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. 2001
  2. 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

  3. 2002
  4. 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

  5. 2003
  6. 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

  7. Published
  8. 2004
  9. 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

  10. 2005
  11. 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

  12. 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

  13. 2006
  14. 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

  15. 2007
  16. 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

  17. Published

    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. 237-246

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  18. 2009
  19. Published
  20. Published

    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. 85-96

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  21. Published

    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. e7268

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  22. Published

    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. 378-384

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  23. 2010
  24. Published

    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. 172-178

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  25. 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

  26. 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

  27. 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

  28. 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

  29. 2011
  30. 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

  31. 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

  32. 2012
  33. 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

  34. Published

    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. e30289

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  35. 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

  36. 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

  37. 2013
  38. Published

    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. 1589-1608

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  39. 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. 181–187

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  40. 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

  41. Published

    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. 157-170

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  42. Published

    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. 113-125

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  43. Published

    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. e70051

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  44. 2014
  45. Published

    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. 20133076

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  46. 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

  47. 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

  48. Published

    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. 1208-1221

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  49. 2015
  50. Published

    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. 266-279

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  51. Published

    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. 344-358

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  52. 2016
  53. Published

    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. 435-449

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  54. 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

  55. Published

    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. 1280-1284

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  56. Published

    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, 92

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  57. Published

    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 journalArticlepeer-review

  58. Published

    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. 1754-1768

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  59. 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

  60. Published

    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 journalArticlepeer-review

  61. 2017
  62. Published

    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 journalArticlepeer-review

  63. 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

  64. 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

  65. 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

  66. Published

    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. 129-143

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

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