Rowan Whittle

Molluscan Palaeontologist

Rowan Whittle

Contact

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.

  • 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.

Book Chapters

Griffiths, H. J., Whittle, R.J., Roberts, S. J., Belchier, M., Linse, K. and Thatje, S. (2014) Chapter 5.21. Decapoda: crabs & lobsters. De Broyer C., Koubbi P., Griffiths H.J., Raymond B., Udekem d’Acoz C. d’, et al. (eds.). Biogeographic Atlas of the Southern Ocean. Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research, Cambridge.

Refereed Journal Articles

Whittle, R.J., Hunter, A.W., Cantrill, D.J., McNamara, K.J. 2018. Globally discordant Isocrinida (Crinoidea)migration confirms asynchronous Marine Mesozoic Revolution. Communications Biology, 1, doi:10.1038/s42003-018-0048-0.

Gabbott, S.E., Browning, C., Theron, J.N., Whittle, R.J. 2017. The late Ordovician Soom Shale Lagerstȁtte: an extraordinary post-glacial fossil and sedimentary record. Journal of the Geological Society, 174, 1–9. 10.1144/jgs2016-076 

Witts, J. D., Whittle, R.J., Wignall, P. B., Crame, J. A., Francis, J. E., Newton, R. J., Bowman, V. C.(2016). Macrofossil evidence for a rapid and severe Cretaceous–Paleogene mass extinction in Antarctica. Nature Communications. 7:11738.

Bowman, V., Ineson, J., Riding, J., Crame, J., Francis, J., Condon, D. Whittle, R., Ferraccioli, F. (2015). The Paleocene of Antarctica: biostratigraphy and palaeogeographical implications for the palaeo-Pacific margin of Gondwana. Gondwana Research. http://dx.doi:10.1016/j.gr.2015.10.018

Jennifer A. Jackson, J. A., Linse, K., Whittle, R. J. and Griffiths H. J. (2015). The evolutionary origins of the Southern Ocean philobryid bivalves: hidden biodiversity, ancient persistence. PlosONE 10: e0121198. http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0121198

Crame, J. A., Beu, A. G., Ineson. J. R., Francis, J. E., Whittle, R. J. and Bowman, V.C. (2014). The Early Origin of the Antarctic Marine Fauna and its Evolutionary Implications. PLoS ONE 9: e114743. http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0114743

Kemp, D. B., Robinson, S. A., Crame, J. A., Francis, J. E., Ineson, J., Whittle, R.J., Bowman, V. and O’Brien, C. (2014). A cool temperate climate on the Antarctic Peninsula through the latest Cretaceous to early Paleogene. Geology, 42, 583–586. http://dx.doi.org/10.1130/G35512.1

Whittle, R. J., Quaglio, F., Griffiths, H. J., Linse, K. and Crame, J. A. 2014. The Early Miocene Cape Melville Formation fossil assemblage
and the evolution of modern Antarctic marine communities. Naturwissenschaften, 101, 47-59. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00114-013-1128-0

Griffiths, H. J., Whittle, R. J., Roberts, S. J., Belchier, M. and Linse, K. 2013. Antarctic Crabs: Invasion or Endurance? PlosONE. http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0066981

Whittle, R. J., Quaglio, F., Crame, J. A. and Linse, K. 2012. Nuculidae (Bivalvia) in the Cape Melville Formation, King George Island, Antarctica, with an overview of the bivalve fauna. Antarctic Science, 24, 625-633. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0954102012000454

Whittle, R. J., Linse, K., and Griffiths, H. J. 2011. The fossil record of Limopsis (Bivalvia: Limopsidae) in Antarctica and the southern high latitudes. Palaeontology, 54, 935–952. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-4983.2011.01061.x

Quaglio, F., Whittle, R. J., Gaździcki, A. and Guimarães Simões, M. 2010. A new fossil Adamussium (Bivalvia: Pectinidae) from Antarctica. Polish Polar Research, 31(4), 291–302.

Whittle, R. J., Gabbott, S. E., Aldridge, R. J. and Theron, J. N. 2009. An Ordovician lobopodian from the Soom Shale Lagerstätte, South Africa. Palaeontology, 52, 561–567. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-4983.2009.00860.x

Whittle, R. J., Gabbott, S. E., Aldridge, R. J. and Theron, J. N. 2008. Late Ordovician (Hirnantian) scolecodont clusters from the Soom Shale Lagerstätte, South Africa. Journal of Micropalaeontology, 27, 147–159.

Whittle, R. J., Gabbott, S. E., Aldridge, R. J. and Theron, J. N. 2007. Taphonomy and palaeoecology of a Late Ordovician caryocaridid from the Soom Shale Lagerstätte, South Africa. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 251, 383–397. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2007.04.006

 

Publications from NERC Open Research Archive

2018

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

2017

Gabbott, Sarah E., Browning, Claire, Theron, Johannes N., Whittle, Rowan J.. (2017) The late Ordovician Soom Shale Lagerstȁtte: an extraordinary post-glacial fossil and sedimentary record. Journal of the Geological Society, 174. 1-9. 10.1144/jgs2016-076

2016

Bowman, V., Ineson, J., Riding, J., Crame, J., Francis, J., Condon, D., Whittle, R., Ferraccioli, F.. (2016) The Paleocene of Antarctica: dinoflagellate cyst biostratigraphy, chronostratigraphy and implications for the palaeo-Pacific margin of Gondwana. Gondwana Research, 38. 132-148. 10.1016/j.gr.2015.10.018

Witts, James D., Whittle, Rowan J., Wignall, Paul B., Crame, J. Alistair, 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. 10.1038/ncomms11738

2015

Jackson, Jennifer A., Linse, Katrin, Whittle, Rowan, Griffiths, Huw J.. (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, Beu, Alain G., Ineson, Jon R., Francis, Jane E., Whittle, Rowan J., 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., Whittle, Rowan J., Roberts, Stephen J., Belchier, Mark, Linse, Katrin, Thatje, Sven. (2014) Decapoda: crabs and lobsters. In: Biogeographic Atlas of the Southern Ocean, Cambridge, Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research, 185-189.

Kemp, David B., Robinson, Stuart A, Crame, J. Alistair, Francis, Jane E., Ineson, Jon, Whittle, Rowan J., Bowman, Vanessa, O'Brien, Charlotte. (2014) A cool temperate climate on the Antarctic Peninsula during the latest Cretaceous and early Paleogene. Geology, 42. 583-586. 10.1130/G35512.1

Whittle, Rowan, Quaglio, Fernanda, Griffiths, Huw, Linse, Katrin, Crame, J. Alistair. (2014) The Early Miocene Cape Melville Formation fossil assemblage and the evolution of modern Antarctic marine communities. Naturwissenschaften, 101. 47-59. 10.1007/s00114-013-1128-0

2013

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