Brian Pickles

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0118 378 7955
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Associate Professor
- Deputy Director of Postgraduate Studies
- QMEE CDT Tiger Team Lead
- Co-supervision of Postgraduate Students at the University of British Columbia
Areas of interest
Biodiversity; Dispersal and migration; Plant-fungal symbioses; Spatial ecology
- Responses of mycorrhizal symbioses to global change processes
- Spatial and temporal dynamics of ecosystem biodiversity
- Modelling changes in species and ecosystem distributions
- Host-symbiont interactions and nutrient dynamics in forest ecosystems
- Integrating soil ecology and ecological theory into forest management practices
Teaching
Convener:
- BI2ERD5 Reptiles and Dinosaurs
- Palaeoecology Research Field Course
Contributer:
- BI3EW8 Conservation Biology
- BI2MBC Marine Biology and Conservation
- BI1BEA2 Current Topics in Zoology and Ecology
Research centres and groups
Member of the Impact, Enterprise and Outreach
- Invited Speaker at WOMADelaide Plant Talks series in Australia, March 2019
Research projects
Visit Pickles Lab for details of my researchAwards and honours
Esteem Factors
- Awarded a Royal Society Research Grant to study "The diversity and identity of plant-fungal interactions in British woodlands: ectomycorrhizal symbioses of native British trees"
(2017-2018; £15k) - Co-I on EPSRC grant: "InfruTreeCity: Understanding Infrared radiative performance of urban trees for better future cities" (2017-2020)
- Co-I on NSERC SPG: "Designing successful forest renewal strategies for our changing climate"
(2016-2019; CAD $950K) - Affiliate Professor in the Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences at the University of British Columbia
- Reviewer for 20 different ISI journals
Professional bodies/affiliations
International Collaborators
- Dr Dirk Brinkman, Brinkman & Associates Reforestation Ltd., Canada
- Prof Keith Egger, University of Northern British Columbia, Canada
- Dr Dominique Gravel, Université de Sherbrooke, Canada
- Dr Miranda Hart, University of British Columbia, Canada
- Prof John Klironomos, University of British Columbia, Canada
- Prof Les Lavkulic, University of British Columbia, Canada
- Dr Hugues Massicotte, University of Northern British Columbia, Canada
- Prof Rolf Mathewes, Simon Fraser University, Canada
- Dr Gregory O'Neill, BC Ministry of Forests, Land and Natural Resource Operations, Canada
- Dr Alejandro Ordonez, University of Aarhus, Denmark
- Dr Jason Pither, University of British Columbia, Canada
- Prof Suzanne Simard, University of British Columbia, Canada
- Prof Jack Williams, University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA
- Lisa O'Donnell, City of Austin Water, USA
- Dr Philip Bell, University of New England, Australia
- Dr Caleb Brown, Royal Tyrrell Museum, Canada
Publications
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Guy, P.
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Sibly, R.
ORCID: 0000-0001-6828-3543 , Smart, S. , Tibbett, M. , Pickles, B.
ORCID: 0000-0002-9809-6455 (2022) Mycorrhizal type of woody plants influences understory species richness in British broadleaved woodlands. New Phytologist ISSN: 1469-8137
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Aleklett, K.
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Rosa, D.
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Pickles, B.
ORCID: 0000-0002-9809-6455 , Hart, M. (2022) Community assembly and stability in the root microbiota during early plant development. Frontiers in Microbiology , 13 ISSN: 1664-302X | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2022.826521
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Rai, J.
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Pickles, B.
ORCID: 0000-0002-9809-6455 , Perotti, M.
ORCID: 0000-0002-3769-7126 (2022) The impact of the decomposition process of shallow graves on soil mite abundance. Journal of Forensic Sciences , 67 (2). pp. 605-618. ISSN: 0022-1198 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1556-4029.14906
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Roach, W.
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Simard, S.
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Defrenne, C.
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Pickles, B.
ORCID: 0000-0002-9809-6455 , Lavkulich, L. , Ryan, T. (2021) Tree diversity, site index, and carbon storage decrease with aridity in Douglas-fir forests in western Canada. Frontiers in Forests and Global Change , 4 ISSN: 2624-893X | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.3389/ffgc.2021.682076
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Rai, J.
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Pickles, B.
ORCID: 0000-0002-9809-6455 , Perotti, M.
