Download Nicola Jane Barson

Curriculum vitae Nicola Barson
My research focuses on the development of adaptive differentiation and reproductive isolation
and the maintenance of adaptive genetic variation in the wild. Recently I have identified loci
underlying major fitness traits in wild Atlantic salmon and identified the role of antagonistic
balancing selection in maintaining genetic variation at a major effect locus. This work revealed a
theoretically important, but previously unobserved, genetic architecture with major implications
for the resolution of sexual conflict and the evolution of sex chromosomes. Currently I am
working to identify loci associated with environmental variation in wild Atlantic salmon and cosupervising PhD work to the identify genomic changes in farmed salmon during the contemporary
domestication of this species.
Earlier in my career I contributed significantly to the debate regarding the possibility of sympatric
speciation through the demonstration that the restrictive conditions set by models are met in
African Great Lake cichlids. Sympatric speciation is suggested to have contributed to explosive
diversification of this group and this work challenged the established paradigm that adaptive
divergence cannot proceed in the face of gene flow. I have contributed to the understanding of the
role played by population structuring in evolutionary dynamics both in guppies and grayling. In
guppies this involved both the assessment of metapopulation dynamics in a dendritic habitat and
the role of balancing selection in the maintenance of immunogenetic diversity in the face of
extreme genetic drift. In grayling I demonstrated that isolation by distance was a more important
mechanism during the early phases of adaptive divergence than isolation based on difference in
spawning time. This work was expanded in collaboration with a PhD student to examine temporal
variation in population structuring in the early stages of colonisation and divergence.
PERSONAL INFORMATION
Name: Barson, Nicola Jane
Google Scholar: http://tinyurl.com/pu27chs
Date of birth: 25-09-74
Nationality: British
URL for web site: http://www.nmbu.no/emp/nicola.barson
EDUCATION
2006
PGCE - Postgraduate Certificate in Education (Secondary Science: Biology),
University of Wales, Aberystwyth, UK
2004
PhD Evolutionary Biology, Department of Biological Sciences, University of
Hull, UK (viva voce 07-07-2004)
1998
MSc Ecology, School of Biological Sciences, Bangor University, UK
1997
BSc Oceanography with Marine Biology, Department of Oceanography
University of Southampton, UK
CURRENT POSITION
2013 Researcher, Centre for Integrative Genetics (CIGENE), Norwegian University of
Life Sciences, Norway
PREVIOUS POSITIONS
2007 - 2010 Postdoctoral Research Fellow , Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis
(CEES), Department of Biology, University of Oslo, Norway
2003 - 2004 Postdoctoral Research Associate/Research Assistant, School of Biosciences,
Cardiff University, UK
SUPERVISION OF GRADUATE STUDENTS AND POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWS
2013 Co-supervisor of 1 PhD student, Centre for Integrative Genetics (CIGENE),
Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Norway
TEACHING ACTIVITIES
2000-2006. Teaching assistant in undergraduate practicals: molecular genetic techniques,
microscopy, evolution, taxonomy, ecology, population genetics, parasitology, animal behaviour.
Universities of Southampton, Hull and Cardiff, UK.
2000-2004 Supervised four undergraduate projects: two fish behaviour (Universities of
Southampton and Hull UK) and two in molecular ecology (Cardiff University UK).
INSTITUTIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES
2013 – Graduate Student Advisor,
2014 – Organiser of the Internal weekly discussion forum
2015 Internal examiner for MSc defence
COMMISSIONS OF TRUST
2004 – present
Reviewer for BMC Evolutionary Biology, Behavioural Ecology,
Evolutionary Ecology, Evolutionary Applications
RESEARCH GRANTS
2016-2020
QuantEscape 2 - Quantifying ecological effects of introgression of farmed on wild
salmon (RCN, 20 mill. NOK). Co-applicant, work package leader
MAJOR COLLABORATIONS
Craig Primmer, Salmonid population genetics, evolution and genomics of life history traits,
University of Turku, Finland
Tutku Akanyat, Genomics of life history traits, University of Turku, Finland
Erica Leder, Salmonid population genetics, evolution of life history traits, University of Turku,
Finland
Kjetil Hindar, Salmon evolutionary genomics and farmed-wild salmon interactions, Norwegian
Institute for Nature Research, NINA, Norway
Geir Bolstad, Salmon evolutionary genomics and farmed-wild salmon interactions, Norwegian
Institute for Nature Research, NINA, Norway
Thrond O. Haugen, Contemporary adaptive divergence in salmonids. Genomics of adaptation to
flow and temperature regimes in wild salmonids. Ecology and Natural Resource
Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Norway
Louis Bernatchez , Landscape genomics of salmon, University of Laval, Canada.
