Professor Andy White

Tel: 0131 451 3222
Email: A.R.White{AT}hw.ac.uk

I am a Professor in the Mathematics Department of Heriot-Watt University where I have worked since 1999. I have a BSc in Mathematics from the University of Liverpool, an MSc in Nonlinear Dynamics from the University of Bath and a PhD in Theoretical Ecology from the University of Liverpool. I spent 1996-1999 at the Institute of Terrestrial Ecology in Edinburgh, as a higher scientific officer in the Global Ecosystem Modelling section.

My research interests focus on modelling ecological and infectious disease systems. This involves interdisciplinary collaborations with ecologists who provide expertise on the specific ecological systems and ensure that relevant ecological issues are being addressed.

Current research interests include:

Population dynamics of ecological systems - Replacement of red squirrels by greys (see Red Squirrel Project ), the role of infectious disease in ecological invasion, the spread of infectious disease in wildlife populations.

Infectious disease spread in wildlife populations.

Evolution in ecological systems (Adaptive Dynamics) - Evolution of disease, the importance of biological trade-offs for evolution.

Current PhD Students:

Liz Howell: MAC-MIGS Studentship; Supervisor - Andy White: Modelling the Impact of Shared Pathogens in Wildlife Communities.

Ross Walker: MAC-MIGS Studentship; Supervisors - Andy White, Xander O'Neill, Matt Silk (University of Edinburgh): The Impact of Infectious Disease on Social Network Properties.

If you are interested in a PhD applying mathematics to ecological problems then please get in touch. Funding may be available for top UK and EU students.

Current PostDocs:

Xander O'Neill: NERC-NSF EEID PDRA - Heterogeneities, Diversity and the Evolution of Infectious Disease)

Selected publications (my favourites)

White, A., Begon, M. & Bowers, R.G. 1996. Explaining the colour of power spectra in chaotic ecological models. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B, 263, 1731-1737. PDF COPY

Cramer, W., Bondeau, A., Woodward, F.I., ..., White, A. 2001. Global response of terrestrial ecosystem structure and function to CO2 and climate change: results from six dynamic global vegetation models. Global Change Biology. 7, 357-373. PDF COPY

Tompkins, D.M. White, A & Boots, M. 2003. Ecological replacement of native red squirrels by invasive greys driven by disease. Ecology Letters. 6, 189-196. PDF COPY

Davies, S., White, A. & Lowe, A. 2004. An investigation into effects of long-distance seed dispersal on organelle population genetic structure and colonization rate: a model analysis. Heredity. 93, 566-576. PDF COPY

Bowers, R.G., Hoyle, A., White, A. & Boots, M. 2005. The geometric theory of adaptive evolution: trade-off and invasion plots. Journal of Theoretical Biology. 233, 363-377. PDF COPY

Miller, M.R., White, A. & Boots, M. 2007. Host lifespan and the evolution of resistance characteristics. Evolution. 61, 2-14. PDF COPY

Ryder, J.J , Miller, M.R., White, A., Knell, R.J. & Boots, M. 2007 Host-parasite population dynamics under combined frequency- and density-dependent transmission. Oikos. 116, 2017-2026. PDF COPY

Smith, M., White, A., Sherratt, J.A., Telfer, S., Begon, M. & Lambin, X. 2008. Disease effects on reproduction can cause population cycles in seasonal environments. Journal of Animal Ecology. 77, 378-389. PDF COPY Supplementary Material

Boots, M., Best, A., Miller, M. R. and White, A. 2009. The role of ecological feedbacks in the evolution of host defence: What does theory tell us? Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, B. 364, 27-36. PDF COPY

Cameron, D.D., White, A. and Antonovics, J. 2009. Parasite-grass-forb interactions and rock-paper-scissor dynamics: predicting the effects of the parasitic plant Rhinanthus minor on host plant communities. Journal of Ecology. 97 1311-1319. PDF COPY Supplementary Material

Best, A., White, A.., Kisdi, E., Antonovics, J., Brockhurst, M. and Boots, M. 2010. Evolution of host-parasite range. American Naturalist. 176 63-71. PDF COPY Supplementary Material

Taylor, R.A., White, A. and Sherratt, J.A. 2013. How do variations in seasonality affect population cycles? Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B. 280 1754. PDF COPY.

Boots, M., White, A., Best, A., and Bowers, R.G. 2014. How specificity and epidemiology drive the coevolution of static trait diversity in hosts and parasites. Evolution. 68 1594-1606. PDF COPY Supp Inf

White, A., Bell, S.S., Lurz, P.W.W. and Boots, M. 2014. Conservation management within strongholds in the face of disease-mediated invasions: red and grey squirrels as a case study. Journal of Applied Ecology. 51 1631-1642. PDF COPY.

Macpherson, M., Davidson, R.S., Duncan, D.B., Lurz, P.W.W., Jarrott, A. & White, A., 2016. Incorporating habitat distribution in wildlife disease models: conservation implications for the threat of squirrelpox on the Isle of Arran. Animal Conservation PDF COPY.

Donnelly, R., White, A., & Boots, M. 2016. Host lifespan and the evolution of resistance to multiple parasites. Journal of Evolutionary Biology PDF COPY

Jones, H. E. M., White, A., Geddes, N., Clavey, P., Farries, J., Dearnley, T., Boots, M. & Lurz, P. W. W. 2016. Modelling the impact of forest design plans on an endangered mammal species: the Eurasian red squirrel. Hystrix, the Italian Journal of Mammalogy 27, 1. PDF COPY

Tanner, E., White, A., Lurz, P. W. W., Gortazar, C., Diez-Delgado, I. & Boots, M. 2019. The critical role of infectious disease in compensatory population growth in response to culling American Naturalist. 194, 1, E1-E12.

Tanner, E., White, A., Acevedo, P., Balseiro, A., Marcos, J. & Gortazar, C. 2019. Wolves contribute to disease control in a multi-host system. Scientific Reports. 9, 7940.

O'Neill, X., White, A., Ruiz-Fons, F. & Gortazar, C. 2020. Modelling the transmission and persistence of African swine fever in wild boar in contrasting European scenarios. Scientific Reports. 10, 5895.

Slade, A., White, A., Kortland, K. & Lurz, P.W.W. 2020. An assessment of long-term forest management policy options for red squirrel conservation in Scotland. Hystrix, the Italian Journal of Mammalogy. 31, 137-147.

O'Neill, X., White, A., Clancy, D., Ruiz-Fons, F. & Gortazar, C. 2021. The Influence of Latent and Chronic Infection on Pathogen Persistence. Mathematics. 9, 1007.

Slade, A., White, A., Lurz, P.W.W., Shuttleworth, C. & Lambin, X. 2022. A temporal refuge from predation can change the outcome of prey species competition. Oikos, e08565.

Slade, A., White, A., Lurz, P.W.W., Shuttleworth, C.M., Tosh, D.G. & Twinning, J.P. 2023. Indirect effects of pine marten recovery result in benefits to native prey through suppression of an invasive species and a shared pathogen. Ecological Modelling 476.

Howell, E., White, A., Lurz, P.W.W. & Boots, M. 2024. Immune interactions and heterogeneity in transmission drives the pathogen‐mediated invasion of grey squirrels in the UK. Journal of Animal Ecology . 93, 663-675.

Evensen, C., White, A., & Boots, M. 2024. Multispecies interactions and the community context of the evolution of virulence. Proceedings of the Royal Society B . 291, 20240991.