I am fascinated by the bidirectional interplay between plankton (palaeo)biology and the Earth’s climate.
My research interests span palaeobiology, taxonomy, biomineralization and geological applications of coccolithophores – a group of marine calcifying algae that have a pivotal role in the functioning of the carbon cycle over geological time.
In my current DPhil research, I aim to understand the recent evolutionary history of this phytoplankton group. My ambition is to determine the interaction between the morphological signals within deep oceanic sediments and of genetic variation in extant organisms by using a range of palaeontological and biogeochemical techniques. In a broader sense, I aim to shed light on the evolutionary processes driving speciation in the open oceans as well as the associated rates over macro-evolutionary timescales.
I am funded by NERC-DTP and an Oxford-Radcliffe Graduate Scholarship (University College).
View Selected Publications
Archontikis, O.A., Millán, J.G., Andruleit, H., Cros, L., Kleijne, A., Heldal, M., Doan-Nhu, H., Winter, A., Blanco-Bercial, L. & Young, J.R. 2023: Taxonomy and morphology of Calciopappus curvus sp. nov. (Syracosphaeraceae, Prymnesiophyceae), a novel appendage-bearing coccolithophore. Protist. doi.org/10.1016/j.protis.2023.125983
Archontikis, O.A., Millán, J.G., Winter, A. & Young, J.R. 2023: Taxonomic re-evaluation of Ericiolus and Mercedesia (Prymnesiophyceae) and description of three new species. Phycologia. doi.org/10.1080/00318884.2023.2172841
Bendif, E.M., Probert, I., Archontikis, O.A., Young, J.R., Beaufort, L., Rickaby, R.E.M., Filatov, D.A., 2023: Rapid diversification underlying the global dominance of a cosmopolitan phytoplankton. The ISME Journal. doi.org/10.1038/s41396-023-01365-5
Archontikis, O.A. & Young, J.R. 2021: A reappraisal of the taxonomy and biodiversity of the extant coccolithophore genus Palusphaera (Rhabdosphaeraceae, Prymnesiophyceae). Phycologia. doi.org/10.1080/00318884.2021.1965758
Filatov, D.A., Bendif, E.M., Archontikis, O.A., Hagino, K. & Rickaby, R.E.M. 2021: The mode of speciation during a recent radiation in open-ocean phytoplankton. Current Biology. doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2021.09.073.
Gibbs, S.J., Bown, P.R., Ward, B.A., Alvarez, S.A., Kim, H., Archontikis O.A., Sauterey, B., Poulton, A. J. Wilson, J., Ridgwell, A. 2020: Algal plankton turn to hunting to survive and recover from end-Cretaceous impact darkness. Science Advances, doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abc9123.