Entomology staff directory

Research interests

• Systematics and global ecology of termites
• Global functional ecology of soil macrofauna
• Soil macrofauna and soil quality

Current activities

•  Phylogenetics and evolutionary ecology of termites
•  Assessing the impact of global climate change on the soil/litter macrofauna of British woodlands
•  Describing global patterns of soil/litter macrofauna diversity in forest systems
•  Mass participation survey of British earthworms
  

Contracts, grants, awards

 

Other Posts or Honoraria

	International Biological Observation Year (IBOY) - Chair, Taxonomy Group, Soil Macrofauna Programme
	University of London - External PhD Supervisor

Employment history

1989 - 1992	Department of Entomology, Natural History Museum, London - Junior Research Fellow
1992 - present	Department of Entomology, Natural History Museum, London - Research Entomologist and Head, Termite Research Group and Soil Biodiversity Programme

Higher education

	Imperial College, University of London - PhD (Phylogenetics and Evolutionary Biology of the Pimplinae (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae))
1985 - present	University of Bristol - BSc Hons (1st class) (Zoology)

Additional information

Scientific Societies:

• Royal Entomological Society
• Association for Tropical Biology International Union for the Study of Social Insects
• Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour

Publications

Smith, J., Potts, S., & Eggleton, P. In press. Enhancing soil macrofaunal diversity in agri-environment schemes: the conservation, biodiversity and functional value of arable field margin management. Journal of Applied Ecology.

Carpenter, D., Hodson, M.E., & Eggleton, P. In press. Earthworm induced mineral weathering: preliminary results. European Journal of Soil Science.

Scholtz, O., Macleod, N., Eggleton, P. In press. Termite soldier defence strategies: a reassessment of Prestwich's classification using extended eigenshapes analyses of head capsule morphology. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society

Raheem, D, Naggs, F., Preece, R., Mapatuna, Y. , Kariyawasam, L. &  Eggleton, P. In press. The Structure of the Land-snail Assemblages of Fragmented Lowland Rainforest and Village Home Gardens in Southern Sri Lanka. Journal of Applied Ecology.

Eggleton, P.. Beccaloni, G. & Inward, D. 2007. Response to Lo et al. Biology Letters 3 : 564-565.

Inward, D., Vögler, A. & Eggleton, P. 2007. A comprehensive new phylogenetic reconstruction for termites (Isoptera) illuminates key aspects of their evolutionary biology. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution.

Inward, D., Beccaloni, G. & Eggleton, P. 2007. Death of an order: a comprehensive molecular phylogenetic study confirms that termites are eusocial cockroaches. Biology Letters 3 : 331-335.

Smith, J., Chapman, A. & Eggleton, P. 2006. Baseline biodiversity surveys of the soil macrofauna of London's green spaces. Urban Ecosystems 9 : 337-349.

Jones, D.T., Davies, R.G. & Eggleton, P. 2006. Sampling termites in forest habitats: a reply to Roisin and Leponce. Austral Ecology 31 : 429-431.

Nobre, T., Nunes, L., Eggleton, P. & Bignell, D.E. 2006. Distribution and genetic variation of Reticulitermes (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae) in Portugal. Heredity 96 : 403-409.

Eggleton, P. 2006. The termite gut habitat: its evolution and co-evolution. In Intestinal Microrganisms of Termites and Other Invertebrates (H. König & A. Varma, eds). Springer-Verlag, Berlin. Pp. 373-404.

Aanen, D.K. & Eggleton, P. 2005. Fungus-growing termites originated in African rain forests. Current Biology 15 : 851-855.

Eggleton, P., Vanbergen, A.J., Jones, D.T., Lambert, M.C., Rockett, C., Hammond, P.M., Beccaloni, J., Marriott, D., Ross, E. & Giusti, A. 2005. Assemblages of soil macrofauna across a Scottish land-use intensification gradient: influences of habitat quality, heterogeneity and area. Journal of Applied Ecology 42 : 1153-1164.

