Philippe Constant

Associate Professor,
INRS

E-mail: philippe.constant@iaf.inrs.ca
Institution page
Personal page




Education

  • Postdoc. Biogeochemistry, Biogeochemistry and Microbiology, Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, 2008
  • Doctorate, Biology, Environmental Microbiology, INRS-Institute Armand Frappier, 2004
  • Bachelor's, Biological Sciences, Microbiology and immunology, Université de Montréal


Research

Our research group is interested in the biogeochemical cycle of the trace gases that are either directly or indirectly constraining the Earth’s energy balance. The objective of our research includes the identification of the microorganisms controlling atmospheric trace gas budgets and the analysis of the impact of global change on microbial biogeochemistry. Microorganisms demonstrating the ability to oxidize atmospheric trace gases have evolved unusual metabolic pathways involving enzymes displaying high substrate affinity. In some bacteria, the scavenging of atmospheric trace gases provides an alternative energy source supplying maintenance energy requirements or secondary metabolites synthesis. An assessment of the potential biotechnological applications of these microorganisms is also part of the research agenda of our team. The research is organized to shed light on these questions of fundamental interest:
  • Which microorganisms oxidize atmospheric trace gases? What are the environmental factors influencing their distribution and their activity?
  • Will the microorganisms maintain their role in mitigating anthropogenic trace gas emissions?
  • Are there environmental management strategies to preserve or stimulate the biogeochemical functions?
  • Is the exploitation of microorganisms consuming trace gases an efficient approach to increase the production yield of secondary metabolites, biodegradation and other bioprocesses?


QCBS students

Xavier Baril

Ph.D.
Other (co-)supervisor: Maritza Volel, Collège Montmorency
(Start: 2021, End: 2025)
Caractérisation et activation des bactéries oxydant l’hydrogène dans un contexte d’agriculture durable

Marie Bonduelle

Ph.D.
(Start: 2022)
Valorisation of greenhouse lignocellulosic waste into mycelium-based composite materials

Emilien DI ROSA

Ph.D.
(Start: 2022)
Portrait of the spread of the tomato brown rough fruit virus (ToBRFV) in Quebec and implementation of control measures

Apolline Maurin

Ph.D.
(Start: 2021)
Other QCBS (co-)supervisor: Claude Guertin
The role of biotic and abiotic determinants on microbial communities associated with Conophthorus coniperda
Personal page

Previous students (since 2009)

Thibault BOURDIN

Ph.D.
Other (co-)supervisor: Eric Déziel, INRS-IAF
(Start: 2018, End: 2022)
Sink environment : A source of nosocomial infections in neonatal intensive care units

Anne de la Porte

Ph.D.
(Start: 2017, End: 2021)
Other QCBS (co-)supervisor: Etienne Yergeau
Caractérisation des restructurations taxonomiques et fonctionnelles spécifiquement induites par le statut Hup- du pois Pisum sativum dans la rhizosphère et détermination de l'effet rétroactif du sol a

Nejia Lassoued

Ph.D.
(Start: 2016, End: 2020)
Other QCBS (co-)supervisor: Claude Guertin
Impact of biotic and abiotic pressures on the microbial community within the larch beetle holobiont, Dendroctonus simplex LeConte

Judith Mogouong

Ph.D.
(Start: 2017, End: 2021)
Other QCBS (co-)supervisor: Claude Guertin
Modulation of microbial community associated to a host influenced by biotic and abiotic stresses

Asma Jaba

M.Sc.
(Start: 2016, End: 2018)
Other QCBS (co-)supervisor: Claude Guertin
Analyse de la fine structure de « l’interactome » des communautés microbiennes associées aux aliments pour améliorer la sécurité et la qualité alimentaire

Josiann Normandeau-Guimond

M.Sc.
Other (co-)supervisor: Isabelle Dusfour, Institut Pasteur Guyane
(Start: 2018, End: 2020)
Other QCBS (co-)supervisor: Claude Guertin
Dysbiosis Induction in Aedes aegypti to reduce Virus Transmission Efficacy: from natural microbiome diversity to lab experiments

