
Chair in Molecular Ecology and Evolution, Dean for Postgraduate Research
- Email Address
- s.piertney@abdn.ac.uk
- Telephone Number
- +44 (0)1224 272864
- Office Address
Rooms 410 (Office) and 222 (Lab) Zoology Building
- School/Department
- School of Biological Sciences
- School/Department
- Senior Vice Principals
Research Overview
Research within the Piertney-Lab focuses on the interplay between evolutionary and ecological dynamics in natural populations. From an eco-to-evo perspective, I examine how different ecological, environmental and behavioural processes drive microevolution, adaptation and speciation. Then from an evo-to-eco perspective, I link how genetic diversity affects individual fitness, population dynamics, ecosystem function and population persistence.
Studies have either a gene-centric focus, examining candidate genes of known ecological importance and adaptive significance (e.g. MHC, MC1R, IFN), or exploit next-generation 'omics technologies to gain a more holistic understanding of adaptation and genome-wide responses to environmental and ecological change.
Current Research
- Piezophilic adaptation in deep-ocean amphipods (NERC).
- The genomic landscape of speciation and adaptive variation in the intertidal isopod Jaera albifrons (NERC).
- Emergence, spread and persistence of maine invasive non-native species (with Marine Scotland Science, and South Atlantic Environment Research Institute).
- Genome-wide responses to demographic perturbation in insular populations of water voles (BBSRC)
- PolyExESS - Extreme environment simulation system for experimental evolution (NERC).
- The ecology, evolution and epidemiology of zoonotic pathogens in fragmented multi-host populations (BBSRC).
- The epigenomic landscape of maternal effects in the soil mite Sancassania berlesei (NERC).
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The development of a molecular assay to distinguish droppings of black grouse Tetrao tetrix from those of capercaillie Tetrao urogallus and red grouse Lagopus lagopus scoticus
A'Hara, S. W., Hancock, M., Piertney, S. B., Cottrell, J. E.Wildlife Biology, vol. 15, no. 3, pp. 328-337Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.2981/08-046
Phylogenetic analysis indicates that Culicoides dewulfi should not be considered part of the Culicoides obsoletus complex
Schwenkenbecher, J., Mordue, A. J., Piertney, S. B.Bulletin of Entomological Research, vol. 99, no. 4, pp. 371-375Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0007485308006391
Discrimination of Culicoides Midge Larvae Using Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction Assays Based on DNA Sequence Variation at the Mitochondrial Cytochrome C Oxidase I Gene
Schwenkenbecher, J. M., Mordue(Luntz), A. J., Switek, K., Piertney, S. B.Journal of Medical Entomology, vol. 46, no. 3, pp. 610-614Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1603/033.046.0328
Landscape barriers reduce gene flow in an invasive carnivore: geographical and local genetic structure of American mink in Scotland
Zalewski, A., Piertney, S. B., Zalewska, H., Lambin, X.Molecular Ecology, vol. 18, no. 8, pp. 1601-1615Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-294X.2009.04131.x
Physiological stress mediates the honesty of social signals
Bortolotti, G. R., Mougeot, F., Martinez-Padilla, J., Webster, L. M. I., Piertney, S. B.PloS ONE, vol. 4, no. 3, e4893Contributions to Journals: ArticlesHonest sexual signalling mediated by parasite and testosterone effects on oxidative balance
Mougeot, F., Martinez-Padilla, J., Webster, L. M., Blount, J. D., Perez-Rodriguez, L., Piertney, S. B.Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. B, Biological Sciences, vol. 276, no. 1659, pp. 1093-1100Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2008.1570
Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) heterozygote superiority to natural multi-parasite infections in the water vole (Arvicola terrestris)
Oliver, M. K., Telfer, S. E., Piertney, S. B.Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. B, Biological Sciences, vol. 276, no. 1659, pp. 1119-1128Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2008.1525
Spatio-temporal variation in the strength and mode of selection acting on major histocompatibility complex diversity in water vole (Arvicola terrestris) metapopulations
Oliver, M. K., Lambin, X., Cornulier, T., Piertney, S. B.Molecular Ecology, vol. 18, no. 1, pp. 80-92Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-294X.2008.04015.x
Development of a real-time PCR assay for detection of Mytilus species specific alleles: Application to a sampling survey in Scotland
Dias, P. J., Sollelis, L., Cook, E. J., Piertney, S. B., Davies, I. M., Snow, M.Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, vol. 367, no. 2, pp. 253-258Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jembe.2008.10.011
