Position
PhD Student and Project Officer
Organisation
Anglia Ruskin University
Ladybird research keywords
Population ecology, community ecology, biological recording, intraguild interactions, Harmonia axyridis, non-native species, public engagement.
Description of work
My PhD research is focused on understanding the invasion process of the harlequin
ladybird, Harmonia axyridis. I am studying both the spread and distribution
of this species and its impacts on native ladybirds using the data collected through
the national on-line survey and field studies.
Volunteer engagement, principally through public outreach, has been critical to
the success of the harlequin ladybird project. Over 25,000 harlequin ladybird records
(many of multiple individuals) have been logged since the survey was launched in
March 2005. The harlequin ladybird has benefited from considerable attention but
is only one of the many Invasive Alien Species (IAS) that threaten native biodiversity.
I am developing strategies, based on the Harlequin Ladybird Survey as a model system,
for public outreach and engagement for a range of other non-native species.
Key publications
Brown, P.M.J., Roy, H.E., Rothery, P., Roy, D.B., Ware, R.L. & Majerus, M.E.N.
(2008) Harmonia axyridis in Great Britain: analysis of the spread and distribution
of a non-native coccinellid. BioControl 53: 55-68.
Brown, P.M.J., Adriaens, T., Bathon, H., Cuppen, J., Goldarazena, A., Hagg, T.,
Kenis, M., Klausnitzer, B.E.M., Kovar, I., Loomans, A.J., Majerus, M.E.N., Nedved,
O., Pedersen, J. Rabitsch, W., Roy, H.E., Ternois, V., Zakharov, I. & Roy, D.B.
(2008) Harmonia axyridis in Europe: spread and distribution of a non-native
coccinellid. BioControl 53: 5-22.
Roy, H.E., Brown, P.M.J., Rothery, P., Ware, R.L. & Majerus, M.E.N. (2008) Interactions
between the fungal pathogen Beauveria bassiana and three species of ladybird: Harmonia axyridis, Coccinella septempunctata and Adalia bipunctata. BioControl 53: 265-276.
Brown, P.M.J., James, T., Stewart, A. & Roy, H.E. (2008) Mapping insect distributions
in the 21st Century: a role for the Royal Entomological Society in partnership with
the Biological Records Centre and the National Biodiversity Network. Antenna 32: 149-151
Brown, P.M.J., Roy, H.E. & Majerus, M.E.N. (2007) The spread of the harlequin
ladybird in Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire. Nature in Cambridgeshire 49: 55-57. |
Pete's favourite ladybird is the
22-spot ladybird
(photo: Ken Dolbear) |
