• HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
Monday, September 1, 2025
BIOENGINEER.ORG
No Result
View All Result
  • Login
  • HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
        • Lecturer
        • PhD Studentship
        • Postdoc
        • Research Assistant
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
  • HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
        • Lecturer
        • PhD Studentship
        • Postdoc
        • Research Assistant
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
No Result
View All Result
Bioengineer.org
No Result
View All Result
Home NEWS Science News Biology

Scientists use historical data to create first assessment of human impacts on biodiversity

Bioengineer by Bioengineer
May 14, 2019
in Biology
Reading Time: 3 mins read
0
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on LinkedinShare on RedditShare on Telegram

The way humans use land across the British Isles has changed beyond recognition during the past 8,000 years. But what impact has that had on biodiversity and are there lessons from the past that could enhance conservation practices now and in the future?

Those are among the key questions being posed through new research led by the University of Plymouth, in conjunction with Historic England and the University of Birmingham.

Funded by the Leverhulme Trust, it hopes to compile the first ever comprehensive database of both land use change and its impact on plant and insect life.

The three-year project will involve collating existing archaeobotanical datasets, which will be used to generate a detailed picture of how land use has changed at regional levels.

Historical pollen and insect data will then be used to demonstrate what impact those changes had on crops, and many of the creatures that came to rely on them.
The ultimate aim of the research is to place current trends in their long-term context, examining whether changes in land use can predict patterns of biodiversity across different spatial scales.

This information will then be presented to conservation agencies, giving them a holistic picture of biodiversity in the British Isles over the past eight millennia which can be factored into future policy.

Professor Ralph Fyfe, Principal Investigator on the project, said: “A lot of modern thinking on biodiversity is based on datasets collected by ecologists over the past 50 years, based on what people have observed and might remember from these earlier times before later agricultural intensification occurred. There is a danger that the middle of the 20th century is thus seen as some kind of hotspot. But while change has certainly happened, archaeological studies enable us to assess this in the light of much longer time frames and provide people with a bigger picture. Through that, we can show more precisely how our landscapes have been shaped and this can be factored into future debates on conservation and biodiversity management.”

The new study builds on previous research at the University, also funded by the Leverhulme Trust, which has shown how landscapes have changes in Britain and across continental Europe over more than 6,000 years.

Deforesting Europe demonstrated how the continent was transformed from a land of forests to its current agricultural state, while Changing the Face of the Mediterranean examined how the region of southern Europe has been shaped by its distinctive climate and human activities.

Dr Jessie Woodbridge, who worked on those studies and is Research Fellow for the current project, added: “The British Isles are among the most intensely studied regions in the world. But while there is abundant data from archaeologists, pollen and insect experts, this has not systematically been drawn together so there is no comprehensive picture of how our changing land use has impacted on the diversity of plant and insect species. This study gives us the opportunity to remedy that and to show how lessons of the past might improve biodiversity in the British Isles in the future.”

Ruth Pelling, Senior Archaeobotanist at Historic England, will lead the archaeobotanical research which in the first instance will include a large data gathering exercise across the country.

She added: “Cereal remains and arable weeds tend to be particularly well represented in archaeobotanical collections, providing an indication of past vegetation and habitats on a much more local scale than pollen. Analysing data covering centuries and from across the country will enable us to model long term ecological change on a more local scale, particularly of arable fields, than pollen alone could. The resulting database will be a valuable resource, creating a stronger knowledge and skills base in the sector, something which Historic England is committed to support.”

###

Media Contact
Alan Williams
[email protected]
https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/news/scientists-use-historical-data-to-create-first-assessment-of-human-impacts-on-biodiversity

Tags: AgricultureArchaeologyBiodiversityEarth ScienceEcology/EnvironmentGeographyPlant Sciences
Share12Tweet7Share2ShareShareShare1

Related Posts

Unraveling Odorant Proteins in Kissing Bugs

September 1, 2025

Drumming in Mongolian Gerbils: Context or Arousal?

September 1, 2025

Seasonal Brain Shrinkage in Shrews Caused by Water Loss, Not Cell Death

September 1, 2025

Lower IGF1 Levels in Preeclampsia Affect Trophoblasts

September 1, 2025
Please login to join discussion

POPULAR NEWS

  • blank

    Breakthrough in Computer Hardware Advances Solves Complex Optimization Challenges

    153 shares
    Share 61 Tweet 38
  • Molecules in Focus: Capturing the Timeless Dance of Particles

    143 shares
    Share 57 Tweet 36
  • New Drug Formulation Transforms Intravenous Treatments into Rapid Injections

    117 shares
    Share 47 Tweet 29
  • Do people and monkeys see colors the same way?

    112 shares
    Share 45 Tweet 28

About

We bring you the latest biotechnology news from best research centers and universities around the world. Check our website.

Follow us

Recent News

Novel ADC Targets Fucosyl-GM1 in Lung Cancer

AI-Powered Adaptive Tutoring for Moodle: A Breakthrough

Ethiopia’s Electronic Health System: Status and Opportunities

  • Contact Us

Bioengineer.org © Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Homepages
    • Home Page 1
    • Home Page 2
  • News
  • National
  • Business
  • Health
  • Lifestyle
  • Science

Bioengineer.org © Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved.