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

    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 journalArticlepeer-review

  3. Published

    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 journalArticlepeer-review

  4. Published

    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. 1784-1800

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  5. Published

    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 journalArticlepeer-review

  6. Published

    Detection of introduced and resident marine species using environmental DNA metabarcoding of sediment and water

    Holman, L. E., de Bruyn, M., Creer, S., Carvalho, G., Robidart, J. & Rius, M., 9 Aug 2019, In: Scientific Reports. 9, 11559.

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  7. 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

  8. Published

    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 journalArticlepeer-review

  9. Published

    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 journalArticlepeer-review

  10. Published

    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. 242-249

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  11. 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

  12. Published

    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 journalArticlepeer-review

  13. Published

    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 journalArticlepeer-review

  14. 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

  15. 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

  16. Published

    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. 5872-5895

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  17. 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

  18. Published

    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 journalArticlepeer-review

  19. Published

    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 journalArticlepeer-review

  20. Published

    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 journalArticlepeer-review

  21. Published

    Environmental DNA size sorting and degradation experiment indicates the state of Daphnia magna mitochondrial and nuclear eDNA is subcellular

    Moushomi, R., Wilgar, G., Carvalho, G., Creer, S. & Seymour, M., 29 Aug 2019, In: Scientific Reports. 9, 12500 (2019.

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  22. 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

  23. 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

  24. 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

  25. 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

  26. 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