Paul Eggleton
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Rethinking termite methane emissions: does the mound environment matter? Open
Termites are important decomposers in tropical ecosystems, and they emit methane (CH4) from digesting plant matter. Termite contributions to global CH4 emissions are calculated using species-specific termite CH4 emissions from individuals …
Decadal recovery of fungal but not termite deadwood decay in tropical rainforest Open
Deadwood represents ~11% of carbon stocks in tropical rainforest ecosystems and its decay is driven largely by fungi and termites, which contribute to the cycling of carbon and nutrients. Due to land use change, such as forest clearing, se…
The relative influences of long‐term fire management and woody cover on termite abundance and activity in an Australian tropical savanna Open
Tropical savannas typically experience high fire frequencies, with prescribed fire commonly used as a management tool. Termites play an important role in the ecological functioning of tropical savannas, yet we have a limited understanding …
Life in green: Associations between greenspace availability and mental health over the lifecourse – A 40-year prospective birth cohort study Open
This study supports the protective effects of greenspace on adult depressive symptoms, highlighting the significance of employing a spatial lifecourse epidemiology framework to examine the long-term effects of environmental factors on heal…
Why are trees hollow? Termites, microbes and tree internal stem damage in a tropical savanna Open
Wood plays a vital role in the terrestrial carbon cycle, both sequestering and subsequently releasing carbon to the atmosphere via decomposition. Decomposition has largely been studied in fallen and standing deadwood; much less is known ab…
View article: Decadal recovery of fungal but not termite deadwood decay in tropical rainforest
Decadal recovery of fungal but not termite deadwood decay in tropical rainforest Open
1. Deadwood represents ~11% of carbon stocks in tropical rainforest ecosystems and its decay is driven largely by fungi and termites which contribute to the cycling of carbon and nutrients. Due to land use change, such as forest clearing, …
View article: Biogeographical Variation in Termite Distributions Alters Global Deadwood Decay
Biogeographical Variation in Termite Distributions Alters Global Deadwood Decay Open
Aim Termites are a crucial group of macroinvertebrates regulating rates of deadwood decomposition across tropical and subtropical regions. When examining global patterns of deadwood decay, termites are treated as a homogenous group. There …
View article: The Role of Deadwood in the Carbon Cycle: Implications for Models, Forest Management, and Future Climates
The Role of Deadwood in the Carbon Cycle: Implications for Models, Forest Management, and Future Climates Open
Deadwood represents a significant carbon pool and unique biodiversity reservoir in forests and savannas but has been largely overlooked until recently. Storage and release of carbon from deadwood is controlled by interacting decomposition …
Climate-based prediction of carbon fluxes from deadwood in Australia Open
Deadwood is an important yet understudied carbon pool in tropical ecosystems. Deadwood degradation to CO2 through decomposer (microbial, termite) activities is driven by wood moisture and temperature, which are in turn strongly influenced …
View article: Exploring the feasibility of linking historical air pollution data to the Christchurch Health and Development study: A birth cohort study in Aotearoa, New Zealand
Exploring the feasibility of linking historical air pollution data to the Christchurch Health and Development study: A birth cohort study in Aotearoa, New Zealand Open
Spatial life course epidemiological approaches offer promise for prospectively examining the impacts of air pollution exposure on longer-term health outcomes, but existing research is limited. An essential aspect, often overlooked is the c…
The diversity of social complexity in termites Open
Sociality underpins major evolutionary transitions and significantly influences the structure and function of complex ecosystems. Social insects, seen as the pinnacle of sociality, have traits like obligate sterility that are considered ‘m…
The challenge of estimating global termite methane emissions Open
Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas, more potent than carbon dioxide, and emitted from a variety of natural sources including wetlands, permafrost, mammalian guts and termites. As increases in global temperatures continue to break records…
View article: Quantifying the role of termite decomposition in a mesic savanna
Quantifying the role of termite decomposition in a mesic savanna Open
