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.
Current research topics include:
- Impacts of alternative management practices and restoration on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in oil palm plantations
- Managing chalk grassland reserves for butterflies in the face of climate change
- The role of school green spaces in supporting biodiversity and raising awareness of the natural world
- Using museum collections to study long-term change
Taxonomic work on scuttle flies (Diptera: Phoridae)
Key Publications
Hayes, M.P., Ashe-Jepson, E., Bladon, A.J., Hitchcock, G.E., Knock, R.I., Lucas, C.B.H., Turner, E.C. (2021) Consistent oviposition preferences of the Duke of Burgundy butterfly over 14 years on a chalk grassland reserve in Bedfordshire. Journal of Insect Conservation 25, pages 611–628
Howlett, K. & Turner, E.C. (2021) Effects of COVID-19 lockdown restrictions on parents' attitudes towards green space and time spent outside by children in Cambridgeshire and North London, United Kingdom. People and Nature. doi: 10.1002/pan3.10291
Disney, R. H. L. (2021) Phoridae (Scuttle Flies), Chapter 59: 1383-1437. In: Kirk-Spriggs, A.H. & Sinclair, B.J., eds, Manual of Afrotropical Diptera. Volume 3. South African National Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria.
Reiss-Woolever, V.J., Luke, S.H., Stone, J., Shackelford, G.E., Turner, E.C. (2021) Systematic mapping shows the need for increased socio-ecological research on oil palm. Environmental Research Letters 16 063002
Bladon A.J., Lewis M, Bladon E, Buckton S, Corbett S, Ewing S, Hayes M.P., Hitchcock G, Knock R, Lucas C, McVeigh A, Menendez R, Walker J, Fayle T, Turner EC (2020). How butterflies keep their cool: physical and ecological traits influence thermoregulatory ability and population trends. Journal of Animal Ecology 89, 2440-2450
Hood, A.S.C., Advento, A.D., Stone, J., Fayle, T.M., Fairnie, A.L.M., Waters, H.S., Foster, W.A., Snaddon, J.L., Ps, S., Caliman, J-P., Naim, M., Turner, E.C. (2020) Removing understory vegetation in oil palm agroforestry reduces ground-foraging ant abundance but not species richness. Basic Appl Ecol. doi: 10.1016/j.baae.2020.07.002
Luke, S.H., Advento, A.D., Aryawan, A.A.K., Adhy, D.H., Ashton-Butt, A., Barclay, H., Dewi, J.P., Drewer, J., Dumbrell, A.J., Edi, Eycott, A.E., Harianja, M.F., Hinsch, J.K., Hood, A.S-C., Kurniawan, C., Kurz, D.J., Mann, D.J., Matthews Nicholass, K.J., Naim, M., Pashkevich, M.D., Prescott, G.W., Ps, S., Pujianto, Purnomo, D., Purwoko, R.R., Putra, S., Rambe, T.D.S., Soeprapto, Spear, D.M., Suhardi, Tan, D.J.X., Tao, H-H., Tarigan, R.S., Wahyuningsih, R., Waters, H.S., Widodo, R.H., Whendy, Woodham, C.R., Caliman, J-P., Slade, E.M., Snaddon, J.L., Foster, W.A., Turner, E.C. (2020). Managing oil palm plantations more sustainably: large-scale experiments within the Biodiversity and Ecosystem Function in Tropical Agriculture (BEFTA) Programme. Frontiers in Forests and Global Change, 2