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Academic Background
John
Dover carried out his PhD research at Southampton University,
graduating in 1983. His thesis was entitled 'The effect
of non-host plants on the ecology of Brassica
Lepidoptera'. The research was concerned with the effect
of intercropping non-host plants such as the Labiate
herbs sage and thyme on the pest and predator species
of Brassica plants. Fieldwork was mainly on the garden
pebble moth Evergestis forficalis, the cabbage
moth Mamestra brassicae, the small white butterfly
Pieris rapae and the large white butterfly
Pieris brassicae. Laboratory studies
mainly involved the use of the diamond-backed moth Plutella
xylostella.
Following
his PhD work, John worked for the Southampton Common
Studies Centre, surveying the 155ha common for butterflies
and moths. Incidental work involved surveying the amphibians
in one of the lakes of the common and successfully lobbying
the then Nature Conservancy Council to schedule it as
a SSSI in recognition of its value to great crested
newts.
John
then embarked on a six-year stint with the Game Conservancy
Trust quantifying the effect of Conservation Headlands
on butterflies. Conservation Headlands are a gamebird
management technique whereby the inputs of pesticides
on the outer 6m of cereal fields are modified to allow
the development of a diverse broadleaved flora and an
absence of insecticides. The technique was shown not
only to modify the behaviour of butterflies (far more
time spent in feeding, more activity over the headland),
but also to increase butterfly populations on the study
farm. One important aspect of the work was more general:
quantifying the factors which affected the distribution
and abundance of butterflies in field margins (there
are few butterflies to be found in the cereal crop itself).
The basic message was that shelter was very important
for the species studied (the gatekeeper Pyronia
tithonus, the meadow brown Maniola jurtina
and the ringlet Aphantopus hyperantus), as
was nectar. Nectar influences longevity and fecundity
so if there is very little nectar available to species
of butterflies which live in discrete colonies it is
likely to have a strong impact on butterfly population
size.
A
period as Head of Terrestrial Ecology at a large Environmental
Consultancy company based in Liverpool followed. Work
carried out by his consultants included baseline ecological
surveys for large infrastructure projects, impact assessments
for road and other schemes, nature reserve management
plans and the production of a manual for habitat creation.
Clients included local and national government departments,
private industry and nature conservation organisations.
John's main role was in bidding for contracts, client
liaison, quality assurance and project management.
The
lure of lecturing lead John to the post of Programme
Area Leader for Countryside Studies at Myerscough College
(formerly the Lancashire College of Agriculture and
Horticulture) just north of Preston. He worked here
for eight years lecturing on ecology and developing
a suite of courses. By the time he left, the section
taught NVQ, First Diploma, National Diploma and HND
level as well as adult eduction courses. The HND in
Ecology and Conservation even had options in Ornithology
and Sport Fishing. As the College was linked with the
University of Central Lancashire, John also taught on
degree programmes validated by UCLan, both at the college
and at the University in Preston. He also acted as second
supervisor for a PhD on Batesian mimicry in hoverflies.
John
has acted as PhD examiner in Norway, France and England;
and regularly referees for a number of international
journals, including The Journal of Insect Conservation'
where he is now a member of the editorial board. He
is a Fellow of the Royal Entomological Society and a
Member of the British Ecological Society. He was Treasurer
of the UK branch of the International Association for
Landscape Ecology for a number of years and has run
two international conferences for IALE entitled 'Fragmentation
in Agricultural Landscapes' and 'Key Concepts in Landscape
Ecology'.
Between
2005 and July 2007 John was Director of Staffordshire
University's Institute for Environment and Sustainability
Research and in 2006 John was made a Reader in Biology
and Forensic Science, an appointment instituted to provide
research leadership for the areas of biology and forensic
science in the University's Applied Sciences area. In
2008 John was appointed Professor of Ecology in recognition
of his international reputation in the field.
John
is a Trustee of the charity Butterfly Conservation and
in 2010 he was co-convenor of Butterfly Conservation's
academic conference, held at Reading University. At
present John is editing the conference proceedings.
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