Location: Room 205, Environment Centre Wales, School of Environmental & Natural Sciences, Bangor University

Email: a.r.smith@bangor.ac.uk

Phone:+44 (0)1248 382297

Web: LinkedIn, ResearchGate, GoogleScholar, ResearcherID, PlumX

I research and teach forest ecology, biogeochemistry and plant-soil interactions with emphasis on species diversity and ecosystem function in undisturbed and managed ecosystems. I'm particlarly interested in belowground processes and the study of root biology, mycorrhizal symbiosis, and biogeochemical cycling; subjects that I have researched in a variety of climate change manipulation experiments that include elevated CO2 and climatic extremes (via altered precipitation and temperature regimes) in forest and upland ecosystems. I previously held the positions of Climate Change Impact Scientist at NERCs Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (2011-2013), and postdoctoral researcher at Bangor University (2010-2011). In my early career at the Medical Research Council, Cambridge and Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Cambridge I focused on the development of novel molecular and bioinformatics techniques for the nematode (Caenorhabiditis elegans) and human genome sequencing projects.

I co-direct, with Prof Lui Shuguang, research activities at the Bangor University-Central South University of Forestry and Technology Joint Research Centre in Changsha, Hunan Province, China. I'm the PI of the forest diversity experiment (BangorDiverse) based at the Henfaes Research Centre, Abergwyngregyn that investigates the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem function. BangorDiverse is part of the largest network (TreeDivNet) of biodviersity experiments worldwide, and was established in 2004 with 92 plots of alder (Alnus glutinosa L.), birch (Betula pendula Roth.), beech (Fagus sylvatica L.), ash (Fraxinus excelsior L.), sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus L.), chestnut (Castanea sativa Mill.), and oak (Quercus robur L.) planted in monoculture, and two and three species mixtures using a fully replicated (n=4) design. I also manage and conducted research on silvopastoral agroforestry at the Henfaes Research Centre that focuses on the role agroforestry has in sustainably delivering food security whilst maintaining ecological complexity and the provision of ecosystem services (public goods).

I lead the nutrient manipulation work package of the large (£3.7M) NERC project (QUINTUS) an investigation of N & P stoichiometry in temperate forests exposed to ambient and elevated atmospheric CO2 at the BIFoR FACE facility. I am a Co-I on the UKRI Treescapes project Understanding Memory of UK Treescapes for Better Resilience and Adaptation (MEMBRA) that is investigating abiotic and biotic stress induced epigenetic changes in trees and whether these changes are passed on to future generations. I am PI of the Tree Production Innovation Fund project Development of Regenerative Tree Nursery Practice (2023-2025) that is investigating the use of municipal green waste as sustainable source of organic matter for compost use in horticulture. I Co-PI of the BU-Impact and Innovation Award project WINDFIRM investigating the imnpact of tree nursery practice of root morphology. I was the PI of the Sêr Cymru NRN-LCEE research cluster Multi-Land that researched the evidence-base around Enhancement of Agricultural Productivity and Ecosystem Service Resilience in Multifunctional Landscapes and Co-I of the ASPEN: Autonomous Systems for Forest ProtEctioN project (2023-2024).

Research Areas:

Teaching

Module organiser

  • DXX-3212 (Level 6) Forest Ecosystems
  • DXX-3016 (Level 6) Forest Ecosystems & Services
  • DDL-4204 (Level 7) Forest Ecosystems

Module contributor

  • DXX-1000 (Level 4) Academic Tutorials & Key Skills
  • DXX-1001 (Level 4) Ecosystem Functon & Services
  • DXX-1003 (Level 4) Forests in the 21st Century
  • DXX-1006 (Level 4) Making Snowdonia
  • DXX-3701 (Level 6) Honours Project
  • DXX-4999 (Level 7) MSc Dissertation
  • DDL-4999 (Level 7) Distance Learning Disseration

PhD Student Supervision

Katrin Schmidt "The effectiveness of biosensors in the detection of woody plant pests and diseases", NERC-PhD, 2024-2028.

Daniel Iddon "Woodland Soil - Fungal dominance in early stage woodland development", Self-funded PhD, 2024-2028.

