Dr Sarah Griffiths

Who am I?

My research is focussed on genetic diversity in ecological systems – what can it reveal about population ecology, what effect does it have at the community and ecosystem levels, and how can we utilise it most effectively for biodiversity conservation? My work centres on critical conservation issues including ocean acidification, habitat restoration and disease, and incorporates population genetics, microbial ecology, and gene expression approaches.

My primary study system is marine sponges and the rich communities of microbes that inhabit their tissues, known as microbiomes. I use a holistic approach to understand sponge-microbiome relationships, and how their diversity affects resilience and ecosystem processes in the face of environmental change.

Publications

• Journal articles

  XA. Harrison, AD. McDevitt, JC. Dunn, SM. Griffiths, C. Benvenuto, et al. R. Birtles, JP. Boubli, K. Bown, C. Bridson, DR. Brooks, SS. Browett, RF. Carden, J. Chantrey, F. Clever, I. Coscia, KL. Edwards, N. Ferry, I. Goodhead, A. Highlands, J. Hopper, J. Jackson, R. Jehle, M. da Cruz Kaizer, T. King, JMD. Lea, JL. Lenka, A. McCubbin, J. McKenzie, BLC. de Moraes, DB. O'Meara, P. Pescod, RF. Preziosi, JK. Rowntree, S. Shultz, MJ. Silk, JE. Stockdale, WOC. Symondson, MV. de la Pena, SL. Walker, MD. Wood, RE. Antwis. (2021). Fungal microbiomes are determined by host phylogeny and exhibit widespread associations with the bacterial microbiome. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 288(1957), pp.20210552-20210552.

  SM. Dittami, E. Arboleda, JC. Auguet, A. Bigalke, E. Briand, et al. P. Cárdenas, U. Cardini, J. Decelle, AH. Engelen, D. Eveillard, CMM. Gachon, SM. Griffiths, T. Harder, E. Kayal, E. Kazamia, FH. Lallier, M. Medina, EM. Marzinelli, TM. Morganti, LN. Pons, S. Prado, J. Pintado, M. Saha, MA. Selosse, D. Skillings, W. Stock, S. Sunagawa, E. Toulza, A. Vorobev, C. Leblanc, F. Not. (2021). A community perspective on the concept of marine holobionts: Current status, challenges, and future directions. PeerJ. 9,

  SM. Griffiths, ED. Taylor-Cox, DC. Behringer, MJ. Butler, RF. Preziosi (2020). Using genetics to inform restoration and predict resilience in declining populations of a keystone marine sponge. Biodiversity and Conservation. 29(4), pp.1383-1410.

  SM. Griffiths, XA. Harrison, C. Weldon, MD. Wood, A. Pretorius, et al. K. Hopkins, G. Fox, RF. Preziosi, RE. Antwis. (2018). Genetic variability and ontogeny predict microbiome structure in a disease-challenged montane amphibian. The ISME Journal. 12(10), pp.2506-2517.

  RE. Antwis, SM. Griffiths, XA. Harrison, P. Aranega-Bou, A. Arce, et al. AS. Bettridge, FL. Brailsford, A. de Menezes, A. Devaynes, KM. Forbes, EL. Fry, I. Goodhead, E. Haskell, C. Heys, C. James, SR. Johnston, GR. Lewis, Z. Lewis, MC. Macey, A. McCarthy, JE. McDonald, NL. Mejia-Florez, D. O'Brien, C. Orland, M. Pautasso, WDK. Reid, HA. Robinson, K. Wilson, WJ. Sutherland. (2017). Fifty important research questions in microbial ecology. FEMS Microbiology Ecology. 93(5),

  NK. Truelove, S. Griffiths, K. Ley-Cooper, J. Azueta, I. Majil, et al. SJ. Box, DC. Behringer, MJ. Butler, RF. Preziosi. (2015). Genetic evidence from the spiny lobster fishery supports international cooperation among Central American marine protected areas. Conservation Genetics. 16(2), pp.347-358.