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Kevin Kocot

Kevin M. Kocot

he/him/his
he/him/his

Associate Professor
Curator of Invertebrate Zoology, Alabama Museum of Natural History
Webmaster

Education

  • Postdoctoral research: University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia, 2014-2015
  • Postdoctoral research: Auburn University, 2013
  • Ph.D., Molecular Biology, Auburn University, 2013
  • B.S., Biology, Illinois State University, 2006

Research Interests

  • Invertebrate taxonomy & systematics
  • Genomics
  • Mollusca
  • Hemichordata
  • Meiofauna
  • Biomineralization

Selected Publications

  1. Song, Y. Wang, H. Shao, Z. Li, P. Hu, M.K. Yap-Chiongco*, P. Shi, T. Zhang, C. Li, Y. Wang, P. Ma, Jakob Vinther, H. Wang, and K.M. Kocot. 2023. Scaphopoda is the sister taxon to Bivalvia: evidence of ancient incomplete lineage sorting. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 120(40): e2302361120.
  2. Davis-Berg, E.C. and K.M. Kocot. 2021. Innovation in teaching and learning invertebrate zoology in remote and online classrooms. Invertebrate Biology: e12329.
  3. Cobo, M.C.* and K.M. Kocot. 2021. On the diversity of abyssal Dondersiidae (Mollusca, Aplacophora) with the description of a new genus, seven new species, and a review of the family. Zootaxa 4933(1): 63-97.
  4. Varney, R.M.*, D.I. Speiser, C. McDougall, B.M. Degnan, and K.M. Kocot. 2021. The iron responsive genome of the chiton Acanthopleura granulata (Mollusca, Aculifera). Genome Biology and Evolution 13(1): evaa263.
  5. Cobo, M.C.* and M. Kocot. 2020. Micromenia amphiatlantica sp. nov.: First solenogaster (Mollusca, Aplacophora) with an amphi-Atlantic distribution and insight into abyssal solenogaster diversity. Deep Sea Research Part I.
  6. Kocot, K.M., A.J. Poustka, I. Stöger, K.M. Halanych, and M. Schrödl. 2020. New data from Monoplacophora and a carefully-curated dataset resolve molluscan relationships. Scientific Reports 10:101.
  7. Laumer, C.E., R. Fernández, S. Lemer, D. Combosch, M. Kocot, A. Riesgo, S.C.S. Andrade, W. Sterrer, M.V. Sørensen, and G. Giribet. Revisiting metazoan phylogeny with genomic sampling of all phyla. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 286: 20190831.
  8. Smythe, A.B., O. Holovachov, and M. Kocot. 2019. Improved phylogenomic sampling of free-living nematodes enhances resolution of higher-level nematode phylogeny. BMC Evolutionary Biology 19:121.
  9. Sogabe, S., W. L. Hatleberg, M. Kocot, T. E. Say, D. Stoupin, K. Roper, S. Fernandez-Valverde, S. M. Degnan, and B. M. Degnan. 2019. Pluripotency and the origin of animal multicellularity. Nature. 570: 519-522.
  10. Kocot, K.M., C. Todt, N.T. Mikkelsen, and K.M. Halanych. 2019. Phylogenomics of Aplacophora (Mollusca, Aculifera) and a solenogaster without a foot. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 286(1902):20190115.
  11. Pabst, E.A.* and M. Kocot. 2018. Phylogenomics confirms monophyly of Nudipleura (Gastropoda: Heterobranchia). Journal of Molluscan Studies 84(3): 259–265.
  12. Mikkelsen, N.T., M. Kocot, and K.M. Halanych. 2018. Mitogenomics reveals phylogenetic relationships of caudofoveate aplacophoran molluscs. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 127: 429-436.
  13. Kocot, K.M., Tassia, M.G., Halanych, K.M. and Swalla, B.J., 2018. Phylogenomics offers resolution of major tunicate relationships. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 121: 166-173.
  14. Hall, M.R.*, K.M. Kocot*, K.W. Baughman*, S.L. Fernandez-Valverde, M.E.A. Gauthier, W.L. Hatleberg, A. Krishnan, C. McDougall, C.A. Motti, E. Shoguchi, T. Wang, X. Xiang, M. Zhao, U. Bose, C. Shinzato, K. Hisata, M. Fujie, M. Kanda, S.F. Cummins, N. Satoh, S.M. Degnan, and B.M. Degnan. 2017. The crown-of-thorns starfish genome as a guide for biocontrol of this coral reef pest. Nature 544: 231-234. *Co-first authors.
  15. Kocot K.M., T.H. Struck, J. Merkel, D.S. Waits, C. Todt, P.M. Brannock, D.A. Weese, J.T. Cannon, L.L. Moroz, B. Lieb, and K.M. Halanych. 2017. Phylogenomics of Lophotrochozoa with consideration of systematic error. Systematic Biology 66(2): 256-282.
  16. Kocot, K.M., F. Aguilera, C. McDougall, D.J. Jackson, and B.M. Degnan. 2016. Sea shell diversity and rapidly evolving secretomes: insights into the evolution of biomineralization. Frontiers in Zoology 13(1): 1.
  17. Kocot, K.M. On 20 years of Lophotrochozoa. Organisms Diversity and Evolution, 16: 329-343.
  18. Kocot, K.M. and C. Todt. 2014. Three new species of meiofaunal solenogasters (Mollusca, Aplacophora) from Friday Harbor, WA, USA. Journal of Natural History 48: 3007-3031.
  19. Moroz, L.L., M. Kocot, M.R. Citarella, S. Dosung, T.P. Norekian, I.S. Povolotskaya, A.P. Grigorenko, C. Dailey, E. Berezikov, K. Buckley, D. Reshetov, A. Ptitsyn, K. Mukherjee, T.P. Moroz, E. Dabe, F. Yu, V.V. Kapitonov, J. Jurka, Y. Bobkov, J.J. Swore, D.O. Girardo, R. Bruders, C.E. Mills, V.V. Solovyev, J. Rast, B. J. Swalla, F.A. Kondrashov, J.V. Sweedler, E.I. Rogaev, K.M. Halanych, and A.B. Kohn. 2014. The genome of the ctenophore and the emergence of nervous systems. Nature 510: 109-114.
  20. Kocot, K.M., M.R. Citarella, L.L. Moroz, and K.M. Halanych. 2013. PhyloTreePruner: a phylogenetic tree-based approach for selection of orthologous sequences for phylogenomics. Evolutionary Bioinformatics 2013(9): 429-435.
  21. Kocot, M., J.T. Cannon, C. Todt, A.B. Kohn, M.R. Citarella, A. Meyer, C. Schander, S.R. Santos, L.L. Moroz, B. Lieb, and K.M. Halanych. 2011. Phylogenomics reveals deep molluscan relationships. Nature 477: 452-456.

*Kocot lab student or postdoc