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...