Email jon.waters@otago.ac.nz
Phone 64-3-479-5847
Teaching
- CELS 191 Cell and Molecular Biology
- BIOL 112 Animal Biology
- GENE 222 Genes, Chromosomes and Populations
- GENE 312 Evolutionary Genetics
- GENE 360 Special Topics in Genetics
- GENE 411 Current Topics in Genetics
- ZOOL 410 Evolutionary Genetics
Research Interests
- Extinction and recolonization - ancient DNA
(Co-director, Otago Palaeogenetics Laboratory with Dr. Nic Rawlence)
- Rates of molecular evolution
- Kelp-Rafting and Southern Ocean biogeography
- Freshwater phylogeography and drainage evolution
- Evolutionary genomics
Research Highlights and News
- Little Blue Penguin ancient DNA - NewsHub
- Aquatic Mammal Prehistory - Kim Hill (15:50 duration)
- Audit of Prehistoric NZ - Kathryn Ryan (25:20 duration)
- Waitaha Penguin: BBC
- Climate change: REUTERS
- Molecular rates: ABC-TV
- Rafting: Radio-NZ
- Rafting: Science
Current Research Projects
- Use it or lose it: evolution of NZ’s flightless alpine insects (Marsden Funding)
- Ancient DNA of NZ's prehistoric penguins and sea-lions (Marsden funding)
- Oceanic rafting (Marsden funding)
- River capture and fish evolution (Marsden funding)
Current Postdocs
Current Postgraduate Students
- Tess Cole - PhD - Ancient and modern genetics of crested penguins
- Brodie Foster - PhD - Evolutionary genetics and biogeography of NZ stoneflies
- Kalinka Rexer-Huber - PhD - conservation genetics of subantarctic petrels
- Afroditi Kardamaki - PhD - ancient DNA of NZ swans
Recent Students/Postdocs
- Dr Raisa Nikula - Postdoc
- Stefanie Grosser - PhD - ancient DNA of little blue penguins
- Keith King - PhD - evolutionary genetics of alpine insects
- Catherine Collins - PhD - ancient DNA of NZ sea-lions
- Rebecca Cumming - PhD - biogeography of Onchidella
- Megan Askew - MSc - ancient DNA of elephant seals
- Jennifer Trickey - MSc - biogeography of rafting nudibranchs
- Laura Bussolini - MSc - genetics of rafting kelp
- Alex Salis BSc - Hons - ancient DNA of NZ fur-seals.
- Dr Ceridwen Fraser
- Dr Catherine Grueber
- Dr Graham McCulloch
- Dr Shan Crow
- Dr Chris Burridge
- Dr Devon Keeney
- Dr Sanne Boessenkool
Publications
Craw, D., Upton, P., Burridge, C. P., Wallis, G. P., & Waters, J. M. (2016). Rapid biological speciation driven by tectonic evolution in New Zealand. Nature Geoscience, 9, 140-144. doi: 10.1038/ngeo2618
Grosser, S., Rawlence, N. J., Anderson, C. N. K., Smith, I. W. G., Scofield, R. P., & Waters, J. M. (2016). Invader or resident? Ancient-DNA reveals rapid species turnover in New Zealand little penguins. Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 283(1824), 20152879. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2015.2879
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
Fraser, C. I., Nikula, R., & Waters, J. M. (2011). Oceanic rafting by a coastal community. Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 278(1706), 649-655. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2010.1117
Fraser, C. I., Nikula, R., Spencer, H. G., & Waters, J. M. (2009). Kelp genes reveal effects of subantarctic sea ice during the Last Glacial Maximum. PNAS, 106(9), 3249-3253.
