PhD in Geography & Earth Science: Anthropogenic biodiversity and geodiversity – can legacy industrial waste help offset falling global biodiversity?

Biodiversity is usually associated with rural/’natural’/’pristine’/’untamed’ landscapes. Urban landscapes tend not to be thought of as being biodiverse and often aren’t. This means that most communities, particularly those in urban areas, are to an extent divorced from nature and biodiversity. Biodiversity, starting with the plant communities underpinning the food web, are strongly influenced by the substrate (rock/soil) they are growing on, with variations in substrate type – geodiversity – resulting in variation in plant and animal communities.
Geodiversity faces pressures from human influence (e.g.1,2). However, human influence can also broaden geodiversity. For example, the spoil heaps from legacy base-metal mining activities in the Peak District control plant community composition through elevated levels of ecotoxic metals such as Pb3,4.

While geodiversity is usually considered in terms of naturally-occurring rocks and soils, there are wholly anthropogenic substrates which can create new ecological niches and therefore support biodiversity. For example, the UK Priority Habitat ‘open mosaic habitats on previously developed land’ host many plants and animals on UK biodiversity priority lists5; an example has been documented on a legacy steel slag heap in Cumbria6.

Steel slag is just one example of an anthropogenic substrate; many others such as residues from paper-making, cement-making and lime-making can be found among communities in. The extent to which these anthropogenic substrates enhance urban biodiversity and why is not known. Bridging this knowledge gap creates an excellent opportunity to connect people with nature, through raising awareness in urban communities that the legacy of past industrial activity in their midst can be positive in terms of local biodiversity.

The aim of this project is to investigate the extent to which anthropogenic substrates enhance urban biodiversity and why.

This is of great importance as there is potential for undocumented urban biodiversity hosted on anthropogenic geodiversity to partially offset falling global biodiversity7,8.

See http://www.iapetus.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/IAP2-18-29_Glasgow_MacDonald1.pdf for more details.

Eligibility & Requirements: All applicants need to meet NERC’s eligibility criteria to be considered for an IAPETUS studentship and these are detailed in NERC’s current studentship handbook.

IAPETUS is only able to consider applications from Home/European Union candidates. International candidates are not eligible to be considered and where an candidate from another EU country has not been resident in the UK for 3 years or more prior to the commencement of their studies with IAPETUS, they will only be eligible for a fees-only studentship.

IAPETUS is looking for candidates with the following qualities and backgrounds:
- A first or 2:1 undergraduate degree, or have relevant comparable experience;
- In addition, candidates may also hold or be completing a Masters degree in their area of proposed study or a related discipline; &
- An outstanding academic pedigree and research potential, such as evidenced through the publication of articles, participation in academic conferences and other similar activities.

The candidate should have, or be on track for, a 1st class BSc (Hons) or MSci undergraduate degree in ecology, geoscience or environmental science; an MSc in a relevant discipline is highly advantageous in securing a scholarship. The candidate should have an aptitude for field- and lab-work and a passion for biodiversity and the environment.