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Research
Martin
Sykes is an experimental and theoretical
ecologist with broad interests in plant ecology focused on modelling the
responses of vegetation to climate, and on the maintenance of plant species
diversity. He undertook a PhD in New Zealand with an experimental study into
the responses of native and exotic dune species to various environmental
factors (supervisor Prof. J. Bastow
Wilson). He moved to Uppsala, Sweden in 1989 to work partly with Prof. Eddy van der Maarel on
the maintenance of species diversity in semi-natural grasslands on the island
of Öland. He also spearheaded the application of
stand-scale and global dynamic vegetation models to study past, present and
future climate impacts on terrestrial vegetation distribution and
productivity in co-operation with Prof. Colin
Prentice. Research
has two general themes: ·
Ecosystem, vegetation dynamics and biodiversity modelling at spatial scales from the patch to the globe
and at temporal scales through the Holocene to 2100. Interdisciplinary
approaches are a strong element driven by the need to understand global
change impacts on ecosystems and their goods and services. Increasingly this theme is directed to
scales that are policy relevant, a development strongly promoted through
extensive EU collaborations. ·
Building on a long-term interest in the maintenance
of species diversity I am jointly leading a number of field based studies
into diversity and the functioning of ecosystems especially within cultural
landscapes in Ecosystem and vegetation modelling One of the three original leaders of the LPJ
(Lund-Potsdam-Jena) consortium which has developed and is continuing to
develop a state-of-the-art mechanistic approach to ecosystem modelling. The other leaders are Wolfgang Cramer in Modularity allows coupling of different modules for
different problems, for example we can select the use of different
formulations to describe plant interactions for scales from the patch (0.1ha)
to a global scale grid, choose between species or plant functional types,
simulate potential natural vegetation with or without agriculture, or forest
management. Outputs include vegetation descriptions, carbon storage, NPP,
NEE, NBE and runoff both spatially and through time. (see publication
list). Field studies into biodiversity
and conservation Another research interest has always been the
mechanisms that drive plant species diversity. I published some years ago
with Eddy van der Maarel from field work on the island of Öland some ideas, the so-called carousel model, that may explain the maintenance of high species diversity in
limestone grasslands. In recent years I returned to Öland
funded to investigate fragmented landscapes and the role they play in
diversity and ecosystem functioning. In particular the role cultural
landscapes play in species diversity and thus provide insights into
conserving them. In co-operation with Prof Honor Prentice (Lund) we
have had a number
of projects based on Öland in the Jordtorp area, using a series of digitised
maps which give a 300 year history for each landscape fragment. We are
particularly interested in the semi-natural grasslands, some with a
continuity of 300 yrs and some that have been
forest or agriculture and then grasslands and then reverted as these areas
are abandoned. See publication list for recent papers. Participant/contributor
in various centres of excellence in Lund ·
Linnaeus
Centre of excellence LUCCI – Lund Centre for studies of Carbon Cycle and
Climate Interactions Joint leader WP5
- Modelling of present and future processes
and conditions – 2008-2018 (An original applicant and Board member 2008-2012) ·
Linnaeus
Centre of excellence LUCID - Lund University Centre of Excellence for
Integration of Social and Natural Dimensions of Sustainability 2008-2018
(Board member 2010-2012) ·
CEC
– Centre for Environmental and Climate Research Lund, (Board member
2010-2012) ·
BECC
programme - Biodiversity and ecosystem services in
a changing climate 2010- Research projects and funder. International ·
BiodiverSA CONNECT – Linking
biodiversity conservation and ecosystem
services: advancing insights in tradeoffs and synergies between biodiversity,
ecosystem functioning and ecosystem service values for improved integrated
biodiversity policy 2012-2015 ·
EU
IP FP7 CLIMSAVE – Climate Change
Integrated Assessment Methodology for cross-sectoral
adaptation and vulnerability in Europe
2010-2014 ·
EU IP FP7 SCALES – Securing
the conservation of biodiversity across Administrative levels and spatial,
temporal and ecological scales 2009-
2013 ·
EU FP6 ERA BiodivERsA - CLIMIT
“ Climate change impacts on insects and their mitigation” 2009-2012 (via FORMAS/NV) ( ·
EU FP6 ERA BiodivERsA - FIREMAN
“Fire management to maintain biodiversity and mitigate economic loss”
2009-2013 (via FORMAS/NV) ·
EU FP6 IP ECOCHANGE “
Challenges in assessing and forecasting biodiversity an d ecosystem changes
in Europe” 2007-2011 ·
EU partner FP6 STREP CARBO-North “Quantifying the carbon budget
in Northern Russia: past, present and future”
2007-2010 ·
EU Co-ordinated action RUBICODE – “Rationalising Biodiversity
Conservation in Dynamic Ecosystems”
WP2 leader – Review and develop concepts of dynamic ecosystems and the
services they provide. 2006-2009 ·
EU STREP FP6 MACIS - Minimisation
of and Adaptation to Climate change: Impacts on biodiversity 2007-2008 WP1
leader ·
EU
FP6 ENSEMBLES (Ensembles-based predictions of climate changes and
