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Fishing for mammals : landscape-level monitoring of terrestrial and semi-aquatic communities using eDNA from riverine systems (2020)
Journal Article

1. Environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding has revolutionised biomonitoring in both marine and freshwater ecosystems. However, for semi-aquatic and terrestrial animals, the application of this technique remains relatively untested.

2. We first ass... Read More about Fishing for mammals : landscape-level monitoring of terrestrial and semi-aquatic communities using eDNA from riverine systems.

Phylogeographical structure of the pygmy shrew : revisiting the roles of southern and northern refugia in Europe (2020)
Journal Article
Vega, R., McDevitt, A., Stojak, J., Mishta, A., Wójcik, J., Kryštufek, B., & Searle, J. (2020). Phylogeographical structure of the pygmy shrew : revisiting the roles of southern and northern refugia in Europe. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 129(4), 901-917. https://doi.org/10.1093/biolinnean/blz209

Southern and northern glacial refugia are considered paradigms that explain the complex phylogeographical patterns and processes of European biota. Here, we provide a revisited statistical phylogeographical analysis of the pygmy shrew Sorex minutus L... Read More about Phylogeographical structure of the pygmy shrew : revisiting the roles of southern and northern refugia in Europe.

Non-invasive monitoring for population assessments of a critically endangered Neotropical primate (2019)
Thesis
Da Cruz Kaizer, M. Non-invasive monitoring for population assessments of a critically endangered Neotropical primate. (Thesis). University of Salford

The northern muriqui (Brachyteles hypoxanthus), is a Critically Endangered primate endemic to the Atlantic Forest of Brazil. Remnant populations of muriquis suffer from a wide range of
anthropogenic pressures and face a high risk of extinction due... Read More about Non-invasive monitoring for population assessments of a critically endangered Neotropical primate.

Climatic influences on the genetic structure and distribution of the common vole and field vole in Europe (2018)
Journal Article
Stojak, J., Borowik, T., Górny, M., McDevitt, A., & Wójcik, J. (2018). Climatic influences on the genetic structure and distribution of the common vole and field vole in Europe. Mammal Research, 64(1), 19-29. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13364-018-0395-8

The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of climate on the distribution and present-day genetic structure of the common vole (Microtus arvalis) and the field vole (Microtus agrestis). In this study, we used previously published data on... Read More about Climatic influences on the genetic structure and distribution of the common vole and field vole in Europe.

Retracing the history and planning the future of the red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris) in Ireland using non-invasive genetics (2018)
Journal Article

The Eurasian red squirrel’s (Sciurus vulgaris) history in Ireland is largely unknown, but the original population is thought to have been driven to extinction by humans in the 17th Century, and multiple records exist for its subsequent reintroduction... Read More about Retracing the history and planning the future of the red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris) in Ireland using non-invasive genetics.

Between the Balkans and the Baltic : phylogeography of a common vole mitochondrial DNA lineage limited to Central Europe (2016)
Journal Article

The common vole (Microtus arvalis) has been a model species of small mammal for studying
end-glacial colonization history. In the present study we expanded the sampling from
central and eastern Europe, analyzing contemporary genetic structure to id... Read More about Between the Balkans and the Baltic : phylogeography of a common vole mitochondrial DNA lineage limited to Central Europe.

Environmental and anthropogenic drivers of connectivity patterns : a basis for prioritizing conservation efforts for threatened populations (2016)
Journal Article

Ecosystem fragmentation and habitat loss have been the focus of landscape management due to restrictions on contemporary connectivity and dispersal of populations. Here, we used an individual approach to determine the drivers of genetic differentiati... Read More about Environmental and anthropogenic drivers of connectivity patterns : a basis for prioritizing conservation efforts for threatened populations.

Post-glacial colonisation of Europe by the wood mouse, Apodemus sylvaticus : evidence of a northern refugium and dispersal with humans (2016)
Journal Article

The wood mouse Apodemus sylvaticus is an opportunistic rodent that is found throughout most of
the European mainland. It is present on many islands around the margins of the continent and in
northern Africa. The species has been the subject of prev... Read More about Post-glacial colonisation of Europe by the wood mouse, Apodemus sylvaticus : evidence of a northern refugium and dispersal with humans.

Ecogeographical patterns of morphological variation in pygmy shrews Sorex minutus (Soricomorpha: Soricinae) within a phylogeographic and continental-and-island framework (2016)
Journal Article
framework. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 119(4), 799-815. https://doi.org/10.1111/bij.12858

Ecogeographical patterns of morphological variation were studied in the Eurasian pygmy shrew Sorex minutus to understand the species’ morphological diversity in a continental and island setting, and within the context of previous detailed phylogeogra... Read More about Ecogeographical patterns of morphological variation in pygmy shrews Sorex minutus (Soricomorpha: Soricinae) within a phylogeographic and continental-and-island framework.

