Recent Environmental Change and Biodiversity (RECB)

Jan Axmacher

Ambroise Baker

Helen Bennion

James Brennan

Kim Calders

Mat Disney

Shaun Dowman

Roger Flower

Ben Goldsmith

Stef Goodrich

Viv Jones

Martin Kernan

Simon Lewis

Anson Mackay

Neil Rose

Carl Sayer

Ewan Shilland

James Shilland

Simon Turner

Handong Yang

Biodiversity patterns at different trophic levels in temperate forest ecosystems and their response to environmental change (2012 – 2015) (Jan Axmacher)

This project investigate the diversity patterns of plants and invertebrates in the temperate forest ecosystems of Northeastern China. Our research sites are located in the remnant mature forest ecosystems on Changbaishan and in secondary and plantation forests located throughout NE China's provinces. We analyse how a range of different environmental factors like climatic conditions and land-use patterns influence the diversity of vascular plants, macro-moths and ground beetles. Our research provides important insights to enhance biodiversity conservation and potential ecological pest control in the management of new forest plantations and secondary forests. The project is collaborative with the Institute of Botany- Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Landscape scale effects of human activity and recovery over the last 1000 years in coastal Belize (2013 - 2015) (Simon Turner)

This project aims to determine the relationships between soil development, archaeological stratigraphy, wetland and lagoonal sediments, before, during and post-Classic Maya coastal occupation.  It is cross-departmental (Archaeology and Geography) within UCL and funded by The Leverhulme Trust.

New measurements of tropical forest 3D structure and biomass. (2012 - present) (Mat Disney).

This project is using terrestrial laser scanning (lidar) to estimate the size and mass of tropical forest trees, as well as their height, crown size and vertical distribution of leaves and branches. The mass is very important as it indicates the amount of carbon stored in the tree and is impossible to measure directly non-destructively. The project uses 3D measurements from lidar to reconstruct the tree volume (and hence mass) automatically. The lidar measurements also allow us to explore the branching structure of the trees, as well as linking to remote sensing measurements from aircraft and satellites at the larger scale. Current work has focused on Gabon in W. Africa (More...) and Queensland, Australia (More...) but new funding will allow us to work across other regions of the tropics.

Analysis and simulation of the long term / large-scale interactions of C, N and P in UK land, freshwater and atmosphere. (2012 – 2015) (Neil Rose, Simon Turner)

This NERC project aims to account for observable terrestrial and aquatic pools, concentrations and fluxes of C, N and P on the basis of past inputs, biotic and abiotic interactions and transport processes to assess responses to catchment nutrient enrichment over the last 200 years; determine the effects on transfer from land to atmosphere, freshwaters and estuaries and assess the effects of these on biodiversity.

Silicon isotope records of recent environmental change and anthropogenic pollution from Lake Baikal, Siberia. (2012-2015) (Anson Mackay).

This project seeks to determine the extent of anthropogenic impact from agricultural and industrial pollution on Lake Baikal and it’s main tributary (the Selenga River) using silicon isotopes. The project is being led by Dr George Swann (University of Nottingham)

Lakes and the Arctic carbon cycle (2012 - 2015) (Viv Jones, Nadia Solovieva and Simon Turner)

Lakes play an important role in carbon processing, particularly in the Arctic where they can cover a substantial proportion of the landscape. The terrestrial vegetation surrounding a lake can determine whether it is a net carbon source or sink.  This project investigates how lakes have reacted in the past to major shifts in catchment vegetation by investigating lake sediment records over the Holocene (last ~11,500 years). This pan-Arctic study  includes lakes from Greenland, Alaska and Russia to investigate a range of plant biomes. Sediments will be analysed for terrestrial plant remains and a suite of biological and biochemical indicators to reconstruct past changes in lake carbon cycling and biodiversity and to gain a better understanding of the linkages between terrestrial and aquatic carbon processing.  The project is collaborative with Loughborough University, Nottingham University and the University of Southampton and is funded by NERC

Monitoring Gabon’s tropical forests (2012 - present) (Simon Lewis). This project is undertaken in collaboration Gabon’s National Parks Service.One hundred sampling locations were randomly chosen across Gabon to make standardised carbon storage and biodiversity measurements, some of which were difficult to get to (right).

