Dr Katharine Evans   (NERC Research Fellow)

Full CV

CONTACT DETAILS

Address: Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, 20A Inverleith Row, EH3 5LR
Telephone: 0131 248 2910
E-mail: k.evans@rbge.ac.uk

CURRENT APPOINTMENT

2005-2008 NERC Research Fellow, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh

• Project title: Is everything everywhere? Dispersal, endemism and conservation of microalgae

PREVIOUS APPOINTMENT

2001-2004 NERC post-doctoral researcher with Prof. Paul Hayes, School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol

• Project title: Genetic structure of marine diatom and dinoflagellate populations

Collaborators: Dr Stephen Bates, Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Drs Linda Medlin and Uwe John, Alfred Wegener Institute, Bremerhaven.

Details: Very little was known about the genetic structure of marine phytoplankton populations. We addressed this fundamental gap by using microsatellite markers to investigate the genetic structure of North Sea and Atlantic Ocean populations of the ecologically important diatoms, Pseudo-nitzschia multiseries and P. pungens and dinoflagellate, Alexandrium tamarense (all three species can be harmful to human health if present in high concentrations). This research has provided a significant contribution to our knowledge of phytoplankton population genetics; we have published four papers.

POSTGRADUATE EDUCATION

2001 Ph.D., School of Botany, University of Melbourne.

• Thesis title: Genetic variation in two species of Banksia, B. saxicola and B. integrifolia

Supervisors: Assoc. Prof. Ed Newbigin; Prof. Pauline Ladiges; Dr Peter Ades

Details: I used AFLP markers to investigate the distribution of genetic variation over different spatial scales in two closely related species of Banksia with contrasting distributions; one a rare endemic, the other common and widespread. I related evolutionary and ecological factors (including pollinator behaviour, fire frequency and past land uses) and biogeographic histories of the two species to the present day genetic structure of their populations. I conducted much independent fieldwork and held discussions and gave presentations to a wide range of people, including National Park rangers and botanical groups. From my Ph.D., I published three papers.

Awards/Scholarships

• 2001 David Hay Postgraduate Writing-up Award: after submitting my thesis, this award supported me financially while I prepared manuscripts for publication.

• 1997-2001 Melbourne International Research and Melbourne Research Scholarships: these scholarships paid for my tuition fees and provided me with living expenses for the duration of my Ph.D. candidature.

• 2000 Australian Flora Foundation Prize for best student talk at the Ecological Society of Australia conference, Melbourne.

• 2000 University of Melbourne and School of Botany Travel Scholarships to attend British Ecological Society symposium on plant population genetics in London.

UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION

• 1996 First Class BA (Hons.), Natural Sciences, University of Cambridge.

• Awards/Scholarships

• 1996 Awarded two prizes for final year examination results.

• 1996 Admitted as a life-long Scholar of Girton College, University of Cambridge.

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

• 2005-2008 I teach students on the University of Edinburgh Biodiversity and Taxonomy of Plants MSc course.

• 2004-2005 Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE), University of Bristol

• During my PGCE year, I taught Science (Physics, Chemistry and Biology) at two different secondary schools to young people (aged          11-18) of wide ranging abilities. I now feel much more able to communicate scientific concepts and fully appreciate the importance of     disseminating research to as wide an audience as possible.

• 2004 Teaching assistant on a University of Bristol undergraduate Botany field trip to the Algarve.

• 1998-2000 Teaching assistant in Botany and Zoology practicals for undergraduate students at the University of Melbourne.

PUBLICATIONS

Evans, K.M., Wortley, A.H., Simpson, G.E., Chepurnov, V.A. and Mann, D.G. (2008). A molecular systematic approach to explore diversity within the Sellaphora pupula species complex (Bacillariophyta). Journal of Phycology (in press).   

Evans, K.M. (2007). What's in a glass of water? NERC Planet Earth Spring: 15.