Examples of species studied

Dendroctonus simplex
Streptomycetes
Agrilus planipennis
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Stenotrophomonas maltophilia


Publications

61- Disinfection of sink drains to reduce a source of three opportunistic pathogens, during Serratia marcescens clusters in a neonatal intensive care unit
Journal Article
Bourdin T , Benoit M , Prévost M , Charron D , Quach C , Déziel E , Constant P , Bédard E ,
2024 PLoS ONE (Date Added: 2024-06-17)

60- How tree traits modulate tree methane fluxes: A review
Journal Article
Moisan M , Lajoie G , Constant P , Martineau C , Maire V ,
2024 Science of the Total Environment (Date Added: 2024-06-10)

59- High-Throughput Short Sequence Typing Schemes for Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia Pure Culture and Environmental DNA
Journal Article
Bourdin T , Benoit M , Bédard E , Prévost M , Quach C , Déziel E , Constant P ,
2024 Microorganisms (Date Added: 2024-01-31)

58- Carbon amendments in soil microcosms induce uneven response on H2 oxidation activity and microbial community composition
Journal Article
Baril X , Constant P ,
2023 FEMS microbiology ecology (Date Added: 2023-12-24)

57- Iron and Nickel Supplementation Exerts a Significant Positive Effect on the Hydrogen and Methane Production from Organic Solid Waste in a Two-Stage Digestion
Journal Article
Salazar-Batres K J , Durand A , Constant P , Moreno-Andrade I ,
2023 Bioenergy Research (Date Added: 2023-10-02)

56- Serratia marcescens Colonization in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Has Multiple Sources, with Sink Drains as a Major Reservoir
Journal Article
Bourdin T , Benoit M , Monnier A , Bédard E , Prévost M , Charron D , Audy N , Gravel S , Sicard M , Quach C , Déziel E , Constant P ,
2023 Applied and Environmental Microbiology (Date Added: 2023-07-03)

55- Early season soil microbiome best predicts wheat grain quality
Journal Article
Asad N I , Wang X , Dozois J , Azarbad H , Constant P , Yergeau E ,
2023 FEMS Microbiology Ecology (Date Added: 2023-05-20)

54- The forecasting power of the microbiome
Journal Article
Correa-Garcia S , Constant P , Yergeau E ,
2022 Trends in Microbiology (Date Added: 2022-12-31)

53- Expansion of the global RNA virome reveals diverse clades of bacteriophages
Journal Article
Neri U , Wolf Y I , Roux S , Camargo A P , Lee B , Kazlauskas D , Chen I M , Ivanova N , Zeigler Allen L , Paez-Espino D , Bryant D A , Bhaya D , Krupovic M , Dolja V V , Kyrpides N C , Koonin E V , Gophna U , Narrowe A B , Probst A J , Sczyrba A , Kohler A , Séguin A , Shade A , Campbell B J , Lindahl B D , Reese B K , Roque B M , DeRito C , Averill C , Cullen D , Beck D A , Walsh D A , Ward D M , Wu D , Eloe-Fadrosh E , Brodie E L , Young E B , Lilleskov E A , Castillo F J , Martin F M , LeCleir G R , Attwood G T , Cadillo-Quiroz H , Simon H M , Hewson I , Grigoriev I V , Tiedje J M , Jansson J K , Lee J , VanderGheynst J S , Dangl J , Bowman J S , Blanchard J L , Bowen J L , Xu J , Banfield J F , Deming J W , Kostka J E , Gladden J M , Rapp J Z , Sharpe J , McMahon K D , Treseder K K , Bidle K D , Wrighton K C , Thamatrakoln K , Nusslein K , Meredith L K , Ramirez L , Buee M , Huntemann M , Kalyuzhnaya M G , Waldrop M P , Sullivan M B , Schrenk M O , Hess M , Vega M A , O’Malley M A , Medina M , Gilbert N E , Delherbe N , Mason O U , Dijkstra P , Chuckran P F , Baldrian P , Constant P , Stepanauskas R , Daly R A , Lamendella R , Gruninger R J , McKay R M , Hylander S , Lebeis S L , Esser S P , Acinas S G , Wilhelm S S , Singer S W , Tringe S S , Woyke T , Reddy T , Bell T H , Mock T , McAllister T , Thiel V , Denef V J , Liu W , Martens-Habbena W , Allen Liu X , Cooper Z S , Wang Z ,
2022 Cell (Date Added: 2022-10-28)

