Professor Tom Oliver
Responsibilities
Professor of Applied Ecology
- Research
- Impact, Enterprise and Outreach
- Esteem Factors
- International Collaborators
- National Collaborators
- Publications
- Research Division Leader for Ecology and Evolution
- Supervision/co-supervision of the following PhD students -
- Alexander Dean (University of Reading)
- Andre Dornelles (University of Reading)
- Luke Evans (University of Reading)
- Chanida Fung (University of Reading)
- Matt Greenwell (University of Reading)
- Louise Hutchinson (University of Reading)
- Lisbeth Morrison (University of Reading)
- John Redhead (Centre for Ecology and Hydrology)
- Laura Merritt (Centre for Ecology and Hydrology)
- Vicky Senior (University of Sheffield)
- Supervision of the following Post-doctoral staff -
- Emma Gardner (BBSRC: Modelling resilient pollination services)
- Yolanda Melero (Marie-Curie: 'Butterfly community ecology')
Areas of Interest
- Interactions between land use and climate change on biodiversity
- Spatiotemporal indicators for biodiversity and ecosystem services
- Biodiversity and the resilience of ecosystem functions
Impact, Enterprise and Outreach
- Design authority for Defra Systems Research Programme (senior fellowship 0.6FTE)
- Author of forthcoming book The Self Delusion: How You Are Connected to Everyone Else and Why That Matters
- Member of European Environment Agency Scientific Committee
- Developing species climate change risk assessments and a decision framework for adaptation in partnership with Natural England
- Author of technical report in LWEC Terrestrial Climate Change Impacts Report Card
- Development of a UK indicator of functional connectivity in collaboration with JNCC
- Quantifying UK biodiversity changes across 22 species groups, including a new spatial indicator of national biodiversity, used to inform of prioritisation of large infrastructure projects or ecological restoration (Dyer et al., 2016).
- Research on climate change impacts and biodiversity changes reviewed in international newspapers (NY Times, Guardian), magazines (New Scientist, Science, Nature) and radio interviews (BBC, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation)
Esteem Factors
- Research papers in Science, PNAS, Nature Climate Change, Nature Communications, TREE
- Involved in successful funding bids (PI/Co-I) totalling £6.4M income (e.g. funding through NERC, BBSRC, Natural England)
- NERC Peer Review Panel member
- Research cited in, and expert reviewer for IPBES, IPCC Fifth Assessment Report (AR5), and 1.5°C warming report
- Keynote speaker at International Future of Butterflies Conference 2016; British Ecological Society Symposium 2016; NERC Valuing Nature Programme keynote lecture 2017
- Reviewer for over 30 different ISI journals including Nature and Science, and international funding agencies (e.g. NERC/BBSRC/Royal Society/EarthWatch/Czech Academy of Sciences/Belmont Forum) and Associate Editor of Journal of Insect Conservation and Diversity
- NERC CDT Modelling and quantitative skills in ecology and evolution (QMEE) Training Board member
- Member of UK government-led working groups on habitat fragmentation, climate change adaptation and ecosystem services
- NERC Centre for Ecology and Hydrology Fellow
International Collaborators
- Constanti Stefanescu, Catalan Butterfly Monitoring Scheme, Spain
- Oliver Schweiger, Josef Settele UFZ, Germany
- Chris van Swaay, Butterfly Conservation Europe, Netherlands
- Romain Julliard, Natural History Museum, France
- Damaris Zurell, Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL
- Gao Hu, Nanjing Agricultural University, China
National Collaborators
- David Roy, James Bullock, Nick Isaac, Matt Heard, Gary Powney, NERC Centre for Ecology and Hydrology
- Chris Thomas, Jane Hill, University of York
- Albert Phillimore, Edinburgh University
- Mike Bruford, University of Cardiff
- Tom Brereton, Richard Fox, Butterfly Conservation
- Kevin Watts, Forest Research
- Richard Bradbury, RSPB
- Simon Gillings, James Pearce-Higgins, British Trust for Ornithology
- Richard Smithers, Ricardo AEA
- Mike Morecroft, Simon Duffield, Humphrey Crick, Natural England
- Deborah Procter, JNCC
Research groups / Centres
Publications
Y
Number of items: 48.
