Natalie Allum
My research interests ranges from the general ecology of plants and animals to the evolution of species and the impact of climate change. More specifically I am interested in what drives population change, including genetics and interspecific interaction. I also have a huge interest in the conservation of species and ecosystems, and communicating conservation science to the public. In my undergraduate project I was looking at the genetic diversity of several species of flax (Linum spp) using microsatellites (DNA) and whether the variation in their DNA reflected the established taxonomy. Summer of 2014 I did an internship with the Swedish Agricultural University (SLU), where I was working on the population dynamics of roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) and the interaction between ungulates and ticks. For my MSc project I am looking at limitations to, and quantifying spatial variation in, reproductive success in plants. I will be using the English bluebell (Hyacinthoides non-scripta) to test these ecological concepts on. Factors such as density dependence and various environmental conditions will be included. The English bluebell is currently threatened in its native habitat by the introduced Spanish bluebell (H. hispanica). The two species hybridise readily and both the hybrid and the Spanish bluebell has been shown to be more vigorous than the native bluebell. I hope that establishing the main limitations to reproductive success in the native species will aid bluebell conservation in the future. Position: MSc Student in the School of Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Supervised by: Dr. Shane Richards, Dr. Stephen Willis Membership: Behaviour, Ecology and Evolution Research (BEER) Centre, Contact Details: School of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Durham University, South Road, Durham, DH1 3LE. Email: [email protected] Education
2014-present MSc by Research, Durham University, UK 2011-2014 BSc Ecology, Evolution and Behaviour, Durham University, UK |
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