Lachie Scarsbrook

University of Oxford | OX · School of Archaeology

The multi-millenia long history between dogs and humans has justly placed them at the forefront of archeological and genomic research. Despite ongoing efforts including the analysis of ancient dog and wolf genomes, many questions remain regarding their geographic and temporal origins, and the microevolutionary processes that led to the huge diversi...

The increased availability of ancient nuclear genomes has helped to illuminate the complexity of genetic evolution and overcome the difficulties inherent in inferring the past from the present. This “nuclear revolution” has challenged and overturned long-held assumptions about the domestication process by demonstrating that many key domestic traits...

The New Zealand endemic gecko genus Hoplodactylus is revised. Two species are recognized: Hoplodactylus duvaucelii (Duméril & Bibron, 1836) from the North Island and some near-shore islands, and H. tohu n. sp., which was formerly widespread throughout the South Island but is presently restricted to some islands in the Cook Strait region. H. delcour...

Glacial cycles play important roles in determining the phylogeographic structure of terrestrial species, however, relatively little is known about their impacts on the distribution of marine biota. This study utilised modern (n = 350) and ancient (n = 26) mitochondrial genomes from Australasian snapper (Chrysophrys auratus) sampled in New Zealand t...

The evolutionary history of Southern Hemisphere graylings (Retropinnidae) in New Zealand (NZ), including their relationship to the Australian grayling, is poorly understood. The NZ grayling (Prototroctes oxyrhynchus) is the only known fish in NZ to have gone extinct since human arrival there. Despite its historical abundance, only 23 wet and dried,...

Natural history collections worldwide contain a plethora of mollusc shells. Recent studies have detailed the sequencing of DNA extracted from shells up to thousands of years old and from various taphonomic and preservational contexts. However, previous approaches have largely addressed methodological rather than evolutionary research questions. Her...

The evolutionary history of Southern Hemisphere graylings (Retropinnidae) in Aotearoa New Zealand—including the number of colonisation events, the directionality and timing of dispersal, and their relationship to the Australian grayling—is poorly understood. The New Zealand grayling ( Prototroctes oxyrhynchus ) is the only known freshwater fish spe...

Methodological and technological improvements are continually revolutionizing the field of ancient DNA. Most ancient DNA extraction methods require the partial (or complete) destruction of finite museum specimens, which disproportionately impacts small or fragmentary subfossil remains, and future analyses. We present a minimally destructive ancient...

Aim Understanding how natural populations respond to climatic shifts is a fundamental goal of biological research in a fast‐changing world. The Southern Ocean represents a fascinating system for assessing large‐scale climate‐driven biological change, as it contains extremely isolated island groups within a predominantly westerly, circumpolar wind a...

Methodological and technological improvements are continually revolutionizing the field of ancient DNA. Most ancient DNA extraction methods require the partial (or complete) destruction of finite museum specimens, which disproportionately impacts small or fragmentary subfossil remains, and future analyses. We present a minimally destructive ancient...

New Zealand’s diplodactylid geckos exhibit high species-level diversity, largely independent of discernible osteological changes. Consequently, systematic affinities of isolated skeletal elements (fossils) are primarily determined by comparisons of size, particularly in the identification of Hoplodactylus duvaucelii, New Zealand’s largest extant ge...

Prehistoric anthropogenically-mediated extinctions have impacted global biodiversity; however effects on herpetofauna are poorly-documented. New Zealand’s Diplodactylidae geckos exhibit high species-level diversity, largely independent of discernible osteological changes (cryptic). Consequently, taxonomic affinities of isolated skeletal elements (f...

Island ecosystems can be severely affected by climate change as they provide limited opportunities for species to track their habitat. Studying the population dynamics of keystone species from these ecosystems can shed a light on climate – ecosystem interactions. Southern beeches are such keystone species in New Zealand with beech forests constitut...

Museum specimens provide a record of past species distribution and are an increasingly important resource for conservation genetic research. The scientific value of these specimens depends upon the veracity of their associated data and can be compromised by inaccurate details; including taxonomic identity, collection locality, and collector. New Ze...