2018
- Redhead, J. W., Woodcock, B. A., Pocock, M. J. O., Pywell, R. F., Vanbergen, A. J. and Oliver, T. H. (2018) Potential landscape-scale pollinator networks across Great Britain: structure, stability and influence of agricultural land cover. Ecology Letters, 21 (12). pp. 1821-1832. ISSN 1461-0248 doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13157
- Isaac, N. J. B., Brotherton, P. N. M., Bullock, J. M., Gregory, R. D., Boehning‐Gaese, K., Connor, B., Crick, H. Q. P., Freckleton, R. P., Gill, J. A., Hails, R. S., Hartikainen, M., Hester, A. J., Millner-Gullland, E. J., Oliver, T. H., Pearson, R. G., Sutherland, W. J., Thomas, C. D., Travis, J. M. J., Turnbull, L. A., Willis, K., Woodward, G. and Mace, G. M. (2018) Defining and delivering resilient ecological networks: an example for nature conservation in England. Journal of Applied Ecology, 55 (6). pp. 2537-2543. ISSN 1365-2664 doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.13196
- Oliver, T. H. (2018) Biodiversity generation and loss. In: Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Environmental Science. Oxford University Press. doi: https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780199389414.013.96
- Mason, S. C., Hill, J. K., Thomas, C. D., Powney, G. D., Fox, R., Brereton, T. and Oliver, T. H. (2018) Population variability of species can be deduced from citizen science records: a case study using British butterflies. Insect Conservation and Diversity, 11 (2). pp. 131-142. ISSN 1752-4598 doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/icad.12242
- Ridding, L. E., Redhead, J. W., Oliver, T. H., Schmucki, R., McGinlay, J., Graves, A. R., Morris, J., Bradbury, R. B., King, H. and Bullock, J. M. (2018) The importance of landscape characteristics for the delivery of cultural ecosystem services. Journal of Environmental Management, 206. pp. 1145-1154. ISSN 0301-4797 doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2017.11.066
- Redhead, J. W., May, L., Oliver, T. H., Hamel, P., Sharp, R. and Bullock, J. M. (2018) National scale evaluation of the InVEST nutrient retention model in the United Kingdom. Science of the Total Environment, 610-611. pp. 666-677. ISSN 0048-9697 doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.08.092
- Oliver, T. H., Boyd, E., Balcombe, K., Benton, T. G., Bullock, J. M., Donovan, D., Feola, G., Heard, M., Mace, G. M., Mortimer, S. R., Nunes, R. J., Pywell, R. F. and Zaum, D. (2018) Overcoming undesirable resilience in the global food system. Global Sustainability, 1. e9. ISSN 2059-4798 doi: https://doi.org/10.1017/sus.2018.9
2017
- Mills, S. C., Oliver, T., Bradbury, R. B., Gregory, R. D., Brereton, T., Kühn, E., Kuussaari, M., Musche, M., Roy, D. B., Schmucki, R., Stefanescu, C., van Swaay, C. and Evans, K. L. (2017) European butterfly populations vary in sensitivity to weather across their geographical ranges. Global Ecology and Biogeography, 26 (12). pp. 1374-1385. ISSN 1466-822X doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/geb.12659
- Sullivan, M. J. P., Pearce-Higgins, J. W., Newson, S. E., Scholefield, P., Brereton, T. and Oliver, T. H. (2017) A national-scale model of linear features improves predictions of farmland biodiversity. Journal of Applied Ecology, 54 (6). pp. 1776-1784. ISSN 0021-8901 doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.12912
- Pearce-Higgins, J. W., Beale, C. M., Oliver, T. H., August, T. A., Carroll, M., Massimino, D., Ockendon, N., Savage, J., Wheatley, C. J., Ausden, M. A., Bradbury, R. B., Duffield, S. J., Macgregor, N. A., McClean, C. J., Morecroft, M. D., Thomas, C. D., Watts, O., Beckmann, B. C., Fox, R., Roy, H. E., Sutton, P. G., Walker, K. J. and Crick, H. Q. P. (2017) A national-scale assessment of climate change impacts on species: assessing the balance of risks and opportunities for multiple taxa. Biological Conservation, 213 (A). pp. 124-134. ISSN 0006-3207 doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2017.06.035
- Bullock, J. M., Dhanjal-Adams, K. L., Milne, A., Oliver, T. H., Todman, L. C., Whitmore, A. P. and Pywell, R. F. (2017) Resilience and food security: rethinking an ecological concept. Journal of Ecology, 105 (4). pp. 880-884. ISSN 0022-0477 doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2745.12791
