Biography
I have been at Keele since 1986. My first degree, BSc (Hons) in Biology from Exeter University was followed by an MSc in Ecology at Aberdeen University. After working for a year, I moved to the University of New Brunswick, Canada supported by a Commonwealth Scholarship to work for a PhD on the regeneration of trees after forest fires. While at Keele I have spent sabbatical periods as Visiting Professor at the University of Alberta, Canada and as Bullard Fellow at Harvard University, USA.
Research and scholarship
My research interests are primarily to do with the ecology of individual trees, in particular tree growth and seed production. One long-term project, following the seed production of beech trees across England, has been running for 30 years and now has the longest continuous dataset. Another project is looking at the seed production and seedling establishment of Scots pine in wetland situations. I am also involved in a project on modelling forest growth for silvicultural management. Further afield, I am part of an international team linking the sulphur content of tree rings to that in soda straws (speleothems) from a cave in Italy, ranging from a consideration of pollution over Europe to mapping sulphur in tree rings at the sub-micron scale using the synchrotron at Grenoble.
I also continue an interest in the effect of fire on vegetation and have two long-term projects running, one looking at the effect of grazing and fire on the world’s northern most cactus population in northern Canada (running since 1993), and the other following cohorts of cacti as they cope with desert grassland fires in Arizona (running since 1987). I am part of the Research Institute for the Environment, Physical Sciences and Applied Mathematics (EPSAM).
Public understanding of science is also important to me and I have written a number of articles and books on tree and woodland ecology aimed at the non-specialist.
Teaching
Year 1
- LSC-10037 Diversity of Life
- ESC-10039 Fundamentals of Physical Geography
- ESC-10048 Earth Systems
Year 2
- LSC-20054 Life at the extremes
- ESC-20038 Integrated Field Studies
- ESC-20017 Human Impact of the Environment, Scientific Perspectives
Year 3
- LSC-30004 Research Project (Biology) (Supervisor)
- LSC-30007 Dissertation for Biology (Supervisor)
- LSC-30017 Trees in their Environment (Module Manager)
- ESC-30019 Applied Environmental Science Independent Research Project (Supervisor)
- CHE-30013 Forensic Specialisms
MSc
- LSC-40026 Trees, Forests & Global Change (Module Manager)
Selected Publications
-
Limits to reproduction and seed size-number trade-offs that shape forest dominance and future recovery. Nat Commun, 2381, vol. 13(1). link> doi> full text>2022.
-
Globally, tree fecundity exceeds productivity gradients. Ecol Lett, 1471-1482, vol. 25(6). link> doi> full text>2022.
-
MASTREE+: Time-series of plant reproductive effort from six continents. Glob Chang Biol, 3066-3082, vol. 28(9). link> doi> full text>2022.
-
The evolutionary heritage and ecological uniqueness of Scots pine in the Caucasus ecoregion is at risk of climate changes. Scientific Reports, 1-17, vol. 11(1). link> doi> link> full text>2021.
-
Defence Is a Priority in Female Juveniles and Adults of Taxus baccata L. FORESTS, Article ARTN 844, vol. 12(7). link> doi> full text>2021.
Full Publications Listshow
Books
-
Trees: Their Natural History (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press.2014.
-
Fire in the Forest. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. link>2010.
-
Ecology of woodlands and forests. Cambridge Univ Press.2007.
-
Trees: Their Natural History. Cambridge Univ Press.2000.
Journal Articles
-
Limits to reproduction and seed size-number trade-offs that shape forest dominance and future recovery. Nat Commun, 2381, vol. 13(1). link> doi> full text>2022.
-
Globally, tree fecundity exceeds productivity gradients. Ecol Lett, 1471-1482, vol. 25(6). link> doi> full text>2022.
-
MASTREE+: Time-series of plant reproductive effort from six continents. Glob Chang Biol, 3066-3082, vol. 28(9). link> doi> full text>2022.
-
The evolutionary heritage and ecological uniqueness of Scots pine in the Caucasus ecoregion is at risk of climate changes. Scientific Reports, 1-17, vol. 11(1). link> doi> link> full text>2021.
-
Defence Is a Priority in Female Juveniles and Adults of Taxus baccata L. FORESTS, Article ARTN 844, vol. 12(7). link> doi> full text>2021.
-
Rich but not poor conditions determine sex-specific differences in growth rate of juvenile dioecious plants. J Plant Res, 947-962, vol. 134(5). link> doi> full text>2021.
-
Climate warming causes mast seeding to break down by reducing sensitivity to weather cues. Glob Chang Biol, 1952-1961, vol. 27(9). link> doi> full text>2021.
-
Biological Flora of the British Isles: Crataegus laevigata. Journal of Ecology, 572-596, vol. 109(1). doi> full text>2021.
-
Climate Change Strengthens Selection for Mast Seeding in European Beech. Current Biology. link> doi> link> full text>2020.
