Thibaut de Bettignies (postdoc 2013-2015)

Research summary

I am currently a postdoc in the Wernberglab in the School of Plant Biology, based within the UWA’s Oceans Institute. My responsibilities include assisting in the every-day running of the lab, supervision of students, and research in the following areas:

• Seaweed phenology (patterns and shifts in fecundity and productivity)
• Biomechanics of kelp and the prediction of physical disturbances
• Eco-physiology of temperate seaweeds and response to climate forcing
• Evaluation of kelp ecological performance (productivity, recruitment, fecundity)
• Reef community dynamics & tropicalisation of temperate reefs (e.g. high latitude corals)

Professional networking: LinkedIn, ResearchGate, Viadeo (in french)

Qualifications

• 2013: PhD, Centre for Marine Ecosystems Research, Edith Cowan University, Australia
• 2007: MSc (Oceanography and Marine Environment), Université Paris VI, France

Awards and recognition

• France-Australia Science Innovation Collaboration (FASIC) program Early Career Fellowships 2014.
• Starring in the National TV program‘Des Racines et Des Ailes’ in France.
• Plant Biology Equipment Grant, University of Western Australia 2013.
• Research Collaboration Award, University of Western Australia 2013.

Supervision and teaching

• Supervision of 5 student projects: Current: Chenae Tuckett (PhD), Mikaela Andrews (Hons). Completed: Chenae Tuckett (Hons), Tomasz Pedlow (Masters), Mariah Lumley (Hons).

• Teaching SCIE5505 ‘Global Change and the Marine Environment’.

Other Roles and expertise

• Organizing Committee Member: 10th International Temperate Reef Symposium, 2013-2014.
• Health & Safety Technical Adviser: Software implementation to manage risk, safety and compliance of UWA fieldwork (e.g. Scientific Diving), http://riskteq.com/, 2015.

 Peer reviewed papers

Citation statistics: Google Scholar

14. Tuckett CA, de Bettignies T, Fromont J, Wernberg T (2017) Expansion of corals on temperate reefs: direct and indirect effects of marine heatwaves. Coral Reefs, accepted 060417

13. Wernberg T, de Bettignies T, Bijo AJ, Finnegan P (2016) Physiological responses of habitat-forming seaweeds to increasing temperatures. Limnology and Oceanography, 61(6): 2180-2190.

12. Wernberg T, Bennett S, Babcock RC, de Bettignies T, Cure K, Depczynski M, Dufois F, Fromont J, Fulton CJ, Hovey RK, Harvey ES, Holmes TH, Kendrick GA, Radford B, Santana-Garcon J, Saunders BJ, Smale DA, Thomsen MS, Tuckett CA, Tuya F, Vanderklift MA, Wilson SK (2016) Climate driven regime shift of a temperate marine ecosystem. Science, 353(6295): 169-172.

11. Bennett S, Wernberg T, Bijo AJ, de Bettignies T, Campbell AH (2015) Central and rear edge populations can be equally vulnerable to warming. Nature Communications, 6:10280.

10. Xiao X, de Bettignies T, Olsen Y, Agusti S, Duarte C, Wernberg T (2015) Sensitivity and acclimation of three canopy-forming seaweeds to UVB radiation and warming. PLoS One 10(12): e0143031.

9. Marzinelli EM, Campbell AH, Zozaya Valdes E, Vergés A, Nielsen S, Wernberg T, de Bettignies T, Bennett S, Caporaso JG, Thomas T, Steinberg PD (2015). Continental-scale variation in seaweed host-associated bacterial communities is a function of host condition, not geography. Environmental Microbiology, 17: 4078–4088.

8. Bennett, S., Wernberg, T., de Bettignies, T., Kendrick, G.A., Anderson, R.J., Bolton, J.J., Rodgers, K., Shears, N., Leclerc, J.-C., Lévêque, L., Davoult, D., Christie, H.C. (2015) Canopy interactions and physical stress gradients in subtidal communities. Ecology Letters, 18: 636–645.

7. de Bettignies T, Wernberg T, Lavery PS, Vanderklift MA, Gunson JR,  Symonds G, Collier N (2015) Phenological decoupling of mortality from wave forcing in kelp beds. Ecology, 96(3): 850-861.

6. de Bettignies T, Wernberg T, Lavery P, Vanderklift MA & Mohring M (2013) Contrasting mechanisms of dislodgement and erosion contribute to production of kelp detritus. Limnology and Oceanography, 58(5): 1680–1688.

5. de Bettignies T., Wernberg T. & Lavery P. (2013) Size, not morphology, determines hydrodynamic performance of a kelp during peak flow. Marine Biology 160(4): 843-851

4. Wernberg T., Smale D.A., Tuya F., Thomsen M.S., Langlois T., de Bettignies T., Bennett S. & Rousseaux C.S. (2013) An extreme climatic event alters marine ecosystem structure in a global biodiversity hotspot. Nature Climate Change 3: 78-82.

3. de Bettignies T, Thomsen MS & Wernberg T (2012) Wounded kelps: Patterns and susceptibility to breakage. Aquatic Biology 17: 223-233.

2. Thomsen MS, de Bettignies T, Wernberg T, Holmer M & Debeuf B (2012) Harmful algae are not harmful to everyone. Harmful Algae 16: 74-80.

1. Hégaret H, da Silva PM, Wikfors GH, Lambert C, de Bettignies T, Shumway SE & Soudant P (2007) Hemocyte responses of Manila clams, R. philippinarum, with varying parasite, Perkinsus olseni, severity to toxic-algal exposures. Aquatic Toxicology, 84 (4): 469-479.

Other publications

1. Bennett S., Wernberg T., de Bettignies T. (2014). 10th international temperate reefs symposium: abstract book. The University of Western Australia [pdf].