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
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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 journal › Article › peer-review
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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. 84-88Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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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 journal › Article › peer-review
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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. 375-407Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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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 journal › Article › peer-review
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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 journal › Article › peer-review
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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. 233-243Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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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 journal › Article › peer-review
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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. 1020-1034Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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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 journal › Review article › peer-review
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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. 750-754Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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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. e62404Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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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 journal › Article › peer-review
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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 journal › Article › peer-review
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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 journal › Article › peer-review
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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 journal › Article › peer-review
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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. 57-72Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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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. 390-395Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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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. 907-913Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Assessing the phylogenetic utility of four mitochondrial genes and a nuclear intron in the Asian pit viper genus, Trimeresurus: Separate, simultaneous, and conditional data combination analyses
Creer, S., Malhotra, A. & Thorpe, R. S., 1 Aug 2003, In: Molecular Biology and Evolution. 20, 8, p. 1240-1251Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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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. 4-20Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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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. 317-329Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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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. 1967-1981Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Cosmopolitanism of microbial eukaryotes in the global deep seas
Creer, S. & Sinniger, F., 1 Mar 2012, In: Molecular Ecology. 21, 5, p. 1033-1035Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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On the application of molecular barcodes in toxinological research
Creer, S., 1 Nov 2005, In: Toxicon. 46, 6, p. 709-710Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Choosing and using introns in molecular phylogenetics.
Creer, S., 1 Jan 2007, In: Evolutionary Bioinformatics. 3, p. 99-108Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Second-generation sequencing derived insights into the temporal biodiversity dynamics of freshwater protists.
Creer, S., 1 Jul 2010, In: Molecular Ecology. 19, 14, p. 2829-2831Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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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 journal › Comment/debate
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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 journal › Article › peer-review
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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. 100-107Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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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, 1Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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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 journal › Article › peer-review
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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. 5872-5895Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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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. 2093-2110Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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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. 832-840Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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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. 111-123Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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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. 12Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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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. 358-367Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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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 journal › Article › peer-review
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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. 1293–1302Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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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. 98Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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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. e66Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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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 journal › Article › peer-review
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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 journal › Article › peer-review
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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 journal › Article › peer-review
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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 journal › Article › peer-review
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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. 537-546Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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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 journal › Article › peer-review
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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 journal › Article › peer-review
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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 journal › Article › peer-review