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
- Article › Research › Peer-reviewed
- 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 journal › Article › peer-review
- 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. 1208-1221Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
- 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 journal › Article › peer-review
- 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. 537-546Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
- 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 journal › Article › peer-review
- 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 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
- 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 journal › Article › peer-review
- 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. 317-329Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
- 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. 111-123Research 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
- 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 journal › Article › peer-review
- 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 journal › Article › peer-review
- 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. 1941–1950Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
- 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. 172-178Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
- 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. 157-164Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
- 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. 157-170Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
- 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 journal › Article › peer-review
- 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 journal › Article › peer-review
- 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 journal › Article › peer-review
- 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 journal › Article › peer-review
- Published
Metacommunity Theory and Metabarcoding Reveal the Environmental, Spatial and Biotic Drivers of Meiofaunal Communities in Sandy Beaches
Pichler, M., Creer, S., Martínez, A., Fontaneto, D., Renema, W. & Macher, J.-N., 1 Apr 2025, In: Molecular Ecology. 34, 8, p. e17733 e17733.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
- 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. 1293–1302Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
- 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 journal › Article › peer-review
- 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 journal › Article › peer-review