Quentin Blandenier

Environmental barcoding studies are showing that microbial Eukaryotes represent a large part of the world diversity. The phylogenetic position of deep and ultradiverse phyla is becoming gradually clarified. However, the diversity at a fine taxonomical level (i.e. species level) is poorly documented in most groups. This is mainly caused by the use of universal marker (e.g. 18S), which are useful for inferring general phylogenetic relationships but are not variable enough for species resolution. This is a major burden for our understanding of protists macroecology and biogeography that typically require data with species level resolution. Consequently the patterns that govern protists distribution are still poorly understood.

In my PhD project, my general goal is to assess if macroecological paradigms initially developed for macroscopic organisms also apply to the distribution of three clades of hyalospheniid testate amoeba (Amoebozoa; Arcellinida) from the regional (e.g. a peatland) to the continental scale (e.g. latitudinal study in Chile). We will follow a metabarcoding approach, which consist in analyzing DNA fragments from the environment by high throughput sequencing (Illumina) and processing the data using bioinformatics tools. We aim to use others molecular marker (i.e. COX), proven to be more adapted for this resolution level, in order to solve the low taxonomic resolution limitation of current approaches.

I started my PhD in February 2016 under the joint supervision of Dr. Enrique Lara and Prof. Edward Mitchell in the Laboratory of Soil Biodiveristy that I joined in 2012 (while still a bachelor student).

Education

2016 -

PhD: Macroecology and biogeography of hyalospheniid testate amoebae (Amoebozoa; Arcellinida) from regional to global scales following a metabarcoding approach (Laboratory of Soil bioDiversity, University of Neuchâtel).

2013 - 2015

Master thesis in Biogeosciences: Design and evaluation of a new mitochondrial marker for Arcellinida (Amoebozoa) (Laboratory of soil Biology, Universities of Neuchâtel and Lausanne).

2010 - 2013

Bachelor in Biology in Neuchâtel University.

Publication

2019

Macumber, A. L., Blandenier, Q., Todorov, M., Duckert, C., Lara, E., Lahr, D. J., Mitchell, E. A. & Roe, H. M. (2019). Phylogenetic divergence within the Arcellinida (Amoebozoa) is congruent with test size and metabolism type. European Journal of Protistology 72 (in press).

Seppey, C. V. W., Broennimann, O., Buri, A., Yashiro, E., Pinto-Figueroa, E., Singer, D., Blandenier, Q., Mitchell, E. A., Hirzel, H. N., Guisan, A. & Lara, E. (2019). Soil protist diversity in the Swiss western Alps is better predicted by topo-climatic than by edaphic variables. Journal of Biogeography (2019) 1–13. doi.org/10.1111/jbi.13755.

Singer, D., Mitchell, E.A.D., Payne, R.J., Blandenier, Q., Duckert, C., Fernández, L.D., Fournier, B., Hernández, C.E., Granath, G., Rydin, H., Bragazza, L., Koronatova, N.G., Goia, I., Harris, L.I., Kajukało, K., Kosakyan, A., Lamentowicz, M., Kosykh, N.P., Vellak, K., Lara, E. (2019). Dispersal limitations and historical factors determine the biogeography of specialized terrestrial protists. Molecular Ecology (in press).

2018

Blandenier, Q., & Duckert, C., Kupferschmid F.A.L., Kosakyan, A., Mitchell, E.A.D., Lara, E., Singer, D. (2018). En garde! Redefinition of Nebela militaris (Arcellinida, Hyalospheniidae) and erection of Alabasta gen. nov. European Journal of Protistology 66 (2018) 156-165. doi:10.1016/j.ejop.2018.08.005

2017

Geisen S., Mitchell E.A.D., Wilkinson D.M., Adl S., Bonkowski M., Brown M.W., Fiore-Donno A.M., Heger T.J., Jassey V.E.J., Krashevska V., Lahr D.J.G., Marcisz K., Mulot M., Payne R., Singer D., Anderson O.R., Charman D.J., Ekelund F., Griffiths B.S., Rønn R., Smirnov A., Bass D., Belbahri L, Berney C., Blandenier Q., Chatzinotas A., Clarholm M., Dunthorn M., Feest A., Fernandez L.D., Foissner W., Fournier B., Gentekaki E., Hajek M., Helder J., Jousset A., Koller R., Kumar S., La Terza A., Lamentowicz M., Mazei Y., Santos S.S., Seppey C.V.W., Spiegel F.W., Walochnik J., Winding A., Lara E. (2017). Soil protistology rebooted: 30 fundamental questions to start with. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 111 (août 2017): 94‑103. doi:10.1016/j.soilbio.2017.04.001.