Krell, F-T., Chung, A.Y.C., Ross, E., Eggleton, P., Giusti, A., Inward, K. & Krell-Westerwalbesloh, S. 2005. Quantitative extraction of macro-invertebrates from temperate and tropical leaf-litter and soil: efficiency and time-dependent taxonomic biases of the Winkler extraction. Pedobiologia 49 : 175-186.

Donovan, S.E., Purdy, K.J., Kane, M.D. & Eggleton, P. 2004. Comparison of Euryarchaea strains in the guts and food-soil of the soil-feeding termite Cubitermes fungifaber across different soil-types. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 70 : 3884-3892.

Jones, D.T., Verkerk, R.H.J, & Eggleton, P. 2004. Methods for sampling termites. In Insect Sampling in Forest Ecosystems (S. Leather, ed.). Blackwell, Oxford. Pp. 221-253.

Davies, R.G., Eggleton, P., Jones, D.T., Gathorne-Hardy, F.J. & Hernandez, L.M.  2003. Evolution of termite functional diversity: analysis and synthesis of local ecological and regional influences on local species richness. Journal of Biogeography 30 : 847-877.

Davies, R.G., Hernandez, L., Eggleton, P., Didham, R.K., Fagan, L. & Winchester, N.  2003. Assemblage composition responses of termites to fragmentation at a land-bridge island site in French Guiana. Journal of Tropical Ecology 19 : 509-524.

Jones, D.T., Susilo, F.X., Bignell, D.E., Hardiwinoto, S., Gillison, A.N. & Eggleton, P. 2003. Termite assemblage collapse along a land-use intensification gradient in lowland central Sumatra, Indonesia. Journal of Applied Ecology 40 : 380-391.

Eggleton, P. & Davies, R.G. 2003. Isoptera, Termites. In The Natural History of Madagascar (S.M. Goodman & J.P. Benstead eds). University of Chicago Press. Pp 654-660.

Krell, F-T., Krell-Westerwalbesloh, S., Weiß, I., Eggleton, P., & Linsenmair, K.E. 2003. Spatial separation of Afrotropical dung beetle guilds: a trade-off between competitive superiority and energetic constraints (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae). Ecography 26 : 210-222.

Aanen, D.K., Eggleton, P., Rouland-Lefèvre C., Guldberg-Frøslev, T., Rosendahl, S. & Boomsma, J.J. 2002. The evolution of fungus-growing termites and their mutualistic fungal symbionts. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science 99 : 14887-14892. 

Gathorne-Hardy, F. J., Davies, R.G., Eggleton, P., Jones, D.T. & Syaukani. 2002. Quaternary rainforest refugia in south-east Asia: using termites (Isoptera) as indicators. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 75 : 453-466.

Eggleton, P., Bignell, D.E., Hauser, S., Dibog, L., Norgrove, L. & Madong, B. 2002. Termite diversity across an anthropogenic disturbance gradient in the humid forest zone of West Africa. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 90 : 189-202.

Donovan, S.E., Eggleton, P., & Martin, A. 2002. Species composition of termites of the Nyika plateau forests, northern Malawi, over an altitudinal gradient. African Journal of Ecology 40 : 379-385.

Eggleton, P., Davies, R.G., Connetable, S., Bignell, D.E. & Rouland, C. 2002. The termites of the Mayombe Forest Reserve, Congo (Brazzaville): transect sampling reveals an extremely high diversity of ground-nesting soil feeders. Journal of Natural History 36 : 1239-1246.

Chung, A.Y.C., Eggleton, P., Speight, M.R., Hammond, P.M. & Chey, V.K. 2002. A survey on defoliation and phytophagous insects in four habitat types in Sabah, Malaysia. Journal of Tropical Forest Science 14 : 116-130.

Brauman, A., Doré, J., Breznak, J., Eggleton, P., Bignell, D.E. & Kane, M.D. 2001. Molecular phylogenetic profiling of prokaryotic communities in termites with different feeding habits. FEMS Microbiology Ecology 35 : 27-36.

Gathorne-Hardy, F., Syaukani & Eggleton, P. 2001. The effect of altitude and rainfall on the composition of termites  (Isoptera) of the Leuser Ecosystem (Sumatra, Indonesia). Journal of Tropical Ecology 17 : 379-393.

