Professor Simon Creer
Professor of Molecular Ecology

Affiliations
Links
- http://mefgl.bangor.ac.uk/staff/si.php
Personal website
Contact info
I am interested in using contemporary molecular tools to address diverse questions focusing on biodiversity, ecology and evolution. This is a particularly exciting time in the field of molecular ecology, since advances in DNA sequencing throughput have recently offered a paradigm shift in our ability to assess previously intractable functional and taxonomic biodiversity at an unprecedented scale, augmenting existing biodiversity fields and empowering others. Using such technologies, I am testing a range of hypotheses regarding the alpha and beta functional and taxonomic diversity of macro-, meio- and microbial communities (e.g. microbiomes) in space and time, based on genomic, community and environmental DNA (eDNA). Focal habitats have included estuarine, coastal and deep sea environments with an increasing focus now on freshwater, terrestrial, whole organisms and the aerial biosphere in order to understand the drivers of diversity in natural communities and also how diversity is linked with ecological function, trophic relationships, environmental and human health. Current additional activities include phylogenomics, population genetics, life history evolution, polyploidy, pollination genomics.
Any funded Fellowship, postgraduate or postdoctoral positions will be advertised on the group website/social media feeds, but we also welcome enquiries from candidates seeking their own funding mechanisms, to develop future research collaborations.
Email: s.creer@bangor.ac.uk
Phone: +44(0)1248 382302
Address: School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Deiniol Road, Bangor, Gwynedd, LL57 2UW, UK
URL: http://mefgl.bangor.ac.uk/staff/si.php
Twitter: @SiCreerProf
- Published
Environmental DNA reveals ecologically relevant spatial and temporal variation in fish assemblages between estuaries and seasons
Gibson, T., Baillie, C., Collins, R. A., Wangensteen, O. S., Corrigan, L., Ellison, A., Heddell-Cowie, M., Westoby, H., Byatt, B., Lawson-Handley, L., Soto, A. Z., Creer, S., Genner, M. J. & Mariani, S., 1 Aug 2024, In: Ecological Indicators. 165, 112215.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Environmental DNA metabarcoding for fish diversity assessment in a macrotidal estuary: A comparison with established fish survey methods
Gibson, T., Carvalho, G., Ellison, A., Gargiulo, E., Hatton-Ellis, T., Handley, L. L., Mariani, S., Collins, R. A., Sellers, G., Distaso, M., Zampieri, C. & Creer, S., 1 Nov 2023, In: Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science. 294, 108522.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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DNA Metabarcoding Methods for the Study of Marine Benthic Meiofauna
Gielings, R., Fais, M., Fontaneto, D., Creer, S., Costa, F. O., Renema, W. & Macher, J.-N., 30 Sept 2021, In: Frontiers in Marine Science.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Tideless estuaries in brackish seas as possible freshwater-marine transition zones for bacteria: the case study of the Vistula river estuary
Golebiewski, M., Calkiewicz, J., Creer, S. & Piwosz, K., Apr 2017, In: Environmental Microbiology Reports. 9, 2, p. 129-143Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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A continuous feast of bramble: Rubus fruticosus agg. is a key cross-seasonal dietary resource for a fallow deer population
Gresham, A., Pillay, K., Healey, J., Eichhorn, M., Ellison, A., Lowe, A., Creer, S., Cordes, L. & Shannon, G., 10 Feb 2025, In: Ecological Solutions and Evidence. 6, 1Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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New evidence on the phylogenetic position of the poorly known Asian pitviper Protobothrops kaulbacki (Serpentes : Viperidae : Crotalinae) with a redescription of the species and a revision of the genus Protobothrops.
Guo, P., Malhotra, A., Li, P. P., Pook, C. E. & Creer, S., 1 Oct 2007, In: Herpetological Journal. 17, 4, p. 237-246Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Comments on the systematic status of specimens belonging to the genus Viridovipera (Serpentes: Viperidae: Crotalinae) from Sichuan and Yunnan provinces of southwestern China, with a redescription of V. yunnanensis.
