As an entomologist specialising in community ecology, I am interested in the patterns and processes structuring natural and modified ecosystems. My work combines theoretical ecology with experiments to understand how the evolutionary relationships of tropical arthropods influence their ecological interactions. My field sites are in Danum Valley, an area of pristine tropical rainforest in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo, and in the neighbouring oil palm plantations. My ultimate goal is to develop theoretical frameworks that can be used to conserve tropical biodiversity by informing sustainable management practices.

I am a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, the Royal Society of Biology, the Cambridge Philosophical Society, and the Higher Education Academy.

• PhD: The Ecology and Diversity of the Animal Communities of a Rainforest Canopy Epiphyte
  Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, 2003

I am willing to supervise a PhD

2025

• PublishedBedrock modulates the elevational patterns of soil microbial communities
  He, X., Wang, R., S. Goll, D., Augusto, L., Nunan, N., Ellwood, M. D. F., Gao, Q., Huang, J., Qian, S., Zhang, Y., Shu, Z., Li, B. & Chu, C., Jan 2025, In: Geoderma. 453, 117136.
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
• PublishedWood trait-decay relationships vary with topography and rainfall seasonality in a subtropical forest in China
  Wu, D., Chen, Y., Ellwood, M. D. F., Shao, Z., Wang, Y., H. C. Cornelissen, J. & Chu, C., Mar 2025, In: Journal of Ecology. 113, 3, p. 763-777
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

2024

• PublishedExtinction and Ecosystem Function Debt Across Dispersal Rate and Behaviour in a Heterogeneous Metacommunity Model
  Ai, D., Ostling, A. & Ellwood, M. D. F., 28 Oct 2024, In: Diversity and Distributions. 30, 12
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
• E-pub ahead of printIntraspecific functional traits and stable isotope signatures of ground-dwelling ants across an elevational gradient
  He, X., Liu, S., Nakamura, A., Ellwood, M. D. F., Zhou, S., Xing, S., Li, Y. & Wen, D., 14 Mar 2024, (E-pub ahead of print) In: Soil Ecology Letters. 6, 4
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
• PublishedParental material and climate jointly determine the biomass and diversity of soil microbial communities along an elevational gradient on a subtropical karst mountain
  He, X., Zeng, L., Zhu, G., Ellwood, M. D. F., Zhou, L., Huang, J., Wang, C., Li, W., Lin, D., Wei, P., Liu, S., Luo, M., Zhang, Y.-H. & Yang, Y., Jul 2024, In: Journal of Biogeography. 51, 7, p. 1185-1198 14 p.
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

2023

• PublishedTree species richness increases spatial variation but not overall wood decomposition
  Donghao Wu, D., Seibold, S., Pietsch, K., Ellwood, M. D. F. & Yu, M., 4 Jun 2023, In: Soil Biology and Biochemistry.
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

2022

• PublishedA spatially implicit model fails to predict the structure of spatially explicit metacommunities under high dispersal
  Ai, D. & Ellwood, M. D. F., 1 Dec 2022, In: Ecological Modelling. 474, 110151.
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
• PublishedDifferential effects of vegetation and climate on termite diversity and damage
  Wu, D., Seibold, S., Ellwood, M. D. F. & Chu, C., Dec 2022, In: Journal of Applied Ecology. 59, 12, p. 2922-2935 14 p.
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
• PublishedFungal phylogeny and plant functional traits structure plant–rhizosphere fungi networks in a subtropical forest
  Zhu, C., Wang, Z., Luo, W., Feng, J., Chen, Y., He, D., Ellwood, M. D. F., Chu, C. & Li, Y., Aug 2022, In: Oikos. 2022, 8, p. e08992
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
• PublishedPublic engagement promotes consumer choice in favour of sustainable palm oil
  Hobbs, L., Phillips, J. W., Staff, A. B., Goss, A., Fogg-Rogers, L. & Ellwood, M. D. F., Jun 2022, In: Journal of Oil Palm Research. 34, 2, p. 248-260
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

2021

• PublishedComparable canopy and soil free-living nitrogen fixation rates in a lowland tropical forest
  Van Langenhove, L., Depaepe, T., Verryckt, L. T., Fuchslueger, L., Donald, J., Leroy, C., Moorthy, S. M. K., Gargallo-Garriga, A., Ellwood, M. D. F., Verbeeck, H., Van Der Straeten, D., Penuelas, J. & Janssens, I. A., 1 Feb 2021, In: Science of the Total Environment. 754
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
• PublishedPlant-caterpillar food web: Integrating leaf stoichiometry and phylogeny
  Zhu, C., Zhang, M., Chen, Y., Yin, D., He, D., Fang, S., Ellwood, M. D. F. & Chu, C., 1 Oct 2021, In: Ecological Entomology. 46, 5, p. 1026-1035 10 p.
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

