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Professor Yvonne Buckley

Professor of Zoology (1871) (Zoology)
      
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Professor Yvonne Buckley

Professor of Zoology (1871) (Zoology)

 buckleyy@tcd.ie

 


Professor Yvonne Buckley is the Professor of Zoology at Trinity College Dublin. She is Co-Chair of the All Island Climate and Biodiversity Research Network, Senior Editor of Journal of Ecology, a member of the National Carbon Budgets Working Group and a member of both the Royal Irish Academy and Academia Europaea. She co-directs Nature+: Trinity Centre for Biodiversity & Sustainable Nature-based Solutions. Prof. Buckley has research interests in determining the future of how we live well on the planet, environmental decision making, plant ecology and quantitative ecology. She leads a team of post-doctoral researchers, PhD, and undergraduate research students seeking to understand the fundamental drivers of animal and plant population processes in a rapidly changing world. She uses these discoveries to provide support for environmental decisions in the areas of biodiversity conservation, invasive species management and habitat restoration. Prof. Buckley's research combines data collection in the lab, field or from the literature with quantitative modeling techniques that enable analysis and prediction of responses of populations to underlying drivers and manipulations. Prof. Buckley is interested in the development of ecology as a discipline, she was the founding President of the Irish Ecological Association, a learned society for ecologists in Ireland and serves on editorial boards for two top ecology journals. She is also active in mentoring women in higher education at all levels, including through the Aurora program. Professor Buckley is originally from North Cork in Ireland and received a B.A in Biology (1st class) from Oxford University and a Ph.D. from Imperial College London (2002). She has worked at Imperial College London and the University of Queensland, Australia before joining Trinity College Dublin in 2014.
  Agri Environment   Anthropogenic Impact on ecosystems   Biodiversity   Biodiversity and Conservation   BIOGEOGRAPHY   Botany   CLIMATE CHANGE   Conservation Biology   Ecology   ECOSYSTEMS   Environmental Zoology   INVASIVE SPECIES   Molecular population genetics   Population Biology   RESTORATION ECOLOGY   Zoology
Project Title
 THRIVE
From
2018
To
2024
Summary
Funding Agency
Irish Research Council
Programme
Laureate Awards
Project Title
 BiOrbic Phase 2 SFI Research Centre
From
01/10/2023
To
31/12/2029
Summary
The world needs to transition to a climate neutral circular bioeconomy i.e. Net zero GHG emissions, restore biodiversity, zero waste, energetically self-sustaining and resilient. The world uses fossil based resources to make energy chemicals and materials which result in GHG emissions, pollution of soil, water, and air, climate change, degradation of natural ecosystems, and biodiversity loss. We must stop using fossil-based resources and bring human existence back into balance with nature. BiOrbic"s challenge based programme will focus on biodiversity, resource efficiency, reducing GHG emissions and bioeconomy systems to support the development of a climate neutral circular bioeconomy.
Funding Agency
SFI
Programme
Research Centres
Project Title
 GEODEM: Geography of Demography: modelling plant population responses to global habitat patterns
From
01/05/2015
To
01/05/2017
Summary
Mankind is profoundly altering the environments in which plant and animal populations live. An era of such massive habitat rearrangements requires ecologists to take new approaches to increase our understanding of species distribution and likelihood of persistence worldwide. Improved ecological models of range-wide persistence and response to the simultaneous threats of climate change, habitat destruction and landscape reconfiguration are required to inform management of biodiversity at large scales. GEODEM brings together global datasets of plant distribution and demography to gain insight into how the geographic configuration of habitats affects growth, survival and reproduction of more than 500 plant species worldwide. The project has two main objectives: 1. Geographic Range Pattern Analysis: Using species distribution models and global spatial statistics tools to quantify and compare spatial patterns of suitable environmental conditions across species' biogeographic ranges. 2. Landscape Demography: Testing how the spatial arrangement of suitable habitat within the geographic space can inform population responses to environmental gradients. The fellow will be supervised by and collaborate with world leaders in spatial ecology in Ireland and other European countries to accomplish her goals. The prestigious Marie Skłodowska-Curie fellowship will enable her to develop expertise in currently disparate areas of species distribution modelling and demography and place her in a unique position to make significant contributions to the urgent problem of population persistence at large scales during this era of global change. It will enable the fellow to build an independent research program in Europe after gaining research experience in top universities in Canada and Australia.
Funding Agency
European Union
Programme
Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions
Project Type
Postdoctoral fellowship to Anna Csergo
Person Months
24
Project Title
 Climate+ Policy Rapid Response Unit
From
01/01/2024
To
Summary
Funding Agency
Sunflower Foundation
Programme
Philanthropy
Project Type
Research for Policy
Project Title
 POP-CHANGE Predicting and managing plant population response in human altered ecosystems
From
01/03/2014
To
28/02/2018
Summary
Humans are rapidly changing the environments that plant and animal populations exist in. In order to make predictions about which populations will persist, which we are likely to lose and where to best place our management efforts for biodiversity conservation and ecosystem services we need a fundamental understanding of how the environment affects population growth and decline in human altered ecosystems. The proposed research seeks to leverage existing data-sets on plant population dynamics and spatial locations to gain insight into how abiotic conditions affect the growth, survival and reproduction of 162 species of plants worldwide. New data will be collected to extensively sample the population dynamics of a widespread plant species to develop novel models of habitat suitability for population growth at the global scale. Statistical models will be developed from existing data on 86 plant species at >40 sites worldwide to determine whether plant population responses to nutrient addition can be predicted using known demographic attributes, these models will be tested using new data from approx. 30 sites worldwide. Ultimately we need to use our knowledge of ecology together with the efficacy and costs of management to determine cost effective interventions to achieve environmental or societal goals. I will use demographic data on >20 plant species together with new management data to develop comparative models of cost effective management strategies for problematic invasive plants. I will use these interlinked objectives to develop predictive models of plant population dynamics under altered environmental conditions, predictions of population response to nutrient addition and general guidelines on how best to manage damaging pest species. The CIG will enable this research programme to be undertaken at a global scale and put European research at the forefront of mitigating the threats to biodiversity and ecosystem services.
Funding Agency
European Commission
Programme
Marie Curie Actions
Project Type
Career Integration Grant
Person Months
10

