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
Challenges to Implementing Environmental-DNA Monitoring in Namibia
Perry, I., Jams, I. B., Casas-Mulet, R., Hamutoko, J., Marchbank, A., Lendelvo, S., Naomab, E., Mapani, B., Creer, S., Wanke, H., Durance, I. & Kille, P., 17 Jan 2022, In: Frontiers in Environmental Science. 9, 773991.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Disentangling the effects of sex, life history and genetic background in Atlantic salmon: growth, heart and liver under common garden conditions
Perry, W. B., Solberg, M. F., Brodie, C., Medina, A. C., Pillay, K. G., Egerton, A., Harvey, A., Creer, S., Llewellyn, M., Taylor, M., Carvalho, G. & Glover, K. A., 7 Oct 2020, In: Royal Society Open Science. 7, 10, 200811.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Design considerations for eDNA metabarcoding surveys
Perry, W. B., Pillay, K., George, P., Brennan, G., Lowe, A., Jones, L., Holman, L., Gibson, T., de Vere, N. & Creer, S., 19 Jan 2024, Applied Environmental Genomics. Berry, O. F., Holleley, C. E. & Jarman, S. N. (eds.). CRC PressResearch output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › peer-review
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Domestication-induced reduction in eye size revealed in multiple common garden experiments: The case of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.)
Perry, W. B., Kaufmann, J., Solberg, M. F., Brodie, C., Medina, A. M. C., Pillay, K., Egerton, A., Harvey, A., Phillips, K. P., Coughlan, J., Egan, F., Grealis, R., Hutton, S., Leseur, F., Ryan, S., Poole, R., Rogan, G., Ryder, E., Schaal, P., Waters, C., Wynne, R., Taylor, M., Prodohl, P., Creer, S., Llewellyn, M., McGinnity, P., Carvalho, G. & Glover, K. A., 28 Sept 2021, In: Evolutionary Applications. 14, 9, p. 2319-2332 14 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Evolutionary drivers of kype size in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar): domestication, age and genetics
Perry, W. B., Solberg, M. F., Besnier, F., Dyrhovden, L., Matre, I. H., Fjelldal, P. G., Ayllon, F., Creer, S., Llewelyn, M., Taylor, M. I., Carvalho, G. & Glover, K. A., 17 Apr 2019, In: Royal Society Open Science. 6, 4, 190021.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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An integrated spatio-temporal view of riverine biodiversity using environmental DNA metabarcoding
Perry, W. B., Seymour, M., Orsini, L., Jâms, I. B., Milner, N., Edwards, F., Harvey, R., de Bruyn, M., Bista, I., Walsh, K., Emmett, B., Blackman, R., Altermatt, F., Lawson Handley, L., Mächler, E., Deiner, K., Bik, H. M., Carvalho, G., Colbourne, J., Cosby, B. J., Durance, I. & Creer, S., 23 May 2024, In: Nature Communications. 15, 1, p. 4372Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Diversity and community composition of pico- and nanoplanktonic protists in the Vistula River estuary (Gulf of Gdańsk, Baltic Sea)
Piwosz, K., Calkiewicz, J., Golebiewski, M. & Creer, S., 31 Jul 2018, In: Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science. 207, p. 242-249Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Subtle shifts in microbial communities occur alongside the release of carbon induced by drought and rewetting in contrasting peatland ecosystems
Potter, C., Freeman, C., Golyshin, P., Ackerman, G., Fenner, N., McDonald, J., Ehbair, A., Jones, T., Murphy, L. & Creer, S., Sept 2017, In: Scientific Reports. 7, 11314.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Detecting macroecological patterns in bacterial communities across independent studies of global soils
