Professor Andrew Beckerman
Department of Animal and Plant Sciences
Professor in Evolutionary Ecology
+44 114 222 0026
Full contact details
Department of Animal and Plant Sciences
B82
Alfred Denny Building
Western Bank
Sheffield
S10 2TN
- Profile
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- Professor in Evolutionary Ecology, University of Sheffield (2019 - present)
- Lecturer, Senior Lecturer, Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield (2005-2019)
- NERC Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield (2002-2005)
- NERC Postdoctoral Associate, University of Stirling (1999-2002)
- PhD Yale University (1999)
- MFS Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies (1994)
- BSc Tufts University, Massachusetts (1990)
- Research interests
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We explore the structure, complexity and dynamics of food webs. We use optimal foraging theory to define the rules linking predators and prey. We predict the impacts of multiple simultaneous threats to ecosystems. We study the local adaptation of plasticity in real ponds and in daphnia and algae. We explore the genes that underpin plasticity and local adaptation. We work with predators, metals and algae biotechnology. We study the conservation and demography of parrots in Central America and the Caribbean. We link this to socioeconomics and trade-offs in conservation management. We study trade networks. We build models.
- Publications
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Journal articles
- The impact of intraspecific variation on food web structure. Ecology, 99(12), 2712-2720. View this article in WRRO
- Predation drives local adaptation of phenotypic plasticity. Nature Ecology and Evolution, 2(1), 100-107. View this article in WRRO
- Evolution of a predator-induced, nonlinear reaction norm. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London: Biological Sciences, 284(1861). View this article in WRRO
- The alignment between phenotypic plasticity, the major axis of genetic variation and the response to selection. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 282(1816). View this article in WRRO
- The ecological forecast horizon, and examples of its uses and determinants. Ecology Letters, 18(7), 597-611. View this article in WRRO
- How maladaptation can structure biodiversity: eco-evolutionary island biogeography. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 30(3), 154-160.
- Endocrine regulation of predator-induced phenotypic plasticity. Oecologia, 176(3), 625-635. View this article in WRRO
- Greenland precipitation trends in a long-term instrumental climate context (1890-2012): Evaluation of coastal and ice core records. International Journal of Climatology.
- A shared mechanism of defense against predators and parasites: Chitin regulation and its implications for life-history theory. Ecology and Evolution, 3(15), 5119-5126. View this article in WRRO
- Quantifying multivariate plasticity: genetic variation in resource acquisition drives plasticity in resource allocation to components of life history.. Ecol Lett, 16(3), 281-290.
- The consequences of size dependent foraging for food web topology. OIKOS, 120(4), 493-502.
- Phenotypic convergence along a gradient of predation risk.. Proc Biol Sci, 278(1712), 1687-1696.
- Adaptation genomics: the next generation.. Trends Ecol Evol, 25(12), 705-712.
- The reaction norm of size and age at maturity under multiple predator risk.. J Anim Ecol, 79(5), 1069-1076.
- Climate warming strengthens indirect interactions in an old-field food web.. Ecology, 90(9), 2346-2351.
- Costs, benefits and the evolution of inducible defences: a case study with Daphnia pulex.. J Evol Biol, 21(3), 705-715.
- Size, foraging, and food web structure.. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 105(11), 4191-4196. View this article in WRRO
- The impact of intraspecific variation on food web structure. Ecology, 99(12), 2712-2720. View this article in WRRO
- Research group
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Post-docs / Fellows
- Benno Simmons (2019 - 2020) - NERC PDRA. Food Webs
- Dörthe Becker (2019 - 2021) - Marie Curie Fellow. Daphnia Phenotypic Plasticity
PhD Students
- Erika Hansson (2016-2019) - Trade-offs between resistance and defence; co-supervised by Dylan Childs
- Tamora James (2015-2018) - ACCE Sheffield/NERC/CASE - World Parrot Trust; with Dylan Childs and Ben Hatchwell
- Tom Lewis (2018 - 2021) - ACCE Sheffield/NERC/CASE - Chester Zoo; with Dylan Childs and Ben Hatchwell
- Nathan White (2017 - 2020) - ACCE Sheffield/NERC; with Roger Butlin
Research Associates
- Penelope Blyth (2019 - 2021) - NERC RA. Food Webs
MRes and MBiolSci Students
- Dan Smith - Food Webs
- Amelia Adamson - Parrot Conservation
- Jack Smith - Algae Plasticity
- Teaching activities
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At level 1, I coordinate and teach on APS123 (Population and Community Ecology 1), based on lectures, an all-day field trip and a data presentation workshop.
At Level 2, I coordinate and teach on APS273 (Population and Community Ecology 2), a course combining lectures and a variety of workshops focused on modelling populations and conservation applications.
I also coordinate and teach APS405; APS6606; APS 6607 (Advanced Biological Analysis), a week-long intensive training module for 4th year MBiolSci students, MRes students and fist year PhD students.
I supervised level 4 MBiolSci students with project focused on food webs, phenotypic plasticity, biotechnology and conservation modelling.
- Professional activities
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- Editor-in-Chief, Ecology and Evolution (Wiley - BES - SSE- ESEB; 2014 - present)
- External Examiner, Periodic Review, Life Sciences, University of Liverpool (2019)
- External Examiner, Ecology, Evolution and Conservation, Imperial College London (2017-2019)
- Director of Recruitment, Department of Animal and Plant Sciences (2018 - present)
- R4All - Training and Statistics in R