Rowan Whittle

Palaeobiologist

Rowan Whittle

Team

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Rowan Whittle

Biography

I am an interdisciplinary scientist, with a first class undergraduate masters degree in Geoscience, a postgraduate masters degree in Biological Science and a PhD in Palaeontology.

  • UKRI Future Leaders Fellow 2022-present ‘The past, present and future of unique coldwater benthic (sea floor) ecosystems in the Southern Ocean’
  • Palaeobiologist British Antarctic Survey, 2009 to present
  • Molluscan Palaeontologist, British Antarctic Survey, 2007 to 2009
  • Research Associate of Lucy Cavendish College, University of Cambridge, 2017 – present
  • Honorary Secretary The Malacological Society of London 2016-present
  • Membership Secretary The Malacological Society of London 2014-2016
  • NERC funded PhD ‘Systematics, taphonomy and palaeoecology of selected invertebrates from the Late Ordovician Soom Shale Lagerstätte, South Africa’ University of Leicester, 2003-2007
  • NERC funded MSc ‘Advanced methods in taxonomy and biodiversity’ Natural History Museum, London and Imperial College, 2002-2003
  • MSci Hons. Geoscience, Royal Holloway, University of London, 1998-2002.

Research interests

As a palaeobiologist at the British Antarctic Survey, my recent research has focussed on the evolution of polar ecosystems on several different levels, from tracing the history of individual taxa through time to looking at the interaction of taxa and the community structure as a whole. These studies have also examined the interaction and evolution of biota through changing climatic and tectonic regimes.

Collaborations

 

 

Publications from NERC Open Research Archive

2025

Khan, Tasnuva Ming ORCIDORCID record for Tasnuva Ming Khan, Griffiths, Huw J. ORCIDORCID record for Huw J. Griffiths, Stephenson, Nile P., Whittle, Rowan J. ORCIDORCID record for Rowan J. Whittle, Purser, Autun, Manica, Andrea, Mitchell, Emily G.. (2025) Competition drives the dispersal dynamics of two cup coral morphs in populations on the Powell Basin slopes, Weddell Sea, Antarctica. Scientific Reports, 15 (). 12 pp. 10.1038/s41598-025-02282-7

Trotter, Cameron ORCIDORCID record for Cameron Trotter, Griffiths, Huw J. ORCIDORCID record for Huw J. Griffiths, Whittle, Rowan J. ORCIDORCID record for Rowan J. Whittle. (2025) Surveying the deep: A review of computer vision in the benthos. Ecological Informatics, 86 (). 18 pp. 10.1016/j.ecoinf.2024.102989

2024

Griffiths, Huw J. ORCIDORCID record for Huw J. Griffiths, Cummings, Vonda J., Van de Putte, Anton, Whittle, Rowan J. ORCIDORCID record for Rowan J. Whittle, Waller, Catherine L.. (2024) Antarctic benthic ecological change. Nature Reviews Earth & Environment, 5 (). pp. 10.1038/s43017-024-00583-5

Khan, Tasnuva Ming ORCIDORCID record for Tasnuva Ming Khan, Griffiths, Huw J. ORCIDORCID record for Huw J. Griffiths, Whittle, Rowan J. ORCIDORCID record for Rowan J. Whittle, Stephenson, Nile P., Delahooke, Katie M., Purser, Autun, Manica, Andrea, Mitchell, Emily G.. (2024) Network analyses on photographic surveys reveal that invertebrate predators do not structure epibenthos in the deep (~2000m) rocky Powell Basin, Weddell Sea, Antarctica. Frontiers in Marine Science, 11 (). 16 pp. 10.3389/fmars.2024.1408828

2023

Ineson, Jon R., Bowman, Vanessa C., Crame, J. Alistair ORCIDORCID record for J. Alistair Crame, Francis, Jane E., Whittle, Rowan J. ORCIDORCID record for Rowan J. Whittle. (2023) Sequence stratigraphy of a wave-dominated, tidally influenced delta in the Danian of Seymour Island, Antarctica: An integrated sedimentological–palaeoecological approach. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 629 (). 22 pp. 10.1016/j.palaeo.2023.111789

Foster, William J., Allen, Bethany J., Kitzmann, Niklas H., Münchmeyer, Jannes, Rettelbach, Tabea, Witts, James D., Whittle, Rowan J. ORCIDORCID record for Rowan J. Whittle, Larina, Ekaterina, Clapham, Matthew E., Dunhill, Alexander M.. (2023) How predictable are mass extinction events?. Royal Society Open Science, 10 (). 18 pp. 10.1098/rsos.221507

