Professor Sandie Degnan
Professor

Sandie Degnan

Email: 
Phone: 
+61 7 334 69005

Background

Evolutionary and ecological genomics of marine invertebrate animals.

My lab's research is driven by a fascination with genomes that carry within them endless, brilliant solutions forged by evolution over millions of years in response to a constantly changing ocean. We tap into this to learn how the genomes of coral reef invertebrates and their bacterial symbionts interact with each other, and with the environment, throughout their life cycle. We study these gene-environment interactions in evolutionary and ecological contexts, using genomic, molecular and cellular approaches combined with behavioural ecology in natural populations.

We work often with embryonic and larval life history stages of indirect developers, as these stages are crucial to the maintenance and evolution of marine populations. Our current focus is around larval settlement and metamorphosis in the holobiont of the coral reef demosponge Amphimedon queenslandica. In recent years, our work has extended to functional genomic approaches to identify noval ways to control the coral reef pest, the Crown-of-Thorns starfish.

When not immersed in the molecular or computer lab, we are lucky enough to be immersed in the ocean, often in beautiful places!

Availability

Professor Sandie Degnan is:
Not available for supervision
Media expert

Fields of research

Animal cell and molecular biology Animal developmental and reproductive biology Animal immunology Behavioural ecology Bioinformatics and computational biology Biological Sciences Biological adaptation Developmental genetics (incl. sex determination) Ecology Evolution of developmental systems Gene expression (incl. microarray and other genome-wide approaches) Genetic immunology Genetics Genetics not elsewhere classified Genomics Invertebrate biology Life histories Marine and estuarine ecology (incl. marine ichthyology) Microbial ecology Microbiology Molecular evolution Phylogeny and comparative analysis Zoology

Search Professor Sandie Degnan’s works on UQ eSpace

99 works between 1992 and 2024
All (99) Journal Article (84) Book Chapter (6) Conference Publication (8) Other Outputs (1)

21 - 40 of 99 works

2017

Journal Article

Origin of the animal circadian clock: diurnal and light-entrained gene expression in the sponge Amphimedon queenslandica

Jindrich, Katia, Roper, Kathrein E., Lemon, Sussan, Degnan, Bernard M., Reitzel, Adam M. and Degnan, Sandie M. (2017). Origin of the animal circadian clock: diurnal and light-entrained gene expression in the sponge Amphimedon queenslandica. Frontiers in Marine Science, 4 (OCT) 327. doi: 10.3389/fmars.2017.00327

Origin of the animal circadian clock: diurnal and light-entrained gene expression in the sponge Amphimedon queenslandica

2017

Journal Article

Lipidomics of the sea sponge Amphimedon queenslandica and implication for biomarker geochemistry

Gold, D. A., O'Reilly, S. S., Watson, J., Degnan, B. M., Degnan, S. M., Krömer, J. O. and Summons, R. E. (2017). Lipidomics of the sea sponge Amphimedon queenslandica and implication for biomarker geochemistry. Geobiology, 15 (6), 836-843. doi: 10.1111/gbi.12253

Lipidomics of the sea sponge Amphimedon queenslandica and implication for biomarker geochemistry

2017

Journal Article

Seasonal changes in environmental nutrient availability and biomass composition in a coral reef sponge

Watson, Jabin R., Kroemer, Jens O., Degnan, Bernard M. and Degnan, Sandie M. (2017). Seasonal changes in environmental nutrient availability and biomass composition in a coral reef sponge. Marine Biology, 164 (6) 135. doi: 10.1007/s00227-017-3167-0

Seasonal changes in environmental nutrient availability and biomass composition in a coral reef sponge

2017

Journal Article

The crown-of-thorns starfish genome as a guide for biocontrol of this coral reef pest

Hall, Michael R., Kocot, Kevin M., Baughman, Kenneth W., Fernandez-Valverde, Selene L., Gauthier, Marie E. A., Hatleberg, William L. ., Krishnan, Arunkumar, McDougall, Carmel, Motti, Cherie A., Shoguchi, Eiichi, Wang, Tianfang, Xiang, Xueyan, Zhao, Min, Bose, Utpal, Shinzato, Chuya, Hisata, Kanako, Fujie, Manabu, Kanda, Miyuki, Cummins, Scott F., Satoh, Noriyuki, Degnan, Sandie M. and Degnan, Bernard M. (2017). The crown-of-thorns starfish genome as a guide for biocontrol of this coral reef pest. Nature, 544 (7649), 231-234. doi: 10.1038/nature22033

