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Dr Karl Wotton

Senior Lecturer and Royal Society University Research Fellow

Stella Turk Building B046-121

University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Penryn, TR10 9FE

Office hours:

Fridays 9:30 to 10:30 & 12:00 to 13:00

Overview

My research focuses on animal migration and its ecological consequences. I am particularly interested in the drivers of variation in numbers and species through migration hotspots, the interactions between co-migrants and resident species and the genetic basis of traits found in migratory organisms. If you are interested in PhD or postdoc opportunities, or would like any further information, then please get in touch.

Hoverfly migration in the Pyrenees

Qualifications

2007 PhD Evolutionary Developmental Biology, University of Oxford
2002 BSc Molecular Genetics and Biotechnology, University of Sussex

Career

2008-2015 Postdoctoral researcher, EMBL/CRG Research Unit in Systems Biology, Spain
2007-2008 Postdoctoral researcher, King's College London

Research group links

Research

Research interests

Our research focuses on spectacular long-distance migrations of insects and investigates how these tiny organisms move over vast distances and the ecological consequences of these movements.

Research projects

Long-term monitoring and comparative analysis of migratory insect populations. We monitor insect movement through migration hotspots, including high mountain passes, islands and coastal areas. We have developed a number of methods to quantify the huge numbers of individuals involved and our emerging long-term datasets are used to investigate how environmental and geographic variation influences migrant numbers and species assemblages. We use our field sites to investigate a number of interactions between co-migrants and between migrants and resident species (predation, mutualisms, disease etc) in order to understand how these mobile ecosystems function.

Orientation and energetics in migratory hoverflies. Over 4 billion migratory hoverflies move over Britain each year. These species enter in spring, reproduce through summer and the subsequent generations leave in autumn, flying south to the Mediterranean basin. To achieve this, hoverflies may cover hundreds of kilometres in a single day and thousands of kilometres over the entire period. Yet we do not understand how they know when to leave, which way to head or how they power their journeys. To investigate these questions, we use state-of-the-art flight recording technology including flight-simulators, flight-mills and vertical-looking radar to investigate compass navigation and flight capabilities of migratory hoverflies: see here and here.

Environmental induction and genetic control of migration. We utilise transcriptomics and comparative genomics to identify the molecular determinants of migration in insects. In particular, this research aims to move our understanding of the genetics of migration from correlative studies, which identify genes potentially involved in migration, to a mechanistic understanding of how these factors actually function.

Hoverflies as dual ecosystem services providers ‘pollinators+’. Hoverflies visit many of the major global food crops worth around US$300 billion per year to the world economy. In addition, they provide ecosystem functions not seen in bees: crop protection from pests, recycling of organic matter and long-distance pollen transfer. We investigate a number of questions related to the ecological utilisation of hoverflies to improve agriculture: see here.

Publications

Key publications | Publications by category | Publications by year

Key publications

Doyle T, Jimenez-Guri E, Hawkes WLS, Massy R, Mantica F, Permanyer J, Cozzuto L, Hermoso Pulido T, Baril T, Hayward A, et al (2022). Genome-wide transcriptomic changes reveal the genetic pathways involved in insect migration. Mol Ecol, 31(16), 4332-4350. Abstract. Author URL.

Hawkes WLS, Walliker E, Gao B, Forster O, Lacey K, Doyle T, Massy R, Roberts NW, Reynolds DR, Özden Ö, et al (2022). Huge spring migrations of insects from the Middle East to Europe: quantifying the migratory assemblage and ecosystem services. Ecography, 2022(10). Abstract.

Massy R, Hawkes WLS, Doyle T, Troscianko J, Menz MHM, Roberts NW, Chapman JW, Wotton KR (2021). Hoverflies use a time-compensated sun compass to orientate during autumn migration. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 288(1959), 20211805-20211805. Abstract.

Gao B, Wotton KR, Hawkes WLS, Menz MHM, Reynolds DR, Zhai B-P, Hu G, Chapman JW (2020). Adaptive strategies of high-flying migratory hoverflies in response to wind currents. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 287(1928), 20200406-20200406. Abstract.

Doyle T, Hawkes WLS, Massy R, Powney GD, Menz MHM, Wotton KR (2020). Pollination by hoverflies in the Anthropocene. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 287(1927), 20200508-20200508. Abstract.

