Professor Graeme Paton

In this section
Professor Graeme Paton
Professor Graeme Paton
Professor Graeme Paton

Chair in Biological Sciences, Head of School of Biological Sciences

About
Email Address
g.i.paton@abdn.ac.uk
Telephone Number
+44 (0)1224 273834
Office Address
  • Room 2.22 Cruickshank Building
  • Room 2.12 Zoology Building

 

 

School/Department
School of Biological Sciences
Research

Research Overview

I study the relationship between pollutant speciation and toxicity. This considers the fate and transformation of environmental pollutants. This is done through the use of analytical chemical tools to study organism responses to pollutants. I am also enthused by the application and comparison of ecotoxicity assays to various environmental sample. I also use general research skills in soil microbiology and biochemistry. Specific areas of interest are:

  • Fate of inorganic/ organic pollutants in the environment
  • Development of bioassays to assess environmental toxicity
  • Chemical and biological techniques for environmental restoration
  • Soil genesis and classification and linkage to soil biology

Research Areas

Biological and Environmental Sciences

  • Supervising

Research Specialisms

  • Environmental Biotechnology
  • Environmental Sciences
  • Environmental Chemistry
  • Soil Science
  • Applied Environmental Sciences

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

Current Research Group

The current research group has several strands. Mostly the focus is on process level soil microbiology as a response to perturbations- mainly pollution. Biosensors are widely used to quantify and better understand these mpacts and to relate to the aspects of bioavailability. To an extent these enable sustainable solutions to be developed and bespoke risk assessment to be measured.

If you are interested in joining the group then have a think about the work that the current group and recently completed members have contributed.

Dr. Lenka Mbadugha complements the research team with her expertise in pollution monitoring, biosensor development and soil carbon dynamics. 

Rosie Boyko has completed her PhD studying the link between soil pH management and sward quality with reference to Scotland and food security. Thnayan Alonaizi is studying soil-based enzymes to devise recolonisation techniques in impacted soils. This bioaugmentation work is a new twist of remediation work with hydrocarbons that we have done in the past. He is also transplanting functional biomes back into soils. Onome Omovie-Stephen is applying techniques for carbon fractionation to contrastingly managed soils to try and develop techniques to better sequester soil carbon. The great challenge is to understand carbon partitioning and links to function and availability. 

Sapar Dossanov successfully defended his thesis: integrated approaches of risk and hazard assessment in current and historic metal mines. This work was further enhanced by Sandra Arroyo Sanchez who has upskilled the use of SEM and applied the risk assessment/ human exposure/ model approaches to Mexico. She aslo  successfully defended her PhD.

Alexander Kani completed his work in bioleaching of metal wastes as a process for elemental recovery in a sustainable manner. The focus was on critical elements and we have widened the scope from mine wastes to other matrices and are developing resin based systems for capture.  

Christoph Gade studied elemental cycling of mercury with a focus on marine sources and fate but extended this to wider geochemical concepts. The driver here is to truth test models that  have been established making use of specific analytical approaches. He has also established some effective and innovative ecotoxicological testing.  

 

Former Members of the Research Group

Dr. Aftab Majeed studied urban ecology with respect to planning challenges from a quantitative basis. He has recently relocated to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. 

Dr. Barry Nourice studied the fragile status of soils in the Seychelles.  

Dr. Victor Igwe focussed on microbial processes in the production of bioethanols. This made use both of empirical and modelling approaches. 

Dr. Amira Alzadjali developed new elemental specific biosensors to update the current suite used by the group in environmental diagnostics.

Dr. Abubakar Yuguda devised methods to apply mycorrhizal enhanced maize plants in the remediation of soils impacted with effluents from the tannery industry.

Dr. Chisom Agunwoke developed biosensors for soil and sediment remediation.

Dr. Mouza Al Mansouri studied sustainable water storage in Abu Dhabi where she works as the Director in Spatial Data Analysis at the Environment Agency.

Dr. Saad Dehlawi completed his research using chemical additives to enhance mobility and complexation of pollutants as a strategic technique for land and water remediation.

Dr. Chidinma Anunike used CaSx with a specific focus on the consideration of hexavalent chromium transformation. 

Dr. Hedda Weitz, who developed a range of bacterial biosensors and the only effective fungal bioluminescence-based assay, oversees the smooth running of the microbial laboratory. Jamie Buckingham oversees the challenges of soils, environmental samples and chemical analysis within the group. 

