Dr James Gilbert

Dr James Gilbert

Lecturer in Zoology/ Deputy Programme Leader, Zoology

Faculty and Department

  • Faculty of Science and Engineering
  • School of Natural Sciences

Summary

James completed his PhD on the evolution of insect parental care at Cambridge, and a Marie Curie Fellowship on social behaviour at the Universities of Sydney and Sussex, before joining Hull in 2015.

Recent outputs

View more outputs

Data

Investigating the role of non-helpers in group living thrips

Gilbert, J. (2024). Investigating the role of non-helpers in group living thrips. [Data]. https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.rjdfn2zmp

Journal Article

Monitoring terrestrial rewilding with environmental DNA metabarcoding: a systematic review of current trends and recommendations

Cowgill, C., Gilbert, J. D., Convery, I., & Lawson Handley, L. (2025). Monitoring terrestrial rewilding with environmental DNA metabarcoding: a systematic review of current trends and recommendations. Frontiers in Conservation Science, 5, Article 1473957. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcosc.2024.1473957

Investigating the role of non-helpers in group living thrips

Gilbert, J. D. (2024). Investigating the role of non-helpers in group living thrips. The journal of animal ecology, 93(12), 1960-1971. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2656.14204

Solitary bee larvae prioritize carbohydrate over protein in parentally provided pollen

Austin, A. J., & Gilbert, J. D. (2021). Solitary bee larvae prioritize carbohydrate over protein in parentally provided pollen. Functional ecology, 35(5), 1069-1080. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2435.13746

Sporopollenin as a dilution agent in artificial diets for solitary bees

Tainsh, F., Woodmansey, S. R., Austin, A. J., Bagnall, T. E., & Gilbert, J. D. (in press). Sporopollenin as a dilution agent in artificial diets for solitary bees. Apidologie, https://doi.org/10.1007/s13592-020-00801-1

Research interests

James is interested in the evolution of parental care and social behaviour – especially how these crucial animal interactions shape, and are shaped by, animals' nutritional environments – and the unforeseen pressures exerted upon parental and social interactions by anthropogenic change.

Lead investigator

Project

Funder

Grant

Started

Status

Project

Resilience of pollinators in a changing world: impact of developmental environment on metabolism and energetic budgets in social and solitary bees

Funder

BBSRC Biotechnology & Biological Sciences Research Counc

Grant

£431,448.00

Started

1 January 2024

Status

Ongoing

Project

Investigating temporal impacts of reintroduced beavers at Cropton Forest on biodiversity using environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding.

Funder

Forestry England

Grant

£5,500.00

Started

1 April 2022

Status

Ongoing

Project

Do Bees regulate the composition of food they give their offspring, and does it matter?

Funder

Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour

Grant

£3,262.00

Started

1 February 2015

Status

Complete

Project

Evaluating biodiversity impacts of beaver reintroductions on invertebrate and vertebrate communities using environmental DNA

Funder

Natural England

Grant

£93,837.00

Started

10 February 2022

Status

Complete

Co-investigator

Project

Funder

Grant

Started

Status

Project

The missing link: do impacts of beavers traverse aquatic-terrestrial boundaries?

Funder

Buglife

Grant

£5,000.00

Started

26 September 2021

Status

Complete

Postgraduate supervision

I am happy to supervise PhDs on a range of topics related to invertebrate behaviour and ecology. Currently I am supervising projects on nutritional ecology of solitary bees, and the macroevolution of insect parental care and life history, but am always open to creative, interesting suggestions. I do not currently have a funded position to offer, though, so we would have to work together to obtain funding.

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