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Centre for Ecology & Hydrology

The Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (CEH) is the UK's Centre of Excellence for integrated research in terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems and their interaction with the atmosphere. As part of the Natural Environment Research Council, CEH provides National Capability based on innovative, independent and interdisciplinary science and long-term environmental monitoring, forming an integral part of NERC's vision and strategy.  Working in partnership with the research community, policymakers, industry and society, we deliver world-class solutions to the most complex environmental challenges facing humankind.

CEH's Science Strategy, Integrated Science for Our Changing World, sets out its strategic aims for the period 2008 - 2013.  The aims are embodied in six overarching scientific challenges, which are presented as a logical sequence beginning with long-term monitoring and experimentation, through to process and mechanistic research and providing solutions.

  • Challenge I: Deliver early warnings of environmental change through large-scale, long-term monitoring and experiments.
  • Challenge II: Identify processes linking physical and chemical changes in the environment with ecosystem responses.
  • Challenge III: Improve predictions of climate change models by incorporating ecological, hydrological and biogeochemical processes.
  • Challenge IV: Quantify the impact of environmental change on natural resources.
  • Challenge V: Determine the risks of chronic and extreme exposure of ecosystems and human beings to biological, hydrological and chemical threats.
  • Challenge VI: Identify strategies and control measures to mitigate impacts of environmental change on ecosystems, ecosystem services and human health.

BICCO-Net will contribute to a number CEH challenges, particularly Challenge IV and Challenge I.
CEH delivers its research through three interdependent Science Programmes (Biodiversity, Biogeochemistry, Water) underpinned by CEH’s the Environmental Information Data Centre (EIDC), the primary purpose of which is to provide the capability to coordinate our extensive information assets and thereby support integrated environmental research.   BICCO-Net falls within the Biodiversity Science programme.
CEH will contribute to BICCO-Net in the following ways:

  1. Provide efficient ongoing access to key biodiversity monitoring datasets for detecting the biological impacts of climate change, including:
    1. The UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme (operated jointly by CEH and Butterfly Conservation).  A network of over 1650 fixed monitoring sites, with the scheme operating since 1976.
    2. The Environmental Change Network (CEN) (Operated by CEH supported by a consortium of fourteen sponsoring organisations and seven research organisations).  A network of 12 terrestrial and 45 freshwater sites throughout the UK collecting information about the pressures on and responses to environmental change in physical, chemical and biological systems.
    3. The Countryside Survey (CS), including the CEH Land Cover Map.  Countryside Survey is a unique study or ‘audit’ of the natural resources of the UK’s countryside. The Survey has been carried out at regular intervals since 1978.
    4. Data on the distribution of a range of taxa from the Biological Records Centre and the 60+ National Recording Schemes and Societies with which it interacts.
  • Provide access to datasets on the ecological attributes of species (e.g PlantAtt, Database of British Insects and their Foodplants, Inventories of non-native species) and expertise on their use and interpretation.
  • Contribute expertise as one of the foremost centres for the study of climate change impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem function in the UK (see list of key recent references below).
  • Provision of statistical development and advice
  • Interpretation of results of analysis, particularly for plants, butterflies and distribution data held by the BRC
  • Provide assessment of the potential interactions between climate, air pollution and land management, particularly using CS and ECN data
  • Major input to policy advice

Selected publications
Franco, A.M.A., Hill, J.K., Kitschke, C., Collingham, Y.C., Roy, D.B., Fox, R., Huntley, B., & Thomas, C.D. (2006) Impacts of climate warming and habitat loss on extinctions at species’ low-latitude range boundaries. Global Change Biology, 12, 1545-1553.

Hickling, R., Roy, D.B., Hill, J.K., Fox, R. & Thomas, C.D. (2006). The distributions of a wide range of taxonomic groups are expanding polewards.  Global Change Biology 12: 450-455.

Mitchell, R. J.; Morecroft, M. D.; Acreman, M.; Crick, H. Q. P.; Frost, M.; Harley, M.; Maclean, I. D. M.; Mountford, O.; Piper, J.; Pontier, H.; Rehfisch, M. M.; Ross, L. C.; Smithers, R. J.; Stott, A.; Walmsley, C. A.; Watts, O.; Wilson, E.. 2007 England Biodiversity Strategy - towards adapation to climate change. Final report to Defra for contract CRO327. Defra, 177pp. (Contract CRO327) (Unpublished)

Roy, D.B., Rothery, P., Moss, D., Pollard, E., & Thomas, J.E. 2001. Butterfly numbers and weather: predicting historical trends in abundance and the future effects of climate change. Journal of Animal Ecology, 70(2), 201-217.

Sier, A.R.J. & Scott, W.A. (eds) 2009. Climate Change Impacts: Evidence from ECN sites. CEH: Lancaster.

Sparks, T. 2007 Lateral thinking on data to identify climate impacts. TRENDS in Ecology and Evolution, 22 (4). 169-171.

Sparks, T.H., Roy, D.B. and Dennis, R.L.H. (2005). The influence of temperature on migration of Lepidoptera into Britain. Global Change Biology, 11, 507–514.

Thomas, J.A., Telfer, M.G., Roy, D.B., Preston, C.D., Greenwood, J.J.D., Asher, J., Fox, R., Clarke, R.T., & Lawton, J.H. (2004) Comparative losses of British butterflies, birds, and plants and the global extinction crisis. Science, 303, 1879-1881.

Trivedi, Mandar R.; Morecroft, Michael D.; Berry, Pamela M.; Dawson, Terence P.. (2008). Potential effects of climate change on plant communities in three montane nature reserves in Scotland, UK. Biological Conservation, 141 (6).

Warren M S, Hill J K, Thomas J A, Asher J, Fox R, Huntley B, Roy D B, Telfer M G, Jeffcoate S, Harding P, Jeffcoate G, Willis S G, Greatorex-Davies J N, Moss D and Thomas C D. (2001). Rapid response of British butterflies to opposing forces of climate and habitat change. Nature. 414, 65-69.