Research Themes
Natural history is my enduring passion.
I apply interdisciplinary approaches to tackle complex biological problems. Interrogating a question from several angles is often the best way to arrive at robust conclusions.
Although I focus on butterflies and moths, my research interests are varied. I have also published work on birds and primates, and actively pursue collaborations outside of narrow disciplinary silos.
My publication record goes back to my early teens, when I started writing papers and short communications for small but long-standing British entomological journals, such as The Bulletin of the Amateur Entomologists' Society (est. 1939) and the Entomologist's Record (est. 1890).
Keep scrolling to read more about the main themes of my work
Phenological Synchrony
Organisms move through time as well as through space. Whether species are mobile or sedentary, all are likely to experience some kind of temporal variation in their environmental conditions.
Where environments vary predictably through time—such as the daily transit of the sun or the slow cycle of the seasons—species can adapt the timing of their life history (their 'phenology') to avoid harsh conditions, and exploit favourable conditions.
In many cases, species time their own life history to coincide with the life history of other species they interact with. Birds will rear their young when the insects they feed upon are most abundant. Pollinators will appear when the specific plant species they pollinate are in flower. This kind of phenological synchrony is pervasive in nature, and the consequences of being mis-timed can be catastrophic.
However, climate change is disrupting the life history timing of many species, potentially generating greater phenological asynchrony in a diverse range of species, habitats, and ecosystems. Where this results in negative outcomes for particular species—for example, if a predator breeds out-of-sync with its main food supply—that species is said to be phenologically mismatched.
My work asks:
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How vulnerable are species to phenological asynchrony?
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How significant are effects of mismatch?
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What adaptations exist buffering those effects?
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How are species and communities likely to fare under continuing climatic change?