Robert (Scott) Cornman, Ph.D.
Biography
(Robert) Scott Cornman is a Biologist at the Fort Collins Science Center. He received a Ph.D. in Genetics from the University of Georgia. He is a genomics specialist focusing on the application of SNPs, RNA-Seq, and barcode sequencing to organismal ecology and conservation.
Education
- PhD Genetics/University of Georgia, 2006
- B.A. History/Rice University, 1992
Professional Experience
- 2015-present, Biologist, USGS FORT, Fort Collins, CO
- 2012-2015, Biologist, USGS LSC, Leetown, WV
- 2008-2012, Geneticist, USDA-ARS, Beltsville, MD
Science and Products
Molecular Genetics
The use of molecular genetics has become increasingly important in addressing wildlife conservation issues. In the Fort Collins Science Center Molecular Ecology Lab, scientists answer complex questions and conservation issues facing the management of the Nation's fish and wildlife resources. For example, FORT scientists can now locate genes that may contribute to a species' ability to respond...
Molecular Ecology Lab (MEL)
The Molecular Ecology Laboratory applies genetic and genomic technologies to address a variety of complex questions and conservation issues facing the management of the Nation's fish and wildlife resources. Together with our partners, we design and implement studies to document genetic diversity and the distribution of genetic variation among individuals, populations, and species. Information...
Genomics and Bioinformatics
Genetic analysis is increasingly used to understand ecosystem processes and inform conservation, management, and policy. I assist USGS researchers and their collaborators in the design, analysis, and interpretation of high-throughput genetic studies. Common applications include: detecting genes responsive to particular environmental stressors in a sentinel species or species of conservation...
Conservation Genomics
Conservation genomics is a new field of science that applies novel whole-genome sequencing technology to problems in conservation biology. Rapidly advancing molecular technologies are revolutionizing wildlife ecology, greatly expanding our understanding of wildlife and their interactions with the environment. In the same way that molecular tools such as microsatellites revolutionized wildlife...
Experimental analysis of Elliptio complanata transcriptional response to salt stress
The data set is a table of counts, with the rows being the transcripts detected in the samples in the experiment and the columns identifying the samples. Four mussles were exposed to normal freshwater and four mussels were exposed to high salinity (two ppt), for a period of seven days.
Provenance, classification, and abundance of RNA sequence fragments used to assess virus infections in honey bees, Apis mellifera
This dataset was used to assess the relative occurrence and titer of Deformed wing virus (DWV) and Varroa destructor virus 1 (VDV) in public RNA-seq accessions of honey bee using a rapid, kmer-based approach. The data highlight the utility of high-throughput sequencing to monitor viral polymorphisms and statistically test biological predictors of titer.
Characterizing range-wide population divergence in an alpine-endemic bird: A comparison of genetic and genomic approaches
The delineation of intraspecific units that are evolutionarily and demographically distinct is an important step in the development of species-specific management plans. Neutral genetic variation has served as the primary data source for delineating “evolutionarily significant units,” but with recent advances in genomic technology, we now have an...
Langin, Kathryn; Aldridge, Cameron L.; Fike, Jennifer A.; Cornman, Robert S.; Martin, Kathy M; Wann, Greg T; Seglund, Amy E; Schroeder, Michael A; Benson, David P; Fedy, Brad C.; Young, Jessica R.; Wilson, Scott D.; Wolfe, Don H; Braun, Clait E.; Oyler-McCance, Sara J. Relative abundance and molecular evolution of Lake Sinai Virus (Sinaivirus) clades
Lake Sinai Viruses (Sinaivirus) are commonly detected in honey bees (Apis mellifera) but no disease phenotypes or fitness consequences have yet been demonstrated. This viral group is genetically diverse, lacks obvious geographic structure, and multiple lineages can co-infect individual bees. While phylogenetic analyses have been performed, the...
Cornman, Robert S. Molecular characterization of Bathymodiolus mussels and gill symbionts associated with chemosynthetic habitats from the U.S. Atlantic margin
Mussels of the genus Bathymodiolus are among the most widespread colonizers of hydrothermal vent and cold seep environments, sustained by endosymbiosis with chemosynthetic bacteria. Presumed species of Bathymodiolus are abundant at newly discovered cold seeps on the Mid-Atlantic continental slope, however morphological taxonomy is challenging, and...
Coykendall, Dolly (Katharine); Cornman, Robert S.; Prouty, Nancy G.; Brooke, Sandra; Demopoulos, Amanda W. J.; Morrison, Cheryl L. Isolation, characterization and molecular identification of a novel aquareovirus that infects the endangered fountain darter, Etheostoma fonticola
The fountain darter Etheostoma fonticola (FOD) is a federally endangered fish listed under the US Endangered Species Act. Here, we identified and characterized a novel aquareovirus isolated from wild fountain darters inhabiting the San Marcos River. This virus was propagated in Chinook salmon embryo (CHSE)-214, rainbow trout gonad-2 and...
