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Research interestSkúli Skúlason (b. 1958) obtained a BS degree in biology from the University of Iceland in 1981, completed a fourth-year program in biology at the same university in 1983, earned a master's degree in 1986, and a PhD in zoology in 1991 from the University of Guelph, Canada. In 1991, he was a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California, Berkeley, USA. Since then, Skúli has worked as a teacher and later as the headmaster of Hólar College and the rector of Hólar University. He is currently a professor in the Department of Aquaculture and Fish Biology and, since 2019, also a researcher at the Icelandic Museum of Natural History. Skúli has dedicated his research to evolutionary biology, with a focus on northern freshwater fish. He participated in the establishment of BIODICE in 2020 and serves as the chairman of its governing board.
I study processes of diversification within species, with an integrated approach to ecology, evolution and development, and a focus on freshwater fishes. Related to this, I am interested in the philosophical basis of biology, especially theories about the organism-environment relationship, the concept of biological diversity, the sources of values in nature and environmental ethics. |
Publications (2020-2025)
Sandberg, O. M., Schultz, A., Guðmundsdóttir, R., & Skúlason, S. (2025). ‘Species’ is not the (only) unit of biodiversity: A process‐philosophical perspective on conservation concepts. Marine Ecology, 46(1), e12857. https://doi.org/10.1111/maec.12857
Koene, J. P., Bean, C. W., Kristjánsson, B. K., Skúlason, S., Leblanc, C. A., & Adams, C. (2024). Patterns, processes and conservation management consequences of intraspecific diversity, illustrated by fishes from recently glaciated lakes. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems, 34, Article e4076. https://doi.org/10.1002/aqc.4076
Leblanc, C. A., Räsänen, K., Morrissey, M., Skúlason, S., Ferguson, M., & Kristjánsson, B. K. (2024). Fine-scale diversity in the lava: Genetic and phenotypic diversity in small populations of Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus). BMC Ecology and Evolution, 24, Article 45. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12862-024-02232-3
Pilakouta, N., Humble, J. L., Hill, I. D. C., Arthur, J., Costa, A. P. B., Smith, B. A., Kristjánsson, B. K., Skúlason, S., Killen, S. S., Lindström, J., Metcalfe, N. B., & Parsons, K. J. (2023). Testing the predictability of morphological evolution in contrasting thermal environments. Evolution, 77(1), 239-253. https://doi.org/10.1093/evolut/qpac018
Pilakouta, N., Killen, S. S., Kristjánsson, B. K., Skúlason, S., Lindström, J., Metcalfe, N. B., & Parsons, K. J. (2023). Geothermal stickleback populations prefer cool water despite multigenerational exposure to a warm environment. Ecology and Evolution, 13(1), 8. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.9654
Beck, S. V., Räsänen, K., Kristjánsson, B. K., Skúlason, S., Jónsson, Z. O., Tsinganis, M., & Leblanc, C. A. (2022). Variation in egg size and offspring phenotype among and within seven Arctic charr morphs. Ecology and Evolution, 12, e9427. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.9427
Bouvier, L. D., Baylis, J. R., Klementsen, A., Kristjánsson, B. K., Li, J. L., Magnan, P., McLaughlin, R. L., Muir, A. M., Sakakura, Y., & Skúlason, S. (2022). What is fish? The life and legend of David L.G. Noakes. Environmental Biology of Fishes. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-022-01344-3
Brachmann, M. K., Parsons, K., Skúlason, S., Gaggiotti, O., & Ferguson, M. (2022). Variation in the genomic basis of parallel phenotypic and ecological divergence in benthic and pelagic morphs of Icelandic Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus). Molecular Ecology, 31, 5826–5840. https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.16625
Leblanc, C. A., Schreck, C., Kristjánsson, B. K., Skúlason, S., & Noakes, D. L. G. (2022). Egg size-related traits during the first year of growth and smolting in hatchery and wild juveniles of steelhead trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Environmental Biology of Fishes. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-022-01377-8
Pilakouta, N., O'Donnell, P. J., Crespel, A., Levet, M., Claireaux, M., Humble, J. L., Kristjánsson, B. K., Skúlason, S., Lindström, J., Metcalfe, N. B., Killen, S. S., & Parsons, K. J. (2022). A warmer environment can reduce sociability in an ectotherm. Global Change Biology, 29, 2341–2352. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.16451
Brachmann, M., Parsons, K., Skúlason, S., & Ferguson, M. M. (2021). The interaction of resource use and gene flow on the phenotypic divergence of benthic and pelagic morphs of Icelandic Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus). Ecology and Evolution, 11. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.7563
Helgadóttir, G., Renssen, H., Olk, R. R., Oredalen, T. J., Haraldsdóttir, L., Skúlason, S., & Thoraresen, H. (2021). Wild and farmed Arctic charr as a tourism product in an era of climate change. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, 5. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2021.654117
Karvonen, A., Beck, S., Skúlason S., Kristjánsson B. K., Leblanc C. A. (2021). Variation in parasite resistance of Arctic charr, Salvelinus alpinus, between and within sympatric morphs. Ecology and Evolution, 11, 14024–14032. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.8109
Magalhaes I. S., Whiting J. R., D'Agostino D., Hohenlohe P. A., Mahmud M., Bell M. A., Skúlason S., & MacColl A. D. C. (2021). Intercontinental genomic parallelism in multiple three-spined stickleback adaptive radiations. Nature Ecology & Evolution, 5. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-020-01341-8
Beck, S. V., Räsänen, K., Leblanc, C. A., Skulason, S., Jónsson, Z. O., & Kristjánsson, B. K. (2020). Differences among families in craniofacial shape at early life-stages of Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus). BMC Developmental Biology, 20(21), 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12861-020-00226-0
Kristjánsson B. K., & Skúlason S. (2020). Iðnvæðing háskóla – Hvernig markaðs- og nýfrjálshyggja mótar starfsemi háskóla á 21. öld. Skírnir, 194, 177-196.
