Dr Gavin Thomas
School of Biosciences
Senior Lecturer
+44 114 222 0136
Full contact details
School of Biosciences
B2 207
Alfred Denny Building
Western Bank
Sheffield
S10 2TN
- Profile
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- Senior Research Fellow & Royal Society Research Fellow, School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, UK (2015-present)
- Royal Society University Research Fellow, School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, UK (2013-present)
- NERC Postdoctoral Fellow, Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, UK (2012-2013)
- NERC Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Bristol, UK (2010-2012)
- Postdoctoral Associate, Centre for Population Biology, Imperial College London, UK (2006-2010)
- Postdoctoral Research Assistant, University of Birmingham, UK (2005-2006)
- PhD, University of Bath, UK (2001-2005)
- MSc Palaeobiology, University of Bristol, UK (2001)
- BSc (Hons) Ecology, Cardiff University, Wales (1998)
- Research interests
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Phylogeny, diversification and trait evolution
My research focuses on modelling the diversification of species and traits at a macroevolutionary scale. I am particularly interested in how we can use information on the phylogenetic relationships among species to infer how present day biodiversity has arisen over time and ask:
- How and why do lineages and traits diversify?
- What are the consequences of varying tempo and mode of lineage and trait evolution for temporal and spatial patterns of diversity?
My research group works closely with the Natural History Museum and we have collected extensive data bill shapes and plumage colours from all extant bird species (~10,000 species) using museum study skins (mainly the NHM at Tring and also the University of Manchester Museum).
You can get involved with this ERC-funded project with our Bird bill citizen science project at markmybird.org and with plumage evolution at projectplumage.org.
- Publications
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Show: Featured publications All publications
Featured publications
Journal articles
- Sexual selection predicts the rate and direction of colour divergence in a large avian radiation. Nature Communications, 10. View this article in WRRO
- Correlates of rate heterogeneity in avian ecomorphological traits. Ecology Letters, 21(10), 1505-1514. View this article in WRRO
- Mega-evolutionary dynamics of the adaptive radiation of birds. Nature, 542, 344-347. View this article in WRRO
- Global distribution and conservation of evolutionary distinctness in birds.. Curr Biol, 24(9), 919-930. View this article in WRRO
- High rates of evolution preceded the origin of birds.. Evolution, 68(5), 1497-1510. View this article in WRRO
- PASTIS: an R package to facilitate phylogenetic assembly with soft taxonomic inferences. METHODS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION, 4(11), 1011-1017.
- The global diversity of birds in space and time. Nature.
- Body size diversification in anolis: novel environment and island effects.. Evolution, 63(8), 2017-2030.
- Phylogenetic distributions of British birds of conservation concern.. Proc Biol Sci, 275(1647), 2077-2083.
- Regional variation in the historical components of global avian species richness. GLOBAL ECOL BIOGEOGR, 17(3), 340-351.
- Comparative analyses of the influence of developmental mode on phenotypic diversification rates in shorebirds.. Proc Biol Sci, 273(1594), 1619-1624.
All publications
Books
Journal articles
- Innovation and elaboration on the avian tree of life. Science Advances, 9(43).
- Using pose estimation to identify regions and points on natural history specimens. PLoS Computational Biology, 19(2).
- The homogenization of avian morphological and phylogenetic diversity under the global extinction crisis. Current Biology. View this article in WRRO
- Global biogeographic patterns of avian morphological diversity. Ecology Letters, 25(3), 598-610. View this article in WRRO
- Sex roles in birds: Phylogenetic analyses of the influence of climate, life histories and social environment. Ecology Letters, 25(3), 647-660.
- AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters, 25(3), 581-597. View this article in WRRO
- The evolution of the traplining pollinator role in hummingbirds : specialization is not an evolutionary dead end. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 289(1967).
- Allometric conservatism in the evolution of bird beaks. Evolution Letters.
- Traits explain sorting of C4 grasses along a global precipitation gradient. Ecology and Evolution. View this article in WRRO
- The signature of competition in ecomorphological traits across the avian radiation. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 287(1938).
- The signature of competition in ecomorphological traits across the avian radiation: Competition and trait macroevolution. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 287(1938).
- Heterogeneous relationships between rates of speciation and body size evolution across vertebrate clades. Nature Ecology & Evolution. View this article in WRRO
- Disparities in the analysis of morphological disparity. Biology Letters, 16(7).
- Ecology and allometry predict the evolution of avian developmental durations. Nature Communications, 11. View this article in WRRO
- The global distribution of grass functional traits within grassy biomes. Journal of Biogeography. View this article in WRRO
- MOTMOT: Models of trait macroevolution on trees (an update). Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 11(3), 464-471.
- Sexual selection predicts the rate and direction of colour divergence in a large avian radiation. Nature Communications, 10. View this article in WRRO
- Species invasions and the phylogenetic signal in geographical range size. Global Ecology and Biogeography, 27(9), 1080-1092. View this article in WRRO
- Correlates of rate heterogeneity in avian ecomorphological traits. Ecology Letters, 21(10), 1505-1514. View this article in WRRO
- Erratum: Corrigendum: Mega-evolutionary dynamics of the adaptive radiation of birds. Nature, 552(7685), 430-430.