their impacts) 2004-2009 – Co-ordinator Hadley Climate
Centre ·
EU
Contractor/Executive Board member/climate pillar co-ordinator: FP6 ALARM (Assessing Large scale
environmental risks with tested methods) 2004-2009 – Co-ordinator UFZ
Leipzig-Halle (funding 3 600 000sek) ·
ESF/Vr European Science
Foundation/Swedish Research Council Euroclimates programme
DECVEG – Dynamic European Climate-Vegetation Impacts &
Interactions 2005-2009 Swedish partner
in 7 nation project. ·
EU Contractor/PI/Steering Committee Member FP5 ATEAM “Advanced Terrestrial Ecosystem Analysis and Modelling”
2001-2004. ·
EU FP5 EPIDEMIE “ Exotic Plant
Invasions: Deleterious Effects on Mediterranean Island Ecosystems”
2001-2004 ·
EU
FP5 PRUDENCE “Prediction of Regional Scenarios and uncertainties for
defining European Climate change risk and Effects” 2001-2004 ·
EU
Co-ordinator and Lund PI 1997-2000.FP4
ETEMA “European Terrestrial Ecosystem
Modelling Activity” ·
EU Project Lund Contractor FP4 APD “African Pollen Database: An
international network for understanding past and present ecosystems in
sub-Saharan Africa” 1998-2001. Travel and symposium funding ·
Max Planck Institute of Biogeochemistry, Jena. 2002 Contract - Development of model scheme for
Mediterranean PFTs ·
French Ministry of Research Visiting Professor funding (January-March
2003) Cerege, Europôle Méditerranéen de l'Arbois,
Aix-en-Provence France – Development and validation of a
vegetation-soil-lake model for catchment basins in East Africa. ·
RESOLVE: Reponse du système sol-lac-vegétation à l’échelle du bassin: sensibilité aux changements environnementaux d’écosystèmes
semi-arides em Afrique orientale,
Consultant/Travel funds. Cerege, Aix en Provence
(Joel Guiot), France 2001-2003 ·
USA Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), USA 1999-2001: Lund PI
VEMAP “Vegetation/Ecosystem Modelling and Analysis Project 2” ·
USA Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), USA 1996-1998:Lund co-PI
VEMAP“Vegetation/Ecosystem Modelling and Analysis
Project 2” ·
USA NSF, 1997-2001 Consultant “
Modelling regional palaeovegetation of the Holocene
in eastern United States: Upper Great lakes” (Margaret Davies University of
Minnesota, Shinya Shugita, Japan) travel funds plus
a sub-contract from Max Planck Jena, Germany 1998-1999 Swedish Research Funds ·
VR
centre of excellence LUCCI – Lund Centre for studies of Carbon Cycle and
Climate Interactions Joint leader WP5
- Modelling of present and future processes and conditions – 2008-2018 ·
VR
Centre of excellence LUCID - Lund University Centre of Excellence for
Integration of Social and Natural Dimensions of Sustainability 2008-2018 ·
FORMAS/VR sustainable
development call “Climate change,
impacts and adaptation in the sub Arctic: a case
study from the northern Swedish mountains”
2009-2011 (joint applicant) ·
FORMAS (The Swedish Research Council for Environment, Agricultural
Sciences & Spatial Planning) 2007-2009 Species diversity in a changing
landscape – dispersal limitations
(main applicant) ·
Vr (The Swedish Research Council) 2008-2010 Boreal forest ecosystem
dynamics: interactions of climate change and episodic events (main applicant) ·
Vr (The Swedish Research Council) 2005-2007 Integrating high resolution
regional climate model output, ecosystem modelling and environmental data
analysis to explore ecosystem responses to climate extremes (main
applicant) ·
Vr (The Swedish Research Council) 2005-2007 Biodiversity, ecosystem
function and the role of long term land use (main applicant) ·
FORMAS (The Swedish Research Council for Environment, Agricultural
Sciences & Spatial Planning) 2004-2006 - Species diversity in a changing
landscape (main applicant) ·
Vr (The Swedish Research Council) 2004-2006 - Combining Climate
Modelling and dynamic ecosystem modelling to investigate climate changes and
their impacts over Northern Europe (co-applicant) ·
Vr (The Swedish Research Council) 2004 -2006 - The role of the
terrestrial biosphere in atmospheric CO2 variability during the Late Glacial
and Holocene (co-applicant) ·
FORMAS (The Swedish Research Council for Environment, Agricultural
Sciences & Spatial Planning) 2003-2006 – Landscape, species & genes:
diversity and history in fragmented grasslands (co-applicant) ·
SNV (Swedish Environmental Protection
Agency) 2000-2002 Modelling the responses of Swedish forests to environmental
change: a study using SWECLIM regional climate model output. (main applicant) ·
MISTRA – LUCCI (Lund University Integrated Climate Change Research
Initiative) with IIEE & MICLU 2002– writing funding ·
NFR Natural Science Research Council 1999-2001. Wetland distribution
and functional characterisation: large scale modelling based on a dynamic
inventory. (main applicant) ·
Environment/SNV 1998-1999 Additional support as co-ordinator EU
ETEMA (main applicant) ·
SNV (Swedish Environmental Protection Agency), 1991-1998. ‘Sensitivity of natural forests to climate
change: evaluation with a simulation model and data from the PMK programme/ How tree species distributions adjust to climate change -
an interdisciplinary analysis of processes and rates’. Renewable yearly contracts
(co-applicant) ·
MISTRA (Foundation for Strategic Environmental Research), Sweden
1997-2000 “Sustainable Forestry - southern Sweden - Integration of climate
biodiversity and forest models.(co-applicant) |
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Martin Sykes
Research
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