Professor Gareth Phoenix
School of Biosciences
Professor of Plant and Global Change Ecology
+44 114 222 0082
Full contact details
School of Biosciences
C203
Alfred Denny Building
Western Bank
Sheffield
S10 2TN
- Profile
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- NERC Advisory Network member (2019 onwards)
- UK Arctic and Antarctic Partnership steering committee member (2017 onwards)
- NERC Training Advisory Board (TAB) member (2016-2019)
- Associate Editor - Functional Ecology (2005–2011)
- Member of Council - British Ecological Society (2005–2009)
- University Representative - British Ecological Society (2004–2009)
- Steering Committee member, CAPER (Committee on Air Pollution Effects Research) (2006-2019)
- NERC peer review college (2008-2012)
- Editorial Advisory Board - Global Change Biology (2007 onwards)
- Research interests
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My research focuses on the interactions between plants and the environment, particularly in the Arctic, northern boreal and upland ecosystems.
I study the impacts of climate change (warming, extreme events, snow regime change, precipitation), UV-B radiation and pollution on ecosystem structure and function.
I'm interested in the impacts on biodiversity, on cycling of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus, and the consequences for feedback to climate (ecosystem carbon balance). I also aim to understand how responses observed at the vegetation/ecosystem level are driven by individual plant, root and leaf responses.
Other interests include more applied fields such as understanding nutrient acquisition for sustainable agriculture.
- Publications
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Show: Featured publications All publications
Featured publications
Journal articles
- Extreme event impacts on CO2 fluxes across a range of high latitude, shrub-dominated ecosystems. Environmental Research Letters, 15(10).
- Niche differentiation and plasticity in soil phosphorus acquisition among co-occurring plants. Nature Plants, 6(4), 349-354. View this article in WRRO
- Complexity revealed in the greening of the Arctic. Nature Climate Change, 10(2), 106-117. View this article in WRRO
- Arctic browning: Impacts of extreme climatic events on heathland ecosystem CO2 fluxes. Global Change Biology, 25(2), 489-503. View this article in WRRO
- Reviews and syntheses: Changing ecosystem influences on soil thermal regimes in northern high-latitude permafrost regions. Biogeosciences, 15(17), 5287-5313. View this article in WRRO
- Limited contribution of permafrost carbon to methane release from thawing peatlands. Nature Climate Change, 7(7), 507-511. View this article in WRRO
- Vegetation Type Dominates the Spatial Variability in CH4 Emissions Across Multiple Arctic Tundra Landscapes. Ecosystems, 19(6), 1116-1132. View this article in WRRO
- The influence of vegetation and soil characteristics on active-layer thickness of permafrost soils in boreal forest. Global Change Biology, 22(9), 3127-3140. View this article in WRRO
- Arctic browning: extreme events and trends reversing arctic greening. Global Change Biology, 22, 2960-2962. View this article in WRRO
- Contrasting synchrony in root and leaf phenology across multiple sub‐Arctic plant communities. Journal of Ecology, 104(1), 239-248.
- Climatic and biotic extreme events moderate long-term responses of above- and belowground sub-Arctic heathland communities to climate change. Global Change Biology, 21(11), 4063-4075.
- Long-term nitrogen deposition depletes grassland seed banks. Nature Communications, 6(1).
- Leaf and fine root carbon stocks and turnover are coupled across Arctic ecosystems.. Glob Chang Biol, 19(12), 3668-3676.
- A potential loss of carbon associated with greater plant growth in the European Arctic. Nature Climate Change, 2(12), 875-879.
- Extreme winter warming events more negatively impact small rather than large soil fauna: Shift in community composition explained by traits not taxa. Global Change Biology, 18(3), 1152-1162.
- Impacts of atmospheric nitrogen deposition: Responses of multiple plant and soil parameters across contrasting ecosystems in long-term field experiments. Global Change Biology.
- Impacts of multiple extreme winter warming events on sub-Arctic heathland: Phenology, reproduction, growth, and CO
2 flux responses. Global Change Biology, 17(9), 2817-2830.
- Winter warming events damage sub-Arctic vegetation: consistent evidence from an experimental manipulation and a natural event. J ECOL, 97(6), 1408-1415.
- Bryophyte physiological responses to, and recovery from, long-term nitrogen deposition and phosphorus fertilisation in acidic grassland.. New Phytol, 180(4), 864-874.
