Ecosystem Dynamics
Research within this theme is focused upon developing improved mechanistic understanding on the functioning of diverse ecosystems (including terrestrial, marine and freshwater) and quantifying ecological, physiological and behavioural aspects of key organisms (from microbes to invertebrates and vertebrates) within these systems.
Our work has a particular focus on assessing the sustainability of these systems, as they are challenged through anthropogenic demands and activities. As examples, research includes the intersection of the natural world with human activities, including the impact of wind farms on marine birds; shifts in the Arctic ecosystem resulting from climate warming; and assessing the potential for terrestrial insects as protein sources for human populations and farmed animals.
News
- How we discovered flamingos form cliques, just like humans
- World’s longest-winged birds go easy on older partners
- Deep-sea project helps chart future course for the Atlantic Ocean
- New research helps detect change in Arctic Ecosystems
- Some anemones like it hot
- Wind beneath their wings: Albatrosses fine-tuned to wind conditions
- Upland sheep grazing impacts biodiversity and will take decades to recover
- How we recruited albatrosses to patrol the high seas for illegal fishers
- Study finds darker ants dominate the rainforest canopy
- When tree planting actually damages ecosystems
- Parasites hinder reproduction for seabird mothers
- How puffins catch food outside the breeding season
- Hotspots’ reveal where sub-Antarctic seabirds are at risk from fishing
- The Serengeti-Mara squeeze – one of the world’s most iconic ecosystems under pressure
- Becoming an Expert: The wonder of Wisdom
- How Antarctic krill fertilise the oceans and even store carbon – all with their poo