Wotton KR, Boya G, Menz M, Morris R, Ball S, Lim K, Reynolds D, Hu G, Chapman J (2019). Mass Seasonal Migrations of Hoverflies Provide Extensive Pollination and Crop Protection Services. Current Biology, 29(13), 2167-2173.

Publications by category

Journal articles

Hawkes WL, Davies K, Weston S, Moyes K, Chapman JW, Wotton KR (2023). Bat activity correlated with migratory insect bioflows in the Pyrenees. Royal Society Open Science, 10(8). Abstract.

Hawkes WL, Ozden O, Foster O, Walliker T, Lacey K, Gao B, Chapman JW, Wotton KR (2023). High mortality of beetle migrants along the Eastern Mediterranean Flyway. INSECT CONSERVATION AND DIVERSITY Author URL.

Massy R, Wotton KR (2023). The efficiency of varying methods and degrees of time compensation for the solar azimuth. Biol Lett, 19(11). Abstract. Author URL.

Hawkes WLS, Wotton KR (2023). The genome sequence of the Batman Hoverfly, Myathropa florea (Linnaeus, 1758). Wellcome Open Research, 8

Crowley LM, Mitchell R, Doyle T, Wotton KR (2023). The genome sequence of the Common Snout Hoverfly, Rhingia campestris (Meigen, 1822). Wellcome Open Research, 8

Hawkes WLS, Wotton KR (2023). The genome sequence of the Common Spotted Hoverfly, Eupeodes luniger (Meigen, 1822). Wellcome Open Research, 8

Crowley LM, Poole O, Wotton KR (2023). The genome sequence of the Grey-backed Snout-hoverfly, Rhingia rostrata (Linnaeus, 1758). Wellcome Open Research, 8

Crowley LM, Mitchell R, Lab UOOAWWGA, Lab NHMGA, collective DTOLB, programme WSITOL, collective WSISODP, collective TOLCI, Weston ST, Wotton KR, et al (2023). The genome sequence of the Lesser Hornet Hoverfly, Volucella inanis (Linnaeus, 1758). Wellcome Open Research, 8

Hawkes WL, Sivell O, Wotton KR (2023). The genome sequence of the Marmalade Hoverfly, Episyrphus balteatus (De Geer, 1776). Wellcome Open Research, 8

Sivell D, Sivell O, Lab NHMGA, collective DTOLB, programme WSITOL, collective WSISODP, collective TOLCI, Hawkes WL, Wotton KR, Consortium DTOL, et al (2023). The genome sequence of the Vagrant Hoverfly, Eupeodes corollae (Fabricius, 1794). Wellcome Open Research, 8

Hawkes W, Sivell O, Sivell D, Massy R, Wotton KR (2023). The genome sequence of the pied hoverfly, Scaeva pyrastri (Linnaeus, 1758). Wellcome Open Research, 8

Hawkes WLS, Wotton KR (2023). The genome sequence of the slender grass hoverfly, Melanostoma scalare (Fabricius, 1794). Wellcome Open Research, 8

Hawkes WL, Weston ST, Cook H, Doyle T, Massy R, Guri EJ, Wotton Jimenez RE, Wotton KR (2022). Migratory hoverflies orientate north during spring migration. Biol Lett, 18(10). Abstract. Author URL.

Hawkes W, Wotton K, University of Oxford and Wytham Woods Genome Acquisition Lab, Darwin Tree of Life Barcoding collective, Wellcome Sanger Institute Tree of Life programme, Wellcome Sanger Institute Scientific Operations: DNA Pipelines collective, Tree of Life Core Informatics collective, Darwin Tree of Life Consortium (2022). The genome sequence of the dumpy grass hoverfly, Melanostoma mellinum (Linnaeus, 1758). Wellcome open research, 7 Abstract.

Hawkes W, Wotton K, Lab UOOAWWGA, collective DTOLB, programme WSITOL, collective WSISODP, collective TOLCI, Consortium DTOL (2022). The genome sequence of the dumpy grass hoverfly, Melanostoma mellinum (Linnaeus, 1758). Wellcome Open Research, 7

Hawkes W, Wotton K (2022). The genome sequence of the plain-faced dronefly, Eristalis arbustorum (Linnaeus, 1758). Wellcome Open Research, 7

Ebdon S, Mackintosh A, Hayward A, Wotton K, Darwin Tree of Life Barcoding collective, Wellcome Sanger Institute Tree of Life programme, Wellcome Sanger Institute Scientific Operations: DNA Pipelines collective, Tree of Life Core Informatics collective, Darwin Tree of Life Consortium (2021). The genome sequence of the clouded yellow, Colias crocea (Geoffroy, 1785). Wellcome open research, 6 Abstract.

