Dr. Sébastien J. Puechmaille

Research Interests

I am an evolutionary biologist with a strong background in population genetics, phylogenetics and ecology. However, my research is founded on an integrative approach combining molecular, morphological, ecological and behavioural data with modelling techniques, and aims to disentangle factors involved in speciation as well as those shaping species distributions through time and space. My work ranges from

elucidating the proximate and ultimate causes of speciation and the interplay between natural and sexual selection
studies on species distributions and population dynamics (e.g. range shifts/contraction/expansions)
investigations into current population structure in relation to habitat and climatic environment
predictions about the impact that current/future change (e.g. climate change, invasive species, habitat change) will have on species ranges, genetic diversity, connectivity between populations and diseases
studies on host-pathogen interactions with particular attention to pathogen's reservoirs and modes of infection and transmission

Publications

Schöner, M.G., Schöner, C.R., Simon, R., Grafe, T.U., Puechmaille, S.J., Ji, L.L. & Kerth, G. (2015): Bats are acoustically attracted to mutualistic carnivorous plants. Current Biology 25: 1-6.
Foley, N.M., Thong, V.D., Soisook, P., Goodman, S.M., Armstrong, K., Jacobs, D., Puechmaille, S.J.* & Teeling, E.C. (2015): How and why overcome the impediments to resolution: lessons from rhinolophid and hipposiderid bats. Molecular Biology and Evolution 32: 313-333. (*joint senior author)
Frick, W., Puechmaille, S.J., Hoyt, J.R., Nickel, B.A., Langwig, K.E., Foster, J.T., Horáček, I., Bartonička, T., Barlow, K.E., Haarsma, A.-J., van der Kooij, J., Rodrigues, L., Mulkens, B., Petrov, B., Herzog, C., Reynolds, R., Stihler, C.W., Turner, G.G., Feller, D. & Kilpatrick, A.M. (2015). Disease alters macroecological patterns of North American bats. Global Ecology and Biogeography 24: 741-749.
Jebb, D., Foley, N.M., Puechmaille, S.J. & Teeling, E.C. (2015). The complete mitochondrial genome of the Greater Mouse-Eared Bat, Myotis myotis (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae). Mitochondrial DNA 1-3.
Leopardi, S., Blake, D. & Puechmaille, S.J. (2015): White-Nose Syndrome fungus introduced from Europe to North America. Current Biology 25, R217-219.
Petit, E.J. & Puechmaille, S.J. (2015): Will reduced host connectivity curb the spread of a devastating epidemic? Molecular Ecology 24: 5491-5494.

Boston, E.S.M., Puechmaille, S.J., Clissmann, F., Teeling, E.C. (2014). Further evidence for cryptic north-western refugia in Europe? Mitochondrial phylogeography of the sibling species Pipistrellus pipistrellus and Pipistrellus pygmaeus. Acta Chiropterologica 16, 263-277.
Puechmaille, S., Borissov, I., Zsebok, S., Allegrini, B., Hizem, M.W., Kuenzel, S., Schuchmann, M., Teeling, E.C., Siemers, B.M. (2014). Female mate choice can drive the evolution of high frequency echolocation in bats: a case study with Rhinolophus mehelyi. PLoS ONE 9(7), e103452.
Razgour, O., Rebelo, H., Puechmaille, S., Juste, J., Ibáñez, C., Kiefer, A., Burke, T., Dawson, D.A., Jones, G. (2014). Scale-dependent effects of landscape variables on gene flow and population structure in bats. Diversity and Distributions 20(10), 1173-1185.
Puechmaille, S., Allegrini, B., Benda, P., Gürün, K., Šrámek, J., Ibañez, C., Juste, J. and Bilgin, R. (2014). A new species of the Miniopterus schreibersii species complex (Chiroptera: Miniopteridae) from the Maghreb Region, North Africa. Zootaxa 3794(1), 108-124.
Puechmaille, S., Teeling, E. (2014). Non-invasive genetics can help find rare species: a case study with Rhinolophus mehelyi and R. euryale (Rhinolophidae: Chiroptera) in western Europe. Mammalia 78(2), 251-255.

