Dr Rob Thomas

(he/him)

D.Phil.

Publication

• Date
• Type

Research

Projects

Climate change biology

What are the biological impacts of climate change? My research group is investigating the effects of climate on individuals, populations and ecological processes - particularly how such effects may be mediated by the behaviour of individual animals. Our current work in this field focuses on major study systems that use migratory birds as sensitive bio-indicators of climate-driven changes in trophic relationships.

Effects of climate changes on trophic relationships in marine ecosystems

The body mass regulation behaviour of the smallest Atlantic seabird (the European storm petrel) changes between years in response to climate-driven changes in sea temperatures. Together with Renata Medeiros and collaborators, we coordinate a long-term monitoring project investigating how these changes are mediated by changes in the marine food webs on which storm petrels rely.

The speciation of the band-rumped storm petrel "super-species" is the first documented example of sympatric speciation in a bird (and indeed in any tetrapod). Renata Medeiros, Hannah Hereward, Annalea Beard and collaborators are investigating how diet and foraging ecology varies between sibling-species breeding in different seasons and locations and years, with the aim of understanding how foraging traits are linked to speciation events.

Effects of climate changes on migrant birds

Migration is one of the major challenges to survival faced by many animals, and the availability of food and other resources along the migration route is of critical importance to successfully completing the journey. Furthermore, climate may impact individuals in different ways in different parts of the annual cycle (breeding grounds, migration stopover sites and wintering areas). Together with Adam Seward, James Vafidis, Rich Facey, Jez Smith, Mike Shewring, Sarah Davies and collaborators, we combine observational studies in the field, lab and field mesocosm experiments, experimental manipulations of food availability and analyses of long-term climate and bird ringing databases, to examine the effects of climate changes on breeding behaviour, reproductive success, migration decisions, wintering ecology and annual survival of migrant songbirds. The species studied to date are primarily northern wheatears and various species of reedbed warblers, with a new project on barn swallows now underway. This work is carried out at breeding locations (Wales for warblers, flycatcher, swallows and nightjars, Shetland and Greenland for wheatears), migration stopovers (Portugal and Shetland) and wintering areas (Senegal).

Sensory constraints on behaviour

How do animals decide when to be active? My research collaboration with Alex Pollard, Rhian Newman and others focuses on the role of eye design and visual constraints in an animal's behavioural decisions, particularly under varying light levels at twilight and at night. Specific projects have examined eye size and the timing of singing (in songbirds) and foraging (in shorebirds), as well as aviary and field studies of the impacts of light pollution, using night-singing in European robins and activity of aquatic organisms as case-studies.

Dietary wariness and foraging ecology

When a forager encounters an unfamiliar object, it must decide whether to eat it and risk being poisoned (if it is toxic) or avoid it and risk missing out on a valuable food source (if it is palatable). Foragers generally show brief aversions to novel objects (neophobia) but some individuals also show a much more persistent aversion to eating novel foods (dietary conservatism), which can last for weeks or even years. In collaboration with Nicola Marples, Jo Cable and others, we investigate the function, control and evolutionary consequences of these aspects of dietary wariness, in a range of taxonomic groups –primarily birds and fish. Related to this, I am also interested in the foraging decisions underlying the strategic regulation of energy reserves in foraging birds, over minutes, days, seasons and years.

Impacts of human activities on wild animals

Large numbers of wild animals are captured, handled, often marked for individual identification, and released in the course of scientific research and conservation monitoring programmes. Surprisingly, little is known about the effects of capture and handling on the animals themselves. We are investigating the impact of capture and handling on the body mass regulation and foraging behaviour of animals throughout the annual cycle, and on breeding behaviour and fitness parameters. This work has implications for the design and implementation of ethical field studies on wild animals. Other studies of human impacts include evaluating and minimising the impacts of eco-tourism, and monitoring habitat use and foraging ecology of birds and other animals, in areas earmarked for –or currently undergoing- development.

Teaching

PhD

• PhD student supervision (see "supervision" tab)
• PhD assessor / examiner
• Data analysis training (see below)

MSc

• Data Science (module leader)
• Survey methods: Ornithology
• Personal tutor
• MSc project supervisor

MBiol / MRes

• Project supervisor
• Research methods: Ornithology

Final year

• Conservation Biology
• Global Change Biology
• Final-year project supervision

Professional Training Year (PTY)

I provide a substantial contribution to Cardiff School of Biosciences work-placement programme for undergraduates, normally supervising 2-3 PTY students per year as Cardiff University academic supervisor, plus 1-3 placements per year as Eco-explore co-director.

Second year

• Animal Diversity & Adaptation
• Brain & Behaviour (assessment leader)

Field courses

• Ecological Survey Methods (at Parc Slip Nature Reserves, South Wales)
• Storm-petrels in Portugal annual student project, in association with A Rocha Portugal and funded by the Welsh Government's "Taith" student-mobility scheme.

