Dr Kerry Brown
Faculties, departments and locations
- Faculty of Engineering, Computing and the Environment
- Department of Geography, Geology and the Environment
- School of Built Environment and Geography
- Penrhyn Road
Associate Professor
- Email:
- [email protected]
About
I am an Associate Professor at Kingston University. I received my BSc in Biology from Howard University in Washington, DC. I then went on to complete my MSc in Applied Ecology and PhD in Ecology and Evolution, both in the Department of Ecology and Evolution at Stony Brook University (New York). My dissertation research investigated the multi-scale effects of plant invasions in tropical forests in Puerto Rico. From 2004 - 2008, I completed a postdoctoral fellowship (Columbia University Science Fellow) at Columbia University in New York City. I am a plant ecologist and conservation biologist. My research integrates ecological data from small to large spatial scales to assess how global environmental change impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem function. My research is conducted in tropical (forests of Madagascar and Puerto Rico) and temperate ecosystems (UK and Spanish peatlands).
Qualifications
- PhD
- MSc
- BSc
- FHEA
Domains
My teaching focuses on ecology and conservation. I am also responsible for teaching statistics in the Department, from first-year to MSc.
Modules
- GG4002 - Introduction to Environmental Science
- GG4004 - Research & Fieldwork Methods
- GG5180 - Biodiversity Conservation
- GG5400 - Design & Management of Projects
- GG7050 - Research Methods & Techniques
Courses taught
- Biodiversity and Ecosystem Function: I investigate the extent to which changes in biodiversity, including changes in plant functional trait composition can significantly alter dynamics of natural ecosystems (e.g., fens, tropical forests), and in turn, whether these ecosystems are able to deliver key ecosystem services (e.g., biodiversity, carbon storage). Biodiversity plays an integral role in the livelihoods of subsistence communities in tropical developing countries and I seek to understand the interplay between local people and biodiversity.
- Spatial predictive models: I investigate the effects of environmental change on biodiversity--across small and large spatial scales--using species distribution models and various other modelling techniques. My current research in this area focuses on modelling species range shift, with a view to better understanding how climate change and deforestation interact to drive species' distributions.
- Nature-based Solutions (NbS): I investigate barriers to implementing NbS for climate change adaptation and mitigation in urban and peri-urban environments. There are substantial knowledge gaps in our understanding of people's perception of NbS initiatives, leading to discrepancies in behaviours toward climate mitigation and adaptation policy. I work with an interdisciplinary team of researchers to understand motors and drivers of NbS implementation.
- Widening Participation: I investigate the underrepresentation of minoritised ethnic communities in environmental science and environmental decision-making. I investigate how barriers such as limited educational opportunities and exclusionary entry routes restrict participation and career pathways in the field. Using participatory and experiential approaches, I explore how community-driven environmental education can empower young people, diversify perspectives and generate more inclusive solutions to climate and biodiversity challenges.
Selected Funding
- Mapping Futures: Empowering young people from Under-represented communities in Environmental Science. NERC, 2025-2026. PI: Kerry Brown, Co-Is: Mary Kelly, Purva Tavri, Tracey Coates, Amanda Baker, Lisa Westray (Haringey Sixth Form College) and Paul Butler (The Selby Trust)
- Cascading impacts of landscape structure on forest regeneration. PI: Onja Razafindratsima, Co-PIs: Kerry Brown & Steig Johnson. NSF, 2024-2028.
- The Abundance Project: enhancing cultural and green inclusion to address racial and ethnic inequalities in mental health. PIs: Maria Chatzichristodoulou & Tushna Vandrevala. Co-Is: Kerry Brown, Meg Jensen, Peter Garside, Kerry Brown, Chris Tang. AHRC, 2024-2027.
- Linking plant functional traits with palaeoecological proxies in peatland habitats. Co-Is: Lourdes López-Merino and Antonio Martínez Cortizas. The Royal Society, 2020-2022.
