The objective of this work was to investigate whether or not olfactory clues play a role in host plant location by the polyphagous moth, Helicoverpa armigera. Volatiles collected from flowers of African marigold, Tagetes erecta, and sweet pea, Lathyrus odouratus, were found to e…
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Human and bovine respiratory syncytial viruses (HRSV and BRSV), along with pneumonia virus of mice (PVM) are the members of the genus Pneumovirus in the subfamily Pneumovirinae of the family Paramyxoviridae. Although both HRSV and BRSV have been associated with important disease…
During three field seasons, totalling 20 months between 1984-87, the ecological separation of four species of small Cathartid vultures was investigated at Hato Masaguaral in the flat savannas or Llanos of central Venezuela, South America. The focus of the study was an analysis o…
Leishmania parasites are digenetic protozoans which infect human hosts and are causative agents of a series of diseases known under the name of leishmaniasis. Macrophages represent the main host. Hence the interaction between Leishmania and macrophages is a fundamental step in t…
Studies of the phenotypes of animals at different parts of their geographic range often reveal striking variability. It is of considerable fundamental and applied interest to discover the extent to which such variation depends on genetic as opposed to environmental differences. …
This thesis describes a study into two post capture conditions, idiopathic muscle necrosis (IMN) and a post capture opportunistic bacterial infection, affecting the Norway lobster, Nephrops norvegicus, and a comprehensive analysis of the stressors involved in the capture and pos…
The reproduction of the two-spot ladybird, Adalia bipunctata, is inhibited by a sexually transmitted ectoparasitic mite Coccipolipus hippodamiae that sterilizes female hosts, and a range of heritable microbes that kill male hosts during embryogenesis for instance Spiroplasma. Hi…
This thesis aims to improve our understanding of the macroevolutionary implications of antipredator defences, particularly with regard to how defence impacts biodiversity (including both species and trait diversity). To do this I took a phylogenetic comparative approach and used…
This work explores the long-standing question of which forces drive the maintenance of MHC diversity in vertebrates. More precisely, it investigates whether a special form of heterozygote advantage can explain the characteristic features of MHC genes, as the large number of alle…
Amphibians are the most threatened class of vertebrate, and rates of species decline and extinction far exceed those seen historically. Habitat loss, climate change, over-exploitation and emerging infectious disease have all been identified as threatening processes. The trade in…
Microplastic pollution has been identified as an ever increasing proportion of marine litter. Despite an increase in microplastic awareness over the last decade, it represents an as yet unquantified threat to the marine environment. The relatively few studies that monitor its di…
There is an increasing understanding of the influence seabirds have on island food webs globally, which often arises from the trans-boundary input of nutrients. Seabird-derived nutrients, primarily in the form of guano, can have significant effects on island communities by incre…
Interactions between above ground and root-feeding herbivores can be influenced by changes in plant traits, such as tissue chemistry and morphology. Environmental heterogeneity and perturbations also affect these plant-mediated interactions. Climate change is a multi-faceted phe…
Urban densification and a rise in human population call for greater investigation into how the urban-rural gradient can influence bees and their pollination services. This thesis aimed to further current knowledge by: (i) sampling bee assemblages along the urban-rural gradient i…
Climate change is altering the phenology of bumblebees in parts of the UK, with worker activity recorded during winter. This presents a unique set of physiological challenges to bumblebees, as they are typically exposed to exclusively summer conditions. The aim of this thesis wa…
This study reviews and evaluates the current status of management planning and policy in Protected Areas (PAs) in Bangladesh via a case study of two Wildlife Sanctuaries and one National Park. Using a mixed method approach, the research evaluates the perceptions and attitudes of…
Quality classification of water bodies commonly hinges upon the results of biotic indices. Biotic indices should reliably detect environmental change caused by anthropogenic stress; distinguish between different levels of disturbance; and be applicable in different areas. This s…
The interaction between hosts and parasites in bird populations has been studied extensively. I use game theoretic methods to model this interaction. This has been done previously but has not been studied taking into account the detailed sequential nature of this game. I introdu…