I am an evolution biologist broadly interested in understanding how natural populations evolve under different environmental conditions. Current research foci in my lab include amphibian (largely frog) genetics/genomics, invasive species genetics, and adaptation in fruit flies.

Room: 304, Environment Centre Wales, School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University

Website: https://comeaultlab.wordpress.com/

Email: a.comeault@bangor.ac.uk

Phone: +44 (0) 1248 382631

Blue Sky: @aaronc-research.bsky.social

• Professional: Fellow (FHEA)
  2022

Evolution | Genomics | Adaptation | Speciation | Host-Microbe Interactions.

We ask questions in these areas using experimental, population sampling, and genomic approaches, and use drosophilid flies, amphibians, and their microbes as models.

2025

• PublishedPlastic responses to past environments shape adaptation to novel selection pressures
  Coates, S., Comeault, A., Wood, D. P., Fay, M. F., Creer, S., Osborne, O., Dunning, L. T. & Papadopulos, A. S. T., 4 Feb 2025, In: PNAS. 122, 5, p. e2409541122 e2409541122.
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

2024

• PublishedAncestral neural circuits potentiate the origin of a female sexual behavior in Drosophila
  Li, M., Chen, D. S., Junker, I. P., Szorenyi, F. I., Chen, G. H., Berger, A. J., Comeault, A. A., Matute, D. R. & Ding, Y., 28 Oct 2024, In: Nature Communications. 15, 1, p. 9210
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
• PublishedGenome Assembly of the Dyeing Poison Frog Provides Insights into the Dynamics of Transposable Element and Genome-Size Evolution
  Dittrich, C., Hoelzl, F., Smith, S., Fouilloux, C. A., Parker, D. J., O'Connell, L. A., Knowles, L. S., Hughes, M., Fewings, A., Morgan, R., Rojas, B. & Comeault, A. A., 5 Jun 2024, In: Genome Biology and Evolution. 16, 6
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
• PublishedSingle-fly genome assemblies fill major phylogenomic gaps across the Drosophilidae Tree of Life
  Kim, B. Y., Gellert, H. R., Church, S. H., Suvorov, A., Anderson, S. S., Barmina, O., Beskid, S. G., Comeault, A. A., Crown, K. N., Diamond, S. E., Dorus, S., Fujichika, T., Hemker, J. A., Hrcek, J., Kankare, M., Katoh, T., Magnacca, K. N., Martin, R. A., Matsunaga, T. & Medeiros, M. J. & 18 others, Miller, D. E., Pitnick, S., Schiffer, M., Simoni, S., Steenwinkel, T. E., Syed, Z. A., Takahashi, A., Wei, K.H.-C., Yokoyama, T., Eisen, M. B., Kopp, A., Matute, D., Obbard, D. J., O'Grady, P. M., Price, D. K., Toda, M. J., Werner, T. & Petrov, D. A., 18 Jul 2024, In: PLoS Biology. 22, 7, p. e3002697
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
• E-pub ahead of printToward the integration of speciation research
  Stankowski, S., Cutter, A. D., Satokangas, I., Lerch, B. A., Rolland, J., Smadja, C. M., Marzal, J. C. S., Cooney, C. R., Feulner, P. G. D., Domingos, F. M. C. B., North, H. L., Yamaguchi, R., Butlin, R. K., Wolf, J. B. W., Coughlan, J., Heidbreder, P., Hernandez-Guttierrez, R., Barnard-Kubow, K. B., Peede, D. & Rancilhac, L. & 25 others, Salvador, R. B., Thompson, K. A., Stacy, E. A., Moyle, L. C., Garlovsky, M. D., Maulana, A., Kantelinen, A., Cacho, N. I., Schneemann, H., Dominguez, M., Dopman, E. B., Lohsa, K., Rometsch, S. J., Comeault, A., Merrill, R. M., Scordato, E. S. C., Singhal, S., Parssinen, V., Lackey, A. C. R., Kumar, S., Meier, J. I., Barton, N., Fraisse, C., Ravinet, M. & Kulumni, J., 16 Feb 2024, (E-pub ahead of print) In: Evolutionary Journal of the Linnean Society. 3, 1
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review

