Dr Chris Yesson

Postdoctoral Research Assistant

Research Interests

Habitat suitability modelling of cold water corals

Currently I am investigating the environmental characteristics that limit the distribution of cold water coral species. I am using ecological niche modelling to identify suitable habitat for species of octocorals from the North Atlantic. This work is part of the Coralfish project.

Phyloclimatic modelling

Phyloclimatic modelling is a term to describe the integration of ecological niche models and phylogenetic reconstruction. Phyloclimatic models are essentially niche models for ancestral lineages and these models can be used in conjunction with palaeoclimate reconstructions and temporally calibrated phylogenies to estimate ancestral distribution patterns. I am interested in using these techniques to investigate the impact of historic climate change on evolutionary radiations.

Teaching

I teach phylogenetics, habitat suitability (niche) modelling, GIS and computer programming. See Chris Yesson's Teaching Pages for lecture notes and practicals from recent sessions, including Downloads for the QGIS training @ ZSL March 2012 , Phyloclimatic modelling workshop in Leiden. QGIS Workshop Tanzania Nov 2010

Curriculum Vitae

June 2009-Present: Postdoctoral Researcher, EU FP7 Coralfish project, Institute of Zoology, London.
2004-2009: Associate Lecturer in Computing, Open University, London.
2008: Postdoctoral Researcher, Darwin Initiative project, Certification of Endangered Mexican Cacti, University of Reading, Berkshire.
2004-2008: PhD, Investigating Plant Diversity in Mediterranean Climates, University of Reading, Berkshire.
2004-5: Researcher, BBSRC project BiodiversityWorld, University of Reading, Berkshire.
2001-2: MSc, Advanced Methods in Taxonomy and Biodiversity, Natural History Museum & Imperial College, London.
1996-2001: Management Consultant, The pH Group Ltd, London.
1993-1996: BSc, Pure Maths with Russian, Queen Mary College, London.
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Prizes

2009: The Linnean Society’s Irene Manton Prize for the best thesis in botany.
2006: A BMC biology prize for Yesson & Culham (2006) A phyloclimatic study of Cyclamen.
1996: Institute of Mathematics and its Applications Prize for outstanding achievement in a Bsc.
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Publications ( Citation Info )

Yesson C, Taylor ML, Tittensor DP, Davies AJ, Guinotte J, Baco A, Black J, Hall-Spencer JM & Rogers AD (2012) Global habitat suitability of cold-water octocorals. Journal of Biogeography. (doi:10.1111/j.1365-2699.2011.02681.x)

Sheppard CRC, Ateweberhan M, Bowen BW, Carr P, Chen CA, Clubbe C, Craig MT, Ebinghaus R, Eble J, Fitzsimmons N, Gaither MR, Gan CH, Gollock M, Guzman N, Graham NAJ, Harris A, Jones R, Keshavmurthy S, Koldewey H, Lundin CG, Mortimer JA, Obura D, Pfeiffer M, Price ARG, Purkis S, Raines P, Readman JW, Riegl B, Rogers AD, Schleyer M, Seaward MRD, Sheppard ALS, Tamelander J, Turner JR, Visram S, Vogler C, Vogt S, Wolschke H, Yang JMC, Yang SY & Yesson C (2012) Reefs and islands of the Chagos Archipelago, Indian Ocean: why it is the world's largest no-take marine protected area. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems. (doi:10.1002/aqc.1248)

Moura CJ, Cunha MR, Porteiro FM, Yesson C & Rogers AD (2012) Evolution of Nemertesia hydroids (Cnidaria: Hydrozoa, Plumulariidae) from the shallow and deep waters of the NE Atlantic and western Mediterranean. Zoologica Scripta. (doi:10.1111/j.1463-6409.2011.00503.x)

Bárcenas RT, Yesson C & Hawkins JA (2011) Molecular systematics of the Cactaceae. Cladistics. 27: 470-489 (doi:10.1111/j.1096-0031.2011.00350.x, abstract )

Yesson C, Bárcenas RT, Hernández HM, De La Luz Ruiz-Maqueda M, Prado A, Rodríguez VM & Hawkins JA (2011) DNA barcodes for Mexican Cactaceae, plants under pressure from wild collecting. Molecular Ecology Resources. 11: 775-783. (doi:10.1111/j.1755-0998.2011.03009.x)

Yesson C, Clark MR, Taylor ML & Rogers AD (2011) The global distribution of seamounts based on 30-second bathymetry data. Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers. 58(4): 442-453. (doi:10.1016/j.dsr.2011.02.004, data )

Warren B, Bakker F, Bellstedt D, Bytebier B, ClaSZen-Bockhoff R, Dreyer L, Edwards D, Forest F, Galley C, Hardy C, Linder HP, Muasya AM, Mummenhoff K, Oberlander K, Quint M, Richardson J, Savolainen V, Schrire B, van der Niet T, Verboom GA, Yesson C & Hawkins J (2011) Consistent phenological shifts in the making of a biodiversity hotspot: the Cape flora. BMC Evolutionary Biology. 11:39 (doi:10.1186/1471-2148-11-39, article )

Culham A & Yesson C (2011) Chapter 10. Biodiversity informatics for climate change studies. In Hodkinson T, Jones M, Waldren S & Parnell J (ed.) Climate change, ecology and systematics. Cambridge University Press. pp 231-242.