Guo, P., Malhotra, A., Thorpe, R. S., Creer, S. & Pook, C. E., 1 Jul 2009, In: Herpetological Journal. 19, 3, p. 151-162Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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An evaluation of the systematic value of skull morphology in the Trimeresurus radiation (Serpentes: Viperidae: Crotalinae) of Asian pitvipers.
Guo, P., Malhotra, A., Creer, S. & Pook, C. E., 1 Nov 2009, In: Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research. 47, 4, p. 378-384Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Systematics of the Protobothrops jerdonii complex (Serpentes, Viperidae, Crotalinae) inferred from morphometric data and molecular phylogeny.
Guo, P., Malhotra, A., Li, C., Creer, S., Pook, P. E. & Wen, T., 1 Jul 2009, In: Herpetological Journal. 19, 2, p. 85-96Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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UK DNA working group eDNA week, January 2022
Handley, L. L., Blackwell, T., Broadhurst, H. A., Clark, K., Davison, P. I., England, J., Mariani, S., McDevitt, A. D., Pillay, G. K., Read, D., Walsh, K., Nisbet, A. & Creer, S., 1 Jan 2023, In: Environmental DNA. 5, 1, p. 18-24 7 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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A common garden design reveals population-specific variability in potential impacts of hybridization between populations of farmed and wild Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L.
Harvey, A., Glover, K. A., Taylor, M., Creer, S. & Carvalho, G., 1 Mar 2016, In: Evolutionary Applications. 9, 3, p. 435-449Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Plasticity in response to feed availability: Does feeding regime influence the relative growth performance of domesticated, wild and hybrid Atlantic salmon Salmo salar parr?
Harvey, A., Solberg, M. F., Glover, K. A., Taylor, M. I., Creer, S. & Carvalho, G., 1 Sept 2016, In: Journal of Fish Biology. 89, 3, p. 1754-1768Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Does density influence relative growth performance of farmed, wild, and F1 hybrid Atlantic salmon in semi-natural and hatchery common garden conditions?
Harvey, A., Carvalho, G., Taylor, M., Solberg, M. F., Creer, S., Dyrhovden, L., Matre, I. H. & Glover, K. A., 6 Jul 2016, In: Royal Society Open Science. 3, 7, 160152.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Plasticity in growth of farmed and wild Atlantic salmon: is the increased growth rate of farmed salmon caused by evolutionary adaptations to the commercial diet?
Harvey, A., Solberg, M. F., Troianou, E., Carvalho, G., Taylor, M. I., Creer, S., Dyrhovden, L., Matre, I. H. & Glover, K. A., 1 Dec 2016, In: BMC Evolutionary Biology. 2016, 16, 264.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Accounting for extinction dynamics unifies the geological and biological histories of Indo-Australian Archipelago
Herrera-Alsina, L., Lancaster, L. T., Algar, A. C., Bocedi, G., Papadopulos, A. S. T., Gubry-Rangin, C., Osborne, O. G., Mynard, P., Creer, S., Villegas-Patraca, R., Made Sudiana, I., Fahri, F., Lupiyaningdyah, P., Nangoy, M., Iskandar, D. T., Juliandi, B., Burslem, D. F. R. P. & Travis, J. M. J., 30 Sept 2024, In: Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 291, 2031, p. 20240966Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Ancient geological dynamics impact neutral biodiversity accumulation and are detectable in phylogenetic reconstructions
Herrera‐Alsina, L., Algar, A. C., Bocedi, G., Gubry‐Rangin, C., Lancaster, L., Mynard, P., Osborne, O., Papadopulos, A. S. T., Creer, S., Nangoy, M., Fahri, F., Lupiyaningdyah, P., Sudiana, I. M., Juliandi, B. & Travis, J. M. J., Aug 2021, In: Global Ecology and Biogeography. 30, 8, p. 1633-1642 10 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Animals, protists and bacteria share marine biogeographic patterns
Holman, L. E., De Bruyn, M., Creer, S., Carvalho, G., Robidart, J. & Rius, M., 1 Jun 2021, In: Nature Ecology and Evolution. 5, 6, p. 738–746Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Managing human-mediated range shifts: understanding spatial, temporal and genetic variation in marine non-native species
