Evolution, Physiology and Behaviour

The second focus of our biological research is in the theme of Evolution, physiology and behaviour. A notable research strength is in molecular ecology, which we apply to major research questions in evolution, fisheries genetics, soils, freshwater ecology and environmental health.

Research Highlights

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New DNA forensics tools improve sustainable fisheries management and reduce wildlife crime

Application of Bangor’s DNA forensic research has had major impacts on the management and control of illegal wildlife trade.

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Dr Alex Papadopulos

In his research Alex combines genetics and genomics with ecological analyses and experiments to study adaptation and speciation. He’s interested in how organisms adapt to their environment, the influence this can have on the evolution of reproductive isolation and the extent to which this can be a predictable and repeatable process.

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Spotlight on Publications

Our research staff produce a range of publications within the theme of Evolution, Physiology and Behaviour. This list represents the best of the best from 2014 to the present day. 

Wuster, W, Ujvari, B, Casewell, NR, Sunagar, K, Arbuckle, K, Wüster, W, Lo, N, O'Meally, D, Beckmann, C, King, GF, Deplazes, E & Madsen, T 2015, 'Widespread convergence in toxin resistance by predictable molecular evolution', Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA, vol. 112, no. 38, pp. 11911-11916. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1511706112

Marshall, BM, Casewell, NR, Vences, M, Glaw, F, Andreone, F, Rakotoarison, A, Zancolli, G, Woog, F & Wuster, W 2018, 'Widespread vulnerability of Malagasy predators to the toxins of an introduced toad', Current Biology, vol. 28, no. 11, pp. R654-R655. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2018.04.024

Braasch, I, Gehrke, AR, Smith, JJ, Kawasaki, K, Manousaki, T, Pasquier, J, Amores, A, Desvignes, T, Batzel, P, Catchen, J, Berlin, AM, Campbell, MS, Barrell, D, Martin, KJ, Mulley, JF, Ravi, V, Lee, AP, Nakamura, T, Chalopin, D, Fan, S, Wcisel, D, Cañestro, C, Sydes, J, Beaudry, FE, Sun, Y, Hertel, J, Beam, MJ, Fasold, M, Ishiyama, M, Johnson, J, Kehr, S, Lara, M, Letaw, JH, Litman, GW, Litman, RT, Mikami, M, Ota, T, Saha, NR, Williams, L, Stadler, PF, Wang, H, Taylor, JS, Fontenot, Q, Ferrara, A, Searle, SM, Aken, B, Yandell, M, Schneider, I, Yoder, JA, Volff, J, Meyer, A, Amemiya, CT, Venkatesh, B, Holland, PW, Guiguen, Y, Bobe, J, Shubin, NH, Di Palma, F, Alföldi, J, Lindblad-Toh, K & Postlethwait, JH 2016, 'The spotted gar genome illuminates vertebrate evolution and facilitates human-teleost comparisons', Nature Genetics. https://doi.org/10.1038/ng.3526

Hargreaves, AD, Zhou, L, Christensen, J, Marletaz, F, Liu, S, Li, F, Jansen, PG, Spiga, E, Hansen, MT, Pedersen, SVH, Biswas, S, Seriwaka, K, Fox, BA, Taylor, WR, Mulley, J, Zhang, G, Heller, RS & Holland, PWH 2017, 'Genome sequence of a diabetes-prone rodent reveals a mutation hotspot around the ParaHox gene cluster', Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America: PNAS, vol. 114, no. 29, pp. 7677–7682. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1702930114

Malinsky, M, Challis, RJ, Tyers, AM, Schiffels, S, Terai, Y, Ngatunga, BP, Miska, EA, Durbin, R, Genner, MJ & Turner, GF 2015, 'Genomic islands of speciation separate cichlid ecomorphs in an East African crater lake', Science, vol. 350, no. 6267, pp. 1493-1498. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aac9927

Malinsky, M, Svardal, H, Tyers, A, Miska, EA, Genner, MJ, Turner, G & Durbin, R 2018, 'Whole genome sequences of Malawi cichlids reveal multiple radiations interconnected by gene flow', Nature Ecology and Evolution, vol. 2, pp. 1940-1955. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-018-0717-x

