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. Article › Research › Peer-reviewed
  2. 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

  3. 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

  4. 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

  5. Published

    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 journalArticlepeer-review

  6. Published

    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 journalArticlepeer-review

  7. 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

  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

    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

  10. 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

  11. 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

  12. Published

    How quantitative is metabarcoding: a meta-analytical approach

    Lamb, P. D., Hunter, E., Pinnegar, J. K., Creer, S., Taylor, M. I. & Davies, R. G., Jan 2019, In: Molecular Ecology. 28, 2, p. 420-430 11 p.

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  13. Published

    Inclusion of jellyfish in 30+ years of Ecopath with Ecosim models

    Lamb, P. D., Hunter, E., Pinnegar, J. K., Doyle, T. K., Creer, S. & Taylor, M. I., 1 Dec 2019, In: ICES Journal of Marine Science. 76, 7, p. 1941–1950

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  14. 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

  15. Published

    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. 157-164

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  16. 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

  17. Published

    Jellyfish on the menu: mtaDNA assay reveals scyphozoan predation in the Irish Sea

    Lamb, P. D., Hunter, E., Pinnegar, J. K., Creer, S., Davies, R. G. & Taylor, M. I., 29 Nov 2017, In: Royal Society Open Science.

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  18. Published

    Key Questions for Next-Generation Biomonitoring

    Makiola, A., Compson, Z. G., Baird, D. J., Barnes, M. A., Boerlijst, S. P., Bouchez, A., Brennan, G., Bush, A., Canard, E., Cordier, T., Creer, S., Curry, R. A., David, P., Dumbrell, A. J., Gravel, D., Hajibabaei, M., Hayden, B., van der Hoorn, B., Jarne, P., Jones, J. I., Karimi, B., Keck, F., Kelly, M., Knot, I. E., Krol, L., Massol, F., Monk, W. A., Murphy, J., Pawlowski, J., Poisot, T., Porter, T. M., Randall, K. C., Ransome, E., Ravigne, V., Raybould, A., Robin, S., Scrama, M., Schatz, B., Tamaddoni-Nezhad, A., Trimbos, K. B., Vacher, C., Vasselon, V., Wood, S., Woodward, G. & Bohan, D. A., 9 Jan 2020, In: Frontiers in Environmental Science.

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  19. 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

  20. 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

  21. 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

  22. 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

  23. 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

  24. Published

    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 journalArticlepeer-review

  25. 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

  26. 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

  27. 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

  28. 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

  29. 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

  30. 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

  31. 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

  32. 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

  33. 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

  34. Published

    Phylogenomics and species delimitation for effective conservation of manta and devil rays

    Hosegood, J., Humble, E., Ogden, R., De Bruyn, M., Creer, S., Stevens, G. M. W., Abudaya, M., Bassos-Hull, K., Bonfil, R., Fernando, D., Foote, A., Hipperson, H., Jabado, R. W., Kaden, J., Moazzam, M., Peel, L. R., Pollett, S., Ponzo, A., Poortvliet, M., Salah, J., Senn, H., Stewart, J. D., Wintner, S. & Carvalho, G., Dec 2020, In: Molecular Ecology. 29, 24, p. 4783-4796

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  35. Published

    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. 929-938

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  36. 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

  37. 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

  38. 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

  39. 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

  40. Published

    Predicting the severity of the grass pollen season and the effect of climate change in Northwest Europe

    Kurganskiy, A., Creer, S., De Vere, N., Griffith, G. W., Osborne, N. J., Wheeler, B. W., McInnes, R. N., Clewlow, Y., Barber, A., Brennan, G., Hanlon, H. M., Hegarty, M. J., Potter, C., Rowney, F. M., Adams-Groom, B., Petch, G. M., Pashley, C. H., Satchwell, J., De Weger, L. A., Rasmussen, K., Oliver, G., Sindt, C., Bruffaerts, N., The PollerGEN Consortium & Skjoth, C. A., 26 Mar 2021, In: Science Advances. 7, 13, eabd7658.

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  41. 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

  42. 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

  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. 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

  45. 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

  46. Published

    Sample size effects on the assessment of eukaryotic diversity and community structure in aquatic sediments using high-throughput sequencing

    Nascimento, F. J. A., Lallias, D., Bik, H. M. & Creer, S., 6 Aug 2018, In: Scientific Reports. 8

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  47. 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

  48. 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

  49. 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

  50. 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

  51. 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