Ebdon S, Mackintosh A, Hayward A, Wotton K, collective DTOLB, programme WSITOL, collective WSISODP, collective TOLCI, Consortium DTOL (2021). The genome sequence of the clouded yellow, Colias crocea (Geoffroy, 1785). Wellcome Open Research, 6

Hawkes W, Wotton K (2021). The genome sequence of the drone fly, Eristalis tenax (Linnaeus, 1758). Wellcome Open Research, 6

Hawkes W, Wotton K, University of Oxford and Wytham Woods Genome Acquisition Lab, Darwin Tree of Life Barcoding collective, Wellcome Sanger Institute Tree of Life programme, Wellcome Sanger Institute Scientific Operations: DNA Pipelines collective, Tree of Life Core Informatics collective, Darwin Tree of Life Consortium (2021). The genome sequence of the tapered dronefly, Eristalis pertinax (Scopoli, 1763). Wellcome open research, 6 Abstract.

Hawkes W, Wotton K (2021). The genome sequence of the tapered dronefly, Eristalis pertinax (Scopoli, 1763). Wellcome Open Research, 6

Hawkes W, Wotton K, Lab UOOAWWGA, collective DTOLB, programme WSITOL, collective WSISODP, collective TOLCI, Consortium DTOL (2021). The genome sequence of the tapered dronefly, Eristalis pertinax (Scopoli, 1763). Wellcome Open Research, 6

Hawkes W, Wotton K, Smith M, University of Oxford and Wytham Woods Genome Acquisition Lab, Natural History Museum Genome Acquisition Lab, Darwin Tree of Life Barcoding collective, Wellcome Sanger Institute Tree of Life programme, Wellcome Sanger Institute Scientific Operations: DNA Pipelines collective, Tree of Life Core Informatics collective, Darwin Tree of Life Consortium, et al (2021). The genome sequence of the two-banded wasp hoverfly, Chrysotoxum bicinctum (Linnaeus, 1758). Wellcome open research, 6 Abstract.

Hawkes W, Wotton K, Smith M, Lab UOOAWWGA, Lab NHMGA, collective DTOLB, programme WSITOL, collective WSISODP, collective TOLCI, Consortium DTOL, et al (2021). The genome sequence of the two-banded wasp hoverfly, Chrysotoxum bicinctum (Linnaeus, 1758). Wellcome Open Research, 6

Menz MHM, Reynolds DR, Gao B, Hu G, Chapman JW, Wotton KR (2019). Mechanisms and Consequences of Partial Migration in Insects. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 7

Menz M, Brown B, Wotton KR (2019). Quantification of migrant hoverfly movements (Diptera: Syrphidae) on the West Coast of North America. Royal Society Open Science, 6

Verd B, Clark E, Wotton K, Janssens H, Jimenez-Guri E, Crombach A, Jaeger J (2018). A damped oscillator imposes temporal order on posterior gap gene expression in Drosophila. PLoS Biology

Jimenez-Guri E, Wotton KR, Jaeger J (2018). tarsal-less is expressed as a gap gene but has no gap gene phenotype in the moth midge Clogmia albipunctata. Royal Society Open Science

Wotton KR, Alcaine-Colet A, Jaeger J, Jiménez-Guri E (2017). Non-canonical dorsoventral patterning in the moth midge Clogmia albipunctata. EvoDevo, 20178:20

Crombach A, Wotton KR, Jiménez-Guri E, Jaeger J (2016). Gap Gene Regulatory Dynamics Evolve along a Genotype Network. Mol Biol Evol, 33(5), 1293-1307. Abstract. Author URL.

Wotton KR, Jiménez-Guri E, Crombach A, Cicin-Sain D, Jaeger J (2015). High-resolution gene expression data from blastoderm embryos of the scuttle fly Megaselia abdita. Sci Data, 2 Abstract. Author URL.

Wotton KR, Schubert FR, Dietrich S (2015). Hypaxial muscle: controversial classification and controversial data?. Results Probl Cell Differ, 56, 25-48. Abstract. Author URL.

Wotton KR, Jiménez-Guri E, Jaeger J (2015). Maternal co-ordinate gene regulation and axis polarity in the scuttle fly Megaselia abdita. PLoS Genet, 11(3). Abstract. Author URL.

