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Phone:: (023) 8059 4352
Email:: cpd@soton.ac.uk

Professor C. Patrick Doncaster BSc, DPhil

Professor of Ecology, Principal Investigator (Population Ecology)

Related links: Personal homepage

Professor C. Patrick Doncaster is Professor of Ecology within Biological Sciences at the University of Southampton.

Career History

2015-Present: Professor in Ecology. Biological Sciences, University of Southampton, UK.
2007-2015: Reader in Ecology. Biological Sciences, University of Southampton, UK.
1995-2007: Lecturer, Senior Lecturer in Ecology. Biological Sciences, University of Southampton, UK.
1990-1995: Post-doctoral Research Assistant. University of Oxford, UK.
1985-1990: Ingénieur de Recherche. Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Chizé, France.

Academic qualifications

1980: BSc Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, UK.
1985: DPhil Zoology, University of Oxford, UK.

What's related

Preserving the integrity of the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor in Belize

Research

Publications

Teaching

Contributions

Contact

Research interests

Animal population dynamics and competition
Metapopulation dynamics and habitat loss
Wildlife corridors and species conservation
Density-dependent evolution, reproductive strategies and senescent ageing
Experimental design and statistical power
Examples of Analysis of Variance and Covariance
Wildlife corridors for large mammals in Belize (Darwin Initiative project in collaboration with the Panthera Foundation, the University of Belize, and the Belize Forest Department)
Food refuge interactions in periwinkles (NERC project in collaboration with the University of Plymouth and the University of Bangor)
Simulation models of habitat permeability for mammalian wildlife (EPSRC DTA Studentship with the Centre for Doctoral Training in Complex Systems Simulation, in the Institute for Complex Systems Simulation at Southampton University)
Conceptual models of habitat loss (collaboration with Mathematics at Southampton University)
Invasion of Red-Bellied Beautiful squirrels into Argentina (collaboration with the University of Luján, Argentina)
Ecophysiology of bats (PhD student Louise Fairless, funded by Biological Sciences and the Kerkut Trust; co-supervisors Professor Phil Newland, Dr Felix Eigenbrod, Dr Lex Kraaijeveld)
Biodiversity of New Forest fungi and beetles in relation to historical continuity (PhD student Rebecca Spake, funded by BBSRC Studentship)

PhD Supervision

Alice Ball, Anthropogenic impacts on jaguar movement in wildlife corridors
Evelyn Pina, Interactions between jaguars (Panthera onca) and pumas (Puma concolor) with their prey and humans in the Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico

Research group

Ecology and Evolution

Affiliate research groups

Institute for Life Sciences (IfLS), Institute for Complex Systems Simulation (ICSS)

Research project(s)

Acoustic environmental monitoring: a low-cost efficient tool for evaluating human exploitation of tropical forests

Antimicrobial Tolerance in Bacterial Biofilms: An Inter-Disciplinary Approach

Persisters are dormant bacterial cells capable of surviving antibiotic treatment. Subpopulations of persister cells are present within bacterial biofilm communities. This inter-disciplinary project uses population ecology theory to understand the phenomenon of persister cells in bacterial populations.

Ecosystem Canaries: biodiversity measures as early warning signals

Food-refuge interactions in periwinkles - Dormant

A field-experimental study of the effects on periwinkle populations of clumping their limiting food and refuge resources.

Wildlife corridors for large mammals in Belize

Creation of a natural corridor for wildlife to connect the two largest areas of protected rainforest in Belize.

Investigating the combined effects of environmental pollutants

Generating a light-, noise- and electromagnetic radiation-scape of the Southampton area in relation to areas used by bats and their prey will enable us to visualise the complex relationships between ecologically important species and pollutants, whilst simultaneously bridging the gaps in our knowledge of what constitutes as disturbance to these cryptic species. Consequently, this study will catalyse the improvement of mitigation strategies to be employed during urban development projects.

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Articles

Hill, A., Prince, P., Pina Covarrubias, E., Doncaster, C. P., Snaddon, J. L., & Rogers, A. (2018). AudioMoth: evaluation of a smart open acoustic device for monitoring biodiversity and the environment. Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 1-13. [MEE-17-09-786.R1]. DOI: 10.1111/2041-210X.12955
Coughtrie, A. L., Morris, D., Anderson, R., Begum, N., Cleary, D., Faust, S., ... Clarke, S. (2018). Ecology and diversity in upper respiratory tract microbial population structures from a cross-sectional community swabbing study. Journal of Medical Microbiology, 67, 1096-1108. DOI: 10.1099/jmm.0.000773 Subject: Microbial Ecology and Health
Harmsen, B. J., Wooldridge, R. L., Gutierrez, S. M., Doncaster, C. P., & Foster, R. J. (2018). Spatial and temporal interactions of free-ranging pacas (Cuniculus paca). Mammal Research, 63(2), 161-172. DOI: 10.1007/s13364-017-0350-0
Doncaster, C. P., & Spake, R. (2017). Correction for bias in meta-analysis of little-replicated studies. Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 9(634-644). DOI: 10.1111/2041-210X.12927
Tricarico, S., McNeil, H. C., Cleary, D. W., Head, M., Lim, V., Kok Seng Yap, I., ... Clarke, S. C. (2017). Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine implementation in middle-income countries. Pneumonia, 9(6), 1-26.
Gutierrez, S. M., Harmsen, B. J., Doncaster, C., Kay, E., & Foster, R. J. (2017). Ranging behavior and habitat selection of pacas (Cuniculus paca) in central Belize. Journal of Mammalogy, 98(2), 542-550. DOI: 10.1093/jmammal/gyw179
Spake, R., & Doncaster, C. P. (2017). Use of meta-analysis in forest biodiversity research: key challenges and considerations. Forest Ecology and Management, 400, 429-437. DOI: 10.1016/j.foreco.2017.05.059
Doncaster, C. P., Tavoni, A., & Dyke, J. (2017). Using adaptation insurance to incentivize climate-change mitigation. Ecological Economics, 135, 246-258. DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2017.01.019
Spake, R., Barsoum, N., Newton, A. C., & Doncaster, C. P. (2016). Drivers of the composition and diversity of carabid functional traits in UK coniferous plantations. Forest Ecology and Management, 359, 300-308. DOI: 10.1016/j.foreco.2015.10.008
Doncaster, C. P., Alonso Chavez, V., Viguier, C., Wang, R., Zhang, E., Dong, X., ... Dyke, J. (2016). Early warning of critical transitions in biodiversity from compositional disorder. Ecology, 97(11), 3079-3090.
Spake, R., van der Linde, S., Newton, A. C., Suz, L. M., Bidartondo, M. I., & Doncaster, C. P. (2016). Similar biodiversity of ectomycorrhizal fungi in set-aside plantations and ancient old-growth broadleaved forests. Biological Conservation, 194, 71-79. DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2015.12.003
Borges, C. D. G., Hawkins, S. J., Crowe, T. P., & Doncaster, C. P. (2016). The influence of simulated exploitation on Patella vulgata populations: protandric sex change is size-dependent. Ecology and Evolution, 6(2), 514-531. DOI: 10.1002/ece3.1872
Foster, R. J., Harmsen, B. J., Macdonald, D. W., Collins, J., Urbina, Y., Garcia, R., & Doncaster, C. P. (2016). Wild meat: a shared resource amongst people and predators. Oryx, 50(1), 63-75. DOI: 10.1017/S003060531400060X
Spake, R., Ezard, T. H. G., Martin, P. A., Newton, A. C., & Doncaster, C. P. (2015). A meta-analysis of functional group responses to forest recovery outside of the tropics. Conservation Biology, 1-9. DOI: 10.1111/cobi.12548
Watkins, A., Noble, J., Foster, R. J., Harmsen, B. J., & Doncaster, C. P. (2015). A spatially explicit agent-based model of the interactions between jaguar populations and their habitats. Ecological Modelling, 306(SI), 268-277. DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2014.10.038
Borges, C. D. G., Doncaster, C. P., Maclean, M. A., & Hawkins, S. J. (2015). Broad-scale patterns of sex ratios in Patella spp.: a comparison of range edge and central range populations in the British Isles and Portugal. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, 95(6), 1141-1153. DOI: 10.1017/S0025315415000417
