Gill Notman (née Andrew)

Scottish Association for Marine Science, Scottish Marine Institute, Oban, Argyll, Scotland, PA37 1QA. 

Telephone: 01631 559 278

Email: gill.notman@sams.ac.uk

• Intertidal ecology and the influence of biodiversity on ecosystem functioning on rocky shores
• Stable isotope chemistry and applications of carbon and nitrogen isotopes in ecology
• Effects of latitude and climate change on rocky shore gastropod diversity and trophic ecology          

PhD Research

Biodiversity and ecosystem functioning: species diversity versus trophic diversity in intertidal grazers as revealed by stable isotopes and diet.

Project funding

Natural Environmental Research Council (NERC) www.nerc.ac.uk

Project Details

The consequences of anthropogenic loss of biodiversity for global ecosystems are still broadly unknown.  We know that species extinction is ultimately profoundly damaging and that the total loss of all members of a functional group will remove that function from the ecosystem.   Few studies, however, have convincingly demonstrated the actual effects of species loss on ecosystem functioning.  In this project we aim to make use of the easily manipulated species assemblages on rocky shores to get answers to some of the fundamental questions involved.  The ecosystem process in question is the ingestion and assimilation of primary production by primary consumers, namely the grazing gastropods of rocky shores.

The key questions to be addressed are:

1. Among species in a functional group, is there evidence that differences in diet improve the efficiency of use of the food resource spectrum? 

2.  Is diet breadth influenced by species diversity?  Do species become more specialist feeders in more species-diverse communities? 

This project uses field and laboratory experiments and observations to examine the trophic ecology of rocky shore grazing gastropods under differing conditions of diversity.  The two foci for the project, in Scotland and SW England, allow comparison of patterns among species on more diverse southern communities with less diverse shores in Scotland. 

Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analyses are used to reconstruct grazer diets and combined with gut contents to determine how biodiversity loss may influence ecosystem functioning in this system.

Stable isotope analyses are carried out at the NERC Life Sciences Mass Spectrometry Facility at the Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre (SUERC) www.gla.ac.uk/suerc/nerc/lifesciences/index.html. 

Teaching & Student Supervision

Assisted in the design and provision of a number of lectures to undergraduate students on UHI Millennium Institute BSc Marine Science Degree including:

• Marine zoology lecture, Level 3.
• Marine pollution biology lecture & seminar, Level 3.
• Introduction to chemistry lectures, Level 1.

Supervisor for Nuffield Student project entitled A new method for muscle relaxation in the common limpet: Patella vulgata. Conducted at SAMS July & August 2006.

Demonstrator for Higher Education Summer School, Introduction to Marine Biology. University Marine Biological Station, University of London, Millport. July 2005.

Education

• PhD, Scottish Association for Marine Science, Oban.  2004 to present.

• MSc Biology of Water Resource Management, Napier University, Edinburgh.  Distinction.  2001 to 2002.
• BSc (Hons) Aquatic Bioscience, University of Glasgow.  First Class.  1997 to 2001.

Prizes & Awards

Best Presentation (Second Prize) at the 7th Annual MBA Postgraduate Conference, 17th to 20th May 2010.

Scottish Marine Group prize for best presentation, Scottish Marine Group Postgraduate Meeting, May 2008.

SEPA prize for best visual presentation, Scottish Marine Group Postgraduate Meeting, May 2007. 

Karen Fretwell Memorial Trust Bursary Award for top performance in the taught component of MSc Biology of Water Resource Management, September 2002.

Pollution Research Unit Prize for best MSc project, September 2002.

Karen Fretwell Memorial Prize voted for by my MSc class for person who contributed most to team spirit, September 2002.

Graham Kerr Prize for Aquatic Bioscience for graduating at the top of my honours class, July 2001.

Publications & Presentations

Notman, G. M., Burrows, M. T., Hawkins, S. J. & McGill, R. A. R.  (2010)  Seaweed or biofilm?  Experimental approaches to examine the diet of Patella vulgata using stable isotopes.  Oral Presentation.  7th Annual MBA Postgraduate Conference, University of Glasgow.

