Alistair Crame

Science Leader

Alistair Crame

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    Alistair Crame

    Biography

    I am a long-serving member of BAS where I have spent nearly all my career as a research palaeontologist. From 2000-2009 I served as Head of Geological Sciences Division and Member of the BAS Board, and from 2009 – 2015 as a Science Leader and Member of the BAS Science Board/Science Strategy Team. Since 2012 I have been Head of the BAS Research Studentship Programme and I now continue in this role and as a Research Palaeontologist within the Biodiversity, Evolution and Adaptations Team. I am still a full Member of the BAS Science Strategy Team.

    I am a member of the Management Board of the GW4+ Doctoral Training Partnership (DTP), NERC’s largest DTP, and have been an Associate Editor of the Journal of Biogeography for more than ten years. I am a regular reviewer for a variety of biological and palaeobiological journals, and various research councils

    Research interests

    I am a palaeontologist with a wide-ranging interest in the evolutionary history of the polar regions. Most of my practical experience has been in the marine realm where I have looked at both modern faunas and fossil ones spanning the last 150 million years in particular. A keen interest of mine has been the origin and maintenance of taxonomic diversity gradients in the marine realm, and the latitudinal contrast between the tropics and the poles. Jim Brown (2014, J. Biogeog. 41, p. 18) recently said that “accounting for this phenomenon remains one of the greatest challenges for Western science”. Much of my taxonomic expertise has been with bivalve and gastropod molluscs, but I am interested in all marine and terrestrial groups that show pronounced latitudinal diversity gradients.

    Within the Biodiversity, Evolution and Adaptations team we are looking at macroecological patterns from a polar perspective: what are the relative roles of abiotic factors such as temperature and productivity in the production of ecological patterns on a global scale, and how has this varied over time? We are using a combination of data from palaeobiological and phylogenetic sources to assess the nature and timing of the formation of latitudinal gradients throughout the Cenozoic era.

    I am PI on the NERC-funded project “Impact of global disturbances on the evolution of life in the polar regions during the Early Cenozoic (PALEOPOLAR)”: NE/I005803/1 (£856k), and also PI on the NERC Advanced Training Short Course, “A skills framework for delivering safe and effective fieldwork in the polar regions” : NE/N000749/1 (£57k). I am a CoI on “Jurassic Fossilblitz”, a NERC award made as part of their 50th Birthday celebrations (£7.5k).

     

    Collaborations

    Our PALEOPOLAR grant centred on a field season on Seymour Island and subsequent laboratory analyses in various places. We are working with Jon Ineson (GEUS) on all aspects of the stratigraphy and sedimentology of Seymour Island, and work in the Eocene La Meseta Formation has been greatly facilitated by collaboration with Sergio Marenssi (University of Buenos Aires). Sedimentary geochemistry links are with Stuart Robinson and Charlotte O’Brien, University of Oxford, where various palaeotemperature proxies are under investigation. We are also running a small pilot study with David Hodell and Liz Harper (Cambridge Earth Sciences) on clumped isotopes in K – Pg boundary bivalves.

    Palaeontological collaborators include Alan Beu and James Crampton (GNS Science), Liz Harper (Cambridge), John Taylor (NHM), Cris Little and James Witts (Leeds), and various members of the Jurassic Fossilblitz team. Some of our vertebrate material is currently under investigation by Jurgen Kriwet (Vienna), Carolina Hospitaleche (La Plata) and Julia Clarke (Texas).

    List available on application

    Publications from NERC Open Research Archive

    2025

    Crame, J. Alistair ORCIDORCID record for J. Alistair Crame, Francis, Jane E.. (2025) Cretaceous stratigraphy of Antarctica and its global significance. Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 545 (). pp. 10.1144/SP545-2023-153

    2024

    Harper, Elizabeth M., Collins, Katie S., Crame, J. Alistair ORCIDORCID record for J. Alistair Crame, Glover, Emily, Taylor, John D.. (2024) Bivalves 2023—Where are we going? An overview of an international meeting. Journal of Molluscan Studies, 90 (). 4 pp. 10.1093/mollus/eyae052

    Irwin, Alison R., Bouchet, Philippe, Crame, J. Alistair ORCIDORCID record for J. Alistair Crame, Harper, Elizabeth M., Kronenberg, Gijs C., Strong, Ellen E., Williams, Suzanne T.. (2024) Molecular phylogenetics of the superfamily Stromboidea (Caenogastropoda): New insights from increased taxon sampling. Zoologica Scripta, 53 (). 21 pp. 10.1111/zsc.12685

