Professor Simon Creer

Professor of Molecular Ecology

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

  1. Published

    Airborne DNA reveals predictable spatial and seasonal dynamics of fungi

    Abrego, N., Furneaux, B., Hardwick, B., Somervuo, P., Palorinne, I., Aguilar-Trigueros, C. A., Andrew, N. R., Babiy, U. V., Bao, T., Bazzano, G., Bondarchuk, S. N., Bonebrake, T. C., Brennan, G. L., Bret-Harte, S., Bässler, C., Cagnolo, L., Cameron, E. K., Chapurlat, E., Creer, S., D'Acqui, L. P., de Vere, N., Desprez-Loustau, M.-L., Dongmo, M. A. K., Jacobsen, I. B. D., Fisher, B. L., Flores de Jesus, M., Gilbert, G. S., Griffith, G. W., Gritsuk, A. A., Gross, A., Grudd, H., Halme, P., Hanna, R., Hansen, J., Hansen, L. H., Hegbe, A. D. M. T., Hill, S., Hogg, I. D., Hultman, J., Hyde, K. D., Hynson, N. A., Ivanova, N., Karisto, P., Kerdraon, D., Knorre, A., Krisai-Greilhuber, I., Kurhinen, J., Kuzmina, M., Lecomte, N., Lecomte, E., Loaiza, V., Lundin, E., Meire, A., Mešić, A., Miettinen, O., Monkhouse, N., Mortimer, P., Müller, J., Nilsson, R. H., Nonti, P. Y. C., Nordén, J., Nordén, B., Norros, V., Paz, C., Pellikka, P., Pereira, D., Petch, G., Pitkänen, J.-M., Popa, F., Potter, C., Purhonen, J., Pätsi, S., Rafiq, A., Raharinjanahary, D., Rakos, N., Rathnayaka, A. R., Raundrup, K., Rebriev, Y. A., Rikkinen, J., Rogers, H. M. K., Rogovsky, A., Rozhkov, Y., Runnel, K., Saarto, A., Savchenko, A., Schlegel, M., Schmidt, N. M., Seibold, S., Skjøth, C., Stengel, E., Sutyrina, S. V., Syvänperä, I., Tedersoo, L., Timm, J., Tipton, L., Toju, H., Uscka-Perzanowska, M., van der Bank, M., van der Bank, F. H., Vandenbrink, B., Ventura, S., Vignisson, S. R., Wang, X., Weisser, W. W., Wijesinghe, S. N., Wright, S. J., Yang, C., Yorou, N. S., Young, A., Yu, D. W., Zakharov, E. V., Hebert, P. D. N., Roslin, T. & Ovaskainen, O., 25 Jul 2024, In: Nature. 631, 8022, p. 835-842 8 p.

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  2. Published

    Competition and phylogeny determine community structure in Müllerian co-mimics

    Alexandrou, M. A., Oliveira, C., Maillard, M., McGill, R. A., Newton, J., Creer, S. & Taylor, M. I., 1 Jun 2011, In: Nature. 469, p. 84-88

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  3. Published

    Connecting high‐throughput biodiversity inventories: Opportunities for a site‐based genomic framework for global integration and synthesis

    Arribas, P., Andujar, C., Bidartondo, M. I., Bohmann, K., Coissac, E., Creer, S., deWaard, J. R., Elbrecht, V., Ficetola, G. F., Goberna, M., Kennedy, S., Krehenwinkel, H., Leese, F., Novotny, V., Ronquist, F., Yu, D. W., Zinger, L., Creedy, T. J., Meramveliotakis, E., Noguerales, V., Overcast, I., Morlon, H., Vogler, A. P., Papadopoulou, A. & Emerson, B. C., 1 Mar 2021, In: Molecular Ecology. 30, 5, p. 1120-1135 16 p.