52- The biological sink of atmospheric H2 is more sensitive to spatial variation of microbial diversity than N2O and CO2 emissions in a winter cover crop field trial
Journal Article
Baril X , Durand A , Srei N , Lamothe S , Provost C , Martineau C , Dunfield K , Constant P ,
2022 Science of the Total Environment (Date Added: 2022-03-30)

51- Predictive microbial-based modelling of wheat yields and grain baking quality across a 500 km transect in Québec
Journal Article
,
2022 FEMS microbiology ecology (Date Added: 2022-03-24)

50- A high-throughput short sequence typing scheme for serratia marcescens pure culture and environmental dna
Journal Article
Bourdin T , Monnier A , Benoit M , Bédard E , Prévost M , Quach C , Déziel E , Constant P ,
2021 Applied and Environmental Microbiology (Date Added: 2022-03-30)

49- Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates defective in function of the LasR quorum sensing regulator are frequent in diverse environmental niches
Journal Article
Groleau M , Taillefer H , Vincent A T , Constant P , Déziel E ,
2021 Environmental Microbiology (Date Added: 2021-09-15)

48- The phyllosphere microbiome of host trees contributes more than leaf phytochemicals to variation in the Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire gut microbiome structure
Journal Article
Mogouong J , Constant P , Legendre P , Guertin C ,
2021 Scientific Reports (Date Added: 2021-08-16)

47- Author Correction: A genomic catalog of Earth’s microbiomes (Nature Biotechnology, (2020), 10.1038/s41587-020-0718-6)
Journal Erratum
Nayfach S , , Roux S , Seshadri R , Udwary D , Varghese N , Schulz F , Wu D , Paez-Espino D , Chen I , Huntemann M , Palaniappan K , Ladau J , Mukherjee S , Reddy T B K , Nielsen T , Kirton E , Faria J P , Edirisinghe J N , Henry C S , Jungbluth S P , Chivian D , Dehal P , Wood-Charlson E M , Arkin A P , Tringe S G , Visel A , Woyke T , Mouncey N J , Ivanova N N , Kyrpides N C , Eloe-Fadrosh E A ,
2021 Nature Biotechnology (Date Added: 2021-04-13)

46- Field H2 infusion alters bacterial and archaeal communities but not fungal communities nor nitrogen cycle gene abundance
Journal Article
,
2020 Soil Biology and Biochemistry (Date Added: 2020-12-19)

45- Publisher Correction: A genomic catalog of Earth’s microbiomes (Nature Biotechnology, (2020), 10.1038/s41587-020-0718-6)
Journal Erratum
Nayfach S , , Roux S , Seshadri R , Udwary D , Varghese N , Schulz F , Wu D , Paez-Espino D , Chen I , Huntemann M , Palaniappan K , Ladau J , Mukherjee S , Reddy T B K , Nielsen T , Kirton E , Faria J P , Edirisinghe J N , Henry C S , Jungbluth S P , Chivian D , Dehal P , Wood-Charlson E M , Arkin A P , Tringe S G , Visel A , Woyke T , Mouncey N J , Ivanova N N , Kyrpides N C , Eloe-Fadrosh E A ,
2020 Nature Biotechnology (Date Added: 2020-11-27)

44- A genomic catalog of Earth’s microbiomes
Journal Article
Nayfach S , , Roux S , Seshadri R , Udwary D , Varghese N , Schulz F , Wu D , Paez-Espino D , Chen I , Huntemann M , Palaniappan K , Ladau J , Mukherjee S , Reddy T B K , Nielsen T , Kirton E , Faria J P , Edirisinghe J N , Henry C S , Jungbluth S P , Chivian D , Dehal P , Wood-Charlson E M , Arkin A P , Tringe S G , Visel A , Woyke T , Mouncey N J , Ivanova N N , Kyrpides N C , Eloe-Fadrosh E A ,
2020 Nature Biotechnology (Date Added: 2020-11-16)

