{"id":204,"date":"2021-09-11T17:36:46","date_gmt":"2021-09-11T15:36:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.unil.ch\/microbiogeochimie\/?page_id=204"},"modified":"2026-10-05T14:51:22","modified_gmt":"2026-10-05T12:51:22","slug":"research","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/wp.unil.ch\/microbiogeochimie\/research\/","title":{"rendered":"Research"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Our group specializes in the application of <strong>interdisciplinary approaches<\/strong> \u2013 borrowing methods from the fields of biology, geology, and chemistry \u2013 to solve complex environmental questions related to biogeochemical cycling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>The Lichen Microbiome<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lichens are a stable symbiosis between a fungus and a photosynthetic partner, which can be either an alga or a cyanobacterium. Only recently has it been recognized that a third symbiotic partner\u2014bacteria\u2014colonizes both the surface and interior of lichens, but their role within this association remains largely unknown. Much like the human microbiome contributes to immune defense and nutrition, the lichen microbiome may play a role in lichen ecophysiology and fitness. These bacteria mostly belong to the <em>Alphaproteobacteria<\/em> and have been found to be lichen species-specific and significantly different from microbial communities on surrounding substrates. We therefore apply microbiological techniques to investigate the role of the lichen microbiome in:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>nutrient acquisition in pioneer environments<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>adaptation to climactic gradients<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>nitrogen pollution resistance<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We also have ongoing projects in lichen conservation ecology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1651\" height=\"1200\" src=\"https:\/\/wp.unil.ch\/microbiogeochimie\/files\/2026\/05\/photo-06.04.26-12-09-55.jpg\" alt=\"photo 06.04.26 12 09 55\" class=\"wp-image-570\" style=\"width:239px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp.unil.ch\/microbiogeochimie\/files\/2026\/05\/photo-06.04.26-12-09-55.jpg 1651w, https:\/\/wp.unil.ch\/microbiogeochimie\/files\/2026\/05\/photo-06.04.26-12-09-55-300x218.jpg 300w, https:\/\/wp.unil.ch\/microbiogeochimie\/files\/2026\/05\/photo-06.04.26-12-09-55-1024x744.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/wp.unil.ch\/microbiogeochimie\/files\/2026\/05\/photo-06.04.26-12-09-55-768x558.jpg 768w, https:\/\/wp.unil.ch\/microbiogeochimie\/files\/2026\/05\/photo-06.04.26-12-09-55-1536x1116.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/wp.unil.ch\/microbiogeochimie\/files\/2026\/05\/photo-06.04.26-12-09-55-540x392.jpg 540w, https:\/\/wp.unil.ch\/microbiogeochimie\/files\/2026\/05\/photo-06.04.26-12-09-55-1080x785.jpg 1080w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1651px) 100vw, 1651px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Xanthoria parietina, Pleurosticta acetabulum, et Evernia prunastri<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Surprising microbial metabolisms<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">From the presence of aerobic methanotrophic bacteria in anoxic sediments to microbial iron reduction in oxic waters, more and more exceptions to the dogma of a thermodynamic redox tower are being discovered. We use tools such as microfluidics, metagenomics and -transcriptomics, and in situ activity measurements to prove that these unexpected microbial processes are active and to disentangle how they are possible. Ongoing projects involve microbial iron, sulfur, and methane cycling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-8f761849 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em><strong>Open Master&#8217;s projects<\/strong>:<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Co-evolution de la qualit\u00e9 de l\u2019air et les lichens corticoles en r\u00e9gion Genevoise<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Les lichens \u00e9piphytes ont \u00e9t\u00e9 utilis\u00e9s comme bioindicateurs pour r\u00e9aliser une \u00e9tude de la pollution atmosph\u00e9rique dans le canton de Gen\u00e8ve en 1986 et en 1996. On a pu constater des changements dans la r\u00e9partition des esp\u00e8ces lich\u00e9niques, qui correspondent \u00e0 des modifications de la qualit\u00e9 de l&#8217;air. Bien que des techniques avanc\u00e9s de monitoring de la qualit\u00e9 de l\u2019air indiquent une nette am\u00e9lioration de la qualit\u00e9 de l\u2019air depuis les ann\u00e9es \u201890, le r\u00e9tablissement des communaut\u00e9s de lichens dans la r\u00e9gion genvoise reste inconnu.