Profile
Professor Gabriel Yvon-Durocher
Chair in Ecology
G.Yvon-Durocher@exeter.ac.uk
01326 251481
Environment and Sustainability Institute 1.06
Environment and Sustainability Institute, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Penryn, Cornwall, TR10 9FE, UK
Overview
Research in my group explores the effects of environmental change on the structure and functioning of ecosystems (which comprise groups of species, their interactions with one another and with the physical and chemical environment in which they exist). We use a combination of laboratory experiments, field surveys and analyses of large ecological datasets to explore the mechanisms that control the cycling of elements through the Earth-system. Our work spans multiple levels of biological organisation, from sub-cellular biochemistry to the dynamics of ecosystems, and searches for similarities across aquatic and terrestrial systems. The ultimate goal of our work is to develop a predictive 'tool box' to forecast how ecosystems will change in a world increasingly dominated by humans.
I am a member of the Environment and Sustainability Institute and of the Biosciences department in the College of Life and Environmental Sciences.
Qualifications
2010 PhD Ecology (Queen Mary, University of London)
2006 BSc Ecology (Queen Mary, University of London)
Career
2016 Professor, University of Exeter
2014 Senior Lecturer, University of Exeter
2012 Lecturer, University of Exeter
2010-2012 Research Fellow, Queen Mary, University of London
Research group links
Research
Research interests
- Ecosystem fluxes of greenhouse gases (CO2, CH4)
- Size structure of aquatic and terrestrial communities
- Evolutionary, biochemical and physiological mechanisms of thermal adaptation
Research projects
- Ecological and evolutionary constraints on the temperature dependence of the carbon cycle
- The mechanisms of thermal adaptation in phytoplankton
- Impacts of pasture management on rates of carbon sequestration in Cornish farms
Publications
Journal articles
Yvon-Durocher G, Buckling A, Smirnoff N (In Press). Adaptation of phytoplankton to a decade of experimental warming linked to increased photosynthesis. Nature Ecology and Evolution
Padfield D, Buckling A, Yvon-Durocher G, Lowe C, Warfield R (In Press). Linking phytoplankton community metabolism to the individual size distribution. Ecology Letters
Yvon-Durocher G, Padfield D, Buckling A, Lowe C, Ffrench-Constant R, Schaum E (In Press). Metabolic compensation constrains the temperature dependence of gross primary production. Ecology Letters
Yvon-Durocher G (In Press). The temperature dependence of microbial community respiration is amplified by changes in species interactions. Nature Microbiology
Kohler TJ, Bourquin M, Peter H, Yvon-Durocher G, Sinsabaugh RL, Deluigi N, Styllas M, Battin TJ, Schön M, Tolosano M, et al (2024). Global emergent responses of stream microbial metabolism to glacier shrinkage. Nature Geoscience Abstract.
Westley J, García FC, Warfield R, Yvon-Durocher G (2024). The community background alters the evolution of thermal performance. Evolution Letters
Barton S, Padfield D, Masterson A, Buckling A, Smirnoff N, Yvon‐Durocher G (2023). Comparative experimental evolution reveals species‐specific idiosyncrasies in marine phytoplankton adaptation to warming. Global Change Biology, 29(18), 5261-5275. Abstract.
Schaum C-E, Buckling A, Smirnoff N, Yvon-Durocher G (2022). Evolution of thermal tolerance and phenotypic plasticity under rapid and slow temperature fluctuations. Proc Biol Sci, 289(1980). Abstract. Author URL.
Garcia FC, Warfield R, Yvon-Durocher G (2022). Thermal traits govern the response of microbial community dynamics and ecosystem functioning to warming. FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY, 13 Author URL.
Rovelli L, Olde LA, Heppell CM, Binley A, Yvon‐Durocher G, Glud RN, Trimmer M (2021). Contrasting Biophysical Controls on Carbon Dioxide and Methane Outgassing from Streams. Journal of Geophysical Research Biogeosciences, 127(1).
Barneche DR, Hulatt CJ, Dossena M, Padfield D, Woodward G, Trimmer M, Yvon-Durocher G (2021). Warming impairs trophic transfer efficiency in a long-term field experiment. Nature, 592(7852), 76-79.
