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I am a quantitative ecologist and conservation biologist, interested in the population dynamics of threatened species. My research primarily concerns the restoration of island ecosystems with a focus on seabirds, reptiles and reintroductions. Islands have huge potential for restoration due to their natural boundaries, with many being the last refuge for threatened species that have been lost elsewhere. Understanding the variation in small populations can be challenging, especially in elusive species which are difficult to monitor, however these species are often at highest risk of extinction, therefore understanding them in our rapidly changing world is vital for their continued existence.
My main focus is applied ecological research that informs conservation management decisions, especially the planning of species monitoring that is efficient and effective. I find species that are difficult to monitor fascinating and encourage the development of analytical methods for “small data” as well as the use of non-invasive monitoring techniques.
I do not currently teach, with my primary focus being research, however I am available to supervise MSc and BSc student projects.
Postgraduate Supervision:
My primary focus for my postdoctoral fellowship is estimating demographic rates, such as survival and recruitment, in UK populations of Manx shearwaters and European storm petrels. These metrics will then be used to inform offshore wind impact assessments by predicting likely changes in survival. This is part of a broader project on Procellariiform behaviour and demographics (ProcBe) to improve understanding of UK Procellariiform species to allow for sustainable expansion of offshore wind developments in the Irish and Celtic Seas. Visit the JNCC website for more details.
More broadly, I am interested in the uses of population modelling in conservation, especially for threatened or cryptic species which are hard to monitor and lead to sparse datasets. Many such species are restricted to islands or spend long periods of time at sea, coming to islands to breed. Manx shearwaters and European storm petrels are two such cryptic species, spending most of their time on land in burrows, and spending the rest of their life at sea.
I have previously worked on reintroductions of cryptic threatened reptile species in island ecosystems and have an interest in island restoration at population and community levels, as well as monitoring and management of reptile and amphibian species. I also have experience working with capture-recapture models and photo identification software, to provide evidence for conservation decision makers.
Dr Katie Bickerton’s publications can be viewed in the Research Repository.
ECR Representative for the British Ecological Society’s Conservation Special Interest Group.
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