- Body length of bony fishes was not a selective factor during the biggest mass extinction of all time. Palaeontology, 60(5), 727-741.
- Mega-evolutionary dynamics of the adaptive radiation of birds. Nature, 542, 344-347. View this article in WRRO
- Trait Evolution in Adaptive Radiations: Modeling and Measuring Interspecific Competition on Phylogenies. The American Naturalist, 189(2), 121-137. View this article in WRRO
- The impact of rate heterogeneity on inference of phylogenetic models of trait evolution. Journal of Evolutionary Biology. View this article in WRRO
- A cautionary note on the use of Ornstein Uhlenbeck models in macroevolutionary studies. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 118(1), 64-77. View this article in WRRO
- Dating placentalia: Morphological clocks fail to close the molecular fossil gap. Evolution, 70(4), 873-886. View this article in WRRO
- Fossils and living taxa agree on patterns of body mass evolution: a case study with Afrotheria. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 282(1821).
- Determinants of flammability in savanna grass species. Journal of Ecology, 104(1), 138-148. View this article in WRRO
- An avian explosion. Nature, 526(7574), 516-517.
- Land-Sparing Agriculture Best Protects Avian Phylogenetic Diversity. Current Biology, 25(18), 2384-2391. View this article in WRRO
- Nesting behaviour influences species-specific gas exchange across avian eggshells. Journal of Experimental Biology, 217(18), 3326-3332.
- Global distribution and conservation of evolutionary distinctness in birds.. Curr Biol, 24(9), 919-930. View this article in WRRO
- High rates of evolution preceded the origin of birds.. Evolution, 68(5), 1497-1510. View this article in WRRO
- PASTIS: an R package to facilitate phylogenetic assembly with soft taxonomic inferences. METHODS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION, 4(11), 1011-1017.
- Inclusion of a near-complete fossil record reveals speciation-related molecular evolution. METHODS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION, 4(8), 745-753.
- The global diversity of birds in space and time. Nature.
- Using phylogenetic trees to test for character displacement: a model and an example from a desert mammal community. ECOLOGY, 93(8), S44-S51.
- Why are birds' eggs colourful? Eggshell pigments co-vary with life-history and nesting ecology among British breeding non-passerine birds. BIOLOGICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY, 106(3), 657-672.
- Migratory behavior of birds affects their coevolutionary relationship with blood parasites.. Evolution, 66(3), 740-751.
- MOTMOT: models of trait macroevolution on trees. METHODS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION, 3(1), 145-151.
- Integrating ecology into macroevolutionary research.. Biol Lett, 7(5), 644-646.
- A simple polytomy resolver for dated phylogenies. METHODS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION, 2(5), 427-436.
- Body size diversification in anolis: novel environment and island effects.. Evolution, 63(8), 2017-2030.
- Erratum: Global distribution and conservation of rare and threatened vertebrates. Nature, 458(7235), 238-238.
- Bergmann's idiosyncratic rule: a role for fecundity selection?. Mol Ecol, 18(6), 1027-1029.
- Global biogeography and ecology of body size in birds. ECOL LETT, 12(3), 249-259.
- Breeding systems, climate, and the evolution of migration in shorebirds. BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY, 20(5), 1026-1033.
- Phylogenetic distributions of British birds of conservation concern.. Proc Biol Sci, 275(1647), 2077-2083.
- Regional variation in the historical components of global avian species richness. GLOBAL ECOL BIOGEOGR, 17(3), 340-351.
- Sympatric speciation in birds is rare: Insights from range data and simulations. AM NAT, 171(5), 646-657.
- Macroecology and extinction risk correlates of frogs. Global Ecology and Biogeography, 17(2), 211-221.
- Grenyer et al. reply. Nature, 450(7171).
- Sexual conflict over parental care: a case study of shorebirds. JOURNAL OF ORNITHOLOGY, 148, S211-S217.
- The geography of body size – challenges of the interspecific approach. Global Ecology and Biogeography, 16(6), 689-693.
- Spatial turnover in the global avifauna.. Proc Biol Sci, 274(1618), 1567-1574.
- Topography, energy and the global distribution of bird species richness.. Proc Biol Sci, 274(1614), 1189-1197.
- Energy, range dynamics and global species richness patterns: reconciling mid-domain effects and environmental determinants of avian diversity. ECOL LETT, 9(12), 1308-1320.
- Global distribution and conservation of rare and threatened vertebrates. NATURE, 444(7115), 93-96.
- Sexual conflict, ecology, and breeding systems in shorebirds. BIOSCIENCE, 56(10), 801-808.
- Human impacts and the global distribution of extinction risk.. Proc Biol Sci, 273(1598), 2127-2133.
- Can intrinsic factors explain population declines in North American breeding shorebirds? A comparative analysis. ANIMAL CONSERVATION, 9(3), 252-258.
- Comparative analyses of the influence of developmental mode on phenotypic diversification rates in shorebirds.. Proc Biol Sci, 273(1594), 1619-1624.