- Atmospheric nitrogen deposition in world biodiversity hotspots: the need for a greater global perspective in assessing N deposition impacts. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOL, 12(3), 470-476. View this article in WRRO
- Effects of enhanced nitrogen deposition and phosphorus limitation on nitrogen budgets of semi-natural grasslands. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOL, 9(9), 1309-1321.
All publications
Journal articles
- Elevated
CO2 interacts with nutrient inputs to restructure plant communities in phosphorus‐limited grasslands. Global Change Biology, 30(1).
- The Arctic. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 104(9), S271-S321.
- Introduction. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 104(9), S1-S10.
- Sub‐arctic mosses and lichens show idiosyncratic responses to combinations of winter heatwaves, freezing and nitrogen deposition. Physiologia Plantarum, 175(2).
- More warm‐adapted species in soil seed banks than in herb layer plant communities across Europe. Journal of Ecology.
- Bioclimatic atlas of the terrestrial Arctic. Scientific Data, 10(1).
- The Arctic. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 103(8), S257-S306.
- Winters are changing: snow effects on Arctic and alpine tundra ecosystems. Arctic Science, 8(3), 572-608.
- Global maps of soil temperature. Global Change Biology.
- The need to understand the stability of arctic vegetation during rapid climate change: An assessment of imbalance in the literature.. Ambio.
- The Arctic. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 102(8), S263-S316.
- Organic phosphorus cycling may control grassland responses to nitrogen deposition : a long-term field manipulation and modelling study. Biogeosciences, 18(13), 4021-4037.
- Shallow soils are warmer under trees and tall shrubs across Arctic and Boreal ecosystems. Environmental Research Letters, 16(1).
- Soil C, N and P cycling enzyme responses to nutrient limitation under elevated CO2. Biogeochemistry. View this article in WRRO
- Buffering effects of soil seed banks on plant community composition in response to land use and climate. Global Ecology and Biogeography.
- Extreme event impacts on CO2 fluxes across a range of high latitude, shrub-dominated ecosystems. Environmental Research Letters, 15(10).
- Boreal permafrost thaw amplified by fire disturbance and precipitation increases. Environmental Research Letters.
- The missing pieces for better future predictions in subarctic ecosystems: a Torneträsk case study. Ambio.
- The Arctic. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 101(8), S239-S286.
- Development of new metrics to assess and quantify climatic drivers of extreme event driven Arctic browning. Remote Sensing of Environment, 243.
- Niche differentiation and plasticity in soil phosphorus acquisition among co-occurring plants. Nature Plants, 6(4), 349-354. View this article in WRRO
- The hidden potential of urban horticulture. Nature Food, 1, 155-159. View this article in WRRO
- Complexity revealed in the greening of the Arctic. Nature Climate Change, 10(2), 106-117. View this article in WRRO
- Transpiration from subarctic deciduous woodlands: Environmental controls and contribution to ecosystem evapotranspiration. Ecohydrology, 13(3).
- The regulation of plant secondary metabolism in response to abiotic stress : interactions between heat shock and elevated CO2. Frontiers in Plant Science, 10. View this article in WRRO
- INTRODUCTION. BULLETIN OF THE AMERICAN METEOROLOGICAL SOCIETY, 100(9), S1-+.
- Rewilding in the garden : are garden hybrid plants (cultivars) less resilient to the effects of hydrological extremes than their parent species? A case study with Primula. Urban Ecosystems, 1-14. View this article in WRRO
- Arctic browning: Impacts of extreme climatic events on heathland ecosystem CO2 fluxes. Global Change Biology, 25(2), 489-503. View this article in WRRO
- Impact of Multiple Ecological Stressors on a Sub-Arctic Ecosystem: No Interaction Between Extreme Winter Warming Events, Nitrogen Addition and Grazing. Frontiers in Plant Science, 9. View this article in WRRO
- Arctic plants threatened by winter snow loss. Nature Climate Change, 8(11), 942-943. View this article in WRRO
- Stress-induced secondary leaves of a boreal deciduous shrub (Vaccinium myrtillus
) overwinter then regain activity the following growing season. Nordic Journal of Botany, 36(10), e01894-e01894.
- Reviews and syntheses: Changing ecosystem influences on soil thermal regimes in northern high-latitude permafrost regions. Biogeosciences, 15(17), 5287-5313. View this article in WRRO
- STATE OF THE CLIMATE IN 2017. BULLETIN OF THE AMERICAN METEOROLOGICAL SOCIETY, 99(8), S1-S310.
- State of the climate in 2017. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 99(8), Si-S310.
- Limited release of previously-frozen C and increased new peat formation after thaw in permafrost peatlands. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 118, 115-129. View this article in WRRO
- Understanding the drivers of extensive plant damage in boreal and Arctic ecosystems: Insights from field surveys in the aftermath of damage.. Sci Total Environ, 599-600, 1965-1976. View this article in WRRO
- Upscaling CH4 Fluxes Using High-Resolution Imagery in Arctic Tundra Ecosystems. Remote Sensing, 9(12). View this article in WRRO
- State of the Climate in 2016. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 98(8), Si-S280. View this article in WRRO
- Limited contribution of permafrost carbon to methane release from thawing peatlands. Nature Climate Change, 7(7), 507-511. View this article in WRRO
- Seasonal dynamics of soil and plant nutrients at three environmentally contrasting sites along a sub-Arctic catchment sequence. Polar Biology.
- Mapping Arctic Tundra Vegetation Communities Using Field Spectroscopy and Multispectral Satellite Data in North Alaska, USA. Remote Sensing, 8(12), 978-978. View this article in WRRO
- Persistent reduction of segment growth and photosynthesis in a widespread and important sub-Arctic moss species after cessation of three years of experimental winter warming. Functional Ecology, 31(1), 127-134. View this article in WRRO
- Increasing green roof plant drought tolerance through substrate modification and the use of water retention gels. Urban Water Journal, 14(6), 551-560.
- Tight coupling of leaf area index to canopy nitrogen and phosphorus across heterogeneous tallgrass prairie communities. Oecologia, 182(3), 889-898. View this article in WRRO
- Vegetation Type Dominates the Spatial Variability in CH4 Emissions Across Multiple Arctic Tundra Landscapes. Ecosystems, 19(6), 1116-1132. View this article in WRRO
- The influence of vegetation and soil characteristics on active-layer thickness of permafrost soils in boreal forest. Global Change Biology, 22(9), 3127-3140. View this article in WRRO
- Arctic browning: extreme events and trends reversing arctic greening. Global Change Biology, 22, 2960-2962. View this article in WRRO
- Nitrogen accumulation and partitioning in a High Arctic tundra ecosystem from extreme atmospheric N deposition events. Science of The Total Environment, 554-555, 303-310. View this article in WRRO
- Tight Coupling Between Shoot Level Foliar N and P, Leaf Area, and Shoot Growth in Arctic Dwarf Shrubs Under Simulated Climate Change. Ecosystems, 19(2), 326-338.
- Contrasting synchrony in root and leaf phenology across multiple sub‐Arctic plant communities. Journal of Ecology, 104(1), 239-248.
- Arctic soil microbial diversity in a changing world. Research in Microbiology, 166(10), 796-813.
- Climatic and biotic extreme events moderate long-term responses of above- and belowground sub-Arctic heathland communities to climate change. Global Change Biology, 21(11), 4063-4075.
- Using AMF inoculum to improve the nutritional status of Prunella vulgaris plants in green roof substrate during establishment. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, 14(4), 959-967. View this article in WRRO
- The effects of foundation species on community assembly: a global study on alpine cushion plant communities. Ecology, 96(8), 2064-2069.
- Long-term nitrogen deposition depletes grassland seed banks. Nature Communications, 6(1).
- Variation in bacterial, archaeal and fungal community structure and abundance in High Arctic tundra soil. Polar Biology, 38(7), 1009-1024.
- Importance of different components of green roof substrate on plant growth and physiological performance. Urban Forestry and Urban Greening. View this article in WRRO
- The Role of Nitrogen Deposition in Widespread Plant Community Change Across Semi-natural Habitats. Ecosystems.
- Impact of early and late winter icing events on sub-arctic dwarf shrubs.. Plant Biol (Stuttg), 16(1), 125-132.
- Ecosystem change and stability over multiple decades in the Swedish subarctic: complex processes and multiple drivers.. Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences, 368(1624), 20120488.
