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Bill's Research Group
Joe Hoffman  

Dr Joe Hoffman

Postdoctoral Research Associate

 

Contact details

Department of Zoology
University of Cambridge
Downing Street
Cambridge CB2 3EJ

Tel. +44 (0) 1223 336677
Fax: +44 (0) 1223 336676

E-mail Joe

Qualifications

PhD, University of Cambridge
MSc Integrative Bioscience, University of Oxford
BSc Environmental Biology (First Class Honours), University of Wales Swansea

 

Research

I am interested in the evolutionary and conservation genetics of natural vertebrate populations. My current work focuses on pinnipeds (seals and sea lions), addressing a variety of topics ranging from mating systems and population genetic structure through to the relationship between genetic heterozygosity and fitness and comparative genomics.


Antarctic fur seals

My primary research focuses on a colony of Antarctic fur seals, Arctocephalus gazella breeding at Bird Island, South Georgia. Working in collaboration with colleagues at the British Antarctic survey, I have assembled a genetic database spanning over a decade. By carrying out a detailed dissection of the fur seal mating system, we hope to better understand how genetic factors impact mate choice and reproductive success.


Stellers sea lions

Working in collaboration with colleagues from the USA, my genetic research on Steller’s sea lions Eumetopias jubatus has revealed a clear phylogenetic break within the range of this species. This finding supports previous mitochondrial DNA studies revealing two discrete stocks, and has implications for conservation because the two stocks show opposite growth trajectories.


Selected publications click here for a full list of publications and PDF downloads

Hoffman, J.I., Dasmahapatra, K.K., Amos, W., Phillips, C., Gelatt, T.S. & Bickham, J.W. (2009). Contrasting patterns of genetic diversity at three different genetic markers in a marine mammal metapopulation. Molecular Ecology, 18: 2961–2978. Doi: 10.1111/j.1365-294X.2009.04246.x

Hoffman, J.I., Forcada, J., Trathan, P.N. & Amos, W. (2007). Female fur seals show active choice for males that are heterozygous and unrelated. Nature, 445: 912–914. doi: 10.1038/nature05558

Hoffman, J.I., Matson, C., Amos, W. Loughlin, T.R. & Bickham, J.W. (2006). Deep genetic subdivision within a continuously distributed and highly vagile marine mammal, the Steller’s sea lion Eumetopias jubatus. Molecular Ecology, 15: 2821–2832. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-294X.2006.02991.x

Hoffman, J.I. & Amos, W. (2005). Microsatellite genotyping errors: detection approaches, common sources and consequences for paternal exclusion. Molecular Ecology, 14: 599–612. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-294X.2004.02419.x


Submitted manuscripts

Hoffman, J.I., Forcada, J. & Amos, W. Exploring the mechanisms underlying a heterozygosity-fitness correlation for canine size in the Antarctic fur seal Arctocephalus gazella.

Hoffman, J.I. Hanson, N., Forcada, J., Trathan, P.N. & Amos, W. Getting long in the tooth: a strong positive correlation between canine size and heterozygosity in the Antarctic fur seal Arctocephalus gazella.

Merrill, R.M., Hoffman, J.I., Amos,W. & Aldridge, D.C. (in prep) Phylogeography of the invasive mussel Dreissena polymorpha in Great Britain

Skidmore, R., Leach, C., Hoffman, J.I., Amos, W. & Aldridge, D. Conservation Genetics of the Endangered Depressed River Mussel, Pseudanodonta complanata, using Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism (AFLP) Markers.


Full list of publications and PDF downloads

Hoffman, J.I., Munro, K., Amos, W. & Kilner, R.M. (in press) High rates of infidelity in the grey fantail Rhipidura albiscapa suggest that testis size may be a better correlate of extra-pair paternity than sexual dimorphism. Ibis.

Zieritz, A., Hoffman, J.I., Amos, W. & Aldridge D.C. (in press). Phenotypic plasticity and genetic isolation-by-distance in the freshwater mussel Unio pictorum (Mollusca: Unionoida). Evolutionary Ecology.

Brammah, M., Hoffman J.I., Amos, W. & Davies N. (in press). Genetic divergence between and within two subspecies of Laudakia stellio on islands in the Greek Cyclades. The Herpetological Journal.