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  4. Published

    Chapter Ten - Informing marine spatial planning decisions with environmental DNA

    Bani, A., De Brauwer, M., Creer, S., Dumbrell, A. J., Limmon, G., Jompa, J., von der Heyden, S. & Berger, M., 2020, In: Advances in Ecological Research. 62, p. 375-407

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  5. Published

    Bacillus indicus and Bacillus subtilis as alternative health and colouration promoters to synthetic astaxanthin in cyprinid aquaculture species.

    Baumgärtner, S., Creer, S., Jones, C., James, J. & Ellison, A., 15 Jan 2024, In: Aquaculture. 578, 740016.

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  6. Published

    Epistatic regulation of growth in Atlantic salmon revealed: a QTL study performed on the domesticated-wild interface

    Besnier, F., Solberg, M. F., Harvey, A., Carvalho, G., Bekkevold, D., Taylor, M. I., Creer, S., Nielsen, E. E., Skaala, O., Ayllon, F., Dahle, G. & Glover, K. A., 7 Feb 2020, In: BMC Genetics. 21, 1, 13.

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  7. Published

    Sequencing our way towards understanding global eukaryotic biodiversity

    Bik, H. M., Porazinska, D., Creer, S., Caporaso, J. G., Knight, R. & Thomas, W. K., 1 Apr 2012, In: Trends in Ecology and Evolution. 27, 4, p. 233-243

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  8. Published

    Annual time-series analysis of aqueous eDNA reveals ecologically relevant dynamics of lake ecosystem biodiversity

    Bista, I., Carvalho, G., Walsh, K., Seymour, M., Hajibabaei, M., Lallias, D., Christmas, M. & Creer, S., Jan 2017, In: Nature Communications. 8, 14087.

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  9. Published

    Performance of amplicon and shotgun sequencing for accurate biomass estimation in invertebrate community samples

    Bista, I., Carvalho, G., Tang, M., Walsh, K., Zhou, X., Hajibabaei, M., Shokralla, S., Seymour, M., Bradley, D., Liu, S., Christmas, M. & Creer, S., Sept 2018, In: Molecular Ecology Resources. 18, 5, p. 1020-1034

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  10. Published

    Strategies for sample labelling and library preparation in DNA metabarcoding studies

    Bohmann, K., Elbrecht, V., Caroe, C., Bista, I., Leese, F., Bunce, M., Yu, D. W., Seymour, M., Dumbrell, A. & Creer, S., May 2022, In: Molecular Ecology Resources. 22, 4, p. 1231-1246 16 p.

    Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

  11. Published

    Temperate airborne grass pollen defined by spatio-temporal shifts in community composition

    Brennan, G. L., Potter, C., De Vere, N., Griffith, G. W., Skjøth, C. A., Osborne, N. J., Wheeler, B. W., McInnes, R. N., Clewlow, Y., Barber, A., Hanlon, H. M., Hegarty, M., Jones, L., Kurganskiy, A., Rowney, F. M., Armitage, C., Adams-Groom, B., Ford, C. R., Petch, G. M., The PollerGEN Consortium & Creer, S., May 2019, In: Nature Ecology and Evolution. 3, 5, p. 750-754

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  12. Published

    Can Long-Range PCR Be Used to Amplify Genetically Divergent Mitochondrial Genomes for Comparative Phylogenetics? A Case Study within Spiders (Arthropoda: Araneae)

    Briscoe, A. G., Goodacre, S., Masta, S. E., Taylor, M. I., Arnedo, M. A., Penney, D., Kenny, J. & Creer, S., 8 May 2013, In: PLoS ONE. 8, 5, p. e62404

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  13. Published

    High throughput shotgun sequencing of eRNA reveals taxonomic and derived functional shifts across a benthic productivity gradient

    Broman, E., Bonaglia, S., Norkko, A., Creer, S. & Nascimento, F. J. A., Jul 2021, In: Molecular Ecology. 30, 13, p. 3023-3039 17 p.

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  14. Published

    Salinity drives meiofaunal community structure dynamics across the Baltic ecosystem

    Broman, E., Raymond, C., Sommer, C., Gunnarsson, J. S., Creer, S. & Nascimento, F. J. A., Aug 2019, In: Molecular Ecology. 28, 16, p. 3813-3829 17 p.