Huntingford, F. A., Andrew, G., Mackenzie, S, Morera, D., Coyle, S. M., Pilarczyk, M. & Kadri, S.  (2010) Coping strategies in a strongly schooling fish, the common carp Cyprinus carpio.  Journal of Fish Biology 76 1576 - 1591. 

Andrew, G. M., Burrows, M. T., Hawkins, S. J. & McGill, R. A. R.  (2008)  Seaweed or biofilm?  Experimental approaches to examine the diet of Patella vulgata using stable isotopes.  Poster Presentation.  6th International Conference on Applications of Stable Isotopes to Ecological Studies, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, USA.

Andrew, G. M., Burrows, M. T., Hawkins, S. J. & McGill, R. A. R.  (2008)  Trophic interactions on rocky shores:  stable isotope evidence for the importance of macroalgae to the diets of intertidal grazing gastropods.  Oral Presentation.  Scottish Marine Group Postgraduate Meeting, Oban, Argyll.

Andrew, G.M., Kadri, S. & Huntingford, F.A.  (in prep.)  A Behavioural syndrome in a strongly schooling fish, the common carp (Cyprinus carpio L.)  Journal of Fish Biology.

Coyle, S. M., Andrew, G.M., Canavan, J.W., Baum, D., Thornham, D., & Huntingford, F.A. (submitted May 2007) Reduction of body armour in three-spined stickleback: role of calcium and implications for risk-taking.  Journal of Fish Biology.

Andrew, G. M., Burrows, M. T., Hawkins, S. J. & McGill, R. A. R.  (2007)  So what do limpets eat?  Using stable isotopes and gut contents analysis to look at the diet of Patella vulgata, the common limpet.  Oral Presentation.  UHI Postgraduate Conference, Skye.

Andrew, G. M., Burrows, M. T., Hawkins, S. J. & McGill, R. A. R. (2007)  Seaweed or biofilm?  Combining stable isotope and gut contents approaches to examine the diet of the common limpet Patella vulgata.  Oral Presentation.  Scottish Marine Group Postgraduate Meeting, Edinburgh. 

Andrew, G. M., Burrows, M. T., Hawkins, S. J. & McGill, R. A. R.  (2006)  The influence of species diversity on resource partitioning in intertidal gastropods as revealed by stable isotopes.  Oral Presentation.  Molluscan Forum, Malacological Society of London, London.

Andrew, G. M., Burrows, M. T., Hawkins, S. J. & McGill, R. A. R.  (2006)  Biodiversity and ecosystem functioning: trophic diversity versus species diversity in intertidal grazers as revealed by stable isotopes.  Oral Presentation.  UHI Postgraduate Conference, Inverness.  

Andrew, G. M., Burrows, M. T., Hawkins, S. J. & McGill, R. A. R.  (2007)  The influence of species diversity on resource partitioning in intertidal gastropods as revealed by stable isotopes.  Poster Presentation.  British Ecological Society Annual Meeting, Glasgow.

Andrew, G. M., Burrows, M. T., Hawkins, S. J. & McGill, R. A. R.  (2007)  The influence of species diversity on resource partitioning in intertidal gastropods as revealed by stable isotopes.  Poster Presentation.  Marine Biological Association of the UK Council Meeting, Plymouth.

Andrew, G. M., Burrows, M. T., Hawkins, S. J. & McGill, R. A. R.  (2006)  The influence of species diversity on resource partitioning in intertidal gastropods as revealed by stable isotopes.  Poster Presentation.  5th International Conference on Applications of Stable Isotope Techniques to Ecological Studies.  Queen’s University, Belfast.

Andrew, G. M., Burrows, M. T., Hawkins, S. J. & McGill, R. A. R.  (2006)  The influence of species diversity on resource partitioning in intertidal gastropods as revealed by stable isotopes.  Poster Presentation.  Marine Biological Association of the UK Council Meeting, Plymouth.

Andrew, G. M., Huntingford, F. A. & Kadri, S.  (2004)  Individual behavioural strategies in carp.  Poster Presentation.    Ethiqual - Ethical quality traits in farmed fish: The role of husbandry practices and aquaculture production systems.

Patella vulgata associated with Ascophyllum nodosum and Fucus serratus.