Staff profile

Research Interests

I am a plant ecologist with research interests in applied ecological restoration and biogeochemical influences on plant communities.

Much of my research has focused on the landscape-scale restoration of blanket bog in the Peak District and southern Pennines, in collaboration with the Moors for the Future Partnership. These peatlands are severely degraded due to a history of poor land management, wildfire and intense atmospheric pollution. Restoration efforts have focused on the revegetation and stabilisation of bare and eroding peat surfaces, with considerable success. However, Sphagnum mosses are still widely absent from the region. This genus provides the form and function of these peatlands meaning their return is essential to the continued provision of valuable ecosystem services, such as carbon sequestration and provision of drinking water. My research has two main strands: 1) elucidating biogeochemical influences on natural Sphagnum recovery, and 2) applied considerations of Sphagnum reintroduction, including the use of novel propagules – BeadaMoss.

Prior to this, I worked on the heather moorlands of the Peak District investigating aspects relating to their management. I studied the impacts of rotational burning on soil seed banks and biogeochemical properties. Concurrently, I collated knowledge on the heather beetle (Lochmaea suturalis), providing The Heather Trust with an update on the current state of knowledge of this important pest species.

More recently, I have been working with the Great Manchester Wetlands Partnership to develop a simple hydrological model to highlight priority areas for wetland habitat management and creation. In conjunction with colleagues at Manchester Metropolitan University, using GIS we combined landscape characteristics, such as topography, land cover and soil type, to produce a regional-scale, high resolution model.

Conference Paper

• Caporn, S., Rosenburgh, A., & Field, C. (2015). The importance of atmospheric quality in determining upland vegetation. In R. Meade (Ed.),

Doctoral Thesis

• Rosenburgh, A. (2015). Restoration and recovery of Sphagnum on degraded blanket bog. (Thesis). Manchester Metropolitan University. Retrieved from https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1618015

Journal Article

• Higginbottom, T. P., Field, C., Rosenburgh, A., Wright, A., Symeonakis, E., & Caporn, S. (2018). High-resolution wetness index mapping: A useful tool for regional scale wetland management. Ecological Informatics, 48, 89-96. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoinf.2018.08.003
• Caporn, S., Rosenburgh, A., Keightley, A., Hinde, S., Riggs, J., Buckler, M., & Wright, N. (2018). Sphagnum restoration on degraded blanket and raised bogs in the UK using micropropagated source material: a review of progress. Mires and Peat, 20: Growing Sphagnum, 1-17. https://doi.org/10.19189/map.2017.omb.306
• Lee, H., Alday, J., Rosenburgh, A., Harris, M., McAllister, H., & Marrs, R. (2013). Change in propagule banks during prescribed burning: A tale of two contrasting moorlands. Biological Conservation, 165, 187-197. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2013.05.023
• Rosenburgh, A., Alday, J., Harris, M., Allen, K., Connor, L., Blackbird, S., …Marrs, R. (2013). Changes in peat chemical properties during post-fire succession on blanket bog moorland. Geoderma, 211-212, 98-106. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2013.07.012

Other (Digital/Visual Media)

• Plue, J., Van Calster, H., Auestad, I., Basto, S., Bekker, R. M., Bruun, H. H., …Auffret, A. G. (2022). European soil seed bank communities across a climate and land-cover gradient. [Dataset]. https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.ksn02v72g

Report

• Rosenburgh, A., & Marrs, R. (2010). The heather beetle: a review. [No known commissioning body]
• Hinde, S., Rosenburgh, A., Wright, N., Buckler, M., & Caporn, S. (2010). Sphagnum re-introduction project: A report on research into the re-introduction of Sphagnum mosses to degraded moorland. [No known commissioning body]