Dr Simone Blomberg
Dr

Simone Blomberg

Email: 
Phone: 
+61 7 336 52506

Background

Methods and applications of statistics in evolutionary biology and population ecology.

My research involves the application and development of statistical methods in ecology, evolutionary biology, and general whole-organism biology. My two particular research foci are phylogenetic comparative methods and other uses of statistics in ecology, evolution, and systematics. I also have a strong interest in the application of Bayesian methods, and the statistical philosophy of the nature of evidence in whole-organism biology. How and why do scientists agree that certain data are evidence for or against a particular hypothesis?

I also provide a statistical consultation service for staff and students within the School of Biological Sciences

I am interested in taking graduate students at any level who are interested in quantitative methods in biology. Students in my lab will be able to (or be willing to learn) program computers in S (http://www.r-project.org), a compiled language such as C or Fortran, and/or a scripting language such as Python or Scheme in a Unix environment. Students are also encouraged to extend or develop their mathematical skills. A background in biology, statistics, mathematics, or computer science would be valuable. I can also co-supervise students who are interested in using quantitative methods for their thesis work, but for whom such methods are not a primary focus of research.

Availability

Dr Simone Blomberg is:
Available for supervision
Media expert

Fields of research

Ecology Environmental Sciences Zoology

Research interests

  • Models of Quantitative Trait Evolution

    Macroevolution lacks mathematical theory. I am trying to develop new models of evolution and apply them to real data sets in order to bring the study of macroevolution into the 21st century. I concentrate on the use of diffusion processes as evolutionary models. Diffusions are a broad class of processes that have applications in finance, physics, and other quantitative disciplines. Their use in evolutionary studies has been at a fairly basic level, mainly using Brownian motion and the Ornstein-Uhlenbeck process. These two processes are simple but are not very realistic descriptions of how evolution occurs. I aim to provide more, better models together with methods to fit them to real data.

Search Professor Simone Blomberg’s works on UQ eSpace

110 works between 1991 and 2024
All (110) Journal Article (102) Book Chapter (2) Conference Publication (5) Other Outputs (1)

1 - 20 of 110 works

Featured

2020

Journal Article

Beyond Brownian motion and the ornstein-uhlenbeck process: stochastic diffusion models for the evolution of quantitative characters

Blomberg, Simone P., Rathnayake, Suren I. and Moreau, Cheyenne M. (2020). Beyond Brownian motion and the ornstein-uhlenbeck process: stochastic diffusion models for the evolution of quantitative characters. American Naturalist, 195 (2), 145-165. doi: 10.1086/706339

Beyond Brownian motion and the ornstein-uhlenbeck process: stochastic diffusion models for the evolution of quantitative characters

Featured

2014

Book Chapter

A primer on phylogenetic generalised least squares

Symonds, Matthew R. E. and Blomberg, Simon P. (2014). A primer on phylogenetic generalised least squares. Modern phylogenetic comparative methods and their application in evolutionary biology: concepts and practice. (pp. 105-130) edited by Laszlo Zsolt Garamszegi. Berlin Heidelberg, Germany: Springer. doi: 10.1007/978-3-662-43550-2_5

A primer on phylogenetic generalised least squares

Featured

2012

Journal Article

Bayesian models for comparative analysis integrating phylogenetic uncertainty

de Villemereuil, Pierre, Wells, Jessie A., Edwards, Robert D. and Blomberg, Simon P. (2012). Bayesian models for comparative analysis integrating phylogenetic uncertainty. BMC Evolutionary Biology, 12 (1) 102, 102.1-102.16. doi: 10.1186/1471-2148-12-102

Bayesian models for comparative analysis integrating phylogenetic uncertainty

Featured

2012

Journal Article

Independent contrasts and PGLS regression estimators are equivalent

Blomberg, Simon P., Lefevre, James G., Wells, Jessie A. and Waterhouse, Mary (2012). Independent contrasts and PGLS regression estimators are equivalent. Systematic Biology, 61 (3), 382-391. doi: 10.1093/sysbio/syr118

Independent contrasts and PGLS regression estimators are equivalent

Featured

2010

Journal Article

Picante: R tools for integrating phylogenies and ecology

Kembel, Steven W., Cowan, Peter D., Helmus, Matthew R., Cornwell, William K., Morlon, Helene, Ackerly, David D., Blomberg, Simon P. and Webb, Campbell O. (2010). Picante: R tools for integrating phylogenies and ecology. Bioinformatics, 26 (11) btq166, 1463-1464. doi: 10.1093/bioinformatics/btq166

Picante: R tools for integrating phylogenies and ecology

Featured

2003

Journal Article

Testing for phylogenetic signal in comparative data: Behavioral traits are more labile

Blomberg, Simon P., Garland, Theodore Jr and Ives, Anthony R. (2003). Testing for phylogenetic signal in comparative data: Behavioral traits are more labile. Evolution, 57 (4), 717-745. doi: 10.1554/0014-3820(2003)057[0717:TFPSIC]2.0.CO;2

