Associate Professor Crid Fraser, Our staff, Department of Marine Science, University of Otago, New Zealand

Contact

Office 310 Castle Street, Room 143
Tel +64 3 479 8306
Email ceridwen.fraser@otago.ac.nz

Academic qualifications

Bachelor of Applied Science (Conservation of Cultural Materials), University of Canberra, 2000
Bachelor of Marine Science (Hons 1A), Macquarie University, 2005
PhD (Zoology), University of Otago, 2009

Research interests

Biogeography: how physical processes (such as earthquakes and volcanoes) influence spatial patterns of biodiversity
Long-distance dispersal, e.g. of coastal marine organisms and their pathogens / parasites
Antarctic and sub-Antarctic ecology and evolution
How density-dependent processes influence spatial biodiversity patterns

My group combines molecular ecology with aspects of earth sciences to understand the processes that shape global patterns of biodiversity. We use a wide range of techniques to address research questions, including genetics (e.g. metabarcoding and phylogenomic analyses), and ecology, and have a particular focus on the high-latitude ecosystems of the Southern Hemisphere (New Zealand, the sub-Antarctic and Antarctica). Examples include studying how kelp communities and parasites can raft long distances across oceans, how plants and animals probably survived past ice ages by sheltering around volcanoes (and in volcanic caves), in Antarctica, and how large disturbances such as earthquakes create opportunities for genetic and community change in marine ecosystems in New Zealand.

I am also a member of the Coastal People: Southern Skies collaboration that connects communities with world-leading, cross-discipline research to rebuild coastal ecosystems.
Coastal People: Southern Skies

More information on my group’s research can be found at www.ceridwenfraser.com.

View my publications at ceridwenfraser.com
View my Google scholar profile

For potential research students

If you are a student interested in doing a research project within my group, I would be happy to hear from you. I occasionally have some funding to support scholarships for undergraduate (summer projects and Honours) and Masters research, and the University of Otago has many PhD scholarships available for high-achieving students, including those from overseas.

You can read about the group's projects, see what other students are doing (or have done), and contact me to discuss possibilities. Most projects include some genetic analyses as well as environmental data (this sort of work is known as molecular ecology), so students that have studied biology / ecology, ideally including some genetics, are most well placed for this work.

Visit here for details on group's projects and to see what other students are doing (or have done)

Email ceridwen.fraser@otago.ac.nz

Courses

TBA

Postgraduate students

View current and former students who have worked in the Fraser Lab

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Publications

Vaux, F., Fraser, C. I., Craw, D., Read, S., & Waters, J. M. (2023). Integrating kelp genomic analyses and geological data to reveal ancient earthquake impacts. Journal of the Royal Society Interface, 20, 20230105. doi: 10.1098/rsif.2023.0105

Olmedo-Rojas, P., Jeunen, G.-J., Lamare, M., Turnbull, J., Terauds, A., Gemmell, N., & Fraser, C. I. (2023). Soil environmental DNA metabarcoding in low-biomass regions requires protocol optimization: A case study in Antarctica. Antarctic Science, 35(1), 15-30. doi: 10.1017/S0954102022000384

Iha, C., Layton, C., Flentje, W., Lenton, A., Johnson, C., Fraser, C. I., & Willis, A. (2023). Organellar genomes of giant kelp from the southern hemisphere. Applied Phycology, 4(1), 78-86. doi: 10.1080/26388081.2023.2193619

Koerich, G., Fraser, C. I., Lee, C. K., Morgan, F. J., & Tonkin, J. D. (2023). Forecasting the future of life in Antarctica [Opinion]. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 38(1), 24-34. doi: 10.1016/j.tree.2022.07.009

Liu, X. P., Duffy, G. A., Pearman, W. S., Pertierra, L. R., & Fraser, C. I. (2022). Genetic/genomic resources for biogeographic research in terrestrial Antarctica. Proceedings of the Genetics Otago (GO) Annual Symposium. Retrieved from https://blogs.otago.ac.nz/go

Hu, Z.-M., & Fraser, C. (Eds.). (2016). Seaweed phylogeography: Adaptation and evolution of seaweeds under environmental change. Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Springer, 398p. doi: 10.1007/978-94-017-7534-2_5

Edited Book - Research

Fraser, C. I., Morrison, A., & Olmedo Rojas, P. (2020). Biogeographic processes influencing Antarctic and sub-Antarctic seaweeds. In I. Gómez & P. Huovinen (Eds.), Antarctic seaweeds: Diversity, adaptation, and ecosystem services. (pp. 43-57). Cham, Switzerland: Springer. doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-39448-6_3

Chapter in Book - Research

Convey, P., Bowman, V. C., Chown, S. L., Francis, J. E., Fraser, C., Smellie, J. L., … Terauds, A. (2018). Ice-bound Antarctica: Biotic consequences of the shift from a temperate to a polar climate. In C. Hoorn, A. Perrigo & A. Antonelli (Eds.), Mountains, climate and biodiversity. (pp. 355-374). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.

