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School of Earth, Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences

Dr Clare H Robinson

Dr Clare H Robinson

Lecturer

NERC CASE PhD (University of Lancaster and CEH Merlewood, Cumbria) 1990, BSc (Hons) University of Exeter 1986

Room Number: G50 [Williamson Building]
Email: clare.robinson@manchester.ac.uk

 

Professional biography

Career: 2005 - present. Lecturer in Ecology, SEAES, University of Manchester. 1996 - 2005. Lecturer in Ecology, King’s College London (also October 2003 - March 2004 and June – August 2005 Visiting Researcher, Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley). 1993 - 1996. Postdoctoral Research Associate, Sheffield Centre for Arctic Ecology, Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield. 1990 - 1993. Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (CEH) Merlewood, Grange-over-Sands, Cumbria. 1990. NERC CASE PhD, University of Lancaster and CEH Merlewood, Cumbria. 1986. BSc (Hons) University of Exeter.

Professional activities

Academic invitations

International:

June 2008. Vice-chair of Panel 12 Science / Biogeosciences, Research Quality Evaluation for the Future RQ08, University of Lund, Sweden.

May 2008. Presentation for the Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, Alaska, USA.

February 2007. Presentation for ‘The Nature of Life Series’, Institute of Ecological Sciences, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. 

November 2005. Participant, International Conference on Arctic Research Planning II, Copenhagen, Denmark. 

January 2005. Participant, Arctic Soil Microbiology Network led by Professor J Schimel, University of California, Santa Barbara, USA, for International Polar Year 2007-2008.

September 2004; October 2008. Faculty Opponent (PhD) at the Department of Forest Mycology and Pathology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden.

May 2004. Participant, Circum-Arctic Terrestrial Biodiversity Initiative Workshop (sponsored by the International Arctic Science Committee), University of Uppsala, Sweden.

July 2003. Presentation ‘Does simulated N deposition affect saprotrophic fungal biodiversity at a high Arctic site?’ at the Mycological Society of America/British Mycological Society joint meeting ‘The Fungal Cell: Individuals to Ecosystems’, Asilomar, California, USA. 

March 2003. Presentation ‘Biodiversity of saprotrophic fungi in relation to their function: do fungi obey the rules?’, at the British Ecological Society Annual Symposium ‘Soil Biodiversity and Ecosystem Function’, University of Lancaster.

July 2001. External examiner (PhD) at the Department of Industrial Microbiology, University College Dublin, Eire.

February 2001. Participant, International Tundra Experiment Workshop (organised by the US National Science Foundation), University Center for Atmospheric Research, University of Colorado in Boulder, USA.

Editorships and reviewing:

2005 – present day. Co-editor, Fungal Biology Reviews.

2004 - 2007. Member of the NERC Peer Review College.

2000 - 2001. Co-editor, Tropical Mycology, the Millennium Symposium of the British Mycological Society, volumes 1 and 2, CABI, Wallingford, UK.

1997 - 2005. Subject Editor, Soil Biology and Biochemistry.

Reviewing of proposals for the National Science Foundation of the United States of America and The Netherlands Scientific Research Council, NWO.

Society membership:

1990 - present. Member of the British Mycological Society. 

1993 - present. Member of the British Ecological Society. 

1996 - present. Member of the North West Fungus Group.

2002 - present. Member of the Mycological Society of America.

Research links:

Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, USA

Macaulay Institute, Craigiebuckler, Aberdeen and Department of Plant and Soil Science, University of Aberdeen

Centre for Ecology & Hydrology

Research groups

Environmental Geochemistry and Geomicrobiology

Specific research interests

(1) Structure and function of fungal communities in soils and plant litter, (2) Ecology of Arctic soils, particularly fungi, (3) Techniques to characterise the structure and function of the soil microbial community