Holman, L. E., Parker-Nance, S., de Bruyn, M., Creer, S., Carvalho, G. & Rius, M., 14 Mar 2022, In: Philosophical Transactions of The Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 377, 1846, 20210025.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Detection of introduced and resident marine species using environmental DNA metabarcoding of sediment and water
Holman, L. E., de Bruyn, M., Creer, S., Carvalho, G., Robidart, J. & Rius, M., 9 Aug 2019, In: Scientific Reports. 9, 11559.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Phylogenomics and species delimitation for effective conservation of manta and devil rays
Hosegood, J., Humble, E., Ogden, R., De Bruyn, M., Creer, S., Stevens, G. M. W., Abudaya, M., Bassos-Hull, K., Bonfil, R., Fernando, D., Foote, A., Hipperson, H., Jabado, R. W., Kaden, J., Moazzam, M., Peel, L. R., Pollett, S., Ponzo, A., Poortvliet, M., Salah, J., Senn, H., Stewart, J. D., Wintner, S. & Carvalho, G., Dec 2020, In: Molecular Ecology. 29, 24, p. 4783-4796Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Plastic and Heritable Components of Phenotypic Variation in Nucella lapillus: An Assessment Using Reciprocal Transplant and Common Garden Experiments
Hughes, R. N., Pascoal, S., Carvalho, G. R., Creer, S., Rock, J., Kawaii, K., Mendo, S. & Hughes, R., 27 Jan 2012, In: PLoS ONE. 7, 1, p. e30289Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Transcriptomics and in vivo tests reveal novel mechanisms underlying endocrine disruption in an ecological sentinel, Nucella lapillus
Hughes, R. N., Pascoal, S., Carvalho, G. R., Vasieva, O., Hughes, R., Cossins, A., Fang, Y., Ashelford, K., Olohan, L., Barroso, C., Mendo, S. & Creer, S., 1 Mar 2013, In: Molecular Ecology. 22, 6, p. 1589-1608Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
- E-pub ahead of print
Comparative population genomics of manta rays has global implications for management
Humble, E., Hosegood, J., Carvalho, G., De Bruyn, M., Creer, S., Stevens, G. M. W., Armstrong, A., Bonfil, R., Deakos, M., Fernando, D., Froman, N., Peel, L. R., Pollett, S., Ponzo, A., Stewart, J. D., Wintner, S. & Ogden, R., 23 Nov 2023, (E-pub ahead of print) In: Molecular Ecology.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Shifts in honeybee foraging reveal historical changes in floral resources
Jones, L., Brennan, G. L., Lowe, A., Creer, S., Ford, C. R. & de Vere, N., 14 Jan 2021, In: Communications Biology. 4, 1, 37.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Temporal Patterns of Honeybee Foraging in a Diverse Floral Landscape Revealed Using Pollen DNA Metabarcoding of Honey
Jones, L., Lowe, A., Ford, C. R., Creer, S. & de Vere, N., 1 Aug 2022, In: Integrative and Comparative Biology. 62, 2, p. 199-210Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Mineralogy affects prokaryotic community composition in an acidic metal mine
Kelly, L., Rivett, D. W., Pakostova, E., Creer, S., Cotterell, T. & Johnson, B., 1 Jan 2023, In: Microbiological Research. 266, 127257.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Predicting the severity of the grass pollen season and the effect of climate change in Northwest Europe
Kurganskiy, A., Creer, S., De Vere, N., Griffith, G. W., Osborne, N. J., Wheeler, B. W., McInnes, R. N., Clewlow, Y., Barber, A., Brennan, G., Hanlon, H. M., Hegarty, M. J., Potter, C., Rowney, F. M., Adams-Groom, B., Petch, G. M., Pashley, C. H., Satchwell, J., De Weger, L. A., Rasmussen, K., Oliver, G., Sindt, C., Bruffaerts, N., The PollerGEN Consortium & Skjoth, C. A., 26 Mar 2021, In: Science Advances. 7, 13, eabd7658.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Environmental metabarcoding reveals heterogeneous drivers of microbial eukaryote diversity in contrasting estuarine ecosystems
