Dr Nicola Hemmings

All publications

Journal articles

• Assersohn K, Morton O, Slate J & Hemmings N (2024) A sex-linked supergene with large effects on sperm traits has little impact on reproductive traits in female zebra finches.. Proc Biol Sci, 291(2019), 20232796.
• Morland F, Ewen JG, Simons MJP, Brekke P & Hemmings N (2023) Early‐life telomere length predicts life‐history strategy and reproductive senescence in a threatened wild songbird. Molecular Ecology.
• Marshall AF, Balloux F, Hemmings N & Brekke P (2023) Systematic review of avian hatching failure and implications for conservation. Biological Reviews.
• Montgomerie R, Hemmings N, Thompson JE & Birkhead TR (2021) The Shapes of Birds’ Eggs: Evolutionary Constraints and Adaptations. The American Naturalist, 198(6), E215-E231.
• Savage J, Crane JMS & Hemmings N (2021) Low hatching success in the critically endangered kākāpō is driven by early embryo mortality not infertility. Animal Conservation.
• Mendonca T, Birkhead TR, Cadby AJ, Forstmeier W & Hemmings N (2021) Correction to: A trade-off between thickness and length in the zebra finch sperm mid-piece. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 288(1958), 20211695-20211695.
• Assersohn K, Brekke P & Hemmings N (2021) Physiological factors influencing female fertility in birds. Royal Society Open Science, 8(7), 202274-202274.
• Assersohn K, Marshall AF, Morland F, Brekke P & Hemmings N (2021) Why do eggs fail? Causes of hatching failure in threatened populations and consequences for conservation. Animal Conservation.
• Hemmings N & Birkhead TR (2020) Extraordinary sperm to egg ratios in seabirds. The Auk. View this article in WRRO
• Cooney CR, Sheard C, Clark AD, Healy SD, Liker A, Street S, Troisi CA, Szekely T, Thomas GH, Hemmings N & Wright A (2020) Ecology and allometry predict the evolution of avian developmental durations. Nature Communications, 11. View this article in WRRO
• Webb JL, Crawley JAH, Seltmann MW, Liehrmann O, Hemmings N, Nyein UK, Aung HH, Htut W, Lummaa V & Lahdenperä M (2020) Evaluating the reliability of non-specialist observers in the behavioural assessment of semi-captive Asian elephant welfare. Animals, 10(1). View this article in WRRO
• Hemmings N & Evans S (2020) Unhatched eggs represent the invisible fraction in two wild bird populations. Biology Letters, 16(1). View this article in WRRO
• Mendonca T, Cadby AJ & Hemmings N (2019) Sperm gatekeeping : 3D imaging reveals a constricted entrance to zebra finch sperm storage tubules. Biophysical Journal, 117(11), 2180-2187. View this article in WRRO
• Kinsella CM, Ruiz-Ruano FJ, Dion-Côté A-M, Charles AJ, Gossmann TI, Cabrero J, Kappei D, Hemmings N, Simons MJP, Camacho JPM , Forstmeier W et al (2019) Programmed DNA elimination of germline development genes in songbirds. Nature Communications, 10(1). View this article in WRRO
• Jackson D, Thompson J, Hemmings N & Birkhead T (2018) Common guillemot (Uria aalge) eggs are not self-cleaning. Journal of Experimental Biology. View this article in WRRO
• Mendonca T, Birkhead TR, Cadby AJ, Forstmeier W & Hemmings N (2018) A trade-off between thickness and length in the zebra finch sperm mid-piece. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 285(1883), 20180865-20180865. View this article in WRRO
• Hemmings N, Bennison C & Birkhead TR (2018) Correction to ‘Intra-ejaculate sperm selection in female zebra finches’. Biology Letters, 14(2), 20180004-20180004.
• Hemmings N & Birkhead T (2017) Differential sperm storage by female zebra finches Taeniopygia guttata. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 284(1860). View this article in WRRO