Igea, J, Bogarín, D, Papadopulos, AST & Savolainen, V 2015, 'A comparative analysis of island floras challenges taxonomy-based biogeographical models of speciation', Evolution, vol. 69, no. 2, pp. 482-91. https://doi.org/10.1111/evo.12587

Igea, J, Miller, EF, Papadopulos, AST & Tanentzap, AJ 2017, 'Seed size and its rate of evolution correlate with species diversification across angiosperms', PLoS Biology, vol. 15, no. 7, e2002792. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.2002792

Moeller, AH, Caro-Quintero, A, Mjungu, D, Georgiev, AV, Lonsdorf, EV, Muller, MN, Pusey, AE, Peeters, M, Hahn, BH & Ochman, H 2016, 'Cospeciation of gut microbiota with hominids', Science, vol. 353, no. 6297, pp. 380-382. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aaf3951

Liu, W, Li, Y, Shaw, KS, Learn, GH, Plenderleith, LJ, Malenke, JA, Sundararaman, SA, Ramirez, MA, Crystal, PA, Smith, AG, Bibollet-Ruche, F, Ayouba, A, Locatelli, S, Esteban, A, Mouacha, F, Guichet, E, Butel, C, Ahuka-Mundeke, S, Inogwabini, B-I, Ndjango, J-BN, Speede, S, Sanz, CM, Morgan, DB, Gonder, MK, Kranzusch, PJ, Walsh, PD, Georgiev, AV, Muller, MN, Piel, AK, Stewart, FA, Wilson, ML, Pusey, AE, Cui, L, Wang, Z, Farnert, A, Sutherland, CJ, Nolder, D, Hart, JA, Hart, TB, Bertolani, P, Gillis, A, LeBreton, M, Tafon, B, Kiyang, J, Djoko, CF, Schneider, BS, Wolfe, ND, Mpoudi-Ngole, E, Delaporte, E, Carter, R, Culleton, RL, Shaw, GM, Rayner, JC, Peeters, M, Hahn, BH & Sharp, PM 2014, 'African origin of the malaria parasite Plasmodium vivax', Nature Communications, vol. 5. https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms4346

Comeault, AA, Flaxman, SM, Riesch, R, Curran, E, Soria-Carrasco, V, Gompert, Z, Farkas, TE, Muschick, M, Parchman, TL, Schwander, T, Slate, J & Nosil, P 2015, 'Selection on a Genetic Polymorphism Counteracts Ecological Speciation in a Stick Insect', Current Biology, vol. 25, no. 15, pp. 1975-1981. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2015.05.058

Cooper, BS, Sedghifar, A, Nash, WT, Comeault, AA & Matute, DR 2018, 'A Maladaptive Combination of Traits Contributes to the Maintenance of a Drosophila Hybrid Zone', Current Biology, vol. 28, no. 18, pp. 2940-2947. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2018.07.005

Ellison, A, Rodriguez Lopez, CM, Moran, P, Breen, J, Swain, M, Megias, M, Hegarty, M, Wilkinson, M, Pawluk, R & Consuegra, S 2015, 'Epigenetic regulation of sex ratios may explain natural variation in self-fertilization rates', Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, vol. 282, no. 1819, 20151900. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2015.1900

Chernetsov, N, Pakhomov, A, Kobylkov, D, Kishkinev, D, Holland, R & Mouritsen, H 2017, 'Migratory Eurasian reed warblers can use magnetic declination to solve the longitude problem', Current Biology, vol. 27, no. 17, pp. 2647-2651. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2017.07.024

Weimerskirch, H, Bishop, C, Jeanniard-du-Dot, T, Prudor, A & Sachs, G 2016, 'Frigate birds track atmospheric conditions over months-long transoceanic flights', Science, vol. 353, no. 6294, pp. 74-78. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aaf4374

Bishop, CM, Spivey, RJ, Hawkes, LA, Batbayar, N, Chua, B, Frappell, PB, Milsom, WK, Natsagdorj, T, Newman, SH, Scott, GR, Takekawa, JY, Wikelski, M & Butler, PJ 2015, 'The roller coaster flight strategy of bar-headed geese conserves energy during Himalayan migrations', Science, vol. 347, no. 6219, pp. 250-254. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1258732

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