Personal profile
Research interests
I am an invertebrate physiologist with expertise in thermal physiology and the mechanisms conferring thermal tolerance. I study pest insects (particularly the aphids) and insects that perform beneficial ecosystem services (biological control, pollination). I am particularly interested in the interplay between landscape and climate, how this impacts beneficial insects, and how this can inform landscape management and restoration to encourage and conserve beneficial insects. I endeavour to understand how we may utilise ‘Functional Agricultural Biodiversity’ to reinstate beneficial biodiversity back into degraded or heavily managed systems and, in doing so, restore beneficial insects and the key ecosystem services they provide.
Keywords
- Ecophysiology
- Thermal Physiology
- Conservation Ecology
- Entomology
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
Research output
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Flower strips in winter reduce barley yellow dwarf virus incidence in cereal crops
Roudine, S., Le Ralec, A., Bouvaine, S., Alford, L., Duval, F., Buchard, C., Llopis , S., Cloteau , R., Georges, R., Jambon, O., van Baaren, J. & Lann, C. L., 1 Feb 2025, In: Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment. 378, 109275.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article (Academic Journal) › peer-review
Open Access5 Citations (Scopus) -
Host identity and quality drive parasitoid fitness and have implications for biocontrol
Kishani Farahani, H. & Alford, L., 26 Dec 2025, (E-pub ahead of print) In: Agricultural and Forest Entomology. 7 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article (Academic Journal) › peer-review
Open AccessFile2 Downloads (Pure) -
Aphids: Mothers and Daughters
Alford, L., 5 Sept 2024, RES Insects: Discover the Science and Secrets Behind the World of Insects. Dorling Kindersley, p. 32-33Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter in a book
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Entomologia Generalis (Journal)
Alford, L. (Editor)
2022Activity: Publication peer-review and editorial work types › Editorial activity
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Society for Experimental Biology 2021 Annual Conference
Alford, L. (Participant)
30 Jun 2021Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Invited talk
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Biological Control (Journal)
Alford, L. (Editor)
2021Activity: Publication peer-review and editorial work types › Editorial activity