Oliver L. Phillips

Bio: Oliver L. Phillips is an academic researcher from University of Leeds. The author has contributed to research in topics: Biodiversity & Amazon rainforest. The author has an hindex of 98, co-authored 336 publications receiving 50569 citations. Previous affiliations of Oliver L. Phillips include University of York & University of Brasília.

Dynamics and multi-annual fate of atmospherically deposited nitrogen in montane tropical forests

Abstract: The effects of nitrogen (N) deposition on forests largely depend on its fate after entering the ecosystem. While several studies have addressed the forest fate of N deposition using 15 N tracers, the long-term fate and redistribution of deposited N in tropical forests remains unknown. Here, we applied 15 N tracers to examine the fates of deposited ammonium (NH4 + ) and nitrate (NO3 - ) separately over three years in a primary and a secondary tropical montane forest in southern China. Three months after 15 N tracer addition, over 60% of 15 N was retained in the studied forests. Total ecosystem retention did not change over the study period, but between three months and three years following deposition 15 N recovery in plants increased from 10% to 19% and 13% to 22% in the primary and secondary forest, respectively, while 15 N recovery in the organic soil declined from 16% to 2% and 9% to 2%. Mineral soil retained 50% and 35% of 15 N in the primary and secondary forests, with retention being stable over time. The total ecosystem retention of the two N forms did not differ significantly, but plants retained more 15 NO3 - than 15 NH4 + and the organic soil more 15 NH4 + than 15 NO3 - . Mineral soil did not differ in 15 NH4 + and 15 NO3 - retention. Compared to temperate forests, proportionally more 15 N was distributed to mineral soil and plants in these tropical forests. Overall, our results suggest that atmospherically deposited NH4 + and NO3 - is rapidly lost in the short-term (months) but thereafter securely retained within the ecosystem, with retained N becoming redistributed to plants and mineral soil from the organic soil. This long-term N retention may benefit tropical montane forest growth and enhance ecosystem carbon sequestration.

Reconciling the contribution of environmental and stochastic structuring of tropical forest diversity through the lens of imaging spectroscopy

Abstract: Data Availability Statement:: Airborne data are available via the CEDA archive (project code MA14/21); plot data is archived on forestplots (Lopez‐Gonzalez et al., 2011) (codes SEP‐03, 04, 05, 07, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12) and from the Figshare Repository: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.8427998.v1. Acknowledgements: We are grateful to the Sabah Forestry Department and the Sabah Biodiversity Centre for allowing us to conduct our research in Sepilok as well as to the South East Asia Rainforest Research Partnership for the logistical support. This work was supported by a grant through the Human Modified Tropical Forests programme of NERC (NE/K016377/1) as well as a Cambridge NERC-DTP studentship. Resurvey of the field plots was supported by an ERC Advanced Grant (291585, T-FORCES) awarded to O.L.P. S.E.D.T was supported by the Joint Imperial-NUS PhD Scholarship. J.R. was supported by fellowships from the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) (NE/I021179, NE/L011611/1). We thank members of the NERC Airborne Research Facility and Data Analysis Node for the collection and processing of the data (project code MA14/21). Data processing was aided by the NERCs JASMIN computing cluster and the Imperial College London computing facilities. We would also like to thank Felix May for his advice during the early stages of this study. The quality of this manuscript was greatly improved by the comments of Gabriel Arellano and two other anonymous Reviewers.