Griffiths, Huw ORCIDORCID record for Huw Griffiths, Whittle, Rowan J. ORCIDORCID record for Rowan J. Whittle, Mitchell, Emily G.. (2023) Animal survival strategies in Neoproterozoic ice worlds. Global Change Biology, 29 (). pp. 10.1111/gcb.16393

2021

Smellie, John L., McIntosh, William C., Whittle, Rowan ORCIDORCID record for Rowan Whittle, Troedson, Alexa, Hunt, Richard J.. (2021) A lithostratigraphical and chronological study of Oligocene-Miocene sequences on eastern King George Island, South Shetland Islands (Antarctica) and correlation of glacial episodes with global isotope events. Antarctic Science, 33 (). 31 pp. 10.1017/S095410202100033X

Almond, Peter M., Linse, Katrin ORCIDORCID record for Katrin Linse, Dreutter, Simon, Grant, Susie M., Griffiths, Huw J. ORCIDORCID record for Huw J. Griffiths, Whittle, Rowan J. ORCIDORCID record for Rowan J. Whittle, Mackenzie, Melanie, Reid, William D. K.. (2021) In-situ image analysis of habitat heterogeneity and benthic biodiversity in the Prince Gustav Channel, Eastern Antarctic Peninsula.. Frontiers in Marine Science, 8 (). 18 pp. 10.3389/fmars.2021.614496

2020

Mitchell, Emily G., Whittle, Rowan J. ORCIDORCID record for Rowan J. Whittle, Griffiths, Huw J. ORCIDORCID record for Huw J. Griffiths. (2020) Benthic ecosystem cascade effects in Antarctica using Bayesian network inference. Communications Biology, 3 (). pp. 10.1038/s42003-020-01310-8

2019

Whittle, Rowan J. ORCIDORCID record for Rowan J. Whittle, Witts, James D., Bowman, Vanessa C., Crame, J. Alistair ORCIDORCID record for J. Alistair Crame, Francis, Jane E., Ineson, Jon. (2019) Nature and timing of biotic recovery in Antarctic benthic marine ecosystems following the Cretaceous-Paleogene mass extinction. Palaeontology, 62 (). pp. 10.1111/pala.12434

2018

Whittle, Rowan ORCIDORCID record for Rowan Whittle, Hunter, AW, Cantrill, DJ, McNamara, KJ. (2018) Globally discordant Isocrinida (Crinoidea) migration confirms asynchronous Marine Mesozoic Revolution. Communications Biology, 1 (). pp. 10.1038/s42003-018-0048-0

2017

Gabbott, Sarah E., Browning, Claire, Theron, Johannes N., Whittle, Rowan J. ORCIDORCID record for Rowan J. Whittle. (2017) The late Ordovician Soom Shale Lagerstȁtte: an extraordinary post-glacial fossil and sedimentary record. Journal of the Geological Society, 174 (). pp. 10.1144/jgs2016-076

2016

Bowman, V., Ineson, J., Riding, J. ORCIDORCID record for J. Riding, Crame, J. ORCIDORCID record for J. Crame, Francis, J., Condon, D., Whittle, R. ORCIDORCID record for R. Whittle, Ferraccioli, F. ORCIDORCID record for F. Ferraccioli. (2016) The Paleocene of Antarctica: dinoflagellate cyst biostratigraphy, chronostratigraphy and implications for the palaeo-Pacific margin of Gondwana. Gondwana Research, 38 (). pp. 10.1016/j.gr.2015.10.018

Witts, James D., Whittle, Rowan J. ORCIDORCID record for Rowan J. Whittle, Wignall, Paul B., Crame, J. Alistair ORCIDORCID record for J. Alistair Crame, Francis, Jane E., Newton, Robert J., Bowman, Vanessa C.. (2016) Macrofossil evidence for a rapid and severe Cretaceous-Paleogene mass extinction in Antarctica. Nature Communications, 7 (). pp. 10.1038/ncomms11738

2015

Jackson, Jennifer A. ORCIDORCID record for Jennifer A. Jackson, Linse, Katrin ORCIDORCID record for Katrin Linse, Whittle, Rowan ORCIDORCID record for Rowan Whittle, Griffiths, Huw J. ORCIDORCID record for Huw J. Griffiths. (2015) The evolutionary origins of the Southern Ocean philobryid bivalves: hidden biodiversity, ancient persistence. PLoS One, 10 (). 20 pp. 10.1371/journal.pone.0121198

2014

Crame, J. Alistair ORCIDORCID record for J. Alistair Crame, Beu, Alain G., Ineson, Jon R., Francis, Jane E., Whittle, Rowan J. ORCIDORCID record for Rowan J. Whittle, Bowman, Vanessa C.. (2014) The early origin of the Antarctic Marine Fauna and its evolutionary implications. PLoS One, 9 (). 22 pp. 10.1371/journal.pone.0114743