Cock van Oosterhout, Population and immuno- genetic adaptation to parasites in Trinidadian
guppies, University of East Anglia, UK
Domino Joyce, Population genetics and immune adaptation to parasite in Trinidadian guppies,
University of Hull, UK
Matthew Baranski, Salmon evolutionary genomics and farmed-wild salmon interactions,
NOFIMA, Norway
Susan E. Johnston, Genomics of life history traits, University of Edinburgh, UK.
Devon Pearce, Rainbow trout evolutionary genomics, Fisheries Ecology Division, Southwest
Fisheries Science Center, NOAA/University of California Santa Cruz, USA
Yniv Palti, Rainbow trout evolutionary genomics, USDA (Agricultural Research ServiceNCCCWA). USA
Kerry Naish, Rainbow trout evolutionary genomics, University of Washington, USA
CAREER BREAKS
01-02-12 to 16-06-2013 – Parental leave for 16.5 months
Early achievements track record – consolidator NICOLA JANE BARSON
*Publications with PhD supervisors as a co-author,
Overview
Since 2013 I have been working in the Lien group at NMBU on Atlantic salmon population
genomics and genomics of fitness related traits. Principally I have been working on a
collaborative project between NMBU, the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Institute for
Marine Research, and NOFIMA aiming to understand the impact of farmed escapees on wild
salmon populations. Additionally, during this time I have worked in collaboration with the
Primmer group at the University of Turku (Finland) and Susan Johnston at the University of
Edinburgh (UK). These collaborations have been highly successful with the first output recently
published in Nature. Within the Lien group I have been co-supervising a PhD student identifying
signatures of selection within the recently domesticated Norwegian Atlantic salmon aquaculture
populations.
Prior to a career break I worked as a postdoc at the Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary
Synthesis (SFF) at the University of Oslo in the Vøllestad group investigating contemporary
adaptive divergence of a salmonid fish, grayling. Here I also collaborated with the Primmer group
at the University of Turku and Thrond Haugen, then at NIVA, with whom I published 3 joint
papers. Whilst writing up my PhD thesis I worked on a postdoctoral project at Cardiff University
with Jo Cable and in collaboration with van Oosterhout’s group. The publications resulting from
this project have been well cited. As a PhD student (supervised by Mairi E. Knight and George F
Turner) I investigated the role of sexual selection and the genetics of reproductive isolation in
cichlid adaptive radiation. Despite leaps forward in the field of genomics my work on the genetics
of male coloration differences has remained relevant to ongoing studies, the findings of few loci
and the impact of non-additive effects having been supported by related work by other groups.
Citations: 333 (excluding self citations), h-index 9, Source: Google Scholar
Publications (excluding self citations, *Publications with PhD supervisors as co-authors)
1) Barson N.J$, Aykanat T$, Hindar K, Baranski M, Bolstad G.H, Fiske P, Jacq C, Jensen A.J,
Johnston S.E, Karlsson S, Kent M.P, Niemelä E, Nome T, Næsje T.F, Orell P, Romakkaniemi
A, Sægrov H, Urdal K, Erkinaro J, Lien S# and Primmer C.R# ($/# joint first/last authors) 2015.
Sex-dependent dominance at a single locus maintains variation in age at maturity in Atlantic
salmon. Nature, 528, 405-408 doi:10.1038/nature16062 (10 citations, Impact factor 41.5)
2) Thomassen G, Barson N.J., Haugen T.O., Vøllestad L.A. 2011. Contemporary divergence in
early life history in grayling (Thymallus thymallus). BMC Evolutionary Biology, 11, 360- (14
citations, Impact factor 3.4).
Author contribution: Field work (fish and gamete sampling), laboratory experiments and
experimental crosses, writing of manuscript.