Water table depth modulates productivity and biomass across Amazonian forests

Abstract: Aim Water availability is the major driver of tropical forest structure and dynamics. Most research has focused on the impacts of climatic water availability, whereas remarkably little is known about the influence of water table depth and excess soil water on forest processes. Nevertheless, given that plants take up water from the soil, the impacts of climatic water supply on plants are likely to be modulated by soil water conditions. Location Lowland Amazonian forests. Time period 1971–2019. Methods We used 344 long-term inventory plots distributed across Amazonia to analyse the effects of long-term climatic and edaphic water supply on forest functioning. We modelled forest structure and dynamics as a function of climatic, soil-water and edaphic properties. Results Water supplied by both precipitation and groundwater affects forest structure and dynamics, but in different ways. Forests with a shallow water table (depth <5 m) had 18% less above-ground woody productivity and 23% less biomass stock than forests with a deep water table. Forests in drier climates (maximum cumulative water deficit < −160 mm) had 21% less productivity and 24% less biomass than those in wetter climates. Productivity was affected by the interaction between climatic water deficit and water table depth. On average, in drier climates the forests with a shallow water table had lower productivity than those with a deep water table, with this difference decreasing within wet climates, where lower productivity was confined to a very shallow water table. Main conclusions We show that the two extremes of water availability (excess and deficit) both reduce productivity in Amazon upland (terra-firme) forests. Biomass and productivity across Amazonia respond not simply to regional climate, but rather to its interaction with water table conditions, exhibiting high local differentiation. Our study disentangles the relative contribution of those factors, helping to improve understanding of the functioning of tropical ecosystems and how they are likely to respond to climate change.

疟原虫var基因转换速率变化导致抗原变异[英]／Paul H, Robert P, Christodoulou Z, et al//Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A

Abstract: 抗原变异可使得多种致病微生物易于逃避宿主免疫应答。表达在感染红细胞表面的恶性疟原虫红细胞表面蛋白1（PfPMP1）与感染红细胞、内皮细胞、树突状细胞以及胎盘的单个或多个受体作用，在黏附及免疫逃避中起关键的作用。每个单倍体基因组var基因家族编码约60种成员，通过启动转录不同的var基因变异体为抗原变异提供了分子基础。

The Theory of Island Biogeography

Abstract: Preface to the Princeton Landmarks in Biology Edition vii Preface xi Symbols Used xiii 1. The Importance of Islands 3 2. Area and Number of Speicies 8 3. Further Explanations of the Area-Diversity Pattern 19 4. The Strategy of Colonization 68 5. Invasibility and the Variable Niche 94 6. Stepping Stones and Biotic Exchange 123 7. Evolutionary Changes Following Colonization 145 8. Prospect 181 Glossary 185 References 193 Index 201

Novel methods improve prediction of species' distributions from occurrence data

Abstract: Prediction of species' distributions is central to diverse applications in ecology, evolution and conservation science. There is increasing electronic access to vast sets of occurrence records in museums and herbaria, yet little effective guidance on how best to use this information in the context of numerous approaches for modelling distributions. To meet this need, we compared 16 modelling methods over 226 species from 6 regions of the world, creating the most comprehensive set of model comparisons to date. We used presence-only data to fit models, and independent presence-absence data to evaluate the predictions. Along with well-established modelling methods such as generalised additive models and GARP and BIOCLIM, we explored methods that either have been developed recently or have rarely been applied to modelling species' distributions. These include machine-learning methods and community models, both of which have features that may make them particularly well suited to noisy or sparse information, as is typical of species' occurrence data. Presence-only data were effective for modelling species' distributions for many species and regions. The novel methods consistently outperformed more established methods. The results of our analysis are promising for the use of data from museums and herbaria, especially as methods suited to the noise inherent in such data improve.

Planetary boundaries: Guiding human development on a changing planet

Abstract: The planetary boundaries framework defines a safe operating space for humanity based on the intrinsic biophysical processes that regulate the stability of the Earth system. Here, we revise and update the planetary boundary framework, with a focus on the underpinning biophysical science, based on targeted input from expert research communities and on more general scientific advances over the past 5 years. Several of the boundaries now have a two-tier approach, reflecting the importance of cross-scale interactions and the regional-level heterogeneity of the processes that underpin the boundaries. Two core boundaries—climate change and biosphere integrity—have been identified, each of which has the potential on its own to drive the Earth system into a new state should they be substantially and persistently transgressed.