Chair in Biological Sciences, Head of School of Biological Sciences
- About
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- 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
University of Aberdeen collaboration with the Xianghu-Laboratory
I am delighted to report that we have advertised a wide range of doctoral projects which you can access here.
I look forward to reviewing your application and answering further questions that you may have.
External Memberships
- Research
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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
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
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
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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
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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 ...- DOI
- 10.5285/0fdd7082-5fbc-4923-b166-d7adcb9c170f
- Publisher
- British Antartic Survey
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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.
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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.
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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
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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...- DOI
- 10.5061/dryad.mpg4f4r2p
- Publisher
- DRYAD
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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
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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- DOI
- 10.5281/zenodo.5643574
- Publisher
- Zenodo
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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...- DOI
- 10.5281/zenodo.3780391
- Publisher
- Zenodo
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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...- DOI
- 10.5281/zenodo.3929632
- Publisher
- Zenodo
- Teaching
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Teaching Responsibilities
Course Co-Coordinator
- Land Use and the Changing Environment
- Publications
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Page 1 of 13 Results 1 to 10 of 130
Variable toxicity of inorganic mercury compounds to Artemia elicited by coexposure with dissolved organic matter
Environmental Science and Pollution Research , vol. 31, pp. 65109–65122Contributions to Journals: ArticlesTemporal trends of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in soils amended with sludge, compost, and manure in a Scotland pasture: An 8-year field experiment
Environmental Pollution, vol. 360, 124614Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2024.124614
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
Ecotoxicity assessment of hydrophobized soils
Environmental Geotechnics, vol. 11, no. 7, pp. 478-486Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1680/jenge.21.00096
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
Long-term field pH manipulation influence on microbial activity, water repellency and physical properties of soil
Journal of hydrology and hydromechanics, vol. 72, no. 3, pp. 292-301Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/johh-2024-0015
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstreams/4ed2cbb1-02c6-442b-b1d0-7a115b67412c/download
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
Future proofing a long-term agricultural experiment for decades to come: Relocation and redesign
European Journal of Agronomy, vol. 158, 127214Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eja.2024.127214
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstreams/295bca58-aaea-43ca-9831-74f5a2bfd9af/download
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
Mercury Dynamics in the Sea of Azov: Insights from a Mass Balance Model
Toxics, vol. 12, no. 6, 417Contributions to Journals: ArticlesUse of diffusive gradient in thin-films (DGTs) to advance environmental mercury research: Development, Growth, and Tomorrow.
Trends in Environmental Analytical Chemistry, vol. 42, e00230Contributions to Journals: ArticlesMercury fingerprint: A comparative evaluation of lability in North Sea drill cuttings
Marine Pollution Bulletin, vol. 204, 116518Contributions to Journals: ArticlesHigh resolution visualisation of tiemannite microparticles, essential in the detoxification process of mercury in marine mammals
Environmental Pollution, vol. 342, 123027Contributions to Journals: ArticlesA comparison of soil liming requirement methodologies in temperate, Northern European pedo-climates
Journal of Plant Nutrition and Soil Science, vol. 186, no. 5, pp. 543-553Contributions to Journals: Articles