    Riley, Teal R. ORCIDORCID record for Teal R. Riley, Flowerdew, Michael J., Carter, Andrew, Curtis, Michael L., Millar, Ian L., Crame, J. Alistair ORCIDORCID record for J. Alistair Crame, Whitehouse, Martin J.. (2024) Tracking the tempo of a continental margin arc: Insights from a forearc succession in West Antarctica. GSA Bulletin, 136 (). 19 pp. 10.1130/B37558.1

    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

    Crame, J. Alistair ORCIDORCID record for J. Alistair Crame. (2023) Late Cenozoic evolution of the latitudinal diversity gradient. Journal of Biogeography, 50 (). pp. 10.1111/jbi.14620

    2022

    Crame, J. Alistair ORCIDORCID record for J. Alistair Crame, McGowan, Alistair J.. (2022) Origin of the tropical-polar biodiversity contrast. Global Ecology and Biogeography, 31 (). pp. 10.1111/geb.13503

    2020

    Hughes, Kevin A. ORCIDORCID record for Kevin A. Hughes, Carcavilla, Luis, Crame, Alistair ORCIDORCID record for Alistair Crame, Díaz-Martínez, Enrique, Elliot, David, Francis, Jane, López-Martínez, Jerónimo, Reguero, Marcelo. (2020) Seymour (Marambio) Island: an outstanding example of Antarctic geological heritage [Editorial]. Antarctic Science, 32 (). pp. 10.1017/S0954102020000267

    Crame, J. Alistair ORCIDORCID record for J. Alistair Crame. (2020) Early Cenozoic evolution of the latitudinal diversity gradient. Earth-Science Reviews, 202 (). pp. 10.1016/j.earscirev.2020.103090

    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

    Crame, J. ORCIDORCID record for J. Crame. (2019) Paleobiological significance of the James Ross Basin.. Advances in Polar Science, 30 (). pp. 10.13679/j.advps.2018.0047

    Harper, Elizabeth M., Crame, J. Alistair ORCIDORCID record for J. Alistair Crame, Pullen, Alice M ORCIDORCID record for Alice M Pullen. (2019) The fossil record of durophagous predation in the James Ross Basin over the last 125 million years. Advances in Polar Science, 30 (). pp. 10.13679/j.advps.2019.0001

    2018

    Hall, Joanna L.O., Newton, Robert J., Witts, James D., Francis, Jane E., Hunter, Stephen J., Jamieson, Robert A., Harper, Elizabeth M., Crame, J. Alistair ORCIDORCID record for J. Alistair Crame, Haywood, Alan M.. (2018) High benthic methane flux in low sulfate oceans: Evidence from carbon isotopes in Late Cretaceous Antarctic bivalves. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 497 (). pp. 10.1016/j.epsl.2018.06.014

    Harper, Elizabeth M., Crame, J. Alistair ORCIDORCID record for J. Alistair Crame, Sogot, Caroline E.. (2018) ‘Business as usual’: drilling predation across the K-Pg mass extinction event in Antarctica. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 498 (). pp. 10.1016/j.palaeo.2018.03.009

    Crame, J. Alistair ORCIDORCID record for J. Alistair Crame. (2018) Key stages in the evolution of the Antarctic marine fauna. Journal of Biogeography, 45 (). pp. 10.1111/jbi.13208

    Crame, J. Alistair ORCIDORCID record for J. Alistair Crame, McGowan, Alistair J., Bell, Mark A.. (2018) Differentiation of high-latitude and polar marine faunas in a greenhouse world. Global Ecology and Biogeography, 27 (). pp. 10.1111/geb.12714

    Witts, James D., Newton, Robert J., Mills, Benjamin J.W., Wignall, Paul B., Bottrell, Simon H., Hall, Joanna L.O., Francis, Jane E., Crame, J. Alistair ORCIDORCID record for J. Alistair Crame. (2018) The impact of the Cretaceous–Paleogene (K–Pg) mass extinction event on the global sulfur cycle: Evidence from Seymour Island, Antarctica. Geochimica Cosmochimica Acta, 230 (). pp. 10.1016/j.gca.2018.02.037

    Taylor, John. D, Glover, Emily A., Harper, Elizabeth M., Crame, J. Alistair ORCIDORCID record for J. Alistair Crame, Ikebe, Chiho, Williams, Suzanne T.. (2018) Left in the cold? Evolutionary origin of Laternula elliptica a keystone bivalve species of Antarctic benthos. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 123 (). pp. 10.1093/biolinnean/blx144