Wibbelt G, Puechmaille SJ, Ohlendorf B, Mühldorfer C, Bosch T, Görföl T, Passior K, Kurth A, Lacremans D and Forget F (2013). Skin lesions in European hibernating bats associated with Geomyces destructans, the etiologic agent of White-Nose Syndrome. PLoS ONE 8(9), e74105.
Jiang T, You Y, Liu S, Lu G, Wang L, Wu H, Berquist SW, Ho J, Puechmaille SJ and Feng J (2013). Factors affecting geographic variation in echolocation calls of the endemic Myotis davidii in China. Ethology 119(10), 881-890.
Razgour O, Juste J, Ibáñez C, Kiefer A, Rebelo H, Puechmaille SJ, Arlettaz R, Burke T, Dawson DA, Beaumont M and Jones G (2013). The shaping of genetic variation in edge-of-range populations under past and future climate change. Ecology Letters 16(10), 1258-1266.
Puechmaille SJ (2013). Premières données sur la présence de la Pipistrelle de Nathusius (Pipistrellus nathusii) en Aveyron. Le Vespère 3, 191-194.
Allegrini B and Puechmaille SJ (2013). Vespertilion (Myotis) latipennis (Crespon, 1844): un nom pour la nouvelle espèce Myotis sp. A du groupe nattereri ? Le Vespère 3, 181-183.
Dool, S, Puechmaille S, Dietz C, Juste J, Ibáñez C, Hulva P, Roue S, Petit E, Jones G, Russo D, Toffoli R, Viglino A, Martinoli A, Rossiter SJ and Teeling E (2013). Phylogeography and postglacial recolonisation of Europe by Rhinolophus hipposideros: evidence from multiple genetic markers. Molecular Ecology 22(15), 4055-4070.

Puechmaille S, Hizem W, Allegrini B and Abiadh A (2012). Bat fauna of Tunisia: review of records and new records, morphometrics and echolocation data. Vespertilio 16: 211-239.
Goodman SM, Puechmaille S, Friedli-Weyeneth N, Gerlach J, Ruedi M, Schoeman C, Stanley WT and Teeling EC (2012). Phylogeny of the Emballonurini (Emballonuridae) with descriptions of a new genus and species from Madagascar. Journal of Mammalogy 93(6), 1440-1455.
Thong VD, Dietz C, Denzinger A, Bates PJJ, Puechmaille S, Callou C and Schnitzler H-U (2012). Resolving a mammal mystery: the identity of Paracoelops megalotis (Chiroptera: Hipposideridae). Zootaxa, 2012; 3505: 75-85.
Walters C, Maltby A, Dietz C, Fenton B, Jones G, Obrist M, Puechmaille S, Sattler T, Siemers B, Jones K and Parsons S (2012). A continental-scale tool for acoustic identification of European bats. Journal of Applied Ecology 49(5), 1064-1074.
Schuchmann M, Puechmaille S, Siemers B (2012). Horseshoe bats recognise the sex of conspecifics from their echolocation calls. Acta Chiropterologica 14(1), 161-166.
Boston E, Puechmaille S, Buckley D, Lundy M, Scott D, Prodohl P, Montgomery I and Teeling E (2012). Empirical assessment of non-invasive population genetics in bats: comparison of DNA quality from faecal and tissue samples. Acta Chiropterologica 14(1), 45-52.
Ruedi M, Friedli-Weyeneth N, Teeling EC, Puechmaille S and Goodman SM (2012). Biogeography of Old World emballonurine bats (Chiroptera: Emballonuridae) inferred with mitochondrial and nuclear DNA. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 64(1), 204-211.
Puechmaille S, Allegrini B, Boston E, Dubourg-Savage M-J, Evin A, Le Bris Y, Knochel A, Lecoq V, Lemaire M, Rist D and Teeling EC (2012). Genetic analyses reveal further cryptic lineages within the Myotis nattereri species complex. Mammalian Biology - Zeitschrift für Säugetierkunde (2012); 77(3): 224-228.
Thong, VD, Puechmaille S, Denzinger A, Bates PJJ, Dietz C, Csorba G, Soisook P, Teeling EC, Matsumura S, Furey N and Schnitzler H-U (2012). Systematics of the Hipposideros turpis complex with a description of a new subspecies from Vietnam. Mammal Review 42(2), 166-192.
Thong, VD, Puechmaille S, Denzinger A, Csorba G, Dietz C, Bates PJJ, Teeling EC and Schnitzler H-U (2012). A new species of Hipposideros (Chiroptera: Hipposideridae) from Vietnam. Journal of Mammalogy 93(1), 1-11.