 

Knowledge Exchange

Thoughts on landscape change

Collaborations

Prof. Kirk Semple, Lancaster University

Supervision

My current supervision areas are: Biological and Environmental Sciences.

Supervisees

  • MR JACK HORNE
  • MR HUI AO
  • MR FEIFAN SHI
  • MRS ONOME OMOVIE-STEPHEN
  • DR ALEXANDER KANI
  • MRS OLUWABUKOLA BANKOLE

Datasets

  • Genetic basis of between-individual and within-individual variance of docility.

    Docility Data: Data including docility scores, trial number (scaled), day of the year (scaled), time of the day (0: AM; 1:PM), age (0:juveniles, 1: yearlings; 2:adults), year and individual identity Pedigree Data: Pruned pedigree including only indi...
    DOI
    10.5061/dryad.11vf0
    Publisher
    Dryad Digital Repository
  • Soil and vegetation parameters from re-visitation of fertilisation experiment at Ny-Alesund, Svalbard

    In 1991 a nitrogen x phosphorus fertilisation experiment on dwarf shrub tundra close to Ny-Alesund, Svalbard was established. Treatments (0, 10, 50 kg N ha-1 yr-1; 0, 5 kg P ha-1 yr-1) were applied to Cassiope heath for 3 years and Dryas heath for 8 ...
  • Storm petrel data sets

    Dataset (1) was used to analyze reproductive parameters of Storm petrels at S’Espartar islet (Ibiza, Balearic Islands) from 2014 to 2018. Dataset (2) was used to study the number of ticks (tick load) attached on nestlings and how affect them to the...
    Publisher
    CSIC Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas
  • Audouin’s gull breeders CR data

    This dataset was used to analyze survival probabilities of adult Audouin’s gull depending on early conditions (density-dependence and Winter NAO) experienced by the individuals.
    Publisher
    CSIC Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas
  • Effect of breeding performance on the distribution and activity budgets of a predominantly resident population of black‐browed albatrosses

    Dataset for: Effect of breeding performance on the distribution and activity budgets of a predominantly resident population of black‐browed albatrosses BBA-activity-data-2012-2013 Raw activity data from black-browed albatrosses tracked with GLS...
    Publisher
    GitHub
  • Effects of prior contest experience and contest outcome on female reproductive decisions and offspring fitness

    Data from: Effects of prior contest experience and contest outcome on female reproductive decisions and offspring fitness Winning or losing a prior contest can influence the outcome of future contests, but it might also alter subsequent reproducti...
    DOI
    10.5061/dryad.fq22f
    Publisher
    Dryad Digital Repository
  • Maternal effects alter the severity of inbreeding depression in the offspring

    Data from: Maternal effects alter the severity of inbreeding depression in the offspring A maternal effect is a causal influence of the maternal phenotype on the offspring phenotype over and above any direct effects of genes. There is abundant evide...
    DOI
    10.5061/dryad.r754h
    Publisher
    Dryad Digital Repository
  • Data and R code for What you see is where you go: visibility influences movement decisions of a forest bird navigating a 3D structured matrix

    Animal spatial behaviour is often presumed to reflect responses to visual cues. However, inference of behaviour in relation to the environment is challenged by the lack of objective methods to identify the information that effectively is available to...
    DOI
    10.5061/dryad.69p8cz905
    Publisher
    Dryad Digital Repository
  • Data from: Mutation accumulation and the formation of range limits

    The dynamics of range formation are important for understanding and predicting species distributions. Here, we focus on a process that has thus far been overlooked in the context of range formation; the accumulation of mutation load. We find that mut...
    DOI
    10.5061/dryad.4tr2v
    Publisher
    Dryad Digital Repository
  • Data from: Sex differences in risk perception in deep-diving bottlenose dolphins leads to decreased foraging efficiency when exposed to human disturbance

    1. Individuals make behavioural decisions by weighing potential advantages and costs (e.g. increased food intake vs. increased risk of predation). When animals change their activities in response to a perceived threat, their energetic input may decli...
    DOI
    10.5061/dryad.n820k
    Publisher
    Dryad Digital Repository
  • Data from: Taking movement data to new depths: Inferring prey availability and patch profitability from seabird foraging behavior