2022

• PublishedPhylogenetic climatic niche conservatism in sandflies (Diptera: Phlebotominae) and their relatives
  D'Agostino, E. R. R., Vivero, R., Romero, L., Bejarano, E., Hurlbert, A. H., Comeault, A. A. & Matute, D. R., 1 Oct 2022, In: Evolution: International Journal of Organic Evolution. 76, 10, p. 2361-2374
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
• PublishedWidespread introgression across a phylogeny of 155 Drosophila genomes
  Suvorov, A., Kim, B. Y., Wang, J., Armstrong, E. E., Peede, D., D'Agostino, E. R. R., Price, D. K., Waddell, P., Lang, M., Courtier-Orgogozo, V., David, J. R., Petrov, D., Matute, D. R., Schrider, D. R. & Comeault, A., 10 Jan 2022, In: Current Biology. 32, 1, p. 111-123
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

2021

• PublishedGenomic signatures of admixture and selection are shared among populations of Zaprionus indianus across the western hemisphere
  Comeault, A., Kautt, A. F. & Matute, D. R., Dec 2021, In: Molecular Ecology. 30, 23, p. 6193-6210 18 p.
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
• PublishedHighly contiguous assemblies of 101 drosophilid genomes
  Kim, B. Y., Wang, J., Miller, D. E., Barmina, O., Delaney, E. K., Thompson, A., Comeault, A., Peede, D., D'Agostino, E. R., Pelaez, J., Aguilar, J. M., Haji, D., Matsunaga, T., Armstrong, E., Zych, M., Ogawa, Y., Stamenković-Radak, M., Jelić, M., Savić Veselinović, M. & Tanasković, M. & 19 others, Erić, P., Gao, J.-J., Katoh, T. K., Toda, M. J., Watabe, H., Watada, M., Davis, J. S., Moyle, L., Manoli, G., Bertolini, E., Koštál, V., Hawley, R. S., Takahashi, A., Jones, C. D., Price, D. K., Whiteman, N. K., Kopp, A., Matute, D. R. & Petrov, D. A., 19 Jul 2021, In: Elife. 10, e66405.
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
• PublishedRapid Parallel Adaptation to Anthropogenic Heavy Metal Pollution
  Papadopulos, A. S. T., Helmstetter, A. J., Osborne, O., Comeault, A., Wood, D., Straw, E. A., Mason, L., Fay, M. F., Parker, J., Dunning, L. T., Foote, A., Smith, R. J. & Lighten, J., Sept 2021, In: Molecular Biology and Evolution. 38, 9, p. 3724-3736 13 p.
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
• PublishedTemperature-dependent competitive outcomes between the fruit flies Drosophila santomea and Drosophila yakuba
  Comeault, A. & Matute, D. R., Mar 2021, In: American Naturalist. 197, 3, p. 312-323 12 p.
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

2020

• PublishedConservation genomic analysis reveals ancient introgression and declining levels of genetic diversity in Madagascar's hibernating dwarf lemurs
  Williams, R. C., Blanco, M. B., Poelstra, J. W., Hunnicutt, K. E., Comeault, A. & Yoder, A. D., Jan 2020, In: Heredity. 124, 1, p. 236-251
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
• PublishedGenetic diversity and thermal performance in invasive and native populations of African fig flies
  Comeault, A., Wang, J., Tittes, S., Isbell, K., Ingley, S., Hurlbert, A. & Matute, D., 28 Feb 2020, In: Molecular Biology and Evolution.
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
• PublishedRapid and Predictable Evolution of Admixed Populations Between Two Drosophila Species Pairs
  Matute, D. R., Comeault, A., Earley, E., Serrato-Capuchina, A., Peede, D., Monroy-Eklund, A., Huang, W., Jones, C. D., Mackay, T. F. C. & Coyne, J. A., 1 Jan 2020, In: Genetics. 214, 1, p. 211-230 20 p.
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