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  15. Published

    Plastic 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., 30 Jan 2025, In: PNAS. 122, 5, e2409541122.

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  16. Published

    Ecosystems monitoring powered by environmental genomics: a review of current strategies with an implementation roadmap

    Cordier, T., Alonso-Saez, L., Apothéloz-Perret-Gentil, Aylagas, E., Bohan, D. A., Bouchez, A., Chariton, A. A., Creer, S., Fruhe, L., Keck, F., Keeley, N., Laroche, O., Leese, F., Pochon, X., Stoeck, T., Pawlowski, J. & Lanzen, A., Jul 2021, In: Molecular Ecology. 30, 13, p. 2937-2958 22 p.

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  17. Published

    Optimal intron analyses in the Trimeresurus radiation of Asian pitvipers.

    Creer, S., Pook, C. E., Malhotra, A. & Thorpe, R. S., 1 Feb 2006, In: Systematic Biology. 55, 1, p. 57-72

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  18. Published

    Targeting optimal introns for phylogenetic analyses in non-model taxa: experimental results in Asian pitvipers.

    Creer, S., Malhotra, A., Thorpe, R. S. & Pook, C. E., 1 Aug 2005, In: Cladistics. 21, 4, p. 390-395

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  19. Published

    Offshore insular variation in the diet of the Taiwanese bamboo viper Trimeresurus stejnegeri (Schmidt)

    Creer, S., Chou, W. H., Malhotra, A. & Thorpe, R. S., 1 Aug 2002, In: Zoological Science. 19, 8, p. 907-913

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  20. Published
  21. Published

    Ultrasequencing of the meiofaunal biosphere: practice, pitfalls and promises.

    Creer, S., Fonseca, V. G., Porazinska, D. L., Giblin-Davis, R. M., Sung, W., Powers, D. M., Packer, M., Carvalho, G. R., Blaxter, M. L., Lambshead, P. J. & Thomas, W. K., 1 Mar 2010, In: Molecular Ecology. 19, 1, p. 4-20

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  22. Published

    Genetic and ecological correlates of intraspecific variation in pitviper venom composition detected using matirx-assisted laser desorption time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) and isoelectric focusing

    Creer, S., Malhotra, A., Thorpe, R., Stocklin, R. S., Favreau, P. S. & Chou, W. S., 1 Mar 2003, In: Journal of Molecular Evolution. 56, 3, p. 317-329

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  23. Published

    Multiple causation of phylogeographical pattern as revealed by nested clade analysis of the bamboo viper (Trimeresurus stejnegeri) within Taiwan.

    Creer, S., Malhotra, A., Thorpe, R. S. & Chou, W. H., 1 Aug 2001, In: Molecular Ecology. 10, 8, p. 1967-1981

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  24. Published

    Cosmopolitanism of microbial eukaryotes in the global deep seas

    Creer, S. & Sinniger, F., 1 Mar 2012, In: Molecular Ecology. 21, 5, p. 1033-1035

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  25. Published

    On the application of molecular barcodes in toxinological research

    Creer, S., 1 Nov 2005, In: Toxicon. 46, 6, p. 709-710

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  26. Published

    Choosing and using introns in molecular phylogenetics.

    Creer, S., 1 Jan 2007, In: Evolutionary Bioinformatics. 3, p. 99-108

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  27. Published

    Second-generation sequencing derived insights into the temporal biodiversity dynamics of freshwater protists.

    Creer, S., 1 Jul 2010, In: Molecular Ecology. 19, 14, p. 2829-2831

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  28. Published

    Marine ecology: Genetics from a drop in the ocean

    Creer, S. & Seymour, M., 4 Jan 2017, In: Nature Ecology and Evolution. 1, 0037.