The crown-of-thorns starfish genome as a guide for biocontrol of this coral reef pest

2017

Journal Article

Origin and evolution of the sponge aggregation factor gene family

Grice, Laura F., Gauthier, Marie E. A., Roper, Kathrein E., Fernàndez-Busquets, Xavier, Degnan, Sandie M. and Degnan, Bernard M. (2017). Origin and evolution of the sponge aggregation factor gene family. Molecular Biology and Evolution, 34 (5), 1083-1099. doi: 10.1093/molbev/msx058

Origin and evolution of the sponge aggregation factor gene family

2016

Journal Article

An ancient role for nitric oxide in regulating the animal pelagobenthic life cycle: evidence from a marine sponge

Ueda, Nobuo, Richards, Gemma S., Degnan, Bernard M., Kranz, Alexandrea, Adamska, Maja, Croll, Roger P. and Degnan, Sandie M. (2016). An ancient role for nitric oxide in regulating the animal pelagobenthic life cycle: evidence from a marine sponge. Scientific Reports, 6 (37546) 37546, 37546. doi: 10.1038/srep37546

An ancient role for nitric oxide in regulating the animal pelagobenthic life cycle: evidence from a marine sponge

2016

Journal Article

Ontogenetic changes in the bacterial symbiont community of the tropical demosponge Amphimedon queenslandica: metamorphosis is a new beginning

Fieth, Rebecca A. , Gauthier, Marie-Emilie A. , Bayes, Joanne, Green, Kathryn M. and Degnan, Sandie M. (2016). Ontogenetic changes in the bacterial symbiont community of the tropical demosponge Amphimedon queenslandica: metamorphosis is a new beginning. Frontiers in Marine Science, 3 (NOV) 228. doi: 10.3389/fmars.2016.00228

Ontogenetic changes in the bacterial symbiont community of the tropical demosponge Amphimedon queenslandica: metamorphosis is a new beginning

2016

Journal Article

Draft genomes shed light on the dual bacterial symbiosis that dominates the microbiome of the coral reef sponge Amphimedon queenslandica

Gauthier, Marie-Emilie A., Watson, Jabin R. and Degnan, Sandra M. (2016). Draft genomes shed light on the dual bacterial symbiosis that dominates the microbiome of the coral reef sponge Amphimedon queenslandica. Frontiers in Marine Science, 3 (OCT) 196, 196.1-196.18. doi: 10.3389/fmars.2016.00196

Draft genomes shed light on the dual bacterial symbiosis that dominates the microbiome of the coral reef sponge Amphimedon queenslandica

2016

Journal Article

Comparative morphological analysis of the immature stages of the grass blue butterflies Zizeeria and Zizina (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae)

Gurung, Raj D., Iwata, Masaki, Hiyama, Atsuki, Taira, Wataru, Degnan, Bernard, Degnan, Sandie and Otaki, Joji M. (2016). Comparative morphological analysis of the immature stages of the grass blue butterflies Zizeeria and Zizina (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae). Zoological Science, 33 (4), 384-400. doi: 10.2108/zs150171

Comparative morphological analysis of the immature stages of the grass blue butterflies Zizeeria and Zizina (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae)

2016

Journal Article

The mid-developmental transition and the evolution of animal body plans

Levin, Michal, Anavy, Leon, Cole, Alison G., Winter, Eitan, Mostov, Natalia, Khair, Sally, Senderovich, Naftalie, Kovalev, Ekaterina, Silver, David H., Feder, Martin, Fernandez-Valverde, Selene L., Nakanishi, Nagayasu, Simmons, David, Simakov, Oleg, Larsson, Tomas, Liu, Shang-Yun, Jerafi-Vider, Ayelet, Yaniv, Karina, Ryan, Joseph F., Martindale, Mark Q., Rink, Jochen C., Arendt, Detlev, Degnan, Sandie M., Degnan, Bernard M., Hashimshony, Tamar and Yanai, Itai (2016). The mid-developmental transition and the evolution of animal body plans. Nature, 531 (7596), 637-641. doi: 10.1038/nature16994

The mid-developmental transition and the evolution of animal body plans

2016

Conference Publication

One genome, two body plans: how do larval and adult gene expression profiles differ in the sponge WAmphimedon queenslandica?