Bestion E, Barton S, García FC, Warfield R, Yvon‐Durocher G (2020). Abrupt declines in marine phytoplankton production driven by warming and biodiversity loss in a microcosm experiment. Ecology Letters, 23(3), 457-466. Abstract.
Zhu Y, Purdy KJ, Eyice Ö, Shen L, Harpenslager SF, Yvon-Durocher G, Dumbrell AJ, Trimmer M (2020). Disproportionate increase in freshwater methane emissions induced by experimental warming. Nature Climate Change, 10(7), 685-690. Abstract.
Barton S, Jenkins J, Buckling A, Schaum C-E, Smirnoff N, Raven JA, Yvon‐Durocher G (2020). Evolutionary temperature compensation of carbon fixation in marine phytoplankton. Ecology Letters, 23(4), 722-733. Abstract.
Asao S, Hayes L, Aspinwall MJ, Rymer PD, Blackman C, Bryant CJ, Cullerne D, Egerton JJG, Fan Y, Innes P, et al (2020). Leaf trait variation is similar among genotypes of Eucalyptus camaldulensis from differing climates and arises in plastic responses to the seasons rather than water availability. New Phytol, 227(3), 780-793. Abstract. Author URL.
Kontopoulos D-G, van Sebille E, Lange M, Yvon-Durocher G, Barraclough TG, Pawar S (2020). Phytoplankton thermal responses adapt in the absence of hard thermodynamic constraints. Evolution, 74(4), 775-790. Abstract. Author URL.
Smith TP, Thomas TJH, García-Carreras B, Sal S, Yvon-Durocher G, Bell T, Pawar S (2019). Community-level respiration of prokaryotic microbes may rise with global warming. Nat Commun, 10(1). Abstract. Author URL.
Perkins DM, Perna A, Adrian R, Cermeño P, Gaedke U, Huete-Ortega M, White EP, Yvon-Durocher G (2019). Energetic equivalence underpins the size structure of tree and phytoplankton communities. Nat Commun, 10(1). Abstract. Author URL.
Millington R, Cox PM, Moore JR, Yvon-Durocher G (2019). Modelling ecosystem adaptation and dangerous rates of global warming. Emerging Topics in Life Sciences Abstract.
Barton S, Yvon-Durocher G (2019). Quantifying the temperature dependence of growth rate in marine phytoplankton within and across species. Limnology and Oceanography, 64(5), 2081-2091. Abstract.
Sierocinski P, Bayer F, Yvon-Durocher G, Burdon M, Großkopf T, Alston M, Swarbreck D, Hobbs PJ, Soyer OS, Buckling A, et al (2018). Biodiversity-function relationships in methanogenic communities. Mol Ecol, 27(22), 4641-4651. Abstract. Author URL.
García FC, Bestion E, Warfield R, Yvon-Durocher G (2018). Changes in temperature alter the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 115(43), 10989-10994. Abstract. Author URL.
Schaum E, Buckling A, Studholme D, Smirnoff N, Yvon-Durocher G (2018). Environmental fluctuations accelerate molecular evolution of thermal tolerance in a marine diatom. Nature Communications
Schaum C-E, Buckling A, Smirnoff N, Studholme DJ, Yvon-Durocher G (2018). Environmental fluctuations accelerate molecular evolution of thermal tolerance in a marine diatom (vol 9, 1719, 2018). NATURE COMMUNICATIONS, 9 Author URL.
Ffrench-Constant RH (2018). Metabolic traits predict the effects of warming on phytoplankton competition. Global Change Biology
Bestion E, García-Carreras B, Schaum CE, Pawar S, Yvon-Durocher G (2018). Metabolic traits predict the effects of warming on phytoplankton competition. Ecology Letters Abstract.
Bestion E, Schaum C-E, Yvon-Durocher G (2018). Nutrient limitation constrains thermal tolerance in freshwater phytoplankton. LIMNOLOGY AND OCEANOGRAPHY LETTERS, 3(6), 436-443. Author URL.
García-Carreras B, Sal S, Padfield D, Kontopoulos D-G, Bestion E, Schaum C-E, Yvon-Durocher G, Pawar S (2018). Role of carbon allocation efficiency in the temperature dependence of autotroph growth rates. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 115(31), E7361-E7368. Abstract. Author URL.