Hawkins, S. J., Bohn, K., & Doncaster, C. P. (2015). Ecosystems: The Rocky Road to Regime-Shift Indicators. Current Biology, 25(15), R666-R669. DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2015.06.027
Borges, C. D. G., Hawkins, S. J., Doncaster, C. P., & Crowe, T. P. (2015). Effects of simulated human exploitation of a key grazer, Patella vulgata, on rocky shore assemblages. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 533, 163-176. DOI: 10.3354/meps11356
Power, D. A., Watson, R. A., Szathmáry, E., Mills, R., Powers, S. T., Doncaster, C. P., & Czapp, B. (2015). What can ecosystems learn? Expanding evolutionary ecology with learning theory. Biology Direct, 10(69), 1-24. DOI: 10.1186/s13062-015-0094-1
Trewby, I. D., Young, R., McDonald, R. A., Wilson, G. J., Davison, J., Walker, N., ... Delahay, R. J. (2014). Impacts of removing badgers on localised counts of hedgehogs. PLoS ONE, 9(4), e95477. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0095477
Doncaster, C. P., Davey, A. J. H., & Dixon, P. M. (2014). Prospective evaluation of designs for analysis of variance without knowledge of effect sizes. Environmental and Ecological Statistics, 21, 239-261. DOI: 10.1007/s10651-013-0253-4
Dearing, J. A., Wang, R., Zhang, K., Dyke, J. G., Haberl, H., Hossain, S., ... Poppy, G. M. (2014). Safe and just operating spaces for regional social-ecological systems. Global Environmental Change, 28, 227-238. DOI: 10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2014.06.012
Doncaster, C. P., Jackson, A., & Watson, R. A. (2013). Competitive environments sustain costly altruism with negligible assortment of interactions. Scientific Reports, 3(2836), 1-6. DOI: 10.1038/srep02836
Rowe, R., Goulson, D., Doncaster, C. P., Clarke, D., Taylor, G., & Hanley, M. (2013). Evaluating ecosystem processes in willow short rotation coppice bioenergy plantations. Global Change Biology Bioenergy, 5(3), 257-266. DOI: 10.1111/gcbb.12040
Doncaster, C. P., Jackson, A., & Watson, R. A. (2013). Manipulated into giving: when parasitism drives apparent or incidental altruism. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 280(1758), 20130108-[10pp]. DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2013.0108
Santos, M. M., Juáres, M. A., Rombolá, E. F., García, M. L., Coria, N. R., & Doncaster, C. P. (2012). Over-representation of bird prey in pellets of South Polar Skuas. Journal of Ornithology, 153(3), 979-983. DOI: 10.1007/s10336-012-0840-4
Harmsen, B. J., Foster, R. J., & Doncaster, C. P. (2011). Heterogeneous capture rates in low density populations and consequences for capture-recapture analysis of camera-trap data. Population Ecology, 53(1), 253-259. DOI: 10.1007/s10144-010-0211-z
Skov, M. W., Hawkins, S. J., Volkelt-Igoe, M., Pike, J., Thompson, R. C., & Doncaster, C. P. (2011). Patchiness in resource distribution mitigates habitat loss: insights from high-shore grazers. Ecosphere, 2(5), art60-[17pp]. DOI: 10.1890/ES11-00017.1
Harmsen, B. J., Foster, R. J., Silver, S., Ostro, L., & Doncaster, C. P. (2010). Differential use of trails by forest mammals and the implications for camera trap studies, a case study from Belize, Central America. Biotropica The Journal of Tropical Biology and Conservation, 42(1), 126-133. DOI: 10.1111/j.1744-7429.2009.00544.x
Foster, R. J., Harmsen, B. J., Valdes, B., Pomilla, C., & Doncaster, C. P. (2010). Food habits of sympatric jaguars and pumas across a gradient of human disturbance. Journal of Zoology, 280(3), 309-318. DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-7998.2009.00663.x
Foster, R. J., Harmsen, B. J., & Doncaster, C. P. (2010). Habitat use by sympatric Jaguars and Pumas across a gradient of human disturbance in Belize. Biotropica, 42(6), 724-731. DOI: 10.1111/j.1744-7429.2010.00641.x
