Emma Coulthard

My research interests lie in pollination, landscape ecology and conservation of biodiversity. As an undergraduate at the University of Northampton I began research into the pollination of the grassland flower species Knautia arvensis, studying sub-populations and insect diversity within different areas of Bradlaugh Fields, an urban park adjacent to the university. I hope to gather more data on the pollination of this species alongside my current studies. After graduating at Northampton I was offered a position at Moulton College (Northamptonshire) as an associate lecturer and PhD student. I now lecture in conservation and wildlife management and undertake research part time. My PhD project is concerned with the efficacy of Higher Level Stewardship and its effects on small mammal populations. The working title of my project is: Does agricultural intensification affect habitat use by small mammal populations?

I aim to track the habitat use and home ranges of field voles (Microtus agrestis) on three farms of differing agricultural intensity. I will be using radio telemetry to determine movements and time spent by individuals in the habitat patches present. Field margins as part of the higher level stewardship schemes will be put in place on one of the sites, with a variety of different planting schemes being applied. Once these have established voles will again be tracked on the site to determine the influence which these schemes have on individual voles. The data from the radio telemetry will be mapped and analysed using GIS mapping software.

The project has been devised to study the effectiveness of environmental stewardship schemes for conserving small mammal populations and should also have wider implications for other associated species. I aim to determine the compare the habitat use of M. argestis on sites of differing degrees of agricultural intensification and formulate guidelines as to how best to enhance populations of this species.

Pulications

Ollerton, J. and Coulthard, E. (2009) Evolution of animal pollination. Science 326: 808-809

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