Anita Diaz

Dr Anita Diaz, Senior Lecturer in Ecology

Since Anita was young, she had a raw inquisitiveness about the natural world. "As an eager child, I followed bumble bees through meadows to see which flowers they preferred, kept tadpoles to see whether the paler tadpoles turn into paler frogs and delved in streams to see whether different things lived under big and little stones.

"Then when I was eleven, the meadows, streams and tadpole pond vanished beneath the concrete spread of our council housing estate and I had a new question - how can understanding the natural world help protect it?"

This passion led to the completion of a PhD at University of Exeter in 1994. Anita then worked at the Scottish Agricultural College as a post-doctoral researcher and then became Lecturer in Ecology at De Montfort University. She joined BU in 1998.

What does Anita regard as the best thing about her job? "I am lucky that every day in my job is different. I am constantly involved in fascinating studies, whether it be aiding students or exploring topical areas of study myself.

"For example, this summer, I've helped a team of undergraduates who are re-surveying plants on Dorset Heathlands to compare what is there now, with what was recorded in the 1930s. This provides a great opportunity to discuss what may be causing the changes we were discovering, and it is a real chance for the students to gain some direct insight.

"I also worked with undergraduate and Masters students, examining the effects of sika deer, an introduced species, on internationally important habitats. The students compared the plants and insects found in areas that have been heavily grazed for years with those that haven't. It's a project I have developed over a number of years in collaboration with the RSPB. This year the students also set up a new part to the study that will examine how efficiently deer can feed on different habitats."

So what's the best thing about research? "I love research and feel that we all have something to contribute with what we could discover through completing it. My particular research interests lie in understanding the interactions between plants and animals and how environmetal change may affect these. A new study that has really captured my imagination is the research we are conducting in the cloud forests of Ecuador, looking at the importance of sub canopy climbing plant communities for other species. This study is pioneering, as so much more needs to be known about this major element of many natural tropical forests so that its importance as a habitat for other species it can be considered in monitoring the success of forest restoration.

"Students are very welcome to participate in this research as well as in other projects I am leading in the Pyrenees Mountains that explore the interactions between introduced marmots and rare alpine plants and how changes in grazing by cattle and sheep change the pollination success of a range of plant species". The mountains of Europe contain a large proportion of Europe's biodiversity so it is pressing that we understand how species interactions are affected by the big changes in management, climate and invasive species that they are experiencing now."

And what's the best thing about her job? "I love exploring new scientific horizons and sharing what I learn with others. Most of all I enjoy the times when I conduct field research with students and share the buzz of using science to gain new understanding. This is why my job is immensely fulfilling."