Donovan, S.E., Eggleton, P. & Bignell, D.E. 2001. Gut content analysis and a new feeding group classification of termites (Isoptera). Ecological Entomology 26 : 356-366.

Donovan, S.E., Eggleton, P., Dubbin, W.E., Batchelder, M. & Dibog, L. 2001. The effect of a soil-feeding termite, Cubitermes fungifaber (Isoptera: Termitidae) on soil properties: termites may be an important source of soil microhabitat heterogeneity in tropical forests. Pedobiologia 45 : 1-11.

Eggleton, P. 2001. Termites and trees: a review of recent advances in termite phylogenetics. Insectes Sociaux 48 : 187-193.

Eggleton, P. & Tayasu, I. 2001. Feeding groups, lifetypes and the global ecology of termites. Ecological Research 16 : 941-960.

Chung, Y.C., Speight, M.R., Eggleton, P., Hammond, P.M. & Chey, V.K. 2001. Impact of simulated defoliation on selected commercially important tree species in Sabah, Malaysia. The Malaysian Forester 63 : 113-125.

Kambhampati, S. & Eggleton, P. 2000. Phylogenetics and Taxonomy. In: Abe, T., Bignell, D. E. & Higashi, M. (eds.), Termites: Evolution, Sociality, Symbiosis, Ecology . Kluwer Academic Publishers. Pp 1-23.

Eggleton, P. 2000. Global diversity patterns. In: Abe, T., Bignell, D. E. & Higashi, M. (eds.), Termites: Evolution, Sociality, Symbiosis, Ecology . Kluwer Academic Publishers. Pp. 25-51.

Bignell, D.E. & Eggleton, P. 2000. Termites in Ecosystems. In: Abe, T., Bignell, D. E. & Higashi, M. (eds.), Termites: Evolution, Sociality, Symbiosis, Ecology . Kluwer Academic Publishers. Pp. 363-387.

Donovan, S.E., Jones, D.T., Sands, W.A. & Eggleton, P. 2000. Morphological phylogenetics of termites. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 70 : 467-513

Jones, D.T. & Eggleton, P. 2000. Sampling termite assemblages in tropical forests: testing a rapid biodiversity assessment protocol. Journal of Applied Ecology 37 : 191-203.

Chung, A.Y.C., Eggleton, P., Speight, M.R., Hammond, P.M. & Chey, V.K. 2000. The diversity of beetle assemblages in different habitat types in Sabah, Malaysia. Bulletin of Entomological Research 90 : 475-496.

Chung, A.Y.C., Chey, V.K., Eggleton, P., Hammond, P.M. & Speight, M.R. 2000. Variation in beetle (Coleoptera) diversity at different heights of tree canopy in a native forest and forest plantation in Sabah, Malaysia. Journal of Tropical Forest Science 13 : 369-385

Gathorne-Hardy, F., Collins, N.M., Buxton, R.D. & Eggleton, P. 2000. A faunistic review of the termites (Insecta: Isoptera) of Sulawesi, including an updated checklist of the species. Malayan Nature Journal 54 : 347-353.

Chung, A.Y.C., Hammond, P.M., Eggleton, P., Speight, M.R. & Chey, V.K. 2000. A general survey of the Staphylinidae (Insecta: Coleoptera) assemblage in Sabah, Malaysia. Malayan Nature Journal 54 : 355-368.

Chung, A.Y.C, Eggleton, P., Hammond, P.M., Speight, M.R. & Chey, V.K. 2000. Beetle (Coleoptera) sampling using the Winkler method, flight-interception-trapping and mist-blowing in Sabah. Malaysia. Sabah Parks Nature Journal 3 : 63-78.

Eggleton, P., Homathevi, R., Jones, D.T., MacDonald, J., Jeeva, D., Bignell, D.E., Davies, R.G. & Maryati, M. 1999. Termite assemblages, forest disturbance, and greenhouse gas fluxes in Sabah, East Malaysia. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, series B 354 : 1791-1802.

Davies, R.G., Eggleton, P., Dibog, L., Lawton, J.H., Bignell, D.E., Brauman, A., Hartmann, C., Nunes, L., Holt, J. & Rouland, C. 1999. Successional response of a tropical forest termite assemblage to experimental habitat perturbation. Journal of Applied Ecology 36 : 946-962.

