About
My research interests focuses upon plant community ecology. I am specifically interested in African woodland and savanna ecology and managing vegetation change on these landscapes in terms of both ecological and socioeconomic impacts.
Dr Aisling Devine
Senior Lecturer
Biosciences
Office - 117
First Floor
Margam Building
Singleton Campus
First Floor
Margam Building
Singleton Campus
Available For Postgraduate Supervision
Areas Of Expertise
- Savanna ecology
- Fire ecology
- Miombo woodlands
- Community ecology
- Biodiversity
- Environmental resources and poverty alleviation
Publications
Research Highlights
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Devine, A. (2015). Woody cover in wet and dry African savannas after six decades of experimental fires. Journal of Ecology, 103(2), 473-478.
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Devine, A., McDonald, R., Quaife, T., & Maclean, I. (2017). Determinants of woody encroachment and cover in African savannas. Oecologia
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Roberts, L., Neyland, P., Devine, A., Harris, W., Bull, J., Froyd, C., Eastwood, D., Forman, D., & Elias, O. (2023). You said, we did! Employer led work-simulated learning framework for enhancing ecology graduate employability. Journal of Biological Education, 57(4), 746-765.
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Nicholas, L., Devine, A., Robertson, I., & Mabbett, I. (2023). The Effect of Faecal Sludge Biochar on the Growth and Yield of Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) Cultivar Micro-Tom. Agronomy, 13(5), 1233
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Nicholas, L., Devine, A., Robertson, I., & Mabbett, I. (2023). Perspective Chapter: Agronomic Properties of Biochar from Slow Pyrolysis of Human Waste. Sustainable Use of Biochar [Working Title] IntechOpen
All Research
Journal Articles
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Nicholas, L., Winrow, E., Devine, A., Robertson, I., & Mabbett, I. (2023). Faecal sludge pyrolysis as a circular economic approach to waste management and nutrient recovery. Environment, Development and Sustainability, 0
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Roberts, L., Neyland, P., Devine, A., Harris, W., Bull, J., Froyd, C., Eastwood, D., Forman, D., & Elias, O. (2023). You said, we did! Employer led work-simulated learning framework for enhancing ecology graduate employability. Journal of Biological Education, 57(4), 746-765.
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Nicholas, L., Devine, A., Robertson, I., & Mabbett, I. (2023). The Effect of Faecal Sludge Biochar on the Growth and Yield of Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) Cultivar Micro-Tom. Agronomy, 13(5), 1233
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Devine, A., McDonald, R., Quaife, T., & Maclean, I. (2017). Determinants of woody encroachment and cover in African savannas. Oecologia
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Devine, A. (2015). Woody cover in wet and dry African savannas after six decades of experimental fires. Journal of Ecology, 103(2), 473-478.
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Nicholas, L., Devine, A., Robertson, I., & Mabbett, I. (n.d.) The Effect of Biochar on Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) Cultivar Micro-Tom Grown under Continuous Light. Journal of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition
Book Chapters
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Nicholas, L., Devine, A., Robertson, I., & Mabbett, I. (2023). Perspective Chapter: Agronomic Properties of Biochar from Slow Pyrolysis of Human Waste. Sustainable Use of Biochar [Working Title] IntechOpen
Supervision
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Untitled (current)
MRes -
Investigating the potential impact on native flora and fauna of a non-native macropod, the Red-necked wallaby (Notamcropus rufogriseus), on the Isle of Man. (current)
MResOther supervisor: Prof Luca Borger -
Conservation Analysis of the African Baobab (current)
MResOther supervisor: Dr Miguel Lurgi Rivera
Taught Modules
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BIO018 Biology A' Level and Transition to University
This course is designed for Biology students transitioning from A' Level to Higher Education, and will guide students through a series of tailored modules built around the WJEC Biology A' Level specifications. Each module covers information from across the curriculum, helping to link key biological concepts and build from core knowledge to more complex applications. The learning activities will consist of a short (10 ¿ 20 minutes) recorded or annotated lecture that will include self-assessment of understanding by a short quiz consisting of multiple-choice questions. Further on-line materials will be provided to assist students with learning independently. Personal support will be available through online tutor meetings at arranged time.
