In this thesis, we address three main security problems related to cryptography andcloud storage. To tackle the challenge posed by a quantum computer, we needencryption that is resistant to quantum computers. This category of cryptographyis called post-quantum cryptography. In the first paper, we solve a challengein one of the lattice-based cryptographic protocols called Nth-degree Truncatedpolyno

In which watershed is your field site located? What is the bedrock underneath yourinterlocutors like? What species other than humans are living in your study areas? The question of ‘where is the ecology’ is not new in political ecology, but the imperative to take ecology seriously remains difficult and at the same time crucial when conducting critical research at a time of climate crisis, extracti

Sugar beet molasses is a low-value byproduct from the sugar industry. It contains significant amounts of sucrose (approx. 50% (w/w)), which can be used for many different applications, for example, as feedstock for the production of fuel (as ethanol) and biobased chemicals such as 5-hydoxymethyl furfural (HMF). To produce platform chemicals, sucrose is hydrolyzed into its monomeric C6 sugars: gluc

Revegetation of the tailings dumps produced by various industrial activities is necessary to prevent dust storms and erosion and represents a great challenge for ecological restoration. Little is known about the microbial colonisation and community structure of revegetated tailings following site exploitation. Here, we report the sequencing of 16S rRNA and internal transcribed spacer (ITS) fungal

Although current Hg emissions from industrial activities may be accurately monitored, evidence of past releases to the atmosphere must rely on one or more environmental proxies. We used Hg concentrations in tree cores collected from poplars and willows to investigate the historical changes of Hg emissions from a dredged sediment landfill and compared them to a nearby control location. Our results

Characterization of microbial communities in stressful conditions at a field level is rather scarce, especially when considering fungal communities from aboveground habitats. We aimed at characterizing fungal communities from different poplar habitats at a Hg-contaminated phytomanagement site by using Illumina-based sequencing, network analysis approach, and direct isolation of Hg-resistant fungal

Industrial waste dumps are rarely colonized by vegetation after they have been abandoned, indicating biological infertility. Revegetation of industrial tailings dumps is thus necessary to prevent wind erosion, metal leaching and has been shown to restore soil functions and ecosystem services. However, little is known about the microbial colonization and community structure of vegetated tailings fo

Chitin is one of the most abundant nitrogen-containing polymers in forest soil. Ability of ectomycorrhizal (EM) fungi to utilize chitin may play a key role in the EM symbiosis nutrition and soil carbon cycle. In forest, EM fungi exhibit high diversity, which could be based on function partitioning and trait complementarity. Although it has long been recognized that closely related species share fu

Fungal succession in rotting wood shows a surprising abundance of ectomycorrhizal (EM) fungi during the late decomposition stages. To better understand the links between EM fungi and saprotrophic fungi, we investigated the potential capacities of the EM fungus Paxillus involutus to mobilize nutrients from necromass of Postia placenta, a wood rot fungus, and to transfer these elements to its host

A growing demand for renewable carbon (C) has led to intensified forest management resulting in the use of forest residues (e.g. canopy, bark or litter layer) as energy sources with potential modifications of soil properties and tree productivity. Because microbes mediate the recycling of C and nutrients sequestered in organic matter, we investigated the effects of organic matter (OM) removal on s

Harvest residue management is a key issue for the sustainability of Eucalyptus plantations established on poor soils. Soil microbial communities contribute to soil fertility by the decomposition of the organic matter (OM), but little is known about the effect of whole-tree harvesting (WTH) in comparison to stem only harvesting (SOH) on soil microbial functional diversity in Eucalyptus plantations.

Understanding the post-senescent fate of fungal mycelium is critical to accurately quantifying forest carbon and nutrient cycling, but how this organic matter source decomposes in wood remains poorly studied. In this study, we compared the decomposition of dead fungal biomass (a.k.a. necromass) of two species, Mortierella elongata and Meliniomyces bicolor, in paired wood and soil plots in a boreal

Fungal mycelium is increasingly recognized as a central component of soil biogeochemical cycling, yet our current understanding of the ecological controls on fungal necromass decomposition is limited to single sites and vegetation types. By deploying common fungal necromass substrates in a temperate oak savanna and hardwood forest in the midwestern USA, we assessed the generality of the rate at wh

Mycorrhizal fungi are mutualists that play crucial roles in nutrient acquisition in terrestrial ecosystems. Mycorrhizal symbioses arose repeatedly across multiple lineages of Mucoromycotina, Ascomycota, and Basidiomycota. Considerable variation exists in the capacity of mycorrhizal fungi to acquire carbon from soil organic matter. Here, we present a combined analysis of 135 fungal genomes from 73

Hurricanes impact forests by damaging trees and altering multiple ecosystem functions. As such, predicting which individuals are likely to be most affected has crucial economic importance as well as conservation value. Tree stem-inhabiting fungal communities, notably rot-causing agents, have been mentioned as a potential factor of tree predisposition to hurricane damage, but this assumption remain

Abstract: Mercury (Hg) is a highly toxic metal with no known biological function, and it can be highly bioavailable in terrestrial ecosystems. Although fungi are important contributors to a number of soil processes including plant nutrient uptake and decomposition, little is known about the effect of Hg on fungi. Fungi accumulate the largest amount of Hg and are the organisms capable of the highes

Recent studies have highlighted that dead fungal mycelium represents an important fraction of soil carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) inputs and stocks. Consequently, identifying the microbial communities and the ecological factors that govern the decomposition of fungal necromass will provide critical insight into how fungal organic matter (OM) affects forest soil C and nutrient cycles. Here, we examine