2020

• PublishedA Research Agenda for Microclimate Ecology in Human-Modified Tropical Forests
  Jucker, T., Jackson, T. D., Zellweger, F., Swinfield, T., Gregory, N., Williamson, J., Slade, E. M., Phillips, J. W., Bittencourt, P. R. L., Blonder, B., Boyle, M. J. W., Ellwood, M. D. F., Hemprich-Bennett, D., Lewis, O. T., Matula, R., Senior, R. A., Shenkin, A., Svatek, M. & Coomes, D. A., 17 Jan 2020, In: Frontiers in Forests and Global Change. 2
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
• PublishedBird's nest ferns promote resource sharing by centipedes
  Phillips, J. W., Chung, A. Y. C., Edgecombe, G. D. & Ellwood, M. D. F., 1 Mar 2020, In: Biotropica. 52, 2, SI, p. 335-344 10 p.
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
• PublishedEpiphytic suspended soils from Borneo and Amazonia differ in their microbial community composition
  Donald, J., Maxfield, P., Leroy, C. & Ellwood, M. D. F., 1 Jul 2020, In: Acta Oecologica. 106
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
• PublishedFungal phylogenies and plant functional traits structure root associated fungal networks in a subtropical forest
  Zhu, C., Wang, Z., Luo, W., Feng, J., Chen, Y., He, D., Ellwood, M. D. F., Chu, C. & Li, Y., 20 Nov 2020, (Authorea).
  Research output: Working paper › Preprint
• PublishedSoil microbial biomass increases along elevational gradients in the tropics and subtropics but not elsewhere
  He, X., Hou, E., Veen, G. F., Ellwood, M. D. F., Dijkstra, P., Sui, X., Zhang, S., Wen, D. & Chu, C., 1 Feb 2020, In: Global Ecology and Biogeography. 29, 2, p. 345-354 10 p.
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

2018

• PublishedSpecies abundance distributions as a proxy for the niche-neutrality continuum
  Wang, X., Ellwood, M. D. F., Ai, D., Zhang, R. & Wang, G., 1 Jun 2018, In: JOURNAL OF PLANT ECOLOGY. 11, 3, p. 445-452 8 p.
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
• PublishedTemporal effects of disturbance on community composition in simulated stage-structured plant communities
  Wang, Y., Wen, S., Ellwood, M. D. F., Miller, A. D. & Chu, C., 1 Jan 2018, In: Ecology and Evolution. 8, 1, p. 120-127 8 p.
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
• PublishedThe relative importance of invertebrate and microbial decomposition in a rainforest restoration project
  Donald, J., Weir, I., Bonnett, S., Maxfield, P. & Ellwood, M. D. F., 1 Mar 2018, In: RESTORATION ECOLOGY. 26, 2, p. 220-226 7 p.
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

2017

• PublishedBiogeochemistry in the Scales
  Bonnett, S. A. F., Maxfield, P. J., Hill, A. A. & Ellwood, M. D. F., 2017, Mathematical Advances Towards Sustainable Environmental Systems. Furze, J. N., Swing, K., Gupta, A. K., McClatchey, R. H. & Reynolds, D. M. (eds.). Cham: Springer International Publishing, p. 129-149 21 p.
  Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter
• PublishedColonisation of epiphytic ferns by skinks and geckos in the high canopy of a Bornean rainforest
  Donald, J., Clegg, J. & Ellwood, M. D. F., 2017, In: Herpetological Bulletin.
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
• PublishedHow tropical epiphytes at the Eden Project contribute to rainforest canopy science
  Donald, J., Maxfield, P. J., Murray, D. & Ellwood, M. D. F., 2017, In: Sibbaldia. 14, p. 55-68 14 p.
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
• PublishedPhysical Conditions Regulate the Fungal to Bacterial Ratios of a Tropical Suspended Soil
  Donald, J., Bonnett, S., Cutler, M., Majalap, N., Maxfield, P. & Ellwood, M. D. F., 1 Dec 2017, In: Forests. 8, 12
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

2016

• PublishedCompetition can lead to unexpected patterns in tropical ant communities
  Ellwood, M. D. F., Bluethgen, N., Fayle, T. M., Foster, W. A. & Menzel, F., 1 Aug 2016, In: Acta Oecologica. 75, p. 24-34 11 p.
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

2015

• PublishedGround rules
  Dawkins, T. & Ellwood, M. D. F., 2015, In: Biologist. 62, p. 26-30 5 p.
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

2013

• PublishedMigration and niche partitioning simultaneously increase species richness and rarity
  Ai, D., Chu, C., Ellwood, M. D. F., Hou, R. & Wang, G., 10 Jun 2013, In: Ecological Modelling. 258, p. 33-39 7 p.
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