Lallias, D. S., Lallias, D., Hiddink, J. G., Fonseca, V. G., Gaspar, J. M., Sung, W., Neill, S. P., Barnes, N., Ferrero, T., Hall, N., Lambshead, P. J., Packer, M., Thomas, W. K. & Creer, S., 25 Nov 2014, In: The ISME Journal. 9, p. 1208-1221Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Inclusion of jellyfish in 30+ years of Ecopath with Ecosim models
Lamb, P. D., Hunter, E., Pinnegar, J. K., Doyle, T. K., Creer, S. & Taylor, M. I., 1 Dec 2019, In: ICES Journal of Marine Science. 76, 7, p. 1941–1950Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Cryptic diets of forage fish: jellyfish consumption observed in the Celtic Sea and western English Channel
Lamb, P. D., Hunter, E., Pinnegar, J. K., van der Kooij, J., Creer, S. & Taylor, M. I., 26 Jun 2019, In: Journal of Fish Biology. 94, 6, p. 1026-1032 7 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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How quantitative is metabarcoding: a meta-analytical approach
Lamb, P. D., Hunter, E., Pinnegar, J. K., Creer, S., Taylor, M. I. & Davies, R. G., Jan 2019, In: Molecular Ecology. 28, 2, p. 420-430 11 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Jellyfish on the menu: mtaDNA assay reveals scyphozoan predation in the Irish Sea
Lamb, P. D., Hunter, E., Pinnegar, J. K., Creer, S., Davies, R. G. & Taylor, M. I., 29 Nov 2017, In: Royal Society Open Science.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Parasitism perturbs the mucosal microbiome of Atlantic Salmon
Llewellyn, M. S., Leadbeater, S., Garcia, C., Sylvain, F.-E., Custodio, M., Ang, K. P., Powell, F., Carvalho, G., Creer, S., Elliot, J. & Derome, N., 2017, In: Scientific Reports. 7, 43465.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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The biogeography of the atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) gut microbiome
Llewellyn, M. S., McGinnity, P., Dionne, M., Letourneau, J., Thonier, F., Carvalho, G., Creer, S. & Derome, N., May 2016, In: ISME Journal. 10, p. 1280-1284Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Seasonal progression and differences in major floral resource use by bees and hoverflies in a diverse horticultural and agricultural landscape revealed by DNA metabarcoding
Lowe, A., Jones, L., Brennan, G., Creer, S. & de Vere, N., Jun 2022, In: Journal of Applied Ecology. 59, 6, p. 1484-1495Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Using DNA Metabarcoding to Identify Floral Visitation by Pollinators
Lowe, A., Jones, L., Witter, L., Creer, S. & de Vere, N., 24 Mar 2022, In: Diversity. 14, 4Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review
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Temporal change in floral availability leads to periods of resource limitation and affects diet specificity in a generalist pollinator
Lowe, A., Jones, L., Brennan, G., Creer, S., Christie, L. & de Vere, N., 24 Oct 2022, In: Molecular Ecology. 32, 23, p. 6363-6376 14 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Key Questions for Next-Generation Biomonitoring
Makiola, A., Compson, Z. G., Baird, D. J., Barnes, M. A., Boerlijst, S. P., Bouchez, A., Brennan, G., Bush, A., Canard, E., Cordier, T., Creer, S., Curry, R. A., David, P., Dumbrell, A. J., Gravel, D., Hajibabaei, M., Hayden, B., van der Hoorn, B., Jarne, P., Jones, J. I., Karimi, B., Keck, F., Kelly, M., Knot, I. E., Krol, L., Massol, F., Monk, W. A., Murphy, J., Pawlowski, J., Poisot, T., Porter, T. M., Randall, K. C., Ransome, E., Ravigne, V., Raybould, A., Robin, S., Scrama, M., Schatz, B., Tamaddoni-Nezhad, A., Trimbos, K. B., Vacher, C., Vasselon, V., Wood, S., Woodward, G. & Bohan, D. A., 9 Jan 2020, In: Frontiers in Environmental Science.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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The importance of being genomic: Non-coding and coding sequences suggest different models of toxin multi-gene family evolution
Malhotra, A., Creer, S., Harris, J. B. & Thorpe, R. S., 7 Sept 2015, In: Toxicon. 107, Part B, p. 344-358Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Inclusion of nuclear intron sequence data helps to identify the Asian sister group of New World pitvipers.