43- Gut microbiome of the emerald ash borer, Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire, and its relationship with insect population density
Journal Article
Mogouong J , Constant P , Lavallée R , Guertin C ,
2020 FEMS microbiology ecology (Date Added: 2020-08-01)

42- Natural Variation in Physicochemical Profiles and Bacterial Communities Associated with Aedes aegypti Breeding Sites and Larvae on Guadeloupe and French Guiana
Journal Article
Hery L , Guidez A , Durand A , Delannay C , Normandeau-Guimond J , Reynaud Y , Issaly J , Goindin D , Legrave G , Gustave J , Raffestin S , Breurec S , Constant P , Dusfour I , Guertin C , Vega-Rúa A ,
2020 Microbial Ecology (Date Added: 2020-07-15)

41- Gamma irradiation triggers a global stress response in Escherichia coli O157:H7 including base and nucleotides excision repair pathways
Journal Article
Gaougaou G , Shankar S , Liot Q , Constant P , Déziel E , Lacroix M ,
2020 Microbial Pathogenesis (Date Added: 2020-06-28)

40- Biological H2 and CO oxidation activities are sensitive to compositional change of soil microbial communities
Journal Article
Saavedra-Lavoie J , de la Porte A , Piché-Choquette S , Guertin C , Constant P ,
2020 Canadian journal of microbiology (Date Added: 2020-04-07)

39- A Gaseous Milieu: Extending the Boundaries of the Rhizosphere
Journal Article
de la Porte A , Schmidt R , Yergeau ,
2020 Trends in Microbiology (Date Added: 2020-03-31)

38- Physiological traits and relative abundance of species as explanatory variables of co-occurrence pattern of cultivable bacteria associated with chia seeds
Journal Article
Jaba A , Dagher F , Hamidi Oskouei A M , Guertin C , Constant P ,
2019 Canadian Journal of Microbiology (Date Added: 2019-09-17)

37- Identification of factors affecting bacterial abundance and community structures in a full-scale chlorinated drinking water distribution system
Journal Article
Dias V , Durand A , Constant P , Prévost M , Bédard E ,
2019 Water (Switzerland) (Date Added: 2019-05-13)

36- Molecular Hydrogen, a Neglected Key Driver of Soil Biogeochemical Processes
Journal Article
Piché-Choquette S , Constant P ,
2019 Applied and environmental microbiology (Date Added: 2019-03-24)

35- The symbiotic complex of Dendroctonus simplex: Implications in the beetle attack and its life cycle
Journal Article
Durand A , Constant P , Déziel E , Guertin C ,
2019 Bulletin of Entomological Research (Date Added: 2019-03-08)

34- Soil bacterial community associated with high potato production and minimal water use
Journal Article
Gumiere T , Gumiere S J , Matteau J , Constant P , Létourneau G , Rousseau A N ,
2019 Frontiers in Environmental Science (Date Added: 2019-01-29)

33- Water stress history and wheat genotype modulate rhizosphere microbial response to drought
Journal Article
Azarbad H , Constant P , Giard-Laliberté C , Bainard L D , Yergeau E ,
2018 Soil Biology and Biochemistry (Date Added: 2018-10-22)

32- Meta-omics survey of [NiFe]-hydrogenase genes fails to capture drastic variations in H2-oxidation activity measured in three soils exposed to H2
Journal Article
Khdhiri M , Piché-Choquette S , Tremblay J , Tringe S G , Constant P ,
2018 Soil Biology and Biochemistry (Date Added: 2018-08-05)

31- Dose-response relationships between environmentally-relevant H2concentrations and the biological sinks of H2, CH4and CO in soil
Journal Article
Piché-Choquette S , Khdhiri M , Constant P ,
2018 Soil Biology and Biochemistry (Date Added: 2018-05-28)

30- Strain-level genetic diversity of Methylophaga nitratireducenticrescens confers plasticity to denitrification capacity in a methylotrophic marine denitrifying biofilm
Journal Article
Geoffroy V , Payette G , Mauffrey F , Lestin L , Constant P , Villemur R ,
2018 PeerJ (Date Added: 2018-05-02)

