Plants, Animals and Interactions
When environmental conditions change, there are normally significant changes in the way that plants, animals and other organisms respond. Our theme explores how these changes affect the ecology and physiology of plants and animals.
We also investigate how biotic interactions between species – plants, animals and microbes – underpin ecosystems and respond to environmental change.
Our team has particular expertise in the complementary areas of eco-physiology, evolutionary ecology and species interactions. We pursue laboratory and field-based research, using both our unique experimental facilities and natural environmental gradients.
We study systems from the genomic and biochemical levels through to ecosystem-level responses to develop integrated understanding of both patterns and the underlying processes. This helps to predict and manage ecosystem functions and services across different types of landscapes, including natural woodlands, forest plantations and agricultural systems.
Our mission is to advance integrated understanding of how environmental change influences the biology of individual species, key interactions between species, and overall biodiversity and ecosystem functions.