Dasmahapatra, K.K., Elias, M., Hill, R.I., Hoffman, J.I. & Mallet, J. (online early). Mitochondrial DNA barcoding detects “species” that are not real. Molecular Ecology Resources. Doi: 10.1111/j.1755-0998.2009.02763.x. (PDF)

Hoffman, J.I., Peck L. S., Hillyard, G., Zieritz, A. & Clark, M. S. (online early). No evidence for genetic differentiation between Antarctic limpet Nacella concinna morphotypes. Marine Biology. Doi: 10.1007/s00227-009-1360-5. (PDF)

Amos, W. & Hoffman, J.I. (online early). Evidence that two main bottleneck events shaped modern human genetic diversity. Proceedings of the Royal Society, Series B, 277: 131–137. Doi: 10.1098/rspb.2009.1473. (PDF)

Rosa de Oliveira, L., Meyer, D., Hoffman, J.I., Majluf, P. & Morgante, J.S. (online early). Evidence of a genetic bottleneck in an El Nino affected population of South American fur seals, Arctocephalus australis. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. Doi: 10.1017/S0025315409000162. (PDF)

Hoffman, J.I., Dasmahapatra, K.K., Amos, W., Phillips, C., Gelatt, T.S. & Bickham, J.W. (2009). Contrasting patterns of genetic diversity at three different genetic markers in a marine mammal metapopulation. Molecular Ecology, 18: 2961–2978. Doi: 10.1111/j.1365-294X.2009.04246.x. (PDF)

Hoffman, J.I., & Forcada, J. (2009). Genetic analysis of twinning in Antarctic fur seals (Arctocephalus gazella). Journal of Mammalogy, 90: 621–628. Doi: 10.1644/08-MAMM-A-264R1.1. (PDF)

Dasmahapatra, K.K., Hoffman, J.I. & Amos, W. (2009). Pinniped phylogenetic relationships inferred using AFLP markers. Heredity, 103: 168–177. Doi: 10.1038/hdy.2009.25. (PDF)

Hoffman, J.I. (2009). A panel of new microsatellite loci for genetic studies of Antarctic fur seals and other otariid species. Conservation Genetics, 10: 989–992. Doi: 10.1007/s10592-008-9669-z. (PDF)

Parkes, K.A., Amos, W., Moore, N.W., Hoffman, J.I. & Moore, J. (2009). Population structure and speciation in the dragonfly Sympetrum striolatum / nigrescens: an analysis using AFLP markers. European Journal of Entomology, 106: 179–184. (PDF)

Temple, H.J., Hoffman, J.I. & Amos, W. (2009). Group structure, mating system and extra-group paternity in the cooperatively breeding White-breasted Thrasher Ramphocinclus brachyurus. Ibis, 151: 99–112. Doi: 10.1111/j.1474-919X.2008.00867.x. (PDF)

Rosa de Oliveira, L., Hoffman, J.I., Hingst-Zaher, E., Majluf, P., Muelbert, M.M.C., Amos, W. & Morgante, J.S. (2008). Morphological and genetic evidence for two Evolutionary Significant Units (ESUs) in the South American fur seal Arctocephalus australis. Conservation Genetics, 9: 1451–1466. Doi: 10.1007/s10592-007-9473-1. (PDF)

Rijks, J.M., Hoffman, J.I., Kuiken, T., Osterhaus, A.D.M.E. & Amos, W. (2008). Heterozygosity and lungworm burden in harbour seals (Phoca vitulina). Heredity, 100: 587-593. Doi: 10.1038/hdy.2008.18. (PDF)

Hoffman, J.I., Dasmahapatra, K.K. & Nichols, H.J. (2008). Ten novel polymorphic dinucleotide microsatellite loci cloned from the Antarctic fur seal Arctocephalus gazella. Molecular Ecology Notes, 8: 459–461. doi: 10.1111/j.1471-8286.2007.01993.x (PDF)

Hoffman, J.I., Forcada, J., Trathan, P.N. & Amos, W. (2007). Female fur seals show active choice for males that are heterozygous and unrelated. Nature, 445: 912–914. doi: 10.1038/nature05558 (PDF) Supplementary information (PDF)

Hoffman, J.I., Wolf, J.B.W. & Steinfartz, S. (2007). Ten novel dinucleotide microsatellite loci cloned from the Galapagos sea lion (Zalophus californianus wollebaeki) are polymorphic in other pinniped species. Molecular Ecology Notes, 7: 103–105. doi: 10.1111/j.1471-8286.2006.01544.x (PDF)

Amos, W., Hoffman, J.I., Frodsham, A., Zhang, L., Best, S. & Hill, A.V.S. (2007). Automated binning of microsatellite alleles: problems and solutions. Molecular Ecology Notes, 7: 10–14. doi: 10.1111/j.1471-8286.2006.01560.x (PDF)

Hoffman, J.I., Trathan, P.N. & Amos, W. (2006). Genetic tagging reveals extreme site fidelity in territorial male Antarctic fur seals Arctocephalus gazella. Molecular Ecology, 15: 3841–3847. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-294X.2006.03053.x (PDF)

