Dr Suzanne Williams

Biography

Employment history

 

Qualifications

Research

Research Interests

My research focuses on using molecular techniques to determine the evolutionary relationships among species, to examine biogeographic patterns both at intra-specific and inter-specific levels, and to answer systematic questions. In particular I am interested in identifying the patterns and processes that contribute to the high levels of biodiversity within the tropical oceans.

The Indo-West Pacific is the largest of the marine biogeographic provinces and harbours some of the highest levels of biodiversity, especially of shallow water marine invertebrates. I am particularly interested in the origin of this diversity and the timing of its appearance. Specifically, which global, regional and local factors have been the most important in shaping the world’s marine diversity?

Current projects include using radiations within the ancient vetigastropod group to test theories about evolutionary responses to changes in temperature over geological timescales and the effect of tectonic movements on biogeographical patterns; the role of dietary specialisation within a shallow-water radiation of carnivorous muricid gastropods; and bivalve phylogeny, focussing on the chemosymbiotic family Lucinidae and ongoing molecular systematics of Trochoidea, with new work focussing on Solariellidae.

Publications

2012

• Claremont, M. D. G. Reid and S. T. WILLIAMS ( 2012 ) Speciation and dietary specialization in Drupa, a genus of predatory marine snails (Gastropoda:
  Muricidae) Zoological Scripta 41 : 137-149 . 10.1111/j.1463-6409.2011.00512.x
• Donald, K. M., J. Preston, S. T. WILLIAMS, D. G. Reid, D. Winter, R.
  Alvarez, B. Buge, S. J. Hawkins, J. Templado, and H. G. Spencer ( 2012 ) Phylogenetic relationships elucidate colonization patterns in the intertidal grazers Osilinus Philippi, 1847, and Phorcus Risso, 1826 (Gastropoda:
  Trochidae) in the northeastern Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 62 : 33-45 . DOI:10.1016/j.ympev.2011.09.002
• Reid, D.G., P. Dyal and S. T. WILLIAMS ( 2012 ) A global molecular phylogeny of 147 periwinkle species (Gastropoda: Littorininae) Zoological Scripta 41 : 125-136 . DOI: 10.1111/j.1463-6409.2011.00505.x
• WILLIAMS, S. T., A. Hall and P. Kuklinski ( 2012 ) Unravelling cryptic diversity in the Indo-West Pacific gastropod genus Lunella (Turbinidae) using elliptic Fourier analysis. American Malacological Bulletin 30 : 189-206 . DOI: 10.4003/006.030.0117

2011

• Claremont, M. D. G. Reid and S. T. WILLIAMS. ( 2011 ) Evolution of corallivory in the gastropod genus Drupella Coral Reefs 30 : 977-990 . 10.1007/s00338-011-0788-5
• Claremont, M., S. T. WILLIAMS, T. Barraclough and D. G. Reid. ( 2011 ) The geographic scale of speciation in a marine snail with high potential dispersal. Journal of Biogeography 38 : 1016-1032 . Journal of Biogeography | 10.1111/j.1365-2699.2011.02482.x
• Taylor, J. D., E. A. Glover, P. Dyal, and S. T. WILLIAMS. ( 2011 ) Molecular phylogeny and classification of the chemosymbiotic bivalve family Lucinidae Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 163 : 15-49 . 10.1111/j.1096-3642.2011.00700.x
• WILLIAMS, S. T., D. Apte, T. Ozawa, F. Kagilis & T. Nakano ( 2011 ) Speciation and dispersal along continental coastlines and island arcs in the Indo-West Pacific turbinid gastropod genus Lunella. Evolution 65 : 1752-1771 . 10.1111/j.1558-5646.2011.01255.x

2010

• Barco, A., Claremont, M., Reid, D. G., Houart, R., Bouchet, P., WILLIAMS, S.
  T., Cruaud, C., Couloux, A. and Oliverio, M.
  ( 2010 ) A molecular phylogenetic framework for the Muricidae, a diverse family of carnivorous gastropods Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 56 : 1025-1039 . 10.1016/j.ympev.2010.03.008
• Reid, D.G., P. Dyal and S. T. WILLIAMS   ( 2010 ) Global diversification of mangrove fauna: a molecular phylogeny of Littoraria (Gastropoda:Littorinidae) Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 55 : 185-201 . 10.1016/j.ympev.2009.09.036
• WILLIAMS, S. T., K. M. Donald, H. G. Spencer and T. Nakano  
  ( 2010 ) Molecular systematics of the marine gastropod families Trochidae and Calliostomatidae (Mollusca: Superfamily Trochoidea) Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 54 : 783-809 . 10.1016/j.ympev.2009.11.008

2009

• Taylor, J. D., E. A. Glover and S. T. WILLIAMS   ( 2009 ) Phylogenetic position of the bivalve family Cyrenoididae – removal from   (and further dismantling of) the superfamily Lucinoidea. Nautilus 123 (1) : 9-13 .