Ramirez, K. S., Knight, C. G., Hollander, M., Brearley, F. Q., Constantinides, B., Cotton, T. E. A., Creer, S., Crowther, T. W., Davison, J., Delgado-Baquerizo, M., Dorrepaal, E., Elliott, D. R., Fox, G., Griffiths, R., Hale, C., Hartman, K., Houlden, A., Jones, D., Krab, E. J., Maestre, F. T., McGuire, K. L., Monteux, S., Orr, C. H., van der Putten, W. H., Roberts, I. S., Robinson, D., Rocca, J., Rowntree, J., Schlaeppi, K., Shepherd, M., Singh, B. K., Straathof, A., Talbot, J. M., Thion, C., van der Heijden, M. & de Vries, F. T., 2018, In: Nature Microbiology. 3, p. 189-196 8 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Introduction: Special issue on species interactions, ecological networks and community dynamics – Untangling the entangled bank using molecular techniques
Roslin, T., Traugott, M., Jonsson, M., Stone, G. N., Creer, S. & Symondson, W. O. C., 1 Jan 2019, In: Molecular Ecology. 28, 2, p. 157-164Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Environmental DNA reveals links between abundance and composition of airborne grass pollen and respiratory health
Rowney, F. M., Brennan, G. L., Skjoth, C. A., Griffith, G. W., McInnes, R. N., Clewlow, Y., Adams-Groom, B., Barber, A., De Vere, N., Economou, T., Hegarty, M., Hanlon, H. M., Jones, L., Kurganskiy, A., Petch, G. M., Potter, C., Munawar Rafiq, A., Warner, A., The PollerGEN Consortium, Wheeler, B. W., Osborne, N. J. & Creer, S., 10 May 2021, In: Current Biology. 31, 9, p. 1995-2003 9 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Plant and soil communities are associated with the response of soil water repellency to environmental stress
Seaton, F., Jones, D. L., Creer, S., George, P., Smart, S. M., Lebron, I., Barrett, G., Emmett, B. & Robinson, D., 15 Oct 2019, In: Science of the Total Environment. 687, p. 929-938Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Long term drought and warming alter soil bacterial and fungal communities in an upland heathland
Seaton, F., Reinsch, S., Goodall, T., White, N., Jones, D. L., Griffiths, R., Creer, S., Smith, A., Emmett, B. A. & Robinson, D. A., Sept 2022, In: Ecosystems. 25, 6, p. 1279-1294 16 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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A diversity of diversities: Do complex environmental effects underpin associations between below- and above-ground taxa?
Seaton, F., George, P., Alison, J., Jones, D. L., Creer, S., Smart, S. M., Emmett, B. A. & Robinson, D., 1 Jul 2024, In: Journal of Ecology. 112, 7, p. 1550-1564 15 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Soil textural heterogeneity impacts bacterial but not fungal diversity
Seaton, F., George, P., Lebron, I., Jones, D. L., Creer, S. & Robinson, D. A., 1 May 2020, In: Soil Biology and Biochemistry. 144, 107766.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Soil health cluster analysis based on national monitoring of soil indicators
Seaton, F. M., Barrett, G., Burden, A., Creer, S., Fitos, E., Garbutt, A., Griffiths, R. I., Henrys, P., Jones, D. L., Keenan, P., Keith, A., Lebron, I., Maskell, L., Pereira, M. G., Reinsch, S., Smart, S. M., Williams, B., Emmett, B. A. & Robinson, D. A., Nov 2021, In: European Journal of Soil Science. 72, 6, p. 2414-2429 16 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Executing multi-taxa eDNA ecological assessment via traditional metrics and interactive networks
Seymour, M., Edwards, F., Cosby, B., Kelly, M., de Bruyn, M., Carvalho, G. & Creer, S., 10 Aug 2020, In: Science of the Total Environment. 729, 138801.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Acidity promotes degradation of multi-species environmental DNA in lotic mesocosms
Seymour, M., Durance, I., Cosby, B. J., Ransom-Jones, E., Deiner, K., Ormerod, S. J., Colbourne, J. K., Wilgar, G., Carvalho, G., De Bruyn, M., Edwards, F., Emmett, B. A., Bik, H. M. & Creer, S., 22 Jan 2018, In: Communications Biology. 1, 4.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Environmental DNA provides higher resolution assessment of riverine biodiversity and ecosystem function via spatio-temporal nestedness and turnover partitioning
Seymour, M., Edwards, F. K., Cosby, B. J., Bista, I., Scarlett, P. M., Brailsford, F., Glanville, H., de Bruyn, M., Carvalho, G. & Creer, S., 3 May 2021, In: Communications Biology. 4, 1, 512.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Worldwide Analysis of Sedimentary DNA Reveals Major Gaps in Taxonomic Knowledge of Deep-Sea Benthos
