Dr Emma Coulthard
Dr Emma Coulthard
Senior Lecturer in Ecology
My profile
Biography
Academic and professional qualifications
BSc, PgCE, PhD
Expert reviewer for external funding bodies
I have reviewed papers for a number of peer-reviewed journals including Biological Conservation, Global Change Biology and a number of MDPI publications.
Interests and expertise
I am an ecologist with specific interests in landscape ecology, invertebrate ecology and conservation. I work primarily with Lepidoptera, including the Manchester Argus butterfly and UK moth species. My recent research has also taken me into the field of wildlife trade and welfare. I frequently work with local conservation organisations and charities to help improve the management of sites, and the targeted conservation work for threatened species. I also work with data from across the UK to identify trends in populations and links to threats, in order to help with mitigation.
Projects
I am currently working with local Manchester businesses on Knowledge Transfer Partnerships and associated research projects, which aim to improve the sustainability of business practices.
Myself and colleagues are working with I Want Plants to help them quantify and improve the benefits of Living Green Wall provision in urban areas. So far we have evidenced the benefits for air quality, biodiversity, carbon storage, thermal and sound protections for infrastructure, and water recycling and quality. Current ongoing research is helping to improve these areas by incorporating AI machine learning techniques.
We are also working with UBU environmental to characterise and remediate road sweepings from in and around Manchester. This research has helped to identify the chemical make up of road sweepings and to develop these into potential topsoil alternatives in liaison with the Environment agency.
Teaching
Why do I teach?
I enjoy engaging the next generation of ecologists and biologists in both practical and theoretical aspects of ecology and conservation, to inspire them and help them achieve their personal goals. I teach students from Foundation Biology, all the way up to MSc, as well as supervising Doctoral students.
How I’ll teach you
I teach on a range of courses via laboratory sessions, field courses, traditional lectures, seminars, online sessions and PC workshops.
Why study…
Ecology is one of the widest and most varied fields of science. It overlaps with zoology, animal behaviour, environmental science, genetics, microbiology and molecular biology. As such, the study of ecology is never boring. You can be surveying mammal behaviour in the field one day and looking at microbes in the lab the next.
Postgraduate teaching
I am the programme leader for the MSc in Biological Recording and Ecological Monitoring, in collaboration with the Field Studies Council. As part of this role, as well as coordinating the course, I run the unit ‘Research Methods and Design’, which helps students get to grips with designing research projects, collecting data, and analysing it in R and R Studio.
Subject areas
Ecology, conservation, biological recording
Supervision
I have supported numerous undergraduate and masters projects, including several which have resulted in publications in peer reviewed journals.
I currently supervise a number of PhD students and MSc by Research.
Research outputs
Most Recent Outputs:
Ollerton, J., Coulthard, E., Tarrant, S., Woolford, J., Jorge, L.R. and Rech, A.R., 2024. Butterflies, bumblebees and hoverflies are equally effective pollinators of Knautia arvensis (Caprifoliaceae), a generalist plant species with compound inflorescences. Journal of Applied Entomology.
Boyes, C., Rowntree, J.K. and Coulthard, E., 2024. A bee’s-eye view of landscape change: differences in diet of 2 Andrena species (Hymenoptera: Andrenidae) between 1943 and 2021. Journal of Insect Science, 24(4), p.27.
Osborne, A., Griffiths, S., Caporn, S. and Coulthard, E., 2024. Optimising the reintroduction of a specialist peatland butterfly Coenonympha tullia onto peatland restoration sites. Journal of Insect Conservation, pp.1-18.
Hamers, M., Elwin, A., Collard, R.C., Shepherd, C.R., Coulthard, E., Norrey, J., Megson, D. and D’Cruze, N., 2023. An analysis of Canada’s declared live wildlife imports and implications for zoonotic disease risk. FACETS, 8, pp.1-18.
Toudonou, C., Elwin, A., Penner, J., Coulthard, E., Norrey, J., Megson, D., Rödel, M.O., Sinsin, B., Harrington, L.A., Auliya, M. and D’Cruze, N., 2022. Seeking serpents: Ball python trade in Benin, West Africa. Nature Conservation, 50.
Osborne, A. and Coulthard, E., 2022. Early dispersion and colony formation of the large heath butterfly Coenonympha tullia ssp. davus following a species reintroduced onto Chat Moss, Manchester, UK. British Journal of Entomology and Natural History, 35, pp.81-90.
Green, J., Hankinson, P., de Waal, L., Coulthard, E., Norrey, J., Megson, D. and D’Cruze, N., 2022. Wildlife trade for belief-based use: Insights from traditional healers in South Africa. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 10, p.906398.
Osborne, A., Longden, M., Bourke, D. and Coulthard, E., 2022. Bringing back the Manchester Argus Coenonympha tullia ssp. davus (Fabricius, 1777): Quantifying the habitat resource requirements to inform the successful reintroduction of a specialist peatland butterfly. Ecological Solutions and Evidence, 3(2), p.e12147.
Hetherington, M., Sterling, P. and Coulthard, E., 2022. Butterfly colonisation of a new chalkland road cutting. Insect Conservation and Diversity, 15(2), pp.191-199.
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Journal articles
Osborne, A., Griffiths, S., Caporn, S., Coulthard, E. (2024) 'Optimising the reintroduction of a specialist peatland butterfly Coenonympha tullia onto peatland restoration sites.' Journal of Insect Conservation,
Boyes, C., Rowntree, J.K., Coulthard, E. (2024) 'A bee’s-eye view of landscape change: differences in diet of 2 Andrena species (Hymenoptera: Andrenidae) between 1943 and 2021.' Journal of Insect Science, 24(4)
Ollerton, J., Coulthard, E., Tarrant, S., Woolford, J., Jorge, L.R., Rech, A.R. (2024) 'Butterflies, bumblebees and hoverflies are equally effective pollinators of Knautia arvensis (Caprifoliaceae), a generalist plant species with compound inflorescences.' Journal of Applied Entomology,
Hamers, M., Elwin, A., Collard, R.C., Shepherd, C.R., Coulthard, E., Norrey, J., Megson, D., D'Cruze, N. (2023) 'An analysis of Canada's declared live wildlife imports and implications for zoonotic disease risk.' FACETS, 8pp. 1-18.