2018

• PublishedA Maladaptive Combination of Traits Contributes to the Maintenance of a Drosophila Hybrid Zone
  Cooper, B. S., Sedghifar, A., Nash, W. T., Comeault, A. A. & Matute, D. R., 30 Aug 2018, In: Current Biology. 28, 18, p. 2940-2947
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
• PublishedGenetic divergence and the number of hybridizing species affect the path to homoploid hybrid speciation
  Comeault, A. A. & Matute, D. R., 25 Sept 2018, In: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 115, 39, p. 9761-9766
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
• PublishedThe genomic and ecological context of hybridization affects the probability that symmetrical incompatibilities drive hybrid speciation
  Comeault, A., Mar 2018, In: Ecology and Evolution. 8, 5, p. 2926-2937 12 p.
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

2017

• PublishedA nonrandom subset of olfactory genes is associated with host preference in the fruit fly Drosophila orena
  Comeault, A. A., Serrato-Capuchina, A., Turissini, D. A., McLaughlin, P. J., David, J. R. & Matute, D. R., Jun 2017, In: Evolution Letters. 1, 2, p. 73-85 13 p.
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
• PublishedTransitions between phases of genomic differentiation during stick-insect speciation
  Riesch, R., Muschick, M., Lindtke, D., Villoutreix, R., Comeault, A. A., Farkas, T. E., Lucek, K., Hellen, E., Soria-Carrasco, V., Dennis, S. R., de Carvalho, C. F., Safran, R. J., Sandoval, C. P., Feder, J., Gries, R., Crespi, B. J., Gries, G., Gompert, Z. & Nosil, P., 17 Feb 2017, In: Nature Ecology and Evolution. 1, 4, p. 82
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

2016

• PublishedColor phenotypes are under similar genetic control in two distantly related species of Timema stick insect
  Comeault, A. A., Carvalho, C. F., Dennis, S., Soria-Carrasco, V. & Nosil, P., 21 Jun 2016, In: Evolution. 70, 6, p. 1283-96 14 p.
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
• PublishedCorrelated evolution of male and female reproductive traits drive a cascading effect of reinforcement in Drosophila yakuba
  Comeault, A. A., Venkat, A. & Matute, D. R., 27 Jul 2016, In: Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 283, 1835
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
• PublishedReinforcement's incidental effects on reproductive isolation between conspecifics
  Comeault, A. A. & Matute, D. R., Apr 2016, In: Current zoology. 62, 2, p. 135-143 9 p.
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

2015

• PublishedSelection on a Genetic Polymorphism Counteracts Ecological Speciation in a Stick Insect
  Comeault, A. A., Flaxman, S. M., Riesch, R., Curran, E., Soria-Carrasco, V., Gompert, Z., Farkas, T. E., Muschick, M., Parchman, T. L., Schwander, T., Slate, J. & Nosil, P., 3 Aug 2015, In: Current Biology. 25, 15, p. 1975-1981
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

2014

• PublishedStick insect genomes reveal natural selection's role in parallel speciation
  Soria-Carrasco, V., Gompert, Z., Comeault, A. A., Farkas, T. E., Parchman, T. L., Johnston, J. S., Buerkle, C. A., Feder, J. L., Bast, J., Schwander, T., Egan, S. P., Crespi, B. J. & Nosil, P., 16 May 2014, In: Science. 344, 6185, p. 738-42 5 p.
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

• Fellowship placement: Male-male competition and host range evolution in an herbivorous leaf-footed bug

  01/12/2022 – 16/08/2024 (Finished)

• The role of structural variants in driving genome evolution during biological invasions

  21/03/2022 – 01/08/2022 (Finished)