Contrasting and congruent patterns of genetic structuring in two Microtus vole species using museum specimens (2016)
Journal Article
Stojak, J., Wójcik, J., Ruczyńska, I., Searle, J., & McDevitt, A. (2016). Contrasting and congruent patterns of genetic structuring in two Microtus vole species using museum specimens. Mammal Research, 61(2), 141-152. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13364-015-0260-y

The common vole (Microtus arvalis) and the field vole (Microtus agrestis) are morphologically similar species but are ecological distinctive and differ in the details of their evolutionary history as revealed by mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). The aim of... Read More about Contrasting and congruent patterns of genetic structuring in two Microtus vole species using museum specimens.

Molecular and morphological insights into the origin of the invasive greater white-toothed shrew (Crocidura russula) in Ireland (2016)
Journal Article
russula) in Ireland. Biological Invasions, 18(3), 857-871. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-016-1056-y

Identifying routes of invasion is a critical management strategy in controlling the spread of invasive species. This is challenging however in the absence of direct evidence. Therefore, indirect methodologies are used to infer possible invasion sourc... Read More about Molecular and morphological insights into the origin of the invasive greater white-toothed shrew (Crocidura russula) in Ireland.

Post-glacial colonization of eastern Europe from the Carpathian refugium : evidence from mitochondrial DNA of the common vole Microtus arvalis (2015)
Journal Article
Stojak, J., McDevitt, A., Herman, J., Searle, J., & Wójcik, J. (2015). Post-glacial colonization of eastern Europe from the Carpathian refugium : evidence from mitochondrial DNA of the common vole Microtus arvalis. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 115(4), 927-939. https://doi.org/10.1111/bij.12535

There is now considerable evidence for the survival of temperate species within glacial refugia that were situated at relatively high latitudes, notably the Carpathian Basin and Dordogne region in Europe. However, the prevalence of fossil remains in... Read More about Post-glacial colonization of eastern Europe from the Carpathian refugium : evidence from mitochondrial DNA of the common vole Microtus arvalis.

Land-bridge calibration of molecular clocks and the post-glacial colonization of Scandinavia by the Eurasian field vole microtus agrestis (2014)
Journal Article
Herman, J., McDevitt, A., Kawałko, A., Jaarola, M., Wójcik, J., & Searle, J. (2014). Land-bridge calibration of molecular clocks and the post-glacial colonization of Scandinavia by the Eurasian field vole microtus agrestis. PLoS ONE, 9(8), e103949. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0103949

Phylogeography interprets molecular genetic variation in a spatial and temporal context. Molecular clocks are frequently
used to calibrate phylogeographic analyses, however there is mounting evidence that molecular rates decay over the
relevant tim... Read More about Land-bridge calibration of molecular clocks and the post-glacial colonization of Scandinavia by the Eurasian field vole microtus agrestis.

Invading and expanding : range dynamics and ecological consequences of the Greater White-Toothed Shrew (Crocidura russula) invasion in Ireland (2014)
Journal Article

Establishing how invasive species impact upon pre-existing species is a fundamental question in ecology and conservation
biology. The greater white-toothed shrew (Crocidura russula) is an invasive species in Ireland that was first recorded in 2007... Read More about Invading and expanding : range dynamics and ecological consequences of the Greater White-Toothed Shrew (Crocidura russula) invasion in Ireland.

The influence of habitat structure on genetic differentiation in red fox populations in north-eastern Poland (2014)
Journal Article
Mullins, J., McDevitt, A., Kowalczyk, R., Ruczyńska, I., Górny, M., & Wójcik, J. (2014). The influence of habitat structure on genetic differentiation in red fox populations in north-eastern Poland. Acta theriologica / Polska Akademia Nauk, Instytut Zoologiczny, 59(3), 367-376. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13364-014-0180-2

The red fox (Vulpes vulpes) has the widest global distribution among terrestrial carnivore species, occupying most of the Northern Hemisphere in its native range. Because it carries diseases that can be transmitted to humans and domestic animals, it... Read More about The influence of habitat structure on genetic differentiation in red fox populations in north-eastern Poland.

Tests of multiple molecular markers for the identification of Great Spotted and Syrian Woodpeckers and their hybrids (2014)
Journal Article

Great Spotted and Syrian Woodpeckers (Dendrocopos major and D. syriacus) are known to hybridize in nature; however, the extent of this phenomenon is not known due to difficulties in hybrid detection based on plumage analyses. Here, we tested five mar... Read More about Tests of multiple molecular markers for the identification of Great Spotted and Syrian Woodpeckers and their hybrids.