2012

• PublishedPositive interactions can produce species-rich communities and increase species turnover through time
  Wang, Y., Ellwood, M. D. F., Maestre, F. T., Yang, Z., Wang, G. & Chu, C., 1 Oct 2012, In: JOURNAL OF PLANT ECOLOGY. 5, 4, p. 417-421 5 p.
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
• PublishedSpatial variation in the macrobenthic assemblages of intertidal seagrass along the long axis of an estuary
  Barnes, R. S. K. & Ellwood, M. D. F., 20 Oct 2012, In: Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science. 112, SI, p. 173-182 10 p.
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
• PublishedThe critical scale of small-scale spatial variation in ecological patterns and processes in intertidal macrobenthic seagrass assemblages
  Barnes, R. S. K. & Ellwood, M. D. F., 10 Feb 2012, In: Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science. 98, p. 119-125 7 p.
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

2011

• PublishedEstablishing the evidence base for maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem function in the oil palm landscapes of South East Asia
  Foster, W. A., Snaddon, J. L., Turner, E. C., Fayle, T. M., Cockerill, T. D., Ellwood, M. D. F., Broad, G. R., Chung, A. Y. C., Eggleton, P., Khen, C. V. & Yusah, K. M., 27 Nov 2011, In: Philosophical Transactions of The Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 366, 1582, p. 3277-3291 15 p.
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
• PublishedMacrobenthic assemblage structure in a cool-temperate intertidal dwarf eelgrass bed in comparison with those from lower latitudes
  Barnes, R. S. K. & Ellwood, M. D. F., 1 Nov 2011, In: BIOLOGICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY. 104, 3, p. 527-540 14 p.
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
• PublishedOn the vapour trail of an atmospheric imprint in insects
  Ellwood, M. D. F., Northfield, R. G. W., Mejia-Chang, M. & Griffiths, H., 23 Aug 2011, In: Biology letters. 7, 4, p. 601-604 4 p.
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
• PublishedThe significance of shore height in intertidal macrobenthic seagrass ecology and conservation
  Barnes, R. S. K. & Ellwood, M. D. F., 1 Nov 2011, In: Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems. 21, 7, p. 614-624 11 p.
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

2009

• PublishedStochastic and deterministic processes jointly structure tropical arthropod communities
  Ellwood, M. D. F., Manica, A. & Foster, W. A., 1 Apr 2009, In: Ecology Letters. 12, 4, p. 277-284 8 p.
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

2008

• PublishedBird's nest ferns: Islands of biodiversity in the rainforest canopy
  Fayle, T. M., Ellwood, M. D. F., Turner, E. C., Snaddon, J. L., Yusah, K. M. & Foster, W. A., 2008, In: Antenna. 32, p. 34-37 4 p.
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article

2006

• PublishedArthropod abundance, canopy structure, and microclimate in a Bornean lowland tropical rain forest
  Dial, R. J., Ellwood, M. D. F., Turner, E. C. & Foster, W. A., 1 Sept 2006, In: Biotropica. 38, 5, p. 643-652 10 p.
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

2004

• PublishedDoubling the estimate of invertebrate biomass in a rainforest canopy
  Ellwood, M. & Foster, W., 3 Jun 2004, In: Nature. 429, 6991, p. 549-551 3 p.
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

2002

• PublishedCanopy ferns in lowland dipterocarp forest support a prolific abundance of ants, termites, and other invertebrates
  Ellwood, M., Jones, D. & Foster, W., 1 Dec 2002, In: Biotropica. 34, 4, p. 575-583 9 p.
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
• PublishedTechniques for inserting and positioning lines in forest canopies
  Ellwood, M. D. F., 2002, The Global Canopy Handbook: Techniques of Access and Study in the Forest Roof. Global Canopy, p. 24-28
  Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter
• PublishedTechniques for the study and removal of canopy epiphytes
  Ellwood, M. D. F. & Foster, W. A., 2002, The Global Canopy Handbook: Techniques of Access and Study in the Forest Roof. Global Canopy, p. 115-119
  Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter

2001

• PublishedAn intriguing new genus of scuttle fly [Diptera: Phoridae] from Borneo
  Disney, R. H. L. & Ellwood, M. D. F., 2001, In: Fragmenta Faunistica. 44, 2, p. 319-328
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
• PublishedLine Insertion Techniques for the Study of High Forest Canopies
  Ellwood, M. D. F. & Foster, W. A., 2001, In: Selbyana. 22, 1
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

2000

• PublishedThe flight heights of chalcid wasps (Hymenoptera, Chalcidoidea) in a lowland bornean rain forest: Fig wasps are the high fliers
  Compton, S., Ellwood, M., Davis, A. & Welch, K., 1 Sept 2000, In: Biotropica. 32, 3, p. 515-522 8 p.
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

• NERC Envision Studentship [Miss Tilly Edwards] 2023-2027: Establishing the relative importance of a rainforest microcosm in oil palm plantations.

• Welsh Crucible 2022-2023: Small worlds solve big problems by revealing the gas exchange of an entire ecosystem.