Puechmaille S, Ar Gouilh M, Piyapan P, Yokubol M, Khin Mie Mie, Bates P, Satasook C, Tin Nwe, Si Si Hla Bu, Mackie I, Petit E Teeling EC (2011). The evolution of sensory divergence in the context of limited gene flow in the bumblebee bat. Nature Communications 2, 573.
Ar Gouilh M, Puechmaille S, Gonzalez JP, Teeling E, Pattamaporn K and Manuguerra J-C (2011). SARS-Coronavirus ancestor's foot-prints in South-East Asian bat colonies and the refuge theory. Infection Genetics and Evolution 11(7), 1690-1702.
Puechmaille S, Frick WF, Kunz TH, Racey PA, Voigt C, Wibbelt G and Teeling EC (2011). White nose syndrome: is this emerging disease a threat to European bats? Trends in Ecology and Evolution 26(11): 570-576.
Buckley D, Puechmaille S*, Roche N and Teeling E (2011). A critical assessment of the presence of Barbastella barbastellus and Nyctalus noctula in Ireland with a description of N. leisleri echolocation calls from Ireland (*joint first author). Hystrix, Italian Journal of Mammalogy 22(1): 111-127.
Boston E, Hanrahan N, Puechmaille S, Ruedi M, Buckley DJ, Lundy M, Scott DD, Prodöhl PA, Montgomery WI, and Teeling EC (2011). A rapid PCR-based assay for identification of cryptic Myotis sp. (M. mystacinus, M. brandtii and M. alcathoe). Conservation Genetics Resources (2011); 3(3): 557-563.
Puechmaille S, Fuller H and Teeling EC (2011). Effect of sample preservation methods on the viability of Geomyces destructans, the fungus associated with white-nose syndrome in bats. Acta Chiropterologica (2011); 13(1): 217-221.
Ith S, Soisook P, Bumrungsri S, Kingston T, Puechmaille S, Struebig M, Si Si Hla Bu, Thong V, Furey N, Hammond N and Bates P (2011). A taxonomic review of Rhinolophus coelophyllus Peters 1867 and R. shameli Tate 1943 (Chiroptera: Rhinolophidae) in continental Southeast Asia. Acta Chiropterologica (2011); 13(1): 41-59.
Puechmaille S, Wibbelt G, Korn V, Fuller H, Forget F, Mühldorfer K, Kurth A, Bogdanowicz W, Borel C, Bosch T, Cherezy T, Drebet M, Görföl T, Haarsma A-J, Herhaus F, Hallart G, Hammer M, Jungmann C, Le Bris Y, Lutsar L, Masing M, Mulkens B, Passior K, Starrach M, Wojtaszewski A, Zöphel U and Teeling EC (2011). Pan-European distribution of white-nose syndrome fungus (Geomyces destructans) not associated with mass mortality. PLoS ONE 6(4): e19167.

Douangboubpha B, Bumrungsri S, Murray S, Puechmaille S, Satasook C, Si Si Hla Bu, Harrison D and Bates P (2010). A taxonomic review of Hipposideros halophyllus, with additional information on H. ater and H. cineraceus (Chiroptera: Hipposideridae) from Thailand and Myanmar. Acta Chiropterologica 12(1): 29-50.