Teaching

Modules Taught

Publications

  • Ludley, K. E., Jickells, S. M., Chamberlain, P. M., Whitaker, J., Robinson, C. H. (2009) Distribution of monoterpenes between organic resources in upper soil horizons under monocultures of Picea abies, Picea sitchensis and Pinus sylvestris Soil Biology & Biochemistry 41(6), 1050-1059
  • Robinson, C. H., Szaro, T. M., Izzo, A. D., Anderson, I. C., Parkin, P. I., Bruns, T. D. (2009) Spatial distribution of fungal communities in a coastal grassland soil Soil Biology & Biochemistry 41(2), 414-416
  • Ludley, K. E., Robinson, C. H., Jickells, S., Chamberlain, P. M., Whitaker, J. (2009) Potential for monoterpenes to affect ectomycorrhizal and saprotrophic fungal activity in coniferous forests is revealed by novel experimental system Soil Biology & Biochemistry 41(1), 117-124
  • Ludley, K. E., Robinson, C. H. (2008) "Decomposer" Basidiomycota in Arctic and Antarctic ecosystems Soil Biology & Biochemistry 40(1), 11-29
  • Ludley, K. E., Robinson, C. H., Jickells, S., Chamberlain, P. M., Whitaker, J. (2008) Differential response of ectomycorrhizal and saprotrophic fungal mycelium from coniferous forest soils to selected monoterpenes Soil Biology & Biochemistry 40(3), 669-678
  • Madan, N. J., Deacon, L. J., Robinson, C. H. (2007) Greater nitrogen and/or phosphorus availability increase plant species' cover and diversity at a High Arctic polar semidesert Polar Biology 30(5), 559-570
  • Deacon, L. J., Pryce-Miller, E. J., Frankland, J. C., Bainbridge, B. W., Moore, P. D., Robinson, C. H. (2006) Diversity and function of decomposer fungi from a grassland soil Soil Biology & Biochemistry 38(1), 7-20
  • Walker, M. D., Wahren, C. H., Hollister, R. D., Henry, G. H. R., Ahlquist, L. E., Alatalo, J. M., Bret-Harte, M. S., Calef, M. P., Callaghan, T. V., Carroll, A. B., Epstein, H. E., Jonsdottir, I. S., Klein, J. A., Magnusson, B., Molau, U., Oberbauer, S. F., Rewa, S. P., Robinson, C. H., Shaver, G. R., Suding, K. N., Thompson, C. C., Tolvanen, A., Totland, O., Turner, P. L., Tweedie, C. E., Webber, P. J., Wookey, P. A. (2006) Plant community responses to experimental warming across the tundra biome Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 103(5), 1342-1346
  • Robinson, C. H., Pryce-Miller, E. J., Deacon, L. J., 2005. Biodiversity of saprotrophic fungi in relation to their function: do fungi obey the rules?. In:Soil Biodiversity and Ecosystem Function. Special Syposium of the British Ecological Society. Oxford: Blackwell Scientific Publications, 189-215.
  • Robinson, C. H., Saunders, P. W., Madan, N. J., Pryce-Miller, E. J., Pentecost, A. (2004) Does nitrogen deposition affect soil microfungal diversity and soil N and P dynamics in a high Arctic ecosystem? Global Change Biology 10(7), 1065-1079
  • Ghosh, A., Frankland, J. C., Thurston, C. F., Robinson, C. H. (2003) Enzyme production by Mycena galopus mycelium in artificial media and in Picea sitchensis F-1 horizon needle litter Mycological Research 107(), 996-1008
  • Robinson, C. H. (2002) Controls on decomposition and soil nitrogen availability at high latitudes Plant and Soil 242(1), 65-81
  • Robinson, C. H., Bruce, K. D., 2002. Natural microbial communities. In:Microbiology and Radioactivity. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1-35.
  • Watling, R., Frankland, J. C., Ainsworth, M., Isaac, S., Robinson, C. H., 2002. Tropical Mycology: Volume 1, Macromycetes. Wallingford, UK: CAB International