Harmsen, B. J., Foster, R. J., Silver, S. C., Ostro, L. E. T., & Doncaster, C. P. (2010). Jaguar and puma activity patterns in relation to their main prey. Mammalian Biology - Zeitschrift fur Saugetierkunde, 76(3), 320-324. DOI: 10.1016/j.mambio.2010.08.007
Skov, M. W., Volkelt-Igoe, M., Hawkins, S. J., Jesus, B., Thompson, R. C., & Doncaster, C. P. (2010). Past and present grazing boosts the photo-autotrophic biomass of biofilms. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 401, 101-111. DOI: 10.3354/meps08481
Foster, R. J., Harmsen, B. J., & Doncaster, C. P. (2010). Sample-size effects on diet analysis from scats of jaguars and pumas. Mammalia, 74(3), 317-321. DOI: 10.1515/MAMM.2010.006
Harmsen, B. J., Foster, R. J., Gutierrez, S. M., Silverio, Y. M., & Doncaster, C. P. (2010). Scrape-marking behavior of jaguars (Panthera onca) and pumas (Puma concolor). Journal of Mammalogy, 91(5), 1225-1234. DOI: 10.1644/09-MAMM-A-416.1
Davey, A. J. H., Doncaster, C. P., & Jones, O. D. (2009). Distinguishing between interference and exploitation competition for shelter in a mobile fish population. Environmental Modeling & Assessment, 14(5), 555-562. DOI: 10.1007/s10666-008-9171-5
Doncaster, C. P. (2009). Ecological equivalence: a realistic assumption for niche theory as a testable alternative to neutral theory. PLoS ONE, 4(10), e7460. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0007460
Wood, P. J., Hudson, M. D., & Doncaster, C. P. (2009). Impact of egg harvesting on breeding success of black-headed gulls, Larus ridibundus. Acta Oecologica, 35(1), 83-93. DOI: 10.1016/j.actao.2008.08.006
Harmsen, B. J., Foster, R. J., Silver, S. C., Ostro, L. E. T., & Doncaster, C. P. (2009). Spatial and temporal Interactions of sympatric jaguars (panthera onca) and pumas (puma concolor) in a neotropical forest. Journal of Mammalogy, 90(3), 612-620. DOI: 10.1644/08-MAMM-A-140R.1
Doncaster, P. C. (2009). Understanding the effects of habitat depletion. Projects eStrategies, 10(March).
Guichón, M. L., & Doncaster, C. P. (2008). Invasion dynamics of an introduced squirrel in Argentina. Ecography, 31(2), 211-220. DOI: 10.1111/j.0906-7590.2008.5308.x
Doncaster, C. P. (2008). Non-linear density dependence in time series is not evidence of non-logistic growth. Theoretical Population Biology, 73(4), 483-489. DOI: 10.1016/j.tpb.2008.02.003
Seymour, R. M., & Doncaster, C. P. (2007). Density dependence triggers runaway selection of reduced senescence. PLoS Computational Biology, 3(12), 2580-2589. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.0030256
Driezen, K., Adriaensen, F., Rondinini, C., Doncaster, C. P., & Matthysen, E. (2007). Evaluating least-cost model predictions with empirical dispersal data: a case-study using radiotracking data of hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus). Ecological Modelling, 209(2-4), 314-322. DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2007.07.002
Young, R. P., Davison, J., Trewby, I. D., Wilson, G. J., Delahay, R. J., & Doncaster, C. P. (2006). Abundance of hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus) in relation to the density and distribution of badgers (Meles meles). Journal of Zoology, 269(3), 349-356. DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-7998.2006.00078.x
Davey, A. J. H., Turner, G. F., Hawkins, S. J., & Doncaster, C. P. (2006). Mechanisms of density dependence in stream fish: exploitation competition for food reduces growth of adult European bullheads (Cottus gobio). Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 63(3), 597-606. DOI: 10.1139/F05-246
Doncaster, C. P. (2006). Technical comment. "On the Regulation of Populations of Mammals, Birds, Fish, and Insects" III. Science, 311(5764), p.1100. DOI: 10.1126/science.1122383
Kent, A., Plesner Jensen, S. P., & Doncaster, C. P. (2005). Model of microtine cycles caused by lethal toxins in non-preferred food plants. Journal of Theoretical Biology, 234(4), 593-604. DOI: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2004.12.014
