Dr Alwyn Sowerby

Soil Ecologist

Centre for Ecology & Hydrology
Lancaster Environment Centre
Library Avenue
Bailrigg
Lancaster
LA1 4AP
T: +44 (0)1524 595800
F: +44 (0)1524 61536
E-mail: Dr Alwyn Sowerby
 

Career outline

  • 2004-to date: CEH Band 6 Soil Ecologist
  • 2000-2004: Centre for Ecology & Hydrology/University of Wales, Bangor
  • 1996-2000: University of Essex, Colchester
  • 1995-1996: University of York, Heslington, York
  • 1991-1994: University of Wales, College of Cardiff, Cardiff

Research interests

I currently manage the Recovery roof project in the Peak District. The project looks at the effect of climate change (warming and summer drought) as well as recovery following pollution on an area of moorland above Glossop. The experimental set-up is unique and will lead to a greater and more detailed knowledge of how fast, and well, our uplands will recover from pollution. The project will also compare the potential impact of climate change with the effects of reduced pollution. I also currently work on a 15Nitrogen pool dilution project looking at the fate of nitrate and ammonium in wetlands in the Plynlimon catchment.

My areas of expertise include: measurement of carbon flux in terrestrial communities (soil respiration, litter decomposition, litterfall, root biomass, plant growth, photosynthesis, whole ecosystem carbon dioxide flux, etc.); soil microbial community analysis (microbial biomass, extracellular enzyme activity, 14Carbon labelled substrate utilisation); stable and radioactive isotope protocols; and plant physiological measurements. During my PhD I carried out DNA retrieval from environmental samples and analysis using community-based DNA probing.

 

Selected publications

See also the NERC Open Research Archive.

2007 and earlier

Peñuelas, J., Prieto, P., Beier, C., Cesaraccio, C., De Angliss, P., De Dato§, G., Emmett, B.A., Estiarte, M., Garadai, J., Gorissen, A., Kováacs Lang, E., Kröel-Dulay, G., Llorens, L., Pellizzaro, G., Riss-Nielsen, T., Schmidt, I.K., Sirca, C., Sowerby, A., Spano, D., and Tietemass, A.  (2007)  Response of plant species richness and primary productivity in shrublands along a north-south gradient in Europe to seven years of experimental warming and drought; reductions in primary productivity in the heat and drought year of 2003. Global Change Biology, 13, 2563-2581.

Sowerby, A. Gordon, C., Williams, D.L., Emmett, B.A. (2005) Microbial community changes in heathland soil communities along a geographical gradient: interaction with climate change manipulations. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 37, 1805-1813.

Sowerby, A., Blum, H., Ball, A.S. (2005) Elevated atmospheric CO2 affects the turnover of nitrogen in a European grassland. Applied Soil Ecology, 28(1), 37-46.

Emmett, B.A., Beier, C., Estiarte, M., Tietema, A., Kristensen, H.L., Williams, D., Penuelas, J., Schmidt, I. & Sowerby, A. (2004) The response of soil processes to climate change: results from manipulation studies of shrublands across an environmental gradient. Ecosystems, 7: 625-637.

Gorissen, A., Tietema, A., Joosten, N.N., Estiarte, M., Penuelas, J., Sowerby, A., Emmett, B. & Beier, C. (2004) Climate Change Affects Carbon Allocation to the Soil in Shrublands. Ecosystems, 7: 650-661.

Sowerby, A., Blum, H., Gray, TRG., Ball. AS. (2000) The decomposition of Lolium perenne in soils exposed to elevated CO2: comparisons of mass loss of litter with soil respiration and soil microbial biomass. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 32, 1359-1366.

Sowerby, A., Ball, AS., Gray, TRG., Newton, PCD., Clark, H. (2000) Elevated atmospheric CO2 from a natural CO2 soda spring affects the initial mineralisation rates of naturally senesced C3 and C4 leaf litter. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 32, 1323-1327.