Hoffman, J.I., Matson, C., Amos, W. Loughlin, T.R. & Bickham, J.W. (2006). Deep genetic subdivision within a continuously distributed and highly vagile marine mammal, the Steller’s sea lion Eumetopias jubatus. Molecular Ecology, 15: 2821–2832. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-294X.2006.02991.x (PDF)

Hoffman, J.I., Forcada, J. & Amos, W. (2006). No relationship between microsatellite variation and neonatal fitness in Antarctic fur seals Arctocephalus gazella. Molecular Ecology, 15: 1995-2005. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-294X.2006.02894.x (PDF)

Temple, H.J., Hoffman, J.I. & Amos, W. (2006). Dispersal, philopatry and inter-group relatedness: fine-scale genetic structure in the white-breasted thrasher Ramphocinclus brachyurus. Molecular Ecology, 15: 3449–3458. doi:10.1111/j.1365-294X.2006.03006.x (PDF)

Jin, L., Temple, H. J., Hoffman, J.I., Tan, S. & Amos, W. (2006). Polymorphic microsatellite DNA markers for the White-breasted thrasher, Ramphocinclus brachyurus. Molecular Ecology Notes, 6: 862–864. doi: 10.1111/j.1471-8286.2006.01375.x (PDF)

Jin, L., Munro, K., Tan, S. Hoffman, J.I. & Amos, W. (2006). Polymorphic microsatellite DNA markers for the grey fantail, Rhipidura albiscapa. Molecular Ecology Notes, 6: 75–76. doi: 10.1111/j.1471-8286.2005.01143.x (PDF)

Hoffman, J.I., & Amos, W. (2005). Does kin selection influence fostering behaviour in Antarctic fur seals (Arctocephalus gazella)? Proceedings of the Royal Society, Series B, 272: 2017–2022. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2005.3176 (PDF)

Hoffman, J.I., & Amos, W. (2005). Microsatellite genotyping errors: detection approaches, common sources and consequences for paternal exclusion. Molecular Ecology, 14: 599–612. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-294X.2004.02419.x (PDF)

Hoffman, J.I., Boyd, I.L.B. & Amos, W. (2004). Exploring the relationship between parental relatedness and male reproductive success in the Antarctic fur seal Arctocephalus gazella. Evolution, 58(9): 2087–2099. (PDF)

Hoffman, J.I., (2003). Genetic analysis of male reproductive success in the Antarctic fur seal Arctocephalus gazella. PhD thesis. Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge.

Hoffman, J.I., Boyd, I.L.B. & Amos, W. (2003). Male reproductive strategy and the importance of maternal status in the Antarctic fur seal Arctocephalus gazella. Evolution, 57(8): 1917–1930. (PDF)

Webster, J.P., Hoffman, J.I. & Berdoy, M. (2003). Parasite resistance and mate choice–battle of the genders in a simultaneous hermaphrodite. Proceedings of the Royal Society, Series B, 270: 1481–1485. (PDF)

Webster, J.P., Davies, C., Hoffman, J.I. & Woolhouse, M.E.J. (2001). Population genetics of the schistosome intermediate host Biomphalaria pfeifferi in the Zimbabwean highveld: implications for co-evolutionary theory. Annals of Tropical Medicine and Parasitology, 95 (2): 203–214.

Hoffman, J.I., Webster, J.P., Ndamba, J. & Woolhouse, M.E.J. (1998). Extensive genetic variation revealed within Biomphalaria pfeifferi from one river system in the Zimbabwean highveld. Annals of Tropical Medicine and Parasitology, 92(6): 693–698.


Collaborators

Phil Trathan, British Antarctic Survey

Jaume Forcada, British Antarctic Survey

John Bickham, Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences, Texas A&M University

Larissa Rosa de Oliveira, Centro de Biologia Genomica e Molecular da PUCRS

Mary Wisz, National Environmental Research Institute, Denmark


Miscellaneous links

British Antarctic Survey Homepage

Steller’s sea lion research, National Marine Mammal Laboratory

International Graduate Training Course in Antarctic Biology

NCBI homepage

Web of Knowledge

 

Links

Female Antarctic fur seal with her pup (Source: Iain Staniland)
Female Antarctic fur seal with her pup (Photo credit: Iain Staniland)
Territorial male Antarctic fur seal sitting among females (Source: Iain Staniland)
Territorial male Antarctic fur seal sitting among females (Photo credit: Iain Staniland)
Steller’s sea lions at Shakun Rock, Gulf of Alaska (Source: Carolyn Jenkin)
Steller’s sea lions at Shakun Rock, Gulf of Alaska (Photo credit: Carolyn Jenkin)