Insect population responses to air pollution

This project will conduct national scale analyses of air pollution impacts on insect populations using
long-term data-sets monitoring over 1,000 terrestrial insect species, and experimental analyses of
direct and indirect effects of nitrogen dioxide pollution on insects. The student will work with JNCC
and Natural Resources Wales to use these data to explore quantifying ecological safe limits for air
pollution, and how these can feed into reporting indicators for the 25 year environment plan. Our
supervisory team have an excellent track-record of supporting students in delivering high quality
research papers (e.g. in PNAS and Global Change Biology) and delivering impact through
co-supervisors' organisations (JNCC, NRW and CEH).
There is negligible understanding of ecological safe limits of air pollution, or how impacts on
individuals scale up to determine population and community level impacts. This project will quantify
how individual insects and their populations respond to nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and explore
mechanistic pathways for these impacts.
The student will gain an understanding of how to lead novel 'frontier' science alongside an
interdisciplinary team and a range of stakeholders to generate impact. Specifically, they will gain
expertise in chemical ecology and evaluating ecological safe limits of pollutants, experimental design,
insect rearing, plant-insect interactions, statistical data analysis, and use of air pollution models.