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Professor Ian Donohue

Professor (Zoology)
ZOOLOGY BUILDING
      
Profile Photo

Professor Ian Donohue

Professor (Zoology)
ZOOLOGY BUILDING

 Ian.Donohue@tcd.ie

 3531896 1356


I use theory and experiments to explore how biological networks respond to perturbations. The overarching aim of my research is to understand and predict how key elements of global change alter the functioning and stability of ecosystems. An important goal of my research is to bridge the gaps between theoretical, empirical and applied ecology. My field research focuses mainly on aquatic ecosystems (both marine and freshwater), although more recently my approach to research combines theory, experimental and observational work in the field and laboratory experiments using multitrophic microbial communities.
  Anthropogenic Impact on ecosystems   Ecology   Ecology, Ecosystems   Environment & Society   Environmental Impacts, Interactions   Pollution   resilience   STABILITY   Water & Sanitation
Project Title
 Nature+Energy
From
April 2021
To
February 2026
Summary
Our partnership brings together world-leading researchers and the key players in the Irish wind energy sector to add significant value to green renewable energy and enhance its competitiveness through developing the template and tools needed to optimise land management and the delivery of natural capital co-benefits from onshore wind farms.
Funding Agency
Research Ireland, Industry
Programme
MaREI, The Research Ireland Research Centre for Energy, Climate and Marine Research and Innovation
Project Type
Collaborative Cost-Share Project
Project Title
 Digitising biodiversity: Landscape-Animal-Digital-Human Translations
From
01/09/2021
To
31/08/2026
Summary
We will develop a smart environmental monitoring system that will bring about a revolution in biodiversity quantification by delivering and interpreting dynamic high resolution biodiversity data in real time. We will develop and integrate acoustic, visual and mm-wave all-weather radar sensors, with processing and interpretation using AI species-recognition and functional diversity tools, to address translation of information from landscapes and animals via digital means to human understanding. Our project will bring about a step-change in environmental monitoring, transforming data resolution and quality, while addressing explicitly what is lost and gained through digital translation from animal to human understanding.
Funding Agency
Kinsella Award (Philanthropy, Trinity Foundation)
Person Months
192
Project Title
 Decarbonising Ireland (DECARB-AI): AI-powered pathways to climateresilience
From
01 September 2025
To
31 August 2031
Summary
Decarb-AI is an exciting research project aimed at reducing Ireland"s carbon emissions using Artificial Intelligence (AI). This project brings together top researchers from seven Irish universities, combining their expertise in AI, environmental science, and engineering to tackle climate emissions. Using advanced computing power, the team will create AI-based tools to measure and predict carbon emissions, manage natural resources, and support businesses in becoming more environmentally friendly. The project also includes special training for students, helping them become innovative leaders who can apply these solutions in the real world, contributing to Ireland"s goal of a greener, healthier future.
Funding Agency
Research Ireland
Programme
Innovate for Ireland
Project Title
 COASTNET - a network model that comprehensively quantifiesthe impacts of a diverse range of anthropogenic, natural, and climatic factors on the resilience of coastal cities to storms
From
1 September 2022
To
31 August 2024
Summary
Funding Agency
Irish Research Council
Programme
Government of Ireland Postdoctoral Fellowship
Project Title
 Decarbonising Ireland: AI-Powered Pathways to Climate Resilience
From
To
Summary
Artificial Intelligence (AI) offers transformative potential to address mitigation challenges by optimising resource use, improving energy efficiency, and enabling data-driven decision-making. This research proposal explores the role of AI in advancing climate mitigation efforts in Ireland, focusing on key areas such as energy resources, peatland management, and water use. The iScholars funded by this research programme will investigate the development and deployment of state-of-the-art AI technologies applied via carbon accounting tools, climate risk modelling, and behavioural insights platforms, to empower businesses and individuals in reducing their carbon footprints. The backbone of the work will be accomplished by leveraging the advanced data sets that have been created in the recent past, including that of the Research Ireland Climate+ Co-centre, Terrain-AI, EUMETSAT, and many others. A component of the programme will address barriers to mitigation adoption, such as lack of data, cost, and public trust, while emphasising the importance of ethical and transparent AI governance. By leveraging Ireland"s strengths in technology and biodiversity, this research aims to provide actionable insights for policymakers, businesses, and financial institutions to harness AI for effective climate mitigation, contributing to Ireland"s transition to a sustainable, low-carbon economy
Funding Agency
Research Ireland
Programme
Innovate for Ireland