Evans, K.M., Wortley, A.H. and Mann, D.G. (2007). An assessment of potential diatom "barcode" genes (cox1, rbcL, 18S and ITS rDNA) and their effectiveness in determining relationships in Sellaphora (Bacillariophyta). Protist 158: 349-364.

Mann, D.G. and Evans, K.M. (2007). The species concept and cryptic diversity. HAB symposium.

Mann, D.G. and Evans, K.M. (2007). Molecular genetics and the neglected art of diatomics. In: Unravelling the Algae – the past, present and future of algal molecular systematics (Eds. J. Brodie and J.M. Lewis). CRC Press.

Alpermann, T.J., John, U., Medlin, L.K., Edwards, K.J., Hayes, P.K. and Evans, K.M. (2006). Six new microsatellite markers for the toxic marine dinoflagellate Alexandrium tamarense. Molecular Ecology Notes 6: 1057-1059.

Evans, K.M., Kühn, S.F. and Hayes, P.K. (2005). High levels of genetic diversity and low levels of genetic differentiation in North Sea Pseudo-nitzschia pungens (Bacillariophyceae) populations. Journal of Phycology 41: 506-514.

Evans, K.M., Bates, S.S., Medlin, L.K. and Hayes, P.K. (2004). Microsatellite marker development and genetic variation in the toxic marine diatom Pseudo-nitzschia multiseries (Bacillariophyceae). Journal of Phycology 40: 911-920.

Evans, K.M. and Hayes, P.K. (2004). Microsatellite markers for the cosmopolitan marine diatom Pseudo-nitzschia pungens. Molecular Ecology Notes 4: 125-126.

Evans, K.M., Ladiges, P.Y. and Newbigin, E. (2002). An investigation of genetic variation in Banksia integrifolia (Proteaceae) using the AFLP technique. Australian Systematic Botany 15: 9-17.

Evans, K.M., Ladiges, P.Y., Newbigin, E. and Ades, P.K. (2001). Genetic variation in Banksia saxicola (Proteaceae), a rare Australian plant with a markedly disjunct distribution. Plant Systematics and Evolution 227: 105-115.

Evans, K.M. and Bunce, A. (2000). A comparison of the foraging behaviour of the eastern pygmy-possum (Cercartetus nanus) and nectarivorous birds in a Banksia integrifolia woodland. Australian Mammalogy 22: 81-86.

RECENT ORAL PRESENTATIONS

Evans, K.M., Wortley, A.H., Chepurnov, V.A. and Mann, D.G. (2007). Sellaphora pupula agg.: a model system for studying the diversity and biogeography of freshwater benthic diatoms and for testing a DNA barcoding approach to diatom identification. Fourth European Phycological Congress, Oviedo, Spain.

Evans, K.M. and Mann, D.G. (2006). Cryptic speciation in diatoms. British Diatomists' Meeting, Malham.

Evans, K.M. (2005). Population genetics and cryptic diversity in Pseudo-nitzschia. Invited speaker, International Phycological Congress, Durban, South Africa .

Evans, K.M., Bates S.S., Medlin, L.K. and Hayes, P.K. (2004). Genetic diversity in Pseudo-nitzschia species. International Diatom Symposium, Miedzydroje, Poland .

Evans, K.M. (2004). Genetic variation in marine phytoplankton species. Invited by Dr Gill Malin, University of East Anglia.

Evans, K.M., Medlin, L.K. and Hayes, P.K.(2004). Genetic variation in two Pseudo-nitzschia species. British Phycological Society annual meeting, Lancaster.

Evans, K.M., Medlin, L.K. and Hayes, P.K. (2003). Genetic structure of Pseudo-nitzschia populations. European Phycological Congress, Belfast.

Evans, K.M., Medlin, L. and Hayes, P. (2003). Genetic structure of diatom and dinoflagellate populations. British Phycological Society annual meeting, Galway, Ireland.

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

•     British Phycological Society

•     International Diatom Society

 OTHER ROLES

•     Reviewer for several journals, including Journal of Phycology and European Journal of Phycology.

•     External referee for Ph.D. thesis, University of New England, Australia.