  • Watling, R., Frankland, J. C., Ainsworth, M., Isaac, S., Robinson, C. H., 2002. Tropical Mycology: Volume 2, Micromycetes. Wallingford, UK: CAB International
  • Rustad, L. E., Campbell, J. L., Marion, G. M., Norby, R. J., Mitchell, M. J., Hartley, A. E., Cornelissen, J. H. C., Gurevitch, J., Robinson, C. H. (2001) A meta-analysis of the response of soil respiration, net nitrogen mineralisation, and aboveground plant growth to experimental ecosystem warming Oecologia 126(), 543-562
  • Robinson, C. H. (2001) Cold adaptation in Arctic and Antarctic fungi New Phytologist 151(2), 341-353
  • Cornelissen, J. H. C., Callaghan, T. V., Alatalo, J. M., Michelsen, A., Graglia, E., Hartley, A. E., Hik, D. S., Hobbie, S. E., Press, M. C., Robinson, C. H., Henry, G. H. R., Shaver, G. R., Phoenix, G. K., Jones, D. G., Jonasson, S., Chapin, F. S., Molau, U., Neill, C., Lee, J. A., Melillo, J. M., Sveinbjornsson, B., Aerts, R. (2001) Global change and arctic ecosystems: is lichen decline a function of increases in vascular plant biomass? Journal of Ecology 89(6), 984-994
  • Robinson, C. H., Kirkham, J. B., Littlewood, R. (1999) Decomposition of root mixtures from high arctic plants: a microcosm study Soil Biology & Biochemistry 31(8), 1101-1108
  • Arft, A. M., Walker, M. D., Gurevitch, J., Alatalo, J. M., Bret-Harte, M. S., Dale, M., Diemer, M., Gugerli, F., Henry, G. H. R., Jones, M. H., Hollister, R. D., Jonsdottir, I. S., Laine, K., Levesque, E., Marion, G. M., Molau, U., Molgaard, P., Nordenhall, U., Raszhivin, V., Robinson, C. H., Starr, G., Stenstrom, A., Stenstrom, M., Totland, O., Turner, P. L., Walker, L. J., Webber, P. J., Welker, J. M., Wookey, P. A. (1999) Responses of tundra plants to experimental warming: Meta-analysis of the international tundra experiment Ecological Monographs 69(4), 491-511
  • Robinson, C. H., Fisher, P. J., Sutton, B. C. (1998) Fungal biodiversity in dead leaves of fertilized plants of Dryas octopetala from a high arctic site Mycological Research 102(), 573-576
  • Robinson, C. H., Wookey, P. A., Lee, J. A., Callaghan, T. V., Press, M. C. (1998) Plant community responses to simulated environmental change at a high arctic polar semi-desert Ecology 79(3), 856-866
  • Robinson, C. H., Michelsen, A., Lee, J. A., Whitehead, S. J., Callaghan, T. V., Press, M. C., Jonasson, S. (1997) Elevated atmospheric CO2 affects decomposition of Festuca vivipara (L) Sm litter and roots in experiments simulating environmental change in two contrasting arctic ecosystems Global Change Biology 3(1), 37-49
  • Wookey, P. A., Robinson, C. H., 1997. Interpreting environmental manipulation experiments in Arctic ecosystems: are 'disturbance' responses properly accounted for?. In:Disturbance and Recovery in Arctic Lands. Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers, 115-134.
  • Robinson, C. H., Wookey, P. A., 1997. Microbial ecology, decomposition and nutrient cycling in arctic environments. In:The Ecology of Arctic Environments. Special Symposium of the British Ecological Society. Oxford: Blackwell Scientific Publications, 41-68.
  • Welker, J. M., Molau, U., Parsons, A. N., Robinson, C. H., Wookey, P. A. (1997) Responses of Dryas octopetala to ITEX environmental manipulations: a synthesis with circumpolar comparisons Global Change Biology 3(), 61-73