2008

• Claremont, M., D.G. Reid and S. T. WILLIAMS ( 2008 ) A molecular phylogeny of the Rapaninae and Ergalataxinae (Neogastropoda: Muricidae) Journal of Molluscan Studies 74 : 215-221 .
• Glover, E. A., J. D. Taylor, and S. T. WILLIAMS ( 2008 ) Mangrove-associated lucinid bivalves of the central Indo-West Pacific: review of the “Austriella” group with a new genus and species (Mollusca: Bivalvia: Lucinidae) Raffles Museum Bulletin of Zoology S18 : 25-40 .
• Reid, D.G., P. Dyal, P. Lozouet, M. Glaubrecht and S. T. WILLIAMS ( 2008 ) Mudwhelks and mangroves: the evolutionary history of an ecological association (Gastropoda: Potamididae) Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 47 : 680-699 .
• Taylor, J.D., E.A. Glover & S. T. WILLIAMS ( 2008 ) Ancient chemosynthetic bivalves: systematics of Solemyidae from eastern and southern Australia (Mollusca: Bivalvia). In, Davie, P.J.F. & Phillips, J.A. (Eds), Proceedings of the Thirteenth International Marine Biological Workshop, The Marine Fauna and Flora of Moreton Bay, Queensland. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum — Nature 54(1) : 75–104. Brisbane .
• WILLIAMS, S. T. ( 2008 ) The calcareous operculum as a character for defining subgenera in the marine gastropod genus Turbo Vita Malacologica 7 : 1-13 .
• WILLIAMS, S. T. and T. F. Duda    ( 2008 ) Did tectonic activity stimulate speciation in the Oligo-Miocene Indo-West Pacific? Evolution 62 : 1618-1634 .
• WILLIAMS, S. T., S. Karube and T. Ozawa ( 2008 ) Molecular systematics of Vetigastropoda: Trochidae, Turbinidae and Trochoidea redefined Zoologica Scripta 37 : 483-506 .

2007

• Taylor, J. D., S. T. WILLIAMS and E. A. Glover     ( 2007 ) Evolutionary relationships of the bivalve family Thyasiridae (Mollusca: Bivalvia), monophyly and superfamily status Journal Marine Biological Association 87(2) : 565-574 .
• Taylor, J. D., S. T. WILLIAMS, E. A. Glover and P. Dyal    ( 2007 ) A molecular phylogeny of heterodont bivalves (Mollusca: Bivalvia: Heterodonta): new analyses of 18S rRNA and 28S rRNA genes Zoologica Scripta 36 : 587-606 .
• Vermeij, G. and S. T. WILLIAMS   ( 2007 ) Predation and the geography of opercular thickness in turbinid gastropods Journal of Molluscan Studies J73(1) : 67-73 .
• WILLIAMS, S. T. ( 2007 ) Safe and legal shipment of tissue samples: does it affect dna quality? Journal of Molluscan Studies 73(4) : 416-418 .
• WILLIAMS, S. T.     ( 2007 ) Origins and diversification of the Indo-West Pacific fauna: evolutionary history and biogeography of turban shells (Gastropoda, Turbinidae) Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 92 : 573-592 .

2006

• Reid, D. G., Lal, K., MacKenzie-Dodds, J., Kaligis, F., Littlewood, D. T. and S. T. WILLIAMS   ( 2006 ) Comparative phylogeography and species boundaries in Echinolittorina snails in the central Indo-West Pacific Journal of Biogeography 33 : 990-1006 .
• WILLIAMS, S. T. and T. Ozawa   ( 2006 ) Molecular phylogeny suggests polyphyly of both the turban shells (family Turbinidae) and the superfamily Trochoidea (Mollusca: Vetigastropoda) Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 39 : 33-51 .

2005

• Taylor, J. D., E. A. Glover and S.T. WILLIAMS      ( 2005 ) Another bloody bivalve: anatomy and relationships of Eucrassatella donacina from south western Australia (Mollusca: Bivalvia: Crassatellidae), In: F. E. Wells, D. I. Walker & G. E. Kendrick (eds) The marine flora and fauna of Esperance . West Australian Museum, Perth : Western Australia , 261-288 .

2004

• Reid, D.G. and S.T. WILLIAMS   ( 2004 ) The subfamily Littorininae (Gastropoda: Littorinidae) in the temperate Southern Hemisphere: the genera Nodilittorina, Austrolittorina and Afrolittorina Records of the Australian Museum 56 : 75-122 .
• WILLIAMS, S.T and D.G. Reid    ( 2004 ) Speciation and diversity on tropical rocky shores: a global phylogeny of snails of the genus Echinolittorina Evolution 58 : 2227-2251 .
• WILLIAMS, S.T., J.D. Taylor and E.A. Glover ( 2004 ) Molecular phylogeny of the Lucinoidea (Bivalvia): non-monophyly and separate acquisition of bacterial chemosymbiosis  Journal of Molluscan Studies 70 : 187-202 .

