Professor Stuart Piertney
Chair in Molecular Ecology and Evolution
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+44 (0)1224 272864
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s.piertney@abdn.ac.uk
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Rooms 410 (Office) and 222 (Lab)
Zoology Building
Chair in Molecular Ecology and Evolution
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Personal Details
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Research Interests
Research within the Piertney-Lab centres on the development and application of molecular markers to provide novel insight into the ecology, population biology, conservation and taxonomy of a range of invertebrate and vertebrate groups.
Ongoing studies span the complete evolutionary hierarchy - from resolving phylogenetic relationships between taxa, determining patterns of phylogeographic and population genetic structure within species, identifying the genetic relatedness among individuals within populations, to characterising the dynamics of individual gene regions of adaptive and ecological relevance.
A recurrent research theme is in understanding the effects of different ecological, behavioural and microevolutionary processes on levels of neutral and adaptive genetic diversity in natural populations, and how spatio-temporal variation in the levels of genetic diversity influences individual fitness, population dynamics and long-term population viability. Historically, focus has been on neutral polymorphisms (e.g. microsatellites) and candidate genes of known ecological importance (e.g. MHC, MC1R), but latterly emphasis has switched to using next generation 'omics technologies to gain a more holistic understanding of adaptation and genomic response to environmental and ecological change.
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Research Grants
Current "live" grants include:
Genetic structure among glacial population of invasive rats on South Georgia - Informing the eradication and applied control programme. OTEP funded.
How do parental effects introduce variation into individual phenotypes, fitness and population dynamics? NERC funded in collaboration with Tim Benton (U. Leeds).
Reverse engineering the genotype-phenotype map for parasite resistance in natural populations of red grouse. NERC funded.
Multidisciplinary investigations of the deepest scavengers on Earth - Phylogenetic and phylogeographic relationships in hadal amphipods. TOTAL funded project in collaboration with Alan Jamieson (U. Aberdeen).
HADES - HAdal Ecosystem Studies. NSF funded project led by Tim Shank (WHOI)
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Teaching Responsibilities
Course coordinator for:
Animal Evolution and Biodiversity
Molecular Ecological Techniques
Biodiversity Field Course
Contributor to:
Genes & Evolution
Advanced Behavioural Ecology
Conservation and Global Change
Ecology & Environmental Sciences
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The Piertney Group
Marianne James - Post-doctoral research assistant.
Reverse engineering the genotype-phenotype map for parasite burden in natural populations of red grouse (Lagopus l. scoticus).
Marius Wenzel - BBSRC PhD student
Landscape genomics in red grouse (Lagopus l. scoticus).
Heather Ritchie - MASTS PhD student
Ecological genomics of hadal amphipods
Roseanne Miller - NERC PhD student
MHC-based mate choice and survival in sea trout (Salmo trutta).
Laura Watt (Research technician and lab manager)
DNA barcoding of abyssal and hadal invertebrates.
Population genetic structure of invasive rats on South Georgia.
Amanda Trask - NERC PhD student
Conservation genetics of UK chough populations (In collaboration with Jane Reid).
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Piertney Lab Wordle
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Selected publications (2008 - present)
Stuart's full publication profile on 
Stuart's full publication profile on
2012
Carlsson AM, Justin Irvine JR, Wilson K, Piertney SB, Halvorsen O, Coulson SJ, Stien A, Albon, SD (2012) Disease transmission in an extreme environment: Nematode parasites infect reindeer during the Arctic winter. International Journal for Parasitology, 42, 789-795.
McDevitt AD, Oliver MK, Piertney SB, Szafra?ska PA, Konarzewski M, Zub K (2012) Individual variation in dispersal associated with phenotype influences fine-scale genetic structure in weasels. Conservation Genetics, 1-11.
McMahon BJ, Johansson MP, Piertney SB, Buckley K, Höglund J (2012) Genetic variation among endangered Irish red grouse (Lagopus lagopus hibernicus) populations: Implications for conservation and management. Conservation Genetics 13, 639-647.
Oliver MK, Piertney SB (2012) Selection maintains MHC diversity through a natural population bottleneck. Molecular Biology and Evolution 29, 1713-1720.
Purse BV, Falconer D, Sullivan MJ, Carpenter S, Mellor PS, Piertney SB, Mordue AJ, Albon S, Gunn GJ, Blackwell A (2012) Impacts of climate, host and landscape factors on Culicoides species in Scotland. Medical and Veterinary Entomology 26, 168-177.
Wenzel MA, Webster LMI, Blanco G, Burgess MD, Kerbiriou C, Segelbacher G, Piertney SB, Reid JM (2012) Pronounced genetic structure and low genetic diversity in European red-billed chough (Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax) populations. Conservation Genetics 13, 1213-1230.
Wenzel MA, Webster LMI, Paterson S, Mougeot F, Martínez-Padilla J, Piertney SB (2012) A transcriptomic investigation of handicap models in sexual selection. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 1-14.
Zub K, Piertney SB, Szafra?ska PA, Konarzewski M (2012) Environmental and genetic influences on body mass and resting metabolic rates (RMR) in a natural population of weasel (Mustela nivalis). Molecular Ecology 21, 1283-1293.
2011
Wenzel MA, Webster LMI, Segelbacher G, Reid JM, Piertney SB (2011) Isolation and characterisation of 17 microsatellite loci for the red-billed chough (Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax). Conservation Genetics Resources 3, 737-740.