Schaum CE, Student Research Team, Ffrench-Constant R, Lowe C, Ólafsson JS, Padfield D, Yvon-Durocher G (2018). Temperature-driven selection on metabolic traits increases the strength of an algal-grazer interaction in naturally warmed streams. Glob Chang Biol, 24(4), 1793-1803. Abstract. Author URL.
Barton S, Jenkins J, Buckling A, Schaum C-E, Smirnoff N, Yvon-Durocher G (2018). Universal metabolic constraints on the thermal tolerance of marine phytoplankton. Abstract.
Yvon-Durocher G (2017). Long-term warming amplifies shifts in the carbon cycle of experimental ponds. Nature Climate Change, 7, 209-213.
Exposito-Rodriguez M, Laissue PP, Yvon-Durocher G, Smirnoff N, Mullineaux PM (2017). Photosynthesis-dependent H2O2 transfer from chloroplasts to nuclei provides a high-light signalling mechanism. Nature Communications, 8(1). Abstract.
Yvon-Durocher G, Schaum C-E, Trimmer M (2017). The Temperature Dependence of Phytoplankton Stoichiometry: Investigating the Roles of Species Sorting and Local Adaptation. FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY, 8 Author URL.
Martínez A, Larrañaga A, Miguélez A, Yvon-Durocher G, Pozo J (2016). Land use change affects macroinvertebrate community size spectrum in streams: the case of Pinus radiata plantations. Freshwater Biology, 61(1), 69-79. Abstract.
Padfield D, Yvon-Durocher G, Buckling A, Jennings S, Yvon-Durocher G (2016). Rapid evolution of metabolic traits explains thermal adaptation in phytoplankton. Ecol Lett, 19(2), 133-142. Abstract. Author URL.
Yvon-Durocher G, Allen AP, Cellamare M, Dossena M, Gaston KJ, Leitao M, Montoya JM, Reuman DC, Woodward G, Trimmer M, et al (2015). Five Years of Experimental Warming Increases the Biodiversity and Productivity of Phytoplankton. PLoS Biol, 13(12). Abstract. Author URL.
Martínez A, Larrañaga A, Miguélez A, Yvon-Durocher G, Pozo J (2015). Land use change affects macroinvertebrate community size spectrum in streams: the case of Pinus radiata plantations. Freshwater Biology Abstract.
Yvon-Durocher G, Dossena M, Trimmer M, Woodward G, Allen AP (2015). Temperature and the biogeography of algal stoichiometry. Global Ecology and Biogeography Abstract.
Yvon-Durocher G, Dossena M, Trimmer M, Woodward G, Allen AP (2015). Temperature and the biogeography of algal stoichiometry. Global Ecology and Biogeography, 24(5), 562-570. Abstract.
Reuman DC, Holt RD, Yvon-Durocher G (2014). A metabolic perspective on competition and body size reductions with warming. Journal of Animal Ecology, 83(1), 59-69. Abstract.
Yvon-Durocher G, Allen AP, Bastviken D, Conrad R, Gudasz C, St-Pierre A, Thanh-Duc N, del Giorgio PA (2014). Methane fluxes show consistent temperature dependence across microbial to ecosystem scales. Nature, 507(7493), 488-491. Abstract. Author URL.
Perkins DM, Yvon-Durocher G, Demars BOL, Reiss J, Pichler DE, Friberg N, Trimmer M, Woodward G (2012). Consistent temperature dependence of respiration across ecosystems contrasting in thermal history. Global Change Biology, 18(4), 1300-1311. Abstract.
Yvon-Durocher G, Allen AP (2012). Linking community size structure and ecosystem functioning using metabolic theory. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci, 367(1605), 2998-3007. Abstract. Author URL.
Yvon-Durocher G, Caffrey JM, Cescatti A, Dossena M, Giorgio PD, Gasol JM, Montoya JM, Pumpanen J, Staehr PA, Trimmer M, et al (2012). Reconciling the temperature dependence of respiration across timescales and ecosystem types. Nature, 487(7408), 472-476. Abstract.
