Study of red squirrel populations in the Marseilles basin

The IMM’s TERRE unit is taking part in a research project by the CNRS IMBE-UMR7263 laboratory on the movement and flow of genes between populations of red squirrels.

The IMBE is currently leading two research projects (European SCALED project and ANR Résilience) aimed at gaining a better understanding of how landscape connectivity influences movements and gene flows between red squirrel populations. Hair samples are collected from different landscape windows so that genetic analyses can be carried out to highlight areas that are more or less connected in the landscape.
The city of Marseille and the surrounding area (a square measuring 16km on each side) were chosen as the study area. The municipalities involved are Marseille, Plan de Cuques, Allauch, Aubagne, La Penne sur Huveaune, Carnoux, Roquefort la Bédoule and Cassis.

Squirrels have already appeared on the Joseph Aiguier campus :

Two hair collectors were set up on the Joseph Aiguier campus in February 2025 !

The hairs collected will then be checked under a microscope (species identification), and the DNA they contain will be extracted for analysis. The genetic data collected will be used to study the genetic proximity between squirrels living in different parts of the study area and to test whether certain types of landscaping (roads, parks, hedges, etc.) affect gene flow in red squirrels.