Dr. Svenja Heesch | RD 3 Marine Ecology | RU Experimental Ecology
Scientist | Marine Makrophytes | Topic 6
Office
ENB Building 5
Office 1.313
Tel.: +49 431 600 2047
E-Mail: sheesch(at)geomar.de
Address
GEOMAR
Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research
Wischhofstraße 1-3
24148 Kiel
Germany
Research Focus
- Marine and terrestrial algae
- Biodiversity
- Systematics and taxonomy
Projects
-
"Integrated approaches to address taxonomic problems in the Prasiolaceae (Trebouxiophyceae, Chlorophyta)" funded by the German Research Foundation DFG within the Priority Program 1991 "Taxon-OMICS"
- GEOMAR Helmholtz-Centre for Ocean Research Kiel: research group "Management Ecology of Marine Macrophytes"
Professional Experience
| since 2025 | Postdoctoral Researcher | GEOMAR Helmholtz-Zentrum für Ozeanforschung, Kiel Taxonomy of marine makrophytes |
| 2021 - 2025 | Postdoctoral Researcher | Applied Ecology & Phycology, University of Rostock Taxonomy of Prasiolaceae |
| 2019 - 2021 | Postdoctoral Researcher | Applied Ecology & Phycology, University of Rostock Coordination DFG - Priority Program 1158 - Antarctic Research |
| 2015 - 2018 | Ingénieur de Recherche (Research Associate) | Station Biologique de Roscoff (SBR), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique CNRS, France SexSea: Linking genomics with life history traits in the brown algae |
| 2011 - 2015 | Macroalgal Taxonomist (Senior Postdoctoral Research Fellow) | Irish Seaweed Research Group, Ryan Institute, National University of Ireland Galway NUIG, Galway, Ireland Beaufort Marine Biodiscovery: Novel bioactive compounds from Irish marine organisms |
| 2009 - 2011 | Molecular Phycologist (Postdoctoral Research Fellow) | Scottish Association for Marine Science SAMS, Scottish Marine Institute, Oban, Scotland ASSEMBLE |
| 2008 - 2009 | Ingénieur de Recherche (Research Associate) | Station Biologique de Roscoff (SBR), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique CNRS und Université Pierre et Marie Curie UPMC, France The Ectocarpus genome: Genetic linkage map of Ectocarpus siliculosus based on microsatellite markers |
| 2005 - 2007 | Postdoctoral Research Fellow | National Institute for Water & Atmospheric Research NIWA Ltd., Dunedin, New Zealand Genetic diversity of Ulva sensu lato in New Zealand; Diseases, parasites and pathogens of marine macroalgae; Survey of ship hulls |
| between 1998 - 2003 (total of 16 month) | Scientist | MariLim Gesellschaft für Gewässeruntersuchungen mbH, Kiel, Germany Annual monitoring of phytobenthic communities along the German Baltic Sea coasts |
Education
| 1997 - 2005 | Ph.D. studies | Marine Botany | Botany Department, University of Otago, Dunedin, Neuseeland Doctor of Philosophy / dissertation „Endophytic Phaeophyceae from New Zealand” |
| 1989 - 1996 | Undergraduate & postgraduate studies in Biology | Botanik, Biologische Meereskunde, Meereschemie | University of Kiel, Kiel, Germany Germany diplom thesis „Studien zur Infektion von Laminarien durch endophytische Braunalgen“ |
Publications
2025
S. Heesch: Three new members of the green algal family Prasiolaceae (Prasiolales, Trebouxiophyceae) isolated from urban sites in Northern Germany. European Journal of Phycology (accepted)
S. Heesch, M.D. Guiry & F. Rindi: Taxonomic revision of the genus Prasiola (Prasiolaceae, Trebouxiophyceae) results in the establishment of three new genera. Cryptogamie, Algologie (accepted)
2024
S. Haro, R. Bermejo, M. Healy, K. Knöeller, O. Fenton, S. Heesch, L. Morrison (2024): Seasonal variability of golden tides (Pylaiella littoralis, Phaeophyceae) and nutrient dynamics in a potentially eutrophic intertidal estuary. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering. https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1312/12/12/2336
F. Denoeud, O. Godfroy, C. Cruaud, S. Heesch et al. (2024): Evolutionary genomics of the emergence of brown algae as key components of coastal ecosystems. Cell 187: 1-23. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2024.10.049
2023
T. Mock, M.S. Clark, J.I. Hoffman et al. (2023): Multi-omics for studying and understanding polar life. Nature Communications 14, 7451. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-43209-y
J.I. Hoffman, S. Heesch & M.S. Clark (2023): Editorial: Polar Genomics in a Changing World. Genes 14, 1395. https://doi.org/10.3390/genes14071395
N. Diehl, N. Steiner, K. Bischof, U. Karsten & S. Heesch (2023): Exploring intraspecific variability – Biochemical and morphological traits of the sugar kelp Saccharina latissima along latitudinal and salinity gradients in Europe. Frontiers in Marine Science 10: https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2023.995982.
