BOREA, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France.
Co-supervised with Sarah Samadi & Maud Mouchet.
Tropical Deep Sea Benthos project.

2017 Tarek Hattab, Oceanography & Geoscience lab, Université du Littoral Côté d’Opale, Wimereux, France. Co-supervised with Grégory Beaugrand.
Trophik project.

Doctoral students

2023-2026 Cam Ly Rintz, BOREA, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Dinard, France.
Co-supervised with Eric Feunteun & Florian Charvolin
Developing bioindicators for rocky foreshores: citizen sciences, a mechanism for interaction between science and society.

2022-2025 Eléna Manfrini, Ecology, Systematics, Evolution, Université Paris-Saclay, Orsay, France.
Co-supervised with Franck Courchamp
Risks of biological invasions from farmed arthropods.

2019-2022 Camille Bernery, Ecology, Systematics, Evolution, Université Paris-Saclay, Orsay, France.
Co-supervised with Franck Courchamp & Céline Bellard
Biological invasions of freshwater fishes.

Engineers

2024-2025 Célia Mebarki, BOREA, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Dinard, France.
Co-supervised with Florian Charvolin & Marine Jacquin. Sociology engineer for the ESPOIRS project (Developing bioindicators for rocky foreshores: citizen sciences, a mechanism for interaction between science and society)

2021 Andéol Bourgouin, Terres Australes et Antarctiques Françaises, Paris, France.
Bioregionalisation of the Saint-Paul Amsterdam EEZ in the Indian Ocean for the delineation of Marine Protected Areas.

Master students

2024 Quentin Lamboley, Master 2, University of Rennes 1, Rennes, France.
Co-supervised with Eléna Manfrini

2022 Cam Ly Rintz, Master 2, Université Paris-Saclay, AgroParisTech, Paris, France.
Co-supervised with Berta Ramiro Sánchez

2021

Eléna Manfrini, Master 1, Université Paris-Saclay, Orsay, France.
Co-supervised with Franck Courchamp & Christophe Diagne

2020

Chloé Bahuaut, 2nd year engineering school, Agrocampus Ouest, Rennes, France
Co-supervised with Eric Goberville, Nathalie Niquil, Juliette Fauchot

2019 Camille Bernery, Master 2, University of Rennes 1, Rennes, France.
Co-supervised with Franck Courchamp

Jules Coignard, 2nd year engineering school, The National Institute of Agronomy, Toulouse, France
Co-supervised with Lissette Victorero

2018 Baptiste Sérandour, Master 2, Sorbonne Universités, Paris, France.
Co-supervised with Philippe Koubbi

2017 Claire Godet, Master 2, Sorbonne Universités, Paris, France.
Co-supervised with Philippe Koubbi, Marine Robuchon & Cédric Cotté

Thierry Jouhanique, Master 2, Sorbonne Universités, Paris, France.
Co-supervised with Tarek Hattab

Marius Delomosne, Master 2, University Nice Sophia Antipolis, Nice, France
Co-supervised with Marine Robuchon, Eric Feunteun & Tristan Dimeglio

2016 Emilien Giraud, Master 2, University of Rouen, Rouen, France.
Co-supervised with Pablo Tedesco & Thierry Oberdorff

Chéïma Barhoumi, Master 2, University Paris South XI, Orsay, France.
Co-supervised with Morgane Barbet-Massin

Valentina Cima, Master 2, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France.
Co-supervised with Isabelle Witté

Ophélie Silvio, Master 1, Université Pierre & Marie Curie, Paris, France.
Co-supervised with Tristan Diméglio, Eric Feunteun & Marine Robuchon

2015 Robin Delsol, Master 2, University of Rennes 1, Rennes, France.
Co-supervised with Céline Bellard

Undergraduate interns

2023 Nicolas Den Dryver, Licence 2, Paris-Saclay University, Orsay, France

2019 Rémy Le Goff, Licence 2, Sorbonne University, Paris, France

2017 Samuel Lu, Licence 3, Sorbonne University, Paris, France

PhD examinations

2024 Emma Chollet Ramampiandra, From black boxes to ecological insights: Exploring the use of machine learning in species distribution modelling, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland

