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Bruce Robertson 2022Email bruce.robertson@otago.ac.nz

Tel +64 3 479 4110

Teaching

Research Interests

Current and Potential Projects

Kakapo (Strigops habroptilus)

  • Mate choice, reproductive behaviour and conservation genomics of kakapo
  • Role of genetic similarity/heterozygosity in poor hatching success
  • Immunocompetence and MHC variation in kakapo and other large NZ parrots
  • Genetic management of kakapo recovery

Kea (Nestor notabilis)

  • Phylogeography and population genetic structure of wild and captive kea
  • Genetic basis of explorative behaviour of kea

Rock wren (Xenicus gilviventris)

  • Phylogeography and population genetic structure of rock wren
  • Mating system of rock wren

Silvereye(Zosterops spp)

  • Genetic basis of winter dominance

New Zealand Dotterel (Charadrius obscurus)

  • Phylogeography of dotterels

Oceanitinae Storm-petrel and Diving-petrel

  • Microsatellite analysis of the NZ storm-petrel to examine genetic variation and population size
  • Phylogenetics of Fregetta storm-petrels
  • Phylogenetic affinities of Codfish Island Diving-petrels

Kaki (Himantopus novaezelandiae)

  • Sex allocation in captive breeding of kaki
  • MC1R gene variation in kaki hybrids

New Zealand fur seal (Arctocephalus forsteri)

  • Population genetic structure of NZ fur seals
  • Genetic assignment of NZ fur seals killed as bycatch in NZ trawl fisheries to colonies of origin

New Zealand sea lion (Phocarctos hookeri)

  • Population genetic structure of NZ sea lions
  • Fine-scale genetic structure of a breeding colony
  • Reproductive behaviour, paternity and dispersal
  • Historic population size based on DNA evidence
  • Management of sea lion bycatch in NZ deepwater fisheries

Current Postgraduate Students

  • Yasmin Foster (PhD) Genetic aging and genomic analysis of the kakapo Strigops habroptilus
  • Melanie Young (PhD) Coping with nutritional stress: diet, dispersal and plasticity in the foraging strategies of hōiho/yellow-eyed penguins (Megadyptes antipodes)
  • Denise Martini (PhD) Conservation genomics of the kaka

Past Postgraduate Students

  • Luke Easton (PhD) Phylogeography of New Zealand native frogs.
  • Ann-Kathrin Schlesselmann (PhD) Population genetic structure of the New Zealand black-fronted tern.
  • Kalinka Rexer-Huber (PhD) White-chinned petrels Procellaria aequinoctialis: movement ecology, populations and provenance of bycatch.
  • Carlos Esteban Lara (PhD) Maternal effects and offspring quality in the dunnock.
  • Gabby Knafler (PhD) The application of MHC, TLR, and microsatellite markers to examine bottleneck effects in three diverse New Zealand birds.
  • Stefanie Grosser (PhD) Past and contemporary population genetics of little blue penguins, Eudyptula minor.
  • Stefan Meyer (PhD) Population modeling of New Zealand sea lions Phocarctos hookeri at the Auckland Islands, New Zealand - Estimating the population's current status, future trends and management options.
  • Benedikt Holtmann (PhD) Personality in a species with variable mating systems, the dunnock.
  • Kerry Anne Weston (PhD) Conservation genetics of the rock wren.
  • Bastian Egeter (PhD) Molecular detection of mammalian predation of frogs.
  • Catherine Collins (PhD) Temporal genetic analyses on Phocarctos sea lions.
  • Nicolas Dussex (PhD) Conservation genetics of the alpine parrot, kea Nestor notabilis.
  • Jolene Sutton (PhD) Characterization of neutral and MHC diversity, along with malaria resistance, in New Zealand saddlebacks and robins.
  • Amy Adams (PhD) Spatial ecology, resource use and population structure of the common brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula) across an urban-rural gradient.
  • Elaine Leung (PhD) Ontogeny of diving and juvenile survival of threatened New Zealand sea lions Phocarctos hookeri.
  • Thorsten Horn (PhD) Molecular aging of vertebrates.
  • Nathan McNally (PhD) Survival, recruitment, mass estimates and breeding behaviour/tenure of male New Zealand sea lions, Phocarctos hookeri, at Enderby Island, Auckland Islands.
  • Samanthan Haultain (MSc) Inbreeding depression in captive Otago skinks.
  • Tristan Rawlence (MSc) Response of alpine rock wren to predator control.
  • Claudia Mischler (MSc) Conservation genetics of the endangered black billed gull.
  • Imogen Foote (MSc) Genetic basis of personality in the New Zealand sea lion.
  • Meghan Milner-Jones (MSc) Conservation genetics of kokako.
  • Emma Kelman (MSc) Bioacoustic analysis of the kakapo.
  • Clare Cross (MSc) Feral cats in New Zealand.
  • Samantha Botting (MSc) Sexing New Zealand skinks.
  • Laura Berger (MSc) Female kakapo lineages: population structure and pedigree reconstruction.
  • Kaitlyn White (MSc) Inbreeding depression in the kakapo.
  • Kristina Thompson (MSc) Mate choice and reproductive success of the kakapo.
  • Matthew Taylor (MSc) Population genetic structure of the New Zealand sea lion (Phocarctos hookeri)