ORCID: 0000-0002-3769-7126 (2021) Assemblages of Acari in shallow burials: mites as markers of the burial environment, of the stage of decay and of body-cadaver regions.. Experimental and Applied Acarology ISSN: 0168-8162 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10493-021-00663-x
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Senapathi, D.
ORCID: 0000-0002-8883-1583 , Fründ, J. , Albrecht, M. , Garratt, M. , Kleijn, D. , Pickles, B.
ORCID: 0000-0002-9809-6455 , Potts, S.
ORCID: 0000-0002-2045-980X , An, J. , Andersson, G. , Bänsch, S. , Basu, P. , Benjamin, F. , Bezerra, A. , Bhattacharya, R. , Biesmeijer, J. , Blaauw, B. , Blitzer, E. , Brittain, C. , Carvalheiro, L. , Cariveau, D. , Chakraborty, P. , Chatterjee, A. , Chatterjee, S. , Cusser, S. , Danforth, B. , Degani, E. , Freitas, B. , Garibaldi, L. , Geslin, B. , de Groot, G. , Harrison, T. , Howlett, B. , Isaacs, R. , Jha, S. , Klatt, B. , Krewenka, K. , Leigh, S. , Lindström, S. , Mandelik, Y. , McKerchar, M. , Park, M. , Pisanty, G. , Rader, R. , Reemer, M. , Rundlöf, M. , Smith, B. , Smith, H. , Silva, P. , Steffan-Dewenter, I. , Tscharntke, T. , Webber, S. , Westbury, D. , Wickens, J. , Wickens, V. , Winfree, R. , Zhang, H. , Klein, A. (2021) Wild insect diversity increases inter-annual stability in global crop pollinator communities.. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences , 288 (1947). ISSN: 0962-8452 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2021.0212
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Deng, J.
ORCID: 0000-0001-6896-8622 , Pickles, B.
ORCID: 0000-0002-9809-6455 , Shao, L. (2021) In-situ spectroscopy and shortwave radiometry reveals spatial and temporal variation in the crown-level radiative performance of urban trees. Remote Sensing of Environment , 253 ISSN: 0034-4257 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2020.112231
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Simard, S.
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Roach, W.
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Defrenne, C.
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Pickles, B.
ORCID: 0000-0002-9809-6455 , Snyder, E. , Robinson, A. , Lavkulic, L. (2020) Harvest intensity effects on carbon stocks and biodiversity are dependent on regional climate in Douglas-fir forests of British Columbia. Frontiers in Forests and Global Change , 3 (88). ISSN: 2624-893X | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.3389/ffgc.2020.00088
- Deng, J. , Pickles, B. , Smith, S. , Shao, L. (2020) Infrared radiative performance of urban trees: spatial distribution and interspecific comparison among ten species in the UK by in-situ spectroscopy. Building and Environment , 172 ISSN: 0360-1323 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2020.106682
- O'Donnell, L. , Pickles, B. , Campbell, M. , Moulton, L. , Hauwert, N. , Gorzelak, M. (2020) Native tree and shrub canopy facilitates oak seedling regeneration in semiarid woodland. Ecosphere , 11 (2). ISSN: 2150-8925 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.3017
- Pickles, B. , Truong, C. , Watts-Williams, S. , Bueno, C. (2020) Mycorrhizae for a sustainable world. New Phytologist , 225 (3). pp. 1065-1069. ISSN: 1469-8137 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/nph.16307
- Defrenne, C. , Philpott, T. , Guichon, S. , Roach, W. , Pickles, B. , Simard, S. (2019) Shifts in ectomycorrhizal fungal communities and exploration types relate to the environment and fine-root traits across interior Douglas-fir forests of western Canada. Frontiers in Plant Science , 10 ISSN: 1664-462X | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2019.00643
- Deng, J. , Pickles, B. , Kavakopoulos, A. , Blanusa, T. , Halios, C. , Smith, S. , Shao, L. (2019) Concept and methodology of characterising infrared radiative performance of urban trees using tree crown spectroscopy. Building and Environment , 157 pp. 380-390. ISSN: 0360-1323 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2019.04.056
- Pither, J. , Pickles, B. , Simard, S. , Ordonez, A. , Williams, J. (2018) Below-ground biotic interactions moderated the postglacial range dynamics of trees. New Phytologist , 220 (4). pp. 1148-1160. ISSN: 1469-8137 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/nph.15203
