Post:	Professor of Biology
Location:	JMS Building 3B17
Email:	T.J.Roper@sussex.ac.uk
Telephone numbers
Internal:	7373
UK:	(01273) 877373
International:	+44 1273 877373

Biography

MA (Cambridge) PhD (Cambridge)

Research

I am interested in the behavioural ecology of mammals at both a theoretical and a practical level. Current projects include:

1. processes underlying communal decision-making in animals
2. behavioural aspects of the transmission of bovine tuberculosis from badgers to cattle and from cattle to badgers
3. use of genetic profiling to estimate population density of badgers
4. behavioural ecology of urban badgers and of urban stone martens

Teaching

Course Organiser
Cooperation & Conflict in Animal Societies

Animal Behaviour
Methods in Ecology and Conservation
Conservation in Practice

Publications

Recent publications

In press

Conradt, L., Krause, J., Couzin, I.D., Roper, T.J. Leading according to need' in self-organising groups. American Naturalist.

Herr, J., Schley, L., Engel, E., Roper, T.J. Den preferences and denning behaviour in  urban stone martens (Martes foina). Mammalian Biology.

Herr, J., Schley, L., Roper, T.J. Stone martens (Martes foina) and cars: investigation of a common human-wildlife conflict. European Journal of Wildlife Research.

2009

Delahay, R.J., Davison, J., Poole, D.W., Matthews, A.J., Wilson, C.J., Heydon, M.J., Roper, T.J. Managing conflict between badgers (Meles meles) and humans: recent trends in licensed operations to resolve badger-related problems in England. Mammal Review, 39, 53-66.

Herr, J., Schley, L., Roper, T.J. Socio-spatial organisation of urban stone martens. Journal of Zoology, 277, 54-62.

Davison, J., Huck, M., Delahay, R.J., Roper, T.J. Restricted ranging behaviour in a high-density population of urban badgers. Journal of Zoology, 277, 46-53.

Tolhurst, B.A., Delahay, R.J., Walker, N.J., Roper, T.J. Behaviour of badgers (Meles meles) in farm buildings: opportunities for the transmission of Mycobacterium bovis to cattle? Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 117, 103-113.

Conradt, L. & Roper, T.J. Conflicts of interest and the evolution of decision sharing in social animals. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, 364, 807-819.

2008

Huck, M., Davison, J., Roper, T.J. Comparison of two sampling protocols and four home-range estimators using radio-tracking data from urban badgers. Wildlife Biology, 14, 467-477.

Huck, M., Roper, T.J. Low genetic variability, female biased dispersal and high movement rates in an urban population of Eurasian badgers (Meles meles). Journal of Animal Ecology, 77, 905-915.

Tolhurst, B.A, Ward, A.I., Delahay, R.J., MacMaster, A., Roper, T.J. The behavioural responses of badgers (Meles meles) to exclusion from farm buildings using an electric fence. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 113, 224-235.

Ward, A.I., Tolhurst, B.A., Roper, T.J., Delahay, R.J. A survey of badger access to farm buildings and facilities in relation to contact with cattle. Veterinary Record, 163, 107-111.

Huck, M., Davison, J., Roper, T.J. Predicting European badger sett distribution in urban environments. Wildlife Biology, 14, 188-198.

Davison, J., Huck, M., Delahay, R.J., Roper, T.J. Urban badger setts: characteristics, patterns of use and management implications. Journal of Zoology, 275, 190-200.

Herr, J., Schley, L., Roper, T.J. Fate of translocated wild-caught and captive-reared stone martens (Martes foina). European Journal of Wildlife Research, 54, 511-514.

2007

Conradt, L., Roper, T.J. (2007) Democracy in animals: the evolution of shared group decisions. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, B, 274, 2317-2326.

Scheppers, T.L.J., Frantz, A.C., Schaul, M., Engel, E., Breyne, P., Schley, L., Roper, T.J. (2007) Estimating social group size of European badgers by genotyping remotely plucked single hairs. Wildlife Biology, 13, 195-207.

2006

Conradt, L., Roper, T.J. (2006) Non-random movement behaviour at habitat boundaries in two British butterfly species: implications for dispersal. Ecology, 87, 125-132.

Frantz, A.C., Roper, T.J. (2006) Simulations to assess the performance of different rarefaction methods in estimating population size using small datasets. Conservation Genetics, 7, 315-318.

Franz, A.C., Fack, F., Muller, C.P., Roper, T.J. (2006) Faecal DNA typing as a tool for investigating territorial behaviour of badgers. European Journal of Wildlife Research, 52, 138-141,

Scantlebury, M., Speakman, J.R., Oosthuizen, M.K., Roper, T.J., Bennett, N.C. (2006) Energetics reveals physiologically distinct castes in a eusocial mammal. Nature, 440, 795-797.

