Professor James Cook

James CookProfessor James Cook is current leader of the Plants, Animals and Interactions research theme. His research focuses on the ecology and evolution of species interactions, with particular emphasis on insect/plant and insect/microbe interactions. James is particularly interested in how intimate symbiosis influences the ecology and evolution of interacting species. His main study systems are the classic mutualism between fig trees and fig-pollinating wasps, and the diverse interactions between insects and their endosymbiotic bacteria. In addition, he is studying how symbioses can be disrupted by environmental changes, such as climate change, invasive species and habitat fragmentation. James is also exploring how these partnerships function in the wider community context of coexisting parasites, predators and competitors. His work involves a combination of field, laboratory and computational approaches and makes extensive use of molecular methods. Many of his projects involve national and international links with strong collaborators in Australia, Brazil, China, France, UK and USA. James also has wider research interests in animal behaviour, conservation biology and evolutionary genetics.

Areas of research/teaching expertise

Ecology, evolution, symbiosis, coevolution, entomology

Awards and recognition

  • Natural Environment Research Council (NERC, UK) College Member 2007-2010
  • Royal Entomological Society Symbiosis Special Interest Group Convenor 2005-2012
  • Reviewing Editorial Board Member, Journal of Evolutionary Biology, 2005-2008
  • NERC Advanced Research Fellow 1998-2003
  • SERC Research Fellow 1993-1995
  • Royal 1851 Commission Research Fellow 1991-1993

Grants/current research projects

  • Genomic approaches to multitrophic community evolution
    Co-researchers: GN Stone, K Lohse, M Hickerson, N Barton
    Partner/Funding body: Natural Environment Research Council (UK), Standard Grant
    Period: 2011-2014
  • Rampant karyotype evolution in jack jumper ants
    Co-researchers: LJ Johnson, O Edwards, W Tay, G Zhang, LS Jermiin
    Partner/Funding body: Natural Environment Research Council (UK), Small Grant; CSIRO; Beijing Genomics Instituite
    Period: 2011-2014
  • Developing research around the “Plants for Bugs” platform
    Co-researchers: R Williams, S al Beidh, A Culham, R Cameron
    Partner/Funding body: Technology Strategy Board / Knowledge Transfer Partnership with the Royal Horticultural Society
    Period: 2011-2013
  • Interactions between native and invasive insects
    Collaborators: K Schonrogge, S White
    Partner/Funding body: Natural Environment Research Council (UK) PhD studentship – Ian Townsend
    Period: 2010-2013
  • Cryptic species and insect/plant host specificity
    Partner/Funding body: Natural Environment Research Council (UK) PhD studentship – Clive Darwell
    Period: 2008-2012
  • Ant/plant mutualisms in tropical savannah ecosystems
    Collaborators: GN Stone, J Reinhard
    Partner/Funding body: BBSRC (UK) PhD studentship – Heather Campbell
    Period: 2008-2012


Selected publications

I have authored six book chapters and over 70 research articles, with further details available at ResearcherID: D-6423-2011; URL:http://www.researcherid.com/rid/D-6423-2011.

Wang H, Ridley J, Dunn DW, Wang R, Cook JM, Yu DW, (2013) 'Biased oviposition and biased survival together help resolve a fig-wasp conflict', Oikos, vol.122, no.4, pp 533-540

Xiao J-H, Wang N-X, Murphy RW, Cook JM, Jia L-Y, Huang DW, (2012) 'Wolbachia infection and dramatic intraspecific mitochondrial DNA divergence in a fig wasp', Evolution (in press)

Al-Beidh S, Dunn DW, Power SA, Cook JM, (2012) 'Parasites and mutualism function: Measuring enemy-free space in a fig-pollinator symbiosis', Oikos, vol.121, no.11, pp 1833-1839

Cruaud A, Ronsted N, Chantarasuwan B, Chou LS, Clement WL, Couloux A, Cousins B, Genson G, Harrison RD, Hanson PE, Hossaert-Mckey M, Jabbour-Zahab R, Jousselin E, Kerdelhue C, Kjellberg F, Lopez-Vaamonde C, Peebles J, Peng YQ, Pereira RAS, Schramm T, Ubaidillah R, van Noort S, Weiblen GD, Yang DR, Yodpinyanee A, Libeskind-Hadas R, Cook JM, Rasplus JY, Savolainen V, (2012) 'An Extreme Case of Plant-Insect Codiversification: Figs and Fig-Pollinating Wasps', Systematic Biology, vol.61, no.6, pp 1029-1047  

Oliver TH, Leather SR, Cook JM, (2012) 'Ant larval demand reduces aphid colony growth rates in an ant-aphid interaction', Insects, vol.3, no.1, pp 120-130

Segar ST, Cook JM, (2012) 'The dominant exploiters of the fig/pollinator mutualism vary across continents, but their costs fall consistently on the male reproductive function of figs', Ecological Entomology, vol.37, no.5, pp 342-349