Matilda Edwards "Establishing the relative importance of a rainforest microcosm in oil palm plantations", NERC-PhD, 2023-2027.

Jack Atkin-Willoughby "Restoring for a resilient future: Woodland community assembly trajectories in the face of multiple stressors", NERC-PhD, 2022-2026.

Matt Cooper "Investigating the potential of forested lands for natural flood management in Wales", KESS-PhD, 2020-2024.

Daniel Fishburn "Breaking down the effect of UV light on litter decomposition: a study of carbon cycling along a tropical forest humidity gradient", NERC-PhD, 2019-2024. [completed]

Sam Hollick “Optimising landscape shelterbelts to sustainably increase farm livestock productivity and build resilience to extreme events”, KESS-PhD, 2019-2024.

Anastasia Atucha “Identifying genetic markers for frost resistance in Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis)”, KESS-PhD, 2017-2021 [completed].

Bid Webb “Investigating the impact of shelterbelts and livestock behaviour on landscape hydrology and biogeochemistry”, NRN-PhD, 2016-2021. [completed]

Charlotte Pritchard "Improving the efficiency of sheep production through environmental management”, KESS-MRes, 2018-2020. [completed]

Tim Peters “Investigating the role of soil microbes and rhizodeposition in C cycling and long-term C sequestration of forest ecosystems”, NERC-PhD, 2015-2020. [completed]

Anna Gunina “Understanding the role of rhizosphere hotspots and their ecological relevance for processes in forest soils.” FONASO-PhD, 2014-2017.[completed]

Steven Conway "Characterisation of small upland catchments and their impact on flood flows" KESS-MRes, 2014-2015. [completed]

Relena Ribbons “Forests & Soils: Interactions between trees species and nutrient cycling in pure and mixed species stands”, FONASO-PhD, 2013-2016. [completed]

Emma Brown “Evaluating fine-scale, spatial and temporal controls on fluxes of greenhouse gases from natural and managed peatlands”, NERC-PhD, 2013-2016. [completed]

I welcome enquiries from high-calibre prospective PhD students with, or attempting to obtain, funding.

2024

2023

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2021

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2018

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2011

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1998

1997

  • PublishedFrom long range mapping to sequence-ready contigs on human chromosome 6
    Mungall, A., Humphray, S., Ranby, S., Edwards, C., Heathcott, R., Clee, C., Holloway, E., Peck, A., Harrison, P., Green, L., Butler, A., Langford, C., Gwilliam, R., Huckle, E., Baron, L., Smith, A., Leversha, M., Ramsey, Y., Clegg, S., Rice, C., Maslen, G., Hunt, S., Scott, C., Soderlund, C., Theaker, A., Ross, M., Deloukas, P., Bentley, D. & Dunham, I., 1997, In: DNA sequence. 8, 3, p. 805-811
    Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

1994

  • Published2.2 Mb of contiguous nucleotide sequence from chromosome III of C. elegans
    Wilson, R., Ainscough, R., Anderson, K., Baynes, C., Berks, M., Bonfield, J., Burton, J., Connell, M., Copsey, T., Cooper, J., Coulson, A., Craxton, M., Dear, S., Du, Z., Durbin, R., Favello, A., Fraser, A., Fulton , L., Gardner, A., Green, P., Hawkins, T., Hillier, L., Jier, M., Johnston, L., Jones, M., Kershaw, J., Kirsten, J., Laisstert, N., Latreille, P., Lightning, J., Lloyd, C., Mortimore, B., O'Callaghan, M., Parsons, J., Percy , C., Rifken, L., Roopra, A., Saunders, D., Shownkeen, R., Sims, M., Smaldon, N., Smith, A., Smith, M., Sonnhammer, E., Staden, R., Sulston, J., Thierry-Mieg, J., Thomas, K., Vaudin, M., Vaughan, K., Waterston, R., Watson, A., Weinstock, L., Wilkinson-Sproatt, J. & Wohldman, P., 3 Mar 1994, In: Nature. 368, 6466, p. 32-8 7 p.
    Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