- Leaf and fine root carbon stocks and turnover are coupled across Arctic ecosystems.. Glob Chang Biol, 19(12), 3668-3676.
- The role of mosses in carbon uptake and partitioning in arctic vegetation. NEW PHYTOLOGIST, 199(1), 163-175.
- Parasitic plant litter input: a novel indirect mechanism influencing plant community structure.. New Phytol, 198(1), 222-231.
- Facilitative plant interactions and climate simultaneously drive alpine plant diversity. Ecology Letters.
- Ecosystem change and stability over multiple decades in the Swedish subarctic: complex processes and multiple drivers. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 368(1624), 20120488-20120488.
- Alpine cushion plants inhibit the loss of phylogenetic diversity in severe environments. Ecology Letters.
- Rapid photosynthetic recovery of a snow-covered feather moss and Peltigera lichen during sub-Arctic midwinter warming. Plant Ecology and Diversity.
- Responses of sub-arctic dwarf shrubs to low oxygen and high carbon dioxide conditions. Environmental and Experimental Botany, 85, 7-15.
- A potential loss of carbon associated with greater plant growth in the European Arctic. Nature Climate Change, 2(12), 875-879.
- Ecosystem Response to Climatic Change: The Importance of the Cold Season. AMBIO, 41, 246-255.
- Impacts of winter icing events on the growth, phenology and physiology of sub-arctic dwarf shrubs.. Physiol Plant, 146(4), 460-472.
- Extreme winter warming events more negatively impact small rather than large soil fauna: Shift in community composition explained by traits not taxa. Global Change Biology, 18(3), 1152-1162.
- Vegetation recovery following extreme winter warming events in the sub-Arctic estimated using NDVI from remote sensing and handheld passive proximal sensors. Environmental and Experimental Botany, 81, 18-25.
- Photosynthesis and productivity in heterogeneous arctic tundra: Consequences for ecosystem function of mixing vegetation types at stand edges. Journal of Ecology, 100(2), 441-451.
- Multiple Effects of Changes in Arctic Snow Cover. AMBIO, 40, 32-45.
- Impacts of long-term enhanced UV-B radiation on bryophytes in two sub-Arctic heathland sites of contrasting water availability.. Ann Bot, 108(3), 557-565.
- Peatlands in a changing world.. New Phytol, 191(2), 309-311.
- Impacts of atmospheric nitrogen deposition: Responses of multiple plant and soil parameters across contrasting ecosystems in long-term field experiments. Global Change Biology.
- Contrasting sensitivity to extreme winter warming events of dominant sub-Arctic heathland bryophyte and lichen species. Journal of Ecology, 99(6), 1481-1488.
- Extreme winter warming events more negatively impact small rather than large soil fauna: Shift in community composition explained by traits not taxa. Global Change Biology.
- Impacts of multiple extreme winter warming events on sub-Arctic heathland: Phenology, reproduction, growth, and CO
2 flux responses. Global Change Biology, 17(9), 2817-2830.
- Impacts of atmospheric pollution on the plant communities of British acid grasslands. Environmental Pollution, 159(10), 2602-2608. View this article in WRRO
- Impacts of atmospheric pollution on the plant communities of British acid grasslands. Environmental Pollution.
- Recovery of soil nitrogen pools in species-rich grasslands after 12 years of simulated pollutant nitrogen deposition: A 6-year experimental analysis. Global Change Biology, 17(8), 2615-2628.
- Recovery of soil nitrogen pools in species-rich grasslands after 12 years of simulated pollutant nitrogen deposition: A 6-year experimental analysis. Global Change Biology.
- Impacts of extreme winter warming events on plant physiology in a sub-Arctic heath community.. Physiol Plant, 140(2), 128-140.
- Transition zones between vegetation patches in a heterogeneous Arctic landscape: how plant growth and photosynthesis change with abundance at small scales.. Oecologia, 163(1), 47-56.
- Impacts of extreme winter warming events on litter decomposition in a sub-Arctic heathland. SOIL BIOL BIOCHEM, 42(4), 611-617. View this article in WRRO
- Winter warming events damage sub-Arctic vegetation: consistent evidence from an experimental manipulation and a natural event. J ECOL, 97(6), 1408-1415.
