Dr Kara Layton
Dr Kara Layton
BSc, MSc, PhD
Lecturer
- About
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School of Biological Sciences
University of Aberdeen
Tillydrone Avenue
Aberdeen, AB24 2TZBiography
2020: Lecturer in Marine Biology, University of Aberdeen
2019-2020: Postdoctoral Fellow, Ocean Frontier Institute and Bedford Institute of Oceanography
2015-2018: PhD (Marine Biology), University of Western Australia
2010-2013: MSc (Integrative Biology), University of Guelph
2005-2009: BSc (Marine & Freshwater Biology), University of Guelph
External Memberships
Professional Member, The Marine Biological Association
- Research
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Research Overview
At the broadest level, my research seeks to understand how and why is there so much diversity in our oceans. My group uses genomic tools to resolve systematic and biogeographic patterns in marine invertebrates, to identify drivers of marine speciation and adaptation and to predict how biodiversity will respond to future climate change. We also have a particular interest in improving genomic resources for marine invertebrates (especially molluscs) and in continuing efforts to document global biodiversity.
Research Areas
Accepting PhDs
I am currently accepting PhDs in Biological and Environmental Sciences.
Please get in touch if you would like to discuss your research ideas further.
Research Specialisms
- Ecology
- Marine Biology
- Molecular Biology
- Evolution
- Genomics
Our research specialisms are based on the Higher Education Classification of Subjects (HECoS) which is HESA open data, published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence.
Current Research
The evolution of nudibranch colour
Molluscan systematics and phylogenomics
DNA barcoding & eDNA metabarcoding
Using genomics to predict climate change response
The genomic basis of adaptation
Supervision
My current supervision areas are: Biological and Environmental Sciences.
Lead supervisor:
Ethan Ross, PhD candidate: Establishing marine biodiversity baselines for seagrass habitats in the UK
Victoria Gillman, PhD candidate: Integrating genomics and modelling to predict climate change response in endangered freshwater pearl mussels
Michelle Taylor, PhD candidate: Investigating diversity and connectivity in understudied marine ecosystems: novel insights into Caribbean coral rubble beds
Zalina Bashir, PhD candidate: Modelling the efficiency of different MPA layouts for shark conservation
Funding and Grants
Internal Funding to Pump-Prime Interdisciplinary Research (2021). An interdisciplinary approach to generate a paradigm shift in characterizing biodiversity. £7,780
MASTS Emerging From Lockdown Award (2021). Integrating genomics and metabolomics to understand climate change response in marine species. £5,000
The Natural Environment Research Council- NERC QUADRAT PhD Studentship Grant (2021). Establishing marine biodiversity baselines for blue carbon habitats. £95,000
The Natural Environment Research Council- NERC SUPER PhD Studentship Grant (2020). Integrating genomics and modelling to predict climate change response and identify drivers of decline in the endangered freshwater pearl mussel. £76,996.50
European Marine Biological Resource Centre- ASSEMBLE+ Transnational Access Grant (2020). Illuminating nudibranch biodiversity in an Atlantic hotspot. £7,000
- Teaching
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Teaching Responsibilities
Course Coordinator: Marine Biodiversity (ZO4820/ZO5820)
Course Contributor: Ecological Genomics (BI3312), Fundamentals of Marine Biology (BI25Z5),
Diversity of Life 2 (BI1512) - Publications
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Application of Omics Tools in Designing and Monitoring Marine Protected Areas for a Sustainable Blue Economy
Frontiers in Genetics, vol. 13, 886494Contributions to Journals: ArticlesTowards incorporation of blue carbon in Falkland Islands marine spatial planning: a multi-tiered approach
Frontiers in Marine Science, vol. 9, 872727Contributions to Journals: ArticlesHarnessing the power of multi-omics data for predicting climate change response
Journal of Animal Ecology, vol. 91, no. 6, pp. 1064-1072Contributions to Journals: ArticlesThe Genomic Consistency of the Loss of Anadromy in an Arctic Fish (Salvelinus alpinus)
The American Naturalist, vol. 199, no. 5, pp. 617-635Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1086/719122
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstream/2164/18854/2/Salisbury_etal_AN_The_Genomic_Conssitency_AAM.pdf