First year

• Animal Behaviour
• Sexual selection
• Ecological survey methods

Data analysis and statistics

I run regular courses in Data Analysis through the year. for staff and students, including courses for PhD students (NERC GW4+ DTP), the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), and the annual Student Conference for Conservation Science (SCCS) at Cambridge University.

General teaching / learning activities

• Various activities relevant to the Zoology and Biological Sciences degree schemes, including supporting the Cardiff University Ornithological Scociety ("Bird Club"), and the Wildlife and Conservation Society ("Wildsoc")
• Personal tutor

Biography

Positions and responsibilities

• Co-Director of Eco-explore Community Interest Company.
• Council Member of the Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour (ASAB, 2009-2016).
• Education Secretary of the Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour (2011-2016).
• Member of the Ethics Committee of the Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour (2006-2013, acting Secretary 2007, 2009).
• Member of the Cardiff University Ethics Committee covering non-ASPA research (2019-present).
• Trustee of the Initiative for Nature Conservation Cymru (INCC; 2023-present)

Supervisions

Current PhD students

• Lucy Rowley: Genetics of reintroduced eagles.
• Paul Robinson: Habitat selection and conservation of birds in West Africa.
• Ed Drewitt (University of Bristol): Prey selection of urban-living Peregrine Falcons https://www.eddrewitt.co.uk/
• Sarah Morgan: Parasite communities of seabird communities. Sarah is also the Visitor Officer for Flatholm Island.
• Amanda Wilson: Ecology of small sympatric felids in oil palm-dominated landscape of the Lower Kniabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary.
• Ben Porter: Impacts of marine industries on European Storm-petrels in the Faroe Islands. https://www.benporterwildlife.co.uk/ 

Associated Researchers

Stephen Davison

Education:BSc (Hons.) Leeds University. MSc Salford University. MBA Open University. BA (Hons.) University of Wales Lampeter.

Research Interests: Bats, in particular the ecological aspects of the woodland bats of South East Wales.

Publications:

Stephen P. Davison & Robert J. Thomas.  2017. Apparent Spring Swarming Behaviour of Lesser Horseshoe Bats (Rhinolophus hipposideros). Journal of Bat Research and Conservation 10 (1).

Stephen Davison 2021. Lunar Phobia in British Swarming Bats.  British Island Bats vol 2 P174 – 185.

Thomas, R. J. and Davison, S. P. 2022. Seasonal swarming behavior of Myotis bats revealed by integrated monitoring, involving passive acoustic monitoring with automated analysis, trapping, and video monitoring. Ecology and Evolution12(9), article number: e9344. (10.1002/ece3.9344)

Dr. Ashoka Ranjeewa

Research webpage: https://www.wilsonperformancelab.com/ashoka-ranjeewa

Publications:

Ranjeewa, A.D.G., Thomas, R.J., Weerakoon, D.K., Sandanayake, G.H.N.A. and Fernando, P., 2024. How did the elephant cross the fence? Electric fence crossing by elephants in Udawalawe, Sri Lanka. Animal Conservation, available here.

Ranjeewa A. D. G., Pastorini J., Isler K., Weerakoon D. K., Kottage H. D., Fernando P.; Decreasing reservoir water levels improve habitat quality for Asian elephants. (Preparing the manuscript)

Ranjeewa A. D. G., Tharanga Y. J. S., Sandanayake G. H. N. A., Perera B. V., & Fernando P. (2015) Camera traps unveil the enigmatic crop raiders in Udawalawe, Sri Lanka. Gajah 42, 7-14.

Ranaweera E., Ranjeewa A. D. G., Koun Sugimoto (2015). Tourism induced disturbance on wildlife in protected areas; A case study of free ranging elephants in Sri Lanka. Global Ecology and Conservation, 4, 625–631.

de Silva S., Ranjeewa A. D. G., Weerakon D. K. (2011) Demography of Asian elephants (Elephasmaximus) at Udawalawe national park, Sri Lanka, based on identified individuals. Biological Conservation, 144, 1742-1752.

de Silva S., Ranjeewa A. D. G., & Kryazhimskiy S. (2011) The dynamics of social networks among female Asian elephants. BMC Ecology, 11, 17.

Nils Bouillard

Nils offers a range of services in bat research, training and consultancy: https://www.batacoustics.com/

Current supervision

Lucy Rowley

Annalea Beard

Paul Robinson

Elisa Panjang

Amanda Wilson

Sarah Morgan

Ben Porter Porter

Alys Perry

Past projects

• Hannah Meinerzhagen (University of Exeter, Falmouth Campus): effects of wind on seabird flight and distribution: Implications for assessing impact of offshore wind farms https://www.exeter.ac.uk/esi/people/profile/index.php?web_id=HMeinertzhagen
• Emma Inzani (University of Exeter, Falmouth Campus): Behavioural ecology of urban gulls https://www.researchgate.net/scientific-contributions/Emma-Inzani-2096384511
• Elisa Panjang: Conservation of Pangolins in Borneo.
• Annalea Beard: Conservation Biology of the St Helena Storm Petrels and Red-tailed Tropic-birds https://www.linkedin.com/in/annalea-beard-94b5655a