Yvon-Durocher G, Caffrey JM, Cescatti A, Dossena M, del Giorgio P, Gasol JM, Montoya JM, Pumpanen J, Staehr PA, Trimmer M, et al (2012). Reconciling the temperature dependence of respiration across timescales and ecosystem types. Nature, 487(7408), 472-476. Abstract. Author URL.
Trimmer M, Grey J, Heppell CM, Hildrew AG, Lansdown K, Stahl H, Yvon-Durocher G (2012). River bed carbon and nitrogen cycling: State of play and some new directions. Science of the Total Environment, 434, 143-158. Abstract.
Trimmer M, Grey J, Heppell CM, Hildrew AG, Lansdown K, Stahl H, Yvon-Durocher G (2012). River bed carbon and nitrogen cycling: state of play and some new directions. Sci Total Environ, 434, 143-158. Abstract. Author URL.
Dossena M, Yvon-Durocher G, Grey J, Montoya JM, Perkins DM, Trimmer M, Woodward G (2012). Warming alters community size structure and ecosystem functioning. Proc Biol Sci, 279(1740), 3011-3019. Abstract. Author URL.
Yvon-Durocher G, Reiss J, Blanchard J, Ebenman B, Perkins DM, Reuman DC, Thierry A, Woodward G, Petchey OL (2011). Across ecosystem comparisons of size structure: Methods, approaches and prospects. Oikos, 120(4), 550-563. Abstract.
(2011). Erratum. Oikos, 120(5), 800-800.
Yvon-Durocher G, Montoya JM, Trimmer M, Woodward G (2011). Warming alters the size spectrum and shifts the distribution of biomass in freshwater ecosystems. Global Change Biology, 17(4), 1681-1694. Abstract.
Yvon-Durocher G, Montoya JM, Woodward G, Jones JI, Trimmer M (2011). Warming increases the proportion of primary production emitted as methane from freshwater mesocosms. Global Change Biology, 17(2), 1225-1234. Abstract.
Woodward G, Benstead JP, Beveridge OS, Blanchard J, Brey T, Brown LE, Cross WF, Friberg N, Ings TC, Jacob U, et al (2010). Ecological Networks in a Changing Climate. Advances in Ecological Research, 42(C), 71-138. Abstract.
Perkins DM, Reiss J, Yvon-Durocher G, Woodward G (2010). Global change and food webs in running waters. Hydrobiologia, 657(1), 181-198. Abstract.
Yvon-Durocher G, Allen AP, Montoya JM, Trimmer M, Woodward G (2010). The temperature dependence of the carbon cycle in aquatic ecosystems. Advances in Ecological Research, 43(C), 267-313. Abstract.
Yvon-Durocher G, Jones JI, Trimmer M, Woodward G, Montoya JM (2010). Warming alters the metabolic balance of ecosystems. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci, 365(1549), 2117-2126. Abstract. Author URL.
Yvon-Durocher G, Montoya JM, Emmerson MC, Woodward G (2008). Macroecological patterns and niche structure in a new marine food web. Central European Journal of Biology, 3(1), 91-103. Abstract.
Montoya JM, Yvon-Durocher G (2007). Ecological networks: information theory meets Darwin's entangled bank. Curr Biol, 17(4), R128-R130. Abstract. Author URL.
Chapters
Woodward G, Benstead JP, Beveridge OS, Blanchard J, Brey T, Brown LE, Cross WF, Friberg N, Ings TC, Jacob U, et al (2010). Chapter 2 Ecological Networks in a Changing Climate. In (Ed) Ecological Networks, Elsevier, 71-138.
Perkins DM, Reiss J, Yvon-Durocher G, Woodward G (2010). Global change and food webs in running waters. In (Ed) Global Change and River Ecosystems—Implications for Structure, Function and Ecosystem Services, Springer Nature, 181-198.
Yvon-Durocher G, Allen AP, Montoya JM, Trimmer M, Woodward G (2010). The Temperature Dependence of the Carbon Cycle in Aquatic Ecosystems. In (Ed) ADVANCES IN ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH, VOL 43: INTEGRATIVE ECOLOGY: FROM MOLECULES TO ECOSYSTEMS, 267-313. Author URL.