Segar ST, Lopez-Vaamonde C, Rasplus J-Y, Cook JM, (2012) 'The global phylogeny of the subfamily Sycoryctinae (Pteromalidae): Parasites of an obligate mutualism', Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, vol.65, no.1, pp 116-125

von Zum Hof J, Schonrogge K, Cook JM, Gardner MG, (2012) 'Development of microsatellite markers using 454 sequencing for the rare socially parasitic hoverfly, Microdon mutabilis', Australian Journal of Zoology, vol.60, no.2, pp 108-110

Yang CY, Xiao JH, Niu LM, Ma GC, Cook JM, Bian SN, Fu YG, Huang DW, (2012) 'Chaos of Wolbachia Sequences Inside the Compact Fig Syconia of Ficus benjamina (Ficus: Moraceae)', PLOS ONE, vol.7, no.11, Article Number e48882  

Sun X, Xiao JH, Cook JM, Feng G, Huang DW, (2011) 'Comparisons of host mitochondrial, nuclear and endosymbiont bacterial genes reveal cryptic fig wasp species and the effects of Wolbachia on host mtDNA evolution and diversity', BMC Evolutionary Biology, vol.11, p 86

Cook JM, Segar ST, (2010) 'Speciation in fig wasps', Ecological Entomology, vol.35, pp 54-66

Bailey R, Schonrogge K, Cook JM, Melika G, Csoka G, Thuroczy C, Stone GN, (2009) 'Host Niches and Defensive Extended Phenotypes Structure Parasitoid Wasp Communities', PLoS Biol, vol.7, article no. e1000179

Lopez-Vaamonde C, Rasplus JY, Machado C, Weiblen GD, Cook JM, (2009) 'Molecular dating and biogeography of fig-pollinating wasps', Mol. Phylogen. Evol, vol.52, pp 715-726

Stone GN, Hernandez A, Nicholls J, di Pierro E, Pujade J, Melika G, Cook JM, (2009) 'Extreme host plant conservatism during at least 20 million years of host plant pursuit by oak gallwasps', Evolution, vol.63, pp 854-869

Wang RW, Ridley J, Dunn DW, Cook JM, Yu DW, (2009) 'Interference competition and high temperature reduce the 'virulence' of fig wasps and contribute to the stability of a fig-wasp mutualism', Plos One, vol.4, e7802

Dunn DW, Yu DW, Ridley J, Chan R, Segar S, Crozier RH, Cook JM, (2008) 'A role for parasites in stabilising the fig-pollinator mutualism', PLoS Biol, vol.6: e59

Moore JC, Obbard DJ, Reuter C, West SA, Cook JM, (2008) 'Fighting strategies in two species of fig wasp', Animal Behaviour, vol.76, pp 315-322

Oliver TH, Leather SR, Cook JM, (2008) 'Macroevolutionary patterns in the origin of mutualisms involving ants', J. Evol. Biol, vol.21, pp 1597-1608

Ronsted N, Weiblen GD, Savolainen V, Cook JM, (2008) 'Phylogeny, biogeography, and ecology of Ficus section Malvanthera (Moraceae)', Mol. Phylogen. Evol, vol.48, pp 12-22

Haine E, Martin J, Cook JM, (2006) 'Deep mtDNA divergences indicate cryptic species in a fig-pollinating wasp', BMC Evol. Biol, vol.6, p 83

Haine E, Cook JM, (2005) 'Evidence from three genes for horizontal transfer of Wolbachia in Drosophila-parasitoid communities', Ecological Entomology, vol.30, pp 464-472

Haine ER, Cook JM, (2005) 'Convergent incidences of Wolbachia infection in fig wasp communities from two continents', Proc. R. Soc. Lond. B, vol.272, pp 421-429

Ronsted N, Weiblen G, Machado C, Cook JM, Savolainen V, (2005) '60 million years of co-cladogenesis in the fig-pollinator symbiosis', Proc. R. Soc. Lond. B, vol.272, pp 2593–2599

Cook JM, Bean D, Power SA, Dixon DJ, (2004) 'Evolution of a complex coevolved trait: active pollination in a genus of fig wasps', J. Evol. Biol, vol.17, pp 238-246

Cook JM, Rasplus J-Y, (2003) 'Mutualists with attitude: coevolution of fig wasps and figs', Trends Ecol. Evol, vol.18, pp 241-248

Lopez-Vaamonde C, Godfray HCJ, Cook JM, (2003) 'Evolutionary dynamics of host-plant use in a genus of leaf-mining moths', Evolution vol.57, pp 1804-1821

Cook JM, Rokas A, Pagel M, Stone GN, (2002) 'Evolutionary shifts between host oak sections and host-plant organs in Andricus gallwasps', Evolution, vol.56, pp 1821-1830

Stone GN, Cook JM, (1998) 'The structure of cynipid oak galls: patterns in the evolution of an extended phenotype', Proc. Royal Soc. London B, vol.265, pp 979-988

Cook JM, Compton SG, Herre EA, West SA, (1997) 'Alternative mating tactics and extreme male dimorphism in fig wasps', Proc. Royal Soc. London B, vol.264, pp 747-754

Cook JM, Crozier RH, (1995) 'Sex determination and population biology in the hymenoptera', Trends In Ecology & Evolution, vol.10, pp 281-286

Cook JM, (1993) 'Sex determination in the Hymenoptera: a review of models and evidence', Heredity, vol.71, pp 421-435

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