Incursion and range expansion in the bluetongue vector Culicoides imicola in the Mediterranean basin: a phylogeographic analysis
Nolan, D. V., Dallas, J. F., Piertney, S. B., Mordue (Luntz), A. J.Medical and Veterinary Entomology, vol. 22, no. 4, pp. 340-351Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2915.2008.00744.x
Mussel aquaculture in Scotland: managing mixed species Mytilus cultivation
Dias, P. J., Bland, M., Shanks, A. M., Beaumont, A., Piertney, S., Davies, I., Snow, M.Journal of shellfish research, vol. 27, no. 4, pp. 1003Contributions to Journals: AbstractsSpatial distribution of mitochondrial and microsatellite DNA variation in Daubenton's bat within Scotland
Ngamprasertwong, T., Mackie, I. J., Racey, P. A., Piertney, S. B.Molecular Ecology, vol. 17, no. 14, pp. 3243-3258Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-294X.2008.03845.x
Temporal changes in kin structure through a population cycle in a territorial bird, the red grouse Lagopus lagopus scoticus
Piertney, S. B., Lambin, X., Maccoll, A. D. C., Lock, K., Bacon, P. J., Dallas, J. F., Leckie, F., Mougeot, F., Racey, P. A., Redpath, S., Moss, R.Molecular Ecology, vol. 17, no. 10, pp. 2544-2551Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-294X.2008.03778.x
Phylogeography of the European capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus) and its implications for conservation
Segelbacher, G., Piertney, S.Journal of Ornithology, vol. 148, no. 2 Suppl., pp. 269-274Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-007-0153-1
Rapid diagnostic PCR assays for members of the Culicoides obsoletus and Culicoides pulicaris species complexes, implicated vectors of bluetongue virus in Europe
Nolan, D. V., Carpenter, S., Barber, J., Mellor, P. S., Dallas, J. F., Mordue, A. J. (., Piertney, S. B.Veterinary Microbiology, vol. 124, no. 1-2, pp. 82-94Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vetmic.2007.03.019
Inferring local adaptation from Q(ST)-F(ST) comparisons: neutral genetic and quantitative trait variation in European populations of great snipe
Saether, S. A., Fiske, P., Kalas, J. A., Kuresoo, A., Luigujoe, L., Piertney, S. B., Sahlman, T., Hoglund, J.Journal of Evolutionary Biology, vol. 20, no. 4, pp. 1563-1576Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1420-9101.2007.01328.x
Microsatellite DNA polymorphism confirms reproductive isolation and reveals differences in population genetic structure of cryptic pipistrelle bat species
Racey, P. A., Barratt, E. M., Burland, T. M., Deaville, R., Gotelli, D., Jones, G., Piertney, S. B.Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, vol. 90, no. 3, pp. 539-550Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1095-8312.2007.00746.x
Absence of spatial and temporal genetic differentiation at microsatellite loci in north east Atlantic anglerfish (Lophius piscatorius)
O'Sullivan, M., Wright, P. J., Verspoor, E., Knox, D., Piertney, S.Journal of Fish Biology, vol. 69, no. Supplement SC, pp. 261Contributions to Journals: Abstracts- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1095-8649.2006.1284_2.x
Avian conservation genetics in the era of genomics
Piertney, S.Journal of Ornithology, vol. 147, no. Suppl. 1, pp. 17-18Contributions to Journals: Abstracts- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-006-0093-1
Widespread gene flow and high genetic variability in populations of water voles Arvicola terrestris in patchy habitats
Aars, J., Dallas, J. F., Piertney, S. B., Marshall, F., Gow, J. L., Telfer, S., Lambin, X.Molecular Ecology, vol. 15, no. 6, pp. 1455-1466Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-294X.2006.02889.x
Elevated spring testosterone increases parasite intensity in male red grouse
Mougeot, F., Redpath, S. M., Piertney, S. B.Behavioral Ecology, vol. 17, pp. 117-125Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/beheco/arj005
Isolation and characterization of a MHC class II DRB locus in the European water vole (Arvicola terrestris)
Oliver, M. K., Piertney, S. B.Immunogenetics, vol. 58, no. 5-6, pp. 390-395Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00251-006-0121-6
The evolutionary ecology of the major histocompatibility complex
Piertney, S. B., Oliver, M. K.Heredity, vol. 96, pp. 721Contributions to Journals: Literature Reviews- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.hdy.6800724
Separating behavioral and physiological mechanisms in testosterone-mediated trade-offs
Mougeot, F., Redpath, S. M., Piertney, S. B., Hudson, P. J.The American Naturalist, vol. 166, no. 2, pp. 158-168Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1086/431256
Phylogeographic structure and postglacial evolutionary history of water voles (Arvicola terrestris) in the United Kingdom
Piertney, S. B., Stewart, W. A., Lambin, X., Telfer, S., Aars, J., Dallas, J. F.Molecular Ecology, vol. 14, no. 5, pp. 1435-1444Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-294X.2005.02496.x