- Dyer, R. J., Gillings, S., Pywell, R. F., Fox, R., Roy, D. B. and Oliver, T. H. (2017) Developing a biodiversity-based indicator for large-scale environmental assessment: a case study of proposed shale gas extraction sites in Britain. Journal of Applied Ecology, 54 (3). pp. 872-882. ISSN 0021-8901 doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.12784
- Oliver, T. H., Gillings, S., Pearce-Higgins, J. W., Brereton, T., Crick, H. Q. P., Duffield, S. J., Morecroft, M. D. and Roy, D. B. (2017) Large extents of intensive land use limit community reorganization during climate warming. Global Change Biology, 23 (6). pp. 2272-2283. ISSN 1365-2486 doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.13587
- Oliver, T., Powney, G. D., Baguette, M. and Schtickzelle, N. (2017) Synchrony in population counts predicts butterfly movement frequencies. Ecological Entomology, 42 (3). pp. 375-378. ISSN 0307-6946 doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/een.12391
- De Palma, A., Dennis, R. L. H., Brereton, T., Leather, S. R. and Oliver, T. H. (2017) Large reorganizations in butterfly communities during an extreme weather event. Ecography, 40 (5). pp. 577-585. ISSN 0906-7590 doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/ecog.02228
2016
- Redhead, J. W., Stratford, C., Sharps, K., Jones, L., Ziv, G., Clarke, D., Oliver, T. H. and Bullock, J. M. (2016) Empirical validation of the InVEST water yield ecosystem service model at a national scale. Science of the Total Environment, 569-570. pp. 1418-1426. ISSN 0048-9697 doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.06.227
- Oliver, T. H. (2016) How much biodiversity loss is too much? Science, 353 (6296). pp. 220-221. ISSN 0036-8075 doi: https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aag1712
- Schmucki, R., Pe'er, G., Roy, D. B., Stefanescu, C., Van Swaay, C. A.M., Oliver, T. H., Kuussaari, M., Van Strien, A. J., Ries, L., Settele, J., Musche, M., Carnicer, J., Schweiger, O., Brereton, T. M., Harpke, A., Heliölä, J., Kühn, E. and Julliard, R. (2016) A regionally informed abundance index for supporting integrative analyses across butterfly monitoring schemes. Journal of Applied Ecology, 53 (2). pp. 501-510. ISSN 0021-8901 doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.12561
- Redhead, J. W., Fox, R., Brereton, T. and Oliver, T. H. (2016) Assessing species’ habitat associations from occurrence records, standardised monitoring data and expert opinion: a test with British butterflies. Ecological Indicators, 62. pp. 271-278. ISSN 1470-160X doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2015.11.004
- Oliver, T. H., Heard, M. S., Isaac, N. J.B., Roy, D. B., Procter, D., Eigenbrod, F., Freckleton, R., Hector, A., Orme, C. D. L., Petchey, O. L., Proença, V., Raffaelli, D., Blake Suttle, K., Mace, G. M., Martín-López, B., Woodcock, B. A. and Bullock, J. M. (2016) A synthesis is emerging between biodiversity–ecosystem function and ecological resilience research: reply to Mori. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 31 (2). pp. 89-92. ISSN 0169-5347 doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2015.12.008
- Oliver, T. H., Smithers, R. J., Beale, C. M. and Watts, K. (2016) Are existing biodiversity conservation strategies appropriate in a changing climate? Biological Conservation, 193. pp. 17-26. ISSN 0006-3207 doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2015.10.024
2015
- Oliver, T. H., Isaac, N. J. B., August, T. A., Woodcock, B. A., Roy, D. B. and Bullock, J. M. (2015) Declining resilience of ecosystem functions under biodiversity loss. Nature Communications, 6. 10122. ISSN 2041-1723 doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms10122
- Oliver, T. H., Heard, M. S., Isaac, N. J.B., Roy, D. B., Procter, D., Eigenbrod, F., Freckleton, R., Hector, A., Orme, C. D. L., Petchey, O. L., Proença, V., Raffaelli, D., Suttle, K. B., Mace, G. M., Martín-López, B., Woodcock, B. A. and Bullock, J. M. (2015) Biodiversity and resilience of ecosystem functions. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 30 (11). pp. 673-684. ISSN 0169-5347 doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2015.08.009
