Research

@KerryStewart

functional biodiversity loss

Biodiversity can be described across multiple dimensions including taxonomic, functional (or trait) and evolutionary diversity. Assessing loss and suggesting conservation actions across a single dimension can overlook changes and result in loss of unique evolutionary lineages or alterations in ecosystem functions and processes. Our group and collaborators are interested in assessing changes to functional diversity, considering how data gaps may influence our ability to describe functional diversity, and to develop metrics that incorporate this understudied dimension to monitor changes and develop conservation strategies and actions.

Global predictors of vulnerability: species’ traits and human impacts

Human impacts are currently widespread, yet impacts do not affect all areas or species equally. We seek to understand global-scale patterns in biodiversity loss and the human impacts driving those trends. Our group and collaborators have developed predictive models of mammalian extinction risk considering species traits, socioeconomic factors and threats, as well as their interactions. Ultimately, we aim to identify relationships, interactions and trade-offs between key species traits, the socioeconomic context and the demographic parameters that influence population dynamics and hence, extinction risk.

©Danilo Russo

@Ben Howes

Understanding large scale patterns: macroecology and biogeography

Since the days of Wallace and Darwin ecologists and biogeographers have been interested in describing and understanding large-scale diversity patterns. Our team and collaborators are working to contribute to this understanding in different ways: exploring patterns in mammalian dietary preferences and body size distributions; describing how biogeographical regions are influenced by human activities and how life is organised with them.

Road ecology: behavioural impacts and roadkill

Road ecology is a rising sub-discipline of the field of conservation biology as a consequence of the worldwide development of road-networks and associated motorized traffic. We are interested in assessing and predicting the impacts of roads and traffic on different species including roadkill risk and behavioural changes. Our work includes local studies in South Africa and Ecuador, regional studies in Europe and Latin America, as well as global analyses including predictive models of risk to determine which are the most vulnerable species and the most affected areas and identify priorities for research and conservation.

@Marcel Huijser

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