Professional summary

Stephen investigates the molecular biology of diverse invertebrate species to answer questions relevant to ecotoxicology, evolutionary biology, developmental biology and parasitology. Currently working at the boundary of molecular biology and ecotoxicology, his research is revealing molecular differences that explain why species have varied sensitivity to important toxicants. This knowledge is facilitating the use of increasingly available genomic data to predict vulnerable species, allowing us to better design mitigation strategies and monitoring efforts. Towards this end, Stephen has worked on UKRI-funded projects investigating differential pesticide sensitivity, pesticide mixture synergism and metal sensitivity across terrestrial invertebrates.

He is also working with Butterfly Conservation to develop molecular bio-markers to monitor the effects of pesticide spray drift on butterflies and moths. In addition, Stephen co-supervises several PhD projects on the subject of predicting toxicant sensitivity. This includes a collaborative (Unilever PLC, Cardiff University and UKCEH) BBSRC CTP studentship to develop ‘digital twins’ to support in-silico chemical sensitivity prediction, as well as a NERC funded (ECORISC) PhD project to measure the bioavailability, uptake and effects of pesticide spray drift on non-target Lepidoptera inhabiting farmland. Stephen also represents UKCEH within the multi-national Partnership for the Assessment of Risks from Chemicals (PARC) project, that aims to develop next-generation chemical risk assessment to protect human health and the environment.

Selected publications

Spurgeon David et al. , (2020), Species sensitivity to toxic substances: evolution, ecology and applications. Frontiers in Environmental Science, 8, http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2020.588380

Robinson Alex et al. , (2021), Chemicals with increasingly complex modes of action result in greater variation in sensitivity between earthworm species. Environmental Pollution, 272, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2020.115914

Short Stephen et al. , (2021), Off-target stoichiometric binding identified from toxicogenomics explains why some species are more sensitive than others to a widely used neonicotinoid. Environmental Science & Technology, 55, 3059-3069, http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.0c05125

Bart Sylvain et al. , (2022), How to analyse and account for interactions in mixture toxicity with toxicokinetic-toxicodynamic models. Science of the Total Environment, 843, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.157048

Green Etxabe Amaia et al. , (2021), Identifying conserved polychaete molecular markers of metal exposure: comparative analyses using the Alitta virens (Annelida, Lophotrochozoa) transcriptome. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology, Part C: Toxicology & Pharmacology, 240, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cbpc.2020.108913

Other Publications

Stephen Short, Gongda Yang, Yasmin Guler, Amaia Green Etxabe, Peter Kille, and Alex T. Ford. Crustacean intersexuality is feminization without demasculinization: implications for environmental toxicology. (2014) Environmental Science & Technology 48: 13520-13529.

https://doi.org/10.1021/es5050503

Stephen Short, Gongda Yang, Peter Kille, and Alex T. Ford. Vitellogenin is not an appropriate biomarker of feminisation in a Crustacean. (2014) Aquatic Toxicology 153: 89-97.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aquatox.2013.11.014

Stephen Short, Yasmin Guler, Gongda Yang, Peter Kille, and Alex T. Ford. Paramyxean–microsporidian co-infection in amphipods: Is the consensus that Microsporidia can feminise their hosts presumptive?. (2012) International Journal for Parasitology 42: 683-691.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpara.2012.04.014

Stephen Short and Linda Z. Holland. The evolution of alternative splicing in the Pax family: the view from the basal chordate amphioxus. (2008) Journal of Molecular Evolution 66: 605-620.

https://doi.org/10.1007/s00239-008-9113-5

Linda Z. Holland and Stephen Short. Gene duplication, co-option and recruitment during the origin of the vertebrate brain from the invertebrate chordate brain. (2008) Brain Behavior and Evolution 72: 91-105.

https://doi.org/10.1159/000151470