Dr Penelope Watt
School of Biosciences
Senior Lecturer in Zoology
Full contact details
School of Biosciences
Alfred Denny Building
Western Bank
Sheffield
S10 2TN
- Profile
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- Senior Lecturer in Zoology (2014-)
- Lecturer, University of Sheffield (1998-2014)
- Lecturer, De Montfort University, Leicester (1993-1998)
- Post Doctoral Research Assistant, Imperial College at Silwood Park (1989-1993)
- PhD Zoology (Leeds) (1989)
- BSc (Hons) Zoology (Newcastle) (1986)
- Research interests
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I am a behavioural ecologist with interests in the genetic control of behaviour and responses to stress. My research has focused on aquatic systems (fish, amphibians) and terrestrial invertebrates (earthworms). We use environmental DNA to assess species diversity in terrestrial systems, specifically soil managed under different regimes, and aquatic habitats.
- Publications
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Show: Featured publications All publications
Featured publications
Journal articles
- Measuring the socio-economic and environmental outcomes of regenerative agriculture across spatio-temporal scales. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 380(1935). View this article in WRRO
- Environmental DNA is more effective than hand sorting in evaluating earthworm biodiversity recovery under regenerative agriculture. Science of The Total Environment, 968. View this article in WRRO
- Measuring the transition to regenerative agriculture in the UK with a co-designed experiment: design, methods and expected outcomes. Environmental Research: Food Systems, 1(2). View this article in WRRO
- Maternal chronic ethanol exposure decreases stress responses in zebrafish offspring. Biomolecules, 12(8).
- The physiological cost of colour change: evidence, implications and mitigations. Journal of Experimental Biology, 225(10). View this article in WRRO
- Soil quality regeneration by grass-clover leys in arable rotations compared to permanent grassland: Effects on wheat yield and resilience to drought and flooding. Soil and Tillage Research, 212. View this article in WRRO
- Paternal effects in a wild‐type zebrafish implicate a role of sperm‐derived small RNAs. Molecular Ecology, 29(14), 2722-2735.
All publications
Journal articles
- Measuring the socio-economic and environmental outcomes of regenerative agriculture across spatio-temporal scales. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 380(1935). View this article in WRRO
- Environmental DNA is more effective than hand sorting in evaluating earthworm biodiversity recovery under regenerative agriculture. Science of The Total Environment, 968. View this article in WRRO
- Measuring the transition to regenerative agriculture in the UK with a co-designed experiment: design, methods and expected outcomes. Environmental Research: Food Systems, 1(2). View this article in WRRO
- Maternal chronic ethanol exposure decreases stress responses in zebrafish offspring. Biomolecules, 12(8).
- Brief exposures to conspecific-derived alarm substance are sufficient to induce paternal intergenerational effects in zebrafish. Environmental Biology of Fishes, 105(6), 741-751.
- The physiological cost of colour change: evidence, implications and mitigations. Journal of Experimental Biology, 225(10). View this article in WRRO
- Soil quality regeneration by grass-clover leys in arable rotations compared to permanent grassland: Effects on wheat yield and resilience to drought and flooding. Soil and Tillage Research, 212. View this article in WRRO
- Paternal effects in a wild‐type zebrafish implicate a role of sperm‐derived small RNAs. Molecular Ecology, 29(14), 2722-2735.
- Premature birth stunts early growth and is a possible driver of stress‐induced maternal effects in the guppy
Poecilia reticulata. Journal of Fish Biology, 96(2), 506-515.
- 1.4 Disrupted-in-Schizophrenia-1 is essential for normal hypothalamic-pituitary-interrenal (HPI) axis function. ESPE Yearbook of Paediatric Endocrinology, 15. View this article in WRRO
- Long-term effects of the periconception period on embryo epigenetic profile and phenotype: The role of stress and how this effect is mediated. Advances in experimental medicine and biology, 1014(Periconception in Physiology and Medicine), 117-135. View this article in WRRO
- Disrupted-in-Schizophrenia-1 is essential for normal hypothalamic-pituitary-interrenal (HPI) axis function. Human Molecular Genetics, 26(11), 1992-2005. View this article in WRRO
- Effect of hunger level and time of day on boldness and aggression in the zebrafishDanio rerio. Journal of Fish Biology, 86(6), 1852-1859.
