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. 2022
  2. 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

  3. 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 journalArticlepeer-review

  4. Published

    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 journalArticlepeer-review

  5. Published

    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, 4

    Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

  6. 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

  7. Published

    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. 1484-1495

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  8. Published

    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 journalArticlepeer-review

  9. Published

    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. 199-210

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  10. Published

    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 journalArticlepeer-review

  11. Published

    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 journalArticlepeer-review

  12. 2023
  13. Published

    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 journalArticlepeer-review

  14. Published

    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 journalArticlepeer-review

  15. 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

  16. Published

    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 journalArticlepeer-review

  17. 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

  18. 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 journalArticlepeer-review

  19. Published

    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. 1720-1731

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  20. 2024
  21. 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

  22. 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

  23. Published

    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 Press

    Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterpeer-review

  24. Published

    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. 4372

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  25. Published

    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 journalArticlepeer-review

  26. 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

  27. 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 journalArticlepeer-review

  28. Published

    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. 20240966

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  29. 2025
  30. 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

  31. Published

    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, 1

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  32. 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 journalArticlepeer-review

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