MS Danni Thompson

Biography

I'm an ecologist and early-career researcher with a particular interest in animal behaviour, species conservation and anthropogenic impacts on wildlife populations. I'm currently at the University of Aberdeen to undertake my PhD investigating the drivers of individual specialisation in foraging behaviour of Falkland Islands shags (Leucocarbo atriceps albiventer).

My career began with an undergrad in Wildlife Conservation at the University of Kent, followed some years later by an MSc by Research in Biodiversity Management. I have had a varied career so far, from working with the homeless and coordinating volunteers, to working on the world's first butterfly eradication and wildlife rehabilitation, but a passion for wildlife conservation has always prevailed. A defining role was working as the Ranger on Handa Island for two seasons, managing the remote wildlife reserve and monitoring it’s internationally important seabird colonies, which sparked a new obsession. Following this, I worked as a Seabird Ecologist at the science-policy interface where I specialised in colony monitoring and offshore industries advice, before starting my PhD in 2022.

In my spare time I'm a keen photographer, knitter, and an active volunteer for a range of citizen science projects such as moth trapping, bird ringing, VSAS, and bird recording.

External Memberships

Ordinary Member - Scottish Ornithologists' Club (SOC), Central Branch (2021 - present)

Seabird Steering Group - Lothian Ringing Group (2021 - 2023)

Membership Secretary and Trustee - The Seabird Group (2018 - 2022)

Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour

British Ornithologists' Union

British Ecological Society

Current Research

Drivers of individual foraging behaviour specialisation in Falkland Islands shags (Leucocarbo atriceps albiventer)

Individual variation is key to our understanding of ecological and evolutionary processes, with important implications for species conservation. In particular, the relevance and extent of consistent behavioural differences (‘personality’), and the degree of plasticity or specialisation shown by individuals, has important consequences for a range of key traits including survival and reproductive success. These translate into population level impacts because they influence the susceptibility of individuals to anthropogenic threats.

Using biologging techniques and diet analysis, this research will study the poorly known Falkland Islands shag (Leucocarbo atriceps albiventer) to investigate how intra-specific competition and environmental variation influence individual specialisation in foraging behaviours. As a widely distributed resident seabird, it offers a model system to not only follow individuals from colonies of varying size and with access to different oceanographic environments but to examine these contrasts year-round. Such characteristics make this species an excellent model to run a ‘natural experiment’ across gradients of competition (colony size) and environmental conditions (inshore and offshore colonies and seasonal variation in productivity and daylength) through which to examine drivers of individual variation in foraging/behavioural specialization.

Additionally, Falkland Island shags forage exclusively in the near-shore marine environment, making them an ideal sentinel species to quantify key areas of importance in the region, for integration into current marine management efforts.

This research is a collaboration between the University of Aberdeen and the South Atlantic Environmental Research Institute (SAERI).

Past Research

The prevalence and source of plastic incorporated into nests of five seabird species on a small offshore island. This research was published in Marine Pollution Bulletin and featured in international media outlets including discussion on BBC Springwatch 2021.

Effects of climate change on the breeding phenology of newts. Using long-term datasets, this research sought to identify temporal trends in the timing of breeding and body condition in relation to climate variables for three newt species.

Funding and Grants

Shackleton Scholarship Fund. 2023. Drivers of individual foraging behaviour specialisation in a model seabird, the Falkland Islands shag (Leucocarbo atriceps albiventer).

Charles Sutherland Scholarship. 2023. Drivers of individual foraging behaviour specialisation in a model seabird, the Falkland Islands shag (Leucocarbo atriceps albiventer).

QUADRAT DTP Studentship. 2022. Drivers of individual foraging behaviour specialisation in a model seabird, the Falkland Islands shag (Leucocarbo atriceps albiventer).

Scottish Ornithologists' Club Research Grant. 2020. Monitoring kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla) survival, dispersal and breeding success in the Firth of Forth.

Seabird Group Research Grant. 2019. Morphometric sex determination of European storm petrels (Hydrobates pelagicus)