Hatleberg, W. L., Degnan, S. M. and Degnan, B. M. (2016). One genome, two body plans: how do larval and adult gene expression profiles differ in the sponge WAmphimedon queenslandica?. Annual Meeting of the Society-for-Integrative-and-Comparative-Biology (SICB), Portland, OR, United States, 3-7 January 2016. CARY: OXFORD UNIV PRESS INC.

One genome, two body plans: how do larval and adult gene expression profiles differ in the sponge WAmphimedon queenslandica?

2016

Conference Publication

The perception of environmental signals that initiate the major pelago-benthic life cycle transition in the sponge, Amphimedon queenslandica

Say, Tahsha and Degnan, Sandie (2016). The perception of environmental signals that initiate the major pelago-benthic life cycle transition in the sponge, Amphimedon queenslandica. 17th International Symposium on Olfaction and Taste (ISOT), Yokohama Japan, 5-9 June 2016. Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press. doi: 10.1093/chemse/bjw091

The perception of environmental signals that initiate the major pelago-benthic life cycle transition in the sponge, Amphimedon queenslandica

2015

Journal Article

The surprisingly complex immune gene repertoire of a simple sponge, exemplified by the NLR genes: a capacity for specificity?

Degnan, Sandie M. (2015). The surprisingly complex immune gene repertoire of a simple sponge, exemplified by the NLR genes: a capacity for specificity?. Developmental and Comparative Immunology, 48 (2), 269-274. doi: 10.1016/j.dci.2014.07.012

The surprisingly complex immune gene repertoire of a simple sponge, exemplified by the NLR genes: a capacity for specificity?

2015

Conference Publication

Sensory biology of sponge settlement and metamorphosis: towards defining the baseline for nervous system evolution

Nakanishi, N., Degnan, S. M. and Degnan, B. M. (2015). Sensory biology of sponge settlement and metamorphosis: towards defining the baseline for nervous system evolution. Annual Meeting of the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology (SICB), West Palm Beach Fl, 3-7 January 2015. Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press.

Sensory biology of sponge settlement and metamorphosis: towards defining the baseline for nervous system evolution

2015

Conference Publication

Sensory flask cells in sponge larvae regulate metamorphosis via calcium signaling

Nakanishi, Nagayasu, Stoupin, Daniel, Degnan, Sandie M. and Degnan, Bernard M. (2015). Sensory flask cells in sponge larvae regulate metamorphosis via calcium signaling. Annual meeting of the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology, West Palm Beach, Florida, United States, 3-7 January 2015. Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press. doi: 10.1093/icb/icv014

Sensory flask cells in sponge larvae regulate metamorphosis via calcium signaling

2015

Book Chapter

Porifera

Degnan, Bernard M., Adamska, Maja, Richards, Gemma S., Larroux, Claire, Leininger, Sven, Bergum, Brith, Calcino, Andrew, Taylor, Karin, Nakanishi, Nagayasu and Degnan, Sandie M. (2015). Porifera. Evolutionary developmental biology of invertebrates 1: introduction, non-bilateria, acoelomorpha, xenoturbellida, chaetognatha. (pp. 65-106) edited by Andreas Wanninger. Vienna, Austria: Springer Verlag. doi: 10.1007/978-3-7091-1862-7

Porifera

2014

Journal Article

Think laterally: horizontal gene transfer from symbiotic microbes may extend the phenotype of marine sessile hosts

Degnan, Sandie M. (2014). Think laterally: horizontal gene transfer from symbiotic microbes may extend the phenotype of marine sessile hosts. Frontiers in Microbiology, 5 (NOV) 638, 137-151. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2014.00638

Think laterally: horizontal gene transfer from symbiotic microbes may extend the phenotype of marine sessile hosts

2014

Journal Article

Nitric oxide is not a negative regulator of metamorphic induction in the abalone Haliotis asinina

Ueda, Nobuo and Degnan, Sandie M (2014). Nitric oxide is not a negative regulator of metamorphic induction in the abalone Haliotis asinina. Frontiers in Marine Science, 1 (Article 21) 21. doi: 10.3389/fmars.2014.00021

Nitric oxide is not a negative regulator of metamorphic induction in the abalone Haliotis asinina

2014

Journal Article

The characterization of sponge NLRs provides insight into the origin and evolution of this innate immune gene family in animals

Yuen, Benedict, Bayes, Joanne M. and Degnan, Sandie M. (2014). The characterization of sponge NLRs provides insight into the origin and evolution of this innate immune gene family in animals. Molecular Biology and Evolution, 31 (1), 106-120. doi: 10.1093/molbev/mst174

