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Alexander Pigot

Details

Name: Dr. Alexander Pigot
Position: Postdoctoral researcher
Email: alex.pigot@zoo.ox.ac.uk

Autobiography

I obtained my BSc in Geography at University College London before moving to the Biology department at Silwood Park (Imperial College) to do an MRes and then a PhD under the supervision of Ian Owens and David Orme. During my PhD, I investigated the structure and evolution of geographic ranges in birds and the effects of range dynamics on patterns of species diversification. In April 2011 I joined the EGI as a postdoctoral researcher.

Research Activities

I have broad interests in evolutionary ecology, but the central question than intrigues me is why species diversity varies so dramatically between different groups of organisms and across space? During my PhD I focussed on the role that geographical processes may play in generating these patterns. I found that much of the variation in species richness amongst clades of birds and through time can be explained simply by the dynamics of species’ ranges and how these influence the geographical opportunity for speciation. Another key theme of my research is how to predict the future changes in geographic ranges under climate change. To this end, I have developed simulation approaches to model the distribution of bird species across environmental gradients. With Nathalie Seddon and Joe Tobias I am now extending this work to investigate the role of biotic interactions, and in particular competition, in limiting avian geographic ranges.

Selected Papers

Pigot AL, Owens IPF, Orme CDL (2010) The environmental limits to geographic range expansion in birds. Ecology Letters 13: 705-715. | Read abstract/paper online

Pigot AL, Phillimore AB, Owens I, Orme CDL (2010) The shape and temporal dynamics of phylogenetic trees arising from geographic speciation. Systematic Biology59: 660-673. | Read abstract/paper online

Pigot, A.L., Leather, S.R. (2008) Invertebrate predators drive distance-dependent patterns of seedling mortality in a temperate tree Acer pseudoplatanus. Oikos 117: 521-530. | Read abstract/paper online

Reinecke, M. K. Pigot, A.L. and King, J. M. (2008) Spontaneous succession of riparian fynbos: Is unassisted recovery a viable restoration strategy? South African Journal of Botany74: 412-420. | Read abstract/paper online

Download complete list of publications in PDF format