Biodiversity Lab
Our research focuses on ecology, behaviour, conservation and evolution. It spans a wide range of organisms from around the world and at levels of organisation ranging from molecules to landscapes.
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Latest News
Category Archives: Research
Polygamous Deserters! New Publication in Proceedings of the Royal Society B
by Katrina James (UoB Press Officer) Researchers from the University of Bath have established a mathematical model that goes some way to explain the very strange mating behaviour of the tiny Penduline tit. This misbehaving European bird has a unique … Continue reading
Posted in Research, Social Evolution
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Bustards on Tour
Great bustards, released as part of an ambitious project that is bringing the birds back to the UK, are causing a stir by conducting their own tours of southern England. Andrew Taylor, Great Bustard LIFE Project Adviser for RSPB said; … Continue reading
Posted in Conservation, Reintroduction
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Recent Publication! Size matters: length of birdsong linked to brain size
Prof Tamas Szekely has recently published a papar in Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, PNAS, with Professor Tim Devoogd and Dr Jordan Moore of Cornell University and Jozsef Buki of the Hungarian Ornithological Institute. The comparative study finds a link … Continue reading
Posted in Research, Social Evolution
Tagged brainsize, comparative, research, Tamás Székely
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Uploaded Videos of Great Bustards Featured on BBC & ITV: LIFE+ Project
Earlier this year, the UK Great Bustard Reintroduction won LIFE+ of 2 million Euros. Along with the good news, there were several features in the news papers, radio and TV. The LIFE+ project is a collaboration between, University of Bath, … Continue reading
Posted in Conservation, Reintroduction
Tagged conservation, great bustard, reintroduction, Tamás Székely
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Ceuta Snowy Plover Project looking for Field Assistants 2012
Ceuta Snowy Plover Project has secured funding for the field season next year! Nuttall Bird Club and CONACyT will support their work. Now they are looking for field assistents. If you are interested and are available from April to July, get … Continue reading
Posted in Conservation, Research
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Live, interactive UN webcast: The UN Decade on Biodiversity 2011-2020
On Tuesday 20th September 16:00 GMT, a live and interactive web TV programme from New York, with two of the key figures driving the response to the planet’s loss of biodiversity will offer the opportunity to answer your questions about … Continue reading
Happy 2nd Birthday to Fundación Conserva!
Today is the second Birthday of Fundación Conserva, a non-profit organisation which aims to promote and protect biodiversity in Columbia. Fundación Conserva was set-up by Jorge Parra (along with his wife Marcela Beltran), who is studying for his PhD here … Continue reading
Nature paper: Phylogenetic position of Diania challenged
Over 6 months ago, the discovery of a fascinating new fossil species was reported in Nature and featured on the front cover (Liu et al., 2011). Bath Biodiversity Lab PhD student Ross Mounce re-analysed the data given by the original … Continue reading
Posted in Macroevolution, Research
Tagged macroevolution, Matt Wills, Nature, Ross Mounce
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Last Call for Posters for Spatial Ecology & Conservation International Conference
There is still time to submit an application to present a poster or to attend the first Spatial Ecology & Conservation Conference. Birmingham University, UK 5th to 7th September 2011 The AIM: “The conference will bring together an international field … Continue reading
Macroevolution Group Descend Upon SystAss 2011
Last week (4th July-9th July) most of the Macroevolution group attended the Systematics Association Biennial Meeting 2011, which was held at Queens University, Belfast. All three PhD students (Ross Mounce, Martin Hughes & Anne O’Connor) and Dr Matt Wills presented … Continue reading
Posted in Macroevolution, Research
Tagged Anne O'Connor, conference, Martin Hughes, Matt Wills, Palaeontology, Ross Mounce
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Student Wins Santander Research Travel Grant
We are excited to announce that Bath Biodiversity Lab PhD student Ross Mounce has just been awarded a significant travel grant in excess of £1000 to fund his travel next month to São Paulo, Brazil. This money is specifically made available … Continue reading
A Drive Towards Increased Data Sharing in Palaeontology
An Open Letter has been circulated around the palaeontological research community in recent weeks calling for more free and Open data sharing of published research data via the Internet. This campaign was spearheaded by Ross Mounce, a PhD student from … Continue reading
Prof Székely Runs Conservation Course in Transylvania
Prof Tamás Székely ran a course on conservation biology (21-24 January) for Master students at Babes-Bolyai University, Transylvania. The course was organised by Dr Peter Pap and Prof Zoltan Barta. The highlight of the course was a day in the … Continue reading
Satellite technology to monitor great bustards featured on television news
