Life history trade-offs in differently fragmented habitats: In collaboration with Prof. Hans van Dyck (Université catholique de Louvain, Belgium) I am investigating how habitat fragmentation influences life history trade-offs in the speckled wood butterfly, Pararge aegeria.
Plasticity in butterfly oviposition behaviour: I am co-supervising the NERC funded PhD student Stuart Alman. In this project we will examine how female Pararge aegeria optimise their oviposition strategy in response to variation in environmental factors. This project is in collaboration with Dr Casper J. Breuker and Dr Tim Shreeve, Oxford Brookes University, UK.
Immune function and maternal effects: Using the butterfly P. aegeria we are investigating how maternal provisioning of eggs influences the developing offspring's capacity for effective immune function. Collaborators: Dr. C. J. Breuker, Dr. Rosie Hails, Dr. Helen Hesketh, Dr. Tim Shreeve and Prof. Hans van Dyck.
