Dr Simon Butler
| Job Title | Contact | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Lecturer |
Simon dot J dot Butler at uea dot ac dot uk
Tel: +44 (0)1603 59 2237 |
Biology 01.23 |
Career
- NERC Fellow, University of East Anglia (2011 – present)
- BBSRC Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of Reading (2008-2011)
- Research Fellow, University of Reading (2006-2008)
- Research Biologist, RSPB (2004-2006)
- DPhil – Conservation Ecology, University of Oxford (2004)
- MRes – Ecology & Environmental Management, University of York (2001)
- BSc – Zoology, University of Nottingham (1998)
Key Research Interests
Current Research Projects
- Quantifying functional space requirements to improve the targeted delivery of conservation management
- Sensitivity assessment of European forest birds as biodiversity indicators
- The ecology of Hispaniolan solenodon and Hispaniolan hutia in agricultural and native forest systems in the Dominican Republic (Co-supervising PhD project, University of Reading)
- The benefits of agri-environmental management: insights from the wider countryside (Co-supervising PhD project, University of Reading)
- Assessing changes in land-use on the nest-site selection, population dynamics and feeding ecology of the little owl in Britain (Co-supervising PhD project, University of Reading)
- Changes in UK wild bird populations and their cultural values (Co-supervising PhD project, University of Reading)
Life in our Research Group
Our research focuses on the links between land-use change, resource availability and population dynamics. We currently work with national and international conservation NGOs on a range of study systems in the UK, Europe and further afield and would be interested in discussing potential collaborative projects with conservation organisations. The group is part of the Organisms and Environment Research theme, the Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Conservation (CEEC) and has links with the School of Environmental Sciences and the wider Norwich Research Park. Each of these organizations runs seminar programs and social events and group members are encouraged to attend and present at national and international conferences.PhD Positions
Please email me to discuss PhD opportunities and projects within the School of Biological Sciences.Postdocs & Fellows
I am always happy to discuss possibilities for post-doctoral research projects, collaborations and funding applications.Teaching Activities
- Maths and Statistics for Biologists (BIO-1A6Y)
- Biodiversity Conservation and Human Society (ENV-3A17; MA17)
- Supervision of MSc Applied Ecology & Conservation dissertation projects
Article
Butler, SJ and Norris, K (2013) Functional space and the population dynamics of birds in agro-ecosystems. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 164. pp. 200-208. ISSN 01678809
Howard, DC, Burgess, PJ, Butler, S, Carver, SJ, Cockerill, T, Coleby, AM, Gan, G, Goodier, CJ, Van der Horst, D, Hubacek, K, Lord, R, Mead, A, Rivas-Casado, M, Wadsworth, RA and Scholefield, P (2013) Energyscapes: Linking the energy system and ecosystem services in real landscapes. Biomass and Bioenergy. ISSN 09619534 (In Press)
Butler, S, Freckleton, RP, Renwick, AR and Norris, K (2012) An objective, niche-based approach to indicator species selection. Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 3 (2). pp. 317-326. ISSN 2041210X
Scholefield, P, Firbank, L, Butler, SJ, Norris, K, Jones, LM and Petit, S (2011) Modelling the European Farmland Bird Indicator in response to forecast land-use change in Europe. Ecological Indicators, 11 (1). pp. 46-51. ISSN 1470160X
Butler, SJ, Boccaccio, L, Gregory, RD, Vorisek, P and Norris, K (2010) Quantifying the impact of land-use change to European farmland bird populations. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 137 (3-4). pp. 348-357. ISSN 01678809
Butler, SJ, Mattison, EHA, Glithero, NJ, Robinson, LJ, Atkinson, PW, Gillings, S, Vickery, JA and Norris, K (2010) Resource availability and the persistence of seed-eating bird populations in agricultural landscapes : a mechanistic modelling approach. Journal of Applied Ecology, 47 (1). pp. 67-75. ISSN 00218901
Amar, A, Smith, KW, Butler, SJ, Lindsell, JA, Hewson, CM, Fuller, RJ and Charman, EC (2010) Recent patterns of change in vegetation structure and tree composition of British broadleaved woodland: evidence from large-scale surveys. Forestry, 83 (4). pp. 345-356. ISSN 0015-752X
Butler, SJ, Brooks, D, Feber, RE, Storkey, J, Vickery, JA and Norris, K (2009) A cross-taxonomic index for quantifying the health of farmland biodiversity. Journal of Applied Ecology, 46 (6). pp. 1154-1162. ISSN 00218901
Butler, SJ, Benton, TG, Nicoll, MAC, Jones, CG and Norris, K (2009) Indirect population dynamic benefits of altered life‐history trade‐offs in response to egg harvesting. The American Naturalist, 174 (1). pp. 111-121. ISSN 0003-0147
Cresswell, W, Butler, SJ, Whittingham, MJ and Quinn, JL (2009) Very short delays prior to escape from potential predators may function efficiently as adaptive risk-assessment periods. Behaviour, 146 (6). pp. 795-813. ISSN 00057959
Hewson, CM, Amar, A, Lindsell, JA, Thewlis, RM, Butler, SJ, Smith, K and Fuller, RJ (2007) Recent changes in bird populations in British broadleaved woodland. Ibis, 149 (s2). pp. 14-28. ISSN 00191019
Butler, SJ, Vickery, JA and Norris, K (2007) Farmland biodiversity and the footprint of agriculture. Science, 315 (5810). pp. 381-384. ISSN 0036-8075
Quinn, JL, Whittingham, MJ, Butler, SJ and Cresswell, W (2006) Noise, predation risk compensation and vigilance in the chaffinch Fringilla coelebs. Journal of Avian Biology, 37 (6). pp. 601-608. ISSN 0908-8857
Butler, SJ, Whittingham, MJ, Quinn, JL and Cresswell, W (2006) Time in captivity, individual differences and foraging behaviour in wild-caught chaffinches. Behaviour, 143 (4). pp. 535-548. ISSN 00057959
Butler, SJ, Bradbury, RB and Whittingham, MJ (2005) Stubble height affects the use of stubble fields by farmland birds. Journal of Applied Ecology, 42 (3). pp. 469-476. ISSN 00218901
Butler, SJ, Whittingham, MJ, Quinn, JL and Cresswell, W (2005) Quantifying the interaction between food density and habitat structure in determining patch selection. Animal Behaviour, 69 (2). pp. 337-343. ISSN 00033472
Butler, SJ and Gillings, S (2004) Quantifying the effects of habitat structure on prey detectability and accessibility to farmland birds. Ibis, 146 (s2). pp. 123-130. ISSN 00191019
Whittingham, MJ, Butler, SJ, Quinn, JL and Cresswell, W (2004) The effect of limited visibility on vigilance behaviour and speed of predator detection: implications for the conservation of granivorous passerines. Oikos, 106 (2). pp. 377-385. ISSN 00301299
Cresswell, W, Quinn, JL, Whittingham, MJ and Butler, SJ (2003) Good foragers can also be good at detecting predators. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 270 (1519). pp. 1069-1076. ISSN 0962-8452
External Activities and Indicators of Esteem
- Associate editor, Journal of Animal Ecology
- Associate editor, Ibis
- Committee Member, British Ecological Society Agri-Ecology Specialist Interest Group
