Overview
I am conducting research into the potential for microenvironment to mitigate the projected anthropogenic climate change impacts on biodiversity hotspots using fine-scale data with modelling packages developed by my research group (Microclim). I hope to demonstrate that the integration of microenvironment into projection modelling improves/alters vulnerability assessments of endemic species under climate change scenarios. Thus, we can identify critical areas for the conservation or restoration of hotspot habitat. I am supervised by Dr. Ilya Maclean and Dr. Regan Early
My broad research interests involve the application of conservation management and planning strategies in hyper diverse regions for current and future anthropogenic stresses like human-induced climate breakdown and land-use change. I previously completed a Masters degree in Biodiversity and Conservation at the University of Exeter’s Cornwall Campus, and conducted research investigating cumulative anthropogenic threats to marine megafauna in Equatorial Guinea; with focus on Marine Protected Area planning for the region.
Qualifications
2012 - 2016 University of Bath: Architecture (BSc Hons)
2017 - 2018 University of Exeter: Conservation & Biodiversity (MSc)
Publications
Journal articles
Trew BT, Early R, Duffy JP, Chown SL, Maclean I (2022). Using near-ground leaf temperatures alters the projected climate change impacts on the historical range of a floristic biodiversity hotspot.
DIVERSITY AND DISTRIBUTIONS,
28(6), 1282-1297.
Author URL.
Trew BT, Maclean IMD (2021). Vulnerability of global biodiversity hotspots to climate change.
Global Ecology and Biogeography,
30(4), 768-783.
Abstract:
Vulnerability of global biodiversity hotspots to climate change
AbstractMotivationMore than half of Earth's species are contained in a mere 1.4% of its land area, but the climates of many of these biodiversity hotspots are projected to disappear as a consequence of anthropogenic climate change. There is growing recognition that spatio‐temporal patterns of climate in biodiversity hotspots have shaped biological diversity over a variety of historical time‐scales, yet these patterns are rarely taken into account in assessments of the vulnerability of biodiversity hotspots to future climate change. In our review, we synthesize the climatic processes that have led to the diversification of hotspots and interpret what this means in the context of anthropogenic climate change. We demonstrate the importance of mesoclimatic processes and fine‐scale topographical heterogeneity, in combination with climatic variability, in driving speciation processes and maintaining high levels of diversity. We outline why these features of hotspots are crucial to understanding the impacts of anthropogenic climate change and discuss how recent advances in predictive modelling enable vulnerability to be understood better.LocationGlobal.Main conclusionsWe contend that many, although not all, biodiversity hotspots have climate and landscape characteristics that create fine‐scale spatial variability in climate, which potentially buffers them from climatic changes. Temporally, many hotspots have also experienced stable climates through evolutionary time, making them particularly vulnerable to future changes. Others have experienced more variable climates, which is likely to provide resilience to future changes. Thus, in order to identify risk for global biodiversity, we need to consider carefully the influence of spatio‐temporal variability in climate. However, most vulnerability assessments in biodiversity hotspots are still reliant on climate data with coarse spatial and temporal resolution. Higher‐resolution forecasts that account for spatio‐temporal variability in climate and account better for the physiological responses of organisms to this variability are much needed to inform future conservation strategies.
Abstract.
Trew BT, Grantham HS, Barrientos C, Collins T, Doherty PD, Formia A, Godley BJ, Maxwell SM, Parnell RJ, Pikesley SK, et al (2019). Using Cumulative Impact Mapping to Prioritize Marine Conservation Efforts in Equatorial Guinea. Frontiers in Marine Science, 6
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Supervision / Group
Postgraduate researchers