Malhotra, A., Creer, S., Pook, C. E. & Thorpe, R. S., 1 Jan 2010, In: Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 54, 1, p. 172-178Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Predicting function from sequence in a large multifunctional toxin family
Malhotra, A., Creer, S., Harris, J. B., Stöcklin, R., Favereau, P. & Thorpe, R. S., 3 Jul 2013, In: Toxicon. 72, p. 113-125Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Whole genome duplication and transposable element proliferation drive genome expansion in Corydoradinae catfishes
Marburger, S., Alexandrou, M., Taggart, J. B., Creer, S., Carvalho, G., Oliveira, C. & Taylor, M. I., 14 Feb 2018, In: Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 285, 1872, 20172732.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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SNP Discovery in European Anchovy (Engraulis encrasicolus, L) by High-Throughput Transcriptome and Genome Sequencing
Montes, I., Conklin, D., Albania, A., Creer, S., Carvalho, G. R., Santos, M. & Estonba, A., 1 Aug 2013, In: PLoS ONE. 8, 8, p. e70051Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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A critique of Rossberg et al.: noise obscures the genetic signal of meiobiotal ecospecies in ecogenomic datasets
Morgan, M. J., Bass, D., Bik, H., Birky, C. W., Blaxter, M., Crisp, M. D., Derycke, S., Fitch, D., Fonteaneto, D., Hardy, C. M., King, A. J., Kiontke, K. C., Moens, T., Pawlowski, J. W., Porazinska, D., Tang, C. Q., Thomas, W. K., Yeates, D. K. & Creer, S., 26 Mar 2014, In: Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 281, 1783, p. 20133076Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Environmental DNA size sorting and degradation experiment indicates the state of Daphnia magna mitochondrial and nuclear eDNA is subcellular
Moushomi, R., Wilgar, G., Carvalho, G., Creer, S. & Seymour, M., 29 Aug 2019, In: Scientific Reports. 9, 12500 (2019.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Convergence of multiple markers and analysis methods defines the genetic distinctiveness of cryptic pitvipers
Mrinalini, M., Thorpe, R. S., Creer, S., Lallias, D. S., Dawnay, L., Stuart, B. L. & Malhotra, A., 8 Jul 2015, In: Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 92, p. 266-279Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Sample size effects on the assessment of eukaryotic diversity and community structure in aquatic sediments using high-throughput sequencing
Nascimento, F. J. A., Lallias, D., Bik, H. M. & Creer, S., 6 Aug 2018, In: Scientific Reports. 8Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Above-below surface interactions mediate effects of seagrass disturbance on meiobenthic diversity, nematode and polychaete trophic structure
Nascimento, F. J. A., Dahl, M., Deyanova, D., Lyimo, L. D., Bik, H. M., Pereira, T. J., Bjork, M., Creer, S. & Gullstrom, M., 4 Oct 2019, In: Communications Biology. 2, 362.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Fauxcurrence: simulating multi-species occurrences for null models in species distribution modelling and biogeography
Osborne, O., Fell, H. G., Atkins, H., Tol, J. V., Phillips, D., Herrerra-Alsina, L., Mynard, P., Bocedi, G., Gubry-Rangin, C., Lancaster, L. T., Creer, S., Nangoy, M., Fahri, F., Lupiyaningdyah, P., Sudiana, I. M., Juliandi, B., Travis, J., Papadopulos, A. S. T. & Algar, A. C., Jul 2022, In: Ecography. 2022, 7, e05880.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Development and Application of Microsatellites in Carcinus maenas: Genetic Differentiation between Northern and Central Portuguese Populations
Pascoal, S., Creer, S., Taylor, M. I., Queiroga, H., Carvalho, G. & Mendo, S., 30 Sept 2009, In: PLoS ONE. 4, 9, p. e7268Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review