Dr Emma Sayer

Lecturer

Research Overview

My research investigates how ecosystems respond to change. I’m happiest when working in forests but I also make the occasional foray into grasslands. My main research focus lies in determining how interactions between above- and belowground processes affect ecosystem function. I work in the UK, Panama and Borneo using a wide range of tools borrowed from biogeochemistry, plant-, soil, and microbial ecology. I’m also passionate about science communication and public engagement with science. More details can be found on my project website http://www.forestprime.com and at http://www.besfest.org

Nutrient limitation of woody debris decomposition in a tropical forest: contrasting effects of N and P addition
Chen, Y., Sayer, E., Li, Z., Mo, Q., Li, Y., Ding, Y., Wang, J., Lu, X., Tang, J., Wang, F. 2015 In: Functional Ecology.
Journal article

Sex & bugs & rock 'n roll: getting creative about public engagement
Sayer, E., Featherstone, H.C., Gosling, W.D. 02/2014 In: Trends in Ecology and Evolution. 29, 2, p. 65-67. 3 p.
Journal article

The forest for the trees
Sayer, E. 2014 In: Frontiers of Biogeography. 6, 3
Book/Film/Article review

Leaf-cutting ants as ecosystem engineers: topsoil and litter perturbations around Atta cephalotes nests reduce nutrient availability
Meier, S., Neubauer, M., Sayer, E., Leal, I., Tabarelli, M., Wirth, R. 10/2013 In: Ecological Entomology. 38, 5, p. 497-504. 8 p.
Journal article

Litter manipulation and the soil arthropod community in a lowland tropical rainforest
Ashford, O.S., Foster, W.A., Turner, B.L., Sayer, E., Sutcliffe, L., Tanner, E.V. 07/2013 In: Soil Biology and Biochemistry. 62, p. 5-12. 8 p.
Journal article

Grassland management influences spatial patterns of soil microbial communities
Sayer, E.J., Wagner, M., Oliver, A.E., Pywell, R.F., James, P., Whiteley, A.S., Heard, M.S. 06/2013 In: Soil Biology and Biochemistry. 61, p. 61-68. 8 p.
Journal article

Variability of above-ground litter inputs alters soil physicochemical and biological processes: a meta-analysis of litterfall-manipulation experiments
Xu, S., Liu, L., Sayer, E.J. 2013 In: Biogeosciences. 10, 11, p. 7423-7433. 11 p.
Journal article

Variable responses of lowland tropical forest nutrient status to fertilization and litter manipulation
Sayer, E.J., Joseph Wright, S., Tanner, E.V.J., Yavitt, J.B., Harms, K.E., Powers, J.S., Kaspari, M., Garcia, M.N., Turner, B.L. 04/2012 In: Ecosystems. 15, 3, p. 387-400. 14 p.
Journal article

Soil carbon release enhanced by increased tropical forest litterfall
Sayer, E.J., Heard, M.S., Grant, H.K., Marthews, T.R., Tanner, E.V.J. 09/2011 In: Nature Climate Change. 1, 6, p. 304-307. 4 p.
Journal article

Potassium, phosphorus, or nitrogen limit root allocation, tree growth, or litter production in a lowland tropical forest
Wright, S.J., Yavitt, J.B., Wurzburger, N., Turner, B.L., Tanner, E.V.J., Sayer, E.J., Santiago, L.S., Kaspari, M., Hedin, L.O., Harms, K.E., Garcia, M.N., Corre, M.D. 1/08/2011 In: Ecology. 92, 8, p. 1616-1625. 10 p.
Journal article

Experimental investigation of the importance of litterfall in lowland semi-evergreen tropical forest nutrient cycling: tropical forest litterfall and nutrients
Sayer, E.J., Tanner, E.V.J. 09/2010 In: Journal of Ecology. 98, 5, p. 1052-1062. 11 p.
Journal article

Arthropod abundance and diversity in a lowland tropical forest floor in Panama: the role of habitat space vs. nutrient concentrations
Sayer, E.J., Sutcliffe, L.M.E., Ross, R.I.C., Tanner, E.V.J. 03/2010 In: Biotropica. 42, 2, p. 194-200. 7 p.
Journal article

A new approach to trenching experiments for measuring root–rhizosphere respiration in a lowland tropical forest
Sayer, E., Tanner, E.V.J. 02/2010 In: Soil Biology and Biochemistry. 42, 2, p. 347-352. 6 p.
Journal article

Increased litterfall in tropical forests boosts the transfer of soil CO2 to the atmosphere
Sayer, E.J., Powers, J.S., Tanner, E.V.J. 12/12/2007 In: PLoS ONE. 2, 12, 6 p.
Journal article

Effects of litter manipulation on early-stage decomposition and meso-arthropod abundance in a tropical moist forest
Sayer, E.J., Tanner, E.V.J., Lacey, A.L. 1/07/2006 In: Forest Ecology and Management. 229, 1-3, p. 285-293. 9 p.
Journal article

Increased litterfall changes fine root distribution in a moist tropical forest
Sayer, E.J., Tanner, E.V.J., Cheesman, A.W. 03/2006 In: Plant and Soil. 281, 1-2, p. 5-13. 9 p.
Journal article

Using experimental manipulation to assess the roles of leaf litter in the functioning of forest ecosystems
Sayer, E.J. 02/2006
Scientific review

The role of tree size in the leafing phenology of a seasonally dry tropical forest in Belize, Central America
Sayer, E.J., Newbery, D.M. 09/2003 In: Journal of Tropical Ecology. 19, 5, p. 539-548. 10 p.
Journal article