    Research output: Contribution to journalComment/debate

  29. Published

    The ecologist’s field guide to sequence-based identification of biodiversity

    Creer, S., Deiner, K., Frey, S., Porazinska, D., Taberlet, P., Thomas, W. K., Potter, C. & Bik, H. M., 13 Sept 2016, In: Methods in Ecology and Evolution. 7, p. 1008-1018 11 p.

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  30. Published

    The utility of AFLPs for supporting mitochondrial DNA phylogeographical analyses in the Taiwanese bamboo viper, Trimeresurus stejnegeri

    Creer, S., Thorpe, R., Malhotra, A., Chou, W. H. & Stenson, A. G., 1 Jan 2004, In: Journal of Evolutionary Biology. 17, 1, p. 100-107

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  31. Published

    Novel insights into marine fish biodiversity across a pronounced environmental gradient using replicated environmental DNA analyses

    Czachur, M. V., Seymour, M., Creer, S. & von der Heyden, S., 1 Jan 2022, In: Environmental DNA. 4, 1

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  32. Published

    Using DNA metabarcoding to investigate honey bee foraging reveals limited flower use despite high floral availability

    De Vere, N., Jones, L. E., Gilmore, T., Moscrop, J., Lowe, A., Smith, D., Hegarty, M. J., Creer, S. & Ford, C. R., 2017, In: Scientific Reports. 7, 42838.

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  33. Published

    Environmental DNA metabarcoding: transforming how we survey animal and plant communities

    Deiner, K., Bik, H. M., Machler, E., Seymour, M., Lacoursiere-Roussel, A., Altermatt, F., Creer, S., Bista, I. & Lodge, D. M., Nov 2017, In: Molecular Ecology Resources. 26, 21, p. 5872-5895

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  34. Published

    Coexisting cryptic species of the Litoditis marina complex (Nematoda) show differential resource use and have distinct microbiomes with high intraspecific variability

    Derycke, S., De Meester, N., Rigaux, A., Creer, S., Bik, H. M., Thomas, W. K. & Moens, T., May 2016, In: Molecular Ecology. 25, 9, p. 2093-2110

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  35. Published

    Temporal genetic homogeneity among shore crab (Carcinus maenas) larval events supplied to an estuarine system on the Portuguese northwest coast.

    Domingues, C. P., Creer, S., Taylor, M. I., Queiroga, H. & Carvalho, G. R., 1 May 2011, In: Heredity. 106, 5, p. 832-840

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  36. Published

    Genetic structure of Carcinus maenas within its native range: larval dispersal and oceanographic variability.

    Domingues, C. P., Creer, S., Taylor, M. I., Queiroga, H. & Carvalho, G. R., 14 Jul 2010, In: Marine Ecology Progress Series. 410, p. 111-123

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  37. Published

    100 years of anthropogenic impact causes changes in freshwater functional biodiversity

    Eastwood, N., Zhou, J., Derelle, R., Abdallah, M.A.-E., Stubbings, W. A., Jia, Y., Crawford, S. E., Davidson, T. A., Colbourne, J. K., Creer, S., Bik, H., Hollert, H. & Orsini, L., 7 Nov 2023, In: Elife. 12

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  38. Published

    Environmental DNA for Wildlife Biology and Biodiversity Monitoring

    Evans, A. R., Bohmann, K., Evans, A., Gilbert, M. T., Carvalho, G. R., Creer, S., Knapp, M., Yu, D. W. & De Bruyn, M., 10 May 2014, In: Trends in Ecology and Evolution. 29, 6, p. 358-367

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  39. Published

    Environmental DNA monitoring of oncogenic viral shedding and genomic profiling of sea turtle fibropapillomatosis reveals unusual viral dynamics

    Farrell, J. A., Yetsko, K., Whitmore, L., Whilde, J., Eastman, C. B., Ramia, D. R., Thomas, R., Linser, P., Creer, S., Burkhalter, B., Schnitzler, C. & Duffy, D. J., 12 May 2021, In: Communications Biology. 4, 1, p. 565 1 p.

