Elmer Lab

 We were recently awarded a three year NERC grant to study the evolution and development of reproductive modes, with common lizards as a model organism Check back early January if you are interested - we will be advertising for a postdoc soon! Reproductive mode evolution and reversal demonstrate the genetic toolkits of egg-laying and live-bearing Abstract: Laying eggs or giving birth to live young are two fundamentally different ways for females to produce their offspring. All birds, crocodilians, turtles, monotreme mammals (such as duck-billed platypus), and many lizards and snakes are egg-laying, as were most dinosaurs. In contrast, all placental mammals (like humans), marsupials, and some lizards and snakes are live-bearing. From studying embryos we know that many molecular and developmental aspects of these reproductive modes arose deep within the tree of life. For example, ancient egg-making structures are still retained within mammalian placenta, and the genes activated by pr...

 We have several PhD opportunities through competition in the IAPETUS programme. Please see  Opportunities  page

 from his time as a visiting PhD student in our lab group, Li Chao has published an excellent paper on cryptic diversity and its taxonomic implications.  Cryptic species in White Cloud Mountain minnow, Tanichthys albonubes: Taxonomic and conservation implications Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2020.106950 Chao Li, Shuying Jiang. Kevin Schneider. Jinjin Jin, Hungdu Lin, JunjieWang, Kathryn R.Elmer, Jun Zhao Abstract: Cryptic species describe two or more species that had mistakenly been considered to be a single species, a phenomenon that has been found throughout the tree of life. Recognizing cryptic species is key to estimating the real biodiversity of the world and understanding evolutionary processes. Molecular methods present an unprecedented opportunity for biologists to question whether morphologically similar populations are actually cryptic species. The minnow Tanichthys albonubes is a critically endangered freshwater fish and was...

 Research from now-FSBI PhD student Peter Koene, from his masters project in Glasgow -  https://doi.org/10.1093/biolinnean/blaa137 Abstract The fragmented, heterogeneous and relatively depauperate ecosystems of recently glaciated lakes present contrasting ecological opportunities for resident fish. Across a species, local adaptation may induce diverse and distinct phenotypic responses to various selection pressures. We tested for intraspecific phenotypic structuring by population in a common native lake-dwelling fish species across a medium-scale geographic region with considerable variation in lake types. We investigated potential lake-characteristic drivers of trophic morphology. Using geometric morphometric techniques, we quantified the head shapes of 759 adult brown trout ( Salmo trutta  L.) from 28 lakes and reservoirs across Scotland. Multivariate statistical analyses showed that almost all populations differed from one another. Trout from larger and deeper lakes ha...

CLOSED  Postdoc: UGlasgow.GenomicsReproductiveMode We have a research opportunity open at the University of Glasgow's Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health & Comparative Medicine (IBAHCM) working in the Evolutionary Analysis Group and the research team of Kathryn Elmer (http://www.gla.ac.uk/researchinstitutes/bahcm/staff/kathrynelmer/) in collaboration with Oscar Gaggiotti at University of St Andrews (https://risweb.st-andrews.ac.uk/portal/en/persons/oscar-eduardo-gaggiotti(43985656-390b-478e-b9a7-05fe88181e46).html_ The project is primarily based at Glasgow and research periods based at St Andrews are supported. We are seeking a motivated, creative and enthusiastic postdoctoral researcher for a project on the genomic basis of oviparous and viviparous reproductive modes, funded by The Leverhulme Trust. This project will apply advanced statistical analyses to population-wide whole genome sequences to identify regions of the genome that show signals of response to selection, t...

"Parallelism in eco-morphology and gene expression despite variable evolutionary and genomic backgrounds in a Holarctic fish" is in press with PLoS Genetics . data available on Enlighten.  https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgen.1008658 Abstract Understanding the extent to which ecological divergence is repeatable is essential for predicting responses of biodiversity to environmental change. Here we test the predictability of evolution, from genotype to phenotype, by studying parallel evolution in a salmonid fish, Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus), across eleven replicate sympatric ecotype pairs (benthivorous-planktivorous and planktivorous-piscivorous) and two evolutionary lineages. We found considerable variability in eco-morphological divergence, with several traits related to foraging (eye diameter, pectoral fin length) being highly parallel even across lineages. This suggests repeated and predictable adaptation to environment. Consistent with ancestral genetic variation, ...

Burgon, J.D., Vieites, D.R., Jacobs, A., Weidt, S.K., Gunter, H.M., Steinfartz, S., Burgess, K., Mable, B.K. and Elmer, K.R., 2020. Functional colour genes and signals of selection in colour polymorphic salamanders. Molecular Ecology. in press  online early Led by PhD student James Burgon, this paper is a favourite! a project started with colleagues in Scotland, Germany and Spain, coming from plans that were long in the pipeline. A new set of colour candidate genes for amphibians. Abstract Colouration has been associated with multiple biologically relevant traits that drive adaptation and diversification in many taxa. However, despite the great diversity of colour patterns present in amphibians the underlying molecular basis is largely unknown. Here, we leverage insight from a highly colour‐variable lineage of the European fire salamander ( Salamandra salamandra bernardezi ) to identify functional associations with striking variation in colour morph and pattern. The thr...

Work from Li Chao's research visit with us: Li, C., Wang, J., Chen, J., Schneider, K., Veettil, R.K., Elmer, K.R. and Zhao, J., 2020. Native bighead carp Hypophthalmichthys nobilis and silver carp Hypophthalmichthys molitrix populations in the Pearl River are threatened by Yangtze River introductions as revealed by mitochondrial DNA. Journal of Fish Biology. in press online early Culturally and economically important fishes with conservation challenges due to people stocking fry and building dams. Abstract Bighead carp Hypophthalmichthys nobilis and silver carp Hypophthalmichthys molitrix have been two economically important aquaculture species in China for centuries. In the past decades, bighead and silver carp have been introduced from the Yangtze River to many river systems in China, including the Pearl River, in annual, large‐scale, stocking activities to enhance wild fisheries. Nonetheless, few studies have assessed the ecological or genetic impacts of such introducti...

Paper led by PhD Student Kevin Schneider analysed all available transcriptome data for salmonids, to ask: at the molecular evolution level, what is similar about rapidly diversifying lake salmonids? Schneider, K., Adams, C.E. and Elmer, K.R., 2019. Parallel selection on ecologically relevant gene functions in the transcriptomes of highly diversifying salmonids. BMC genomics, 20(1), pp.1-23. open access paper available here Abstract Background Salmonid fishes are characterised by a very high level of variation in trophic, ecological, physiological, and life history adaptations. Some salmonid taxa show exceptional potential for fast, within-lake diversification into morphologically and ecologically distinct variants, often in parallel; these are the lake-resident charr and whitefish (several species in the genera Salvelinus and Coregonus ). To identify selection on genes and gene categories associated with such predictable diversifications, we analysed 2702 orthogroups (4.82 Mbp...