2023 Marie Zakardjian, Solitary bee introductions and associated impacts: from a global vision to a local approach in New Caledonia, Aix-Marseille University, Marseille, France

2022 Liam Grimmett, The application of virtual species to investigate how landscape characteristics affect species distribution model transferability, Charles Sturt University, Australia

2019 Clémentine Préau, Identification and modelling of habitats for species at risk and evolution of their range with climate change, Lab Ecologie et biologie des interactions, Université de Poitiers, Poitiers, France

2018 Alice Fournier, Modelling and predicting biological invasions, Laboratory Ecology Systematics & Evolution, University Paris South XI, Orsay, France

PhD committees

2024-2027 Marieke Schultz, UMR MARBEC MARine Biodiversity, Exploitation and Conservation, Universié de Montpellier, Montpellier, France

2023-2026 Rafaela Molina-Vargas, iEES-Paris, IRD, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France

2020-2023 Fabien Verniest, Centre d’Ecologie et des Sciences de la Conservation, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Concarneau, France

2019-2021 Zheng Han, Centre d’Ecologie et des Sciences de la Conservation, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France

Quentin Noguès, Biology of Aquatic Organism & Ecosystems, University of Caen-Normandy, Caen, France

Alice Monnier, Centre d’Ecologie et des Sciences de la Conservation, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France

Mélissa Hanafi-Portier, Laboratoire Environnement Profond, IFREMER, Brest, France

2017-2020 Céline Jézéquel, Evolution & Diversité Biologique, Institute for Sustainable Development, Toulouse, France

2018-2020 Marie Le Marchand, Laboratory of Environmental Marine Sciences, Université de Bretagne Occidentale, Brest, France

2018 Alice Fournier, Laboratory Ecology Systematics & Evolution, University Paris South XI, Orsay, France

2016-2018 Katyana Vert Pré, Biology of Aquatic Organism & Ecosystems, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Dinard, France

2014–2017 Nicolas Dubos, Centre d’Ecologie et des Sciences de la Conservation, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France

Professional service

2015-present Evaluation committee, Master programs, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Sorbonne Universités, Paris, France

2010-present Referee. Journals: African Journal of Ecology, Arachnologische Mitteilungen, Biological Invasions, Diversity & Distributions, Ecography, Ecological modelling, Ecology & Evolution, Ecology Letters, Environmental Modelling & Software, Freshwater Science, Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, Global Ecology & Biogeography, Global Ecology & Conservation, International Journal of Geographic Information Science, Journal of Applied Ecology, Journal of Biogeography, Journal of Insect Conservation, PeerJ, PLoS one, Science China Life Sciences, Systematics & Biodiversity.

Research project proposals: Agence Nationale pour la Recherche.

2024-present Senior Editor. Diversity & Distributions

2019-2024 Associate Editor. Diversity & Distributions

Academic service

2025-onwards Co-leader, group AQUATREND, Quantitative analysis of trends in biodiversity in response to global change, Lab. Biology of Aquatic Organisms & Ecosystems, Muséum national d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France.

2017-2019 Leader, group Biodiversity & Macroecology, Lab. Biology of Aquatic Organisms & Ecosystems, Muséum national d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France.

2021 President of a selection committee for a lecturer position

Outreach

2023 Press Biological invasions of freshwater fishes and the Anthropocene. AFP, The Conversation, L’info durable, Presse Agence, France Inter, France Culture (x2), Geo, H20, The Cleveland American, East Africa News Post, Reporterre, Le Figaro, Natura Science.

2021 Press Multiple interviews on the themes of biological invasions, climate change and modelling (Science News, Polytechnique Insights, France TV info, Radio la 1ère//Planète Outre-Mer, Science & Vie)

2018 Press Fighting fake news about science
Le rapport du Giec sur le climat «bourré d’erreurs»? Une intox aux arguments fragiles

2017 Guest lectures, 4th IMPRESS training workshop, Marie Sklodowska Curie Action Innovative Training network, Chanteuges, France. Two lectures given: Aquatic biogeography and applications to conservation. and The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES).

2015 Public lecture for COP21, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France.
Protection of threatened spiders in the face of climate change

Outreach video for COP 21, Muséum national d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France
(in French) Des études pour tester des scénarios des conséquences du réchauffement sur la faune


Last updated: May 2025