Posts

NEW PAPER: Genomics of head and body shape parallelism in Arctic charr

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Published today as free open access in Molecular Ecology :  Genomic underpinnings of head and body shape in Arctic charr ecomorph pairs Sam Fenton, Arne Jacobs, Colin Bean, Colin Adams & Kathryn Elmer The appearance of repeated phenotypes across replicates in similar environments have been described as examples of parallel evolution. However, the genomic bases of these similar phenotypes is rarely elucidated and so whether the same genomic pathways are used to achieve these similar phenotypes across replicates is rarely known. Here we used the repeated divergence of benthivorous-planktivorous ecomorph pairs of Arctic charr to investigate the genomic underpinnings of head and body shape morphology across replicates. We found that only a small number of associated SNPs for each phenotype were shared across all four ecomorph pairs we investigated with selection on associated SNPs varying considerably across replicates. Overall, these results suggest that the genomic underpinnings of t

New Paper: genetics of belly colour differences in common lizards

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 Just out free and open access in Molecular Ecology , a paper led by Hans and Henrique to test the genetic basis of different ventral colourations and patterns in common lizards. Using samples from the hybrid zone where we have been studying reproductive mode, Henrique studied the gene expression (Honours thesis project) and Hans the GWAS and the colour phenotyping (NERC Postdoc). Now a bunch of new candidate genes that can be followed up for reptiles! Genetic basis and expression of ventral colour in polymorphic common lizards Hans Recknagel, Henrique G. Leitão, Kathryn R. Elmer Abstract Colour is an important visual cue that can correlate with sex, behaviour, life history or ecological strategies, and has evolved divergently and convergently across animal lineages. Its genetic basis in non-model organisms is rarely known, but such information is vital for determining the drivers and mechanisms of colour evolution. Leveraging genetic admixture in a rare contact zone between oviparous

Zoological Society of London award

 I'm honoured to have been awarded the Zoological Society of London Scientific Medal for 2023. 

New paper: Glaciation history of Scotland and how it matters for animals

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Published as free and open access in the Scottish Geographical Journal  How glaciation impacted evolutionary history and contemporary genetic diversity of flora and fauna in the British Isles Patterns of contemporary genetic diversity and differentiation are often strongly influenced by historical processes. In previously glaciated regions, the patterns of changing ice coverage during the last ice age would have had a major effect on contemporary diversity and differentiation but exploration of the impact of ice coverage remains poorly explored in evolutionary studies. In this paper, we reviewed our understanding of how ice coverage changed in the British Isles during the end of the last Ice Age (ca. 27,000-11,000 years ago). We then demonstrated the impact of these changing ice coverage on the diversity of numerous flora and fauna species both through it influenced the routes and timing of colonisation and through the isolation of populations into different glacial refugia during glac

Welcome to new PhD student

Welcome to our new PhD student Molly Uzzell, who has been awarded a position in the NorthWestBio Doctoral Training programme. Molly's project, co-supervised with Isabella Capellini in QU Belfast, will be on pre- & post-zygotic reproductive isolation in lizards, and the effects of hybridisation on reproductive success. Molly has been with us as a volunteer since undergrad, then honours and masters - looking forward to the next phase! 

NERC Grant success

 I'm thrilled to share that we have had a Pushing the Frontiers grant funded by NERC. The project is with co-Is Mike Ritchie and Oscar Gaggiotti at St Andrews, Maureen Bain in Glasgow, and Project Partners Jean-François Le Galliard and Pierre de Villemereuil in France and Hans Recknagel in Slovenia. This will support 4 years of research on sex-specific fitness landscapes in oviparous-viviparous lizards. 

welcome to a new postdoc researcher

  Warm welcome to our new and excellent postdoc Hongxin Xie! He's bringing lots of evolutionary and squamate expertise to contribute to our NERC project testing oviparity reversal