Toudonou, C., Elwin, A., Penner, J., Coulthard, E., Norrey, J., Megson, D., Rödel, M.O., Sinsin, B., Harrington, L.A., Auliya, M., D’Cruze, N. (2022) 'Seeking serpents: ball python trade in Benin, West Africa.' Nature Conservation, 50pp. 85-114.
Osborne, A., Coulthard, E. (2022) 'Early dispersion and colony formation of the large heath butterfly Coenonympha tullia ssp. davus following a species reintroduced onto Chat Moss, Manchester, UK.' British Journal of Entomology and Natural History, 35pp. 81-90.
Green, J., Hankinson, P., de Waal, L., Coulthard, E., Norrey, J., Megson, D., D’Cruze, N. (2022) 'Wildlife trade for belief-based use: insights from traditional healers in South Africa.' Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 10pp. 906398-906398.
Osborne, A., Longden, M., Bourke, D., Coulthard, E. (2022) 'Bringing back the Manchester Argus Coenonympha tullia ssp. davus (Fabricius, 1777): quantifying the habitat resource requirements to inform the successful reintroduction of a specialist peatland butterfly.' Ecological Solutions and Evidence, 3(2) pp. e12147-e12147.
Hetherington, M., Sterling, P., Coulthard, E. (2021) 'Butterfly colonisation of a new chalkland road cutting.' Insect Conservation and Diversity, 15(2) pp. 191-199.
D’Cruze, N., Galarza, F.E.R., Broche, O., El Bizri, H.R., Megson, S., Elwin, A., Machado, F.C., Norrey, J., Coulthard, E., Megson, D. (2021) 'Characterizing trade at the largest wildlife market of Amazonian Peru.' Global Ecology and Conservation, 28
Deane, A., Norrey, J., Coulthard, E., McKendry, D.C., Dean, A.P. (2021) 'Riverine large woody debris introduced for natural flood management leads to rapid improvement in aquatic macroinvertebrate diversity.' Ecological Engineering, 163pp. 106197-106197.
Assou, D., Elwin, A., Norrey, J., Coulthard, E., Megson, D., Ronfot, D., Auliya, M., Segniagbeto, G.H., Martin, R.O., D'Cruze, N. (2021) 'Trade in African Grey Parrots for Belief-Based Use: Insights From West Africa's Largest Traditional Medicine Market.' Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 9
Green, J., Coulthard, E., Norrey, J., Megson, D., D’Cruze, N. (2020) 'Risky Business: Live Non-CITES Wildlife UK Imports and the Potential for Infectious Diseases.' Animals, 10(9) pp. 1632-1632.
D'Cruze, N., Bates, J., Assou, D., Ronfot, D., Coulthard, E., Segniagbeto, G.H., Auliya, M., Megson, D., Rowntree, J. (2020) 'A preliminary assessment of bacteria in “ranched” ball pythons (Python regius), Togo, West Africa.' Nature Conservation, 39
Hutchinson, L., Norrey, J., Lockton, A., Coulthard, E. (2020) 'Small areas of wildflower grassland in urban areas support significant species richness and abundance of pollinating insects.' Entomologist's Gazette, 71(2) pp. 103-119.
D'Cruze, N., Assou, D., Coulthard, E., Norrey, J., Megson, D., Macdonald, D.W., Harrington, L.A., Ronfot, D., Segniagbeto, G.H., Auliya, M. (2020) 'Snake oil and pangolin scales: insights into wild animal use at “Marché des Fétiches” traditional medicine market, Togo.' Nature Conservation, 39
D'Cruze, N., Paterson, S., Green, J., Megson, D., Warwick, C., Coulthard, E., Norrey, J., Auliya, M., Carder, G. (2020) 'Dropping the Ball? The Welfare of Ball Pythons Traded in the EU and North America..' Animals : an open access journal from MDPI, 10(3)
Green, J., Coulthard, E., Megson, D., Norrey, J., Norrey, L., Rowntree, J., Bates, J., Dharmpaul, B., Auliya, M., D'Cruze, N. (2020) 'Blind trading: A literature review of research addressing the welfare of Ball pythons in the exotic pet trade.' Animals, 10(2)
Megson, D., Benoit, N., Sandau, C., Chaudhuri, S., Long, T., Coulthard, E., Johnson, G. (2019) 'Evaluation of the effectiveness of different indicator PCBs to estimating total PCB concentrations in environmental investigations.' Chemosphere, 237pp. 124429-124429.
D'Cruze, N., Khan, S., Carder, G., Megson, D., Coulthard, E., Norrey, J., Groves, G. (2019) 'A Global Review of Animal-Visitor Interactions in Modern Zoos and Aquariums and Their Implications for Wild Animal Welfare.' Animals, 9(6)
Coulthard, E., Norrey, J., Shortall, C., Harris, W.E. (2019) 'Ecological traits predict population changes in moths.' Biological Conservation, 233pp. 213-219.
Coulthard, E., McCollin, D., Littlemore, J. (2016) 'The use of hedgerows as flight paths by moths in intensive farmland landscapes.' Journal of Insect Conservation, 20
Ollerton, J., Coulthard, E. (2009) 'Evolution of animal pollination.' Science, 326(5954) pp. 808-809.