A5052854463- Fire effects on ecosystems
- Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies
- Botany and Plant Ecology Studies
- Forest Ecology and Biodiversity Studies
- Plant and animal studies
- Atmospheric and Environmental Gas Dynamics
- Landslides and related hazards
- Atmospheric chemistry and aerosols
- Species Distribution and Climate Change
- Botany, Ecology, and Taxonomy Studies
- Plant Parasitism and Resistance
- Fire dynamics and safety research
- Peatlands and Wetlands Ecology
- Animal Ecology and Behavior Studies
- Rangeland and Wildlife Management
- Plant Ecology and Taxonomy Studies
- Evacuation and Crowd Dynamics
- Plant responses to elevated CO2
- Botanical Studies and Applications
- Fire Detection and Safety Systems
- Sugarcane Cultivation and Processing
Durham University
2022-2025
University of Birmingham
2022-2025
Fire regimes are changing across the globe, with new wildfire behaviour phenomena and increasing impacts felt, especially in ecosystems without clear adaptations to wildfire. These trends pose significant challenges scientific community understanding communicating these changes their implications, particularly where we lack underlying evidence inform decision-making. Here, present a perspective on priority directions for science research—through lens of academic government scientists from...
Abstract The increasing frequency and severity of UK wildfires, attributed in part to the effects climate change, highlights critical role fuel moisture content (FMC) live dead vegetation shaping wildfire behaviour. However, current models used assess danger do not perform well shrub-type fuels such as Calluna vulgaris, requiring an improved understanding dynamics on diurnal seasonal scales. To this end, 554 samples upper canopy, stems, moss, litter organic layer (top 5 cm material above...
Invasive alien plant species can cause considerable ecological, economic, and social impacts, the number of impactful will likely increase with globalisation anthropogenic climate change. Preventing potentially invasive from becoming introduced is most cost‐effective way to protect Norway's ecosystems future invasions. We developed applied a new method for horizon scanning identify high‐risk that are not yet present in Norway but could be become naturalised future. Starting 16 866 known...
Wildfire risk is increasing in temperate regions like the UK and NW Europe, but we lack operational tools to support wildfire management decision-making needs. We developed FireInSite address need for a user-oriented system predicting fire behaviour. behaviour prediction form of web-based application that forecasts probability ignition, surface rate spread, flame length fireline intensity user selected location set core prone fuels. By seamlessly integrating geolocated weather up 5 days...
Abstract The enemy release hypothesis predicts that invasive plant success is in part due to the absence of natural enemies invaded range. However, few studies have assessed how may vary over time or space. Norway has seen a large increase non‐native species past decades. We used historical herbarium records test whether 10 suffered less from (foliar herbivores) at different latitudes and 195 years, compared closely related (congeneric) native species. analysed 2200 specimens 26 Chewing...
Arthropods underpin fundamental ecological processes such as herbivory, pollination and nutrient cycling, are often responsive to subtle changes in environmental conditions. Thus, their abundance phenology may be crucial indicators of system-wide responses climate change. The new Birmingham Institute for Forest Research (BIFoR) Free Air Carbon Dioxide Enrichment (FACE) facility provides a unique opportunity assess arthropod diversity mature deciduous forest the effect sampling method...
Temperate peatlands and heathlands are at increasing risk of severe wildfires under future climates which may combust legacy carbon stocks. The moisture content the different fuel layers determines threat posed. controls on their response to extreme weather have previously been unknown. Here, we show that differ between layers. Fine dead is dominated by weather, live temporal including season phenology, soil organics elevation type. This separation in time space produces a landscape...
New fire vulnerable communities are emerging in traditionally non-fire prone regions of the world. But these often largely unaware developing threat and do not hold core wildfire knowledge to galvanise collective community-based action mitigate risk. Furthermore, we urgently require fuel moisture dynamics flammability fuels such provide accurate assessments danger at national scale. Here characterise content heather through engaged environmental science, demonstrating potential approach...
Background Predicting fire behaviour is an ongoing challenge in temperate peatlands and heathlands, where live fuels can form the dominant fuel load for wildfire spread, spatial heterogeneity moisture important but not typically represented models. Aims We examine impact of variation on simulated across a peatland/heathland landscape. Methods collected field measurements content Calluna vulgaris shrub from 36 sites North Yorkshire Moors, United Kingdom. used these to define inputs within...
Abstract Background: Fuel moisture content (FMC) is a critical component of wildfire risk. The spatiotemporal patterns FMC many key temperate fuels (e.g. heather, gorse, bracken, moor grass, litter, organic soil layer) are largely unknown and unravelling the drivers challenging. Current models designed to predict FMC, principally dead fuels, generally consider only weather variables. However, landscape factors affect water retention availability within soils, likely influence live ground...
ABSTRACT Aim The enemy release hypothesis states that the invasion success of non‐native species is partly due to their escape from natural enemies, e.g., herbivores. Large‐scale studies herbivory using multiple across sites are needed test generality in plants. Location Europe. Methods We carried out leaf‐herbivory surveys 2007 2021 15 botanical gardens ranging latitude 47°N (Switzerland) 63°N (Norway) investigate how levels differed between (i) native and species, (ii) non‐naturalised or...
Understanding the responses of non‐native plants to climate change while accounting for biotic interactions is key predicting and mitigating future invasion risks. Non‐native invasive may benefit from or decline in face change, relative native competitors. might also suffer less than natural enemies such as herbivores, which could give non‐natives a competitive advantage. However, we lack an understanding how will compete with warming climate, effects herbivore pressure. To test potential...