Thierry Kuhn

I have a background in evolutionary biology. In my previous work I focused on computer-based simulation models, the main focus was predator-prey systems and how a shorter life span can have a positive effect on adaptation and persistence of the prey species. This idea is known as the evolutionary hydra effect¹ The simulation was run in the individual-based simulation framework NEMO².

In my PhD the research focus changed to interspecific interactions, in particular, the interactions between fungal networks and bacteria. We use the ectomycorrhizal and saprophytic soil fungus Morchella crassipes and the bacterium Pseudomonas putida KT2440 labeled with green fluorescent protein for the experiments. The bacteria use the fungal network as a “highway network” and disperse along the hyphae³, because bacteria cannot disperse without water, and there is often a liquid layer on the surface of fungal hyphae. This allows bacteria to reach nutrients. To investigate these dispersal patterns, we use two different approaches. In a first step we collect the data in a laboratory setup. In a second step the collected data is added in a computer model. This has the advantage of efficiently exploring various, which would be extremely costly and time consuming otherwise. 

References

1. Osmond, M. M., Otto, S. P. & Klausmeier, C. A. When Predators Help Prey Adapt and Persist in a Changing Environment. Am. Nat. 190, 83–98 (2017).

2. Guillaume, F. & Rougemont, J. Nemo: an evolutionary and population genetics programming framework. Bioinformatics 22, 2556–2557 (2006).

3. Kohlmeier, S. et al. Taking the Fungal Highway: Mobilization of Pollutant-Degrading Bacteria by Fungi. Environ. Sci. Technol. 39, 4640–4646 (2005).

Comparative effects of the parasiticide ivermectin on survival and reproduction of adult sepsid flies
Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, Volume 163, 15 November 2018, Pages 215-222

Assistant doctorant

thierry.kuhn@unine.ch

tel:

Bureau

Université de Neuchâtel
Rue Emile-Argand 11
CH-2000 Neuchâtel