Dr Tom Oliver

Ecologist and Modeller

Current work

My research focuses on analysis of large spatial and temporal datasets to inform macro-ecological theory and applied landscape management. I am also interested in bridging the gap between theory and application, by providing tools to help decision makers and integrating biodiversity conservation into mainstream economics.

Recently, I worked on a NERC-funded EHFI (Ecology and Hydrology Funding Initiative) project considering the impact of climate change on the habitat associations of butterflies. We have quantified spatial shifts in butterfly habitat specialisation across climate surfaces in Britain. Species tend to be more specialised towards the edges of their leading range margins. Such spatial variation in habitat associations has implications for applied conservation management as well as predictive species distribution modelling. For more information click here.

I have also studied how the landscape context around monitoring sites can affect the resilience of species populations to environmental change. We have found that butterfly populations tend to be more stable in heterogeneous landscapes. For more information click here:

My past (PhD) research has focused on species interactions, developing statistical knowledge for modelling ecological and evolutionary interactions. This involved mixed effects modelling and phylogenetic analysis. These skills have been further developed on datasets whilst working at the CEH.

Current research interests include:

• Climate change adaptation decision making
• The effects of climate on species’ habitat associations
• The impacts of landscape structure on population persistence
• Functional connectivity and population synchrony. See the video here

Brief CV

• 2007 onwards: Ecological Modeller at CEH's Wallingford site
• 2004-2007: PhD Ecology of Ant-Aphid Interactions, Imperial College London 
• 2000-2003: BSc Zoology, Imperial College London   

Further Academic Training

ALTERnet Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services summer school 2011, Peyresq, France.

Developing conservation decision frameworks workshop, November 2008/June 2009, University of York, UK.

Geostatistics summer school, May 2009, MEDILS institute, Croatia.

Introduction to ArcGIS, May 2009, CEH Wallingford.

Bayesian methods for predicting species distributions workshop, August 2008/March 2009, University of York, UK.

GBIF Ecological niche modelling workshop Nov.2007, University of Warsaw, Poland

Advances in Ecology, September 2006, Silwood Park, Ascot, UK

Statistical Computing with R, February.2005, Silwood Park, Ascot, UK

Selected publications

See also the NERC Open Research Archive. Macroecology

Oliver T.H., Roy D. and Thomas J.A. (in press). Changes in the interannual variability of butterfly populations across geographic range edges and over three decades of recording. Global Change Biology

Powney G.D., Chapman D., Roy D.B. and Oliver T.H. (2011). Measuring functional connectivity using long term monitoring data. Methods in Ecology and Evolution., 2, 527-533. doi: 10.1111/j.2041-210X.2011.00098.x.

Hodgson, J.A., Thomas, C.D., Oliver, T.H., Anderson, B.J., Crone E.E. (2011). Phenology variation in space and time. Global Change Biology, 17, 1289-1300.

Oliver, T.H., Hill, J.K. Hill, C D. Thomas, T. Brereton and D.B. Roy (2009). Changes in habitat specificity of species at their climatic range boundaries. Ecology Letters 12:1091-1102. doi: 10.1111/j.1461-0248.2009.01367.x

Oliver, T.H., D.B. Roy, J.K. Hill, T.Brereton, and C.D. Thomas (2010). Heterogeneous landscapes promote population stability. Ecology Letters 13, 473-484. doi: 10.1111/j.1461-0248.2010.01441.x.

Powney, G., D.B. Roy, D.Chapman, and T.H. Oliver (2010). Synchrony of butterfly populations across species’ geographic ranges. Oikos, 119, 1690-1696.

Dispersal

Mashanova, A, Oliver, T.H., Jansen, V.A (2010). Evidence for intermittency and a truncated power law from highly resolved aphid movement data. Journal of the Royal Society Interface. 7: 199-208 doi:10.1098/rsif.2009.0121

Oliver, T.H., Mashanova, A.. Cook, J.M., Leather, S.R., Jansen, V.A.A. (2007). Ant semiochemicals limit apterous aphid dispersal. Proceedings of the Royal Society: B 274: 3127-3131. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2007.1251

Applied Ecology

Thomas C.D., Hill J.K., Anderson B.J., Bailey S., Beale C.M., Bradbury R.B., Bulman C.R., Crick H.P.Q., Eigenbrod F., Griffiths H., Kunin W.E., Oliver T.H., Walmsley C.A., Watts K., Worsfold N.T. and Yardley T. (2011). A framework for assessing threats and benefits to species responding to climate change. Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 2, 125-142.

Timms, J.E., T.H.Oliver, N.A. Straw and S.R. Leather (2008). The effects of host plant on the coccinellid functional response: Is the conifer specialist Aphidecta obliterata (L.) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) better adapted to spruce than the generalist Adalia bipunctata (L.) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae)? Biological Control 47:273-281. doi:10.1016/j.biocontrol.2008.08.009

Fuller, R.J., T.H. Oliver and S.R. Leather (2008). Forest management effects on carabid beetle communities in coniferous and broadleaved forests: implications for conservation. Journal of Insect Conservation and Diversity 1:242-252. doi: 10.1111/j.1752-4598.2008.00032.x

Leahy, M.J.A., T.H. Oliver and S.R. Leather (2007). Feeding behaviour of the black pine beetle, Hylastes ater (Coleoptera: Scolytidae). Agricultural and Forest Entomology 9:115-124. doi: 10.1111/j.1461-9563.2007.00328.x

Species interactions

Oliver, T.H., Cook, J.M., Leather, S.R. (2009). Tolerance traits and the stability of mutualism. Oikos. 118: 346-352. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-0706.2008.17045.x

Oliver, T.H., Cook, J.M., Leather, S.R. (2008). Macroevolutionary patterns in the origin of mutualisms involving ants. Journal of Evolutionary Biology. 21: 1597-1608. doi:10.1111/j.1420-9101.2008.01600.x

Oliver, T.H., Cook, J.M., Leather, S.R. (2008). Numerical abundance of invasive ants and monopolisation of exudate producing resources- a chicken and egg situation. Journal of Insect Biodiversity and Conservation 1, 208-214. doi: 10.1111/j.1752-4598.2008.00026.x

Oliver, T.H., Cook, J.M., Leather, S.R. (2008). Avoidance responses of an aphidophagous ladybird, Adalia bipunctata, to aphid- tending ants. Ecological Entomology 33: 523-528. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2311.2008.01009.x

Oliver, T.H., Cook, J.M., Leather, S.R. (2007). When are ant-attractant devices a worthwhile investment? Vicia faba extrafloral nectaries and Lasius niger ants. Population Ecology 46: 265-273. DOI 10.1007/s10144-007-0044-6

Oliver, T.H., Timms, J.L., Taylor, A. and Leather, S.R. (2006). Oviposition responses to patch quality in the larch ladybird, Aphidecta obliterata: effects of aphid density and con- and heterospecific tracks. Bulletin of Entomological research 96: 25-34. doi: 10.1079/BER2005395