Life on Earth
Our work involves studying the origins and evolution of life on Earth and its interactions in modern ecosystems.
We use the latest interdisciplinary techniques to conduct our research, from genome sequencing in the lab to using mass spectrometry facilities in the field.
The Earth is unique among known planets in being home to life. Organisms first appeared on Earth nearly four billion years ago and have been responsible for shaping the development of the planet ever since, including changing the composition of the atmosphere and driving the formation of different types of rock. Work in the school spans from ancient life preserved in the fossil record to the examining of modern-day organisms and the ecosystems in which they live.
We study organisms ranging from the smallest microorganisms to the largest plants and animals, examining in particular how these organisms evolved and how they survive and interact with each other and with their environment. We work at scales ranging from molecules to the planet.
Discussion of greenhouses usually conjures up serene images of allotments or gardens, but we are setting our sights a little higher and ramping up our greenhouse construction. At our historic botanical grounds, home to an extensive living plant collection, we are building new facilities dedicated to plant growth research. This will enable us to reproduce climates ranging from the Arctic to the tropics, and conduct research into key challenges such as food security, soil biodiversity and climate change mitigation. The site will also house new high tech facilities for monitoring atmospheric pollution, forming part of our exceptional environmental research and teaching facilities.
It may not be obvious but an animal's poo can tell us what their response to climate change and habitat destruction might be. Scientists from the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences and Chester Zoo have been investigating just this, studying zebras in South Africa. By measuring stress hormones in a zebra's poo, the researchers have found that zebras are facing multiple challenges, including poor habitat and gender imbalances, which are likely to compromise their health, have repercussions for their reproduction and, ultimately, a population's long-term survival.
Areas of expertise
Major topics on which our research focuses include:
Evolutionary mechanisms and dynamics
Evolution has shaped life as we know it. Our research uses theoretical, computational and experimental approaches to understand and predict the structure and behaviour of biological systems and their evolution as environments change, organisms mutate and natural and sexual selection occurs.
The history of life on Earth
Palaeontological and archaeological remains are essential for understanding how organisms, including humans, evolve and respond to long-term environmental change. We employ morphological, chemical and biomolecular tools to study past patterns of palaeobiodiversity, evolutionary innovations, and the earliest genetic modifications of plants at the transition to farming.
Plants, soils and ecosystems
Plants and the complex biological communities that inhabit soils interact with each other and respond to environmental changes. Researchers on plants, soils and ecosystems study these interactions and their consequences in natural and managed ecosystems, as well as how plants and algae respond to environmental stresses.
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