3) Junge C, Vøllestad L.A., Barson N.J., Haugen T.O., Otero J, Sætre G-P, Leder E.H., Primmer
C.R. 2011. Strong gene flow and lack of stable population structure in the face of rapid
adaptation to local temperature in a spring spawning salmonid, the European grayling
(Thymallus thymallus). Heredity, 106, 460-471. (25 citations, Impact factor 3.8)
Author contribution: Theoretical discussions; field work (fish and gamete sampling); planning
of study; writing of manuscript
4) Barson N.J., Haugen T.O., Vøllestad L.A., Primmer C.R. 2009. Contemporary isolation-bydistance, but not isolation-by-time, among demes of European grayling (Thymallus Thymallus,
Linnaeus) with recent common ancestors. Evolution, 63, 549-556. (13 citations, Impact factor
4.6)
5) Barson, N.J., Cable J., van Oosterhout C. 2009. Population genetic analysis of microsatellite
variation of guppies (Poecilia reticulata) in Trinidad and Tobago: evidence for a dynamic
source-sink metapopulation structure, founder events and population bottlenecks. Journal of
Evolutionary Biology, 22, 485-497. (71 citations, Impact factor 3.2)
6) *Pierotti M.E.R., Knight M.E., Immler S., Barson N.J., Turner G.F., Seehausen O. 2008.
Individual variation in male mating preferences for female coloration in a polymorphic cichlid
fish. Behavioural Ecology, 19, 483-488. (21 citations, Impact factor 3.2)
Author contribution: Initiation of study with Knight; breeding of study fishes and manipulation
of rearing experience of second generation crosses; behaviour experiments using first
generation crosses, these experiments were extended once the second generation with
controlled sibling exposure were mature; statistical analysis of first generation results; writing
of section about first generation experiments and reviewing of manuscript.
7) *Barson, N.J., Knight M.E., Turner G.F. 2007. The genetic architecture of male colour
difference between a sympatric Lake Malawi cichlid species pair. Journal of Evolutionary
Biology, 20, 45-53. (23 citations, Impact factor 3.2)
8) van Oosterhout C., Joyce D.A., Cummings S.M., Blais J., Barson N.J., Ramnarine I.,
Mohammed R., Persad N., and Cable J. 2006. Balancing selection, random genetic drift and
genetic variation at the major histocompatibiliy complex (MHC) in two wild populations of
guppies (Poecilia reticulata). Evolution, 60, 2562-2574. (121 citations, Impact factor 4.6)
Author contribution: Field collection of samples, screening of parasites, microsatellite
genotyping and analysis of neutral population genetics, writing/reviewing of the manuscript.
9) Cable, J., van Oosterhout, C., Barson, N. and Harris, P.D. 2005. Gyrodactylus pictae n. sp.
from the Trinidadian swamp guppy Poecilia picta Regan, with a discussion on species of
Gyrodactylus von Nordmann, 1832 and their poeciliid hosts. Systematic Parasitology, 60,
159-164. (35 citations, Impact factor 1.04)
Author contribution: Collection of field samples, parasite screening of fish, writing of
manuscript
Invited Talks at external institutes/international conferences and workshops
1) Keynote lecturer: ESEB Workshop on Quantitative Evolutionary Biology, to be held Sept
2016 Turkey, main workshop theme: ‘building bridges between evolutionary theory and
empirical evolution in the genomic era’
2) 3rd International Conference for Integrative Salmonid Biology, Chile, April 2016 - ‘Sexdependent dominance at a single locus maintains variation in age at maturity in salmon.’
3) University of Western Australia, Centre for Evolutionary Biology. Oct. 2009 - ‘Rapid
evolution mediated by plasticity but with strong constraints: contemporary adaptation to
thermal shifts in European grayling.’
4) Murdoch University, Centre for Fish and Fisheries Research. Oct. 2009 - ‘Rapid evolution
mediated by plasticity but with strong constraints: contemporary adaptation to thermal shifts
in European grayling.’
5) EAWAG/ University of Bern Seminar series, April 2008, “Early stages of adaptive
divergence among grayling demes in Lesjaskogsvatnet”
6) NIVA – Norwegian Institute for Water Research seminar, Oct 2008 “Early stages of adaptive
divergence among grayling spawning demes in Lesjaskogsvatnet”