- Impacts of extreme winter warming in the sub-Arctic: growing season responses of dwarf shrub heathland. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOL, 14(11), 2603-2612.
- Sustaining ecosystem services in ancient limestone grassland: importance of major component plants and community composition. J ECOL, 96(5), 894-902.
- Base cation depletion, eutrophication and acidification of species-rich grasslands in response to long-term simulated nitrogen deposition.. Environ Pollut, 155(2), 336-349.
- Plant community composition, not diversity, regulates soil respiration in grasslands. BIOL LETTERS, 4(4), 345-348.
- Age-specific physiological responses to UV radiation in the aquatic liverwort Jungermannia exsertifolia subsp. cordifolia. Cryptogamie, Bryologie, 29(2), 115-126.
- Bryophyte physiological responses to, and recovery from, long-term nitrogen deposition and phosphorus fertilisation in acidic grassland.. New Phytol, 180(4), 864-874.
- Impacts of burning and increased nitrogen deposition on nitrogen pools and leaching in an upland moor. J ECOL, 95(6), 1195-1207.
- Atmospheric nitrogen deposition in world biodiversity hotspots: the need for a greater global perspective in assessing N deposition impacts. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOL, 12(3), 470-476. View this article in WRRO
- Impacts of parasitic plants on natural communities.. New Phytol, 166(3), 737-751.
- Linking physiological traits to impacts on community structure and function: the role of root hemiparasitic Orobanchaceae (ex-Scrophulariaceae). J ECOL, 93(1), 67-78.
- Accumulation of pollutant nitrogen in calcareous and acidic grasslands: Evidence from N flux and 15N tracer studies. Water, Air, & Soil Pollution: Focus, 4(6), 159-167.
- Accumulation of pollutant Nitrogen in calcareous and ccidic grasslands: Evidence from N Flux and 15N tracer studies. Water, Air, and Soil Pollution: Focus, 4(6), 159-167.
- Simulated pollutant nitrogen deposition increases P demand and enhances root-surface phosphatase activities of three plant functional types in a calcareous grassland. NEW PHYTOL, 161(1), 279-289.
- Effects of enhanced nitrogen deposition and phosphorus limitation on nitrogen budgets of semi-natural grasslands. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOL, 9(9), 1309-1321.
- Contrasting strategies for UV-B screening in sub-Arctic dwarf shrubs.. Plant Cell Environ, 26(6), 957-964.
- Ecological importance of ambient solar ultraviolet radiation to a sub-arctic heath community. PLANT ECOL, 165(2), 263-273.
- Surface morphology, leaf and cuticle thickness of four dwarf shrubs from a sub-Arctic heath following long-term exposure to enhanced levels of UV-B. PHYSIOL PLANTARUM, 117(2), 289-294.
- Global change and arctic ecosystems: is lichen decline a function of increases in vascular plant biomass?. J ECOL, 89(6), 984-994.
- Global change and arctic ecosystems: is lichen decline a function of increases in vascular plant biomass?. Journal of Ecology, 89(6), 984-994.
- Effects of global change on a sub-Arctic heath: effects of enhanced UV-B radiation and increased summer precipitation. J ECOL, 89(2), 256-267.
- The impacts of UV-B radiation on the regeneration of a sub-arctic heath community. PLANT ECOL, 146(1), 67-75.
- Grassland responses to elevated CO2 determined by plant–microbe competition for phosphorus. Nature Geoscience.
- Untangling the influences of air quality and climate change on biodiversity in space and time. Global Change Biology.
- Arctic greening and browning: Challenges and a cascade of complexities. Global Change Biology.
- Delayed responses of an Arctic ecosystem to an extreme summer: impacts on net ecosystem exchange and vegetation functioning. Biogeosciences, 11(20), 5877-5888.
- Delayed responses of an Arctic ecosystem to an extremely dry summer: impacts on net ecosystem exchange and vegetation functioning. Biogeosciences Discussions, 10(12), 19189-19217.
Chapters
- Ecology of Hemiparasitic Orobanchaceae with Special Reference to Their Interaction with Plant Communities, Parasitic Orobanchaceae (pp. 287-305). Springer Berlin Heidelberg
- Nitrogen Deposition and Terrestrial Biodiversity, Encyclopedia of Biodiversity (pp. 519-536). Elsevier
Conference proceedings papers
- Effects of climate change on parasitic plants: The root hemiparasitic Orobanchaceae. FOLIA GEOBOTANICA, Vol. 40(2-3) (pp 205-216)
- Predicting impacts of Arctic climate change: Past lessons and future challenges. ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH, Vol. 19(1) (pp 65-74)
Preprints
- Global maps of soil temperature, California Digital Library (CDL).
