Biodiversity for woodland resilience: the long-term functional ecology of tree diversity

The benefits of biodiversity for forest resilience and delivery of many ecosystem services underpin “nature-based solutions”. However, there are major gaps in knowledge of the ecological mechanisms, leading to serious over-generalisation and weak evidence base for policy and management. Resilience of European woodlands is threatened by climate-change-linked escalation of catastrophic tree pathogens and pests. We […]

Shifting climate, shifting threats: understanding the impact of climate change on chytrid disease dynamics in a global salamander biodiversity hotspot

Amphibians are among the most threatened vertebrate groups globally, facing a dual crisis of climate change and emerging infectious diseases. Salamanders, especially those in the biodiversity-rich Appalachian Mountains (USA), are at high risk due to climate-linked habitat loss and chytrid fungal pathogens (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis [Bd] and B. salamandrivorans [Bsal]). Bd is already widespread in Appalachia and has caused […]

Hot to cold: the exceptional mobility and hazard of volcanic block and ash flows

Picture showing the vent of Mt Meager volcano

Ten percent of the world’s population (i.e. 100s of millions) live within 100 km of an active volcano. During all explosive volcanic eruptions pyroclastic density currents (PDCs) can form – high temperature mixtures of rock and gas that rapidly flow away from the volcanic vent. These phenomena are the most lethal of all volcanic hazards […]

Cold-Stunning in Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtles: Physiological responses to climate change

n adult Kemp’s ridley turtle examined during routine fieldwork. Photo credit: M. Lamont.

We are seeking a highly motivated PhD candidate to join a cutting-edge project investigating the impact of environmental changes on cold-stunning events in Kemp’s ridley sea turtles, the world’s most endangered sea turtle species. Cold-stunning, a hypothermic condition caused by extreme drops in temperature, is increasing in frequency and severity, posing significant risks to an […]

A Greener Way to Control Weeds: Using the Soil Microbiome to Combat Blackgrass

A field of wheat with a considerable number of flowering blackgrass heads towering above the wheat ears.

Blackgrass (Alopecurus myosuroides) is Western Europe’s most problematic weed. The strong selective pressures imposed by modern agriculture have sculpted blackgrass biology to such an extent that it is found almost exclusively within agricultural fields. This human-driven evolution has rendered conventional weed control strategies ineffective, and we urgently need innovative alternatives to regain control and reduce […]

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