Main research interests

My main research interests are the phylogeny and the early evolution of protists, evolution of sexuality in protists and exploring their hidden biodiversity. During the past ten years, I have focussed on the Myxomycetes (also called plasmodial slime-moulds or Myxogastria), a widespread group of soil amoebae, one of the largest in the phylum Amoebozoa (941 species listed). This group is clearly neglected, both by molecular biologists and ecologists: not a single complete genome is available and it is absent in soil inventories of protists. Increasing evidence of its prevalence in all types of soil is accumulating, rendering its study an ecological necessity – continuing to ignore it will hamper any attempt to draw a picture of the role played by protists in the soil food web.

Phylogeny and barcoding: I constructed the first molecular phylogenies of Myxomycetes and allied taxa, drawing strength from a combined molecular and morphological approach, identifying novel evolutionary trends and providing an extensive SSU rRNA database for environmental sampling and barcoding – and, as a bonus, some of the weirdest ribosomal sequences of all eukaryotes, showing a probable unusually high rate of evolution.

Population genetics, sexuality and species concept. Myxomycetes have a complex life cycle culminating in the formation of mainly macroscopic fruiting bodies, highly variable in shape and colour. The species concept is based on the many features displayed by the fruiting bodies, most probably not reflecting the actual genetic diversity. To make the picture even more complex, Myxomycetes can alternate sexual and asexual reproduction: each morphospecies could be composed of an intricate pattern of core sexual strains, surrounded by a swarm of asexually reproducing clones that differ genetically and may differ in observable morphological traits. Therefore, Myxomycetes present unique advantages for studying factors shaping the proportion of sexual/asexual strains in nature.

Exploring hidden diversity. Myxomycetes are present in every terrestrial environment investigated to date and also, as amoebae or flagellated cells, in aquatic environments where they cannot form fruiting bodies. Even if culture-based methods tend to underestimate their occurrence in soil, Myxomycetes probably account for ~50% of soil amoebae. The emergence of molecular-based methods has revolutionized our concept of biodiversity, but Myxomycetes are conspicuously absent from all environmental surveys. This is due to their highly diverging SSU rRNA sequences, not matched by so-called “universal primers”. In contrast, when using specific primers or shotgun sequencing of sheared DNA (without primers), Myxomycetes sequences are generally retrieved.

Current project

In the framework of the project “Nanofauna (flagellates, amoebae) diversity in relation to land use and ecosystem functioning” (part of the priority program “Exploratorien zur funktionellen Biodiversitätsforschung” of the DFG), I am analyzing the 454 data obtained by Jan Weinert (former PhD student in this team) on Myxomycetes and Acanthamoeba, from a selection of grassland soils from the exploratories. Expected outcomes are indications about the extant diversity of these two groups, in grassland soil in general and related to land use. Possible correlations between soil samples biodiversity and increasing human usage of the grassland, chemical and physical characteristics of the soil samples, and bacterial diversity will be investigated.

Professional career

Jan. 2013 – June 2014: Postdoctoral research assistant, 18 months DFG grant. Nanofauna (flagellates, amoebae) diversity in relation to land use and ecosystem functioning. University of Cologne, DE.
Oct. 2006 – June 2009 Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Leverhulme Trust Foundation, grant R1008101. Molecular phylogeny of Amoebozoa and the early evolution of eukaryotes. Oxford University, UK.
Aug. 2007 – Sep. 2009 The Royal Society, International Joint Project Grant. Molecular phylogenetic analysis of nivicolous Myxomycetes and diversity in soils. Oxford University, UK & Hokkaido University, JP.
Oct. 2005 – Sep. 2006 Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Swiss National Science Foundation PBSKA-110567. A molecular phylogeny of the Mycetozoa (Dictyostelia, Protostelia, Myxogastria) and related amoebae. York University, UK.
Sep. 2002 – Aug. 2005Scientific guest. E. & L. Schmidheiny Foundation grant. Continuation of research in Myxogastria and Mycetozoa phylogeny. University of Geneva, CH.
June – Aug. 2002 Postdoctoral internship (short stay.) Royal Society grant. A molecular phylogeny of the myxogastrid slime molds. York University, UK.
Jan. 1999 – Feb. 2001 Graduate assistant for teaching and research, PhD project. Institute of Ecology, University of Lausanne, CH.
Nov. 1994 – Oct. 1995 Research assistant, project : Lichens Red List (BUWAL). Geneva Botanical Garden, CH.

Education

1997 – 2001 Ph.D. in Mycology, Université Henri-Poincaré Nancy-I, France. Forest microbiological biodiversity: spatiotemporal variations of the genetic structure of selected species of ectomycorrhizal fungi. Co-Supervisors: Dr. F. Martin, Nancy, FR and Prof. H. Clémençon, Lausanne, CH.
1990 – 1997 Bachelor and Masters in Biology, University of Geneva, CH.
1978 – 1981 Occupational therapist diploma, Ecole d'Ergothérapie, Lausanne, CH.

Ten selected publications

Fiore-Donno AM, Clissmann F, Meyer M, Schnittler M, Cavalier-Smith T (2013) Two-gene Phylogeny of Bright-Spored Myxomycetes (Slime Moulds, Superorder Lucisporidia). PLoS ONE 8(5): e62586.
Kamono A, Meyer M, Cavalier-Smith T, Fukui M, Fiore-Donno AM (2013) Exploring slime mould diversity in high-altitude forests and grasslands by environmental RNA analysis. FEMS Microbiology Ecology, 94:98-109.
Pawlowski J, Adl SM, Audic S, Bass D, Belbahri L, Berney C, Bowser S, Cepicka I, Decelle J, Dunthorn M, Fiore-Donno AM, Gile G, Holzmann M, Jahn R, Jirků M, Keeling PJ, Kostka M, Kudryavtsev A, Lara E, Lukeš J et al. (2012) CBOL Protist Working Group: Barcoding eukaryotic richness beyond the animal, plant and fungal kingdoms. PloS Biology 10: e1001419.
Fiore-Donno AM, Kamono A, Meyer M, Schnittler M, Fukui M, Cavalier-Smith T (2012) 18S rDNA phylogeny of Lamproderma and allied genera (Stemonitales, Myxomycetes, Amoebozoa). PLoS ONE 7: e35359.
Fiore-Donno AM, Novozhilov Y., Meyer M, Schnittler M (2011) Genetic structure of two protist species (Myxogastria, Amoebozoa) suggests asexual reproduction in sexual amoebae. PLoS ONE 6: e22872.
Stephenson SE, Fiore-Donno AM, Schnittler M (2011) Myxomycetes in soil. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 43, 2237-2242.
Fiore-Donno AM, Nikolaev SI, Nelson M, Pawlowski J, Cavalier-Smith T, Baldauf SL (2010) Deep phylogeny and evolution of slime moulds (Mycetozoa). Protist 161, 55-70.
Fiore-Donno AM, Meyer M., Baldauf SL, Pawlowski J (2008) Evolution of dark-spored Myxomycetes (slime-molds): molecules versus morphology. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 46, 878-889.
Fiore-Donno AM, Berney C, Pawlowski J, Baldauf SL (2005) Higher-order phylogeny of plasmodial slime molds (Myxogastria) based on EF1A and SSU rRNA sequences. Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology 52, 201-210.
Fiore-Donno AM, Martin F (2001) Populations of ectomycorrhizal Laccaria amethystina and Xerocomus spp. show contrasting colonization patterns in a mixed forest. New Phytologist 152, 533-542.