GIBSON LAB

Fragmentation in Karst Forests

Guangxi is the karst capital of the world, with 90,000 square kilometers covered by limestone mountains. While most of the flatlands have been converted to sugarcane, forest still persists on the karst peaks.

How does forest heterogeneity, elevation, and connectivity interact to shape beta diversity patterns in this region? Dr. Adam Sharp aims to study long-horned beetles in Nonggang and Chongzuo National Nature Reserves to answer these fundamental questions.

Biogeographic Patterns across Elevation

How are vertebrate communities structured across elevational gradients, and how do environmental and biotic factors contrubite to these biogeographic patterns? Dr. Yiming Hu leads a project censusing birds, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians across elevational and longitudinal gradients in the Tibetan Himalayas to answer these fundamental ecological questions.

Introduced, Threatened Species

What happens when a globally threatened species is introduced beyond its native range? Some have called this a conservation paradox.

One example is the Yellow-crested Cockatoo, a critically endangered species with 10% of its population in Hong Kong - thousands of kilometers from its native range in Indonesia.

How do adaptations of this species allow it to thrive in an environment so different from its native habitat? Astrid Andersson is pursuing her PhD at HKU to find out.

Photo: Michelle & Peter Wong

As governments have recognized the consequences of ivory trade on elephant populations in Africa, many have banned the trade of ivory. But what gaps exist in the enforcement of the ivory trade? Professor Gibson has worked closely with Alex Hofford from WildAid to investigate. A gap in Hong Kong - the global epicenter of wildlife trade - could fuel ongoing poaching of elephants continents away.

Photo: Alex Hofford

How Green is 'Green' Energy?

Global efforts to reduce carbon emissions have triggered an explosion in the growth of hydro, wind, and solar power. But are these massive infrastructure developements truly environmentally friendly?

Recently, Professor Gibson investigated the impacts of green energy, and found that these renewable energy sources often have considerable environmental consequences.

Photo: Museu Virtual de Tucuruí

Forest Disturbance & Biodiversity

Tropical forests are globally important because they host the highest levels of biodiversity but also face some of the highest rates of habitat loss.

For his PhD, Professor Gibson completed the first global synthesis of human impacts across the tropical forests of the Neotropics, Africa, and Asia. Undisturbed primary forests were found to be essential towards the maintenance of biodiversity, but selectively logged forests were also identified as a priority target for biodiversity conservation efforts.