Page 1 of 3
Details Date
Member of core development committee for COMPADRE and COMADRE plant and animal matrix databases 2013-present
Associate Editor, Ecology Letters 2009
Senior Editor, Journal of Ecology 2021
Member of national Carbon Budgets Working Group 2022
Associate Editor, Axios Review 2014
Associate Editor, Movement Ecology 2014
Associate Editor, Journal of Applied Ecology 2005 - 2014
Language Skill Reading Skill Writing Skill Speaking
English Fluent Fluent Fluent
Details Date From Date To
Member of Royal Irish Academy 2019
Member of Academia Europaea 2022
Core development committee, COMPADRE & COMDARE plant and animal matrix databases 2013 2018
Member, British Ecological Society
Member of Irish Ecological Association
Salguero-Gómez, R., Jones, O.R., Jongejans, E., Blomberg, S.P., Hodgson, D.J., Mbeau-Ache, C., Zuidema, P.A., De Kroon, H., Buckley, Y.M., Fast-slow continuum and reproductive strategies structure plant life-history variation worldwide, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 113, (1), 2016, p230 - 235, Journal Article, PUBLISHED
Buckley, Y.M. and Han, Y., Managing the side effects of invasion control, Science, 344, 2014, p975 - 976, Notes: [Perspective], Journal Article, PUBLISHED
Caplat, P. Nathan, R. Buckley, Y. M., Seed terminal velocity, wind turbulence, and demography drive the spread of an invasive tree in an analytical model, Ecology, 93, (2), 2012, p368 - 377, Journal Article, PUBLISHED
Buckley, Y. M. Ramula, S. Blomberg, S. P. Burns, J. H. Crone, E. E. Ehrlén, J. Knight, T. M. Pichancourt, J. B. Quested, H. Wardle, G. M., Causes and consequences of variation in plant population growth rate: a synthesis of matrix population models in a phylogenetic context, Ecology Letters, 13, (9), 2010, p1182 - 1197, Journal Article, PUBLISHED
Chadès, I. Martin, T. G. Nicol, S. Burgman, M. A. Possingham, H. P. Buckley, Y. M., General rules for managing and surveying networks of pests, diseases, and endangered species, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 108, (20), 2011, p8323 - 8328, Journal Article, PUBLISHED
Guisan, A. Tingley, R. Baumgartner, J. B. Naujokaitis-Lewis, I. Sutcliffe, P. R. Tulloch, A. I. T. Regan, T. J. Brotons, L. McDonald-Madden, E. Mantyka-Pringle, C. Martin, T. G. Rhodes, J. R. Maggini, R. Setterfield, S. A. Elith, J. Schwartz, M. W. Wintle, B. A. Broennimann, O. Austin, M. Ferrier, S. Kearney, M. R. Possingham, H. P. Buckley, Y. M., Predicting species distributions for conservation decisions, Ecology Letters, 16, (12), 2013, p1424 - 1435, Journal Article, PUBLISHED
Borer, E. T., E. W. Seabloom, D. S. Gruner, W. S. Harpole, H. Hillebrand, E. M. Lind, P. B. Adler, J. Alberti, T. M. Anderson, J. D. Bakker, L. Biederman, D. Blumenthal, C. S. Brown, L. A. Brudvig, Y. M. Buckley, M. Cadotte, C. Chu, E. E. Cleland, M. J. Crawley, P. Daleo, E. I. Damschen, K. F. Davies, N. M. DeCrappeo, G. Du, J. Firn, Y. Hautier, R. W. Heckman, A. Hector, J. HilleRisLambers, O. Iribarne, J. A. Klein, J. M. H. Knops, K. J. La Pierre, A. D. B. Leakey, W. Li, A. S. MacDougall, R. L. McCulley, B. A. Melbourne, C. E. Mitchell, J. L. Moore, B. Mortensen, L. R. O'Halloran, J. L. Orrock, J. Pascual, S. M. Prober, D. A. Pyke, A. C. Risch, M. Schuetz, M. D. Smith, C. J. Stevens, L. L. Sullivan, R. J. Williams, P. D. Wragg, J. P. Wright, and L. H. Yang., Herbivores and nutrients control grassland plant diversity via light limitation, Nature, 508, 2014, p517 - 520, Journal Article, PUBLISHED
Firn, J. Moore, J. L. MacDougall, A. S. Borer, E. T. Seabloom, E. W. HilleRisLambers, J. Harpole, W. S. Cleland, E. E. Brown, C. S. Knops, J. M. H. Prober, S. M. Pyke, D. A. Farrell, K. A. Bakker, J. D. O'Halloran, L. R. Adler, P. B. Collins, S. L. D'Antonio, C. M. Crawley, M. J. Wolkovich, E. M. La Pierre, K. J. Melbourne, B. A. Hautier, Y. Morgan, J. W. Leakey, A. D. B. Kay, A. McCulley, R. Davies, K. F. Stevens, C. J. Chu, C. J. Holl, K. D. Klein, J. A. Fay, P. A. Hagenah, N. Kirkman, K. P. Buckley, Y. M., Abundance of introduced species at home predicts abundance away in herbaceous communities, Ecology Letters, 14, (3), 2011, p274 - 281, Journal Article, PUBLISHED
Adler, P. B. Seabloom, E. W. Borer, E. T. Hillebrand, H. Hautier, Y. Hector, A. Stanley Harpole, W. O'Halloran, L. R. Grace, J. B. Michael Anderson, T. Bakker, J. D. Biederman, L. A. Brown, C. S. Buckley, Y. M. Calabrese, L. B. Chu, C. J. Cleland, E. E. Collins, S. L. Cottingham, K. L. Crawley, M. J. Damschen, E. I. Davies, K. F. DeCrappeo, N. M. Fay, P. A. Firn, J. Frater, P. Gasarch, E. I. Gruner, D. S. Hagenah, N. Lambers, J. H. R. Humphries, H. Jin, V. L. Kay, A. D. Kirkman, K. P. Klein, J. A. Knops, J. M. H. La Pierre, K. J. Lambrinos, J. G. Li, W. MacDougall, A. S. McCulley, R. L. Melbourne, B. A. Mitchell, C. E. Moore, J. L. Morgan, J. W. Mortensen, B. Orrock, J. L. Prober, S. M. Pyke, D. A. Risch, A. C. Schuetz, M. Smith, M. D. Stevens, C. J. Sullivan, L. L. Wang, G. Wragg, P. D. Wright, J. P. Yang, L. H., Productivity is a poor predictor of plant species richness, Science, 333, (6050), 2011, p1750 - 1753, Journal Article, PUBLISHED
Gorman CE, Torsney A, Gaughran A, McKeon C, Farrell C, White C, Donohue I, Stout J, Buckley YM, Reconciling climate action with the need for biodiversity protection, restoration and rehabilitation, Science of the Total Environment, 857, (1), 2023, p159316 , Journal Article, PUBLISHED  TARA - Full Text  URL
  

Page 1 of 16
Yvonne M. Buckley, How can spatial population dynamics help us predict and manage species response to global change?, International Biogoegraphy Society biennial meeting, Miami, Florida, 2013, International Biogeography Society, Notes: [Plenary symposium], Invited Talk, PRESENTED
Buckley, Y.M., Csergo, A.M., Predicting invasion winners and losers under climate change, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 114, (16), 2017, p4040-4041 , Journal Article, PUBLISHED
Buckley, Y.M., Unpredictable arms race in a jam jar, Nature Ecology and Evolution, 1, (1), 2017, Journal Article, PUBLISHED

  


Award Date
Irish Research Council Researcher of the Year Award 2021
President's medal British Ecological Society 2021
BES award 2022
ISI Highly Cited Researcher 2018
Irish Research Council Laureate 2018
Sir John Burnett medal, National Biodiversity Network UK 2017
Marie Curie fellowship: Career Integration Grant 2014
Australian Research Council Future Fellowship 2014 (declined)
Australian Research Council, Australian Research Fellowship 2007-2013
University of Queensland Foundation Research Excellence Award 2011
Queensland Our Women Our State Green award for promotion of careers in environmental sciences to women 2009
Women in Technology Biotech research award 2009
I lead a team of post-doctoral researchers, PhD and undergraduate research students seeking to understand the fundamental drivers of animal and plant population processes in a rapidly changing world. I use these discoveries to provide practical solutions in the areas of biodiversity conservation, invasive species management and habitat restoration. I use a wide range of tools and approaches that combine data collection in the lab, field or from the literature with cutting edge quantitative modelling techniques that enable analysis and prediction of responses of populations to underlying drivers and manipulations. I am a global leader in comparative plant population dynamics, invasive plant management and responses of populations to climate.