Savanna systems are among the most sensitive to future climate and land‐use change, yet we lack robust, direct quantifications of savanna carbon cycling. Together with fire, decomposition is the main process by which the carbon and nutrien…
Earthworm Watch: Insights into urban earthworm communities in the UK using citizen science Open
The distribution of earthworm ecological groups in urban areas is not well-known, despite their crucial role in delivering soil ecosystem services such as nutrient cycling and water drainage. Citizen science engages public audiences in the…
View article: Functional compensation in a savanna scavenger community
Functional compensation in a savanna scavenger community Open
Functional redundancy, the potential for the functional role of one species to be fulfilled by another, is a key determinant of ecosystem viability. Scavenging transfers huge amount of energy through ecosystems and is, therefore, crucial f…
View article: Global contribution of invertebrates to forest litter decomposition
Global contribution of invertebrates to forest litter decomposition Open
Forest litter decomposition is an essential component of global carbon and nutrient turnover. Invertebrates play important roles in litter decomposition, but the regional pattern of their effects is poorly understood. We examined 476 case …
View article: Why are trees hollow? Termites, microbes, and tree internal stem damage in a tropical savanna
Why are trees hollow? Termites, microbes, and tree internal stem damage in a tropical savanna Open
1. Wood plays a vital role in the terrestrial carbon cycle, serving as a significant carbon store that is then released back to the atmosphere during decomposition. Decomposition has largely been studied in fallen and standing deadwood; ho…
View article: Variable responses of individual species to tropical forest degradation
Variable responses of individual species to tropical forest degradation Open
The functional stability of ecosystems depends greatly on interspecific differences in responses to environmental perturbation. However, responses to perturbation are not necessarily invariant among populations of the same species, so intr…
View article: The role of deadwood in the carbon cycle: Implications for models, forest management, and future climates
The role of deadwood in the carbon cycle: Implications for models, forest management, and future climates Open
Deadwood represents a significant carbon pool in forests and savannas. Although previous research has focused mainly on forests, we synthesise deadwood studies across all ecosystems with woody vegetation. Storage and release of carbon from…
View article: Drivers of wood decay in tropical ecosystems: Termites versus microbes along spatial, temporal and experimental precipitation gradients
Drivers of wood decay in tropical ecosystems: Termites versus microbes along spatial, temporal and experimental precipitation gradients Open
Models estimating decomposition rates of dead wood across space and time are mainly based on studies carried out in temperate zones where microbes are dominant drivers of decomposition. However, most dead wood biomass is found in tropical …
View article: Effects of land use and soil properties on taxon richness and abundance of soil assemblages
Effects of land use and soil properties on taxon richness and abundance of soil assemblages Open
Land‐use change and habitat degradation are among the biggest drivers of aboveground biodiversity worldwide but their effects on soil biodiversity are less well known, despite the importance of soil organisms in developing soil structure, …
Wood microclimate as a predictor of carbon dioxide fluxes from deadwood in tropical Australia Open
Deadwood is an important yet understudied carbon pool in tropical ecosystems. Wood microclimate, as defined by wood moisture content and temperature, drives decomposer (microbial, termite) activities and deadwood degradation to CO2. Microc…
View article: Higher internal stem damage in dry compared to wet tropics: where are we overestimating forest biomass?
Higher internal stem damage in dry compared to wet tropics: where are we overestimating forest biomass? Open
• Woody biomass is a large carbon store in terrestrial ecosystems. In calculating biomass, tree stems are assumed to be solid structures; however, decomposer agents such as microbes and insects target heartwood in stems, causing internal w…
Resolving a heated debate: The utility of prescribed burning as a management tool for biodiversity on lowland heath Open
Lowland heath is a priority habitat for conservation, nowadays largely managed for biodiversity. Historically, prescribed burning has been the principal management tool, but there are increasing calls to substitute burning with cutting to …