Specialisms
- Biodiversity and Ecosystem Function
- Tropical plant ecology
- Climate and Land-use change driven range shift
Scholarly affiliations
- British Ecological Society (BES)
Publications
Climate change facilitates fungal pathogen expansion while driving endemic host range contractions in a tropical biodiversity hotspot
Underwood, Emma L., Brown, Kerry A., Rönnfeldt, Anna, Mulligan, Mark, Walford, Nigel and Allgayer, Rebekka, 2026, Landscape Ecology (41), 5, Published
Greenspace quality and proximity are stronger predictors of mental health than quantity or access
Collins, Rebecca M., Brown, Kerry A., Ogutu, Booker O., Smith, Dianna, Eigenbrod, Felix and Spake, Rebecca, 2026, Landscape and Urban Planning (273), E-pub ahead of print
Communities with diverse subsistence needs require a variety of functional tree traits
Rakotovao, Minoseheno, Borgerson, Cortni, Brown, Kerry A., Cromsigt, Joris P.G.M., Johnson, Steig E., Razafindratsima, Onja H., Mendum, Ruth, Andrianjatovo, Onjaniaina O., Ravaomanalina, Harisoa B., Andriantsaralaza, Seheno and Holmes, Sheila M., 2026, Conservation Science and Practice (8), 2, Published
Response of soil carbon and plant diversity to grazing and precipitation in High Nature Value farmlands
Deosaran, Rishi, Carvalho, Fabio, Nunes, Alice, Köbel, Melanie, Serafim, João, Hooda, Peter S., Waller, Martyn, Branquinho, Cristina and Brown, Kerry A., 2024, Forest Ecology and Management (555), Published
The relative effects of access to public greenspace and private gardens on mental health
Collins, Rebecca M., Smith, Dianna, Ogutu, Booker O., Brown, Kerry A., Eigenbrod, Felix and Spake, Rebecca, 2023, Landscape and Urban Planning (240), Published
Trait-based approaches as ecological time machines: developing tools for reconstructing long-term variation in ecosystems
Brown, Kerry A., Bunting, M. Jane, Carvalho, Fabio, de Bello, Francesco, Mander, Luke, Marcisz, Katarzyna, Mottl, Ondrej, Reitalu, Triin and Svenning, Jens Christian, 2023, Functional Ecology, E-pub ahead of print
A national-level assessment of lemur hunting pressure in Madagascar
Borgerson, Cortni, Johnson, Steig E., Hall, Emma, Brown, Kerry A., Narváez-Torres, Pamela R., Rasolofoniaina, Be Jean Rodolph, Razafindrapaoly, Be Noel, Merson, Samuel D., Thompson, Katharine E.T., Holmes, Sheila M., Louis, Edward E. and Golden, Christopher D., 2022, International Journal of Primatology (43)pp 92-113, Published
Small and slow is safe: on the drought tolerance of tropical tree species
Guillemot, Joannès, Martin-StPaul, Nicolas K., Bulascoschi, Leticia, Poorter, Lourens, Morin, Xavier, Pinho, Bruno X., le Maire, Guerric, R. L. Bittencourt, Paulo, Oliveira, Rafael S., Bongers, Frans, Brouwer, Rens, Pereira, Luciano, Gonzalez Melo, German Andrés, Boonman, Coline C.F., Brown, Kerry A., Cerabolini, Bruno E.L., Niinemets, Ülo, Onoda, Yusuke, Schneider, Julio V., Sheremetiev, Serge and Brancalion, Pedro H.S., 2022, Global Change Biology (28), 8pp 2622-2638, E-pub ahead of print
The global spectrum of plant form and function: enhanced species-level trait dataset
Díaz, Sandra, Kattge, Jens, Cornelissen, Johannes H.C., Wright, Ian J., Lavorel, Sandra, Dray, Stéphane, Reu, Björn, Kleyer, Michael, Wirth, Christian, Prentice, I. Colin, Garnier, Eric, Bönisch, Gerhard, Westoby, Mark, Poorter, Hendrik, Reich, Peter B., Moles, Angela T., Dickie, John, Zanne, Amy E., Chave, Jérôme, Wright, S. Joseph, Sheremetiev, Serge N., Jactel, Hervé, Baraloto, Christopher, Cerabolini, Bruno E.L., Pierce, Simon, Shipley, Bill, Casanoves, Fernando, Joswig, Julia S., Günther, Angela, Falczuk, Valeria, Rüger, Nadja, Mahecha, Miguel D., Gorné, Lucas D., Amiaud, Bernard, Atkin, Owen K., Bahn, Michael, Baldocchi, Dennis, Beckmann, Michael, Blonder, Benjamin, Bond, William, Bond-Lamberty, Ben, Brown, Kerry, Burrascano, Sabina, Byun, Chaeho, Campetella, Giandiego, Cavender-Bares, Jeannine, Chapin, F. Stuart, Choat, Brendan, Coomes, David Anthony, Cornwell, William K., Craine, Joseph, Craven, Dylan, Dainese, Matteo, de Araujo, Alessandro Carioca, de Vries, Franciska T., Domingues, Tomas Ferreira, Enquist, Brian J., Fagúndez, Jaime, Fang, Jingyun, Fernández-Méndez, Fernando, Fernandez-Piedade, Maria T., Ford, Henry, Forey, Estelle, Freschet, Gregoire T., Gachet, Sophie, Gallagher, Rachael, Green, Walton, Guerin, Greg R., Gutiérrez, Alvaro G., Harrison, Sandy P., Hattingh, Wesley Neil, He, Tianhua, Hickler, Thomas, Higgins, Steven I., Higuchi, Pedro, Ilic, Jugo, Jackson, Robert B., Jalili, Adel, Jansen, Steven, Koike, Fumito, König, Christian, Kraft, Nathan, Kramer, Koen, Kreft, Holger, Kühn, Ingolf, Kurokawa, Hiroko, Lamb, Eric G., Laughlin, Daniel C., Leishman, Michelle, Lewis, Simon, Louault, Frédérique, Malhado, Ana C.M., Manning, Peter, Meir, Patrick, Mencuccini, Maurizio, Messier, Julie, Miller, Regis, Minden, Vanessa, Molofsky, Jane, Montgomery, Rebecca, Montserrat-Martí, Gabriel, Moretti, Marco, Müller, Sandra, Niinemets, Ülo, Ogaya, Romà, Öllerer, Kinga, Onipchenko, Vladimir, Onoda, Yusuke, Ozinga, Wim A., Pausas, Juli G., Peco, Begoña, Penuelas, Josep, Pillar, Valério D., Pladevall, Clara, Römermann, Christine, Sack, Lawren, Salinas, Norma, Sandel, Brody, Sardans, Jordi, Schamp, Brandon, Scherer-Lorenzen, Michael, Schulze, Ernst Detlef, Schweingruber, Fritz, Shiodera, Satomi, Sosinski, Ênio, Soudzilovskaia, Nadejda, Spasojevic, Marko J., Swaine, Emily, Swenson, Nathan, Tautenhahn, Susanne, Thompson, Ken, Totte, Alexia, Urrutia-Jalabert, Rocío, Valladares, Fernando, van Bodegom, Peter, Vasseur, François, Verheyen, Kris, Vile, Denis, Violle, Cyrille, von Holle, Betsy, Weigelt, Patrick, Weiher, Evan, Wiemann, Michael C., Williams, Mathew, Wright, Justin and Zotz, Gerhard, 2022, Scientific Data (9), Published
Predicting range shifts for critically endangered plants: is habitat connectivity irrelevant or necessary?
Yesuf, Gabriel U., Brown, Kerry A., Walford, Nigel S., Rakotoarisoa, Solofo E. and Rufino, Mariana C., 2021, Biological Conservation (256), Published
A systematic map of research exploring the effect of greenspace on mental health
Collins, Rebecca M., Spake, Rebecca, Brown, Kerry A., Ogutu, Booker O., Smith, Dianna and Eigenbrod, Felix, 2020, Landscape and Urban Planning (201), Published
Changes in functional, phylogenetic and taxonomic diversities of lowland fens under different vegetation and disturbance levels
Carvalho, Fabio, Brown, Kerry A., Waller, Martyn P., Razafindratsima, Onja H. and Boom, Arnoud, 2020, Plant Ecology (221)pp 441-457, Published
Methods for prioritizing protected areas using individual and aggregate rankings
Carvalho, Fabio, Brown, Kerry A., Gordon, Adam D., Yesuf, Gabriel U., Raherilalao, Marie Jeanne, Raselimanana, Achille P., Soarimalala, Voahangy and Goodman, Steven M., 2020, Environmental Conservation (47), 2pp 113-122, Published
TRY plant trait database – enhanced coverage and open access
