Tree planting is at the forefront of the current environmental agenda to mitigate climate change and the biodiversity crisis. For instance, the Scottish Government has a current target of planting 12,000 ha of trees per year, increasing to 15,000 ha from 2024. Agricultural land covers over 70% of the UK, so it is likely that a large proportion of tree cover expansion will take place on farmland. Given the many demands we place on rural landscapes, alongside the semi-permanency of tree cover, it is crucial to determine the spatial arrangements that maximise the biodiversity and wider environmental benefits derived from trees. Trees can be planted in a range of spatial configurations along a gradient of land-sparing (e.g. creating woodland patches) to land-sharing (e.g. in agroforestry systems that integrate trees with crops or livestock). Whilst both these strategies have the potential to deliver a range of biodiversity benefits, they are unlikely to be equivalent.
The aim of this studentship is to assess the relative merits of separating versus integrating trees with food production to provide the greatest benefits for biodiversity (with a focus on invertebrate communities because of their diverse ecological roles which underpin ecosystem functions and services vital to food production). Specific research questions to address include:
1) How are invertebrate communities in agricultural landscapes influenced by trees in various spatial configurations, representing a gradient of land-sparing to land-sharing management approaches?
2) How do invertebrates with varying life histories and functional traits respond to tree planting along the land sharing-sparing continuum, and what implications does this have for ecosystem service provision?
3) Are land managers more amenable to planting trees in certain spatial configurations than in others, and what implications does this have for the implementation of tree planting strategies?
To address these questions, fieldwork will be conducted in agricultural sites where trees have been planted across a range of spatial configurations encompassing a gradient of land-sparing to land-sharing gradient. Data collection will focus on ground-dwelling predators (e.g. carabid beetles and spiders), with the potential to also include insect pollinators (e.g. hoverflies, bees and butterflies) to encompass a wider range of functional traits and ecosystem services. The student will have access to an existing dataset of beetles (30,000 individuals of 130 species) and spiders (4,000 individuals of 103 species) which have been recorded at 60 woodlands planted on former agricultural land (part of the WrEN project <www.wren-project.com>), and to a beetle functional traits database compiled by SRUC.
Application Process:
Please visit this page for full application instructions http://www.eastscotbiodtp.ac.uk/how-apply-0
1) Download and complete the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion survey.
2) Download and complete the EASTBIO Application Form.
3) Submit both to SRUC, [Email Address Removed].
Completed applications must include the following documents:
- Completed EASTBIO application form
- 2 References (to be completed on the EASTBIO Reference Form, also found on the EASTBIO website)
- Academic Qualifications
- Equality, Diversity and Inclusion survey
Unfortunately due to workload constraints, we cannot consider incomplete applications. Please make sure your application is complete by the 16th December 2021. Please ask your referees to submit your references directly to [Email Address Removed].
We anticipate that our first set of interviews will be held 7th – 11th February 2022 with awards made from 18 February.
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