2003

• WILLIAMS, S.T., D.G. Reid and D.T.J. Littlewood    ( 2003 ) A molecular phylogeny of the Littorininae (Gastropoda: Littorinidae): unequal evolutionary rates, morphological parallelism and biogeography of the Southern Ocean Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 28 : 60–86 .

2002

• WILLIAMS S.T., J.A. Jara, E Gomez and N Knowlton     ( 2002 ) The marine Indo-West Pacific break: contrasting the resolving power of mitochondrial and nuclear genes Integrative and Comparative Biology 42 : 941-952 .

2001

• WILLIAMS S.T., N. Knowlton ( 2001 ) Mitochondrial pseudogenes are pervasive and often insidious in the snapping shrimp genus Alpheus Molecular Biology and Evolution 18 (8) : 1484-1493 .
• WILLIAMS S.T., N. Knowlton, L.A. Weigt, J.A. Jara   ( 2001 ) Evidence for three major clades within the snapping shrimp genus Alpheus inferred from nuclear (GPI and EF-1a) and mitochondrial (COI) sequence data Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 20 (3) : 375-89 .

2000

• WILLIAMS S.T. ( 2000 ) Species boundaries in the starfish genus Linckia Marine Biology 136 : 137-148 .

1999

• WILLIAMS S.T., N. Knowlton, L.A. Weigt ( 1999 ) Indo-Pacific molecular biogeography of the coral-dwelling snapping shrimp Alpheus lottini (Decapoda: Caridea: Alpheidae). Pp 195-206, In: Sheppard CRC, Seaward MRD (eds.) Ecology of the Chagos Archipelago . Linnean Society Occasional Publications 2, Westbury Press .

1998

• Benzie J.A.H., S.T. WILLIAMS   ( 1998 ) Phylogenetic relationships among giant clam species (Mollusca: Tridacnidae) determined by protein electrophoresis Marine Biology 132 : 123-133 .
• WILLIAMS S.T., J.A.H. Benzie   ( 1998 ) Evidence of a biogeographic break between populations of a high dispersal starfish, congruent regions within the Indo-West Pacific defined by colour morphs, mtDNA and allozyme data Evolution 52 : 87-99 .

1997

• Benzie J.A.H., S.T. WILLIAMS    ( 1997 ) Genetic structure of giant clam (Tridacna maxima) populations in the West Pacific is not consistent with dispersal by present-day ocean currents Evolution 51 : 768-783 .
• WILLIAMS S.T., J.A.H. Benzie    ( 1997 ) Indo-West Pacific patterns of differentiation in the high-dispersal starfish Linckia laevigata Molecular Ecology 6 : 559-573 .

1996

• Benzie J.A.H., S.T. WILLIAMS   ( 1996 ) Limitations in the genetic variation of hatchery produced batches of the giant clam Tridacna gigas. Aquaculture 139 : 225-241 .
• WILLIAMS S.T., J.A.H. Benzie     ( 1996 ) Genetic uniformity of widely separated populations of the coral reef starfish Linckia laevigata from the West Pacific and East Indian Oceans, revealed by allozyme electrophoresis Marine Biology 126 : 99-108 .

1995

• Benzie J.A.H., S.T. WILLIAMS   ( 1995 ) Gene flow among giant clam (Tridacna gigas) populations in the Pacific does not parallel ocean circulation Marine Biology 123 : 781-788 .

1993

• Benzie J.A.H., S.T. WILLIAMS, JM Macaranas    ( 1993 ) Allozyme electrophoretic methods for analysing genetic variation in giant clams (Tridacnidae), In: ACIAR technical report, 50 pp . .
• WILLIAMS S.T., JAH Benzie   ( 1993 ) Genetic consequences of long larval life in the starfish, Linckia laevigata, (Echinodermata; Asteroidea) on the Great Barrier Reef, Australia Marine Biology 117 : 71-77 .

1992

• Benzie J.A.H., S.T. WILLIAMS   ( 1992 ) No genetic differentiation of giant clam (Tridacna gigas) in the Great Barrier Reef, Australia Marine Biology 113 : 373-378 .
• Benzie J.A.H., S.T. WILLIAMS    ( 1992 ) Genetic structure of giant clam (Tridacna maxima) populations from reefs in the Western Coral Sea Coral Reefs 11 : 135-141 .
• Macaranas J.M., C.A. Ablan, Ma.J.R. Pante, J.A.H. Benzie, S.T. WILLIAMS    ( 1992 ) Genetic structure of giant clam (Tridacna derasa) populations from reefs in the Indo-Pacific Marine Biology 113 : 231-238 .
• WILLIAMS S.T. ( 1992 ) Methods for analysis of genetic variation in the blue starfish, Linckia laevigata, using allozyme electrophoresis, In: Australian Institute of Marine Science Report no.6 . .