Kattge, Jens, Bönisch, Gerhard, Díaz, Sandra, Lavorel, Sandra, Prentice, Iain Colin, Leadley, Paul, Tautenhahn, Susanne, Werner, Gijsbert D.A., Aakala, Tuomas, Abedi, Mehdi, Acosta, Alicia T.R., Adamidis, George C., Adamson, Kairi, Aiba, Masahiro, Albert, Cécile H., Alcántara, Julio M., Alcázar C, Carolina, Aleixo, Izabela, Ali, Hamada, Amiaud, Bernard, Ammer, Christian, Amoroso, Mariano M., Anand, Madhur, Anderson, Carolyn, Anten, Niels, Antos, Joseph, Apgaua, Deborah Mattos Guimarães, Ashman, Tia Lynn, Asmara, Degi Harja, Asner, Gregory P., Aspinwall, Michael, Atkin, Owen, Aubin, Isabelle, Baastrup-Spohr, Lars, Bahalkeh, Khadijeh, Bahn, Michael, Baker, Timothy, Baker, William J., Bakker, Jan P., Baldocchi, Dennis, Baltzer, Jennifer, Banerjee, Arindam, Baranger, Anne, Barlow, Jos, Barneche, Diego R., Baruch, Zdravko, Bastianelli, Denis, Brown, Kerry A., Walker, Anthony P. and Waller, Martyn, 2020, Global Change Biology (26), 1pp 119-188, Published
Assessing regional-scale variability in deforestation and forest degradation rates in a tropical biodiversity hotspot
Yesuf, Gabriel, Brown, Kerry A. and Walford, Nigel, 2019, Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation (5), 4pp 346-359, Published
Leaf traits interact with management and water table to modulate ecosystem properties in fen peatlands
Carvalho, Fabio, Brown, Kerry A., Waller, Martyn P. and Boom, Arnoud, 2019, Plant and Soil (441), 1-2pp 331-347, Published
A method for reconstructing temporal changes in vegetation functional trait composition using Holocene pollen assemblages
Carvalho, Fabio, Brown, Kerry A., Waller, Martyn P., Bunting, M. Jane, Boom, Arnoud and Leng, Melanie J., 2019, PLoS ONE (14), 5, Published
Edge effects on components of diversity and above-ground biomass in a tropical rainforest
Razafindratsima, Onja H., Brown, Kerry A., Carvalho, Fabio, Johnson, Steig E., Wright, Patricia C. and Dunham, Amy E., 2018, Journal of Applied Ecology (55), 249pp 977-985, Published
Mapping local and global variability in plant trait distributions
Butler, Ethan E., Datta, Abhirup, Flores-Moreno, Habacuc, Chen, Ming, Wythers, Kirk R., Fazayeli, Farideh, Banerjee, Arindam, Atkin, Owen K., Kattge, Jens, Amiaud, Bernard, Blonder, Benjamin, Boenisch, Gerhard, Bond-Lamberty, Ben, Brown, Kerry A., Byun, Chaeho, Campetella, Giandiego, Cerabolini, Bruno E.L., Cornelissen, Johannes H.C., Craine, Joseph M., Craven, Dylan, De Vries, Franciska T., Díaz, Sandra, Domingues, Tomas F., Forey, Estelle, González-Melo, Andrés, Gross, Nicolas, Han, Wenxuan, Hattingh, Wesley N., Hickler, Thomas, Jansen, Steven, Kramer, Koen, Kraft, Nathan J.B., Kurokawa, Hiroko, Laughlin, Daniel C., Meir, Patrick, Minden, Vanessa, Niinemets, Ülo, Onoda, Yusuke, Peñuelas, Josep, Read, Quentin, Sack, Lawren, Schamp, Brandon, Soudzilovskaia, Nadejda A., Spasojevic, Marko J., Sosinski, Enio, Thornton, Peter E., Valladares, Fernando, Van Bodegom, Peter M., Williams, Mathew, Wirth, Christian, Reich, Peter B. and Schlesinger, William H., 2017, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (114), 51, Published
Disentangling the pollen signal from fen systems: modern and Holocene studies from southern and eastern England
Waller, Martyn, Carvalho, Fabio, Grant, Michael J., Bunting, M. Jane and Brown, Kerry, 2017, Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology (238)pp 15-33, Published
Modeling co-occurrence between toxic prey and naive predators in an incipient invasion
Brown, Kerry A., Farris, Zach J., Yesuf, Gabriel, Gerber, Brian D., Rasambainarivo, Fidisoa, Karpanty, Sarah, Kelly, Marcella J., Razafimahaimodison, Jean Claude, Larney, Eileen, Wright, Patricia C. and Johnson, Steig E., 2016, Biodiversity and Conservation (25), 13pp 2723-2741, Published
Niche divergence in a brown lemur (' Eulemur ' spp.) hybrid zone: using ecological niche models to test models of stability