Griffiths, Huw J. ORCIDORCID record for Huw J. Griffiths, Whittle, Rowan J. ORCIDORCID record for Rowan J. Whittle, Roberts, Stephen J. ORCIDORCID record for Stephen J. Roberts, Belchier, Mark ORCIDORCID record for Mark Belchier, Linse, Katrin ORCIDORCID record for Katrin Linse, Thatje, Sven. (2014) Decapoda: crabs and lobsters. In: De Broyer, Claude, Koubbi, Philippe, Griffiths, Huw ORCIDORCID record for Huw Griffiths, Raymond, Ben, d'Udekem d'Acoz, Cedric, Van de Putte, Anton, Danis, Bruno, David, Bruno, Grant, Susie ORCIDORCID record for Susie Grant, Gutt, Julian, Held, Christoph, Hosie, Graham, Huettmann, Falk, Post, Alexandra, Ropert-Coudert, Yan (eds.). Biogeographic Atlas of the Southern Ocean, Cambridge, Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research, pp.

Kemp, David B., Robinson, Stuart A, Crame, J. Alistair ORCIDORCID record for J. Alistair Crame, Francis, Jane E., Ineson, Jon, Whittle, Rowan J. ORCIDORCID record for Rowan J. Whittle, Bowman, Vanessa, O'Brien, Charlotte. (2014) A cool temperate climate on the Antarctic Peninsula during the latest Cretaceous and early Paleogene. Geology, 42 (). pp. 10.1130/G35512.1

Whittle, Rowan ORCIDORCID record for Rowan Whittle, Quaglio, Fernanda, Griffiths, Huw ORCIDORCID record for Huw Griffiths, Linse, Katrin ORCIDORCID record for Katrin Linse, Crame, J. Alistair ORCIDORCID record for J. Alistair Crame. (2014) The Early Miocene Cape Melville Formation fossil assemblage and the evolution of modern Antarctic marine communities. Naturwissenschaften, 101 (). pp. 10.1007/s00114-013-1128-0

2013

Griffiths, H.J. ORCIDORCID record for H.J. Griffiths, Whittle, R.J. ORCIDORCID record for R.J. Whittle, Roberts, S.J. ORCIDORCID record for S.J. Roberts, Belchier, M. ORCIDORCID record for M. Belchier, Linse, K. ORCIDORCID record for K. Linse. (2013) Antarctic crabs: invasion or endurance?. PLoS One, 8 (). pp. 10.1371/journal.pone.0066981

2012

Whittle, Rowan J. ORCIDORCID record for Rowan J. Whittle, Quaglio, Fernanda, Crame, J. Alistair ORCIDORCID record for J. Alistair Crame, Linse, Katrin ORCIDORCID record for Katrin Linse. (2012) Nuculidae (Bivalvia) in the Cape Melville Formation, King George Island, Antarctica, with an overview of the bivalve fauna. Antarctic Science, 24 (). pp. doi:10.1017/S0954102012000454

2011

Whittle, Rowan J. ORCIDORCID record for Rowan J. Whittle, Linse, Katrin ORCIDORCID record for Katrin Linse, Griffiths, Huw J. ORCIDORCID record for Huw J. Griffiths. (2011) The fossil record of Limopsis (Bivalvia: Limopsidae) in Antarctica and the southern high latitudes. Palaeontology, 54 (). pp. 10.1111/j.1475-4983.2011.01061.x

2010

Quaglio, Fernanda, Whittle, Rowan Jane ORCIDORCID record for Rowan Jane Whittle, Gaździcki, Andrzej, Simões, Marcello Guimarães. (2010) A new fossil Adamussium (Bivalvia: Pectinidae) from Antarctica. Polish Polar Research, 31 (). pp. 10.2478/v10183-010-0006-0

2009

Whittle, Rowan J. ORCIDORCID record for Rowan J. Whittle, Gabbott, Sarah E., Aldridge, Richard J., Theron, Johannes. (2009) An Ordovician lobopodian from the Soom Shale Lagerstatte, South Africa. Palaeontology, 52 (). pp. 10.1111/j.1475-4983.2009.00860.x

2008

Whittle, Rowan ORCIDORCID record for Rowan Whittle, Gabbott, Sarah, Aldridge, Richard, Theron, Johannes. (2008) Late Ordovician (Hirnantian) scolecodont clusters from the Soom Shale Lagerstatte, South Africa. Journal of Micropalaeontology, 27 (). pp. 10.1144/jm.27.2.147

2018

SCIENCE IN THE SEA: The adventure begins
Blog 22 February, 2018