- Pither, J. and Pickles, B. (2017) The paleosymbiosis hypothesis: host plants can be colonized by root symbionts that have been inactive for centuries to millenia. FEMS Microbiology Ecology , 93 (6). ISSN: 1574-6941 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1093/femsec/fix061
- Pickles, B. and Simard, S. (2017) Mycorrhizal networks and forest resilience to drought. In: Johnson, N. , Gehring, C. , Jansa, J. , (eds.) Mycorrhizal Mediation of Soil - Fertility, Structure, and Carbon Storage. Elsevier , Amsterdam. pp. 319-339. ISBN: 9780128043127 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-804312-7.00018-8
- Gorzelak, M. , Pickles, B. , Hart, M. (2017) Exploring the symbiont diversity of ancient western redcedars: arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi of long-lived hosts. Molecular Ecology , 26 (6). pp. 1586-1597. ISSN: 0962-1083 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/mec.14023
- Pickles, B. , Wilhelm, R. , Asay, A. , Hahn, A. , Simard, S. , Mohn, W. (2017) Transfer of 13C between paired Douglas-fir seedlings reveals plant kinship effects and uptake of exudates by ectomycorrhizas. New Phytologist , 214 (1). pp. 400-411. ISSN: 1469-8137 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/nph.14325
- Pickles, B. and Anderson, I. (2016) Spatial ecology of ectomycorrhizal fungal communities. In: Martin, F. , (eds.) Molecular Mycorrhizal Symbiosis. Wiley pp. 363-386. ISBN: 9781118951415 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1002/9781118951446.ch20
- Hart, M. , Aleklett, K. , Chagnon, P. , Egan, C. , Ghignone, S. , Helgason, T. , Lekberg, Y. , Öpik, M. , Pickles, B. , Waller, L. (2015) Navigating the labyrinth: a guide to sequence-based, community ecology of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. New Phytologist , 207 (1). pp. 235-247. ISSN: 1469-8137 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/nph.13340
- Pickles, B. , Gorzelak, M. , Green, D. , Egger, K. , Massicotte, H. (2015) Host and habitat filtering in seedling root-associated fungal communities: taxonomic and functional diversity are altered in ‘novel’ soils. Mycorrhiza , 25 (7). pp. 517-531. ISSN: 0940-6360 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00572-015-0630-y
- Gorzelak, M. , Asay, A. , Pickles, B. , Simard, S. (2015) Inter-plant communication through mycorrhizal networks mediates complex adaptive behaviour in plant communities. AoB Plants , 7 ISSN: 2041-2851 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1093/aobpla/plv050
- Pickles, B. , Twieg, B. , O'Neill, G. , Mohn, W. , Simard, S. (2015) Local adaptation in migrated interior Douglas-fir seedlings is mediated by ectomycorrhizas and other soil factors. New Phytologist , 207 (3). pp. 858-871. ISSN: 0028-646X | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/nph.13360
- Pickles, B. and Pither, J. (2014) Still scratching the surface: how much of the ‘black box’ of soil ectomycorrhizal communities remains in the dark?. New Phytologist , 201 (4). pp. 1101-1105. ISSN: 0028-646X | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/nph.12616
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Pickles, B.
ORCID: 0000-0002-9809-6455 , Egger, K. , Massicotte, H. , Green, D. (2012) Ectomycorrhizas and climate change. Fungal Ecology , 5 (1). pp. 73-84. ISSN: 1754-5048 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.funeco.2011.08.009
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Pickles, B.
ORCID: 0000-0002-9809-6455 , Genney, D. , Anderson, I. , Alexander, I. (2012) Spatial analysis of ectomycorrhizal fungi reveals that root tip communities are structured by competitive interactions. Molecular Ecology , 21 (20). pp. 5110-5123. ISSN: 1365-294X | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-294x.2012.05739.x
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Pickles, B.
ORCID: 0000-0002-9809-6455 , Genney, D. , Potts, J. , Lennon, J. , Anderson, I. , Alexander, I. (2010) Spatial and temporal ecology of Scots pine ectomycorrhizas. New Phytologist , 186 (3). pp. 755-768. ISSN: 1469-8137 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-8137.2010.03204.x
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Pickles, B.
ORCID: 0000-0002-9809-6455 , Genney, D. , Alexander, I. , Anderson, I. (2009) Spatial ecology of ectomycorrhizas: analytical strategies. Mycorrhizas - Functional Processes and Ecological Impact. Mycorrhizas – Functional Processes and Ecological Impact pp. 155-165. ISBN: 9783540879770 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-87978-7_11