Publications

Guhlin, J., Le Lec, M. F., Wold, J., Koot, E., Winter, D., Biggs, P. J., … Urban, L., Foster, Y., … Robertson, F. E., Robertson, B. C., Gemmell, N. J., … Dearden, P. K. (2023). Species-wide genomics of kākāpō provides tools to accelerate recovery. Nature Ecology & Evolution. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1038/s41559-023-02165-y
Journal - Research Article
McLean, L. R. W., Horton, T. W., Robertson, B. C., Robertson, F., Greer, A. L., & Nelson, X. J. (2023). Reproductive roles as likely drivers of sexual dimorphism in New Zealand’s endangered mountain parrot, the Kea. Ornithology, ukad038. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1093/ornithology/ukad038
Journal - Research Article
Bertoia, A., Murray, T., Robertson, B. C., & Monks, J. M. (2023). Pitfall trapping outperforms other methods for surveying ground-dwelling large-bodied alpine invertebrates [Review]. Journal of Insect Conservation. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1007/s10841-023-00498-4
Journal - Research Article
Lopes, F., Oliveira, L. R., Beux, Y., Kessler, A., Cárdenas-Alayza, S., Majluf, P., … Loch, C., Robertson, B. C., … Bonatto, S. L. (2023). Genomic evidence for homoploid hybrid speciation in a marine mammal apex predator. Science Advances, 9, eadf6601. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.adf6601
Journal - Research Article
Schlesselmann, A.-K. V., Cooper, J., Dussex, N., & Robertson, B. C. (2023). New Zealand endemic open-habitat specialist, the Black-fronted Tern (Chlidonias albostriatus), experienced population expansion during Pleistocene glaciation and recent decline. Ibis, 165, 288-296. doi: 10.1111/ibi.13107
Journal - Research Article
Bertoia, A., Murray, T., Robertson, B. C., & Monks, J. M. (2023). Pitfall trapping outperforms other methods for surveying ground-dwelling large-bodied alpine invertebrates [Review]. Journal of Insect Conservation. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1007/s10841-023-00498-4
Journal - Research Article
Grosser, S., Dutoit, L., Foster, Y., Robertson, F., Fidler, A. E., Martini, D., Knapp, M., & Robertson, B. C. (2023). Genomic evidence of a functional RH2 opsin in New Zealand parrots and implications for pest control. New Zealand Journal of Zoology, 50(2), 341-349. doi: 10.1080/03014223.2022.2053554
Journal - Research Article
Guhlin, J., Le Lec, M. F., Wold, J., Koot, E., Winter, D., Biggs, P. J., … Urban, L., Foster, Y., … Robertson, F. E., Robertson, B. C., Gemmell, N. J., … Dearden, P. K. (2023). Species-wide genomics of kākāpō provides tools to accelerate recovery. Nature Ecology & Evolution. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1038/s41559-023-02165-y
Journal - Research Article
Lopes, F., Oliveira, L. R., Beux, Y., Kessler, A., Cárdenas-Alayza, S., Majluf, P., … Loch, C., Robertson, B. C., … Bonatto, S. L. (2023). Genomic evidence for homoploid hybrid speciation in a marine mammal apex predator. Science Advances, 9, eadf6601. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.adf6601
Journal - Research Article
McLean, L. R. W., Horton, T. W., Robertson, B. C., Robertson, F., Greer, A. L., & Nelson, X. J. (2023). Reproductive roles as likely drivers of sexual dimorphism in New Zealand’s endangered mountain parrot, the Kea. Ornithology, ukad038. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1093/ornithology/ukad038