Wotton KR, Jiménez-Guri E, Crombach A, Janssens H, Alcaine-Colet A, Lemke S, Schmidt-Ott U, Jaeger J (2015). Quantitative system drift compensates for altered maternal inputs to the gap gene network of the scuttle fly Megaselia abdita. Elife, 4 Abstract. Author URL.

Alcaine-Colet A, Wotton KR, Jimenez-Guri E (2015). Rearing the scuttle fly Megaselia scalaris (Diptera: Phoridae) on industrial compounds: implications on size and lifespan. PeerJ, 3 Abstract. Author URL.

Cicin-Sain D, Pulido AH, Crombach A, Wotton KR, Jiménez-Guri E, Taly J-F, Roma G, Jaeger J (2015). SuperFly: a comparative database for quantified spatio-temporal gene expression patterns in early dipteran embryos. Nucleic Acids Res, 43(Database issue), D751-D755. Abstract. Author URL.

Jiménez-Guri E, Wotton KR, Gavilán B, Jaeger J (2014). A staging scheme for the development of the moth midge Clogmia albipunctata. PLoS One, 9(1). Abstract. Author URL.

Wotton KR, Jiménez-Guri E, García Matheu B, Jaeger J (2014). A staging scheme for the development of the scuttle fly Megaselia abdita. PLoS One, 9(1). Abstract. Author URL.

Lours-Calet C, Alvares LE, El-Hanfy AS, Gandesha S, Walters EH, Sobreira DR, Wotton KR, Jorge EC, Lawson JA, Kelsey Lewis A, et al (2014). Evolutionarily conserved morphogenetic movements at the vertebrate head-trunk interface coordinate the transport and assembly of hypopharyngeal structures. Dev Biol, 390(2), 231-246. Abstract. Author URL.

Wotton KR (2014). Heterochronic shifts in germband movements contribute to the rapid embryonic development of the coffin fly Megaselia scalaris. Arthropod Struct Dev, 43(6), 589-594. Abstract. Author URL.

Fernández-Jaén A, Suela J, Fernández-Mayoralas DM, Fernández-Perrone AL, Wotton KR, Dietrich S, Castellanos MDC, Cigudosa JC, Calleja-Pérez B, López-Martín S, et al (2014). Microduplication 10q24.31 in a Spanish girl with scoliosis and myopathy: the critical role of LBX. Am J Med Genet A, 164A(8), 2074-2078. Abstract. Author URL.

Jiménez-Guri E, Huerta-Cepas J, Cozzuto L, Wotton KR, Kang H, Himmelbauer H, Roma G, Gabaldón T, Jaeger J (2013). Comparative transcriptomics of early dipteran development. BMC Genomics, 14 Abstract. Author URL.

Wotton KR, Alcaine Colet A, Jaeger J, Jimenez-Guri E (2013). Evolution and expression of BMP genes in flies. Dev Genes Evol, 223(5), 335-340. Abstract. Author URL.

Janssens H, Crombach A, Wotton KR, Cicin-Sain D, Surkova S, Lim CL, Samsonova M, Akam M, Jaeger J (2013). Lack of tailless leads to an increase in expression variability in Drosophila embryos. Dev Biol, 377(1), 305-317. Abstract. Author URL.

Crombach A, Wotton KR, Cicin-Sain D, Ashyraliyev M, Jaeger J (2012). Efficient reverse-engineering of a developmental gene regulatory network. PLoS Comput Biol, 8(7).

Understanding the complex regulatory networks underlying development and evolution of multi-cellular organisms is a major problem in biology. Computational models can be used as tools to extract the regulatory structure and dynamics of such networks from gene expression data. This approach is called reverse engineering. It has been successfully applied to many gene networks in various biological systems. However, to reconstitute the structure and non-linear dynamics of a developmental gene network in its spatial context remains a considerable challenge. Here, we address this challenge using a case study: the gap gene network involved in segment determination during early development of Drosophila melanogaster. A major problem for reverse-engineering pattern-forming networks is the significant amount of time and effort required to acquire and quantify spatial gene expression data. We have developed a simplified data processing pipeline that considerably increases the throughput of the method, but results in data of reduced accuracy compared to those previously used for gap gene network inference. We demonstrate that we can infer the correct network structure using our reduced data set, and investigate minimal data requirements for successful reverse engineering. Our results show that timing and position of expression domain boundaries are the crucial features for determining regulatory network structure from data, while it is less important to precisely measure expression levels. Based on this, we define minimal data requirements for gap gene network inference. Our results demonstrate the feasibility of reverse-engineering with much reduced experimental effort. This enables more widespread use of the method in different developmental contexts and organisms. Such systematic application of data-driven models to real-world networks has enormous potential. Only the quantitative investigation of a large number of developmental gene regulatory networks will allow us to discover whether there are rules or regularities governing development and evolution of complex multi-cellular organisms.

