Research interests
Adaptation of trees to climate and tree-microbe interactions
Forest tree species are adapted to their local climate conditions.
Understanding the genetic basis of local adaptation helps reveal how genetic diversity
is linked to variation in tree fitness and productivity and helps predict tree performance eg.
in the face of drought. To fully understand local adaptation, we must consider the broader
ecological context, including interactions with pests, pathogens, and microbial symbionts.
By combining genomics, metagenomics, and common garden experiments, we can investigate how
genetic diversity, climate, and species interactions collectively shape tree responses to
climate stressors.
Keywords adaptation, plant-microbe interactions, soil microbiome, phyllosphere, mycorrhiza,
genomic vulnerability, climate change
Methods landscape genomics, population & quantitative genetics, genotype by environment interactions (GxE),
genotype by phenotype interactions (GxP), metagenomics, common gardens
Relevant publications
Soil microbiomes reveal different strategies for nitrogen acquisition in aspen-dominated stands from Mexico and Canada.
Fungal genome evolution
Fungi are a fascinating and diverse group of organisms that play essential roles in ecosystems,
human well-being (think beer!), and health (pathogens). By integrating genomics with laboratory
experiments, we can study molecular mechanisms of adaptation of fungi to environments, hosts, or
drugs, and fundamental genetic processes that govern genome evolution like mutation rates. Some of
the topics I’ve been involved in are:
- Role of hybridization in the emergence of fungal pathogens causing Dutch Elm Disease.
- Evolution of genome size and complexity of fungal pathogens.
- Detection and prediction of antifungal resistance in human fungal pathogens
using genomes sequenced from clinical samples.
- Diversity in mutation rates of wild yeast hybrids.
- Origin of an archeological strain of beer yeast.
Keywords fungal pathogens, antimicrobial resistance, hybridization, introgression,
genome size, invasive species, mutation rate
Methods genomics, population genetics, phylogenomics, mutation accumulation experiments, GWAS, admixture
Relevant publications
Hybridization and introgression drive genome evolution of Dutch elm disease pathogens.
Lifestyles shape genome size and gene content in fungal pathogens
FungAMR: A comprehensive portrait of antimicrobial resistance mutations in fungi
Heterogeneous mutation rates and spectra in yeast hybrids
The genome sequence of the Jean-Talon strain, an archeological beer yeast from Québec.
Speciation and hybridization between species
Demography and natural selection together shape genetic diversity within and between species.
By analyzing genetic variation, we can infer the location of glacial refugia, reconstruct both
recent demographic fluctuations and ancient divergence events, and detect processes of selection.
Genetic diversity provides insights into speciation processes, including the role of hybridization
between closely related species. While hybridization can sometimes be detrimental, leaving no lasting
genetic trace, it can also facilitate gene flow or even contribute to the formation of new species.
In some cases, gene flow, if beneficial, may enhance adaptation to environmental challenges.
Keywords speciation, hybridization, introgression, balancing selection, divergence with gene-flow
Methods genomics, population genetics, demographic inference, admixture
Relevant publications
Hybridization is a recurrent evolutionary stimulus in wild yeast speciation.
Balancing selection and introgression of newt immune-response genes.
Detecting balancing selection in genomes: limits and prospects.
Hybrid speciation in sparrows II: a role for sex chromosomes?
Nuclear and mitochondrial phylogeography of the European fire-bellied toads.
Experience
- 2022 - Present
- Research scientist, Centre de foresterie des Laurentides, Canada
- Research associate, Département de biologie, Université Laval, Canada
- Postdoctoral researcher, Département de biologie, Université Laval, Canada
- Postdoctoral researcher, Department of biology, Jagiellonian University, Poland
Education
- PhD in Biology, Jagiellonian University, Poland
- MSc in biology, University of Lodz, Poland
Research visits
- McGill University, Canada
- University of Edinburgh, UK
- University of Oslo, Norway
- University of Geneva, Switzerland
- Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology EAWAG, Switzerland
- National Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Poland
Publications
Pre-prints
- Fijarczyk A, Goessen R, Morency M-J, Gagné P, Laganière J, Wehenkel C, Hernández-Velasco J, Porth I, Isabel N, Martineau C. Soil microbiomes reveal different strategies for nitrogen acquisition in aspen-dominated stands from Mexico and Canada. bioRxiv. 2025, doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.03.05.641730
- Fijarczyk A, Hessenauer P, Hamelin RC, Landry CR. Lifestyles shape genome size and gene content in fungal pathogens. bioRxiv. 2024, doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.08.24.505148
- Bédard C, Pageau A, Fijarczyk A, et al., Landry CR. FungAMR: A comprehensive portrait of antimicrobial resistance mutations in fungi. bioRxiv. 2024, doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.10.07.617009
Peer-reviewed
- Kołodziejczyk J, Fijarczyk A, Porth I, Robakowski P, Vella N, Vella A, Kloch A, Biedrzycka A. Genomic investigations of successful invasions: the picture emerging from recent studies. Biological Reviews. 2025, https://doi.org/10.1111/brv.70005.
- Bautista C, Gagnon-Arsenault I, Utrabina M, Fijarczyk A, Bendixsen DP, Stelkens R, Landry CR. Hybrid adaptation is hampered by Haldane's sieve. Nature Communications. 2024, 15: 10319.
- Bédard C, Gagnon-Arsenault I, Boisvert J, Plante S, Dubé AK, Pageau A, Fijarczyk A, Sharma J, Maroc L, Shapiro RS, Landry CR. Most azole resistance mutations in the Candida albicans drug target confer cross-resistance without intrinsic fitness cost. Nature Microbiology. 2024, 9: 3025–3040.
