Predation has a fundamental role in determining the structure, dynamics and functioning of natural ecosystems. Predators don’t just consume prey – they scare them – and hence alter their behaviour. This can have huge knock on consequences for the dynamics of ecosystems, often through modification of trophic cascades. The ‘ecology of fear’ has attracted lots […]
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Environmental change and perturbation due to human activities can have devastating impacts on microbial activities like biogeochemical cycling that are essential to the earth’s ecosystem functions. Microbial adaptations to stresses have been described in the laboratory, but it is not well understood how these relate to the natural environment. In particular, we have limited knowledge […]
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The deterioration in water quality across the world over recent decades as a result of nutrient pollution is now a huge environmental problem. The need to restore the water quality of lakes is stimulating the use of a range of remediation techniques. This PhD will take advantage of a unique natural experiment in which pollution […]
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Satellites and other high-resolution imaging techniques have enabled landscape ecologists to explore the spatial ecology of terrestrial biological communities, such as forests, for decades. The same opportunity has not existed in the sub-tidal marine environment, except for habitat mapping at course taxonomic resolutions. With the development of high-resolution underwater imaging, landscape-scale spatial data sets at […]
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Bioaerosols consist of biota such as pollen, fungal spores, bacteria and viruses and include plant allergens that negatively affect human health. Almost a quarter of people display allergic reactions to combinations of tree and grass pollen causing symptoms ranging from hay fever to asthma, with associated socio-economic costs to society and health services. Identifying pollen […]
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Air bubbles trapped in the ice of the Earth’s cold regions provide a unique, fascinating and long term record of atmospheric composition. Ice-core records of reactive gases are a relatively recent innovation, and potentially offer constraints on aspects of the past ~10000 years where there is little consensus (or investigation) with climate models. In this […]
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Sea-level rise and enhanced storminess, driven by climate change, is greatly increasing coastal vulnerability and the impacts of coastal recession worldwide. Although coastal cliffs provide valuable natural protection, they also present rockfall and landslide hazards; thus, understanding the processes involved in coastal recession is vital in order to implement appropriate sustainable management strategies to carefully […]
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Every summer, the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets develop a rash of supraglacial lakes around their edges. When they grow large enough, the water they contain can drain into the ice beneath which can either lubricate flow on grounded ice or structurally weaken floating ice shelves. Both of these impacts can lead to increased ice […]
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This project will explore the mobilisation and bioaccumulation of heavy metal contaminants from historic mine waste from old mine sites in Wales, and their impact on wildlife health. This is a unique, interdisciplinary project involving environmental geochemistry, ecology, plant science and animal health, involving colleagues at the University of Nottingham, the Natural History Museum, and […]
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Many freshwater fisheries of ecological and economic importance are in decline, while populations of piscivorous (fish-eating) birds such as goosanders and cormorants are increasing. This has led to growing pressure from the angling community to control numbers of these birds, and it also poses a challenge to the designation and management of protected riverine areas […]
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