Antoine Minne

Kelp genomics and climate change (PhD)

I am interested in looking at signs of adaptation to climate change in kelp forests at the genetic level as well as tackling some more fundamental population genomics questions.

As many temperate reef ecosystems around the world, kelp forests intrinsic adaptive capacities are challenged by gradual warming induced by climate change and more frequent and intense discrete extreme thermal events such as marine heatwaves. While ecological impacts have been well studied, detecting the underlying genetic basis of local adaptation to multiple stressors and the extent to which various genetic metrics (such as genetic diversity, effective population size and connectivity) are impacted is lacking empirical studies.

Taking advantage of new genomic tools and cross-institutional collaborations, my research aims at detecting signs of adaptation primarily to thermal stress (cold or warm adapted) in Ecklonia radiata, a dominant kelp species in temperate reefs throughout Australia, New-Zealand and South Africa. I will apply this work to a combination of natural populations and artificially stressed individuals through mesocosm experiments.

Ultimately the gained knowledge in genomics could be applied to novel restoration strategies to future-proof conservation of kelp forests and fill knowledge gaps in our understanding on temporal genetic variations in a changing ocean

Supervisors: Thomas Wernberg, Melinda Coleman (NSW DPIE), Jacqueline Batley.

Antoine PhD infographic

Qualifications

2019: Master of Science in Oceanography and Marine Ecology, Aix-Marseille University (Marseille, France).
Thesis: Impact of the 2011 marine heatwave on the genetic diversity and structure of Ecklonia radiata along the coast of Western Australia.
2017: Bachelor of Life and Earth Sciences (Sea track), Aix-Marseille University (Marseille, France) with an exchange program at University of New South Wales (Sydney, Australia).

Peer reviewed papers

Wheeler D, Minne AJP, Wernberg T, Coleman MA (2022) The chloroplast and mitochondrial genomes of the kelp, Ecklonia radiata. Aquatic Botany, accepted 21/12/21.
Veenhof RJ, Champion C, Dworjanyn SA, Wernberg T, Minne AJP, Layton C, Bolton JJ, Reed DC, Coleman MA (2022) Kelp gametophytes in changing oceans. Oceanography and Marine Biology: An Annual Review, 60. In press.
Jueterbock A, Minne AJP, Cock JM, Coleman MA, Wernberg T, Scheschonk L, Rautenberger R, Zhang J, Hu ZM (2021) Priming of marine macrophytes for enhanced restoration success and food security in future oceans. Frontiers in Marine Science: Marine Conservation and Sustainability, accepted 4/3/21.
Vanderklift MA, Doropoulos CA, Gorman D, Leal IAV, Minne AJP, Statton J, Steven ADL, Wernberg T (2020) Using propagules to restore coastal marine ecosystems. Frontiers in Marine Science: Marine Conservation and Sustainability, 7: 124 [doi: /10.3389/fmars.2020.00724] [pdf].
Coleman MA, Minne AJP, Vranken S, Wernberg T (2020) Genetic tropicalisation following a marine heatwave. Scientific Reports, 10: 12726 [doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-69665-w] [pdf].
Coleman MA, Wood G, Filbee-Dexter K, Minne AJP, Goold HD, Verges A, Marzinelli EM, Steinberg PD, Wernberg T (2020) Restore or redefine: future trajectories for restoration. Frontiers in Marine Science: Marine Conservation and Sustainability, 7: 237. [doi: 10.3389/fmars.2020.00237].
Gurgel CFD, Camacho O, Minne AJP, Wernberg T, Coleman MA (2020) Marine heatwave drives cryptic loss of genetic diversity in underwater forests, Current Biology, 30 (7):1199-1206.e2. [doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2020.01.051]