• Kim K-W, Bennison C, Hemmings N, Brookes L, Hurley LL, Griffith SC, Burke T, Birkhead TR & Slate J (2017) A sex-linked supergene controls sperm morphology and swimming speed in a songbird. Nature Ecology and Evolution, 1, 1168-1176. View this article in WRRO
• Schilthuizen M, Langelaan R, Hemmings N, van Oostenbrugge W & Visser S (2017) An unexpected twist: Sperm cells coil to the right in land snails and to the left in song birds. Contributions to Zoology, 86(4), 297-302. View this article in WRRO
• Bennison C, Hemmings N, Brookes L, Slate J & Birkhead T (2016) Sperm morphology, adenosine triphosphate (ATP) concentration and swimming velocity: Unexpected relationships in a passerine bird. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 283(1837). View this article in WRRO
• Hemmings N, Bennison C & Birkhead TR (2016) Intra-ejaculate sperm selection in female zebra finches.. Biol Lett, 12(6). View this article in WRRO
• Hemmings N & Birkhead TR (2015) Consistency of passerine embryo development and the use of embryonic staging in studies of hatching failure. Ibis, 158(1), 43-50.
• Hemmings N & Birkhead TR (2015) Polyspermy in birds: sperm numbers and embryo survival. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 282(1818), 20151682-20151682. View this article in WRRO
• Hemmings N (2015) The sperms marathon route to conception. Biologist, 62(4), 18-21.
• Bennison C, Hemmings N, Slate J & Birkhead T (2015) Long sperm fertilize more eggs in a bird. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 282(1799). View this article in WRRO
• Hemmings N, Birkhead TR, Brillard JP, Froment P & Briere S (2015) Timing associated with oviductal sperm storage and release after artificial insemination in domestic hens. Theriogenology, 83(7), 1174-1178.e1. View this article in WRRO
• Hemmings N, West M & Birkhead TR (2012) Causes of hatching failure in endangered birds.. Biol Lett, 8(6), 964-967. View this article in WRRO
• Hemmings NL, Slate J & Birkhead TR (2012) Inbreeding causes early death in a passerine bird.. Nat Commun, 3, 863.
• Birkhead TR, Hemmings N, Spottiswoode CN, Mikulica O, Moskát C, Bán M & Schulze-Hagen K (2011) Internal incubation and early hatching in brood parasitic birds.. Proc Biol Sci, 278(1708), 1019-1024.
• Birkhead TR, Hall J, Schut E & Hemmings N (2008) Unhatched eggs: methods for discriminating between infertility and early embryo mortality. IBIS, 150(3), 508-517.
• Schut E, Hemmings N & Birkhead TR (2008) Parthenogenesis in a passerine bird, the Zebra Finch Taeniopygia guttata. IBIS, 150(1), 197-199.
• Morland F, Patel S, Santure AW, Brekke P & Hemmings N () Including the invisible fraction in whole population studies: A guide to the genetic sampling of unhatched bird eggs. Methods in Ecology and Evolution.

Preprints

• Morland F, Patel S, Santure AW, Brekke P & Hemmings N (2023) Including the Invisible Fraction in Whole Population Studies: a Guide to the Genetic Sampling of Unhatched Bird Eggs, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
• Savage JL, Crane JMS & Hemmings N () Low hatching success in the critically endangered kākāpō (Strigops habroptilus) is driven by early embryo mortality not infertility, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
• Cooney CR, Sheard C, Clark AD, Healy SD, Liker A, Street SE, Troisi CA, Thomas GH, Székely T, Hemmings N & Wright AE () Ecology, phylogeny, and the evolution of developmental duration in birds, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
• Mendonca T, Cadby AJ & Hemmings N () Sperm gatekeeping: 3D imaging reveals a constricted entrance to zebra finch sperm storage tubules.
• Kinsella CM, Ruiz-Ruano FJ, Dion-Côté A-M, Charles AJ, Gossmann TI, Cabrero J, Kappei D, Hemmings N, Simons MJP, Camacho JPM , Forstmeier W et al () Programmed DNA elimination of germline development genes in songbirds, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.