Testing for phylogenetic signal in comparative data: Behavioral traits are more labile

Featured

2002

Journal Article

Tempo and mode in evolution: phylogenetic inertia, adaptation and comparative methods

Blomberg, S. P. and Garland, T. (2002). Tempo and mode in evolution: phylogenetic inertia, adaptation and comparative methods. Journal of Evolutionary Biology, 15 (6), 899-910. doi: 10.1046/j.1420-9101.2002.00472.x

Tempo and mode in evolution: phylogenetic inertia, adaptation and comparative methods

2024

Other Outputs

Data for 'Diel Activity Correlates with Colour Pattern Morphology of Heterobranch Sea Slugs'

Cedric P. van den Berg, Gabriel Hassler, Simone Blomberg, Nerida G. Wilson, Marc A. Suchard and Karen L. Cheney (2024). Data for 'Diel Activity Correlates with Colour Pattern Morphology of Heterobranch Sea Slugs'. The University of Queensland. (Dataset) doi: 10.48610/a36c277

Data for 'Diel Activity Correlates with Colour Pattern Morphology of Heterobranch Sea Slugs'

2024

Journal Article

Manganese exacerbates seasonal health declines in a suicidally breeding mammal

Nasir, Ami F. Amir Abdul, Niehaus, Amanda C., Cameron, Skye F., Ujvari, Beata, Madsen, Thomas, von Hippel, Frank A., Gao, Sisi, Dillon, Danielle M., Buck, C. Loren, Charters, Jordan, Heiniger, Jaime, Blomberg, Simone and Wilson, Robbie S. (2024). Manganese exacerbates seasonal health declines in a suicidally breeding mammal. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, 43 (1), 74-86. doi: 10.1002/etc.5753

Manganese exacerbates seasonal health declines in a suicidally breeding mammal

2023

Journal Article

Potential for host-symbiont communication via neurotransmitters and neuromodulators in an aneural animal, the marine sponge Amphimedon queenslandica

Xiang, Xueyan, Vilar Gomez, Arturo A., Blomberg, Simone P., Yuan, Huifang, Degnan, Bernard M. and Degnan, Sandie M. (2023). Potential for host-symbiont communication via neurotransmitters and neuromodulators in an aneural animal, the marine sponge Amphimedon queenslandica. Frontiers in Neural Circuits, 17 ARTN 1250694, 1-12. doi: 10.3389/fncir.2023.1250694

Potential for host-symbiont communication via neurotransmitters and neuromodulators in an aneural animal, the marine sponge Amphimedon queenslandica

2023

Journal Article

Is mushy tuna syndrome a growing problem for the tuna industry?

Peter, Soni Maria Jacob, Blomberg, Simone P., Holden, Matthew H., Hoffman, Louwrens C. and Tibbetts, Ian R. (2023). Is mushy tuna syndrome a growing problem for the tuna industry?. Foods, 12 (19) 3590, 1-11. doi: 10.3390/foods12193590

Is mushy tuna syndrome a growing problem for the tuna industry?

2023

Journal Article

Anthropogenic impacts on threatened species erode functional diversity in chelonians and crocodilians

Rodríguez-Caro, R. C., Graciá, E., Blomberg, S. P., Cayuela, H., Grace, M., Carmona, C. P., Pérez-Mendoza, H. A., Giménez, A. and Salguero-Gómez, R. (2023). Anthropogenic impacts on threatened species erode functional diversity in chelonians and crocodilians. Nature Communications, 14 (1) 1542, 1-10. doi: 10.1038/s41467-023-37089-5

Anthropogenic impacts on threatened species erode functional diversity in chelonians and crocodilians

2023

Journal Article

The relative performance of geometric morphometrics and linear‐based methods in the taxonomic resolution of a mammalian species complex

Viacava, Pietro, Blomberg, Simone P. and Weisbecker, Vera (2023). The relative performance of geometric morphometrics and linear‐based methods in the taxonomic resolution of a mammalian species complex. Ecology and Evolution, 13 (3) e9698, 1-11. doi: 10.1002/ece3.9698

The relative performance of geometric morphometrics and linear‐based methods in the taxonomic resolution of a mammalian species complex

2022

Journal Article

Down a rabbit hole: burrowing behaviour and larger home ranges are related to larger brains in leporids

Todorov, Orlin S., Hird, Coen, Kraatz, Brian, Sherratt, Emma, Hill, Narelle, de Sousa, Alexandra A., Blomberg, Simone and Weisbecker, Vera (2022). Down a rabbit hole: burrowing behaviour and larger home ranges are related to larger brains in leporids. Journal of Mammalian Evolution, 29 (4), 1-11. doi: 10.1007/s10914-022-09624-6

Down a rabbit hole: burrowing behaviour and larger home ranges are related to larger brains in leporids