Chapter in Book - Research

Fraser, C. I. (2016). Change in southern hemisphere intertidal communities through climate cycles: The role of dispersing algae. In Z.-M. Hu & C. Fraser (Eds.), Seaweed phylogeography: Adaptation and evolution of seaweeds under environmental change. (pp. 131-143). Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Springer. doi: 10.1007/978-94-017-7534-2_5

Chapter in Book - Research

Thiel, M., & Fraser, C. (2016). The role of floating plants in dispersal of biota across habitats and ecosystems. In E. Ólafsson (Ed.), Marine macrophytes as foundation species. (pp. 76-99). Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.

Chapter in Book - Research

Waters, J. M., & Fraser, C. I. (2016). Dispersal biogeography. In R. M. Kliman (Ed.), Encyclopedia of evolutionary biology (Vol. 2). (pp. 453-457). Oxford, UK: Academic Press. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-12-800049-6.00108-6

Chapter in Book - Research

Wilson, L. J., Weber, X. A., King, T. M., & Fraser, C. I. (2016). DNA extraction techniques for genomic analyses of macroalgae. In Z.-M. Hu & C. Fraser (Eds.), Seaweed phylogeography: Adaptation and evolution of seaweeds under environmental change. (pp. 363-386). Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Springer.

Chapter in Book - Research

Journal - Research Article

Fraser, C. I., Dutoit, L., Morrison, A. K., Pardo, L. M., Smith, S. D. A., Pearman, W. S., Parvizi, E., Waters, J., & Macaya, E. C. (2022). Southern hemisphere coasts are biologically connected by frequent, long-distance rafting events. Current Biology. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.05.035

Journal - Research Article

Liu, X. P., Duffy, G. A., Pearman, W. S., Pertierra, L. R., & Fraser, C. I. (2022). Meta-analysis of Antarctic phylogeography reveals strong sampling bias and critical knowledge gaps [Review]. Ecography, e06312. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1111/ecog.06312

Journal - Research Article

Parvizi, E., Dutoit, L., Fraser, C. I., Craw, D., & Waters, J. M. (2022). Concordant phylogeographic responses to large-scale coastal disturbance in intertidal macroalgae and their epibiota. Molecular Ecology, 31, 646-657. doi: 10.1111/mec.16245

Journal - Research Article

Vaux, F., Parvizi, E., Craw, D., Fraser, C. I., & Waters, J. M. (2022). Parallel recolonisations generate distinct genomic sectors in kelp following high magnitude earthquake disturbance. Molecular Ecology. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1111/mec.16535

Journal - Research Article

Craw, D., Parvizi, E., Read, S., Fraser, C. I., & Waters, J. M. (2021). Late Holocene uplift of a coastal terrace near the Akatore Fault, southern New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Geology & Geophysics, 64(4), 542-557. doi: 10.1080/00288306.2020.1828940

Journal - Research Article

Kelly, E., Cowley, G., & Fraser, C. I. (2021). Holdfast coalescence between buoyant and non-buoyant seaweeds. Marine & Freshwater Research, 72, 1838-1843. doi: 10.1071/mf21016

Journal - Research Article

Mabey, A. L., Parvizi, E., & Fraser, C. I. (2021). Pathogen inferred to have dispersed thousands of kilometres at sea, infecting multiple keystone kelp species. Marine Biology, 168(4), 47. doi: 10.1007/s00227-021-03853-8

Journal - Research Article

Murphy, E. J., Johnston, N. M., Hofmann, E. E., Phillips, R. A., Jackson, J. A., Constable, A. J., … Fraser, C. I., … Xavier, J. C. (2021). Global connectivity of Southern Ocean ecosystems. Frontiers in Ecology & Evolution, 9, 624451. doi: 10.3389/fevo.2021.624451

Journal - Research Article

Vaux, F., Craw, D., Fraser, C. I., & Waters, J. M. (2021). Northward range extension for Durvillaea poha bull kelp: Response to tectonic disturbance? Journal of Phycology, 57, 1411-1418. doi: 10.1111/jpy.13179

Journal - Research Article

Clark, N. J., Kerry, J. T., & Fraser, C. I. (2020). Rapid winter warming could disrupt coastal marine fish community structure. Nature Climate Change, 10, 862-867. doi: 10.1038/s41558-020-0838-5