Magalhaes, I. S., Whiting, J. R., D’Agostino, D., Hohenlohe, P. A., Mahmud, M., Bell, M. A., Skúlason, S., & MacColl, A. D. C. (2020). Intercontinental genomic parallelism in multiple three-spined stickleback adaptive radiations. bioRxiv. https://doi.org/10.1101/856344
Paccard, A., Hanson, D., Stuart, E. Y., von Hippel, F. A., Kalbe, M., Klepaker, T., Skúlason, S., Kristjánsson, B. K., Bolnick, I. D., Hendry, A. P., Barrett, R. D. H. (2020). Repeatability of adaptive radiation depends on spatial scale: regional versus global replicates of stickleback in lake versus stream habitats. Journal of Heredity, 111(1), 43–56. https://doi.org/10.1093/jhered/esz056
Pilakouta, N., Humble, J. L., Hill, I. D. C., Arthur, J., Costa, A. P. B., Smith, B. A., Kristjánsson, B. K., Skúlason, S., Killen, S. S., Lindström, J., Metcalfe, N. B., & Parsons, K. J. (2020). Testing the predictability of morphological evolution in contrasting thermal environments. bioRxiv. https://doi.org/10.1101/609933
Pilakouta, N., Killen, S. S., Kristjánsson, B. K., Skúlason, S., Lindström, J., Metcalfe, N. B., & Parsons, K. J. (2020). Multigenerational exposure to elevated temperatures leads to a reduction in standard metabolic rate in the wild. Functional Ecology, 34(6), 1205–1214. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2435.13538
Sandberg, O. M., Schultz, A., Guðmundsdóttir, R., & Skúlason, S. (2025). ‘Species’ is not the (only) unit of biodiversity: A process‐philosophical perspective on conservation concepts. Marine Ecology, 46(1), e12857. https://doi.org/10.1111/maec.12857
Koene, J. P., Bean, C. W., Kristjánsson, B. K., Skúlason, S., Leblanc, C. A., & Adams, C. (2024). Patterns, processes and conservation management consequences of intraspecific diversity, illustrated by fishes from recently glaciated lakes. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems, 34, Article e4076. https://doi.org/10.1002/aqc.4076
Leblanc, C. A., Räsänen, K., Morrissey, M., Skúlason, S., Ferguson, M., & Kristjánsson, B. K. (2024). Fine-scale diversity in the lava: Genetic and phenotypic diversity in small populations of Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus). BMC Ecology and Evolution, 24, Article 45. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12862-024-02232-3
Pilakouta, N., Humble, J. L., Hill, I. D. C., Arthur, J., Costa, A. P. B., Smith, B. A., Kristjánsson, B. K., Skúlason, S., Killen, S. S., Lindström, J., Metcalfe, N. B., & Parsons, K. J. (2023). Testing the predictability of morphological evolution in contrasting thermal environments. Evolution, 77(1), 239-253. https://doi.org/10.1093/evolut/qpac018
Pilakouta, N., Killen, S. S., Kristjánsson, B. K., Skúlason, S., Lindström, J., Metcalfe, N. B., & Parsons, K. J. (2023). Geothermal stickleback populations prefer cool water despite multigenerational exposure to a warm environment. Ecology and Evolution, 13(1), 8. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.9654
Beck, S. V., Räsänen, K., Kristjánsson, B. K., Skúlason, S., Jónsson, Z. O., Tsinganis, M., & Leblanc, C. A. (2022). Variation in egg size and offspring phenotype among and within seven Arctic charr morphs. Ecology and Evolution, 12, e9427. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.9427
Bouvier, L. D., Baylis, J. R., Klementsen, A., Kristjánsson, B. K., Li, J. L., Magnan, P., McLaughlin, R. L., Muir, A. M., Sakakura, Y., & Skúlason, S. (2022). What is fish? The life and legend of David L.G. Noakes. Environmental Biology of Fishes. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-022-01344-3
Brachmann, M. K., Parsons, K., Skúlason, S., Gaggiotti, O., & Ferguson, M. (2022). Variation in the genomic basis of parallel phenotypic and ecological divergence in benthic and pelagic morphs of Icelandic Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus). Molecular Ecology, 31, 5826–5840. https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.16625