L.B. Firth, C. Clubley, A. McGrath, E. Renshaw, A. Foggo, A.D.M. Wilson, P.E. Gribben, A.E.A. Flower, J. Burgess, S. Heesch, S.J. Hawkins, N.R. Stephen, D. Haspel, A. Spain-Butler, S. Stührmann, A. Newstead & A.M. Knights (2023): If you can’t beat them, join them: enemy shells as refugia from grazing & competition pressure. Oceanography and Marine Biology: an Annual Review Vol. 61, 34 pages. https://doi.org/10.1201/9781003363873
K. Kuriyama, S. Heesch, U. Karsten & R. Schumann (2023): Benthic diatom diversity in a turbid brackish lagoon of the Baltic Sea. Phycologia. https://doi.org/10.1080/00318884.2022.2151288
2022
R. Bermejo, M. Galindo-Ponce, N. Golden, C. Linderhof, S. Heesch, I. Hernández & L. Morrison (2022): Two bloom forming species of Ulva (Chlorophyta) show different responses to seawater temperature, and no antagonistic interaction. Journal of Phycology. https://doi.org/10.1111/jpy.13302
S. Akita, C. Vieira, T. Hanyuda, F. Rousseau, C. Cruaud, A. Couloux, S. Heesch, J.M. Cock & H. Kawai (2022): Providing a phylogenetic framework for trait-based analyses in brown algae: phylogenomic tree inferred from 32 nuclear protein-coding sequences. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2022.107408
2021
S. Heesch, M. Serrano-Serrano, J. Barrera-Redondo, R. Luthringer, A.F. Peters, C. Destombe, J.M. Cock, M. Valero, D. Roze, N. Salamin, S.M. Coelho (2021): Evolution of life cycles and reproductive traits: insights from the brown algae. Journal of Evolutionary Biology. https://doi.org/10.1111/jeb.13880
M.Y. Roleda & S. Heesch (2021): Chemical profiling of Ulva species for food applications: what is in a name? Food Chemistry. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2021.130084
K. Franke, D. Liesner, S. Heesch & I. Bartsch (2021): Looks can be deceiving: Contrasting temperature characteristics of two morphologically similar kelp species co-occurring in the Arctic. Botanica Marina. https://doi.org/10.1515/bot-2021-0014
S. Heesch, J.E. Sutherland, S. Ringham & W.A. Nelson (2021): Ulva (Ulvales, Chlorophyta) from Manawatāwhi / Three Kings Islands, New Zealand: Ulva piritoka sp. nov. and records of two non-native species, U. compressa and U. rigida. Cryptogamie, Algologie 42(9): 129-140. https://doi.org/10.5252/cryptogamie-algologie2021v42a9
2020
S. Heesch, F. Rindi, M.D. Guiry & W.A. Nelson (2020): Molecular phylogeny and taxonomic reassessment of the genus Cladostephus (Sphacelariales, Phaeophyceae). European Journal of Phycology 55: 426-443. https://doi.org/10.1080/09670262.2020.1740947
R. Bermejo, M. MacMonagail, S. Heesch, A. Mendes, M. Edwards, O. Fenton, K. Knöller, E. Daly & L. Morrison (2020): The arrival of a red invasive seaweed to a nutrient over-enriched estuary increases the spatial extent of macroalgal blooms. Marine Environmental Research 158. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marenvres.2020.104944
2019
S. Hofer, A. Hartmann, M. Orfanoudaki, H. Ngoc Nguyen, M. Nagl, U. Karsten, S. Heesch & M. Ganzera (2019): Development and validation of an HPLC method for the quantitative analysis of bromophenolic compounds in the red alga Vertebrata lanosa. Marine Drugs 17(12), 675; doi.org/10.3390/md17120675
R. Bermejo, S. Heesch, M. Mac Monagle, M. O’Donnell, E. Daly, R.J. Wilkes & L. Morrison (2019): Spatial and temporal variability of biomass and composition of green tides in Ireland. Harmful Algae 8: 94-105.