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Gorman CE, Torsney A, Gaughran A, McKeon C, Farrell C, White C, Donohue I, Stout J, Buckley YM, Reconciling climate action with the need for biodiversity protection, restoration and rehabilitation, Science of the Total Environment, 857, (1), 2023, p159316 , Journal Article, PUBLISHED  TARA - Full Text  URL
Keith, D., Ferrer-Paris, J., Nicholson, E., Bishop, M., Polidoro, B., Ramirez-Llodra, E., Tozer, M., Nel, J., MacNally, R., Gregr, E., Watermeyer, K., Essl, F., Faber-Langendoen, D., Franklin, J., Lehmann, C., Etter, A., Roux, D., Stark, J., Rowland, J., Brummitt, N., Fernandez-Arcaya, U., Suthers, I., Wiser, S., Donohue, I., Jackson, L., Pennington, R.T., Pettorelli, N., Andrade, A., Lindgaard, A., Tahvanainen, T., Terauds, A., Iliffe, T., Gerovasileiou, V., Chadwick, M., Murray, N., Moat, J., Pliscoff, P., Zager, I., Kingsford, R., Giller, P. & Robson, B., A function-based typology of Earth's ecosystems, Nature, 610, 2022, p513 - 515, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI
Ross, S.R.P.J., Arnoldi, J.F., Loreau, M., White, C.D., Stout, J.C., Jackson, A.L. & Donohue, I., Universal scaling of robustness of ecosystem services to species loss, Nature Communications, 2, 2021, p5167 , Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI
White, L., O'Connor, N.E., Yang, Q., Emmerson, M.C. & Donohue, I., The multifaceted contributions of individual species to the stability of ecosystems, Nature Ecology & Evolution, 4, 2020, p1594-1601 , Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI
Hillebrand, H., Donohue, I., Harpole, W.S., Hodapp, D., Kucera, M., Lewandowska, A.M., Merder, J., Montoya, J.M., Freund, J.A., Thresholds for ecological responses to global change do not emerge from empirical data, Nature Ecology & Evolution, 4, 2020, p1502-1509 , Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI
Ross, S.R.P-J., García Molinos, J., Okuda, A., Johnstone, J., Atsumi, K., Futamura, R., Williams, M.A., Matsuoka Y., Uchida, J., Kumikawa, S., Sugiyama, H., Kishida, O. & Donohue, I. , Predators mitigate the destabilising effects of heatwaves on multitrophic stream communities, Global Change Biology, 28, 2022, p403 - 416, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI
Kéfi, S., Dominguez-Garcia, V., Donohue, I., Fontaine, C. Thébault, E. & Dakos, V. , Advancing our understanding of ecological stability, Ecology Letters, 22, 2019, p1349 - 1356, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI
Borer, E.T., Harpole, W.S., Adler, P.B., Arnillas, C.A., Bugalho, M.N., Cadotte, M.W., Caldeira, M.C., Campana, S., Dickman, C.R., Dickson, T.L., Donohue, I., Eskelinen, A., Firn, J.L., Graff, P., Gruner, D.S., Heckman, R.W., Koltz, A.M., Komatsu, K.J., Lannes, L.S., MacDougall, A.S., Martina, J.P., Moore, J.L., Mortensen, B., Ochoa-Hueso, R., Olde Venterink, H., Power, S.A., Price, J.N., Risch, A.C., Sankaran, M., Schütz, M., Sitters, J., Stevens, C.J., Virtanen, R., Wilfahrt, P.A. & Seabloom, E.W. , Nutrients cause grassland biomass to outpace herbivory, Nature Communications, 11, 2020, p6036 , Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI
Yang, Q., Fowler, M.S., Jackson, A.L. & Donohue, I., The predictability of ecological stability in a noisy world, Nature Ecology & Evolution, 3, 2019, p251 - 259, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI  URL
Pimm, S.L., Donohue, I., Montoya, J.M. & Loreau, M., Measuring resilience is essential to understand it, Nature Sustainability, 2, 2019, p895 - 897, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI  URL
  

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