- Carbon storage in phosphorus limited grasslands may
decline in response to elevated nitrogen deposition: a long-term field manipulation and modelling study, Copernicus GmbH.
- Complexity revealed in the greening of the Arctic, California Digital Library (CDL).
- Extreme event impacts on CO2 fluxes across a range of high latitude, shrub-dominated ecosystems. Environmental Research Letters, 15(10).
- Research group
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Dr Holly Croft (independent collaborator)
MSCA Independent Research Fellow. RESOLVE: ‘Remote sensing of photosynthetic traits for high latitude plant productivity modelling’ (Horizon 2020 Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions funded)Dr Ben Keane
Post-doctoral Research Associate. PLACE: Phosphorus limitation and ecosystem responses to carbon dioxide enrichment. NERC funded, with Profs Iain Hartley (University of Exeter) and Jonathan Leake (University of Sheffield)PhD Students
Chris Taylor
Grassland carbon and climate change: will soil nutrients limit carbon uptake in a high CO2 future? (NERC funded PhD through ACCE, jointly supervised with Dr Jess Davies, University of Lancaster).Murk Memon
Understanding the Role of Climate in Arctic Browning: consequences of climate change and extreme climatic events (Grantham Centre funded PhD, jointly supervised with Drs Julie Jones (lead) and Rob Bryant, University of Sheffield, and Gareth Marshal (British Antarctic Survey)Jasmine Wakefield
Arctic carbon under threat from climate extremes: how do extreme climatic events affect soil carbon and microbial communities? (NERC funded PhD through ACCE, jointly supervised with Dr Thorunn Helgason, University of York and Dr Jarle Bjerke, Norwegian Institute for Nature Research).Abdulssalam Khafsha
Extreme event impacts on ecosystem: environmental controls on productivity and survival of boreal and sub-arctic plants
(Saudi Cultural Bureau funded, jointly supervised with Dr Holly Croft).Kassandra Reuss-Schmidt
Understanding the impact of climate change on greenhouse gas emissions in the Arctic (NERC funded PhD through ACCE, jointly supervised with Drs Donatella Zona, Garry Hayman, CEH, and Peter Levy, CEH).Past Members
Dr Rachael Treharne (2014-2018)
Climate change and pollution as drivers of Arctic browning (NERC funded PhD through ACCE, jointly supervised with Drs Jarle Bjerke and Hans Tømmervik, Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, and Dr Lisa Emberson, University of York)Dr Scott Davidson (2013-2017)
Climate change and greenhouse gas emission in Arctic tundra: the role of vegetation change on CO2 and CH4 fluxes (NERC funded PhD studentship, jointly supervised with Donatella Zona).Dr Ingrid Robertson (2013-2017)
Mobilisation and use of natural soil phosphorus by crops: towards sustainable crop production (SHINE CDT funded PhD studentship, jointly supervised with Jeremy Craven, and Duncan Cameron).Dr James Fisher (2013-2015)
CYCLOPS: Carbon Cycle Linkages in Permafrost Systems (Post-doctoral research associate, NERC Arctic thematic funded).Dr Steffi Tille (2011-2015)
Engineering and functional mycorrhizosphere for agro-ecosystems (University funded PhD, jointly supervised with Duncan Cameron and Jonathan Leake).Dr Thomas Young (2011-2014)
Green roof technologies for sustainable urban energy and water management (E-futures and Boningale Ltd funded PhD, jointly supervised with Duncan Cameron and Jeff Sorrill).Dr Sonal Choudhary (2009-2013)
Impacts of acute nitrogen deposition events on Arctic tundra (NSINK Marie Curie Fellow - staff PhD candidate. Jointly supervised with Malcolm Press, University of Birmingham)Dr Aimeric Blaud (2008-2012)
Impacts of acute nitrogen deposition events on Arctic soil microbial communities (NSINK Marie Curie Fellow - staff PhD candidate. Jointly supervised with Mark Osborn).Dr Steven Lees (2008-2012)
Impacts of atmospheric nitrogen deposition in grasslands (Defra funded PhD. Jointly supervised with Jonathan Leake).Dr David A Johnson (2010-2012)
P partitioning among plants in P limited ecosystems (technician, NERC funded).Dr Eva Koller (2007-2011)
Carbon dynamics in an Arctic catchment: plant scale dynamics (MULTIARC Marie Curie Fellow - staff candidate. Jointly supervised with Malcolm Press).Dr Nils Ohlanders (2008-2011)