    Detailed information acquired using tracking technology has the potential to provide accurate pictures of the types of movements and behaviors performed by animals. To date, such data have not been widely exploited to provide inferred information abo...
    DOI
    10.5061/dryad.f0780
    Publisher
    Dryad Digital Repository
  • Data from: The Odonate Phenotypic Database, a new open data resource for comparative studies of an old insect order

    We present The Odonate Phenotypic Database (OPD): an online data resource of dragonfly and damselfly phenotypes (Insecta: Odonata). Odonata is a relatively small insect order that currently consists of about 6400 species belonging to 32 families. The...
    DOI
    10.5061/dryad.15pm5qc
    Publisher
    Dryad Digital Repository
  • Data from: Two decades of altered snow cover does not affect soil microbial ability to catabolize carbon compounds in an oceanic alpine heath

    Snow strongly affects ecosystem functioning in alpine environments with potential carry-over effects outside of snow periods. However, it is unclear whether changes in snow cover affect microbial community functioning in summer. In a field experiment...
    DOI
    10.5061/dryad.85hg502
    Publisher
    Dryad Digital Repository
  • Data from: Mimicry and mitonuclear discordance in nudibranchs: new insights from exon capture phylogenomics

    Phylogenetic inference and species delimitation can be challenging in taxonomic groups that have recently radiated and where introgression produces conflicting gene trees, especially when species delimitation has traditionally relied on mitochondrial...
    DOI
    10.5061/dryad.xd2547dfb
    Publisher
    Dryad Digital Repository
  • Multigenerational exposure to elevated temperatures leads to a reduction in standard metabolic rate in the wild

    1. In light of global climate change, there is a pressing need to understand and predict the capacity of populations to respond to rising temperatures. Metabolic rate is a key trait that is likely to influence the ability to cope with climate change....
    DOI
    10.5061/dryad.rfj6q576x
    Publisher
    Dryad Digital Repository
  • Two decades of altered snow cover does not affect soil microbial ability to catabolize carbon compounds in an oceanic alpine heath

    Snow strongly affects ecosystem functioning in alpine environments with potential carry-over effects outside of snow periods. However, it is unclear whether changes in snow cover affect microbial community functioning in summer. In a field experiment...
  • Similar foraging behaviour but different habitat use between failed and successful breeding albatrosses

    3rd World Seabird Conference 2021 Abstract: Breeding failure is expected to induce behavioural changes in central place foraging seabirds. Indeed, failed breeders do not have to regularly come back to their colony for reproductive duties and thus...
    DOI
    10.48448/z255-8y14
    Publisher
    Underline Science Inc.
  • Linking theory and data to forecast population dynamics of partially migratory seabird populations in the face of global change.

    3rd World Seabird Conference 2021 Abstract: The effects of global change, including changes in seasonality and increased frequency and intensity of extreme events, might be expected to drive novel eco-evolutionary dynamics in seabird populations ...
    DOI
    10.48448/93b9-tp67
    Publisher
    Underline Science Inc.
  • MPA cultural ecosystem services

    Here you will find the data associated with the article "Marine Protected Areas provide more cultural ecosystem services than other adjacent coastal areas" published in One Earth (2021).
    DOI
    10.17632/dmk97w5vrr.1
    Publisher
    Mendeley Data
  • Reef effect of offshore structures on the occurrence and foraging activity of harbour porpoises

    With increasing numbers of offshore structures to be decommissioned, a better understanding of their effect on marine predators is timely. There is some evidence that oil and gas platforms may attract marine mammals acting as artificial reefs. Howeve...
  • Data from: Dietary plasticity of a understudied primate (Sapajus cay) in a biodiversity hotspot

    Figshare dataset
    DOI
    10.6084/m9.figshare.19071518
    Publisher
    University of Aberdeen
  • Source code and data from informed dispersal model on range expansion

    In those files, you can find the source code to run the model and the R codes to process the data and create the figures
  • Technical method comparison of leaf area assessments from leaves scanned with a flatbed scanner.

    Leaf scans were used for a technical comparison of different programs calculating leaf area. For this approach, a subset of leaf scans was compiled from trees in selectively logged forest at SAFE and in old-growth forest in Danum Valley and Maliau Ba...
  • Soil and litter chemistry, soil microbial communities and litter decomposition from tropical forest and oil palm

    A study examining the interactions between soil chemistry, litter chemistry and soil microbial decomposers as controls on rates of litter decomposition across a tropical land use disturbance gradient. Co-located soil and litter samples were collected...
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