Insect Ecology Group
Dr Ed Turner
Affiliated Researcher, Department of Zoology
Academic Director and Teaching Officer in Biological Sciences, Institute of Continuing Education, University of Cambridge
Scientific Liaison, Stability of Altered Forest Ecosystems Project, Maliau Basin Studies Centre, Sabah, Malaysia
College Research Associate, Clare College.
ect23@cam.ac.uk
(01223) 331768
My research focuses on different aspects of insect conservation. I am particularly interested in the impacts of habitat change, fragmentation and management practices on insect communities both in the UK and abroad.
In Sabah, Malaysia, in association with the Stability of Altered Forest Ecosystems Project, I investigate how oil palm expansion affects rainforest biodiversity and ways that land can be managed to maintain biodiversity and healthy ecosystem functioning in agricultural areas.
In the UK, in association with the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire Wildlife Trust, I investigate chalk grassland biodiversity and the habitat requirements of threatened butterfly species. The aim of this work is to inform management practices to benefit biodiversity on reserves.
If you would like to gain monitoring or identification experience, there are opportunities to volunteer for some of my projects. Please contact me on the above email for more details.
Research Interests
Rainforest loss, habitat fragmentation and oil palm expansion
Oil palm cultivation has expanded dramatically in the tropics in recent decades and represents a severe threat to global biodiversity. Despite this, there has been little research investigating management practices to benefit biodiversity within tropical agricultural ecosystems. My research focusses on ways that oil palm landscapes can be managed to maintain biodiversity and healthy ecosystem functioning without reducing agricultural productivity. In association with the Stability of Altered Forest Ecosystems Project, I investigate the effects of habitat change and forest fragmentation on biodiversity at the landscape scale and the role of fragments in maintaining biodiversity in oil palm landscapes. Related work focusses on the impact of heterogeneity at much smaller scales, such as the role of epiphytic plants and understory vegetation in maintaining insect diversity in local plantation areas.
Chalk grassland management
Chalk grasslands are among the most biodiverse habitats in the UK, housing a huge variety of threatened plant and animal species. However, much of this important habitat has been lost, owing to agricultural expansion and lack of appropriate management. Understanding the specific habitat requirements of threatened chalk grassland species is crucial to their conservation, as different species require specific environmental conditions and may be lost if management is not tailored to their needs. In association with the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, and Northamptonshire Wildlife Trust, I investigate the habitat requirements of threatened chalk grassland butterflies, particularly the Duke of Burgundy (Hamearis lucina), Small Blue (Cupido minimus) and Chalkhill Blue (Polyommatus coridon). Results from this research are used to inform conservation management.
Selected Publications
Snaddon JL, Turner EC, Fayle TM, Chey VK, Eggleton P & Foster WA (2011) Biodiversity hanging by a thread: the importance of fungal litter-trapping systems in tropical rainforests. Biology Letters, published online 21 December 2011. doi: 10.1098/rsbl.2011.1115 PDF
Fayle TM, Edwards DP, Turner EC, Dumbrell AJ, Eggleton P, & Foster WA (2011) Public goods, public services, and by-product mutualism in an ant-fern symbiosis. Oikos, published online 29 December 2011. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-0706.2011.20062.x PDF
Turner EC, Snaddon JL, Ewers RM, Fayle TM & Foster WA (September 2011) The impact of oil palm expansion on environmental change: putting conservation research in context. Book Chapter in Environmental Impact of Biofuels, InTech open access publisher (http://www.intechweb.org/), Edited by Marco Aurélio dos Santos Bernardes, ISBN 978-953-307-479-5.