MacDonald, J., Eggleton, P., Jeeva, D., Bignell, D.E., Lawton, J.H., Davies, R.G. & Maryati, M. 1999. The effect of termites and disturbance on the CH4 budget in tropical forests in Cameroon and Borneo. Global Change Biology 5 : 869-881.

Eggleton, P. 1999. Termite species description rates and the state of termite taxonomy. Insectes Sociaux 46 : 1-5.

Jeeva, D., Bignell, D.E., Eggleton, P. & Marayti, M. 1999. Respiratory gas exchanges of termites from the Sabah (Borneo) assemblage. Physiological Entomology 24 : 11-17.

Dibog, L., Eggleton, P., Norgrove, L., Bignell, D.E. & Hauser, S. 1999. Effects of canopy retention on the abundance and species richness of termites in an agrisilvicultural system in southern Cameroon. Bulletin of Entomological Research 89 : 125-132.

Eggleton, P., Davies, R.G., Kane, M.D. & Kambhampati, S. 1999. A checklist of termites from Kaieteur National Park (Guyana). Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington 101 : 687-689.

Lawton, J.H., Bignell, D.E., Bolton, B., Bloemers, G., Eggleton, P., Hammond, P.M., Hodda, M., Holt, R.D., Larsen, T.B., Mawdsley, N.A., Stork, N.E., Srivastava, D.S. & Watt, A.D. 1998. Biodiversity inventories, indicator taxa and effects of habitat modification in a Cameroon tropical forest. Nature 391 : 72-76. 

Eggleton, P., Davies, R.G. & Bignell, D.E. 1998. Body size and energy use in termites (Isoptera): the responses of soil-feeders and wood-feeders differ in a tropical forest assemblage. Oikos 81 : 525-530.

MacDonald, J.A., Eggleton, P., Bignell, D.E. & Forzi, F. 1998. Methane emission by termites and oxidation by soils across a forest disturbance gradient in the Mbalmayo Forest Reserve, Cameroon. Global Change Biology 4 : 409-418.

Didham, R.K., Lawton, J.H., Hammond, P.M., Eggleton, P. & Stork, N.E. 1998. Beetle species responses to tropical forest fragmentation. Ecological Monographs 68 : 295-333

Bignell, D.E. & Eggleton, P. 1998. Termites. In, (Callow, P., ed.) The Encyclopedia of Ecology and Environment Management, pp. 744-746.

Dibog, L., Eggleton, P. & Forzi, F. 1998. The seasonality of a termite assemblage in a humid tropical forest, Mbalmayo, southern Cameroon. Journal of Tropical Ecology 14 : 841-850.

Brauman, A., Doré, J., Eggleton, P., Bignell, D.E. & Kane, M.D. 1998. Analyse phylogénetique des communautés microbienne de tube digestif de termites à regimes alimentaires différenciés. Microorganismes Aaerobies, (ed. J.L. Tholozan). 1998, Acte du Collogue Société Francais de Microbiologie . 245-355.

Eggleton, P. & Bignell, D.E. 1997. The incidence of secondary occupation of epigeal termite (Isoptera) mounds by other termites in the Mbalmayo Forest Reserve, southern Cameroon, and its biological significance. Journal of African Zoology 111 : 489-498.

Tayasu, H., Abe, T., Eggleton, P. & Bignell, D.E. 1997. Nitrogen and carbon isotope ratios in termites (Isoptera): an indicator of trophic habit along the gradient from wood-feeding to soil-feeding. Ecological Entomology 21 : 279-288.

Watt, A., Stork, N.E., Eggleton, P. & Srivastava, D., Larsen, T.B., Brendell, M.J.D. & Bignell, D.E. 1997. Impact of forest loss and regeneration on insect abundance and diversity. In Insects and Forests (eds. Watt, A., Stork, N.E., & Hunter, M.). Chapman & Hall, London, pp. 273-286.