Iwanowicz, Luke R.; Iwanowicz, Deborah D.; Adams, Cynthia R.; Lewis, Teresa; Brandt, Tom; Sanders, Lakyn R.; Cornman, Robert S. An experimental comparison of composite and grab sampling of stream water for metagenetic analysis of environmental DNA
Use of environmental DNA (eDNA) to assess distributions of aquatic and semi-aquatic macroorganisms is promising, but sampling schemes may need to be tailored to specific objectives. Given the potentially high variance in aquatic eDNA among replicate grab samples, compositing smaller water volumes collected over a period of time may be more...
Cornman, Robert S.; McKenna, James E.; Fike, Jennifer A.; Oyler-McCance, Sara J.; Johnson, Robin Genomic evolution, recombination, and inter-strain diversity of chelonid alphaherpesvirus 5 from Florida and Hawaii green sea turtles with fibropapillomatosis
Chelonid alphaherpesvirus 5 (ChHV5) is a herpesvirus associated with fibropapillomatosis (FP) in sea turtles worldwide. Single-locus typing has previously shown differentiation between Atlantic and Pacific strains of this virus, with low variation within each geographic clade. However, a lack of multi-locus genomic sequence data hinders...
Morrison, Cheryl L.; Iwanowicz, Luke R.; Work, Thierry M.; Fahsbender, Elizabeth; Breitbart, Mya; Adams, Cynthia R.; Iwanowicz, Deborah D.; Sanders, Lakyn; Ackermann, Mathias; Cornman, Robert S. Using colony monitoring devices to evaluate the impacts of land use and nutritional value of forage on honey bee health
Colony monitoring devices used to track and assess the health status of honey bees are becoming more widely available and used by both beekeepers and researchers. These devices monitor parameters relevant to colony health at frequent intervals, often approximating real time. The fine-scale record of hive condition can be further related to static...
Smart, Matthew; Otto, Clint R. V.; Cornman, Robert S.; Iwanowicz, Deborah D. Draft genome sequence of a picorna-like virus associated with gill tissue in clinically normal brook trout, Salvelinus fontinalis
Here, we report a draft genome sequence of a picorna-like virus associated with brook trout, Salvelinus fontinalis, gill tissue. The draft genome comprises 8,681 nucleotides, excluding the poly(A) tract, and contains two open reading frames. It is most similar to picorna-like viruses that infect invertebrates.
Iwanowicz, Luke R.; Iwanowicz, Deborah D.; Adams, Cynthia R.; Galbraith, Heather S.; Aunins, Aaron W.; Cornman, Robert S. Relative abundance of deformed wing virus, Varroa destructor virus 1, and their recombinants in honey bees (Apis mellifera) assessed by kmer analysis of public RNA-Seq data
Deformed wing virus (DWV) is a major pathogen of concern to apiculture, and recent reports have indicated the local predominance and potential virulence of recombinants between DWV and a related virus, Varroa destructor virus 1 (VDV). However, little is known about the frequency and titer of VDV and recombinants relative to DWV generally. In this...
Cornman, Robert S. RNA sequencing analysis of transcriptional change in the freshwater mussel Elliptio complanata after environmentally relevant sodium chloride exposure
To identify potential biomarkers of salt stress in a freshwater sentinel species, we examined transcriptional responses of the common mussel Elliptio complanata to controlled sodium chloride (NaCl) exposures. Ribonucleic acid sequencing (RNA-Seq) of mantle tissue identified 481 transcripts differentially expressed in adult mussels exposed to 2 ppt...
Robertson, Laura S.; Galbraith, Heather S.; Iwanowicz, Deborah D.; Blakeslee, Carrie J.; Cornman, Robert S. Available genetic data do not support adaptation of Tobacco ringspot virus to an arthropod host
No abstract available.
Cornman, Robert S. A comparison of honey bee-collected pollen from working agricultural lands using light microscopy and ITS metabarcoding
Taxonomic identification of pollen has historically been accomplished via light microscopy but requires specialized knowledge and reference collections, particularly when identification to lower taxonomic levels is necessary. Recently, next-generation sequencing technology has been used as a cost-effective alternative for identifying bee-collected...
Smart, Matthew; Cornman, Robert S.; Iwanowicz, Deborah D.; McDermott-Kubeczko, Margaret; Pettis, Jeff S; Spivak, Marla S; Otto, Clint R. V.