Purse BV, Falconer D, Sullivan MJ, Carpenter S, Mellor PS, Piertney SB, Mordue AJ, Albon S, Gunn GJ, Blackwell A (2011) Impacts of climate, host and landscape factors on Culicoides species in Scotland. Medical and Veterinary Entomology (2011), doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2915.2011.00991.x
Fernandez R, Santos MB, Pierce GJ, Llavona A, Lopez A, Silva MA, Ferreira M, Carrillo M, Cermeno P, Lens S, Piertney SB (2011)Fine-scale genetic structure of bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops truncatus, in Atlantic coastal waters of the Iberian Peninsula. Hydrobiologia 670, 111-125.
Paterson S, Piertney SB (2011) Frontiers in host-parasite ecology and evolution. Molecular Ecology 20, 869-871.
Youngson AF, Piertney SB, Thorley JL, Malcolm IA, Soulsby C (2011) Spatial association of nest construction by brown trout Salmo trutta. J. Fish Biol 78, 713-725.
Webster LMI, Mello LV, Mougeot F, Martinez-Padilla J, Paterson S, Piertney SB (2011) Identification of genes responding to nematode infection in red grouse. Molecular Ecology Resources 11, 305-313.
Foote AD, Vilstrup JT, deStephanis R, Verborgh P, Nielsen SCA, Deaville R, Kleivane L, Martin V, Miller PJO, Oien N, Perez-Gil M, Rasmussen M, Reid RJ, Robertson KM, Rogan E, Simila T, Tejedor ML, Vester H, Vikingsson GA, Willerslev E, Gilbert MTP, Piertney SB (2011) Genetic differentiation among North Atlantic Killer Whale populations. Molecular Ecology 20, 629-641.
Webster LMI, Paterson S, Mougeot F, Martinez-Padilla J, Piertney SB (2011) Transcriptomic response of red grouse to gastrointestinal nematode parasites and testosterone: implications for population dynamics. Molecular Ecology 20, 920-931
2010
Oliver MK, Piertney SB (2010) Beyond splitting hares and rabbiting on about major histocompatibility complex complexity. Molecular Ecology 19, 4099-4101
Mougeot F, Martínez-Padilla J, Blount JD, Pérez-Rodríguez L, Webster LMI, Piertney SB (2010)Oxidative stress and the effect of parasites on a carotenoid-based ornament. J Exp Biol 213: 400-407.
Piertney SB, Webster LMI (2010) Characterising functionally important and ecologically meaningful genetic diversity using a candidate gene approach. Genetica 138: 419-432.
Mougeot F, Martinez-Padilla J, Bortolotti GR, Webster LMI, Piertney SB (2010) Physiological stress links parasites to carotenoid-based colour signals. J. Evol Biol 23: 643-650.
Martinez-Padilla J, Mougeot F, Webster LMI, Perez-Rodriguez L, Piertney, SB (2010)Testing the interactive effects of testosterone and parasites on carotenoid-based ornamentation in a wild bird. J. Evol Biol 23: 902-913.
2009
Schwenkenbecher JM, Mordue AJ, Switek K, Piertney SB (2009) Discrimination of Culicoides midge larvae using multiplex PCR assays based on DNA sequence variation at the mitochondrial Cytochrome C oxidase I gene. J. Medical Entomology 46: 610-614.
Foote AD, Newton J, Piertney SB, Willerslev E, Gilbert MTP (2009) Ecological, morphological and genetic divergence of sympatric North Atlantic killer whale populations. Mol Ecol 18: 5207-5217.
A’Hara S, Hancock M, Piertney SB, Cottrell JE (2009) 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. Wildlife Biology 15: 328-337.
Schwenkenbecher JM, Mordue AJ, Piertney SB (2009) Phylogenetic analysis indicates that Culicoides dewulfi should not be considered part of the Culicoides obsoletus complex. Bull Ent Res 99: 371-375.
2009) Physiological stress mediates the honesty of social signals. PLoS ONE 4: e4983.
Mougeot F, Martinez-Padilla J, Webster LMI, Blount JD, Perez-Rodriguez L, Piertney SB (2009) Honest sexual signalling mediated by parasite and testosterone effects on oxidative balance. Proc Roy Soc B 276: 1093-1100.
Oliver MK, Telfer S, Piertney SB (2009) Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) heterozygote superiority to natural multi-parasite infections in the water vole (Arvicola terrestris). Proc Roy Soc B 276: 1119-1128.
Oliver MK, Lambin X, Cornulier T, Piertney SB (2009) Spatio-temporal variation in the strength and mode of selection acting on major histocompatibility complex diversity in water vole (Arvicola terrestris) metapopulations. Molecular Ecology 18, 80-92.
2008
Dias PJ, Sollelis L, Cook EJ, Piertney SB, Davies IM, Snow M. (2008) Development of a real-time PCR assay for detection of Mytilus species specific alleles. J Exp Mar Biol & Ecol 367, 253-258.
Nolan DV, Dallas JF, Piertney SB, Mordue AJ (2008): Incursion and range expansion in the bluetongue vector Culicoides imicola in the Mediterranean basin: a phylogeographic analysis. Medical & Veterinery Entomology 22, 340-351.
Ngamprasertwong T, Mackie IJ, Racey PA, Piertney SB (2008): Spatial distribution of mitochondrial and microsatellite DNA variation in Daubenton’s bat within Scotland. Molecular Ecology 17, 3243-3258.
Piertney SB, Lambin X. MacColl ADC, Lock KA, Bacon PJ, Dallas JF, Leckie F, Mougeot F, Racey PA, Redpath S, Moss R (2008): Temporal changes in kin structure through a population cycle in a territorial bird, the red grouse (Lagopus lagopus scoticus). Molecular Ecology 17, 2544-2551.
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