Ewers RM, Didham RK, Fahrig L, Ferraz G, Hector A, Holt RD, Kapos V, Reynolds G, Sinun W, Snaddon JL & Turner EC (2011) A large-scale forest fragmentation experiment: the Stability of Altered Forest Ecosystems Project. Phil Trans R Soc B 366, pp 3292-3302. PDF
Foster WA, Snaddon JL, Turner EC, Fayle TM, Cockerill TD, Ellwood MDF, Broad GR, Chung AYC, Eggleton P, Chey VK & M. Yusah K (2011) Establishing the evidence base for maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem function in the oil palm landscapes of South East Asia. Phil Trans R Soc B 366, pp 3277-3291. PDF
Fayle TM, Dumbrell AJ, Turner EC & Foster WA (2011) Distributional Patterns of Epiphytic Ferns are Explained by the Presence of Cryptic Species. Biotropica 43(1), pp 6-7. PDF
Fayle TM, Turner, EC, Snaddon JL, Vun Khen, C Chung AYC, Eggleton, P & Foster WA. (2010) Oil palm expansion into rainforest greatly reduces ant biodiversity in canopy epiphytes and leaf-litter. J Basic and Appl Ecol 11, pp 337-345. PDF
Turner EC & Foster WA (2009) The impact of conversion of primary rainforest to oil palm plantation on the arthropod fauna of a common epiphyte in Sabah, Malaysia. J Trop Ecol 25, pp 23-30. PDF
Turner EC, Granroth H, Johnson HR, Lucas C, Thompson AM, Froy H, German RN & Holdgate R (2009) Habitat preference and dispersal of the Duke of Burgundy butterfly (Hamearis lucina) on an abandoned chalk quarry in Bedfordshire, UK. J Insect Conserv, 13:475–486 PDF
Turner EC (2008) Investigating the habitat preferences of the Duke of Burgundy at Totternhoe Quarry. In: Action for the Duke of Burgundy: Sharing Good Practice (Noake B, Bulman C & Bourn N eds). Proceedings from a Butterfly Conservation Seminar (Report no. S08-33).
Snaddon JL, Turner EC & Foster WA (2008) Children’s perceptions of rainforest biodiversity: which animals have the lion’s share of environmental awareness? PLoS One 3, e1572.
Turner EC, Snaddon JL, Fayle TM & Foster WA (2008) Oil palm in context: identifying the need for biodiversity assessment. PLoS One 3, e2579. PDF
Fayle TM, Ellwood MDF, Turner EC, Snaddon JL, Mohd Yusah K & Foster WA (2008) Bird’s Nest Ferns: islands of biodiversity in the rainforest canopy. Antenna 32(1), pp 34-37.
Turner EC, Snaddon JL, Johnson HR & Foster WA (2007) The impact of bird’s nest ferns on stemflow nutrient concentration in a primary rain forest, Sabah, Malaysia. J Trop Ecol 23, pp 721-724. PDF
Snaddon JL & Turner EC (2007) A child’s eye view of the insect world: modern culture versus nature on perceptions of insect diversity. Environ Conserv 34(1), pp 33-35. PDF
Field J, Turner EC, Fayle T & Foster WA (2007) Costs of egg production and offspring provisioning: multifaceted parental investment in a digger wasp. P Roy Soc B-Biol Sci 274, pp 445-451. PDF
Turner EC & Foster WA (2006) Assessing the influence of Bird’s Nest Ferns (Asplenium spp.) on their local microclimate across a range of habitat disturbances in Sabah, Malaysia. Selbyana 27, pp 195-200. PDF
Dial R, Ellwood MDF, Turner EC & Foster WA (2006) Arthropod abundance, canopy structure, and microclimate in a Bornean lowland tropical rain forest. Biotropica 38, pp 643-652. PDF
Links
For more information on biology courses at the Institute of Continuing Education see: www.ice.cam.ac.uk
For Information on the Stability of Altered forest Ecosystems Project, see: www.safeproject.net
For more information on the Wildlife Trust, ways of becoming a member and volunteering opportunities see: http://www.wildlifebcn.org
For information about Clare College see: http://www.clare.cam.ac.uk/academic/cras.html
For up to date information on my research and other ecology conservation discussions see: http://www.how-science-works.co.uk