Journal - Research Article
Grosser, S., Rawlence, N. J., Anderson, C. N. K., Smith, I. W. G., Scofield, R. P., & Waters, J. M. (2016). Invader or resident? Ancient-DNA reveals rapid species turnover in New Zealand little penguins. Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 283(1824), 20152879. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2015.2879
McCulloch, G. A., Wallis, G. P., & Waters, J. M. (2016). A time-calibrated phylogeny of southern hemisphere stoneflies: Testing for Gondwanan origins. Molecular Phylogenetics & Evolution, 96, 150-160. doi: 10.1016/j.ympev.2015.10.028
Dussex, N., Chuah, A., & Waters, J. M. (2016). Genome-wide SNPs reveal fine-scale differentiation among wingless alpine stonefly populations, and introgression between winged and wingless forms. Evolution, 70(1), 38-47. doi: 10.1111/evo.12826
Wallis, G. P., Waters, J. M., Upton, P., & Craw, D. (2016). Transverse alpine speciation driven by glaciation. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 31(12), 916-926. doi: 10.1016/j.tree.2016.08.009
Craw, D., Upton, P., Burridge, C. P., Wallis, G. P., & Waters, J. M. (2016). Rapid biological speciation driven by tectonic evolution in New Zealand. Nature Geoscience, 9, 140-144. doi: 10.1038/ngeo2618
Rawlence, N. J., Kennedy, M., Anderson, C. N. K., Prost, S., Till, C. E., Smith, I. W. G., Scofield, R. P., … Hamel, J., Lalas, C., Matisoo-Smith, E. A., & Waters, J. M. (2015). Geographically contrasting biodiversity reductions in a widespread New Zealand seabird. Molecular Ecology, 24(18), 4605-4616. doi: 10.1111/mec.13338
Collins, C. J., Rawlence, N. J., Prost, S., Anderson, C. N. K., Knapp, M., Scofield, R. P., Robertson, B. C., Smith, I., Matisoo-Smith, E. A., … Waters, J. M. (2014). Extinction and recolonization of coastal megafauna following human arrival in New Zealand. Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 281, 20140097. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2014.0097
Nikula, R., Spencer, H. G., & Waters, J. M. (2013). Passive rafting is a powerful driver of transoceanic gene flow. Biology Letters, 9(1), 20120821. doi: 10.1098/rsbl.2012.0821
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
Fraser, C. I., Nikula, R., Ruzzante, D. E., & Waters, J. M. (2012). Poleward bound: Biological impacts of Southern Hemisphere glaciation. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 27(8), 462-471. doi: 10.1016/j.tree.2012.04.011
Gillespie, R. G., Baldwin, B., Waters, J. M., Fraser, C. I., Nikula, R., & Roderick, G. K. (2012). Long-distance dispersal: A framework for hypothesis testing. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 27(1), 47-56. doi: 10.1016/j.tree.2011.08.009
Fraser, C. I., Nikula, R., & Waters, J. M. (2011). Oceanic rafting by a coastal community. Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 278(1706), 649-655. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2010.1117
Nikula, R., Fraser, C. I., Spencer, H. G., & Waters, J. M. (2010). Circumpolar dispersal by rafting in two subantarctic kelp-dwelling crustaceans. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 405, 221-230. doi: 10.3354/meps08523
Waters, J. M., Rowe, D. L., Burridge, C. P., & Wallis, G. P. (2010). Gene trees versus species trees: Reassessing life-history evolution in a freshwater fish radiation. Systematic Biology, 59(5), 504-517. doi: 10.1093/sysbio/syq031
McCulloch, G. A., Wallis, G. P., & Waters, J. M. (2010). Onset of glaciation drove simultaneous vicariant isolation of alpine insects in New Zealand. Evolution, 64(7), 2033-2043. doi: 10.1111/j.1558-5646.2010.00980.x
Fraser, C. I., Nikula, R., Spencer, H. G., & Waters, J. M. (2009). Kelp genes reveal effects of subantarctic sea ice during the Last Glacial Maximum. PNAS, 106(9), 3249-3253.
Boessenkool, S., Austin, J. J., Worthy, T. H., Scofield, P., Cooper, A., Seddon, P. J., & Waters, J. M. (2009). Relict or colonizer? Extinction and range expansion of penguins in southern New Zealand. Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 276(1658), 815-821. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2008.1246
Waters, J. M., Rowe, D. L., Apte, S., King, T. M., Wallis, G. P., Anderson, L., Norris, R. J., Craw, D., & Burridge, C. P. (2007). Geological dates and molecular rates: Rapid divergence of rivers and their biotas. Systematic Biology, 56(2), 271-282.
Burridge, C. P., Craw, D., & Waters, J. M. (2006). River capture, range expansion, and cladogenesis: The genetic signature of freshwater vicariance. Evolution, 60(5), 1038-1049.
Waters, J. M., & Craw, D. (2006). Goodbye Gondwana? New Zealand biogeography, geology, and the problem of circularity. Systematic Biology, 55(2), 351-356.
Journal - Research Other
Waters, J. M. (2011). Competitive exclusion: Phylogeography's 'elephant in the room'? Molecular Ecology, 20(21), 4388-4394. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-294X.2011.05286.x
