Laboratory of Evolutionary and Ecological Genomics
Nicholas Topping

Nicholas Topping

Position
  • Former Graduate Student
I graduated from the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Interdepartmental Graduate program in 2025. I am interested in sex determination in turtles and the direct and indirect effects of climate change on reproductive females (circulating estrogens, vitamin D, and habitat choice).

I am a new Assistant Professor in Biology at Clarke University in Dubuque, Iowa.

5. Topping N and Valenzuela N. 2025. Are painted turtles (Chrysemys picta) resilient to the potential impact of climate change on Vitamin D via overgrown floating vegetation? Diversity 17(6), 414.

4. Zdyrski C, Vojtech G, Gessler TB, Ralston A, Sifuentes-Romero I, Kundu D, Honold, S, Wickham H, Topping NE, Sahoo DK, Bista B, Tamplin J, Ospina O, Piñeyro P, Arriaga M, Galan JA, Meyerholz DK, Allenspach K, Mochel JP, and Valenzuela N. 2024. Establishment and Characterization of Turtle Liver Organoids Provides a Potential Model to Decode their Unique Adaptations. Communications Biology, 7 (1): 218. DOI 10.1038/s42003-024-05818-1.  

3. Topping NE and Valenzuela N. 2023. Thermal response of circulating estrogens in an Emydid turtle, Chrysemys picta, and the challenges of climate change. Diversity 15, 428.

2. Mizoguchi1 B, Topping NE, Lavin AM and Valenzuela N. 2022. Cadmium ecotoxic effects on embryonic Dmrt1 and aromatase expression in Chrysemys picta turtles may implicate changes in DNA methylation. Genes. 13, 1318.

1. Topping NE and Valenzuela N. 2021. Turtle nest-site choice, anthropogenic challenges, and evolutionary potential for adaptation. Frontiers in Ecology & Evolution 9: 808621.