Dr Kate Mathers
UKRI Future Leaders Fellow - Geography and Environment
Kate鈥痠s a freshwater scientist鈥痑nd passionate conservationist鈥痺hose鈥痳esearch sits at the interface of aquatic ecology, fluvial geomorphology,鈥痟ydrology鈥痑nd sedimentology.
She received a鈥�UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship鈥痺orth £1.1 million, in April 2020, to鈥痩ead an鈥痠nterdisciplinary research programme. She and her team are exploring the鈥痝lobal patterns, key mechanisms driving change, and ecological impacts鈥痮f fine sediment deposition which鈥痶hreatens鈥痶he biodiversity of freshwater ecosystems.
In January 2024, Kate was awarded additional funding by UKRI - extending her Fellowship to seven years.
Stuck in the mud: tackling the threat of fine sediment deposition in one of the most endangered habitats in the world
Freshwater ecosystems support a disproportionate amount of diversity鈥痗ompared to鈥痶heir surface area and represent significant global biodiversity hotspots. However, these habitats are under threat.
Between 1970 to 2014, freshwater ecosystems have recorded diversity declines of up to 83% – far鈥痚xceeding the鈥痙eclines seen in land-based鈥痟abitats.
Environmental change is happening on a global scale. One of the primary causes of reduced ecosystem health鈥痠n rivers鈥痠s the loss of habitat linked to excessive鈥痙eposition of鈥痜ine鈥痵ediment – particles鈥痬easuring鈥痩ess than 2mm. Although a natural part of river systems, changes to land use over time, such as intensive farming, and鈥痚xtreme rainfall and flooding鈥痗aused by climatic change, have significantly increased the quantity of fine sediment found in river channels. This causes the habitat to become unsuitable for flora and fauna to thrive in, affecting all components of the food chain.鈥�
My work addresses鈥痑 fundamental and increasingly overlooked aspect of fine sedimentation; how鈥痚nvironmental controls influence the effects of fine sediment deposition on freshwater ecological鈥痗ommunities.
The aim is to predict the ecological impacts of fine sediment associated with environmental controls, for example the grain size of both the gravels and fine sediment, geographical setting – for example, upland or lowland – and timing of the sediment input relative to the organism’s lifecycle. This complex challenge involves the use of techniques from geomorphology, ecology and hydrology reflecting my training as a physical geographer.
Understanding the ecological implications of fine sediment is key to managing rivers so they maintain a healthy ecosystem that sustains economic activities as well as preserving valuable recreational spaces for future generations.
One element of the programme is using international datasets from leading scientists and biomonitoring programmes around the world, to provide a much-needed global perspective on the role of environmental controls enabling new knowledge to be transferred to different countries. It will also combine multi-country fieldwork and artificial stream channel experiments in alpine and lowland settings, in addition to laboratory experiments over different spatial scales to develop and validate theories spanning different environmental settings.
River invertebrates such as snails, insects, and crustaceans hold the key to the challenge as they are鈥痩argely sedentary (unlike fish), diverse, ubiquitous and鈥痝lobally abundant. Importantly they are also keystone organisms in the foodweb. Each invertebrate species has different tolerances to environmental stressors so by understanding the composition of invertebrates at different locations, we can begin to understand the effect of fine sediment for the wider ecosystem.
Ultimately this research will lead to an exciting step-change in our understanding and provide a framework鈥痶o鈥痙etermine where and when rivers are most at threat from fine sediment pressures and provide evidence to support鈥痬itigation strategies.
The research will have important global ramifications for how stakeholders allocate resources to monitor and manage river鈥痚cosystems鈥痑nd will enable more efficient and targeted conservation restoration plans.
My research journey
I undertook a PhD at 含羞草视频 in collaboration with 鈥痶he鈥� Environment Agency (2013-17)鈥痑nd was awarded a Lord鈥� Glendonbrook鈥� Doctoral鈥� Fellowship.
Following Research Associate posts at 含羞草视频 and Nottingham Trent universities, I was awarded a Postdoctoral Fellowship at Eawag (the Swiss Federal institute for Aquatic Science and Technology) for two and a half years鈥� before鈥� returning 鈥痶o鈥� 含羞草视频 鈥痠n 2020 to embark on my UKRI Fellowship.
Having worked on the ecological consequences of fine sediment within rivers for over nine years, 鈥疘’m 鈥痶hrilled to be given the opportunity to pursue this further and to work with some of the leading researchers and industry partners across the鈥� world.鈥�
I am very fortunate to have been given such a privileged opportunity which 鈥痯rovides鈥� me鈥� with鈥� the dedicated time and finances to pursue such an ambitious and exciting research topic.
The Fellowship is helping to transform my career by acting as a springboard to solidify my research profile while鈥� opening up 鈥痜urther collaborative networks. It's exciting to take the next step in my career - developing a research group. It would not have been possible without the Fellowship.