29- Denitrifying metabolism of the methylotrophic marine bacterium Methylophaga nitratireducenticrescens strain JAM1
Journal Article
Mauffrey F , Cucaita A , Constant P , Villemur R ,
2017 PeerJ (Date Added: 2017-12-13)

28- Survey of High-Affinity H2-Oxidizing Bacteria in Soil Reveals Their Vast Diversity Yet Underrepresentation in Genomic Databases
Journal Article
Piché-Choquette S , Khdhiri M , Constant P ,
2017 Microbial Ecology (Date Added: 2017-06-28)

27- The tale of a neglected energy source: Elevated hydrogen exposure affects both microbial diversity and function in soil
Journal Article
Khdhiri M , Piché-Choquette S , Tremblay J , Tringe S G , Constant P ,
2017 Applied and Environmental Microbiology (Date Added: 2017-06-12)

26- Detection and isolation of plant-associated bacteria scavenging atmospheric molecular hydrogen
Journal Article
Kanno, M, Constant, P, Tamaki, H, Kamagata, Y
2016 Environmental Microbiology (Date Added: 2017-03-27)

25- H2-saturation of high affinity H2-oxidizing bacteria alters the ecological niche of soil microorganisms unevenly among taxonomic groups
Journal Article
Piché-Choquette, S, Tremblay, J, Tringe, SG, Constant, P
2016 PeerJ (Date Added: 2017-03-27)

24- Towards the development of multifunctional molecular indicators combining soil biogeochemical and microbiological variables to predict the ecological integrity of silvicultural practices
Journal Article
Peck, V, Quiza, L, Buffet, J-P, Khdhiri, M, Durand, A-A, Paquette, A, Thiffault, N, Messier, C, Beaulieu, N, Guertin, C, Constant, P
2016 Microbial Biotechnology (Date Added: 2017-03-27)

21- Surveying the endomicrobiome and ectomicrobiome of bark beetles: The case of Dendroctonus simplex
Journal Article
Durand, A-A, Bergeron, A, Constant, P, Buffet, J-P, Déziel, E, Guertin, C
2015 Scientific Reports (Date Added: 2017-03-29)

20- Soil carbon content and relative abundance of high affinity H2-oxidizing bacteria predict atmospheric H2 soil uptake activity better than soil microbial community composition
Journal Article
Khdhiri, M, Hesse, L, Popa, ME, Quiza, L, Lalonde, I, Meredith, LK, Röckmann, T, Constant, P
2015 Soil Biology and Biochemistry (Date Added: 2017-03-29)

19- Atmospheric hydrogen scavenging: From enzymes to ecosystems
Journal Article
Greening, C, Constant, P, Hards, K, Morales, SE, Oakeshott, JG, Russell, RJ, Taylor, MC, Berney, M, Conrad, R, Cookb, GM
2015 Applied and Environmental Microbiology (Date Added: 2017-03-29)

18- Land-use influences the distribution and activity of high affinity CO-oxidizing bacteria associated to type I-coxL genotype in soil
Journal Article
Quiza, L, Lalonde, I, Guertin, C, Constant, P
2014 Frontiers in Microbiology (Date Added: 2017-03-29)

17- Toxicity survey of Canadian Arctic marine sediments
Journal Article
Canário, J, Poissant, L, Pilote, M, Blaise, C, Constant, P, Férard, J-F, Gagné, F
2014 Journal of Soils and Sediments (Date Added: 2017-03-29)

16- Hydrogenase
Book Chapter
Constant, P, Hallenbeck, PC
2013 Biohydrogen (Date Added: 2017-03-29)

15- The fate of mercury in Arctic terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, a review
Journal Article
Douglas, TA, Loseto, LL, MacDonald, RW, Outridge, P, Dommergue, A, Poulain, A, Amyot, M, Barkay, T, Berg, T, Chetelat, J, Constant, P, Evans, M, Ferrari, C, Gantner, N, Johnson, MS, Kirk, J, Kroer, N, Larose, C, Lean, D, Nielsen, TG, Poissant, L, Rognerud, S, Skov, H, Sørensen, S, Wang, F, Wilson, S, Zdanowicz, CM
2012 Environmental Chemistry (Date Added: 2017-03-29)