Reference conditions for phosphorus runoff from forested areas with arable soil properties (2012 - 2014) (Helen Bennion).

Funded by the Norwegian Research Council. This project, in collaboration with Bioforsk in Norway, aims to develop a methodology to assess the contribution of phosphorus runoff from clay-rich soils, for use as a management tool in the implementation of the Water Framework Directive in agricultural river basins.

Designing the tropical forests of the future (2012-present) (Simon Lewis).

This NERC funded project (with CASE partner Permian) involves taking measurements in a 200,000 ha forest restoration project in Kibale, Uganda.

GEOCARBON: Designing a global carbon observatory. (2012 - present). (Simon Lewis)

This project, EU funded across 23 institutions, has produced the first forest carbon measurements from the swamps of the central Congo Basin (right)

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T-FORCES: quantifying the changing ecology of tropical forests. (2012 - 2018). (Simon Lewis). EU funded.

Intact tropical forests currently absorb over 1 billion tonnes of carbon per year.

Palaeolimnological assessment of trace element inputs to lakes in the Athabasca Oil Sands region, Alberta, Canada. (2011 – 2012) (Neil Rose, Simon Turner, Handong Yang)

This project uses ²¹⁰Pb-dated sediment cores to assess temporal trends and rates of change in trace element input tom a series of lakes in the Oil Sands region and compares these with equivalent sediment records of two reference lakes in the Caribou Mountains. Funding from Government of Alberta and Shell Canada.

Biodiversity of Freshwater Ecosystems: Status, Trends, Pressures, and Conservation Priorities (BioFresh) (2010 - 2014) (Martin Kernan, Rick Battarbee, Gina Henderson, Victoria Baur)

Funded by EU 7th Framework Programme, BioFresh is building a freshwater biodiversity information platform to bring together, and make publicly available, the vast amount of information on freshwater biodiversity currently scattered among a wide range of databases. BioFresh is also using existing data to build predictive models of biodiversity change in order to support freshwater biodiversity management and conservation. At UCL we are examining spatial patterns of biodiversity in lakes across Europe as well as developing palaeolimnological approaches to assessing contemporary and past biodiversity. (More...)

Source: eol.org. © CAFS

Using novel palaeolimnological techniques to define lake conservation objectives for three Cheshire meres (2010) (Helen Bennion).

Funded by Natural England. This project used existing and recently developed palaeoecological techniques to define reference conditions and assess the condition of selected Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) in the Cheshire meres (Melchett Mere, Tatton Mere, Comber Mere), and thereby assist in the setting of conservation objectives and management goals.

Adaptive strategies to mitigate the impacts of climate change on European freshwater ecosystems (REFRESH) (2010 - 2014) (Helen Bennion; Martin Kernan; Simon Turner)

Funded by EU Seventh Framework Programme. The key aim of REFRESH, co-ordinated by UCL, was to develop a system that will enable water managers to design cost-effective restoration programmes for freshwater ecosystems at the local and catchment scales that account for expected future impacts of climate change and land-use change in the context of the EU Water Framework and Habitats Directives. UCL reviewed the implications of climate change for ecological reference conditions, employing palaeoecological techniques to trajectories of ecosystem change in response to multiple stressors with a focus on nutrients and climate , and ii) explore the impact of hydrological changes on ecosystem structure and function for a set of Turkish lakes (right). More information at www.refresh.ucl.ac.uk/

Long-range atmospheric nitrogen deposition as a driver of ecological change in Arctic lakes (2010 - 2012) (Viv Jones, Gavin Simpson and Chris Curtis)

Remarkably few measurements of nitrogen (N) deposition exist in the Arctic and this project aimed to determine the extent and possible impact of nitrogen deposition along a transect of lakes in western Greenland. The project incorporated contemporary ecology, N deposition monitoring and the study of lake sediments. By examining areas along a marked precipitation and N deposition gradient we assessed the influence of N inputs to lakes through seasonal monitoring and experimental work. We used contemporary ecological experiments to determine if phytoplankton are nutrient limited and measured the N content and isotopic fingerprint of rain and snow.The project was collaborative with Loughborough University, Nottingham University and the University of East Anglia and funded by NERC.

