Assessing the impact of urban grassland management on invertebrate and plant diversity_REP2025

Assessing the impact of urban grassland management on invertebrate and plant diversity_REP2025

Lead Supervisor:
Sophie Fauset, James Buckley (co-supervisor)

Locations:
University of Plymouth

Duration:
6 weeks

Suitable undergraduate degrees:
Biology, Ecology, Environmental sciences

GO back

Project background

Urban areas are increasingly recognised as important refuges for a wide range of organisms and many cities are actively trying to increase the availability of habitats. Not only can this support higher levels of local biodiversity, but can also save money and help connect people with nature, improving health and wellbeing. One of the most frequently adopted approaches involves creating wildflower meadows in place of regularly cut amenity grasslands, either through actively sowing wildflower meadows or reducing the frequency of grass cutting. Evidence suggests that this can support greater pollinator and plant diversity, but data is only available for a few urban areas and tends to focus on a relatively small number of taxonomic groups.

This project therefore aims to assess the impacts of different grassland management regimes on urban biodiversity, with a particular focus on the city of Plymouth. The student will work with Plymouth City Council to sample a range of plant and invertebrate taxa in parks around the city of Plymouth where both amenity (regularly cut) grassland and wildflower (less frequently cut) grasslands are present in close proximity. Through extensive sampling of these habitats, they will test the prediction that wildflower grasslands support higher levels of biodiversity than amenity grasslands, and explore the potential ecological factors that could explain changes in species abundance and diversity. The results of this study will provide valuable information to support the city council in their efforts to increase local biodiversity and better connect communities to nature in their local parks.

More information about the Council’s approach can be found here https://www.plymouth.gov.uk/wildlife-meadows

Key references:

Norton et al. 2019. Urban meadows as an alternative to short mown grassland: effects of composition and height on biodiversity. Ecological applications 29: e01946. https://doi.org/10.1002/eap.1946

Sehrt et al. 2020. Less is more! Rapid increase in plant species richness after reduced mowing in urban grasslands. Basic & Applied ecology 42: 47-53. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.baae.2019.10.008

Eligibilty criteria

Students must meet all of the eligibility requirements listed below to apply for a REP:

  • Be undertaking their first undergraduate degree studies (or integrated Masters) – note that students in in their final year who have graduated and no longer have student status at the time the placement starts are not eligible;
  • Be eligible for subsequent NERC PhD funding (please see the relevant text in the Terms and conditions for training funding and associated guidance for further information); and
  • have the right to work in the UK.

 

Students from outside the UK who do not already have right to work in the UK, should not apply.

How to apply

The deadline for applications will be 12:00 on Monday 19 May 2025.  

In order to be considered for a placement, please apply to aries.dtp@uea.ac.uk providing the following:

  • A supporting statement explaining your motivation for applying for this project. Please include answers to the following questions:
    • which project are you applying for?
    • why have you applied for this project (e.g. what interested you about this project, what in particular made you want to undertake this research)?
    • what do you hope to achieve by undertaking this placement (e.g. is it for experience, to gain skills, to develop your interests)?
    • what skills do you have that make you an ideal candidate for this placement (e.g. what skills have you developed during your degree that might apply)?
    • what do you hope to do when you complete your degree (e.g. have you considered a working in scientific research in the future, or is this your first experience)?
  • A recent CV
  • A reference from your personal tutor (please ask your tutor to send this to us directly)
  • An interim transcript if available
  • Please also complete the online EDI form (this form is a mandatory part of the application process, but contains ‘prefer not to say’ options for all questions asked)
Selection process

·  Applications are screened for eligibility

·  Applications are forwarded to supervisors (the EDI form is not included)

·  Supervisors shortlist candidates and interview for the placement.

Candidates will be scored according to the following criteria:

  • Fit to project (e.g. your current skills, area of study, interests)
  • Enthusiasm for environmental research (e.g. what you hope to achieve through undertaking this placement, why you chose this project in particular)
  • Evidence of suitability to undertake a research placement (e.g. evidence from your tutor reference, transcript, and CV that you are an engaged student)

Successful candidates will be informed by Friday 13th June 2025