The characterization of sponge NLRs provides insight into the origin and evolution of this innate immune gene family in animals

2014

Book Chapter

Determining the biomass composition of a sponge holobiont for flux analysis

Watson, Jabin, Degnan, Bernard, Degnan, Sandie and Krömer, Jens O. (2014). Determining the biomass composition of a sponge holobiont for flux analysis. Metabolic flux analysis: methods and protocols. (pp. 107-125) edited by Jens O. Krömer, Lars K. Nielsen and Lars M. Blank. New York, NY, United States: Humana Press. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4939-1170-7_7

Determining the biomass composition of a sponge holobiont for flux analysis

Current funding

  • 2023 - 2026
    Origin and evolution of animal-bacterial symbiosis
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 2020 - 2025
    Crown-of-Thorns Starfish Control Innovation Program
    Great Barrier Reef Foundation
    Open grant

Past funding

  • 2021 - 2024
    Evolution of environmental regulation of cell states in animal life cycles
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 2020 - 2024
    New Tools for Advancing Model Systems in Aquatic Symbiosis: Establishing marine sponges as models for evolutionary, ecological and mechanistic aspects of animal-bacterial symbiosis
    Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation
    Open grant
  • 2019 - 2023
    Marine sponge-microbe interactions and the origin of animal innate immunity
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 2018 - 2022
    Biocontrol of crown-of-thorns starfish using genomics and proteomics
    ARC Linkage Projects
    Open grant
  • 2018
    Advanced imaging with wide spectrum molecular, quantitative and morphological applications in biological research
    UQ Major Equipment and Infrastructure
    Open grant
  • 2018 - 2019
    Continuous flow isotope ratio mass spectrometer (CF-IRMS) and ancillary preparation systems for carbon, nitrogen and sulfur isotope microanalysis for archaeology, biology, earth and environmental scie
    UQ Major Equipment and Infrastructure
    Open grant
  • 2017 - 2021
    How do sponges and bacteria together maintain productivity on coral reefs?
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 2015
    Beyond genomes, transcriptomes and proteomes: high throughput analysis of gene and protein expression and function
    UQ Major Equipment and Infrastructure
    Open grant
  • 2012
    Science on the continental shelf: Securing our deep-sea biodiversity for the future
    ARC Linkage Projects
    Open grant
  • 2011 - 2014
    Genomic tools for the emerging tropical rock lobster aquaculture industry
    ARC Linkage Projects
    Open grant
  • 2011 - 2013
    Larval dispersal and settlement mechanisms in the first genome-enabled Australian marine animal, Amphimedon queenslandica (Porifera)
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 2011
    Tooling-up non-model organisms in the post-genomic era: equipment for the analysis of molecular and cellular processes in animals of evolutionary and commercial interest
    UQ Major Equipment and Infrastructure
    Open grant
  • 2009
    Building Capacity in Quantitative Genomics
    UQ School/Centre Co-Funding
    Open grant
  • 2009 - 2013
    The essence of being an animal: sponge allorecognition and the evolution of individuality
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 2008
    Heron Island Research Station Connectivity Upgrade
    UQ Major Equipment and Infrastructure
    Open grant
  • 2007 - 2011
    Deep Downunder: designing a deep-sea exploration and discovery capability for Australia
    ARC Linkage Projects
    Open grant
  • 2007 - 2008
    CSIRO Flagship - Gonad development and sex differentiation in the abalone
    CSIRO Flagships Collaboration Fund
    Open grant
  • 2006 - 2009
    Aquaculture of the tropical abalone: identifying and selecting for factors promoting high settlement, survival and growth
    ARC Linkage Projects
    Open grant
  • 2005 - 2007
    Variation in larval gene expression in a marine invertebrate: implications for population divergence via differential settlement response
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 1995 - 1997
    Genetic and phenotypic consequences of colonisation of oceanic islands by silvereyes
    ARC Australian Research Council (Large grants)
    Open grant
  • 1995
    Phylogenetic status and population structure of the tropical abalone Haliotis asinina: a preliminary molecular analysis
    University of Queensland New Staff Research Grant
    Open grant

Availability

Professor Sandie Degnan is:
Not available for supervision

Supervision history

Current supervision

Completed supervision

Enquiries

Contact Professor Sandie Degnan directly for media enquiries about:

  • ecological genetics
  • marine genomics
  • marine invertebrates
  • marine larval biology
  • marine molecular ecology

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