&nbsp;Des relev\u00e9s de biodiversit\u00e9 lich\u00e9nique seront effectu\u00e9s aux memes coordonn\u00e9es que l\u2019\u00e9tude de Fiore-Donno (1997) pour \u00e9valuer l\u2019\u00e9volution des communaut\u00e9s de lichens dans r\u00e9gion genvoise. Ces donn\u00e9s seront mis en contexte avec les donn\u00e9s de qualit\u00e9 de l\u2019air disponible pour sept stations de mesures dans le canton. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Connaissances n\u00e9cessaire et m\u00e9thode(s) de travail: Ce travail requiert une maitrise des techniques d\u2019identification des lichens ou une volont\u00e9 d\u2019apprendre. Le module lichens I \u00e0 l\u2019HEPIA est recommand\u00e9. Bonne connaissance de la langue fran\u00e7aise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Caracterisation du microhabitat de <em>Stereocaulon glareosum,<\/em> un lichen en danger critique d\u2019extinction\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Le genre <em>Stereocaulon<\/em> est constitu\u00e9 de lichens pionniers colonisant les d\u00e9p\u00f4ts morainiques ou alluviaux. Ils jouent un r\u00f4le \u00e9cologique important dans la stabilisation des s\u00e9diments et le d\u00e9veloppement des sols, notamment gr\u00e2ce \u00e0 la fixation du carbone et de l\u2019azote. Malgr\u00e9 leur pr\u00e9sence dans des milieux souvent \u00e9loign\u00e9s des activit\u00e9s humaines, l\u2019une de ces esp\u00e8ces, <em>Stereocaulon glareosum<\/em>, figure sur la Liste rouge de la flore suisse avec le statut de danger critique d\u2019extinction. Il a \u00e9t\u00e9 observ\u00e9 que ce lichen privil\u00e9gie les s\u00e9diments limoneux, le plus souvent colonis\u00e9s par une cro\u00fbte biologique et\/ou des bryophytes, tandis que son cousin beaucoup plus abondant, <em>S. alpinum<\/em>, pr\u00e9f\u00e8re les s\u00e9diments graveleux. Malgr\u00e9 ces observations, son \u00e9cologie reste encore tr\u00e8s peu connue en Suisse. L&#8217;objectif sera de caract\u00e9riser le microhabitat de <em>S. glareosum<\/em> via des aalyses chimiques et biomol\u00e9culaires afin de mieux orienter les mesures de protection de l\u2019esp\u00e8ce. Le microhabitat de <em>S. alpinum<\/em> servira comme milieux de comparaison.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Exp\u00e9rience en haute montagne (&gt; 2500 m) requise. Une bonne condition physique ainsi qu\u2019un pied s\u00fbr seront essentiels pour r\u00e9aliser les echantillonnages de terrain en toute s\u00e9curit\u00e9.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Identification d\u2019esp\u00e8ces de <em>Stereocaulon<\/em> suisses par s\u00e9quen\u00e7age mol\u00e9culaire<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Le genre <em>Stereocaulon<\/em> regroupe des lichens pionniers colonisant notamment les d\u00e9p\u00f4ts morainiques et alluviaux. Ils jouent un r\u00f4le \u00e9cologique important dans la stabilisation des s\u00e9diments et le d\u00e9veloppement des sols, notamment gr\u00e2ce \u00e0 leur contribution \u00e0 la fixation du carbone et de l\u2019azote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Les diff\u00e9rentes esp\u00e8ces de <em>Stereocaulon<\/em> sont cependant souvent difficiles \u00e0 distinguer sur le terrain et pr\u00e9sentent des caract\u00e9ristiques chimiques qui ne suffisent pas toujours pour s\u00e9parer les esp\u00e8ces les unes des autres. \u00c0 l\u2019heure actuelle, la diversit\u00e9 des esp\u00e8ces pr\u00e9sentes en Suisse reste mal connue. Il est \u00e9galement difficile de d\u00e9terminer quelles esp\u00e8ces \u00e9taient r\u00e9ellement pr\u00e9sentes lors des relev\u00e9s historiques r\u00e9alis\u00e9s il y a une trentaine d\u2019ann\u00e9es. Plus g\u00e9n\u00e9ralement, ce travail soul\u00e8ve la question de la d\u00e9limitation des esp\u00e8ces : comment d\u00e9finir et distinguer les esp\u00e8ces de <em>Stereocaulon<\/em> en combinant des crit\u00e8res g\u00e9n\u00e9tiques, morphologiques et chimiques ?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Le travail visera notamment \u00e0 combiner les approches morphologiques, chimiques et g\u00e9n\u00e9tiques afin de mieux comprendre la diversit\u00e9 du genre <em>Stereocaulon<\/em> en Suisse et les crit\u00e8res permettant de distinguer les diff\u00e9rentes esp\u00e8ces. Travail de terrain en montagne ainsi que visites de collections d&#8217;herbier au Conservatoire de Gen\u00e8ve et au WSL.