Professor Yvonne Buckley

Summary

Funding Agency

Irish Research Council

Programme

Laureate Awards

Summary

The world needs to transition to a climate neutral circular bioeconomy i.e. Net zero GHG emissions, restore biodiversity, zero waste, energetically self-sustaining and resilient. The world uses fossil based resources to make energy chemicals and materials which result in GHG emissions, pollution of soil, water, and air, climate change, degradation of natural ecosystems, and biodiversity loss. We must stop using fossil-based resources and bring human existence back into balance with nature. BiOrbic"s challenge based programme will focus on biodiversity, resource efficiency, reducing GHG emissions and bioeconomy systems to support the development of a climate neutral circular bioeconomy.

Funding Agency

SFI

Programme

Research Centres

Summary

Mankind is profoundly altering the environments in which plant and animal populations live. An era of such massive habitat rearrangements requires ecologists to take new approaches to increase our understanding of species distribution and likelihood of persistence worldwide. Improved ecological models of range-wide persistence and response to the simultaneous threats of climate change, habitat destruction and landscape reconfiguration are required to inform management of biodiversity at large scales. GEODEM brings together global datasets of plant distribution and demography to gain insight into how the geographic configuration of habitats affects growth, survival and reproduction of more than 500 plant species worldwide. The project has two main objectives: 1. Geographic Range Pattern Analysis: Using species distribution models and global spatial statistics tools to quantify and compare spatial patterns of suitable environmental conditions across species' biogeographic ranges. 2. Landscape Demography: Testing how the spatial arrangement of suitable habitat within the geographic space can inform population responses to environmental gradients. The fellow will be supervised by and collaborate with world leaders in spatial ecology in Ireland and other European countries to accomplish her goals. The prestigious Marie Skłodowska-Curie fellowship will enable her to develop expertise in currently disparate areas of species distribution modelling and demography and place her in a unique position to make significant contributions to the urgent problem of population persistence at large scales during this era of global change. It will enable the fellow to build an independent research program in Europe after gaining research experience in top universities in Canada and Australia.

Funding Agency

European Union

Programme

Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions

Project Type

Postdoctoral fellowship to Anna Csergo

Person Months

24

Summary

Funding Agency

Sunflower Foundation

Programme

Philanthropy

Project Type

Research for Policy

Summary

Humans are rapidly changing the environments that plant and animal populations exist in. In order to make predictions about which populations will persist, which we are likely to lose and where to best place our management efforts for biodiversity conservation and ecosystem services we need a fundamental understanding of how the environment affects population growth and decline in human altered ecosystems. The proposed research seeks to leverage existing data-sets on plant population dynamics and spatial locations to gain insight into how abiotic conditions affect the growth, survival and reproduction of 162 species of plants worldwide. New data will be collected to extensively sample the population dynamics of a widespread plant species to develop novel models of habitat suitability for population growth at the global scale. Statistical models will be developed from existing data on 86 plant species at >40 sites worldwide to determine whether plant population responses to nutrient addition can be predicted using known demographic attributes, these models will be tested using new data from approx. 30 sites worldwide. Ultimately we need to use our knowledge of ecology together with the efficacy and costs of management to determine cost effective interventions to achieve environmental or societal goals. I will use demographic data on >20 plant species together with new management data to develop comparative models of cost effective management strategies for problematic invasive plants. I will use these interlinked objectives to develop predictive models of plant population dynamics under altered environmental conditions, predictions of population response to nutrient addition and general guidelines on how best to manage damaging pest species. The CIG will enable this research programme to be undertaken at a global scale and put European research at the forefront of mitigating the threats to biodiversity and ecosystem services.

Funding Agency

European Commission

Programme

Marie Curie Actions

Project Type

Career Integration Grant

Person Months

10