Prof Tamás Székely appeared on ITV West Country Tonight and BBC Points West on Wednesday 19 January along with PhD student John Burnside and Al Dawes, Project Manager from the Great Bustard Group, to demonstrate how the satellite transmitters will … Continue reading
Posted in Conservation, Reintroduction
Tagged great bustard, reintroduction, Tamás Székely
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Project Chicamocha: Best monitoring & evaluation methodology
Project Chicamocha, an initiative setup by Jorge Parra from the Biodiversity Lab, has won best monitoring and evaluation methodology awarded by Eco-Index. The aim of the project is to conserve two Critically Endangered Columbian dry forest birds, Niceforo’s Wren and … Continue reading
Posted in Conservation, Research
Tagged Colombia, conservation, Jorge Parra, Niceforo's wren, South America
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Social Behaviour, New Book Released
Tamás Székely (University of Bath), Allen J. Moore (University of Exeter) and Jan Komdeur (Rijksuniversiteit Groningen) have published a new edited book entitled, Social Behaviour: Genes, Ecology and Evolution. It explores novel ways of looking at social traits using a … Continue reading
Posted in Social Evolution
Tagged books, publication, social behaviour, Social evolution, Tamás Székely
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Spoon-billed sandpiper conservation in Nature ‘News and views’
Prof Tamás Székely has drawn attention to conservation measures needed to protect the critically endangered Spoon-billed sandpiper in their wintering areas in Myanmar. Full article Share:
Posted in Conservation, Research
Tagged conservation, Spoonbill Sandpiper, Tamás Székely
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Solenodon hits the headlines
A research project led by Richard Young (Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust/University of Bath) to assess the status and biology of a rare ‘living fossil’ on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola has been featured by the BBC and other news media. … Continue reading
Posted in Conservation, Research
Tagged conservation, Dominican Republic, Durrell, Solenodon
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Reintroduced Great Bustards Breed Again
We are excited to announce that the UK’s reintroduced Great Bustards have successfully produced chicks for the second year in a row. Prof Tamas Szekely and PhD researcher, John Burnside, from the Biodiversity Lab have been working in collaboration with … Continue reading
Posted in Conservation, Reintroduction
Tagged conservation, great bustard, reintroduction, uk
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Biology PhD student wins travel bursary to Hawai’i!
First year PhD student Ross Mounce has won a travel bursary to present his research at a prestigious international meeting in Hawaii next week. Ross is interested in how best to reconstruct the evolutionary tree of life. Delegates at “Hennig” … Continue reading
Goverments dishonour commitments to curb biodiversity loss.
In a recent paper published in Science, Simon Stuart (visting professor at the Biodiversity Lab) and colleagues from BirdLife International and the UN Environment Programme’s World Conservation Monitoring Centre (Unep-WCMC) outline the spectacular failure of national governments to meet targets … Continue reading
Sexual selection workshop in Mexico
Prof Tamás Székely and Biodiversity lab alumnus Dr Martin Alejandro Serrano Meneses, and Dr Alex Cordoba-Aguilar have run a well received and successful workshop on sexual conflict for 21 postgraduate students at the Universidad Autonoma de Tlaxcala in Mexico. Share:
New Nest Box Population in University of Bath
James St Clair, a PhD student from the Biodiversity Lab, has established a new set of nest boxes for passerine birds in the grounds of the University of Bath and adjacent National Trust land. The work has been supported through … Continue reading
Dr Long sets-up GIS lab in Madagascar.
Dr Peter Long & Prof Tamás Székely have founded a specialist GIS research and training lab in the University of Toliara, Madagascar, to transfer GIS skills to local students working on environment and conservation. The new lab is a results … Continue reading
Parental compensation research featured in Hungarian media
Dr Freya Harrison’s recent meta-analysis of parental compensation behaviour which was published in the Journal of Evolutionary Biology has been profiled on a news website in Hungary. Read more Share:
The Kentish Plover species debate
Dr Clemens Küpper from the Biodiversity Lab and researchers in Sheffield have used molecular evidence to confirm a species level split in the long debated American snowy plover and European kentish plover identity. The two species were previously thought to … Continue reading
Dr Richard Young and the Solenodon in Science
Dr Richard Young’s work with the unusual Hispaniolan solenodon has been featured in Science this month. It is one of the world’s only venomous mammals and Young (Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust) will head up a project with ZSL to survey … Continue reading
Dr Matthew Wills: Dinosaur fossils fit perfectly in the tree of life
A recent study by researchers at the University of Bath and London’s Natural History Museum has found that scientists’ knowledge of the evolution of dinosaurs is remarkably complete. Dr Matthew Wills from the University of Bath’s Department of Biology & … Continue reading