Tagg, N., Innes, D. J., & Doncaster, C. P. (2005). Outcomes of reciprocal invasions between genetically diverse and genetically uniform populations of Daphnia obtusa (Kurz). Oecologia, 143(4), 527-536. DOI: 10.1007/s00442-005-0016-5
Tagg, N., Doncaster, C. P., & Innes, D. J. (2005). Resource competition between genetically varied and genetically uniform populations of Daphnia pulex (Leydig): does sexual reproduction confer a short-term ecological advantage? Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 85(1), 111-123. DOI: 10.1111/j.1095-8312.2005.00475.x
Davey, A. J. H., Hawkins, S. J., Turner, G. F., & Doncaster, C. P. (2005). Size-dependent microhabitat use and intraspecific competition in Cottus gobio. Journal of Fish Biology, 67(2), 428-443. DOI: 10.1111/j.0022-1112.2005.00736.x
Tricker, P. J., Trewin, H., Kull, O., Clarkson, G. J. J., Eensalu, E., Tallis, M. J., ... Taylor, G. (2005). Stomatal conductance and not stomatal density determines the long-term reduction in leaf transpiration of poplar in elevated CO2. Oecologia, 143(4), 652-660. DOI: 10.1007/s00442-005-0025-4
Schley, D., Doncaster, C. P., & Sluckin, T. (2004). Population models of sperm-dependent parthenogenesis. Journal of Theoretical Biology, 229(4), 559-572. DOI: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2004.04.031
Pound, G. E., Cox, S. J., & Doncaster, C. P. (2004). The accumulation of deleterious mutations within the frozen niche variation hypothesis. Journal of Evolutionary Biology, 17(3), 651-662. DOI: 10.1111/j.1420-9101.2003.00690.x
Kent, A., Doncaster, C. P., & Sluckin, T. (2003). Consequences for predators of rescue and Allee effects on prey. Ecological Modelling, 162(3), 233-245. DOI: 10.1016/S0304-3800(02)00343-5
Doncaster, C. P., Pound, G. E., & Cox, S. J. (2003). Dynamics of regional coexistence for more or less equal competitors. Journal of Animal Ecology, 72(1), 116-126. DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-2656.2003.00687.x
Doncaster, C. P. (2003). Evolution of indefinite generation lengths. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 80(2), 269-280. DOI: 10.1046/j.1095-8312.2003.00234.x
Kent, A., Hawkins, S. J., & Doncaster, C. P. (2003). Population consequences of mutual attraction between settling and adult barnacles. Journal of Animal Ecology, 72(6), 941-952. DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-2656.2003.00762.x
Guichón, M. L., Doncaster, C. P., & Cassini, M. H. (2003). Population structure of coypus (Myocastor coypus) in their region of origin and comparison with introduced populations. Journal of Zoology, 261(3), 265-272. DOI: 10.1017/S0952836903004187
Pound, G. E., Doncaster, C. P., & Cox, S. J. (2002). A Lotka-Volterra model of coexistence between a sexual population and multiple asexual clones. Journal of Theoretical Biology, 217(4), 535-545. DOI: 10.1006/jtbi.2002.3040
Rondinini, C., & Doncaster, C. P. (2002). Roads as barriers to movement for hedgehogs. Functional Ecology, 16(4), 504-509. DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-2435.2002.00651.x
Doncaster, C. P., Rondinini, C., & Johnson, P. C. D. (2001). Field test for environmental correlates of dispersal in hedgehogs Erinaceus europaeus. Journal of Animal Ecology, 70(1), 33-46. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2656.2001.00471.x
Doncaster, C. P. (2001). Healthy wrinkles for population dynamics: unevenly spread resources can support more users. Journal of Animal Ecology, 70(1), 91-100. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2656.2001.00474.x
Doncaster, C. P. (2001). What determines territory configurations of badgers? Oikos, 93(3), 497-498. DOI: 10.1034/j.1600-0706.2001.930315.x
Doncaster, C. P. (2000). Extension of ideal free resource use to breeding populations and metapopulations. Oikos, 89(1), 24-36. DOI: 10.1034/j.1600-0706.2000.890103.x
Doncaster, C. P., Pound, G. E., & Cox, S. J. (2000). The ecological cost of sex. Nature, 404(6775), 281-285. DOI: 10.1038/35005078

