3649-08 IICB.indd - Faculty of Biological Sciences - University of ...

Mahesh Sankaran
MSc (Pilani, India);
MS (Auburn, USA);
PhD (Syracuse, USA);
Postdoctoral Research Associate, CPB, Imperial College, Silwood Park (2001-2002);
Research Scientist, NREL, Colorado State University, USA (2002-2006);
Lecturer, Integrative and Comparative Biology (2006-)
Contact: m.sankaran@leeds.ac.uk
Community, ecosystem
and conservation ecology
My research addresses central
questions in ecosystem ecology
concerning the role of large herbivores
in influencing patterns of energy
and nutrient cycling.
I am particularly interested in
tropical savanna systems where large
mammals are important regulators of
community structure and function.
Despite the apparent simplicity of
these biomes, understanding how
different components interact to
function as an integrated whole remains
a challenge. My research combines
empirical and theoretical approaches
to ask how interactions and feedbacks
between herbivores, fire, climate and
biogeochemistry influence energy and
nutrient cycling, and the composition,
structure and stability of savannas.
I am also intrigued by the role
of species diversity in regulating
the functioning of communities
and ecosystems. Understanding
consequences of changes in
biodiversity that result from species
loss, introduction of exotic species and
alteration of biogeochemical cycles by
humans represents one of the most
challenging problems facing ecologists
today. Does biodiversity act as a buffer
to counteract anthropogenic changes to
the global environment? Does species
loss within communities affect their
subsequent ability to function, recycle
nutrients and water, and withstand
future disturbances? In the face of
these changes, will species rich systems
necessarily fare better than species
poor ones?
Funding for these projects has typically
come from the National Science
Foundation (USA), NERC, Wildlife
Conservation Society (India) and the
World Bank (FREEP-India)
More information:
http://www.fbs.leeds.ac.uk/staff/profile.
php?tag=Sankaran_M
Representative Publications
Cardinale, BJ, Srivastava, DS, Duffy, JE,
Wright, JP, Downing, AL, Sankaran, M,
Jouseau, C. (2006) Effects of biodiversity
on the functioning of trophic groups and
ecosystems. Nature 443: 989 - 992
Sankaran, M., et al. (2005) Determinants of
woody cover in African savannas. Nature 438:
846 - 849
Bunker, DE, De Clerck, F., Bradford, JC,
Colwell, RK, Perfecto, I, Phillips, O, Sankaran,
M, Naeem, S. (2005) Species Loss and Aboveground
Carbon Storage in a Tropical Forest.
Science 310: 1029-1031
Sankaran, M, Ratnam, J, Hanan, NP. (2004)
Tree grass coexistence in savannas revisited
– insights from an examination of assumptions
and mechanisms invoked in existing models.
Ecology Letters 7: 480-490