2021

Journal Article

Three methods to measure parasite aggregation using examples from Australian fish parasites

Lester, R. J. G. and Blomberg, S. P. (2021). Three methods to measure parasite aggregation using examples from Australian fish parasites. Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 12 (10) 2041-210X.13668, 1999-2007. doi: 10.1111/2041-210x.13668

Three methods to measure parasite aggregation using examples from Australian fish parasites

2021

Journal Article

Using 3D geometric morphometrics to aid taxonomic and ecological understanding of a recent speciation event within a small Australian marsupial (Antechinus: Dasyuridae)

Viacava, Pietro, Baker, Andrew M., Blomberg, Simone P., Phillips, Matthew J. and Weisbecker, Vera (2021). Using 3D geometric morphometrics to aid taxonomic and ecological understanding of a recent speciation event within a small Australian marsupial (Antechinus: Dasyuridae). Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 196 (3) zlab048, 1-16. doi: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlab048

Using 3D geometric morphometrics to aid taxonomic and ecological understanding of a recent speciation event within a small Australian marsupial (Antechinus: Dasyuridae)

2021

Journal Article

Testing hypotheses of marsupial brain size variation using phylogenetic multiple imputations and a Bayesian comparative framework

Todorov, Orlin S., Blomberg, Simone P., Goswami, Anjali, Sears, Karen, Drhlík, Patrik, Peters, James and Weisbecker, Vera (2021). Testing hypotheses of marsupial brain size variation using phylogenetic multiple imputations and a Bayesian comparative framework. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 288 (1947) rspb.2021.0394, 1-9. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2021.0394

Testing hypotheses of marsupial brain size variation using phylogenetic multiple imputations and a Bayesian comparative framework

2020

Journal Article

Higher sociability leads to lower reproductive success in female kangaroos

Menz, C. S., Carter, A. J., Best, E. C., Freeman, N. J., Dwyer, R. G., Blomberg, S. P. and Goldizen, A. W. (2020). Higher sociability leads to lower reproductive success in female kangaroos. Royal Society Open Science, 7 (8) 200950, 200950. doi: 10.1098/rsos.200950

Higher sociability leads to lower reproductive success in female kangaroos

2020

Journal Article

Longevity, body dimension and reproductive mode drive differences in aquatic versus terrestrial life-history strategies

Capdevila, Pol, Beger, Maria, Blomberg, Simone P., Hereu, Bernat, Linares, Cristina and Salguero-Gomez, Roberto (2020). Longevity, body dimension and reproductive mode drive differences in aquatic versus terrestrial life-history strategies. Functional Ecology, 34 (8) 1365-2435.13604, 1613-1625. doi: 10.1111/1365-2435.13604

Longevity, body dimension and reproductive mode drive differences in aquatic versus terrestrial life-history strategies

2020

Journal Article

Skin hydrophobicity as an adaptation for self-cleaning in geckos

Riedel, Jendrian, Vucko, Matthew John, Blomberg, Simone P. and Schwarzkopf, Lin (2020). Skin hydrophobicity as an adaptation for self-cleaning in geckos. Ecology and Evolution, 10 (11), 4640-4651. doi: 10.1002/ece3.6218

Skin hydrophobicity as an adaptation for self-cleaning in geckos

Current funding

  • 2022 - 2025
    Ancestral state reconstruction and the evolution of Australian marsupials (ARC Discovery Project administered by Queensland University of Technology)
    Queensland University of Technology
    Open grant

Past funding

  • 2020
    A new molecular/morphological view of animal evolution based on marsupials (ARC Discovery Project administered by Flinders University)
    Flinders University
    Open grant
  • 2017 - 2020
    A new molecular/morphological view of animal evolution based on marsupials
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 2016 - 2019
    The ecology of trace metal contamination in native Australian mammals
    ARC Linkage Projects
    Open grant
  • 2014 - 2019
    Fitting non-Gaussian diffusion models to evolutionary data: towards a generalized framework for phylogenetic comparative analyses.
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 2012 - 2017
    Population fluctuations: models, mechanisms and management
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 2008 - 2010
    Advances in Phylogenetic Comparative Methods.
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant

Availability

Dr Simone Blomberg is:
Available for supervision

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Available projects

  • Models of Evolution and the Fossil Record

    Current theory suggests that including fossils in macroevolutionary studies greatly improves the identifiability of models. However, it is not known how many fossils are necessary, where they should be placed in the tree (near the tips or near the root?), and how this interacts with tree shape and tree size. Also, are the fossils more important for ancestral character recosntruction, hypothesis testing, or model selection? This project will examine these factors in detail using simulations, with the possibility of examining case studies of taxa with good fossil records.

Supervision history

Current supervision

Completed supervision

Enquiries

Contact Dr Simone Blomberg directly for media enquiries about:

  • Ecology - statistics
  • Evolution - statistics
  • Statistics - ecology, evolution

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