2005

Conradt, L., Roper, T.J. (2005) Consensus decision-making in animals. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 20, 449-456

Garnett, B.T., Delahay, R.J., Roper, T.J. (2005) Ranging behaviour of European badgers (Meles meles) in relation to bovine tuberculosis (Mycobacterium bovis) infection. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 94, 331-340.

2004

Schley, L., Schaul, M. & Roper, T.J. (2004) Distribution and population density of badgers (Meles meles) in Luxembourg. Mammal Review, 34. 233-240.

Frantz, A.C., Schaul, M., Pope, L.C., Fack, F., Schley, L., Muller, C.P. & Roper, T.J. (2004) Estimating population size by genotyping remotely plucked hair. Journal of Applied Ecology, 41, 985-995.

2003

Goulding, M.J., Roper, T.J., Smith, G.C., Baker, S.J. (2003) Presence of free-living wild boar (Sus scrofa) in southern England. Wildlife Biology, 9, Suppl. 1, 15-20.

Moore, J.A.H., Roper, T.J. (2003) Temperature and humidity in badger (Meles meles) setts. Mammal Review, 33, 308-311.

Roper, T.J., Ostler, J.R. & Conradt, L. (2003) The process of dispersal in badgers Meles meles. Mammal Review, 33, 314-318.

Roper, T.J. (2003) Olfactory discrimination in yellow-backed chattering lories (Lorius garrulus flavopalliatus): first demonstration of olfaction in psittaciformes. Ibis, 145, 689-691.

Roper, T.J., Moore, J.A.H. (2003) Ventilation of badger Meles meles setts. Mammalian Biology, 68, 277-283.

Wilson, G.J., Frantz, A.C., Pope, L.C., Roper, T.J., Burke, T.A., Cheeseman, C.L., Delahay, R.J. (2003) Estimation of badger (Meles meles) abundance using faecal DNA typing. Journal of Applied Ecology, 40, 658-666.

Roper, T.J., Garnett, B.G., Delahay, R.J. (2003) Visits to farm buildings and cattle troughs by badgers (Meles meles): a potential route for transmission of bovine tuberculosis (Mycobacterium bovis) between badgers and cattle. Cattle Practice, 11, 9-12.

Conradt, L., Zollner, P.A., Roper, T.J., Frank, K., Thomas, C.D. (2003) Foray search: an effective systematic dispersal strategy in fragmented landscapes. American Naturalist, 161, 905-915.

Frantz, A.C., Pope, L.C., Burke, T.A., Wilson, G.J., Delahay, R.J., Roper, T.J. (2003) Reliable microsatellite genotyping of the Eurasian badger (Meles meles) from faecal DNA. Molecular Ecology, 12, 1649-1661.

Garnett, B.T., Roper, T.J., Delahay, R.J. (2003) Use of cattle troughs by badgers (Meles meles): a potential route for the transmission of bovine tuberculosis (Mycobacterium bovis) to cattle. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 80, 1-8.

Conradt, L., Roper, T.J. (2003) Group decision-making in animals. Nature, 421, 155-158.

Schley, L., Roper, T.J. (2003) Diet of wild boar Sus scrofa in western Europe, with particular reference to consumption of agricultural crops. Mammal Review, 33, 43-56.

2002

Conradt, L., Corbet, S.A., Roper, T.J., Bodsworth, E.J. (2002) Parasitism by the mite Trombidium breii on four UK butterflies. Ecological Entomology, 27, 651-659.

Jackson, T.P., Roper, T.J., Conradt, L., Jackson, M.J., Bennett, N.C. (2002) Alternative refuge strategies and their relation to thermophysiology in two sympatric rodents, Parotomys brantsii and Otomys unisulcatus. Journal of Arid Environments, 51, 21-34.

Goulding, M.J., Roper, T.J. (2002) Press responses to the presence of free-living wild boar (Sus scrofa) in southern England. Mammal Review, 32, 272-282.

Garnett, B.T., Delahay, R.J., Roper, T.J. (2002) Use of cattle farm resources by badgers (Meles meles) and risk of bovine tuberculosis (Mycobacterium bovis) transmission to cattle. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Series B - Biology, 269, 1487-1491.

Roper, T.J., Jackson, T.P., Conradt, L., Bennett, N.C. (2002) Burrow use and the influence of ectoparasites in Brants' whistling rat, Paratomys brantsii. Ethology, 108, 1-8.

2001

Conradt, L., Roper, T.J., Thomas, C.D. (2001) Dispersal behaviour of individuals in two metapopulations of British butterflies. Oikos, 95, 416-424.

Roper, T.J., Ostler, J.R., Schmidt, T.K., Christian, S.F. (2001) Sett use in European badgers Meles meles. Behaviour, 138, 173-187.

Roper, T.J., Bennett, N.C., Conradt, L., Molteno, A.J. (2001) Environmental conditions in burrows of two species of African mole-rat, Georhychus capensis and Cryptomys damarensis. Journal of Zoology, 254, 101-107