Dr Sarah J. Hart

Sarah’s main areas of expertise are in forest entomology & mycology, chemical ecology and animal physiology & behaviour.

sarah.hart@anglia.ac.uk

Background

Sarah’s PhD research, while studying at Imperial College, London, was in forest entomology and, in particular, xylophagous beetles and parasitoid wasps, with emphasis on insect behaviour and chemical ecology.

Sarah is also a trained Clinical Physiologist in cardio-respiratory and nuclear medicine as well as a wildlife biologist.

Research interests

• Dead wood ecology and the role of decay fungi
• Chemical ecology - GC-EAG & GC-MS – the role of volatiles on behaviour
• General & forest entomology
• Parasitology both vertebrate and invertebrate systems
• Physiology (vertebrate and invertebrate) and disease

Sarah is a member of our Applied Ecology Research Group.

Areas of research supervision

• Diversity of woodland Collembola
• Effect of farmland management on bat abundance and invertebrate diversity
• Vigilance behaviour between single and mixed species enclosures on lemurs

Find out more about our Biology PhD including our exciting PhD project opportunities.

Teaching

• Module leader: Foundation Biology; Developing Academic Skills 1 & 2
• Module tutor: Biological Principles; Invertebrate Biology; British Wildlife; Practical Biology; Current Topics in Wildlife Conservation (MSc)

Qualifications

• PhD Imperial College, London 2013 - Forest Entomology & Chemical Ecology
• MSc Imperial College, London 2008 - Entomology
• D.I.C Imperial College, London 2008 - Entomology
• BSc (Hons) ARU, Cambridge 2006 - Wildlife Biology & Microbiology
• PGCert ARU, Cambridge, 2014

Memberships, editorial boards

Member of Royal Entomological Society
Member of International Society of Chemical Ecology
Fellow, Higher Education Academy

Selected recent publications

Hart, S. J., 2015. Attraction of pioneer xylophagous beetles, especially Cerambycidae, to fungal inoculated beech logs [Conference Abstract] Mitteilungen der Schweizerischen Entomologischen Gesellschaft Bulletin de la Société Entomologique Suisse, 88(1-2), pp.49.

Hart, S. J. and Leather, S. R., Volatile attraction of sapro-xylophagous beetles and their parasitoid wasps to early decay stage wood-fungal volatiles. under review Journal of Ecological Entomology

Hart, S. J., Attraction of pioneer xylophagous beetles, especially Cerambycidae, to fungal inoculated beech logs. under review

Hart, S. J., and Leather, S. R., Beech (Fagus sylvatica) and Stereum hirsutum (Basidiomycete) volatile attraction to Rutpela maculata Poda (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae). Under review

Walters, M., 2010. The Illustrated World Encyclopedia of Insects. Hart. S.J. [Research & Contributor] pp.32-46. Anness Publishing Ltd, London, UK.

Recent presentations and conferences

Hart, S. J., 2015. Chemical ecology of ephemeral resources – let the search begin. Chemical Ecology Deadwood Meeting, University of Alicante, Spain. Invited speaker,

Hart, S. J. and Leather, S. R., 2015. Beech (Fagus sylvatica) and Stereum hirsutum (Basidiomycete) volatile attraction to Rutpela maculata Poda (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae). (via olfactometry and GC-MS EAG) European Deadwood Meeting, Finland.

Hart, S. J. and Leather, S. R., 2014. Attraction of pioneer xylophagous beetles, especially Cerambycidae, to fungal inoculated beech logs. 8^th Symposium Saproxylic Beetles, Basel, Switzerland.

Hart, S. J. and Leather, S. R., 2012. Volatile attraction of sapro-xylophagous beetles and their parasitoid wasps to early decay stage wood-fungal volatiles. Royal Entomological Society Annual Conference.

Hart, S. J. and Leather, S. R., 2011. Attraction of pioneer xylophagous beetles, especially Cerambycidae, to fungal inoculated beech logs. [Poster, 1^st prize]. Royal Entomological Society Annual Conference