e-mail: rtuekamk@ulb.ac.be

ResearchGate profile

Post-doctoral project

Molecular taxonomy of underground crustaceans of Cameroon

Supervisor: Jean-François Flot

Previous work on Cameroonian groundwater has shown that it contains many stygobiont organisms, of which crustaceans represent a significant proportion. Although these studies highlight the current taxonomic handicap in Cameroon, they also suggest that this fauna contains many new species for science, most of them cryptic (i.e. impossible or very difficult to distinguish from a morphological point of view). The use of molecular taxonomy and "DNA barcoding" techniques is therefore essential to characterize aquifers and help water managers make better use of this invaluable resource.

The objective of my work at ULB is:

1. •to use molecular methods to delineate and identify species of groundwater crustaceans using the haploweb approach among others;
   

2. •to implement molecular approaches to analyze intra-specific variation due to polymorphism;
   

3. •to compare newly obtained sequences to sequences already available in international databases;
   

4. •to perform molecular phylogenetic analyses of the genetic information using bioinformatic tools.
   

Thesis

Faunistic biotypology test of the groundwater of some localities of the Central and Littoral regions of Cameroon: influence of some biotic factors

Supervisors: Prof. Moïse Nola & Prof. Serge Hubert Zebaze Togouet - University of Yaounde 1, Cameroon

areas of interest: Biodiversity of invertebrates - Molecular approaches to species delimitation - Molecular systematic - Genome assembly - Experimental evolution - Genome evolution

Selected publications

Zébazé Togouet SH, Tuekam Kayo RP, Boutin C, Nola M, Foto Menbohan S (2011) Impact de la pression anthropique sur l’eau et la faune aquatique des puits et sources de la région de Yaoundé (Cameroun, Afrique Centrale). Bulletin de la Société d'histoire naturelle de Toulouse 147, 27-41.

Tuekam Kayo RP, Marmonier P, Zébazé Togouet SH, Nola M, Piscart C (2012) An annotated checklist of freshwater stygobiotic crustaceans of Africa and Madagascar. Crustaceana 85, 1613-1631.

Dakwen JP, Zébazé Togouet SH, Tuekam Kayo RP, et al. (2015) Physico-chemistry characterization and zooplankton specific diversity of two fishponds in Yaoundé (Cameroon, Central Africa). Journal of Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences 6, 16-30.

De Grave S, Piscart C, Tuekam Kayo RP, Anker A (2017) A new groundwater-dwelling species of Euryrhynchina from Cameroon (Malacostraca, Decapoda, Euryrhynchidae). Zootaxa 4254, 120-126.

Educational background

1. •Ph.D. in Hydrobiology and Environment (2013, University of Yaoundé 1)
   

2. •M.Sc. degree in Hydrobiology and Environment (2008, University of Yaoundé 1)