Professional summary

Felicity is a plant ecophysiologist, specialising in investigation and quantification of the impacts of air pollution on crops, trees and other vegetation. She is responsible for the running of the solardomes experimental facility, comprising eight solardomes, nine rings for Free Air Ozone Exposure and six closed chambers.

Felicity is Chair of the ICP Vegetation, which is an international research programme investigating the impacts of air pollutants on crops and (semi-)natural vegetation. It reports to the Working Group on Effects (WGE) of the UNECE Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution (LRTAP). The programme focuses on the impacts of ozone pollution on vegetation and the atmospheric deposition of heavy metals, nitrogen and persistent organic pollutants to vegetation.

Felicity also leads in the synthesis of data from researchers predominantly from across Europe to analyse and to produce outputs that inform policy, in particular for setting Critical Levels for ozone pollution within the LRTAP Convention. Recent research includes impacts to vegetation from interactions of ozone with environmental stressors including drought and excess nitrogen, investigating quantification of combined impacts and the mechanisms involved.

Selected publications

Mills, Gina et al. , (2011), New stomatal flux-based critical levels for ozone effects on vegetation . Atmospheric Environment, 45, 5064-5068, http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1352231011006029

Mills Gina et al. , (2018), Ozone pollution will compromise efforts to increase global wheat production. Global Change Biology, http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/gcb.14157

Agathokleous Evgenios et al. , (2020), Ozone affects plant, insect, and soil microbial communities: a threat to terrestrial ecosystems and biodiversity. Science Advances, 6, http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abc1176

Mills, Gina et al. , (2009), Chronic exposure to increasing background ozone impairs stomatal functioning in grassland species.. Global Change Biology, 15, 1522-1533, http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/121498519/abstract

Hayes, F. et al. , (2007), Meta-analysis of the relative sensitivity of semi-natural vegetation species to ozone. Environmental Pollution, 146, 754-762, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2006.06.011

Jones, L. et al. , (2014), A review and application of the evidence for nitrogen impacts on ecosystem services. Ecosystem Services, 7, 76-88, http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212041613000600/pdfft?md5=fd520ac3ccda57a7edf968a85a75186d&pid=1-s2.0-S2212041613000600-main.pdf

Fuhrer Jürg et al. , (2016), Current and future ozone risks to global terrestrial biodiversity and ecosystem processes. Ecology and Evolution, http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ece3.2568

Mills Gina et al. , (2015), Ozone impacts on vegetation in a nitrogen enriched and changing climate . http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2015.09.038

Carriero G. et al. , (2016), BVOC responses to realistic nitrogen fertilization and ozone exposure in silver birch. 213, 988-995, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2015.12.047

Hayes F. et al. , (2018), Evidence-based logic chains demonstrate multiple impacts of trace metals on ecosystem services. Journal of Environmental Management, 223, 150-164, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2018.05.053