Carbon dynamics in an Arctic catchment: hydrology (MULTIARC Marie Curie Fellow - stadd PhD candidate. Jointly supervised with Andrew Hodson, Dept. Geography).Dr Catherine Preece (2007-2011)
Impacts of extreme winter warming and icing events on sub-Arctic heathland (NERC PhD studentship, jointly supervised with Terry Callaghan).Dr Stef Bokhorst (2007-2010)
Impacts of extreme winter warming events in the Arctic (Post-doctoral research associate. Leverhulme Trust funded).Dr Victoria Sloan (2007-2010)
The role of plant roots in Arctic carbon dynamics (NERC PhD studentship).Dr Ben Fletcher (2006-2009)
Arctic Bisphere-Atmosphere Coupling at Multiple Scales (NERC Post-doctoral research associate. See www.abacus-ipy.org).Dr Mike Pilkington (2005-2008)
Impacts of root hemiparasitic plants: regulation of community structure and function (NERC Post-doctoral research associate).Dr Jill Edmondson (2007-2008)
N pollution impacts on plant P acquisition, and impacts of hemiparasitic plants on nutrient cycling (technician, NERC funded).Dr Maria Arroniz-Crespo (2005-2007)
Impacts of atmospheric nitrogen deposition on bryophytes in grassland ecosystems (Post-doctoral research associate, Spanish Ministry funded)
- Teaching activities
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Professor Gareth Phoenix is APS liaison for the Environmental Science degree, ad-hoc member of the Teaching Committee and co-ordinates APS118 tutorials for Environmental Science students.
At level 1, I teach APS124 (Ecosystems and Environmental Change). My main research interests are the impacts of global change on ecosystems, and this course gives me a chance to teach this fascinating area to new students. I cover a diversity of topics, from how past climates have influenced the development of ecosystems in the UK, to the threats of contemporary climate change. The latter includes findings from some of our own work undertaken here in APS. The APS118 and APS222 tutorials are also an excellent opportunity to develop discussion and debate on these topics as well as helping students develop generic skills in writing, critical analysis, experimental design and oral communication.
My own research includes work on Peak District ecosystems, and at level 2, we use this area to study the interaction between ecosystems and the environment in APS246 (Plant Habitats and Distributions). Here we use a combination of lectures, laboratory classes and field visits. These ideas are expanded further in APS273 (Population and Community Ecology 2) where I teach how plant diversity and the composition of species influence how an ecosystem functions (for instance, the ecosystem’s capacity to sequester carbon from the atmosphere, cycle nutrients or trap pollutants).
My key area of research – Arctic ecosystems and environmental change – informs my teaching at level 3. Here, in addition to lecturing on plant adaptations to arctic environments in APS325 (Life in Extreme Environments), I teach on the Arctic Ecosystems field course (APS343) to Abisko in northern Sweden. The research station we use is also the home to many of my field experiments and so in addition to teaching more generally about Arctic ecosystems, this course offers students the opportunity to learn about, and work on, on-going Arctic research experiments.
The topics of global change, biodiversity and ecosystem functioning are also covered in research projects and dissertations at level 3 (APS330 and 331) and at level 4 (APS402 & 406), where my students address questions concerning the impacts of pollution and climate change (e.g. drought, warming) on plant diversity and ecosystem functioning.
- Professional activities and memberships
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- NERC Training Advisory Board (TAB) member (2016-present)
- Editorial Advisory Board - Global Change Biology (2007-present)
- Associate Editor - Functional Ecology (2005–2011)
- Member of Council - British Ecological Society (2005–2009)
- University Representative - British Ecological Society (2004–2009)
- Steering Committee member, CAPER (Committee on Air Pollution Effects Research) (2006-present)
- NERC peer review college (2008-present)