Professor John B Whittaker email: j.b.whittaker@lancaster.ac.uk Office B34; Laboratory B28 Department of Biological Sciences , I.E.N.S., Lancaster University, Lancaster, LA1 4YQ, U.K. Tel (44) 1524 593485 Fax: (44) 1524 593192

Degrees

• 1960 1st class honours BSc in Zoology, University of Durham
• 1963 PhD in Animal Ecology, University of Durham
• 1986 DSc for Studies in Ecological Entomology, University of Durham

Posts Held:

• 1963-1966 Junior Research Officer, Bureau of Animal Population, University of Oxford
• 1966-74 Lecturer, Dept. of Biological Sciences, University of Lancaster
• 1974-1987 Senior Lecturer, University of Lancaster
• 1987 Professor of Ecology, University of Lancaster
• 1975 & 1989 Visiting Professor, University of Calgary, Alberta
• 1983-86 and 1991-1994 Head of Department of Biological Sciences, University of Lancaster
• 1987-89 Vice President, British Ecological Society
• 2000-2002 President, British Ecological Society
• 2002 - Member of Executive Committee and Council of UK Biosciences Federation

Research Interests

A general interest in the ecology of herbivorous insects has for some years involved studies of environmental perturbations on plant-insect interactions. At first this involved collaboration with Prof Terry Mansfield on experimental investigations of the effects of gaseous pollutants on these interactions.

In 1992, I started with Prof Peter Lea a study of effects of elevated CO₂ on insects on trees (BBSRC funded) and also a parallel study on insects on a range of herbs (NERC funded). At the same time I began with John Coulson at Durham a series of field experiments using altitudinal transects to determine the effects of temperature change on the dynamics of insect populations (NERC).

A second line of research has been in collaboration with Prof Peter Ayres and Dr Nigel Paul of IENS: tripartite interactions between insects, pathogens and plants. In parallel with this is a continuation of my long-standing interest in insect interactions with dock plants.

I am also involved in some of the insect work in the Ecological Change Network programme. All these studies are characterized by combining field and laboratory experiments to determine responses of the insects and their food plants in as natural conditions as possible. Special facilities include replicated "solar-dome" chambers in which experimental atmospheric conditions can be created, an extensive insect collection and experimental field plots. We have also been able to work in the outdoor fumigation facility known as FACE near Zurich.

PhD supervision is offered in the general area of insect ecology.

Selected Publications

1. On atmospheric pollution and elevated CO₂ (since 1995)

• Watt, A.D., Whittaker, J.B., Docherty, M., Brooks, G., Lindsay, E. and Salt, D(1995). The impact of elevated atmospheric CO₂ on insect herbivores. In: Insects in a changing environment (Eds. R.Harrington and N.E.Stork). 17th Symposium of the Royal Entomological Society. pp.198-217. Academic Press.
• Salt, D.T. and Whittaker J.B. (1995). Populations of root-feeding aphids in the Liphook forest fumigation experiment. Plant, Cell and Environment 18, 321-325.
• Salt, D.T., Brooks, G.L. and Whittaker, J.B. ( 1995). Elevated Carbon dioxide affects leaf-miner performance and plant growth in docks (Rumex spp.). Global Change Biology 1, 153-156.
• Salt, D.T., Fenwick, P. and J.B. Whittaker (1996). Interspecific herbivore interactions in a high CO₂ environment: root- and shoot- aphids feeding on Cardamine. Oikos 7,326-330.
• Docherty, M., Hurst, D.K., Whittaker, J.B., Lea, P.J. & Watt, A.A.(1996). Carbon dioxide-induced changes in plants cause female beech weevil larvae to feed in a compensatory manner. Global Change Biology, 2, 335-341.
• Docherty, M., Wade, F.A., Hurst, D.K., Whittaker, J.B. & Lea, P.J. (1997). Responses of tree sap-feeding insects to elevated CO₂. Global Change Biology, 3, 51-59.
• Salt, D.T., Moody, S.A., Whittaker, J.B. & Paul, N.D. (1997). Effects of supplemental UV-B treatment on populations of the phloem feeding insect Strophingia ericae (Homoptera : Psylloidea) on heather (Calluna vulgaris). Global Change Biology (in press).
• Brooks, G.L. & Whittaker, J.B. (1999). Responses of three generations of a xylem-feeding insect, Neophilaenus lineatus (Homoptera) to elevated CO₂. Global Change Biology 5, 395-401.
• Whittaker, J.B. (1999).  Impacts and responses at population level of herbivorous insects to elevated CO₂.  European Journal of Entomology 96, 149-156.
• Brooks, G.L. & Whittaker, J.B. (1999). Responses of three generations of a xylem-feeding insect, Neophilaenus lineatus (Homoptera), to elevated CO2. Global Change Biology 5, 395-401.
• Bale, J.S.B., Masters, G.J., Hodkinson, I.D., Awmack, C., Bezemer, T.M., Brown, V.K., Butterfield, J., Buse, A., Coulson, J.C., Farrar, J., Good, J.E.G., Harrington, R., Hartley, S., Jones, T.H., Lindroth, R.L., Press, M.C., Symrnioudis, I., Watt, A.D., Whittaker, J.B. (2002). Herbivory in global climate change research: direct effects of rising temperature on insect herbivores. Global Change Biology, 8, (2002), 1-16.