Blandenier, Q., Lara, E., Mitchell, E.A.D., Alcantar, D.M.C., Siemensma, F.J., Todorov, M., Lahr, D.J.G. (2017). NAD9/NAD7 (mitochondrial nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide dehydrogenase gene)—A new “Holy Grail” phylogenetic and DNA-barcoding marker for Arcellinida (Amoebozoa)? European Journal of Protistology 58 (avril 2017): 175‑86. doi:10.1016/j.ejop.2016.12.002.

2016

Blandenier, Q., Seppey, C., Singer, D., Vlimant, M., Simon, A., Duckert, C., & Lara, E. (2016). Mycamoeba gemmipara nov. gen., nov. sp., the First Cultured Member of the Environmental Dermamoebidae Clade LKM74 and its Unusual Life Cycle. Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology 64, n^o 2 (1 mars 2017): 257‑65. doi:10.1111/jeu.12357.

Congress participation

2019

European Congress Of Protistology (ECOP8) Rome, Italia.

(Talk) High Throughput Sequencing approaches focusing specifically on genus Nebela allow testing the influence of the altitude on the community composition. Blandenier Q, Singer D, Jauslin R, Duckert C, Pillonel A, Baur M, Mitchell EAD, Lara E.

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Protozoologie (DGP38), Vienna, Austria.

2018

International Society of Testate Amoeba (ISTA9), Belfast, North Ireland.

(Talk) Exploring the Diversity of Hyalospheniids testate amoebae (Amoebozoa) from regional to sub-continental scales. Blandenier Q, Singer D, Duckert C, Mitchell EAD, Kosakyan A, Todorov M, Lahr DJG, Lara E.

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Protozoologie (DGP37), Cologne, Germany.

2017

International Congress Of Protistology (ISOP15) Prague, Czech Republic.

(Talk) A molecular survey of genus Nebela s. str. diversity, ecology and geographical distribution. Blandenier Q, Singer D, Duckert C, Mitchell EAD, Kosakya A, Lahr DJG, Lara E.

(Poster) Mycamoeba gemmipara Nov. gen., Nov. sp., The first cultured member of the environmental Dermamoebidae clade LKM74 and its unusual life cycle. Blandenier Q, Seppey C, Singer D, Vlimant M, Simon A, Duckert C, Lara E.

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Protozoologie (DGP36), Meissen, Germany.

(Talk) Mycamoeba gemmipara Nov. gen., Nov. sp., The first cultured member of the environmental Dermamoebidae clade LKM74 and its unusual life cycle. Blandenier Q, Seppey C, Singer D, Vlimant M, Simon A, Duckert C, Lara E. 1^st Award.

2016

International Society of Testate Amoeba (ISTA8), Ilhabela, Brazil.

(Talk) Exploring the mitochondrial genomes of Amoebozoa in search of novel molecular markers: the emergence of a new barcode for Arcellinida. Blandenier, Q., Lara, E., Mitchell, E.A.D., Alcantar, D.M.C., Siemensma, F.J., Todorov, M., Lahr, D.J.G.

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Protozoologie (DGP35), Saignelegier, Switzerland.

2015

European Congress Of Protistology (ECOP7) Sevilla, Spain.

(Poster) NAD9/NAD7 the emergence of a new barcode for Arcellinida. Blandenier, Q., Lara, E., Mitchell, E.A.D., Alcantar, D.M.C., Siemensma, F.J., Todorov, M., Lahr, D.J.G.