-
Climate warming disrupts mast seeding and its fitness benefits in European beech. Nat Plants, 88-94, vol. 6(2). link> doi> full text>2020.
-
From theory to experiments for testing the proximate mechanisms of mast seeding: an agenda for an experimental ecology. Ecol Lett, 210-220, vol. 23(2). link> doi> full text>2020.
-
Spatial genetic structure and diversity of natural populations of Aesculus hippocastanum L. in Greece. PLoS One, e0226225, vol. 14(12). link> doi> full text>2019.
-
Biological Flora of the British Isles: Aesculus hippocastanum. JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY, 992-1030, vol. 107(2). link> doi> full text>2019.
- 2018.
-
Photochemistry and Antioxidative Capacity of Female and Male Taxus baccata L. Acclimated to Different Nutritional Environments. Frontiers in Plant Science, 742, vol. 9. link> doi> link> full text>2018.
-
Sexual systems in gymnosperms: A review. BASIC AND APPLIED ECOLOGY, 1-9, vol. 31. link> doi> full text>2018.
-
Biological Flora of the British Isles: Sorbus torminalis. JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY, 1806-1831, vol. 105(6). link> doi> full text>2017.
-
Males and females of Juniperus communis L. and Taxus baccata L. show different seasonal patterns of nitrogen and carbon content in needles. Acta Physiologiae Plantarum, Article 191, vol. 39. doi> link> full text>2017.
-
Medicinal plants in Cyrenaica, Libya: existence and extinction. Biodiversity and Conservation. full text>2017.
-
Two centuries of masting data for European beech and Norway spruce across the European continent. Ecology, 1473, vol. 98(5). link> doi> link> full text>2017.
-
Drought and reproductive effort interact to control growth of a temperate broadleaved tree species (Fagus sylvatica). Tree Physiol, 744-754, vol. 37(6). link> doi> full text>2017.
- 2017.
-
Mountain Ash: Fire, Logging and the Future of Victoria's Giant Forests. MOUNTAIN RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, 161-162, vol. 37(1). link> doi> full text>2017.
- 2016.
- 1999.
- 2016.
-
Response of European yews to climate change: a review. FOREST SYSTEMS, Article ARTN eR01, vol. 24(3). link> doi> full text>2015.
- 2015.
- 2014.
- 2014.
- 2012.
-
Fibre-optic distributed temperature sensing for characterizing the impacts of vegetation coverage on thermal patterns in woodlands. Echoydrology. doi>2012.
- 2012.
- 2012.
-
The English beech masting survey 1980–2007: variation in the fruiting of the common beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) and its effects on woodland ecosystems. Arboricultural Journal, 189-214, vol. 31. doi>2012.
- 2012.
-
Checklist and life forms of plant species in contrasting climatic zones of Libya. Biological Diversity and Conservation, 1-12, vol. 5(3).2012.
- 2011.
-
Imaging and monitoring tree-induced subsidence using electrical resistivity imaging. NEAR SURFACE GEOPHYSICS, 191-206, vol. 7(3). link> doi> full text>2009.
- 2009.
- 2007.
-
Dendroecology and dendrochemistry in Trentino: the Grotta di Ernesto project. Acta Geologica, 57-63, vol. 82.2007.
- 2006.
-
Trees burning. TREES, Journal of the International Tree Foundation.2004.
-
Biological Flora of the British Isles Taxus baccata L.,. Journal of Ecology, 489-524, vol. 91.2003.
-
Biological Flora of the British Isles. \fITaxus baccata\fP L. Journal of Ecology, 489-524, vol. 91(3).2003.
-
A tree's old age. NATURAL HISTORY, 96, vol. 109(4). link>2000.
-
Dendrochronological analysis of a modern mire-rooted population of Pinus sylvestris L. and its significance for the study of subfossil pine layers,. Dendrochronologia, 9-20, vol. 16-17.1999.
- 1997.
-
Biological Flora of the British Isles: Betula nana L. and Betula glandulosa Michx.,. Journal of Ecology, 241-264, vol. 85.1997.
- 1995.
- 1994.
-
The ecology of severe moorland fire on the North York Moors: chemical and physical constraints on moss establishment from spores,. Journal of Ecology, 457-474, vol. 82.1994.
- 1992.
- 1991.
-
Response of cacti and other succulents to fire: a review. The International Journal of Wildland Fire, 11-22, vol. 1.1991.
- 1990.
Chapters
-
General forest ecological processes. In A colour atlas of trees. Bowes BG (Ed.). London: Manson Publishing.2010.
Other
-
Is Scots Pine a Successful Invader in Contemporary Bog?. full text>2015.
- 2000.
School of Life Sciences,
Huxley Building,
Keele University,
Staffordshire,
ST5 5BG
Tel: +44 (0) 1782 734414
Enquiries:
Tel: +44 (0) 1782 734414
Email: lifesciences.enquiries@keele.ac.uk