Book

Doncaster, C. P., & Davey, A. J. H. (2007). Analysis of variance and covariance: how to choose and construct models for the life sciences. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.

Book Chapters

Macdonald, D., Doncaster, C. P., Newdick, M., Hofer, H., Mathews, F., & Johnson, P. (2015). Foxes in the landscape: ecology and sociality. In D. Macdonald, & R. Feber (Eds.), Wildlife Conservation on Farmland: Conflict in the Countryside (pp. 20-46). Oxford, GB: Oxford University Press.
Harmsen, B. J., Foster, R. J., Silver, S. C., Ostro, L. E. T., & Doncaster, C. P. (2010). The ecology of jaguars in the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary, Belize. In D. W. Macdonald, & A. J. Loveridge (Eds.), The Biology and Conservation of Wild Felids (pp. 403-416). Oxford, GB: Oxford University Press.
Akçakaya, H. R., Mills, G., & Doncaster, C. P. (2007). The role of metapopulations in conservation. In D. W. Macdonald, & K. Service (Eds.), Key Topics in Conservation Biology (pp. 64-84). Oxford, UK: Blackwell Publishing.

Conferences

Chavez, V. A., Doncaster, C. P., Dearing, J. A., Wang, R., Huang, J-L., & Dyke, J. G. (2013). Detecting regime shifts in artificial ecosystems. ECAL2013: 12th European Conference on Artificial Life, Italy.
Watkins, A., Noble, J., & Doncaster, C. P. (2011). An agent-based model of jaguar movement through conservation corridors. In T. Lenaerts, M. Giacobini, H. Bersini, P. Bourgine, M. Dorigo, & R. Doursat (Eds.), Advances in Artificial Life, ECAL 2011: Proceedings of the Eleventh European Conference on the Synthesis and Simulation of Living Systems (pp. 846-853). MIT Press.

Module Coordinator

BIOL2004 Pure and Applied Population Ecology
BIOL2008 Quantitative Methods in Biological and Environmental Science

Contributor

BIOL1020 Bioanalysis
BIOL3053 Spatial Ecology and Conservation
BIOL6052 Advanced Quantitative Methods

University of Southampton Contributions

2012-present: Leader and Academic Line Manager, Environmental Biosciences theme for Biological Sciences
2012-present: REF Committee member for UoA 5 Biological Sciences
2007-2012: Biological Sciences Integrity Officer
2005-2012: Chair, Biological Sciences IT Strategy Group
2004-2012: Examinations Officer, Hons Biology programmes

External Contributions

2007-present: Associate Editor of Acta Oecologica
2008-2011: NERC panel member
2015-present: Agence Nationale de la Recherche panel member

Professor C. Patrick Doncaster
School of Biological Sciences
Faculty of Environmental and Life Sciences
Life Sciences Building 85
University of Southampton
Highfield Campus
Southampton
SO17 1BJ

Room Number: 85/6051

Professor C. Patrick Doncaster's personal home page

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