Bignell, D.E., Eggleton, P., Thomas, K. & Nunes, L. 1997. Termites as mediators of carbon fluxes in tropical forest: budgets for carbon dioxide and methane emissions. In Insects and Forests (eds. Watt, A., Stork, N.E. & Hunter, M.). Chapman & Hall, London, pp. 119-134.

Nunes, L., Bignell, D.E., Lo, N. & Eggleton, P. 1997. On the respiratory quotient (RQ) of termites (Insecta: Isoptera). Journal of Insect Physiology 43 : 749-758.

Eggleton, P., Homathevi, R., Jeeva, D., Jones, D.T., Davies, R.G. & Maryati, M. 1997. The species richness and composition of termites (Isoptera) in primary and regenerating lowland dipterocarp forest in Sabah, east Malaysia. Ecotropica 3 :119-128.

Eggleton, P., Bignell, D.E., Sands, W.A., Mawdsley, N.A., Lawton, J.H., Wood, T.G. & Bignell, N.C. 1996. The diversity, abundance and biomass of termites under differing levels of disturbance in the Mbalmayo Forest Reserve, southern Cameroon. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, series B 351 : 51-68.

Lawton, J.H., Bignell, D.E., Bloemers, G.F., Eggleton, P. & Hodda, M.E. 1996. Carbon flux and diversity of nematodes and termites in Cameroon forest soils. Biodiversity and Conservation 5 : 261-273. 

Sleaford, F., Bignell, D.E. & Eggleton, P. 1996. A pilot analysis of gut contents in termites from the Mbalmayo Forest Reserve, Cameroon. Ecological Entomology 21 : 279-288.

Eggleton, P., Bignell, D.E., Sands, W.A., Waite, B. & Wood, T.G. 1995. The species richness of termites (Isoptera) under differing levels of forest disturbance in the Mbalmayo Forest Reserve, southern Cameroon. Journal of Tropical Ecology 11 : 85-98.

Bignell, D.E. & Eggleton, P. 1995. On the elevated gut pH of higher termites (Isoptera: Termitidae). Insectes Sociaux 42 : 57-69.

Eggleton, P. & Bignell, D.E. 1995. Monitoring the response of tropical insects to changes in the environment: troubles with termites. In, Insects in a changing environment (R. Harrington & N.E. Stork, eds), pp. 473-497. Academic Press.

Eggleton P. & Vane Wright, R.I. 1994. (Eds). Phylogenetics and Ecology . Academic Press, London. Pp. 376.

Eggleton, P. & Vane Wright, R.I. 1994. Some principles of phylogenetics and their consequences for comparative biology. In, Phylogenetics and Ecology (P. Eggleton & R.I. Vane Wright, eds). Academic Press, London. Pp. 345-366.

Eggleton, P., Williams, P.H. & Gaston, K.J. 1994. Explaining termite global richness: productivity or history? Biodiversity and Conservation 3 : 318-330.

Eggleton, P. 1994. Termites live in pear shaped world: a response to Platnick. Journal of Natural History 28 : 1209-1212.

Eggleton, P. & Belshaw R. 1993. Differences between Diptera, Hymenoptera and Coleoptera parasitoids: provisional phylogenetic explanations. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 48 : 213 226.

Stork N.E. & Eggleton P. 1992. Invertebrates as determinants and indicators of soil quality. American Journal of Alternative Agriculture 7 : 38 47.

Eggleton, P. & Gaston, K.J. 1992. Tachinid host ranges: a reappraisal (Diptera: Tachinidae). Entomologist's Gazette 43 : 139 143.

Eggleton, P.. & Belshaw R.  1992. Insect parasitoids: an evolutionary overview. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, series B 331 : 1 20.

Stork N.E. & Eggleton P. 1992. Invertebrates as determinants and indicators of soil quality. American Journal of Alternative Agriculture 7 : 38 47.

Eggleton, P. 1991. Patterns in male mating strategies of the Rhyssinae (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae). Animal Behaviour 41 : 829 837.

Eggleton, P. & Gaston K.J. 1990. Parasitoid species and assemblages: convenient definitions or misleading compromises? Oikos 59 : 417 421

Eggleton, P. 1990. The male reproductive strategy of Lytarmes maculipennis (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae). Ecological Entomology 15 : 357 360.