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Open Bachelor&#8217;s projects<\/strong>: <em>please inquire directly for any customized projects applying sediment geochemistry, water quality, or microbiology&#8230;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Comparative assessment of N2 fixation and greenhouse gas production by legume crops, invasive green alder, and natural N2 alder stands.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em>Aulnus viridis<\/em> is perceived negatively as it is rapidly recolonizing abandoned alpine pastures and contributes to N2O production, but this has not been contextualized in relation to other N2-fixing plants. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Literature review of published data on N2O production by different plants with symbiotic N-fixing bacteria<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Understanding controls on water chemistry in la gouille de Conche (Val d&#8217;Illiez)\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>High levels of Fe and Mn alongside other metals have been reported by the Service de l&#8217;Environnement du Valais. The objective of this project is to determine the source of these metals by analysing sediments, lake and river water, and soils in the catchment area.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Principal methods used: microwave digestion, ICP-OES<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Monitoring microbiological water quality below alpine tourist infrastructures lacking water treatment systems\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It is not known how far wastewater from mountain huts contaminates surface water runoff before being diluted out. Wastewater from the Cabane Valsorey empties directly into the Torrent de Valsorey and is progressively diluted by other rivers before merging with the Dranse.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The project will involve collecting water samples at different points along the river and performing bacterial analyses in the laboratory <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Our group specializes in the application of interdisciplinary approaches \u2013 borrowing methods from the fields of biology, geology, and chemistry \u2013 to solve complex environmental questions related to&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1002283,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"template-full-width.php","meta":{"_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_robots_follow":"","_seopress_robots_imageindex":"","_seopress_robots_snippet":"","_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_robots_breadcrumbs":"","_seopress_robots_freeze_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_custom_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_canonical":"","_seopress_social_fb_title":"","_seopress_social_fb_desc":"","_seopress_social_fb_img":"","_seopress_social_fb_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_height":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_title":"","_seopress_social_twitter_desc":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_height":0,"_seopress_redirections_value":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled_regex":"","_seopress_redirections_logged_status":"","_seopress_redirections_param":"","_seopress_redirections_type":0,"_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","_seopress_news_disabled":"","_seopress_video_disabled":"","_seopress_video":[],"_seopress_pro_schemas_manual":[],"_seopress_pro_rich_snippets_disable_all":"","_seopress_pro_rich_snippets_disable":[],"_seopress_pro_schemas":[],"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-204","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.unil.ch\/microbiogeochimie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/204","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.unil.ch\/microbiogeochimie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.unil.ch\/microbiogeochimie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.unil.ch\/microbiogeochimie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1002283"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.unil.ch\/microbiogeochimie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=204"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/wp.unil.ch\/microbiogeochimie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/204\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":588,"href":"https:\/\/wp.unil.ch\/microbiogeochimie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/204\/revisions\/588"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.unil.ch\/microbiogeochimie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=204"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}