- Oliver, T. H., Marshall, H. H., Morecroft, M. D., Brereton, T., Prudhomme, C. and Huntingford, C. (2015) Interacting effects of climate change and habitat fragmentation on drought-sensitive butterflies. Nature Climate Change, 5 (10). pp. 941-945. ISSN 1758-678X doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate2746
- Gillingham, P. K., Bradbury, R. B., Roy, D. B., Anderson, B. J., Baxter, J. M., Bourn, N. A. D., Crick, H. Q. P., Findon, R. A., Fox, R., Franco, A., Hill, J. K., Hodgson, J. A., Holt, A. R., Morecroft, M. D., O'Hanlon, N. J., Oliver, T. H., Pearce-Higgins, J. W., Procter, D. A., Thomas, J. A., Walker, K. J., Walmsley, C. A., Wilson, R. J. and Thomas, C. D. (2015) The effectiveness of protected areas in the conservation of species with changing geographical ranges. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 115 (3). pp. 707-717. ISSN 0024-4066 doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/bij.12506
- Oliver, T. H. and Roy, D. B. (2015) The pitfalls of ecological forecasting. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 115 (3). pp. 767-778. ISSN 0024-4066 doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/bij.12579
- Roy, D. B., Oliver, T. H., Botham, M. S., Beckmann, B., Brereton, T., Dennis, R. L. H., Harrower, C., Phillimore, A. B. and Thomas, J. A. (2015) Similarities in butterfly emergence dates among populations suggest local adaptation to climate. Global Change Biology, 21 (9). pp. 3313-3322. ISSN 1365-2486 doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.12920
- Oliver, T. H., Smithers, R. J., Bailey, S., Walmsley, C. A. and Watts, K. (2015) Corrigendum: a decision framework for considering climate change adaptation in biodiversity conservation planning. Journal of Applied Ecology, 52 (2). p. 538. ISSN 0021-8901 doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.12396
- Mason, S. C., Palmer, G., Fox, R., Gillings, S., Hill, J. K., Thomas, C. D. and Oliver, T. H. (2015) Geographical range margins of many taxonomic groups continue to shift polewards. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 115 (3). pp. 586-597. ISSN 0024-4066 doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/bij.12574
- Palmer, G., Hill, J. K., Brereton, T. M., Brooks, D. R., Chapman, J. W., Fox, R., Oliver, T. H. and Thomas, C. D. (2015) Individualistic sensitivities and exposure to climate change explain variation in species' distribution and abundance changes. Science Advances, 1 (9). e1400220. ISSN 2375-2548 doi: https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.1400220
2014
- Raffaelli, D., Bullock, J. M., Cinderby, S., Durance, I., Emmett, B., Harris, J., Hicks, K., Oliver, T. H., Paterson, D. and White, P. C. L. (2014) Big Data and ecosystem research programmes. In: Woodward, G., Dumbrell, A., Baird, D. and Hajibabaei, M. (eds.) Big Data in Ecology. Advances in Ecological Research, 51. Academic Press, pp. 42-74. ISBN 9780081004791 doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-08-099970-8.00004-X
- Newson, S. E., Oliver, T. H., Gillings, S., Crick, H. Q. P., Morecroft, M. D., Duffield, S. J., Macgregor, N. A. and Pearce-Higgins, J. W. (2014) Can site and landscape-scale environmental attributes buffer bird populations against weather events? Ecography, 37 (9). pp. 872-882. ISSN 0906-7590 doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/ecog.00575
- Fox, R., Oliver, T. H., Harrower, C., Parsons, M. S., Thomas, C. D. and Roy, D. B. (2014) Long-term changes to the frequency of occurrence of British moths are consistent with opposing and synergistic effects of climate and land-use changes. Journal of Applied Ecology, 51 (4). pp. 949-957. ISSN 0021-8901 doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.12256
- Oliver, T. H. and Morecroft, M. D. (2014) Interactions between climate change and land use change on biodiversity: attribution problems, risks, and opportunities. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change, 5 (3). pp. 317-335. ISSN 1757-7799 doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/wcc.271