2. Publications on Rumex and associated insects (since 1995)

• Hatcher, P.E., Paul, N.D., Ayres, P.G. and Whittaker, J.B. (1995). Interactions between Rumex spp., herbivores and a rust fungus: the effect of Uromyces rumicis infection on leaf nutritional quality. Functional Ecology, 9, 97-105.
• Salt, D.T., Brooks, G.L. and Whittaker, J.B. ( 1995). Elevated carbon dioxide affects leaf-miner performance and plant growth in docks (Rumex spp.). Global Change Biology 1, 153-156.
• Brooks, G.L. & Whittaker, J.B. (1998). Responses to elevated CO₂ of multiple generations of Gastrophysa viridula feeding on Rumex obtusifolius. Global Change Biology 4, 63-75.
• Hatcher, P.E., Paul, N.D., Ayres, P.G. & Whittaker J.B. (1997). Nitrogen fertilization affects interactions between the components of an insect-fungus-plant tripartite system. Functional Ecology (in press).
• Hatcher, P.E., Paul, N.D., Ayres, P.G. & Whittaker, J.B. (1997) Added soil nitrogen does not allow Rumex obtusifolius to escape the effects of insect-fungus interactions. Journal of Applied Ecology, 34 (in press).
• Hatcher, P.E., Paul, N.D., Ayres, P.G. & Whittaker, J.B. (1997) The effect of nitrogen fertilisation and rust infection, singly and combined, on the leaf chemical composition of Rumex obtusifolius. Functional Ecology (in press)
• Salt, D.W. & Whittaker, J.B.(1998). Insects on Dock Plants. Naturalist's Handbooks XX. The Richmond Publishing Co Ltd.
• Moore, J.P., Taylor, J.E, Paul, N.D. & Whittaker, J.B. (2003). Reduced leaf expansion as a cost of systemic induced resistance to herbivory. Functional Ecology 17, 75-81.
• Moore, J.P., Taylor, J.E., Paul, N.D. & Whittaker, J.B. (2003). The use of clip cages to restrain insects reduces leaf expansion systemically in Rumex obtusifolius . Ecological Entomology 28, 239-242.
• Moore, J.P., Paul, N.D., Whittaker, J.B. and Taylor, J.E. (2003). Exogenous jasmonic acid mimics herbivore induced systemic increase in cell wall bound peroxidase activity and reductions in leaf expansion. Functional Ecology 17, 549-554.

3. Other selected publications

• Whittaker, J.B. (1971). Population changes in Neophilaenus lineatus (L.) (Homoptera: Cercopidae) in different parts of its range. J. Animal Ecology 40, 425-43.
• Whittaker, J.B. & Warrington, S. (1985). An experimental field study of different levels of insect herbivory induced by predation on sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus) III. Effects on tree growth. J. of Applied Ecology, 22, 797-811.
• Whittaker, J.B. (1991). Effects of ants on temperate woodland trees. In Ant - Plant Interactions. (Ed. Huxley, C.R. & Cutter, D.F.). Oxford University Press pp. 67-79.
• Mahdi, T. & Whittaker, J.B. (1993). Do birch trees (Betula pendula) grow better if foraged by wood ants? Journal of Animal Ecology, 62, 101-116.
• Press, M.C. & Whittaker, J.B. (1993). Exploitation of the xylem stream by parasitic organisms. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. Ser B., 341, 101-111.
• Whittaker, J.B. (1994). Physiological responses of leaves of Rumex obtusifolius to damage by a leaf miner. Functional Ecology, 8, 627-630.
• Whittaker, J.B. & Tribe, N.A. (1996). An altitudinal transect as an indicator of responses of insects to climate change. European J. Entomology, 93, 319-324.
• Whittaker, J.B. & Tribe, N.A. (1998). Predicting numbers of an insect (Neophilaenus lineatus: Homoptera) in a changing climate. Journal of Animal Ecology. 67, 980-987.
• Whittaker, J.B. (2001). Insects and plants in a changing atmosphere. Presidential address to the British Ecological Society. Journal of Ecology 89, 507-518.
• Whittaker, J.B. (2003). Root - Animal Interactions. In de Kroon, H. & Visser, E.J.W. (Eds) Root Ecology. Springer (in press).