2018
M.A. Carson, J. Nelson, M.L. Cancela, V. Laizé, P.J. Gavaia, M. Rae, S. Heesch, E. Verzin, B. Gilmore & S.A. Clarke (2018): Screening for osteogenic activity in extracts from Irish marine organisms: The potential of Ceramium pallidum. PLoS ONE 13(11): e0207303. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0207303
L.C. Hofmann & S. Heesch (2018): Latitudinal trends in stable isotope signatures and carbon concentrating mechanisms of northeast Atlantic rhodoliths. Biogeosciences Discussions: https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-2017-399
M. Bernard, M. Strittmatter, P. Murúa, S. Heesch, G.Y. Cho, C. Leblanc & A.F. Peters (2018): Diversity, biogeography and host specificity of kelp endophytes with a focus on the genera Laminarionema and Laminariocolax (Ectocarpales, Phaeophyceae). European Journal of Phycology, doi: 10.1080/09670262.2018.1502816
M.A. Carson, J. Nelson, M.L. Cancela, V. Laizé, P.J. Gavaia, M. Rae, S. Heesch, E. Verzin, C.A. Maggs, B. Gilmore & S.A. Clarke (2018): Extracts from the red algal species Plocamium lyngbyanum and Ceramium secundatum stimulate osteogenic activities: response of mesenchymal stem cells and bone growth in larval zebrafish. Scientific Reports 8: 7725.
2017
I. Biancarosa, I. Belghit, C.G. Bruckner, N.S. Liland, R. Waagbø, H. Amlund, S. Heesch & E.J. Lock (2017): Chemical characterization of 21 species of marine macroalgae common in Norwegian waters: benefits of and limitations to their potential use in food and feed. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, doi: 10.1002/jsfa.8798
I. Belghit, J.D. Rasinger, S. Heesch, I. Biancarosa, N.S. Liland, B. Torstensen, R. Waagbø, E.J. Lock & C.G. Bruckner (2017): In-depth metabolic profiling of marine macroalgae confirms strong biochemical differences between brown, red and green algae. Algal Research 26: 240-249.
S.M. Dittami, S. Heesch, J.L. Olsen & J. Collén (2017): Transitions between marine and freshwater environments provide new clues about the origins of multicellular plants and algae. Journal of Phycology 53: 731-745.
A.P. Lipinska, N.R.T. Toda, S. Heesch, A.F. Peters, J.M. Cock & S.M. Coelho (2017): Multiple gene movements into and out of haploid sex chromosomes. Genome Biology 18: 104-118.
K. Sjøtun, S. Heesch, J.R. Lluch, R.M. Martín, A. Gómez Garreta, A.K. Brysting & J.A. Coyer (2017): Unravelling the complexity of salt marsh ‘Fucus cottonii’ forms (Phaeophyceae, Fucales). European Journal of Phycology 52: 360-370.
A. Wan, R. Wilkes, S. Heesch, R. Bermejo, M. Johnson & L. Morrison (2017): What can sea lettuce tell us about coastal pollution? Environmental Science Journal for Teens: http://www.sciencejournalforkids.org/science-articles/what-can-sea-lettuce-tell-us-about-coastal-pollution
A.H.L. Wan, R.J. Wilkes, S. Heesch, R. Bermejo, M. Johnson & L. Morrison (2017): Assessment and Charaterisation of Ireland's green tides (Ulva species). PLoS ONE 12(1): e0169049. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0169049
S. Bourdareau, L. Mignerot, S. Heesch, A.F. Peters, S.M. Coelho & J.M. Cock (2017): Alternation of Generations in Plants and Algae. In: L. Nuno de la Rosa,& G. Müller (eds): Evolutionary Developmental Biology. A Reference Guide. Springer, Schweiz.
2016 and earlier
I. Biancarosa, M. Espe, C.G. Bruckner, S. Heesch, N.S. Liland, R. Waagbø, B. Torstensen & E.J. Lock (2016): Amino acid composition, protein content, and nitrigen-to-protein conversion factors of 21 seaweed species from Norwegian waters. Journal of Applied Phycology 29(2): 1001-1009.
T. Hanyuda, S. Heesch, W.A. Nelson, J.E. Sutherland, S. Arai, S.M. Boo & H. Kawai (2016): Genetic diversity and biogeography of native and introduced populations of Ulva pertusa (Ulvales, Chlorophyta). Phycological Research 64 (2): 102-109.
