Author: Annabel Smith

Dr. Annabel Smith is a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Research Fellow in Zoology, Trinity College Dublin. Her current research focuses on the interaction between changing fire regimes and plant invasion.
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Wild and free: red deer grazing for conservation

Annabel Smith and Jana Eccard give an account of the Editor’s Choice paper of the June 2019 issue of the Journal of Applied Ecology: Grazing by wild red deer: Management options for the conservation of semi‐natural open habitats by Friederike Riesch and colleagues.

This post was originally published on The Applied Ecologists blog, where it is also available in German. The header photo was taken by Marcus Meißner.

It is widely accepted that semi-natural grasslands in Europe require active management to maintain biodiversity. Without management, woody shrubs typically replace grasslands and many plant species that have persisted for thousands of years will be lost from the area. This fact underlies ‘conservation grazing’ guidelines for managing livestock in semi-natural habitats, such as those embedded into EU agri-environment projects.

But is there a better way than livestock to manage biomass for conservation?

Continue reading “Wild and free: red deer grazing for conservation”
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Sisters in Science: Dr Liz Dobson

Dr Liz Dobson in her veterinary science research lab

Header image courtesy Zoos Victoria

In answer to the call for posts about ‘Modern Women in Science’, I decided to write about my sister: Dr Elizabeth Dobson BSc (Biology), BSc (Vet. Bio), BVMS (Hons), MSc, Diplomate ACVP.

Why my sister? Well, first because she’s an accomplished scientist in the field of veterinary and wildlife pathology. And second, because she’s had a unique career. It’s an example of how scientists can draw on diverse experiences to shape their future and play an active role in carving out a professional niche that aligns with their goals (and financial needs!).

Continue reading “Sisters in Science: Dr Liz Dobson”
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Closing the Gap Between Diversity Talk and Diversity Actions

Every day we hear about gender and diversity in science. #WomenInScience tags receive hundreds of tweets and virtual pats-on-the-back. Some might argue that it has become fashionable to talk about women in science. But does all this talk reflect the experience of being part of an under-represented group in science? Continue reading “Closing the Gap Between Diversity Talk and Diversity Actions”

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Associate Editor Mentoring – 2019 applications now open

Annabel Smith writes on the Applied Ecologist’s blog about her experience as an associate editor and encourages other early-career scientists to apply. Read more in the blog snippet below or see the full post on the Applied Ecologist’s blog.

“We are now accepting applications for our Associate Editor Mentoring Opportunity, a chance for early career researchers to gain experience of working on a journal editorial board. Annabel Smith (Marie Skłodowska-Curie Research Fellow, Trinity College Dublin) began her Mentoring Opportunity role in January 2018. Here she explains why she decided to apply and what she hopes to gain from the experience.

We’re often thrown in the deep end when it comes to learning new professional skills in a research career. Experience is a great teacher in the long term but it can take a lot of time to master new skills like reviewing papers and applying for grants. And the path can by windy, to put it lightly.

So I jumped at the chance to apply for the Associate Editor Mentoring Opportunity with Journal of Applied Ecology when I saw it advertised in 2017. I was drawn to the idea of working closely with a Senior Editor who would guide me on a hopefully less windy path than I’d experienced with learning other skills. I was delighted that my application was successful and I joined the Editorial Board in January 2018 for a two-year position…”

Read the full blog post on the Applied Ecologist’s blog.

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About the Author

Dr. Annabel Smith is a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Research Fellow in Yvonne Buckley’s research group in the Department of Zoology, Trinity College Dublin. Her current research focuses on the interaction between changing fire regimes and plant invasion. Find out more about her research here:

Website |  www.smithecology.org
Google Scholar |  Profile
ResearcherID |  Profile
ORCID | 0000-0002-1201-8713

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What happens to animals when their habitat burns?

When you live in Ireland, it’s easy to forget that a good proportion of the world’s ecosystems regularly burn. In many regions, plants and animals have evolved to tolerate or even rely on fire. My recent paper investigates the factors that drive the success of an Australian gecko after fire. I found that the geckos were healthier after fires because of the availability of lots of prey, showing that these feeding relationships matter for a species that thrives after its forest burns. Continue reading “What happens to animals when their habitat burns?”

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EGG heads talk ecological genetics in Dublin

Using genetics to understand ecology is fascinating. The data reveal things that often cannot be found by observation alone, such as patterns of cryptic diversity, migration pathways and the source of colonising populations.

But life in ecological genetics research is peculiar because we sit on a border between two fairly different fields of science. In an ecological crowd we’re called the ‘genetics person’ while among geneticists we’re seen to have only a rudimentary knowledge of ‘real’ genetics and our comments on ecological theory are sometimes met with funny looks. So spending time in an ecological genetics crowd is refreshing and, last week, about 30 members of the British Ecological Society did exactly that. Continue reading “EGG heads talk ecological genetics in Dublin”

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Ecology & Science in Ireland: the inaugural meeting of the Irish Ecological Association

In the years to come, 140 ecologists working in Ireland will look back with fond memories of being part of the inaugural meeting of the Irish Ecological Association (24th-26th November). We will remember hard-hitting plenaries, compelling oral presentations, data-rich posters, influential workshops and the formation of the IEA’s first committee. The lively social events might be harder for some of us to remember… Continue reading “Ecology & Science in Ireland: the inaugural meeting of the Irish Ecological Association”