Sinniger, F., Pawlowski, J., Harii, S., Gooday, A. J., Yamamoto, H., Chevaldonne, P., Cedhagen, T., Carvalho, G. & Creer, S., 14 Jun 2016, In: Frontiers in Marine Science. 3, 92Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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A communal catalogue reveals Earth's multiscale microbial diversity
Thompson, L. R., Sanders, J. G., McDonald, D., Amir, A., Ladau, J., Locey, K. J., Prill, R. J., Tripathi, A., Gibbons, S. M., Ackermann, G., Navas-Molina, J. A., Janssen, S., Kopylova, E., Vazquez-Baeza, Y., Gonzalez, A., Morton, J. T., Mirarab, S., Xu, Z. Z., Jiang, L., Haroon, M. F., Kanbar, J., Zhu, Q., Song, S. J., Kosciolek, T., Bokulich, N. A., Lefler, J., Brislawn, C. J., Humphrey, G., Owens, S. M., Hampton-Marcell, J., Berg-Lyons, D., McKenzie, V., Fierer, N., Fuhrman, J. A., Clauset, A., Stevens, R. L., Shade, A., Pollard, K. S., Goodwin, K. D., Jansson, J. K., Gilbert, J. A., Knight, R., Agosto Rivera, J. L., Al-Moosawi, L., Alverdy, J., Amato, K. R., Andras, J., Angenent, L. T., Antonopoulos, D. A., Apprill, A., Armitage, D., Ballantine, K., Bárta, J., Baum, J. K., Berry, A., Bhatnagar, A., Bhatnagar, M., Biddle, J. F., Bittner, L., Boldgiv, B., Bottos, E., Boyer, D. M., Braun, J., Brazelton, W., Brearley, F. Q., Campbell, A. H., Caporaso, J. G., Cardona, C., Carroll, J., Cary, S. C., Casper, B. B., Charles, T. C., Chu, H., Claar, D. C., Clark, R. G., Clayton, J. B., Clemente, J. C., Cochran, A., Coleman, M. L., Collins, G., Colwel, R. R., Contreras, M., Crary, B. B., Creer, S., Cristol, D. A., Crump, B. C., Cui, D., Daly, S. E., Davalos, L., Dawson, R. D., Defazio, J., Delsuc, F., Dionisi, H. M., Dominguez-Bello, M. G., Dowell, R., Dubinsky, E. A., Dunn, P. O., Ercolini, D., Espinoza, R. E., Ezenwa, V., Fenner, N., Findlay, H. S., Fleming, I. D., Fogliano, V., Forsman, A., Freeman, C., Friedman, E. S., Galindo, G., Garcia, L., Garcia-Amado, M. A., Garshelis, D., Gasser, R. B., Gerdts, G., Gibson, M. K., Gifford, I., Gill, R. T., Giray, T., Gittel, A., Golyshin, P., Gong, D., Grossart, H.-P., Guyton, K., Haig, S.-J., Hale, V., Hall, R. S., Hallam, S. J., Handley, K. M., Hasan, N. A., Haydon, S. R., Hickman, J. E., Hidalgo, G., Hofmockel, K. S., Hooker, J., Hulth, S., Hultman, J., Hyde, E., Ibáñez-Álamo, J. D., Jastrow, J. D., Jex, A. R., Johnson, L. S., Johnston, E. R., Joseph, S., Jurburg, S. D., Jurelevicius, D., Karlsson, A., Karlsson, R., Kauppinen, S., Kellogg, C. T. E., Kennedy, S. J., Kerkhof, L. J., King, G. M., Kling, G. W., Koehler, A. V., Krezalek, M., Kueneman, J., Lamendella, R., Landon, E. M., Lane-deGraaf, K., LaRoche, J., Larsen, P., Laverock, B., Lax, S., Lentino, M., Levin, I. I., Liancourt, P., Liang, W., Linz, A. M., Lipson, D. A., Liu, Y., Lladser, M. E., Lozada, M., Spirito, C. M., MacCormack, W. P., MacRae-Crerar, A., Magris, M., Martín-Platero, A. M., Martín-Vivaldi, M., Martínez, L. M., Martínez-Bueno, M., Marzinelli, E. M., Mason, O. U., Mayer, G. D., McDevitt-Irwin, J. M., McDonald, J., McGuire, K. L., McMahon, K. D., McMinds, R., Medina, M., Mendelson, J. R., Metcalf, J. L., Meyer, F., Michelangeli, F., Miller, K., Mills, D. A., Minich, J., Mocali, S., Moitinho-Silva, L., Moore, A., Morgan-Kiss, R. M., Munroe, P., Myrold, D., Neufeld, J. D., Ni, Y., Nicol, G. W., Nielsen, S., Nissimov, J. I., Niu, K., Nolan, M. J., Noyce, K., O’Brien, S. L., Okamoto, N., Orlando, L., Ortiz Castellano, Y., Osuolale, O., Oswald, W., Parnell, J., Peralta-Sánchez, J. M., Petraitis, P., Pfister, C., Pilon-Smits, E., Piombino, P., Pointing, S. B., Pollock, F. J., Potter, C., Prithiviraj, B., Quince, C., Rani, A., Ranjan, R., Rao, S., Rees, A. P., Richardson, M., Riebesell, U., Robinson, C., Rockne, K. J., Rodriguezl, S. M., Rohwer, F., Roundstone, W., Safran, R. J., Sangwan, N., Sanz, V., Schrenk, M., Schrenzel, M. D., Scott, N. M., Seger, R. L., Seguin-Orlando, A., Seldin, L., Seyler, L. M., Shakhsheer, B., Sheets, G. M., Shen, C., Shi, Y., Shin, H., Shogan, B. D., Shutler, D., Siegel, J., Simmons, S., Sjöling, S., Smith, D. P., Soler, J. J., Sperling, M., Steinberg, P. D., Stephens, B., Stevens, M. A., Taghavi, S., Tai, V., Tait, K., Tan, C. L., Tas, N., Taylor, D. L., Thomas, T., Timling, I., Turner, B. L., Urich, T., Ursell, L. K., van