  • Wookey, P. A., Robinson, C. H. (1997) Responsiveness and resilience of high Arctic ecosystems to environmental change Opera Botanica 132(), 215-232
  • Dighton, J., Jones, H. E., Robinson, C. H., Beckett, J. (1997) The role of abiotic factors, cultivation practices and soil fauna in the dispersal of genetically modified microorganisms in soils Applied Soil Ecology 5(2), 109-131
  • Robinson, C. H., Ineson, P., Piearce, T. G., Parrington, J. (1996) Effects of earthworms on cation and phosphate mobilisation in limed peat soils under Picea sitchensis Forest Ecology and Management 86(1-3), 253-258
  • Robinson, C. H., Borisova, O. B., Callaghan, T. V., Lee, J. A. (1996) Fungal hyphal length in litter of Dryas octopetala in a high-Arctic polar semi desert, Svalbard Polar Biology 16(1), 71-74
  • Halley, J. M., Robinson, C. H., Comins, H. N., Dighton, J. (1996) Predicting straw decomposition by a four-species fungal community: a cellular automaton model Journal of Applied Ecology 33(), 493-507
  • Wookey, P. A., Robinson, C. H., Parsons, A. N., Welker, J. M., Press, M. C., Callaghan, T. V., Lee, J. A. (1995) Environmental Constraints on the Growth, Photosynthesis and Reproductive Development of Dryas-Octopetala at a High Arctic Polar Semidesert, Svalbard Oecologia 102(4), 478-489
  • Parsons, A. N., Press, M. C., Wookey, P. A., Welker, J. M., Robinson, C. H., Callaghan, T. V., Lee, J. A. (1995) Growth-Responses of Calamagrostis-Lapponica to Simulated Environmental-Change in the Sub-Arctic Oikos 72(1), 61-66
  • Robinson, C. H., Wookey, P. A., Parsons, A. N., Potter, J. A., Callaghan, T. V., Lee, J. A., Press, M. C., Welker, J. M. (1995) Responses of plant litter decomposition and nitrogen mineralisation to simulated environmental change in a high arctic polar semi-desert and a subarctic dwarf shrub heath Oikos 74(3), 503-512
  • Gehrke, C., Johanson, U., Callaghan, T. V., Chadwick, D., Robinson, C. H. (1995) The Impact of Enhanced Ultraviolet-B Radiation on Litter Quality and Decomposition Processes in Vaccinium Leaves from the Sub-Arctic Oikos 72(2), 213-222
  • Howard, P. J. A., Robinson, C. H. (1995) The use of correspondence analysis in studies of successions of soil organisms Pedobiologia 39(6), 518-527
  • Robinson, C. H., Dighton, J., Frankland, J. C., Roberts, J. D. (1994) Fungal Communities on Decaying Wheat-Straw of Different Resource Qualities Soil Biology & Biochemistry 26(8), 1053-1058
  • Robinson, C. H., Dighton, J., Frankland, J. C., Coward, P. A. (1993) Nutrient and Carbon-Dioxide Release by Interacting Species of Straw-Decomposing Fungi Plant and Soil 151(1), 139-142
  • Robinson, C. H., Dighton, J., Frankland, J. C. (1993) Resource Capture by Interacting Fungal Colonizers of Straw Mycological Research 97(), 547-558
  • Robinson, C. H., Piearce, T. G., Ineson, P., Dickson, D. A., Nys, C. (1992) Earthworm Communities of Limed Coniferous Soils - Field Observations and Implications for Forest Management Forest Ecology and Management 55(1-4), 117-134
  • Robinson, C. H., Ineson, P., Piearce, T. G., Rowland, A. P. (1992) Nitrogen Mobilization by Earthworms in Limed Peat Soils under Picea-Sitchensis Journal of Applied Ecology 29(1), 226-237
  • Robinson, C. H., Piearce, T. G., Ineson, P. (1991) Burrowing and Soil Consumption by Earthworms in Limed and Unlimed Soils from Picea-Sitchensis Plantations Pedobiologia 35(6), 360-367

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