- Disassortative mating for boldness decreases reproductive success in the guppy. Behavioral Ecology, 24(6), 1320-1326.
- Heritability of boldness and aggressiveness in the zebrafish.. Behav Genet, 43(2), 161-167.
- Aggression and sex differences in lateralization in the zebrafish. Animal Behaviour.
- The effect of variation in boldness and aggressiveness on the reproductive success of zebrafish. Animal Behaviour, 83(1), 41-46.
- Small Subordinate Male Advantage in the Zebrafish. Ethology, 117(11), 1003-1008.
- Male mate-searching strategies and female cues: how do male guppies find receptive females?. ANIM BEHAV, 79(6), 1191-1197.
- Inbreeding level does not induce female discrimination between sibs and unrelated males in guppies. BEHAV ECOL SOCIOBIOL, 64(10), 1601-1607.
- Mating effort and female receptivity: how do male guppies decide when to invest in sex?. BEHAV ECOL SOCIOBIOL, 64(10), 1665-1672.
- Male mate-searching strategies and female cues: How do male guppies find receptive females?. Animal Behaviour, 79(6), 1191-1197.
- Female guppies Poecilia reticulata prefer males that can learn fast. J FISH BIOL, 75(6), 1323-1330.
- Do male guppies distinguish virgin females from recently mated ones?. ANIM BEHAV, 77(2), 425-431.
- Do 3-D predators attack the margins of 2-D selfish herds?. BEHAV ECOL, 19(1), 74-78.
- Strategic egg allocation in the zebra fish, Danio rerio. BEHAV ECOL, 18(5), 905-909.
- Phenotypic correlates of spermatozoon quality in the guppy, Poecilia reticulata. BEHAV ECOL, 18(1), 47-52.
- Female association preferences based on olfactory cues in the guppy, Poecilia reticulata. BEHAV ECOL SOCIOBIOL, 55(4), 363-369.
- Female preferences based on olfactory cues in the guppy (Poecilia reticulata). Journal of Fish Biology, 63(s1), 258-258.
- Enrichment Increases Aggression in Zebrafish. Fishes, 4(1), 22-22.
Preprints
- Measuring the socio-economic and environmental outcomes of regenerative agriculture across spatio-temporal scales. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 380(1935). View this article in WRRO
- Research group
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Current graduate students
- 2025 - Sabina Schneider. Using environmental DNA to assess soil
health bioindicators and their relationship to crop nutrition and
production under different agricultural regimes. PhD. - 2023 - Ghada Fhaid. Monitoring European ell populations using eDNA. PhD.
- 2022 - Naiyou Xu. Impact of early life stress on zebrafish behaviour. PhD.
- 2022 - Yu Zhao. Monitoring earthworm populations using eDNA. PhD.
- 2021 - Roberta Bray. Drivers and costs of aestivation in earthworms. PhD.
- 2021- Abdullah Alsulaiman. Assessing marine diversity in the eastern
province of Saudi Arabia using eDNA. PhD. - 2020 - Ali Alamri. Population ecology of great crested newts. PhD.
- 2025 - Sabina Schneider. Using environmental DNA to assess soil
- Teaching activities
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In L2, I teach BIS204 (Invertebrates) and BIS216 (Vertebrates), and on the L2 Mediterranean field course in France and the L3 marine field course in Anglesey. As a zoologist, I have a real passion for animals, and I hope to put this across in my teaching.
I supervise L3 and L4 projects in behaviour and ecology.
- Professional activities and memberships
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- Chair of Faculty of Science Senior Tutor Group (2019-)
- Member of the University Discipline, Appeals and Faculty Student Review Committees
- Member of Inner International Assessment Board, Irish Research Council, Dublin (2017-)
- External Examiner, University of Nottingham (Zoology) (from 2017-2022)
- Member of the Field Studies Council Executive Committee (from 2011-17)
- Member of the Field Studies Council Education Committee (from 2011-17) & Chair (2016-17)