The drivers and consequences of community phenological cohesion

investigating the factors driving phenological cohesion within communities in response to climate change, and explore effects of phenologically-induced competitive shifts on community dynamics.

This will involve using many datasets from research studies worldwide to track broad patterns of phenological shifts among communities.

Student will use caterpillar communities along a transect in Scotland to investigate phenological patters in more detail.

Combine transect observational data with experiments involving pairs of caterpillars to determine the impacts of phenological shifts on competitive interactions, and on the demography of the different caterpillar species.