Journal - Research Article

Fraser, C. I., Velásquez, M., Nelson, W. A., Macaya, E. C., & Hay, C. H. (2020). The biogeographic importance of buoyancy in macroalgae: A case study of the southern bull-kelp genus Durvillaea (Phaeophyceae), including descriptions of two new species. Journal of Phycology, 56, 23-36. doi: 10.1111/jpy.12939

Journal - Research Article

Padovan, A., Chick, R. C., Cole, V. J., Dutoit, L., Hutchings, P. A., Jack, C., & Fraser, C. I. (2020). Genomic analyses suggest strong population connectivity over large spatial scales of the commercially important baitworm, Australonuphis teres (Onuphidae). Marine & Freshwater Research, 71(11), 1549-1556. doi: 10.1071/MF20044

Journal - Research Article

Parvizi, E., Fraser, C. I., Dutoit, L., Craw, D., & Waters, J. M. (2020). The genomic footprint of coastal earthquake uplift. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London: Series B, 287, 20200712. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2020.0712

Journal - Research Article

Peters, J. C., Waters, J. M., Dutoit, L., & Fraser, C. I. (2020). SNP analyses reveal a diverse pool of potential colonists to earthquake-uplifted coastlines. Molecular Ecology, 29, 149-159. doi: 10.1111/mec.15303

Journal - Research Article

McGaughran, A., Terauds, A., Convey, P., & Fraser, C. I. (2019). Genome-wide SNP data reveal improved evidence for Antarctic glacial refugia and dispersal of terrestrial invertebrates. Molecular Ecology, 28, 4941-4957. doi: 10.1111/mec.15269

Journal - Research Article

Moon, K. L., Aitkenhead, I. J., Fraser, C. I., & Chown, S. L. (2019). Can a terrestrial ectoparasite disperse with its marine host? Physiological & Biochemical Zoology, 92(2), 163-176. doi: 10.1086/701726

Journal - Research Article

Moon, K. L., Chown, S. L., & Fraser, C. I. (2019). Tandem host-parasite dispersal inferred from similarities in phylogeographical patterns among Little Penguins and their 'terrestrial' ectoparasites. Journal of Biogeography, 46, 2520-2531. doi: 10.1111/jbi.13714

Journal - Research Article

Fraser, C. I., Davies, I. D., Bryant, D., & Waters, J. M. (2018). How disturbance and dispersal influence intraspecific structure. Journal of Ecology, 106(3), 1298-1306. doi: 10.1111/1365-2745.12900

Journal - Research Article

Fraser, C. I., Morrison, A. K., Hogg, A. M., Macaya, E. C., van Sebille, E., Ryan, P. G., … Waters, J. M. (2018). Antarctica's ecological isolation will be broken by storm-driven dispersal and warming. Nature Climate Change, 8, 704-708. doi: 10.1038/s41558-018-0209-7

Journal - Research Article

Moon, K. L., Dann, P., Chown, S. L., McGaughran, A., & Fraser, C. I. (2018). Penguin ectoparasite panmixia suggests extensive host movement within a colony. Auk, 135(3), 657-668. doi: 10.1642/AUK-17-226.1

Journal - Research Article

Waters, J. M., King, T. M., Fraser, C. I., & Craw, D. (2018). An integrated ecological, genetic and geological assessment of long-distance dispersal by invertebrates on kelp rafts. Frontiers of Biogeography, 10(3-4), e40888. doi: 10.21425/F5FBG40888

Journal - Research Article

Waters, J. M., King, T. M., Fraser, C. I., & Craw, D. (2018). Crossing the front: Contrasting storm-forced dispersal dynamics revealed by biological, geological and genetic analysis of beach-cast kelp. Journal of the Royal Society Interface, 15(140), 20180046. doi: 10.1098/rsif.2018.0046

Journal - Research Article

Waters, J. M., King, T. M., Fraser, C. I., & Garden, C. (2018). Rafting dispersal in a brooding southern sea star (Asteroidea: Anasterias). Invertebrate Systematics, 32(2), 253-258. doi: 10.1071/IS17037

Journal - Research Article

Blake, C., Thiel, M., López, B. A., & Fraser, C. I. (2017). Gall-forming protistan parasites infect southern bull kelp across the Southern Ocean, with prevalence increasing to the south. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 583, 95-106. doi: 10.3354/meps12346

Journal - Research Article

Moon, K. L., Chown, S. L., & Fraser, C. I. (2017). Reconsidering connectivity in the sub‐Antarctic. Biological Reviews, 92(4), 2164-2181. doi: 10.1111/brv.12327