    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

    Hughes, Kevin A. ORCIDORCID record for Kevin A. Hughes, Lopez-Martinez, Jeronimo, Francis, Jane E., Crame, J. Alistair ORCIDORCID record for J. Alistair Crame, Carcavilla, Luis, Shiraishi, Kazuyuki, Hokada, Tomokazu, Yamaguchi, Akira. (2016) Antarctic geoconservation: a review of current systems and practices. Environmental Conservation, 43 (). pp. 10.1017/S0376892915000387

    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

    Zell, Patrick, Crame, J. Alistair ORCIDORCID record for J. Alistair Crame, Stinnesbeck, Wolfgang, Beckmann, Seija. (2015) The bivalve Anopaea (Inoceramidae) from the Upper Jurassic-lowermost Cretaceous of Mexico. Journal of South American Earth Sciences, 60 (). pp. 10.1016/j.jsames.2015.03.004

    Witts, James D., Bowman, Vanessa C., Wignall, Paul B., Crame, J. Alistair ORCIDORCID record for J. Alistair Crame, Francis, Jane E., Newton, Robert J.. (2015) Evolution and extinction of Maastrictian (Late Cretaceous) cephalopods from the López de Bertodano Formation, Seymour Island, Antarctica. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 418 (). pp. 10.1016/j.palaeo.2014.11.002

    Little, Crispin T.S., Birgel, Daniel, Boyce, Adrian J., Crame, J. Alistair ORCIDORCID record for J. Alistair Crame, Francis, Jane, Kiel, Steffen, Peckmann, Jörn, Pirrie, Duncan, Rollinson, Gavyn K., Witts, James D.. (2015) Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) shallow water hydrocarbon seeps from Snow Hill and Seymour Islands, James Ross Basin, Antarctica. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 418 (). pp. doi:10.1016/j.palaeo.2014.11.020

    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

    Crame, J. Alistair ORCIDORCID record for J. Alistair Crame. (2014) Evolutionary setting. 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

    Crame, Alistair ORCIDORCID record for Alistair Crame, Francis, Jane, Robinson, Stuart, Bowman, Vanessa. (2014) Polar predictions. International Innovation, (). pp.

    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

    Bowman, Vanessa C., Riding, James B. ORCIDORCID record for James B. Riding, Francis, Jane E., Crame, J. Alistair ORCIDORCID record for J. Alistair Crame, Hannah, Michael J.. (2013) The taxonomy and palaeobiogeography of small chorate dinoflagellate cysts from the Late Cretaceous to Quaternary of Antarctica. Palynology, 37 (). pp. 10.1080/01916122.2012.750898

    Crame, J. Alistair ORCIDORCID record for J. Alistair Crame. (2013) Early Cenozoic differentiation of polar marine faunas. PLoS One, 8 (). 9 pp. 10.1371/journal.pone.0054139

    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

    Smith, Andrew B., Crame, J. ORCIDORCID record for J. Crame. (2012) Echinoderm faunas from the lower Cretaceous (Aptian–Albian) of Alexander Island, Antarctica. Palaeontology, 55 (). pp. 10.1111/j.1475-4983.2012.01129.x

    2011

    Pirrie, D., Jonkers, H.A., Smellie, John L., Crame, J. Alistair ORCIDORCID record for J. Alistair Crame, McArthur, J.M.. (2011) Reworked late Neogene Austrochlamys anderssoni (Mollusca: Bivalvia) from northern James Ross Island, Antarctica. Antarctic Science, 23 (). pp. 10.1017/S0954102010000842

    Vodrážka, Radek, Crame, J. Alistair ORCIDORCID record for J. Alistair Crame. (2011) First fossil sponge from Antarctica and its palaeobiogeographical significance. Journal of Palaeontology, 85 (). pp. 10.1666/10-069.1

    2010

    Clarke, Andrew ORCIDORCID record for Andrew Clarke, Crame, J. Alistair ORCIDORCID record for J. Alistair Crame. (2010) Evolutionary dynamics at high latitudes: speciation and extinction in polar marine faunas. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, Series B, 365 (). pp. 10.1098/rstb.2010.0270

    2009

    Crame, J.A. ORCIDORCID record for J.A. Crame. (2009) Time’s stamp on modern biogeography. Science, 323 (). pp. 10.1126/science.1169410