Sarah Luke
Email: shl47@cam.ac.uk
Tel: +44 (0)1223 336617
Research interests
I studied Zoology at the University of Cambridge, then completed a Masters in Applied Ecology and Conservation at the University of East Anglia, Norwich, and have now returned to Cambridge to complete a PhD. I am interested in the effects of human-induced habitat change on biodiversity, and development of possible strategies for conservation. My research so far has considered the effects of habitat fragmentation on butterfly populations in the UK, habitat conversion from forest to oil palm plantation on ant and termite assemblages in Sabah, Malaysia, and impacts of invasive species on aquatic ecosystems. My PhD focusses on stream macroinvertebrate assemblages in tropical forest and oil palm ecosystems in Sabah. I aim to assess diversity and function of macroinvertebrate communities, determine the impacts of habitat conversion on the system and try to develop strategies for conservation.
Current research
Freshwaters are some of the most biodiverse and valuable ecosystems in the world, but are also some of the most threatened habitats. Global growth in agriculture poses one of the greatest threats to freshwaters systems through water pollution, changing inputs of terrestrial material and flow alterations. In Malaysia, expansion of oil palm production is driving rapid conversion of forest habitats. Consequent increases in erosion and sedimentation, and inputs of pesticides and fertilisers threaten a highly diverse but poorly understood freshwater biota, and clean water supplies for local people.
Invertebrates, including insects, crustaceans and molluscs, dominate freshwater ecosystems in terms of diversity and abundance, and play important roles in provision of ecosystem services and functions such as decomposition, food webs and transport of organic material. However, research has largely been limited to temperate systems, or a few tropical sites and so assemblages and functional roles of invertebrates are poorly understood. Furthermore, given the highly threatened status of freshwaters there is a general need for research that bridges the gap between freshwater ecology and conservation.
In Malaysia, 30m buffer strips must be left by law around streams in oil palm plantations to protect waterways, but the effectiveness of these is un-tested. In addition, the need for research into the impacts of oil palm agriculture on freshwater systems, and the threat of pollutants including inputs of palm oil mill effluent (POME), fertilisers and pesticides on streams and rivers has been specifically highlighted.
I
n my PhD I hope to:
- Compare diversity and function of macroinvertebrates in forest streams, with streams in oil palm plantations.
- Investigate the effects of forest clearance on stream biota and function.
- Investigate value of riparian buffer strips for mitigating impacts of forest clearance and oil palm agriculture.
- Determine the effects of palm oil mill effluent (POME) on stream systems.
- Conduct questionnaires to assess ecosystem service value of logged forest and oil palm streams.
My field work is based at the ‘Stability of Altered Forest Ecosystems’ (SAFE) Project in Sabah, Malaysia. This is a long-term study (run by Rob Ewers, Imperial College London) investigating the effects of forest fragmentation on diversity and function of species assemblages. My work is funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and a CASE partner, ProForest (Oxford).