2024

  • ISPF Funded Project: Soil Legacy Phosphorus Evaluation in Brazil

    Brazil produces 40% of the global supply of sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) through cultivation of an area of over 10 million hectares, projected to expand to 18.8 million hectares by 2050. Phosphorus (P) is a finite essential nutrient for agriculture that is rapidly depleting. Brazilian sugarcane cultivation requires substantial P fertilisation due to low P use efficiency as inorganic P interacts with soil mineralogy to form insoluble P compounds that are unavailable to crops, a phenomenon known as P-fixation. Inefficiency of P use in sugarcane cultivation requires the application of 20% of Brazil’s total consumption of inorganic P fertiliser to maintain yields. Quantifying the plant unavailable “legacy P” that remains after historical P-fixation of inorganic P fertiliser applications, combined with novel methods of increasing P use efficiency, has potential to alleviate the reliance on inorganic P fertilisers and substantially improve cost and sustainability of sugarcane production in Brazil. Value = £40,000

    1 Oct 2024 – 30 Apr 2025

    Activity: Other (Contributor)
  • ISPF Funded Project: MO3NTANE – The threat of ozone pollution and climate change to tropical montane forests.

    MO3NTANE aims to support economic and social impact in Ecuador by addressing the impact of ozone and heat and drought events on Ecuadorian tree species. By examining the sensitivity of these species to ozone levels and the interaction with heat and drought events, the research can provide valuable insights into the effects of climate change and tropospheric ozone pollution on the local ecosystem. This knowledge can inform conservation efforts, sustainable land use practices, and forest management strategies, contributing to the preservation of biodiversity and ecosystem services. Additionally, by identifying the potential economic and social implications of ozone pollution and climate change on Ecuador's forests, the research can help guide policy development and adaptation strategies to mitigate these impacts. Ultimately, the findings of this research have the potential to support sustainable development opportunities in Ecuador by promoting environmental resilience and resource management. Value = £10,000

    1 Feb 2024

    Activity: Other (Contributor)

2023

  • BU-IIA Funded Project: Linking tree nursery practice to windthrow risk in UK forestry

    Current UK tree nursery practices include many tree propagation methodologies (e.g., vegetative propagation, undercut bare root, and cell grown seedlings) nearly all of which have been shown to alter root architecture and morphology compared to naturally grown trees(Feng et al., 2022).

    The overarching aim of this proof-of-concept project is to determine how wind-firmness of trees is affected by the routine root pruning operations of UK tree nurseries.

    Funding awarded through the Bangor University Innovation and Impact Award (Research Wales Innovation Funding). Value = £34,909

    1 Aug 2023 – 31 Jul 2024

    Activity: Other (Contributor)
  • NERC cross-disciplinary research for Discovery Science Funded Project: Looking through the superlens at the impact of ozone on tree seed germination, establishment and mycorrhization.

    Globally, afforestation is proposed as a nature-based solution to meet Net Zero targets. However, recent evidence suggests that ground-level ozone (O3), formed during photolysis of precursors such as nitrogen oxides (NOx), can decrease net primary productivity (NPP) of plants by 50% with serious implications for ecosystem function and sustainability. Afforestation and ecosystem restoration using natural regeneration and direct seedling are reliant on the continued viability of seed and successful establishment of forests is highly dependent on the mycorrhizal fungal symbiont that facilitates the acquisition of nutrients, improves resilience and connects plants via common mycorrhizal networks. This study will investigate the effect of ground-level O3 on tree seed germination, mycorrhization and seedling viability using cutting-edge visualisation and compound analysis techniques.

    Value=£20,000

    1 Jan 2023 – 30 Apr 2023

    Activity: Other (Contributor)
  • Member NERC Peer Review College
  • Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (AdvanceHE) (2022)

Current Administrative Roles

  • Henfaes (Field Research Centre) Committee Member (2013-current)
  • Dean of Global Engagement, College of Science and Engineering (2024-current)
  • College Executive Committee Member (2024-current)
  • University Global Engagement Committee Member (2024-current)
  • University Senior Leadership Group Member (2024-current)

Former Administrative Roles

  • School Director of Research (2014-2021)
  • School Executive Committee Member (2014-2021)