- Global patterns of geographic range size in birds. PLOS BIOL, 4(7), 1276-1283. View this article in WRRO
- Limited male incubation ability and the evolution of egg size in shorebirds. Biology Letters, 2(2), 206-208.
- EVOLUTIONARY PATHWAYS IN SHOREBIRD BREEDING SYSTEMS: SEXUAL CONFLICT, PARENTAL CARE, AND CHICK DEVELOPMENT. Evolution, 59(10), 2222-2222.
- A supertree approach to shorebird phylogeny.. BMC Evol Biol, 4, 28. View this article in WRRO
- Phylogeny of shorebirds, gulls, and alcids (Aves: Charadrii) from the cytochrome-b gene: parsimony, Bayesian inference, minimum evolution, and quartet puzzling.. Mol Phylogenet Evol, 30(3), 516-526.
- Revealing uncertainty in the status of biodiversity change. Nature.
- The effects of ecology and behavior on the evolution of coloration in Coraciiformes. Behavioral Ecology.
- Latitudinal gradients in avian colourfulness. Nature Ecology & Evolution.
- Adaptation and Convergent Evolution within the Jamesonia-Eriosorus Complex in High-Elevation Biodiverse Andean Hotspots. PLoS ONE, 9(10), e110618-e110618. View this article in WRRO
- The effects of tropical secondary forest regeneration on avian phylogenetic diversity. Journal of Applied Ecology. View this article in WRRO
- Resprouting grasses are associated with less frequent fire than seeders. New Phytologist.
Chapters
- The State of the World's Birds and the Future of Avian Diversity, Living Dinosaurs (pp. 379-403). John Wiley & Sons, Ltd
Conference proceedings papers
- Shedding light on the ‘dark side’ of phylogenetic comparative methods. Methods in Ecology and Evolution, Vol. 7 (pp 693-699) View this article in WRRO
Preprints
- The mechanistic basis of evolutionary transitions between grey, slate, and blue colour in Tanagers (Thraupidae), Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
- Evolutionary dynamics of pigmentary grey and non- iridescent structural blue colouration in Tanagers (family: Thraupidae), Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
- Overconfidence undermines global wildlife abundance trends, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
- Trait evolution in adaptive radiations: modelling and measuring interspecific competition on phylogenies, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
- Innovation and elaboration on the avian tree of life, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
- Segmenting biological specimens from photos to understand the evolution of UV plumage in passerine birds, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. View this article in WRRO
- Ecology, phylogeny, and the evolution of developmental duration in birds, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
- Bias and measurement error in comparative analyses: a case study with the Ornstein Uhlenbeck model, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
- Sexual selection predicts the rate and direction of colour divergence in a large avian radiation. Nature Communications, 10. View this article in WRRO
- Research group
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Research group
- Dr Chris Cooney (Leverhulme Trust Early Career Fellow)
- Dr Jon Kennedy (Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellow)
- Dr Alex Slavenko (Royal Society postdoc, starting Jan 2020)
PhD students
- Louie Rombaut (ACCE PhD - starting October 2019)
- Frane Babarovic (Royal Society PhD - started 2018)
- Emma Hughes (ACCE PhD - started 2016)
- Yichen He (Leverhulme CABM/self PhD - started 2016)
Lab alumni
- Dr Angela-Marie Chira (PhD completed 2018, now postdoc at University of Washington, St Louis)
- Dr Emma Jardine (PhD completed 2017, now postdoc at German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research - iDiv, Jena)
- Dr Kim Simpson (PhD completed 2018, now postdoc with Prof Colin Osborne in APS)
- Dr Magnus Clarke (PhD completed 2018)
- Dr Jen Bright (ERC postdoc, now Assistant Professor at the University of South Florida, USA)
- Dr Thanh-Lan Gluckman (ERC postdoc, moved to The College de France)
- Mark Puttick (completed PhD at University of Bristol, UK, in 2016, now Royal Commission 1851 Fellow at the University of Bath)
- Chris Moody (Research Assistant, now CAD technician for GTC)
- Zoë Varley (Research Assistant, now curator at the NHM)
- Lara Nouri (Research Assistant, biological technician at Royal Holloway)
- Elliot Capp (Research Assistant, now primary school teacher)
- Michael Jardine (Research Assistant, now PhD student at UCL)
- Teaching activities
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My research interests are reflected in my teaching. I currently lecture on biogeography and macroecology in APS123 (Population and Community Ecology), phylogenies and diversification in APS220 (Evolutionary Biology) and APS342 (Evolutionary Ecology). At level 4, I supervise Research Projects (APS406) that typically address core themes of the lab: how and why do species and their traits diversify? Recent projects have asked how occupancy of isolated islands influences divergence in bill morphology in finches, what factors predict the diversity of colour among bird species, and whether egg laying (oviparity) versus live-bearing (viviparity) determines the rate of speciation in snakes.
Starting in 2019, I will lead a new masters-level module on Biodiversity in Space and Time as part of our new MSc courses in Biological Sciences and Biodiversity and Conservation.
- Professional activities and memberships
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- Scientific Associate at the Natural History Museum