The palaeoenvironmental history of ancient deciduous woodlands in Scotland and Ireland, with particular emphasis on the sub-canopy layers

该博士研究生将应用古生态学技术调查苏格兰和爱尔兰古代阔叶林地组成和动态的长期变化，从而产生指导这些植被群落保护和恢复的信息。在苏格兰，林地再创造正经历一段高度关注的时期。这是苏格兰政府气候变化计划草案的结果——该草案的目标是到2032年将林地覆盖率扩大到21%——以及对重新野生化和重新造林的兴趣增加。预计将带来一系列好处，包括更丰富和更多样化的栖息地，增强景观，改善生态系统服务。通过向土地管理者提供关于林地结构和植物区系的基线信息，古环境重建可以帮助实现这一进程。这一点很重要，因为许多林业活动只关注树种。这项研究将特别强调提高我们对林冠下林地层的认识。在全国范围内，形成树冠的原生（英国和爱尔兰）树木的全新世历史相对为人所知，但对过去作为其他层组成部分的物种和群落的了解仍然缺乏。该学生将使用花粉和植物宏观化石分析，以年代学（14C和Pb-210测年，以及风化年代学）为支持，重建古代落叶（即非加里东松）林地的长期（全新世）生态。在苏格兰，研究将集中在苏格兰东北部低地和高地边缘以橡树为主的林地（如阿伯丁郡、班夫和马里）——这个地区目前几乎没有发表过的古植被数据——以及西海岸温和潮湿的大西洋橡树林（如阿德纳姆坎、西阿盖尔），这些地区被高度评价为“温带雨林”。在爱尔兰的研究将集中在西北部的林地（如多尼戈尔）。方法方法将以沉积物档案为目标，这些档案有可能提供与正在调查的林分相当的空间尺度的信息。该学生将受益于商业合作伙伴的参与。Botanæco是一家领先的生态和植物咨询公司，总部位于苏格兰安格斯。该公司提供一系列生态服务，包括对原生林地的创造和恢复的建议。该学生将在botaneæ co实习，接受植被和生境调查、评估和管理方面的实地培训，与参与林地管理和恢复的利益相关者会面，并获得环境咨询经验。博士指导团队将包括：Ed Schofield博士（首席导师，阿伯丁大学）；Gill Plunkett博士（贝尔法斯特女王大学）；Tim Mighall博士（阿伯丁大学）；Andy McMullen博士（CASE合伙人，botaneæ co）；和Scott Timpany博士（外部，UHI）。

This PhD studentship will apply palaeoecological techniques to investigate long-term changes in the composition and dynamics of ancient broadleaved woodlands in Scotland and Ireland, thereby producing information that will guide the conservation and restoration of these vegetation communities. Woodland re-creation is enjoying a period of heightened attention in Scotland. This is a consequence of both the Scottish Government's Draft Climate Change Plan - which aims for woodland expansion to 21% cover by 2032 - and increased interest in rewilding and reforesting. A range of benefits are anticipated, including richer and more diverse habitats, enhanced landscapes, and improvements to ecosystem services. Palaeoenvironmental reconstruction can assist in this process being realised by providing land managers with baseline information about woodland structure and floristics. This is important because much forestry activity focuses only upon the tree species.The research will place particular emphasis upon improving our understanding of the sub-canopy woodland layer. At a national scale, the Holocene history of the canopy-forming native (British and Irish) trees is relatively well known, but there is still a lack of knowledge about the past species and communities that occurred as components of the other layers. The student will use pollen and plant macrofossil analyses, supported by chronologies (14C and Pb-210 dating, and tephrochronology) to reconstruct the long-term (Holocene) ecology of ancient deciduous (i.e. non-Caledonian pine) woodlands. In Scotland, the research will focus upon the oak-dominated woodlands of the lowlands and upland margins of northeastern Scotland (e.g. Aberdeenshire, Banff and Moray) - an area for which very little published palaeovegetational data currently exists - and the mild and wet Atlantic oakwoods of the west coast (e.g. Ardnamurchan, west Argyll), which are highly valued as 'temperate rainforest'. Research in Ireland will focus upon woodlands in the northwest (e.g. Donegal). The methodological approach will be to target sediment archives that hold the potential to provide information at a spatial scale equivalent to the woodland stand(s) under investigation. This studentship will benefit from the involvement of a commercial partner. Botanæco is a leading ecological and botanical consultancy based in Angus, Scotland. The company offers a range of ecological services including advice on native woodland creation and restoration. The student will undertake an internship with Botanæco and will receive field training in the survey, assessment and management of vegetation and habitats, will meet stakeholders involved in woodland management and restoration, and gain experience in environmental consultancy. The supervisory team for the PhD will comprise: Dr Ed Schofield (lead supervisor, University of Aberdeen); Dr Gill Plunkett (Queen's University Belfast); Dr Tim Mighall (University of Aberdeen); Dr Andy McMullen (CASE partner, Botanæco); and Dr Scott Timpany (external, UHI).