United Kingdom
I am a Biologist passioanate about science writing and science communication.
I have extensive experience writing academic publications for peer-reviewed scientific as well scientific texts accessible to non-scientific audiences.
Science outreach
Since the beginning of industrialisation in the 18th century humans have been burning fossil fuels and releasing large quantities of greenhouse gases* into the atmosphere. These gases have saturated the natural cycles that maintain a stable atmospheric composition, leading to an over-accumulation of greenhouse gases.
This activity can be adapted for students in 4th - 9th grade. Part 1: Students will answer the question "How does light affect germination and growth?" This part consists of an experiment in which students will keep fava bean plants in two treatments: light and darkness.
Our vision is responsible for perceiving colours and shapes in our environment. This is possible because of a special type of cells present in the eye retina* named cone cells. These cells contain pigments that absorb light at different wavelengths of the luminous spectrum. In simple terms, these pigments can sense different colours.
The coconut palm, Cocos nucifera, is a tropical plant that produces coconuts as a way of reproduction and dispersion towards new areas. Coconuts have the peculiarity of being able to float in sea water. This ability allows coconuts to reach surrounding areas and islands where they germinate and grow into new palms.The coconut palm is a common...
When spring arrives, plants start to sprout and soon delight us with their colourful flowers and pleasant scents. But how do plants know that it is time to bloom? Plants have a biological clock, also known as the circadian clock, which coordinates key physiological processes that occur throughout the day and through the seasons.
Ants are fascinating social insects with recognised farming abilities. This has recently been shown in the interaction between the ant species Camponotus compressus and the gram blue lycaenid* butterfly Euchrysops cnejus while coexisting on the cowpea plant Vigna unguiculate. Upon detection of butterfly larvae*, ants construct a shelter at the base of the plant.
Academic writing
Insect-bacteria associations have captivated the attention of the scientific community. The weevil taxon, however, has been largely overlooked in this field of research, and little is known about how bacteria influence weevil biology and pest status. In this review, we describe current understanding of the function of weevil-associated bacteria in cuticle formation, flight activity, reproduction and adaptation of agriculturally relevant species of weevil.
The vine weevil is a polyphagous pest that causes economically important damage to horticultural crops worldwide. The entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium brunneum is widely used to control this pest. Little research has investigated variation in susceptibility to this pathogen between vine weevil populations at different locations. This study addresses this knowledge gap by comparing survival rates of larvae from adults collected in two UK areas when treated with M. brunneum.
The bacterial community of vine weevil, Otiorhynchus sulcatus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), populations collected from strawberry plants at various sites across the UK was characterized by sequencing a fragment of the 16S rRNA gene with Illumina MiSeq technology. The bacterial microbiota of the tested populations shows low diversity and is dominated by a highly abundant sequence classified as Candidatus Nardonella.
Grant proposal submitted to the Scottish Society for Crop Research