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BIO232 Plant Ecology
This module provides a holistic approach to plant ecology, including both classical ecological theory and practical surveying techniques. Students will become familiar with six major themes; plant formations and biomes, synecology, autecology, plant geography, paleoecology and modern plant ecology. Students will also be trained in plant taxonomy, field surveying techniques, data analysis and report writing that complement a future career in ecology, conservation or consultancy
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BIO249 Introduction to field ecology
This field course comprises practical work employing ecological techniques appropriate to sample biodiversity and environmental parameters from a range of terrestrial and freshwater habitats (freshwater systems, woodlands, sand dunes). You will learn techniques for the identification of species, practice recording accurate field notes, and gain experience in the analysis and presentation of ecological data. Furthermore, you will be able to recognise different British temperate wildlife, habitats and indicator species associated with them. This five-day course will be residential and delivered in Stackpole National Trust Field centre in September.
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BIO341 Plant Conservation and Ecology
"Without plants, there is no life. The functioning of the planet, and our survival, depends on plants.¿ (Global Plant Conservation strategy 2012). This module gives an overview of the importance of plant communities to conservation goals and the threats to plant habitats. We will explore core concepts of conservation biology, examining both in-situ and ex-situ conservation and discuss global conservation policies and conventions.
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BIO347 Tropical Ecology and Conservation - Borneo Field Trip
Borneo is a hot spot for biodiversity both in regards to terrestrial and marine ecosystems. This module is a residential field course which will explore ecological and conservation principles in tropical rainforests and marine ecosystems.
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BIOM19 Endangered Species and The Red List
There have been five mass extinction events in the history of Earth's biodiversity. It has been claimed that the Sixth Mass Extinction may be underway, this time caused entirely by humans. It may be debatable within the literature whether a sixth extinction is occurring, however there is no doubt that we are currently in a biodiversity crisis with considerable evidence indicating increasing extinctions rates and decreasing species population abundances. The IUCN Red List is a critical indicator of the health of the world's biodiversity and is the global standard in estimation of extinction risk. The IUCN Red List it is a powerful tool to inform and catalyse action for biodiversity conservation and policy change and critical to protecting the natural resources. Conservation science is essential in to understand the ecology and biology of species in order to inform and update the red list as well as inform conservation practioners to try and halt the decline in biodiversity. This module will explore the scientific concepts behind the red list and specific research focused on threatened species and related conservation efforts.
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BIOM23 Research Project in Environmental Biology: Conservation and Resource Management
In this module the students will learn how to: * perform a literature search in order to establish what has already been published in the selected subject area * appreciate the safety considerations of scientific research by completing appropriate audits of the materials and methods involved * investigate a problem in environmental biology in which hypotheses can be generated and tested with the application of appropriate statistical analysis * acquire a range of skills in the conduct of scientific research * integrate material from the literature with the results obtained from the research carried out into an effective dissertation * present their proposed methods and main results to peers
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BIOM25B Science Skills and Research Methods
This intensive lecture and practical based module covers science skills for students wishing to pursue postgraduate studies, including MSc, MRes, MPhil and PhD degrees. It will teach students how to make good use of library and internet resources (including Web of Science, Canvas and Dryad), to design and analyse their experiments, and to make presentations of their data during conferences and symposia. It will provide PG students in the Department of Biosciences (and other Departments in the Faculty of Science and Engineering) with the research and analytical skills necessary to carry out their research projects. It will teach them how to formulate and test scientific hypotheses, and how to generate and analyse scientific results using a variety of research methods. Lecture topics include Reporting and Presentation skills, Numerical skills and Data Analysis and Scientific Writing. The lectures are taught during the first part of the Semester. The module is examined through a combination of Continuous Assessment (90%) and an online examination in the form of a MCQ test (10%). Basic reading: Whitlock, M. and Schluter, D. (2014) The Analysis of Biological Data (Roberts & Co.). Crawley, M.J. (2005) Statistics: An Introduction Using R (Wiley). Original research papers given in reading list and found through self-directed learning.
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BIOM34 Research Project in Global Biodiversity and Conservation
In this module the students will learn how to: * perform a literature search in order to establish what has already been published in the selected subject area * appreciate the safety considerations of scientific research by completing appropriate audits of the materials and methods involved * investigate a problem in environmental biology in which hypotheses can be generated and tested with the application of appropriate statistical analysis * acquire a range of skills in the conduct of scientific research * integrate material from the literature with the results obtained from the research carried out into an effective dissertation * present their proposed methods and main results to peers
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BIOM34P Preparation for Research Project in Global Biodiversity and Conservation
This module is a pre-requisite for BIOM34 ¿ which is the dissertation module for the MSc in Global Biodiversity and Conservation. It prepares students for conducting a research project in biodiversity and conservation science and gives students the opportunity to explore and develop their research interests into a feasible research project from the proposed project list available. Students are expected to complete a dissertation proposal at the end of this process, after which they will be allocated a supervisor.