David Appleton
Research Technician

Profile

Biography

David Appleton is a technician supporting the alpine ecology research of Dr Robert Mills and the Functional Ecology of Alpine Systems (FEAST) global network. David’s research examines the effects of elevation on belowground biogeochemistry, and how spatial heterogeneity may be augmented at fine-scales due to the influence of microclimates, microtopography and naturally occurring environmental gradients. David’s role at the University focuses on the responses of mountain ecosystems to climate change and climatic extremes in the context of nutrient cycling, microbial functional ecology and ecosystem processes. David supports Dr Robert Mills’ fieldwork in Scotland and Europe, in addition to conducting experiments and analysis in the lab.

Career

• 2018-2020 – MScRes Environmental Science, Lancaster University
• 2018 – ALPFOR International Summer School
• 2015-2018 – BSc (Hons) Conservation Biology, University of Chester

Research

Overview

• Microtopography on Mountains: complex terrain augments heterogeneity of belowground carbon and nitrogen in the Swiss Central Alps
• Community Composition and Productivity Across a Soil Nutrient Gradient in the Swiss Central Alps
• Caribbean dry forest dynamics: the distribution of Randia spp. across environmental gradients in Grenada