Abstract. Author URL.

Crombach A, Cicin-Sain D, Wotton KR, Jaeger J (2012). Medium-throughput processing of whole mount in situ hybridisation experiments into gene expression domains. PLoS One, 7(9). Abstract. Author URL.

Wotton KR, Shimeld SM (2011). Analysis of lamprey clustered Fox genes: insight into Fox gene evolution and expression in vertebrates. Gene, 489(1), 30-40. Abstract. Author URL.

Wotton KR, Weierud FK, Juárez-Morales JL, Alvares LE, Dietrich S, Lewis KE (2009). Conservation of gene linkage in dispersed vertebrate NK homeobox clusters. Dev Genes Evol, 219(9-10), 481-496. Abstract. Author URL.

Wotton KR, Weierud FK, Dietrich S, Lewis KE (2008). Comparative genomics of Lbx loci reveals conservation of identical Lbx ohnologs in bony vertebrates. BMC Evol Biol, 8

BACKGROUND: Lbx/ladybird genes originated as part of the metazoan cluster of Nk homeobox genes. In all animals investigated so far, both the protostome genes and the vertebrate Lbx1 genes were found to play crucial roles in neural and muscle development. Recently however, additional Lbx genes with divergent expression patterns were discovered in amniotes. Early in the evolution of vertebrates, two rounds of whole genome duplication are thought to have occurred, during which 4 Lbx genes were generated. Which of these genes were maintained in extant vertebrates, and how these genes and their functions evolved, is not known. RESULTS: Here we searched vertebrate genomes for Lbx genes and discovered novel members of this gene family. We also identified signature genes linked to particular Lbx loci and traced the remnants of 4 Lbx paralogons (two of which retain Lbx genes) in amniotes. In teleosts, that have undergone an additional genome duplication, 8 Lbx paralogons (three of which retain Lbx genes) were found. Phylogenetic analyses of Lbx and Lbx-associated genes show that in extant, bony vertebrates only Lbx1- and Lbx2-type genes are maintained. of these, some Lbx2 sequences evolved faster and were probably subject to neofunctionalisation, while Lbx1 genes may have retained more features of the ancestral Lbx gene. Genes at Lbx1 and former Lbx4 loci are more closely related, as are genes at Lbx2 and former Lbx3 loci. This suggests that during the second vertebrate genome duplication, Lbx1/4 and Lbx2/3 paralogons were generated from the duplicated Lbx loci created during the first duplication event. CONCLUSION: Our study establishes for the first time the evolutionary history of Lbx genes in bony vertebrates, including the order of gene duplication events, gene loss and phylogenetic relationships. Moreover, we identified genetic hallmarks for each of the Lbx paralogons that can be used to trace Lbx genes as other vertebrate genomes become available. Significantly, we show that bony vertebrates only retained copies of Lbx1 and Lbx2 genes, with some Lbx2 genes being highly divergent. Thus, we have established a base on which the evolution of Lbx gene function in vertebrate development can be evaluated.

Abstract. Author URL.

Wotton KR, Mazet F, Shimeld SM (2008). Expression of FoxC, FoxF, FoxL1, and FoxQ1 genes in the dogfish Scyliorhinus canicula defines ancient and derived roles for Fox genes in vertebrate development. Dev Dyn, 237(6), 1590-1603. Abstract. Author URL.

Wotton KR, French KEM, Shimeld SM (2007). The developmental expression of foxl2 in the dogfish Scyliorhinus canicula. Gene Expr Patterns, 7(7), 793-797. Abstract. Author URL.

Wotton KR, Shimeld SM (2006). Comparative genomics of vertebrate Fox cluster loci. BMC Genomics, 7 Abstract. Author URL.

Conferences

Wotton KR, Mazet F, Shimeld SM (2005). Fox gene duplication in vertebrate evolution. Author URL.

Publications by year

In Press

Wotton KR (In Press). Annotation files for the marmalade hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus) genome. Abstract.

Wotton KR (In Press). Supporting information: Hawkes et al. (2022) Huge spring migrations of insects from the Middle East to Europe. Abstract.

2023