Journal - Research Article

Waters, J. M., Fraser, C. I., Maxwell, J. J., & Rawlence, N. J. (2017). Did interaction between human pressure and Little Ice Age drive biological turnover in New Zealand. Journal of Biogeography, 44(7), 1481-1490. doi: 10.1111/jbi.12991

Journal - Research Article

Weber, X. A., Edgar, G. J., Banks, S. C., Waters, J. M., & Fraser, C. I. (2017). A morphological and phylogenetic investigation into divergence among sympatric Australian southern bull kelps (Durvillaea potatorum and D. amatheiae sp. nov.). Molecular Phylogenetics & Evolution, 107, 630-643. doi: 10.1016/j.ympev.2016.12.027

Journal - Research Article

Fraser, C. I., McGaughran, A., Chuah, A., & Waters, J. M. (2016). The importance of replicating genomic analyses to verify phylogenetic signal for recently evolved lineages. Molecular Ecology, 25, 3683-3695. doi: 10.1111/mec.13708

Journal - Research Article

Wilson, L. J., Fulton, C. J., Hogg, A. M., Joyce, K. E., Radford, B. T. M., & Fraser, C. I. (2016). Climate-driven changes to ocean circulation and their inferred impacts on marine dispersal patterns. Global Ecology & Biogeography, 25(8), 923-939. doi: 10.1111/geb.12456

Journal - Research Article

Chown, S. L., Clarke, A., Fraser, C. I., Cary, S. C., Moon, K. L., & McGeoch, M. A. (2015). The changing form of Antarctic biodiversity. Nature, 522(7557), 431-438. doi: 10.1038/nature14505

Journal - Research Article

Moon, K. L., Banks, S. C., & Fraser, C. I. (2015). Phylogeographic structure in penguin ticks across an ocean basin indicates allopatric divergence and rare trans-oceanic dispersal. PLoS ONE, 10(6), e0128514. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0128514

Journal - Research Article

Muangmai, N., Fraser, C. I., & Zuccarello, G. C. (2015). Contrasting patterns of population structure and demographic history in cryptic species of Bostrychia intricata (Rhodomelaceae, Rhodophyta) from New Zealand. Journal of Phycology, 51(3), 574-585. doi: 10.1111/jpy.12305

Journal - Research Article

Smith, L. M., Hutchings, P., & Fraser, C. I. (2015). Molecular evidence supports coastal dispersal among estuaries for two benthic marine worm (Nephtyidae) species in southeastern Australia. Marine Biology, 162(6), 1319-1327. doi: 10.1007/s00227-015-2671-3

Journal - Research Article

Fraser, C. I., Banks, S. C., & Waters, J. M. (2014). Priority effects can lead to underestimation of dispersal and invasion potential. Biological Invasions, 17(1), 1-8. doi: 10.1007/s10530-014-0714-1

Journal - Research Article

Fraser, C. I., Brahy, O., Mardulyn, P., Dohet, L., Mayer, F., & Grégoire, J.-C. (2014). Flying the nest: Male dispersal and multiple paternity enables extrafamilial matings for the invasive bark beetle Dendroctonus micans. Heredity, 113(4), 327-333. doi: 10.1038/hdy.2014.34

Journal - Research Article

Fraser, C. I., Terauds, A., Smellie, J., Convey, P., & Chown, S. L. (2014). Geothermal activity helps life survive glacial cycles. PNAS, 111(15), 5634-5639. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1321437111

Journal - Research Article

Garden, C. J., Currie, K., Fraser, C. I., & Waters, J. M. (2014). Rafting dispersal constrained by an oceanographic boundary. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 501, 297-302. doi: 10.3354/meps10675

Journal - Research Article

Fraser, C. I., & Waters, J. M. (2013). Algal parasite Herpodiscus durvillaeae (Phaeophyceae: Sphacelariales) inferred to have traversed the Pacific Ocean with its buoyant host. Journal of Phycology, 49(1), 202-206. doi: 10.1111/jpy.12017

Journal - Research Article

Fraser, C. I., Zuccarello, G. C., Spencer, H. G., Salvatore, L. C., Garcia, G. R., & Waters, J. M. (2013). Genetic affinities between trans-oceanic populations of non-buoyant macroalgae in the high latitudes of the Southern Hemisphere. PLoS ONE, 8(7), e69138. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0069138

Journal - Research Article

Waters, J. M., Fraser, C. I., & Hewitt, G. M. (2013). Founder takes all: Density-dependent processes structure biodiversity. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 28(2), 78-85. doi: 10.1016/j.tree.2012.08.024

Journal - Research Article

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