Elizabeth Chadwick

Biography

After a degree in Biology at Cardiff University (1997), I returned to Cardiff to undertake a PhD at the Llysdinam field centre with Dr F Slater (1998-2003). The study focused on the breeding phenology and winter behaviour of common British amphibians, looking at temporal and spatial variation in phenology, and assessing how changes in climate might influence behaviour and body condition. Following a short post-doctoral position in 2003 conducting a scoping study for research in the Cape Verde islands, I took over as head of the Cardiff University Otter Project in 2004. While using the otter as the study species, this has enabled me to develop a diverse range of inter-related research projects. These both further our understanding of this elusive European protected species, and use it as a model organism to investigate key ecological principles and processes.

Research Interest

My research focuses on freshwater aquatic systems, particularly the Eurasian otter and British amphibians. I head the Cardiff University Otter Project (CUOP), a research and monitoring project run collaboratively with the Environment Agency. Using the otter as a model species, we address fundamental questions about freshwater systems and population biology. For example, molecular genetic analysis is used to explore the influence of landscape on population connectivity, and to allow epidemiological modelling of recently introduced biliary parasites; stable isotope analysis is applied to investigate nutrient cycling, and volatile analysis of gland material is used to investigate scent communication. Research in amphibian ecology focuses particularly on phenology and climate change, and the effect of environmental cues on behaviour.