Life on Earth - Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences

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href="/research/themes/">Themes</a></li> <li><a href="/research/themes/life-on-earth/">Life on Earth</a></li> </ul> </nav>  <div class="row tripleVertPadding">  <aside class="leftMenuContainer showAtDesktop">  <nav class="primaryLeftNavNew" aria-label="Section menu">  <ul> <li class="breadcrumbItem"><a href="/">Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences</a></li> <li class="breadcrumbItem"><a href="/research/">Research</a></li> <li class="sectionHeader"><a href="/research/themes/">Themes</a> <ul class="sectionMenu"> <li><a href="/research/themes/earth-planetary-science/">Earth and planetary science</a></li> <li><a href="/research/themes/environment-and-society/">Environment and society</a></li> <li><span><a href="/research/themes/life-on-earth/">Life on Earth</a></span></li> </ul> </li> </ul>  </nav>  </aside>   <div class="oneColLayoutContainer">   <div class="mainContentContainer" id="content" data-swiftype-name="body" data-swiftype-type="text">  <h1>Life on Earth</h1><p class="subHeading">Our work involves studying the origins and evolution of life on Earth and its interactions in modern ecosystems.</p><div class="sixcol keyFacts floatRight"> <content> <h2>Our facilities</h2> <p>We use the latest interdisciplinary techniques to conduct our research, from genome sequencing in the lab to using mass spectrometry facilities in the field.</p> </content> </div><p>The Earth is unique among known planets in being home to life. Organisms first appeared on Earth nearly four billion years ago and have been responsible for shaping the development of the planet ever since, including changing the composition of the atmosphere and driving the formation of different types of rock. Work in the school spans from ancient life preserved in the fossil record to the examining of modern-day organisms and the ecosystems in which they live.</p><div class="sixcol imageFloat floatLeft"> <figure class="noIndent"> <img class="lazy" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAPT09AAAACH5BAAAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw==" data-original="/research/themes/life-on-earth/LifeOnEarthCopyImage.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="Mist in the trees up a mountain" /> <noscript><img src="/research/themes/life-on-earth/LifeOnEarthCopyImage.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="Mist in the trees up a mountain" /></noscript> <figcaption>Our research is addressing key global challenges such as food security, soil biodiversity, and climate change.</figcaption> </figure> </div> <p>We study organisms ranging from the smallest microorganisms to the largest plants and animals, examining in particular how these organisms evolved and how they survive and interact with each other and with their environment. We work at scales ranging from molecules to the planet.</p> <p>Research into life on earth includes activities of the <a href="/wrc/">Williamson Research Laboratories</a> and the <a href="http://www.ical.manchester.ac.uk/">Interdisciplinary Centre for Ancient Life</a>.</p> <h2>Research highlights</h2><div class="tabAccordionContainer">  <div class="tabPanelContainer">  <div class="tabPanel jsHide"> <h2 class="internalTitle" id="d.en.633877"><a class="accordionLink" href="#"><span>The University's investment in plant growth facilities</span></a></h2> <div class="tabPanelWrapper"> <p>Discussion of greenhouses usually conjures up serene images of allotments or gardens, but we are setting our sights a little higher and ramping up our greenhouse construction. At our historic botanical grounds, home to an extensive living plant collection, we are building new facilities dedicated to plant growth research. This will enable us to reproduce climates ranging from the Arctic to the tropics, and conduct research into key challenges such as food security, soil biodiversity and climate change mitigation. The site will also house new high tech facilities for monitoring atmospheric pollution, forming part of our exceptional environmental research and teaching facilities.</p> <ul> <li><a href="http://www.manchester.ac.uk/discover/news/university-investing-in-plant-and-soil-science-research/">Read more about our greenhouse project on the University news site</a></li> </ul> </div> </div>   <div class="tabPanel jsHide"> <h2 class="internalTitle" id="d.en.633893"><a class="accordionLink" href="#"><span>Animal poo improves conservation</span></a></h2> <div class="tabPanelWrapper"> <p>It may not be obvious but an animal's poo can tell us what their response to climate change and habitat destruction might be. Scientists from the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences and Chester Zoo have been investigating just this, studying zebras in South Africa. By measuring stress hormones in a zebra's poo, the researchers have found that zebras are facing multiple challenges, including poor habitat and gender imbalances, which are likely to compromise their health, have repercussions for their reproduction and, ultimately, a population's long-term survival.</p> <ul> <li><a href="http://www.manchester.ac.uk/discover/news/zebra-poo-science-improves-conservation-efforts/">Read the full news article on the University website.</a></li> <li><a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2435.13000">Access the full paper.</a></li> </ul> </div> </div>  </div>  </div> <h2>Areas of expertise</h2> <p>Major topics on which our research focuses include:</p><ul class="corporategridList displayAsGrid rowItemsThree"> <li> <img class="lazy" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAPT09AAAACH5BAAAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw==" data-original="/research/themes/life-on-earth/ConservationBiology.jpg" width="237" height="237" alt="Goat in a tree in the desert" /> <noscript><img src="/research/themes/life-on-earth/ConservationBiology.jpg" width="237" height="237" alt="Goat in a tree in the desert" /></noscript> <div class="overflowHidden link-underline"> <h2 id="d.en.633906">Conservation biology</h2> <p>Our researchers use ecology and evolutionary biology techniques to monitor the responses of terrestrial and aquatic communities to a range of challenges including habitat loss, disease outbreaks and invasive competition. Our work also informs wildlife management and conservation strategies and assists in the enforcement of prohibitions on the trade in endangered species.