Development of the diatom classification tool (DARLEQ) for lakes (2009 - 2011) (Helen Bennion).

Funded by the Environment Agency and SEPA. This project, in collaboration with Bowburn Consultancy, University of Newcastle and University of Bristol, resulted in the development of an ecological classification tool for UK lakes based on benthic diatoms, a component of the biological-quality element macrophytes and phytobenthos required by the EU Water Framework Directive. The DARLEQ tool is a key component of a WFD-compliant tool kit for classifying UK standing waters.

Water bodies in Europe: Integrative Systems to assess Ecological status and Recovery (WISER) (2009 - 2012) (Helen Bennion; Martin Kernan).

Funded by EU 7^th Framework Programme. WISER addressed the assessment and management of rivers, lakes, transitional and coastal waters in Europe, providing guidance for the next steps of the implementation of the European Water Framework Directive. The UCL team were involved in developing ecological indicators for assessment and intercalibration, namely lake macrophytes, by collating existing palaeoecological data to establish reference conditions for macrophytes prior to enrichment. The team also employed palaeoecological data to assess the extent to which lake ecology is approaching or deviating from reference condition. More information at www.wiser.eu

The role of pond management and restoration for biodiversity conservation in lowland arable agricultural landscapes. (2009 – present) (Carl Sayer, Helen Bennion, Jan Axmacher, Helen Greaves, Emily Alderton, Dave Emson)

This research investigates the response of pond ecosystems to terrestrialisation and changed land-management in agricultural landscapes of the UK. It seeks to inform conservation and restoration strategies including habitat management (tree and sediment removal) and the re-excavation of ponds lost to agricultural land reclamation - so-called Ghost Ponds, and focuses on hitherto little studied interactions between fish, amphibians and Eurasian otter in lowland pond landscapes. Funding sources: NERC, Norfolk Biodiversity Partnership, Environment Agency, ENSIS Trust Fund.

Assessing the success of lowland river-floodplain restoration in the UK from ecological, hydrological and geomorphological perspectives. (2009 – present). (Carl Sayer, Murray Thompson, Luke Mitchell, Hannah Clilverd, Jan Axmacher, Julian Thompson, Victoria Shepherd).

This work assesses the effectiveness of river restoration including re-meandering, woody-debris introduction, river-floodplain re-connection and spawning gravel introduction using Before-After-Control-Impact (BACI) studies with consideration of catchment-scale influences. Funding sources: Living North Sea Interreg Programme, John Spedan Lewis Foundation, Environment Agency.

Dispersal and biodiversity impacts on community assembly and ecosystem services in shallow lake landscapes. (2009 – present) (Carl Sayer, Helen Bennion, Ambroise Baker).

This research aims to assess the importance of connectivity for buffering biodiversity loss in shallow lakes and ponds and in turn the important ecosystem services they provide. It involves the analysis of large spatial and historical datasets for aquatic macrophytes in UK lake districts, especially for the Norfolk Broads and Upper Lough Erne systems.Funding sources: NERC. For more info see the project website.

Long-term responses of shallow lake and pond ecosystems to eutrophication. (2009 – present). (Carl Sayer, Helen Bennion, Hannah Robson, Dave Emson, Isabel Bishop).

Using palaeolimnological approaches, this research aims to determine the response of shallow lake ecosystems to eutrophication. By analysing fossil remains from multiple biological groups, we are investigating the nature and speed of change to macrophyte habitat structure, food webs, feeding interactions and biodiversity. The implications of inferred ecological changes are considered in the context of UK lake conservation and restoration activities. Funding sources: NERC, National Trust, Natural England, Broads Authority.