- Durand R, Jalbert-Ross J, Fijarczyk A, Dubé AK, Landry CR. Cross-feeding affects the target of resistance evolution to an antifungal drug. Plos Genetics. 2023, 19: e1011002.
- Konopinski M, Fijarczyk A, Biedrzycka A. Complex patterns shape immune genes diversity during invasion of common raccoon in Europe–Selection in action despite genetic drift. Evolutionary Applications. 2023, 16:134-151.
- Fijarczyk A, Bernier L, Sakalidis ML, Medina-Mora CM, Porth I. Independent evolution has led to distinct genomic signatures in Dutch elm disease-causing fungi and other vascular wilts-causing fungal pathogens. Journal of Fungi. 2022, 9: 2.
- Biedrzycka A, Fijarczyk A, Kloch A, Porth I. Genomic basis of adaptations to new environments in expansive and invasive species. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution. 2022, 10:974649.
- Fijarczyk A, Hénault M, Marsit S, Charron G, Landry CR. Heterogeneous mutation rates and spectra in yeast hybrids. Genome Biology and Evolution. 2021, 13: evab282.
- Marsit S, Hénault M, Charron G, Fijarczyk A, Landry CR. The neutral rate of whole-genome duplication varies among yeast species and their hybrids. Nature Communications. 2021, 12: 3126.
- Fijarczyk A, Hénault M, Marsit S, Charron G, Fischborn T, Nicole-Labrie L, Landry CR. The genome sequence of the Jean-Talon strain, an archeological beer yeast from Québec, reveals traces of adaptation to specific brewing conditions. G3: Genes|Genomes|Genetics. 2020, 10: 3087–3097.
- Hallin J, Cisneros AF, Hénault M, Fijarczyk A, Dandage R, Bautista C, Landry CR. Similarities in biological processes can be used to bridge ecology and molecular biology. Evolutionary Applications. 2020, 13: 1335–1350.
- Hessenauer P*, Fijarczyk A*, Martin M, Prunier J, Charron G, Chapuis J, Bernier L, Tanguay P, Hamelin RC, Landry CR. Hybridization and introgression drive genome evolution of Dutch elm disease pathogens. Nature Ecology & Evolution, 2020, 4: 626–638. (*shared co-first authorship)
- Zieliński P, Dudek K, Arntzen JW, Palomar G, Niedzicka M, Fijarczyk A, Liana M, Cogǎlniceanu D, Babik W. Differential introgression across newt hybrid zones: Evidence from replicated transects. Molecular Ecology. 2019, 28: 4811-4824.
- Eberlein C, Hénault M, Fijarczyk A, Charron G, Bouvier M, Kohn LM, Anderson JB, Landry CR. Hybridization is a recurrent evolutionary stimulus in wild yeast speciation. Nature communications, 2019, 10: 1-14.
- Fijarczyk A, Dudek K, Niedzicka M, Babik W. Balancing selection and introgression of newt immune-response genes. Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 2018, 285: 20180819.
- Wielstra B, Canestrelli D, Cvijanović M, Denoël M, Fijarczyk A, Jablonski D, Liana M, Naumov B, Olgun K, Pabijan M, Pezzarossa A, Popgeorgiev G, Salvi D, Si Y, Sillero N, Sotiropoulos K, Zieliński P, Babik W. The distributions of the six species constituting the smooth newt species complex (Lissotriton vulgaris sensu lato and L. montandoni) – an addition to the New Atlas of Amphibians and Reptiles of Europe. Amphibia-Reptilia. 2018, 39: 252–259.
- Niedzicka M, Dudek K, Fijarczyk A, Zieliński P, Babik W. Linkage map of Lissotriton newts provides insight into the genetic basis of reproductive isolation. G3: Genes|Genomes|Genetics. 2017, 7: 2115–2124.
- Fijarczyk A, Dudek K and Babik W. Selective landscapes in newt immune genes inferred from patterns of nucleotide variation. Genome Biology and Evolution, 2016, 8: 3417–3432.
- Nürnberger B, Lohse K, Fijarczyk A, Szymura JM and Blaxter ML. Para-allopatry in hybridising fire-bellied toads (Bombina bombina and B. variegata): Inference from transcriptome-wide coalescence analyses. Evolution, 2016, 8: 1803–1818.
- Niedzicka M, Fijarczyk A, Dudek K, Stuglik M and Babik W. Molecular Inversion Probes for targeted resequencing in non-model organisms. Scientific Reports, 2016, 6: 24051.
- Fijarczyk A and Babik W. Detecting balancing selection in genomes: limits and prospects. Molecular Ecology, 2015, 24: 3529–3545.
- Babik W, Dudek K, Fijarczyk A, Pabijan M, Stuglik M, Szkotak R and Zieliński P. Constraint and adaptation in newt Toll-like receptor genes. Genome Biology and Evolution. 2015, 7: 81–95.
- Elgvin TO, Hermansen JS, Fijarczyk A, Bonnet T, Borge T, Sæther SA, Voje KL, Sætre G-P. Hybrid speciation in sparrows II: a role for sex chromosomes? Molecular Ecology, 2011, 20: 3823–3837.
- Fijarczyk A, Nadachowska K, Hofman S, Litvinchuk SN, Babik W, Stuglik M, Gollmann G, Choleva L, Cogălniceanu D, Vukov T, Džukić G and Szymura JM. Nuclear and mitochondrial phylogeography of the European fire-bellied toads Bombina bombina and Bombina variegata supports their independent histories. Molecular Ecology, 2011, 20: 3381–3398.