Yesson C & Culham A (2011) Chapter 12. Biogeography of Cyclamen: an application of phyloclimatic modelling. In Hodkinson T, Jones M, Waldren S & Parnell J (ed.) Climate change, ecology and systematics. Cambridge University Press. pp 265-279.

Simpson DA, Couch CA, Yesson C, Muasya M & Culham A (2011) Chapter 19. Climate change and Cyperaceae. In Hodkinson T, Jones M, Waldren S & Parnell J (ed.) Climate change, ecology and systematics. Cambridge University Press. pp 439-456.

Struve J, Lorenzen K, Blanchard J, Borger L, Bunnefeld N, Edwards C, Hortal J, MacCall A, Matthiopoulos J, Van Moorter B, Ozgul A, Royer F, Singh N, Yesson C & Bernard R (2010) Lost in space? Searching for directions in the spatial modelling of individuals, populations and species ranges. Biology Letters, 6: 575-578 (doi:10.1098/rsbl.2010.0338, pdf )

Prado A, Hawkins JA, Yesson C & Bárcenas RT (2010) Multiple diversity measures to identify complementary conservation areas for the Baja California peninsular cacti. Biological Conservation, 143: 1510-1520 (doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2010.03.033, abstract )

Culham A & Yesson C (2009) Droseraceae Database (version 0.1). In Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2009 Annual Checklist (Bisby et al., eds). CD-ROM; Species 2000: Reading, U.K.

Yesson C, Toomey NH & Culham A (2009) Cyclamen: time, sea and speciation biogeography using a temporally calibrated phylogeny Journal of Biogeography 36: 1234-1252. (doi:10.1111/j.1365-2699.2008.01971.x, abstract )

Yesson C, Brewer PW, Sutton T, Caithness N, Pahwa JS, Burgess M, Gray WA, White RJ, Jones AC, Bisby FA and Culham A (2007) How global is the global biodiversity information facility? PLoS ONE 2(11): e1124 (doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0001124, pdf )

Yesson C & Culham A (2006) A phyloclimatic study of Cyclamen. BMC Evolutionary Biology 6: 72(23pp) (doi:10.1186/1471-2148-6-72, pdf )

Yesson C & Culham A (2006) Phyloclimatic Modelling: Combining Phylogenetics and Bioclimatic Modelling. Systematic Biology 55: 785-802. (doi:10.1080/1063515060081570, abstract )

Pahwa JS, Jones AC, White RJ, Burgess M, Gray WA, Fiddian NJ, Smith RO, Hardisty AR, Sutton T, Brewer P, Yesson C, Caithness N, Culham A, Bisby FA, Scoble M, Williams P & Bhagwat S (2006) Supporting the construction of workflows for biodiversity problem-solving accessing secure, distributed resources. Scientific Programming. 14: 195-208

Jones AC, White RJ, Gray WA, Bisby FA, Caithness N, Pittas N, Xu X, Sutton T, Fiddian NJ, Culham A, Scoble M, Williams P, Bromley O, Brewer P, Yesson C & Bhagwat S (2005) Building a Biodiversity GRID. In: Konagaya A & Satou K (eds.) LSGRID 2004, Berlin Heidelberg: Springer-Verlag, pp 140-151.

White RJ, Jones AC, Pittas N, Gray WA, Xu X, Sutton T, Bromley O, Caithness N, Fiddian NJ, Culham A, Bisby FA, Bhagwat S, Brewer P, Yesson C & Williams P (2004) Building a Biodiversity Problem-Solving Environment. In: Proc UK e-Science All Hands Meeting 2004, EPSRC, Nottingham, pp 776-783.

Yesson C, Russell SJ, Parrish T, Dalling JW & Garwood NC (2004) Phylogenetic framework for Trema (Celtidaceae). Plant Systematics and Evolution 248: 85-109.(doi:10.1007/s00606-004-0186-3, abstract )

Presentations, etc

“Back to the future” a silver-medal winning exhibit at the 2008 Chelsea Flower Show.
“Cyclamen and climate change” a popular science article (co-authored with Alastair Culham) for the journal of the Cyclamen Society, 2008.
“Biogeography of Cyclamen” a conference presentation at Systematics and Climate Change, Dublin, 2008.
“Phyloclimatic modelling can estimate ancestral areas” a poster at Origin and Evolution of Biota in Mediterranean Climate Zones, Zurich, 2007 ( pdf )
“Plants at risk from climate change” a poster at the 9th Great British R&D show, House of Commons, London, 2007 ( pdf )
“Phyloclimatic modelling” a poster at the XVII International Botanical Congress, Vienna, 2005 ( pdf )
“Phylogeny & Ecology of Trema” a presentation at the British Ecological Society Meeting, York, 2002.
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Software

Contributor to the open source niche modelling project openModeller
- Implementation of ENFA niche modelling algorithm
- Co-author (with Tim Sutton) of the Envelope Score niche modelling algorithm for openModeller (used by the GBIF data portal)
Contributor to the open source GIS project GDAL ( Geospatial Data Abstraction Library )
- Implmentation of TPI, TRI and roughness algorithms in the gdaldem application
- Python/GDAL raster calculator (gdal_calc.py)