Puechmaille S, Verdeyroux P, Fuller H, Ar Gouilh M, Bekaert M, and Teeling EC (2010). White-nose syndrome fungus (Geomyces destructans) in bat, France. Emerging Infectious Diseases 16(2): 290-293.

Puechmaille S, Soisook P, Yokubol M, Piyapan P, Ar Gouilh M, Khin Mie Mie, Khin Khin Kyaw, Mackie I, Bumrungsri S, Dejtaradol A, Tin Nwe, Si Si Hla Bu, Satasook C, Bates P and Teeling E (2009). Population size, distribution, threats and conservation status of two endangered bat species: Craseonycteris thonglongyai and Hipposideros turpis. Endangered Species Research 8(1-2): 15-23.

Puechmaille S, Yokubol M, Piyapan P, Ar Gouilh M, Khin Mie Mie, Bates P, Satasook C, Tin Nwe, Si Si Hla Bu, Mackie I and Teeling E (2009). Characterization and multiplex genotyping of 16 polymorphic microsatellite loci in the endangered bumblebee-bat, Craseonycteris thonglongyai (Chiroptera: Craseonycteridae). Conservation Genetics 10(4): 1073-1076.

Puechmaille S, and Petit E (2007). Empirical evaluation of non-invasive Capture-Mark-Recapture estimates of population size based on a single sampling session. Journal of Applied Ecology 44(4): 843-852.

Puechmaille S, Mathy G and Petit E (2007). Good DNA from bat droppings. Acta Chiropterologica 9(1): 269-276.

Puechmaille S, Mathy G and Petit E (2005). Characterization of 14 polymorphic microsatellite loci for the lesser horseshoe bat, Rhinolophus hipposideros (Rhinolophidae, Chiroptera). Molecular Ecology Notes 5(4): 941-944.

Frick W, Puechmaille S and Willis CKR, 2015. White-nose syndrome in bats. In: Bats in the Anthropocene: Conservation of bats in a changing world (eds. Voigt C.C., Kingston T.), 2015 in press.

Supervision

Ongoing PhD Students

Lisa Lehnen, since 2015, Range expansion in the lesser horseshoe bat
Fabien Claireau, since 2016, Ecological connectivity for bats
Violeta Zhelyazkova, since 2017, Biology of the cave fungus , causative agent of the white-nose Disease in batsPseudogymnoascus destructans
Nicola Fischer, since 2018, Emerging fungal diseases: Understanding their emergence to combat the threat
Thomas Näf, since 2018, Range expansion and dispersal in the lesser horseshoe bat Rhinolophus hipposideros

Past Master Students

Surendra Ranpal 2017: Identifying the source population of the North American fungal invasive species, Geomyces destructans, the causative agent of White-Nose Disease in Bats
Nicola Fischer, 2015 - 2017: Is the environment of hibernating bats a reservoir for Geomyces destructans?
Violeta Zhelyazkova, 2015 - 2016, Patterns of genetic diversity in Geomyces destructans in Southern Europe (Erasmus Student)
Nija Toshkova, 2015 - 2016, Is Geomyces destructans a specialized or opportunistic animal pathogen? (Erasmus Student)
Ruth-Marie Stecker, 2015 - 2016, Population structure of Geomyces destructans across Europe
Andrea Altewischer, 2015 - 2016, Investigation into the patterns of infection of Geomyces destructans on bats using genetic tools
Stefania Leopardi, 2015, Using genetic data to unravel the origin of North American Geomyces destructans
Marcus Fritze, 2013 - 2014, Investigating the presence of Geomyces destructans on bats and within their environment

Links

Batlab, University of Dublin

batlab.ucd.ie

Zoologisches Institut und Museum

Applied Zoology and Nature Conservation

Research Interests

Publications

Supervision

Links

Uniapp

Kontakt

Uni Greifswald

Studierende

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