River ecosystems are threatened by multiple anthropogenic stressors. This includes those within the water body (e.g., invasive fish, sewage outflows), in the surrounding catchment (e.g., agricultural runoff, habitat fragmentation), and the global stressor of climate change. We are interested in how the magnitude and impact of these stressors (and their interactions) have changed over time. We have various projects in the UK and South Africa which are outlined below.
This project is using historical herbarium specimens, dating back to the 1700s, to understand the extent of human impact on UK coastal and inland waters. Specifically, we will employ a novel method involving nitrogen stable isotope analysis to hindcast nutrient pollution levels by using aquatic weeds as ‘time capsules’. This will extend data on indicators of water pollution beyond our current modern records. This project is in collaboration with Dr Stephen Harris (Department of Biology Herbaria) and artist Beatrice von Preussen. We are funded by the Gatsby Foundation.
We are working with the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, the Environment Agency, and the University of Bath to understand the link between sources of anthropogenic chemicals and their pathways, fate and ecological impacts in freshwater ecosystems. In 2023, the team at Oxford completed four successful stream side mesocosm experiments to ask how pollution (from nutrients and chemicals in sewage) interacts with climate warming to alter river communities and ecosystem functioning. Watch this space for results! This research is funded by NERC.
We regularly monitor several rivers both upstream and downstream of sewage outlets to quantify differences in water quality, river communities and ecosystem functioning. Our recent papers on this topic include:
Details coming soon…
