Insect Ecology Group

Our research group studies the ecology of insects, the impacts of human-induced habitat change on insect communities, and management solutions to maintain insect populations and associated ecosystem functions in natural and human-modified systems.

We currently collaborate on several large-scale projects in Southeast Asia that investigate ways that tropical agricultural ecosystems can be managed to benefit biodiversity, associated ecosystem services (such as pest control and decomposition), and to increase the long-term sustainability of tropical crops. This work is carried out in collaboration with Sinar Mas Agro Resources and Technology Research Institute, Wild Asia, Universiti Putra Malaysia, and IPB University, Indonesia.

In the UK, in collaboration with the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire Wildlife Trust, we investigate management options for conserving threatened butterfly species on reserves in the face of climate change, using a mixture of observational and experimental approaches.

Other members of our group work on insect taxonomy, collection management, and long term environmental change, using the nationally-important collection of insects housed in the University Museum of Zoology. In particular, Dr Henry Disney is a world expert on scuttle flies, and works with researchers worldwide to improve the taxonomic resolution of this group. Finally, we are also running a project investigating the biodiversity of green spaces in schools, and the importance of these areas for awareness of nature.