S. Heesch, M. Pažoutová, M.B.J. Moniz & F. Rindi (2016): Prasiolales (Trebouxiophyceae, Chlorophyta) of the Svalbard Archipelago: diversity, biogeography, and description of the new genera Prasionella and Prasionema. European Journal of Phycology 51: 171-187.
J.J. Hernández-Kantún, F. Rindi, W. Adey, S. Heesch, V. Peña & P.W. Gabrielson (2015): Sequencing type material resolves the identity and distribution of the generitype Lithophyllum incrustans, and related European species L. hibernicum and L. bathyporum (Corallinales, Rhodophyta). Journal of Phycology 51: 791–807.
R. Rautenberger, P.A. Fernandez, M. Strittmatter, S. Heesch, C.E. Cornwall, C.L. Hurd & M.Y. Roleda (2015): Saturating light and not increased carbon dioxide under ocean acidification drives photosynthesis and growth in Ulva rigida (Chlorophyta). Ecology & Evolution 5: 874-888.
C.M.M. Gachon, S. Heesch, F.C. Küpper, U.E.M. Achilles-Day, D. Brennan, C.N. Campbell, A. Clarke, R.G. Dorrell, J. Field, S. Gontarek, C. Rad-Menendez, R.J. Saxon, A. Veszelovszki, M.D. Guiry, K. Gharbi, M. Blaxter & J.G. Day (2013): The CCAP KnowledgeBase: linking protistan and cyanobacterial biological resources with taxonomic and molecular data. Systematics and Biodiversity 11: 407–413.
M. Strittmatter, C.M.M. Gachon, D.G. Müller, J. Kleinteich, S. Heesch, A. Tsirigoti, C. Katsaros, M. Kostopoulou & F.C. Küpper (2013): New records of intracellular eukaryotic pathogens challenging brown macroalgae in the East Mediterranean Sea, with emphasis on LSU rRNA data of the oomycete pathogen Eurychasma dicksonii. Diseases of Aquatic Organisms 104: 1-11.
S. Heesch, J.G. Day, T. Yamagishi, H. Kawai, D.G. Müller & F.C. Küpper (2012): Cryo-preservation of the model alga Ectocarpus (Phaeophyceae). CryoLetters 33 (5): 327-336.
S. Heesch, J.E. Sutherland & W.A. Nelson (2012): Marine Prasiolales (Trebouxiophyceae, Chlorophyta) from New Zealand and the Balleny Islands, with descriptions of Prasiola novaezelandiae sp. nov. and Rosenvingiella australis sp. nov.. Phycologia 51: 217-227.
J.M. Cock et al. (2012): The Ectocarpus Genome and Brown Algal Genomics. Chapter 5. Advances in Botanical Research, Vol. 64: 141-184.
J.M. Cock et al. (2010): The Ectocarpus genome and the independent evolution of multicellularity in the brown algae. Nature 465: 617-621.
S.M. Coelho, S. Heesch, N. Grimsley, H. Moreau & J.M. Cock (2010): Genomics of Marine Algae: In: J.M. Cock, K. Tessmar-Raible, C. Boyen & F. Viard (egs.): Introduction to Marine Genomics. Springer. p. 179-211.
S. Heesch, G.Y. Cho, A.F. Peters, G. Le Corguillé, C. Falentin, G. Boutet, S. Cöedel, E. Corre, S.M. Coelho & J.M. Cock (2010): A sequence-tagged genetic map for the brown alga Ectocarpus siliculosus provides large-scale assembly of the genome sequence. New Phytologist 188: 42-51.
S. Heesch, J.E.S. Broom, K.F. Neill, T.J. Farr, J.L. Dalen & W.A. Nelson (2009): Ulva, Umbraulva and Gemina: genetic survey of New Zealand Ulvaceae reveals diversity and introduced species. European Journal of Phycology 44: 143-154
S. Heesch, A.F. Peters, J.E.S. Broom & C.L. Hurd (2008): Affiliation of the parasitic brown alga Herpodiscus durvillaeae with the Sphacelariales based on DNA sequence comparisons and morphological observations. European Journal of Phycology 43(3): 283-295.
S. Heesch & A.F. Peters (1999): Scanning electron microscopy observation of host entry by two brown algae endophytic in Laminaria saccharina (Laminariales, Phaeophyceae). Phycological Research 47: 1-5.