14- Co-localization of atmospheric H2 oxidation activity and high affinity H2-oxidizing bacteria in non-axenic soil and sterile soil amended with Streptomyces sp. PCB7
Journal Article
Constant, P, Chowdhury, SP, Hesse, L, Conrad, R
2011 Soil Biology and Biochemistry (Date Added: 2017-03-29)

13- Genome data mining and soil survey for the novel group 5 [NiFe]-hydrogenase to explore the diversity and ecological importance of presumptive high-affinity H 2-oxidizing bacteria
Journal Article
Constant, P, Chowdhury, SP, Hesse, L, Pratscher, J, Conrad, R
2011 Applied and Environmental Microbiology (Date Added: 2017-03-29)

12- Streptomycetes contributing to atmospheric molecular hydrogen soil uptake are widespread and encode a putative high-affinity [NiFe]-hydrogenase
Journal Article
Constant, P, Chowdhury, SP, Pratscher, J, Conrad, R
2010 Environmental Microbiology (Date Added: 2017-03-29)

11- Tropospheric H2 budget and the response of its soil uptake under the changing environment
Journal Article
Constant, P, Poissant, L, Villemur, R
2009 Science of the Total Environment (Date Added: 2017-03-29)

10- Isolation of Streptomyces sp. PCB7, the first microorganism demonstrating high-affinity uptake of tropospheric H2
Journal Article
Constant, P, Poissant, L, Villemur, R
2008 ISME Journal (Date Added: 2017-03-29)

9- Critical review of mercury fates and contamination in the arctic tundra ecosystem
Journal Article
Poissant, L, Zhang, HH, Canário, J, Constant, P
2008 Science of the Total Environment (Date Added: 2017-03-29)

8- Annual hydrogen, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide concentrations and surface to air exchanges in a rural area (Québec, Canada)
Journal Article
Constant, P, Poissant, L, Villemur, R
2008 Atmospheric Environment (Date Added: 2017-03-29)

7- The ebullition of hydrogen, carbon monoxide, methane, carbon dioxide and total gaseous mercury from the Cornwall Area of Concern
Journal Article
Poissant, L, Constant, P, Pilote, M, Canário, J, O'Driscoll, N, Ridal, J, Lean, D
2007 Science of the Total Environment (Date Added: 2017-03-29)

6- Fate of inorganic mercury and methyl mercury within the snow cover in the low arctic tundra on the shore of Hudson Bay (Québec, Canada)
Journal Article
Constant, P, Poissant, L, Villemur, R, Yumvihoze, E, Lean, D
2007 Journal of Geophysical Research Atmospheres (Date Added: 2017-03-29)

5- Heterogeneity between 16S ribosomal RNA gene copies borne by one Desulfitobacterium strain is caused by different 100-200 bp insertions in the 5′ region
Journal Article
Villemur, R, Constant, P, Gauthier, A, Shareck, M, Beaudet, R
2007 Canadian Journal of Microbiology (Date Added: 2017-03-29)

4- Abiotic source of reactive organic halogens in the sub-arctic atmosphere?
Journal Article
Carpenter, LJ, Hopkins, JR, Jones, CE, Lewis, AC, Parthipan, R, Wevill, DJ, Poissant, L, Pilote, M, Constant, P
2005 Environmental Science and Technology (Date Added: 2017-03-29)

2- A year of continuous measurements of three atmospheric mercury species (GEM, RGM and Hgp) in southern Québec, Canada
Journal Article
Poissant, L, Pilote, M, Beauvais, C, Constant, P, Zhang, HH
2005 Atmospheric Environment (Date Added: 2017-03-29)

1- Mercury gas exchanges over selected bare soil and flooded sites in the bay St. François wetlands (Québec, Canada)
Journal Article
Poissant, L, Pilote, M, Constant, P, Beauvais, C, Zhang, HH, Xu, X
2004 Atmospheric Environment (Date Added: 2017-03-29)