Journal - Research Article
Schlesselmann, A.-K. V., Cooper, J., Dussex, N., & Robertson, B. C. (2023). New Zealand endemic open-habitat specialist, the Black-fronted Tern (Chlidonias albostriatus), experienced population expansion during Pleistocene glaciation and recent decline. Ibis, 165, 288-296. doi: 10.1111/ibi.13107
Journal - Research Article
Lubbe, P., Rawlence, N. J., Kardailsky, O., Robertson, B. C., Day, R., Knapp, M., & Dussex, N. (2022). Mitogenomes resolve the phylogeography and divergence times within the endemic New Zealand Callaeidae (Aves: Passerida). Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlac060
Journal - Research Article
Reed, N., Childerhouse, S., Robertson, B. C., & Davis, R. W. (2022). Home ranges and diving behavior of endangered New Zealand sea lions along the Catlins coast of South Island, New Zealand. Marine Mammal Science. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1111/mms.12989
Journal - Research Article
Sandvig, E. M., Coulson, T., Robertson, B. C., Feeney, W. E., & Clegg, S. M. (2022). Insular nestling growth and its relationship to parental care effort in Silvereyes, Zosterops lateralis. Emu. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1080/01584197.2022.2105723
Journal - Research Article
von Seth, J., van der Valk, T., Lord, E., Sigeman, H., Olsen, R.-A., Knapp, M., Kardailsky, O., Robertson, F., … Robertson, B. C., & Dussex, N. (2022). Genomic trajectories of a near-extinction event in the Chatham Island black robin. BMC Genomics, 23, 747. doi: 10.1186/s12864-022-08963-1
Journal - Research Article
Young, M. J., Seddon, P. J., Pütz, K., Agnew, P., Mattern, T., Hickcox, R. P., Robertson, B. C., & van Heezik, Y. (2022). Conservation implications for post-fledging dispersal of yellow-eyed penguins/hoiho. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 695, 173-188. doi: 10.3354/meps14124
Journal - Research Article
Dussex, N., van der Valk, T., Morales, H. E., Wheat, C. W., Díez-del-Molino, D., von Seth, J., Foster, Y., … Le Lec, M. F., Dearden, P. K., … Knapp, M., Gemmell, N. J., Robertson, F., … Robertson, B. C., & Dalén, L. (2021). Population genomics of the critically endangered kākāpō. Cell Genomics, 1, 100002. doi: 10.1016/j.xgen.2021.100002
Journal - Research Article
Foster, Y., Dutoit, L., Grosser, S., Dussex, N., Foster, B. J., Dodds, K. G., … Robertson, F., … Robertson, B. C. (2021). Genomic signatures of inbreeding in a critically endangered parrot, the kākāpō. Genes Genomes Genetics, 11(11), jkab307. doi: 10.1093/g3journal/jkab307
Journal - Research Article
Grosser, S., Robertson, F., Shepherd, L. D., Tennyson, A. J. D., Miskelly, C. M., Taylor, G. A., & Robertson, B. C. (2021). Phylogenetic affinities of the Whenua Hou Diving Petrel: Implications for conservation. Emu, 121(1-2), 102-112. doi: 10.1080/01584197.2021.1908148
Journal - Research Article
Lopes, F., Oliveira, L. R., Kessler, A., Beux, Y., Crespo, E., Cárdenas-Alayza, S., … Loch, C., Robertson, B. C., … Bonatto, S. L. (2021). Phylogenomic discordance in the eared seals is best explained by incomplete lineage sorting following explosive radiation in the southern hemisphere. Systematic Biology, 70(4), 786-802. doi: 10.1093/sysbio/syaa099