Johnson, Steig E., Delmore, Kira E., Brown, Kerry A., Wyman, Tracy M. and Louis, Edward E., 2016, International Journal of Primatology (37), 1pp 69-88, Published
Predicting plant diversity patterns in Madagascar: understanding the effects of climate and land cover change in a biodiversity hotspot
Brown, Kerry A., Parks, Katherine E., Bethell, Colin A., Johnson, Steig E. and Mulligan, Mark, 2015, PLoS ONE (10), 4, Published
Use of provisioning ecosystem services drives loss of functional traits across land use intensification gradients in tropical forests in Madagascar
Brown, Kerry A., Johnson, Steig E., Parks, Katherine E., Holmes, Sheila M., Ivoandry, Tonisoa, Abram, Nicola K., Delmore, Kira E., Ludovic, Reza, Andriamaharoa, Hubert E., Wyman, Tracy M. and Wright, Patricia C., 2013, Biological Conservation (161), Maypp 118-127, Published
Tracking and mapping sun-synchronous migrations and diel space use patterns of Haemulon sciurus and Lutjanus apodus in the U.S. Virgin Islands
Hitt, Steven, Pittman, Simon J. and Brown, Kerry A., 2011, Environmental Biology of Fishes (92), 4pp 525-538, Published
Assessing natural resource use by forest-reliant communities in Madagascar using functional diversity and functional redundancy metrics
Brown, Kerry A., Flynn, Dan F.B., Abram, Nicola K., Ingram, J. Carter, Johnson, Steig E. and Wright, Patricia, 2011, PLoS ONE (6), 9, Published
Multi-Scale approach for predicting fish species distributions across coral reef seascapes
Pittman, Simon J. and Brown, Kerry A., 2011, PLoS Biology (6), 5, Published
Protected Area Safeguard Tree and Shrub Communities from Degradation and Invasion: A Case Study in Eastern Madagascar
Brown, Kerry A., Carter Ingram, J., Flynn, Dan F.B., Razafindrazaka, Rova and Jeannoda, Vololoniaina, 2009, Environmental Management (44), 1pp 136-148, Published
Multi-scale analysis of species introductions: combining landscape and demographic models to improve management decisions about non-native species
Brown, Kerry A., Spector, Sacha and Wu, Wei, 2008, Journal of Applied Ecology (45), 6pp 1639-1648, Published
Effects of an invasive tree on community structure and diversity in a tropical forest in Puerto Rico
Brown, Kerry, Scatena, F.N. and Gurevitch, Jessica, 2006, Forest Ecology and Management (226), 1-3pp 145-152, Published
Long-term impacts of logging on forest diversity in Madagascar
Brown, Kerry A. and Gurevitch, Jessica, 2004, Mycoscience (101), 16pp 6045-6049, Published
The distance dependence prediction of the Janzen-Connell hypothesis: a meta-analysis
Hyatt, Laura A., Rosenberg, Michael S., Howard, Timothy G., Bole, Gregory, Fang, Wei, Anastasia, Jean, Brown, Kerry, Grella, Rebecca, Hinman, Katharine, Kurdziel, Josepha P. and Gurevitch, Jessica, 2003, Oikos (103), 3pp 590-602, Published
Madagascar protected area prioritization: a road map for conservation
Brown, Kerry A., Gordon, Adam, Carvalho, Fabio and Yesuf, Gabriel (2018). In: Goodman, Steven M., Raherilalao, Marie Jeanne, Wohlhauser, Sebastien, (eds.), Antananarivo, Madagascar:pp 1693-1705 [Published]
The specialist capuchin? Using ecological niche models to compare niche breadth in Mesoamerican primates.
Johnson, Steig E. and Brown, Kerry A. (2018). In: Kalbitzer, Urs, Jack, Katharine M., (eds.), Cham, Switzerland: Springerpp 311-329 [Published]
Gallery of work
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Research team in Xistral Mountains in Spain (September 2021)
The research team are in the Xistral Mountains collecting data for the Palaeotraits project funded by The Royal Society.
