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Thierry Jean Heger
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Doctoral Program in Environmental Science & Engineering
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office(s):
GRB2425
phone(s): [+41 21 69] 35766
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MISSION
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I am interested in the ecology and taxonomy of various protists, especially testate amoebae. These species are an excellent model systems for studying the impact of climate change on microbial communities.
In addition, phylogenetic studies of testate amoebae also provide insights into general aspects of biogeography of microorgnisms.
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BIOGRAPHY
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8.2006-present: Ph.D student, Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL & Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Lausanne, Switzerland
9-12.2008 and 3-4.2009: Visiting scientist, Leander lab, University of British Columbia, Canada
1-7.2006: Swiss Federal Institute of Technology EPFL-ENAC-ISTE-ECOS (collaborator on AGROPROT & RECIPE projects)
Winter 2005: Department of Terrestrial Ecology, University of Copenhagen, Denmark (training period on molecular phylogeny)
Summer 2005: Unit of Polar Ecology, Limnology and Paleobiology, Universiteit Antwerpen, Belgium (study of testate amoebae communities from Amsterdam Island)
Spring 2005: Swiss Federal Institute of Technology EPFL-ENAC-ISTE-ECOS and WSL-Antenne Romande (training period on testate amoeba taxonomy)
Winter 2005: GIS project with Fritillaria meleagris (Liliacea)
Autumn 2004: Work at the Animal Physiology Department of the University of Neuchâtel (Switzerland), repellence tests on the tick Ixodes ricinus
1999 - 2004: University of Neuchâtel, Switzerland - M.Sc. Biology
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MAIN PUBLICATIONS
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T. Heger, E. Mitchell, P. Ledeganck, S. Vincke, B. Van de Vijver, and
L. Beyens.
The curse of taxonomic uncertainty in biogeographical studies of
free-living terrestrial protists: a case study of testate amoebae from
Amsterdam Island.
Journal of Biogeography, 2009.
[ Details |
Full Text |
Link ]
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M. Todorov, V. Golemansky, E. Mitchell, and T. Heger.
Morphology, Biometry, and Taxonomy of Freshwater and Marine
Interstitial Cyphoderia (Cercozoa: Euglyphida).
Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology, 56(3):279-289, 2009.
[ Details |
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E. Lara, T. Heger, M. Lamentowicz, and E. Mitchell.
Ribosomal RNA Genes Challenge the Monophyly of the
Hyalospheniidae (Amoebozoa: Arcellinida).
Protist, 159:165-176, 2008.
[ Details |
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E. Lara, T. Heger, E. Mitchell, R. Meisterfeld, and F. Ekelund.
SSU rRNA reveals a sequential increase in shell complexity among
the Euglyphid testate amoebae (Rhizaria: Euglyphida).
Protist, 158:229-237, 2007.
[ Details |
Full Text ]
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T. Heger, P. Guerin, and W. Eugster.
Microclimatic factors influencing refugium suitability for Rhodnius
prolixus.
Physiological Entomology, 31(3):248-256, 2006.
[ Details |
Full Text ]
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F. Charrière, N. Pavillon, T. Colomb, C. Depeursinge, T. Heger, E. Mitchell,
P. Marquet, and B. Rappaz.
Living specimen tomography by digital holographic microscopy:
morphometry of testate amoeba.
Optics Express, 14(16):7005-7013, 2006.
[ Details |
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T. Heger, E. Mitchell, M. Todorov, V. Golemansky, E. Lara, B. Leander, and
J. Pawlowski.
Molecular phylogeny of euglyphid testate amoebae (Cercozoa:
Euglyphida) suggests transitions between marine supralittoral and
freshwater/terrestrial environments are infrequent.
Molecular phylogenetics and evolution, 1(1):1-10, 2010.
[ Details |
Full Text |
Link ]
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T. Heger, J. Pawlowski, E. Lara, B. Leander, M. Todorov, V. Golemansky, and
E. Mitchell.
Comparing COI and SSU rDNA barcodes for assessing the diversity
and phylogenetic relationships of cyphoderiid testate amoebae (Rhizaria:
Euglyphida).
Protist, 2010.
[ Details |
Link ]
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Book chapters
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Heger T, Lara E and Mitchell EAD. Arcellinida testate amoebae: model of organisms for assessing microbial biogeography. Book chapter in “The importance of being small”, Edited by: Diego Fontaneto, Cambridge University Press, in press
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Publications In Peer-Reviewed Journals (Not ISI)
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J Gremaud, T. Heger, V. Burgener. Quelques observations sur la traversée de la Méditerranée par les passereaux migrateurs. Nos Oiseaux 54: 213-222, 2007.
P Morcrette, P Druart, T. Heger. La redécouverte de la laîche en touffe (Carex caespitosa L) dans le canton de Neuchâtel, fruit d’une collaboration franco-suisse. Les Nouvelles Archives de la Flore jurassienne, 1 : 11-12, 2003.
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| Skills |
Microbial ecology
Molecular biology
Scanning electron microscopy
Numerical tools
Computer software
Identification of testate amoebae |
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| Projects |
- PhD project
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| My research discussed by others |
New Scientist magazine
02 November 2009, issue 2732
"Microbes' globe-trotting has made them less diverse"
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20427324.100-microbes-globetrotting-has-made-them-less-diverse.html
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| Bioindication in soils (workshop) |
17-18 June 2010, University of Neuchâtel
http://www2.unine.ch/dp-biol/page30146_en.html
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Student