der Lelie, D., Van Treuren, W., van Zwieten, L., Vargas-Robles, D., Vega Thurber, R., Vitaglione, P., Walker, D. A., Walters, W. A., Wang, S., Wang, T., Weave, T., Webster, N. S., Wehrle, B., Weisenhorn, P., Weiss, S., Werner, J. J., West, K., Whitehead, A., Whitehead, S. R., Whittingham, L. A., Willerslev, E., Williams, A. E., Wood, S. A., Woodhams, D. C., Yang, Y., Zaneveld, J., Zarraonaindia, I., Zhang, Q. & Zhao, H., 23 Nov 2017, In: Nature. 551, 7681, p. 457-+Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
- Published
Experimental harvesting of fish populations drives genetically based shifts in body size and maturation
Van Wijk, S. J., van Wijk, S. J., Taylor, M. I., Creer, S., Dreyer, C., Rodrigues, F. M., Ramnarine, I. W., van Oosterhout, C. & Carvalho, G. R., 1 May 2013, In: Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment. 11, 4, p. 181–187Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
- E-pub ahead of print
Genomics and morphometry of herbarium specimens elucidate the origin of the Cape Verde date palm (Phoenix atlantica A.Chev.) and highlight its agronomic potential
Vian, J. C., Pérez-Escobar, O. A., Baker, W. J., Bonhomme, V., Ferrand, S., Ivorra, S., Kaczmarek, T., Pagnoux, C., Terral, J.-F., Wales, N., Purugganan, M. D., Creer, S., Papadopulos, A. S. T., Bellot, S. & Gros-Batlthazard, M., 11 Feb 2025, (E-pub ahead of print) In: Plants, People, Planet.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Deep segregation in the open ocean: Macaronesia as an evolutionary hotspot for low dispersal marine invertebrates
Vieira, P. E., Desiderato, A., Holdich, D. M., Soares, P., Creer, S., Carvalho, G., Costa, F. O. & Queiroga, H., 1 Apr 2019, In: Molecular Ecology. 28, 7, p. 1784-1800Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Molecular characterization of a marine turtle tumor epizootic, profiling external, internal and postsurgical regrowth tumors
Yetsko, K., Farrell, J., Blackburn, N. B., Whitmore, L., Stammnitz, M. R., Whilde, J., Eastman, C., Ramia, D. R., Thomas, R., Krstic, A., Linser, P., Creer, S., Carvalho, G., Devlin, M. A., Nahvi, N., Leandro, A. C., deMaar, T. W., Burkhalter, B., Murchison, E. P., Schnitzler, C. & Duffy, D., 1 Feb 2021, In: Communications Biology. 4, 1, 152.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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DNA metabarcoding-Need for robust experimental designs to draw sound ecological conclusions
Zinger, L., Bonin, A., Alsos, I. G., Bálint, M., Bik, H., Boyer, F., Chariton, A. A., Creer, S., Coissac, E., Deagle, B. E., De Barba, M., Dickie, I. A., Dumbrell, A. J., Ficetola, G. F., Fierer, N., Fumagalli, L., Gilbert, M. T. P., Jarman, S., Jumpponen, A., Kauserud, H., Orlando, L., Pansu, J., Pawlowski, J., Tedersoo, L., Thomsen, P. F., Willerslev, E. & Taberlet, P., Apr 2019, In: Molecular Ecology. 28, 8, p. 1857-1862 6 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Investigating the molecular systematic relationships amongst selected Plesionika (Decapoda: Pandalidae) from the Northeast Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea
da Silva, J. M., dos Santos, A., Cunha, M. R., Costa, F. O., Creer, S. & Carvalho, G. R., 1 Jun 2013, In: Marine Ecology. 34, 2, p. 157-170Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Environmental DNA biomonitoring in biodiversity hotspots: A case study of fishes of the Okavango Delta
von der Heyden, S., Neef, G., Grevesse, T., Cwecwe, Y., Sado, T., Miya, M., Mosie, I., Creer, S., Skelton, P. & von Brandis, R., 28 Nov 2023, In: Environmental DNA. 5, 6, p. 1720-1731Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review