Long-Term Ecology
The history of biodiversity and ecosystems
We undertake fieldwork globally to collect environmental data, including using paleo-ecological methods. We also make use of existing spatiotemporal datasets to generate novel datasets on the distribution of biodiversity.
Resource Stewardship Technologies
Tools to inform environmental descision making
Robust ecological, socio-economic information is important for planning, accounting, and reporting at local and national levels. We are developing techniques and tools that make a contribution to resource stewardship and ecosystem services assessments.
Biodiversity & Conservation
Species and ecosystems
We study how disturbances alter the biodiversity and functioning of natural ecosystems. Our aim is to provide policy and management solutions for complex social, economic and environmental challenges.
Lab News
Shrub growth and expansion in the Arctic tundra: an assessment of controlling factors using an evidence-based approach
September 2017. A new open-access research paper examines possible controls on Arctic shrubification using an evidence-based approach. Over at least the last three decades, changes in Arctic vegetation composition have occurred that have significant consequences for the regulatory capability of tundra environments. Specifically, woody shrubs have been increasing in height and spread, and expanding to fill in patchy landscapes. Rapidly increasing air temperatures or increased growing season lengths appear responsible for increases in woody shrub biomass, but high spatial heterogeneity in shrub responses to increasing temperatures ... Continue reading
Plant Conservation Day: Global Pollen Project featured on Methods in Ecology Blog
To celebrate Plant Conservation Day, the Global Pollen Project has today been featured on the Methods in Ecology and Evolution Blog, in a guest post by Andrew Martin. The Global Pollen Project (GPP) is an initiative started by Andrew Martin and William Harvey of the Oxford Long-Term Ecology Laboratory. [caption id="attachment_3854" align="aligncenter" width="300"] A digitised slide of Rheum rhabarbarum, collected from Mongolia in 2004.[/caption] The post highlights the ... Continue reading
Long-term Ecology and Future Planet Earth – A symposium in honour of Professor Kathy Willis
News item contributed by Professor John Birks, University of Bergen The Ecological and Environmental Change Research Group in the Department of Biology, University of Bergen organised a one-day symposium on Long-term Ecology and Future Planet Earth on 4 May 2017 to celebrate Professor Kathy Willis receiving an Honorary Doctorate (Æresdoktor) from the University of Bergen. Sixteen colleagues, former students, and friends from Oxford, Bergen, St Andrews, Southampton, and Tucson contributed lectures on the general theme of how a long-term perspective provided ... Continue reading
Congratulations to Heri Andrianandrasana
We are delighted and proud to announce that this week Heri Andrianandrasana passed his DPhil viva with flying colours. His thesis examines the effectiveness of community-based conservation schemes in Madagascar for preserving biodiversity, protecting ecosystem services and improving human well-being. As part of his award winning DPhil work, he ran the largest programme of village-based monitoring in Madagascar involving 461 local monitors from 81 villages across five conservation areas. His conclusions have ... Continue reading
Natural Capital of Street Trees
In a new Perspectives paper published in Science on 28 Apr 2017, Kathy Willis and Gill Petrokfosky highlight the considerable advantages of street trees as a natural capital asset. Urban trees can take up large amounts of carbon dioxide while also providing local cooling, which is enormously valued in increasingly hot cities, and natural filters for air pollution, which benefits human health. The paper draws attention to the importance of understanding the characteristics of tree species because planting ... Continue reading
Research Blog
Launch of the latest phase of the Local Ecological Footprinting Tool (LEFT) – 7th October 2016 – 5.00 – 6.30pm – Oxford Martin School
By Alistair Yeomans on October 6, 2016
We will be launching the Local Ecological Footprinting Tool (LEFT) on Friday 7th October in Oxford. This is the latest development phase of our web-based decision support tool for assessing risk in environmental management – https://www.left.ox.ac.uk/ (see brief details below) ... Continue reading
Latest on the Humbug project
By Dr. Marianne Sinka on October 3, 2016
Our database of mosquito recordings is growing with considerable help from the CDC in Atlanta, Dr Sheila Ogoma at USAMRU-Kenya, Alex Fyfe at the Jenner institute amongst others; it now contains several thousand recordings including free flying, non-tethered recordings of ... Continue reading
Money well spent? – Conservation in Europe
By Henrik Hannemann on September 28, 2016
Preservation of biodiversity within Europe is widely acknowledged as an important goal not only for the intrinsic value of biodiversity but also the important assets it provides ... Continue reading