Leblanc, C. A., Schreck, C., Kristjánsson, B. K., Skúlason, S., & Noakes, D. L. G. (2022). Egg size-related traits during the first year of growth and smolting in hatchery and wild juveniles of steelhead trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Environmental Biology of Fishes. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-022-01377-8
Pilakouta, N., O'Donnell, P. J., Crespel, A., Levet, M., Claireaux, M., Humble, J. L., Kristjánsson, B. K., Skúlason, S., Lindström, J., Metcalfe, N. B., Killen, S. S., & Parsons, K. J. (2022). A warmer environment can reduce sociability in an ectotherm. Global Change Biology, 29, 2341–2352. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.16451
Brachmann, M., Parsons, K., Skúlason, S., & Ferguson, M. M. (2021). The interaction of resource use and gene flow on the phenotypic divergence of benthic and pelagic morphs of Icelandic Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus). Ecology and Evolution, 11. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.7563
Helgadóttir, G., Renssen, H., Olk, R. R., Oredalen, T. J., Haraldsdóttir, L., Skúlason, S., & Thoraresen, H. (2021). Wild and farmed Arctic charr as a tourism product in an era of climate change. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, 5. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2021.654117
Karvonen, A., Beck, S., Skúlason S., Kristjánsson B. K., Leblanc C. A. (2021). Variation in parasite resistance of Arctic charr, Salvelinus alpinus, between and within sympatric morphs. Ecology and Evolution, 11, 14024–14032. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.8109
Magalhaes I. S., Whiting J. R., D'Agostino D., Hohenlohe P. A., Mahmud M., Bell M. A., Skúlason S., & MacColl A. D. C. (2021). Intercontinental genomic parallelism in multiple three-spined stickleback adaptive radiations. Nature Ecology & Evolution, 5. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-020-01341-8
Beck, S. V., Räsänen, K., Leblanc, C. A., Skulason, S., Jónsson, Z. O., & Kristjánsson, B. K. (2020). Differences among families in craniofacial shape at early life-stages of Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus). BMC Developmental Biology, 20(21), 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12861-020-00226-0
Kristjánsson B. K., & Skúlason S. (2020). Iðnvæðing háskóla – Hvernig markaðs- og nýfrjálshyggja mótar starfsemi háskóla á 21. öld. Skírnir, 194, 177-196.
Magalhaes, I. S., Whiting, J. R., D’Agostino, D., Hohenlohe, P. A., Mahmud, M., Bell, M. A., Skúlason, S., & MacColl, A. D. C. (2020). Intercontinental genomic parallelism in multiple three-spined stickleback adaptive radiations. bioRxiv. https://doi.org/10.1101/856344
Paccard, A., Hanson, D., Stuart, E. Y., von Hippel, F. A., Kalbe, M., Klepaker, T., Skúlason, S., Kristjánsson, B. K., Bolnick, I. D., Hendry, A. P., Barrett, R. D. H. (2020). Repeatability of adaptive radiation depends on spatial scale: regional versus global replicates of stickleback in lake versus stream habitats. Journal of Heredity, 111(1), 43–56. https://doi.org/10.1093/jhered/esz056
Pilakouta, N., Humble, J. L., Hill, I. D. C., Arthur, J., Costa, A. P. B., Smith, B. A., Kristjánsson, B. K., Skúlason, S., Killen, S. S., Lindström, J., Metcalfe, N. B., & Parsons, K. J. (2020). Testing the predictability of morphological evolution in contrasting thermal environments. bioRxiv. https://doi.org/10.1101/609933
Pilakouta, N., Killen, S. S., Kristjánsson, B. K., Skúlason, S., Lindström, J., Metcalfe, N. B., & Parsons, K. J. (2020). Multigenerational exposure to elevated temperatures leads to a reduction in standard metabolic rate in the wild. Functional Ecology, 34(6), 1205–1214. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2435.13538