- Oliver, T. H., Stefanescu, C., Paramo, F., Brereton, T. and Roy, D. B. (2014) Latitudinal gradients in butterfly population variability are influenced by landscape heterogeneity. Ecography, 37 (9). pp. 863-871. ISSN 1600-0587 doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/ecog.00608
2013
- Dooley, C. A., Bonsall, M. B., Brereton, T. and Oliver, T. (2013) Spatial variation in the magnitude and functional form of density-dependent processes on the large skipper butterfly Ochlodes sylvanus. Ecological Entomology, 38 (6). pp. 608-616. ISSN 0307-6946 doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/een.12055
- Bishop, T. R., Botham, M. S., Fox, R., Leather, S. R., Chapman, D. S. and Oliver, T. H. (2013) The utility of distribution data in predicting phenology. Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 4 (11). pp. 1024-1032. ISSN 2041-210X doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/2041-210X.12112
2012
- Powney, G. D., Broaders, L. K. and Oliver, T. H. (2012) Towards a measure of functional connectivity: local synchrony matches small scale movements in a woodland edge butterfly. Landscape Ecology, 27 (8). pp. 1109-1120. ISSN 0921-2973 doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-012-9771-y
- Oliver, T. H., Thomas, C. D., Hill, J. K., Brereton, T. and Roy, D. B. (2012) Habitat associations of thermophilous butterflies are reduced despite climatic warming. Global Change Biology, 18 (9). pp. 2720-2729. ISSN 1365-2486 doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2486.2012.02737.x
- Oliver, T. H., Leather, S. R. and Cook, J. M. (2012) Ant larval demand reduces aphid colony growth rates in an ant-aphid interaction. Insects, 3 (1). pp. 120-130. ISSN 2075-4450 doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/insects3010120
- Oliver, T. H., Smithers, R. J., Bailey, S., Walmsley, C. A. and Watts, K. (2012) A decision framework for considering climate change adaptation in biodiversity conservation planning. Journal of Applied Ecology, 49 (6). pp. 1247-1255. ISSN 0021-8901 doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.12003
2010
- Oliver, T., Roy, D. B., Hill, J. K., Brereton, T. and Thomas, C. D. (2010) Heterogeneous landscapes promote population stability. Ecology Letters, 13 (4). pp. 473-484. ISSN 1461-023X doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1461-0248.2010.01441.x
2009
- Oliver, T. H., Leather, S. R. and Cook, J. M. (2009) Tolerance traits and the stability of mutualism. Oikos, 118 (3). pp. 346-352. ISSN 0030-1299 doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0706.2008.17045.x
2008
- Oliver, T. H., Jones, I., Cook, J. M. and Leather, S. R. (2008) Avoidance responses of an aphidophagous ladybird, Adalia bipunctata, to aphid-tending ants. Ecological Entomology, 33 (4). pp. 523-528. ISSN 0307-6946 doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2311.2008.01009.x
- Oliver, T. H., Leather, S. R. and Cook, J. M. (2008) Macroevolutionary patterns in the origin of mutualisms involving ants. Journal of Evolutionary Biology, 21 (6). pp. 1597-1608. ISSN 1010-061X doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1420-9101.2008.01600.x
- Oliver, T. H., Pettitt, T., Leather, S. R. and Cook, J. M. (2008) Numerical abundance of invasive ants and monopolisation of exudate-producing resources - a chicken and egg situation. Insect Conservation & Diversity, 1 (4). pp. 208-214. ISSN 1752-458X doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1752-4598.2008.00026.x
2007
- Oliver, T. H., Mashanova, A., Leather, S. R., Cook, J. M. and Jansen, V. A. A. (2007) Ant semiochemicals limit apterous aphid dispersal. Proceedings of the Royal Society B-Biological Sciences, 274 (1629). pp. 3127-3131. ISSN 0962-8452 doi: https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2007.1251
- Oliver, T.H. , Cook, J.M. and Leather, S.R. (2007) When are ant-attractant devices a worthwhile investment? Vicia faba extrafloral nectaries and Lasius niger ants. Population Ecology, 49 (3). pp. 265-273. ISSN 1438-3896 doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10144-007-0044-6
Please see Google Scholar for a full publication list.