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstream/2164/18854/1/Salisbury_etal_TAM_The_Genomic_Consistency_VoR.pdf
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
- [ONLINE] View publication in Mendeley
The era of reference genomes in conservation genomics
Contributions to Journals: Short SurveyA putative structural variant and environmental variation associated with genomic divergence across the Northwest Atlantic in Atlantic Halibut
ICES Journal of Marine Science, vol. 78, no. 7, pp. 2371–2384Contributions to Journals: ArticlesUsing movement, diet, and genetic analyses to understand Arctic charr responses to ecosystem change
Marine Ecology Progress Series, vol. 673, pp. 135-149Contributions to Journals: ArticlesGenomic basis of deep-water adaptation in Arctic Charr (Salvelinus alpinus) morphs
Molecular Ecology, vol. 30, no. 18, pp. 4415-4432Contributions to Journals: ArticlesGenomic evidence of past and future climate-linked loss in a migratory Arctic fish
Nature Climate Change, vol. 11, no. 2, pp. 158-165Contributions to Journals: ArticlesLife in a drop: Sampling environmental DNA for marine fishery management and ecosystem monitoring
Marine Policy, vol. 124, 104331Contributions to Journals: ArticlesLimited genetic parallelism underlies recent, repeated incipient speciation in geographically proximate populations of an Arctic fish (Salvelinus alpinus)
Molecular Ecology, vol. 29, no. 22, pp. 4280-4294Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.cz8w9gj1f
- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.15634
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
Mimicry and mitonuclear discordance in nudibranchs: new insights from exon capture phylogenomics
Ecology and Evolution, vol. 10, no. 21, pp. 11966-11982Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.6727
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstream/2164/15366/1/Layton_etal_ece_mimicry_VOR.pdf
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
Resolving fine-scale population structure and fishery exploitation using sequenced microsatellites in a northern fish
Evolutionary Applications, vol. 13, no. 5, pp. 1055-1068Contributions to Journals: ArticlesModel-based evaluation of the genetic impacts of farm-escaped Atlantic salmon on wild populations
Aquaculture Environment Interactions, vol. 12, pp. 45-59Contributions to Journals: ArticlesA reference library for Canadian invertebrates with 1.5 million barcodes, voucher specimens, and DNA samples
Scientific Data, vol. 6, 308Contributions to Journals: ArticlesErecting a new family for Spirostyliferina, a truncatelloidean microgastropod, and further insights into truncatelloidean phylogeny
Zoologica Scripta, vol. 48, no. 6, pp. 727-744Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/zsc.12374
- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/zsc.12374
A newly discovered radiation of endoparasitic gastropods and their coevolution with asteroid hosts in Antarctica
BMC Evolutionary Biology, vol. 19, no. 1, 180Contributions to Journals: ArticlesMolecular evidence for multiple introductions of the banded grove snail (Cepaea nemoralis) in North America
Canadian Journal of Zoology, vol. 97, no. 4, pp. 392-398Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1139/cjz-2018-0084
Flexible colour patterns obscure identification and mimicry in Indo-Pacific Chromodoris nudibranchs (Gastropoda: Chromodorididae)
Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, vol. 124, pp. 27-36Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2018.02.008
Exploring Canadian Echinoderm Diversity through DNA Barcodes
PloS ONE, vol. 11, no. 11, e0166118Contributions to Journals: ArticlesGeographic patterns of genetic diversity in two species complexes of Canadian marine bivalves
Journal of Molluscan Studies, vol. 82, pp. 282-291Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/mollus/eyv056
Biodiversity inventories in high gear: DNA barcoding facilitates a rapid biotic survey of a temperate nature reserve
Biodiversity data journal, vol. 3, no. 3, e6313Contributions to Journals: ArticlesDietary tracers in Bathyarca glacialis from contrasting trophic regions in the Canadian Arctic
Marine Ecology Progress Series, vol. 536, pp. 175-186Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/meps11424
Climate-forced change in Hudson Bay seawater composition and temperature, Arctic Canada
Chemical Geology, vol. 388, pp. 78-86Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemgeo.2014.08.028
Patterns of DNA Barcode Variation in Canadian Marine Molluscs
PloS ONE, vol. 9, no. 4, pp. 1-9Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0095003