</p> </div> </li><li> <a href="https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/en/projects/evolutionary-mechanisms-and-dynamics(8e733050-b203-4908-897e-573fbaa3dd52).html"> <img class="lazy" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAPT09AAAACH5BAAAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw==" data-original="/research/themes/life-on-earth/EvolutionaryMechanisms.jpg" width="237" height="237" alt="Prehistoric rock samples in boxes" /> <noscript><img src="/research/themes/life-on-earth/EvolutionaryMechanisms.jpg" width="237" height="237" alt="Prehistoric rock samples in boxes" /></noscript> <div class="overflowHidden"> <h2 id="d.en.633902">Evolutionary mechanisms and dynamics</h2> <p>Evolution has shaped life as we know it. Our research uses theoretical, computational and experimental approaches to understand and predict the structure and behaviour of biological systems and their evolution as environments change, organisms mutate and natural and sexual selection occurs.</p> <p class="morePurple floatLeft">Read more</p> </div> </a> </li><li class="last"> <img class="lazy" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAPT09AAAACH5BAAAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw==" data-original="/research/themes/life-on-earth/GeoMicrobiology.jpg" width="237" height="237" alt="Microscopic sample being held up to the light" /> <noscript><img src="/research/themes/life-on-earth/GeoMicrobiology.jpg" width="237" height="237" alt="Microscopic sample being held up to the light" /></noscript> <div class="overflowHidden link-underline"> <h2 id="d.en.633918">Geomicrobiology</h2> <p>Geomicrobiology lies at the interface of geology and biology. Our research combines the techniques of microbiology and molecular biology with physical, chemical and modelling approaches. By doing so, this work highlights the role that microorganisms play or have played in key geological processes.</p> </div> </li><li> <a href="http://www.ical.manchester.ac.uk/"> <img class="lazy" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAPT09AAAACH5BAAAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw==" data-original="/research/themes/life-on-earth/HistLifeEarth.jpg" width="237" height="237" alt="Close up of a fossil" /> <noscript><img src="/research/themes/life-on-earth/HistLifeEarth.jpg" width="237" height="237" alt="Close up of a fossil" /></noscript> <div class="overflowHidden"> <h2 id="d.en.633908">The history of life on Earth</h2> <p>Palaeontological and archaeological remains are essential for understanding how organisms, including humans, evolve and respond to long-term environmental change. We employ morphological, chemical and biomolecular tools to study past patterns of palaeobiodiversity, evolutionary innovations, and the earliest genetic modifications of plants at the transition to farming.</p> <p class="morePurple floatLeft">Read more</p> </div> </a> </li><li> <a href="/soil-ecosystem-ecology-lab/"> <img class="lazy" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAPT09AAAACH5BAAAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw==" data-original="/research/themes/life-on-earth/PlantsSoilsEco.JPG" width="237" height="237" alt="A tree and a rock formation on a hillside against a blue sky" /> <noscript><img src="/research/themes/life-on-earth/PlantsSoilsEco.JPG" width="237" height="237" alt="A tree and a rock formation on a hillside against a blue sky" /></noscript> <div class="overflowHidden"> <h2 id="d.en.633912">Plants, soils and ecosystems</h2> <p>Plants and the complex biological communities that inhabit soils interact with each other and respond to environmental changes. Researchers on plants, soils and ecosystems study these interactions and their consequences in natural and managed ecosystems, as well as how plants and algae respond to environmental stresses.</p> <p class="morePurple floatLeft">Find out more</p> </div> </a> </li><li class="last"> <img class="lazy" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAPT09AAAACH5BAAAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw==" data-original="/research/themes/life-on-earth/MicrobialEcology.jpg" width="237" height="237" alt="Close up of colourful microscopic samples" /> <noscript><img src="/research/themes/life-on-earth/MicrobialEcology.jpg" width="237" height="237" alt="Close up of colourful microscopic samples" /></noscript> <div class="overflowHidden link-underline"> <h2 id="d.en.633915">Microbial ecology</h2> <p>The ecology of microbial communities has a significant impact on ecosystems as a whole. This topic underpins much of our cross-disciplinary research, including projects ranging from the response of polar fungal communities to climate change through to understanding the microbial controls on bulk and trace elements in natural and engineered environments.</p> </div> </li></ul> <div class="clearfix singleVertPadding"> <a href="https://www.se.manchester.ac.uk/study/postgraduate-research" > <div class="imagePromo twelvecol last"> <figure> <img class="lazy" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAPT09AAAACH5BAAAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw==" data-original="/research/themes/life-on-earth/pgr-journey-promo-with-text768x220.jpg" width="768" height="220" alt="Logo with Hello Tomorrow text" /> <noscript><img src="/research/themes/life-on-earth/pgr-journey-promo-with-text768x220.jpg" width="768" height="220" alt="Logo with Hello Tomorrow text" /></noscript> <figcaption class="botLeft noMaxWidth"> <h2 class="largeTitle">Your PhD journey</h2> </figcaption> </figure> <p>Exploring research as part of your postgraduate research journey? 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