The Landscape and Biodiversity Research Group
The Landscape and Biodiversity Research Group (LBRG) in the School of Science and Technology at The University of Northampton carries out fundamental and applied research in the area of landscape ecology and its relationship to biodiversity and the ecology of species interactions. Research is mainly focussed on the effects of habitat modification and fragmentation on species' autecologies, seed dispersal, pollinator behaviour and plant reproductive success, and species richness. Research involves species- and community-level studies of ecology and conservation.
The LBRG currently consists of three permanent academic staff (Dr Jeff Ollerton, Dr Janet Jackson and Dr Duncan McCollin), postdoctoral researchers who are affiliated to the group either directly or as alumni (including Dr Jolyon Alderman, Visiting Research Fellow), and postgraduate research students. In addition, the group has ongoing research collaborations with colleagues at a number of UK and international universities and research centres.
The main research themes of the LBRG are:
- Hedgerow biodiversity[1][2][3]
- Landscape fragmentation and modelling [4][5]
- The ecology, evolution and conservation of plant-pollinator interactions[6][7][8]
- Pollinators and landscape structure [9][10]
- River and floodplain management [11][12][13]
Research has been funded by a range of organisations, including: NERC, BBSRC, The Royal Society, The Leverhulme Trust, The British Ecological Society, The Biodiversity Trust, The Royal Entomological Society, South Northamptonshire Council, Friends of the Upper Nene (FUN), The University of Northampton, English Partnerships, SITA Environmental Trust (in collaboration with the SITA Centre for Sustainable Wastes Management) and the Finnis Scott Foundation.
References
- McCollin, D. (2000) Editorial. Hedgerow policy and protection - changing paradigms and the conservation ethic. Journal of Environmental Management 60(1): 3-6
- McCollin D, Jackson J, Barr, C. J., Bunce, R. G. H. and Stuart, R. (2000) Hedgerows as habitat for woodland plants. Journal of Environmental Management 60(1): 77-90
- Jackson, J.I. & McCollin, D. (1997) Hedgerow diversity: dynamics of dispersal, colonization and establishment of woody plant species. In: Proceedings of the 6 th Annual Conference of the International Association of Landscape Ecology: Species dispersal and land use processes . Eds: Copper, A. & Power, J. (309-312).
- Alderman, J, McCollin, D. Hinsley, S.A., Bellamy, P.E., Picton, P., & Crockett, R. (2005) Modelling the effects of dispersal and landscape configuration on population distribution in fragmented habitat. Landscape Ecology 20: 857-870.
- McCollin, D., Moore, L. & Sparks, T. (2000) The flora of a cultural landscape: environmental determinants of change revealed using archival sources. Biological Conservation 92(2): 249-263.
- Ollerton, J.,Grace, J., & Smith, K. (2007). Pollinator Behaviour and Adaptive Floral Colour Change in Anthopora alluadii (Hymenoptera: Apidae) and Erysimum scoparium (Brassicaceae) on Tenerife. Entomologia Generalis 29: 253-268.
- Ollerton, J., Stott, A., Allnutt, E., Shove, S., Taylor, C. and Lamborn, E. (2007) Pollination niche overlap between a parasitic plant and its host. Oecologia 151: 473-485.
- Waser, N.M & Ollerton, J. (2006) Plant-pollinator interactions: from specialization to generalization. University of Chicago Press, USA.
- Cant,E. T. , Smith,A. D., Reynolds,D. R., and Osborne, J. L. (2005). Tracking butterfly flight paths across the landscape with harmonic radar. Proceedings of the Royal Society.
- Cranmer, L., Ollerton, J. and McCollin, D. (in prep.) Landscape structure directly affects bumblebee movements and plant reproductive success.
- Jackson, J.I. and A Kwolek (2003) Habitat Survey of the Upper Nene Valley 1999-2002 . South Northamptonshire District Council, Friends of the Upper Nene (FUN), Northamptonshire County Council.
- Kwolek, A. & Jackson, J. (2001) Floodplains and Agenda 21: The Upper Nene Valley Project. Sustainable Development 9(3): 165-174.
- Jackson, J. I. and Boutle, R. (2008) Ecological functions within Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems. Proceedings of the 11th International Conference on Urban Drainage, Edinburgh, Scotland , UK , September 2008, 730-740.