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  40. Published

    Metagenetic analysis of patterns of distribution and diversity of marine meiobenthic eukaryotes

    Fonseca, V. G., Carvalho, G. R., Nichols, B., Quince, C., Johnson, H. F., Neill, S. P., Lambshead, J. D., Thomas, W. K., Power, D. M. & Creer, S., 25 Aug 2014, In: Global Ecology and Biogeography. 23, 11, p. 1293–1302

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  41. Published

    Second-generation environmental sequencing unmasks marine metazoan biodiversity.

    Fonseca, V. G., Carvalho, G. R., Sung, W., Johnson, H. F., Power, D. M., Neill, S. P., Packer, M., Blaxter, M. L., Lambshead, J. D., Thomas, W. K. & Creer, S., 19 Oct 2010, In: Nature Communications. 1, 7, p. 98

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  42. Published

    Sample richness and genetic diversity as drivers of chimera formation in nSSU metagenetic analyses

    Fonseca, V. G., Nichols, B., Lallias, D., Quince, C., Carvalho, G. R., Power, D. M. & Creer, S., 25 Jan 2012, In: Nucleic Acids Research. 40, 9, p. e66

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  43. Published

    Revealing higher than expected meiofaunal diversity in Antarctic sediments: a metabarcoding approach

    Fonseca, V. G., Sinninger, F., Gaspar, J. M., Quince, C., Creer, S., Power, D., Peck, L. S. & Clark, M. S., 21 Jul 2017, In: Scientific Reports. 7, 6094.

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  44. Published

    Molecular ecology of microbiomes in the wild: Common pitfalls, methodological advances and future directions

    Fountain-Jones, N. M., Giraud, T., Zinger, L., Bik, H., Creer, S. & Videvall, E., 12 Jan 2024, In: Molecular Ecology. 33, 2, e1723.

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  45. Published

    Microscale pollen release and dispersal patterns in flowering grass populations

    Frisk, C. A., Apangu, G. P., Petch, G. M., Creer, S., Hanson, M., Adams-Groom, B. & Skjoth, C. A., 1 Jul 2023, In: Science of the Total Environment. 880, 163345.

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  46. Published

    Divergent national-scale trends of microbial and animal biodiversity revealed across diverse temperate soil ecosystems

    George, P., Lallias, D., Creer, S., Seaton, F., Kenny, J. G., Eccles, R. M., Griffiths, R., Lebron, I., Emmett, B., Robinson, D. & Jones, D. L., 7 Mar 2019, In: Nature Communications. 10, 1, p. 1107 1107.

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  47. Published

    Evaluation of mesofauna communities as soil quality indicators in a national-level monitoring programme

    George, P., Keith, A. M., Creer, S., Barrett, G. L., Lebron, I., Emmett, B. A., Robinson, D. & Jones, D., 1 Dec 2017, In: Soil Biology and Biochemistry. 115, p. 537-546

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  48. Published

    Primer and database choice affect fungal functional but not biological diversity findings in a national soil survey

    George, P., Creer, S., Griffiths, R. I., Emmett, B. A., Robinson, D. A. & Jones, D. L., 1 Nov 2019, In: Frontiers in Environmental Science. 7, 173.

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  49. Published

    Shifts in Soil Structure, Biological, and Functional Diversity Under Long-Term Carbon Deprivation

    George, P. B. L., Fidler, D. B., Van Nostrand, J. D., Atkinson, J. A., Mooney, S. J., Creer, S., Griffiths, R. I., McDonald, J. E., Robinson, D. A. & Jones, D. L., 14 Sept 2021, In: Frontiers in Microbiology. 12, 735022.

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  50. Published

    Decoupled richness of generalist anaerobes and sulphate-reducing bacteria is driven bypHacross land uses in temperate soils

    George, P. B. L., Coelho, K. P., Creer, S., Lebron, I., Robinson, D. A. & Jones, D. L., Nov 2021, In: European Journal of Soil Science. 72, 6, p. 2445-2456 12 p.

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

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