Biography
I am interested in understanding the how interactions between organisms and their food resources generate the patterns of species distribution, habitat use, behaviour and abundance, that we see in nature. Furthermore, I aim to understand how consumer-resource interactions affect the structure, functioning and service provision of ecosystems. My recent research has combined statistical modelling and individual-based modelling to examine the conditions under which consumers cause depletion of food resources. This topic is particularly important where the food resources being depleted have conservation (e.g. rare species) or economic value (e.g. agricultural crops, shellfish). I use individual-based models to predict how the outcomes of consumer-resource interactions vary under different environmental conditions and management regimes. I use my research to inform wildlife management and the resolution of human-wildlife conflicts.
The main study systems I have used to address these topics are:...
(1) Mute swan (Cygnus olor) grazing on aquatic plants and pasture grasses in lowland river catchments.
(2) Dark-bellied brent (Branta branta bernicla) geese grazing on intertidal eelgrass (Zostera spp.) and agricultural fields in coastal areas.
(3) Shorebirds feeding on mussels and cockles in estuarine areas used by commercial shellfisheries.
(4) Competition and reciprocal predation between a native riverine fish (the chub, Leuciscus cephalus) and an invasive crayfish (the signal crayfish Pacifastacus leniusculus) in lowland rivers.
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