Journal - Research Article
Martini, D., Dussex, N., Robertson, B. C., Gemmell, N. J., & Knapp, M. (2021). Evolution of the world's only alpine parrot: Genomic adaptation or phenotypic plasticity, behaviour and ecology? Molecular Ecology, 30, 6370-6386. doi: 10.1111/mec.15978
Journal - Research Article
Rhie, A., McCarthy, S., Fedrigo, O., Damas, J., Formenti, G., Koren, S., … Robertson, B., … Jarvis, E. D. (2021). Towards complete and error-free genome assemblies of all vertebrate species. Nature, 592(7856), 737-746. doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03451-0
Journal - Research Article
Sendell-Price, A. T., Ruegg, K. C., Robertson, B. C., & Clegg, S. M. (2021). An island-hopping bird reveals how founder events shape genome-wide divergence. Molecular Ecology, 30, 2495-2510. doi: 10.1111/mec.15898
Journal - Research Article
Feng, S., Stiller, J., Deng, Y., Armstrong, J., Fang, Q., Reeve, A. H., … Robertson, B. C., … Jamieson, I. G., … Rutherford, K. M., Gemmell, N. J., Dussex, N., … Zhang, G. (2020). Dense sampling of bird diversity increases power of comparative genomics. Nature, 587, 252-257. doi: 10.1038/s41586-020-2873-9
Journal - Research Article
Lara, C. E., Grueber, C. E., Holtmann, B., Santos, E. S. A., Johnson, S. L., Robertson, B. C., … Nakagawa, S. (2020). Assessment of the dunnocks’ introduction to New Zealand using innate immune-gene diversity. Evolutionary Ecology, 34, 803-820. doi: 10.1007/s10682-020-10070-0
Journal - Research Article
Schlesselmann, A.-K. V., Dussex, N., Cooper, J., Monks, J. M., O'Donnell, C. F. J., & Robertson, B. C. (2020). Contrasting patterns of population structure at large and fine geographical scales in a migratory avian disturbance specialist of braided river ecosystems. Diversity & Distributions, 26, 16-33. doi: 10.1111/ddi.12994
Journal - Research Article
Young, M. J., Dutoit, L., Robertson, F., van Heezik, Y., Seddon, P. J., & Robertson, B. C. (2020). Species in the faeces: DNA metabarcoding as a method to determine the diet of the endangered yellow-eyed penguin. Wildlife Research, 47(6), 509-522. doi: 10.1071/wr19246
Journal - Research Article
Dussex, N., von Seth, J., Knapp, M., Kardailsky, O., Robertson, B. C., & Dalén, L. (2019). Complete genomes of two extinct New Zealand passerines show responses to climate fluctuations but no evidence for genomic erosion prior to extinction. Biology Letters, 15(9), 20190491. doi: 10.1098/rsbl.2019.0491
Journal - Research Article
Egeter, B., Roe, C., Peixoto, S., Puppo, P., Easton, L. J., Pinto, J., Bishop, P. J., & Robertson, B. C. (2019). Using molecular diet analysis to inform invasive species management: A case study of introduced rats consuming endemic New Zealand frogs. Ecology & Evolution, 9, 5032-5048. doi: 10.1002/ece3.4903
Journal - Research Article
Rexer-Huber, K., Veale, A. J., Catry, P., Cherel, Y., Dutoit, L., Foster, Y., … Waters, J., & Robertson, B. C. (2019). Genomics detects population structure within and between ocean basins in a circumpolar seabird: The white-chinned petrel. Molecular Ecology, 28, 4552-4572. doi: 10.1111/mec.15248
Journal - Research Article
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