Timothy Harris is a PhD alum in the Department of Geography. He is interested in plant biogeography, plant conservation, and the monitoring of plant diversity.

Research

Thesis title: 'Assessing the spatial distribution of plant species traits across the continent of Africa in relation to environmental variables'

Timothy's research aimed to identify aspects of functional diversity that correlate with environmental variables. Using a random sample of plant species across the continent of Africa, the geographic areas where functional plant traits are most constrained by environmental variables were identified.

Research into plant functional traits built on several strands of current research including identifying plant traits associated with rarity and using the major axes of plant functional diversity that define plant form to show wherein this multidimensional 'trait space' rare species are found.

This research was done with the aim of informing the process of choosing Essential Biodiversity Variables applicable to plants and supporting the process of incorporating plant traits into conservation assessments. This work also informed current research into better delimiting different ecosystems.

PhD supervision

• Principal supervisor:  Mark Mulligan
• Secondary supervisor:  Michael Chadwick

Further details

See Timothy's research profile