Image of Dr Christine Beardsworth

Dr Christine Beardsworth

School of Biological and Environmental Sciences

Faculty of Science

I am a behavioural ecologist with a particular interest in movement ecology. My research focuses on how individual-level traits such as personality or cognitive ability affect the movement, habitat selection, social connections and survival of an animal. To answer these questions I have used a range of technologies to track animals as they move around the environment, namely PIT tags (RFID), GPS and ATLAS (automated radio-telemetry or reverse-GPS).

Degrees

2020, University of Exeter, United Kingdom, PhD
2015, Manchester Metropolitan University, United Kingdom, MSc (by research) Animal Behaviour
2012, University of Manchester, United Kingdom, BSc (Hons) Zoology

Certifications

2018, Higher Education Academy, United Kingdom, Associate Fellow

Academic appointments

Lecturer, School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, 2022 - present
Post-doctoral researcher, Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, 2020 - 2022

Highlighted publications

Beardsworth CE, Gobbens E, van Maarseveen F, Denissen B, Dekinga A, Nathan R, Toledo S, Bijleveld AI. 2022. Validating ATLAS: A regional-scale high-throughput tracking system Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 13 :1990-2004 DOI Publisher Url Public Url

Nathan R, Monk CT, Arlinghaus R, Adam T, Alós J, Assaf M, Baktoft H, Beardsworth CE, Bertram MG, Bijleveld AI, Brodin T, Brooks JL, Campos-Candela A, Cooke SJ, Gjelland K, Gupte PR, Harel R, Hellström G, Jeltsch F, Killen SS, Klefoth T, Langrock R, Lennox RJ, Lourie E, Madden JR, Orchan Y, Pauwels IS, Říha M, Roeleke M, Schlägel UE, Shohami D, Signer J, Toledo S, Vilk O, Westrelin S, Whiteside MA, Jarić I. 2022. Big-data approaches lead to an increased understanding of the ecology of animal movement Science, 375 DOI Author Url Publisher Url

Beardsworth CE, Whiteside MA, Capstick LA, Laker PR, Langley EJG, Nathan R, Orchan Y, Toledo S, Van Horik JO, Madden JR. 2021. Spatial cognitive ability is associated with transitory movement speed but not straightness during the early stages of exploration Royal Society Open Science, 8 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url

Beardsworth CE, Whiteside MA, Laker PR, Nathan R, Orchan Y, Toledo S, van Horik JO, Madden JR. 2021. Is habitat selection in the wild shaped by individual-level cognitive biases in orientation strategy? Lawler JOSHUA. Ecology Letters, 24 :751-760 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url

Journal article

Gobbens E, Beardsworth CE, Dekinga A, ten Horn J, Toledo S, Nathan R, Bijleveld AI. 2024. Environmental factors influencing red knot (Calidris canutus islandica) departure times of relocation flights within the non-breeding period Ecology and Evolution, 14 :1-10 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url

Ersoy S, Beardsworth CE, Duran E, van der Meer MTJ, Piersma T, Groothuis TGG, Bijleveld AI. 2023. Pathway for personality development: juvenile red knots vary more in diet and exploratory behaviour than adults Animal Behaviour, 208 :31-40 DOI Publisher Url Public Url

Heathcote RJP, Whiteside MA, Beardsworth CE, Van Horik JO, Laker PR, Toledo S, Orchan Y, Nathan R, Madden JR. 2023. Spatial memory predicts home range size and predation risk in pheasants Nature Ecology and Evolution, DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url

Bijleveld AI, van Maarseveen F, Denissen B, Dekinga A, Penning E, Ersoy S, Gupte PR, de Monte L, ten Horn J, Bom RA, Toledo S, Nathan R, Beardsworth CE. 2022. WATLAS: high-throughput and real-time tracking of many small birds in the Dutch Wadden Sea Animal Biotelemetry, 10 DOI Publisher Url Public Url

Beardsworth CE, Gobbens E, van Maarseveen F, Denissen B, Dekinga A, Nathan R, Toledo S, Bijleveld AI. 2022. Validating ATLAS: A regional-scale high-throughput tracking system Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 13 :1990-2004 DOI Publisher Url Public Url

Nathan R, Monk CT, Arlinghaus R, Adam T, Alós J, Assaf M, Baktoft H, Beardsworth CE, Bertram MG, Bijleveld AI, Brodin T, Brooks JL, Campos-Candela A, Cooke SJ, Gjelland K, Gupte PR, Harel R, Hellström G, Jeltsch F, Killen SS, Klefoth T, Langrock R, Lennox RJ, Lourie E, Madden JR, Orchan Y, Pauwels IS, Říha M, Roeleke M, Schlägel UE, Shohami D, Signer J, Toledo S, Vilk O, Westrelin S, Whiteside MA, Jarić I. 2022. Big-data approaches lead to an increased understanding of the ecology of animal movement Science, 375 DOI Author Url Publisher Url

Ersoy S, Beardsworth CE, Dekinga A, van der Meer MTJ, Piersma T, Groothuis TGG, Bijleveld AI. 2021. Exploration speed in captivity predicts foraging tactics and diet in free-living red knots Journal of Animal Ecology, 91 :356-366 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url

Gupte PR, Beardsworth CE, Spiegel O, Lourie E, Toledo S, Nathan R, Bijleveld AI. 2021. A guide to pre-processing high-throughput animal tracking data Journal of Animal Ecology, 91 :287-307 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url

Beardsworth CE, Whiteside MA, Capstick LA, Laker PR, Langley EJG, Nathan R, Orchan Y, Toledo S, Van Horik JO, Madden JR. 2021. Spatial cognitive ability is associated with transitory movement speed but not straightness during the early stages of exploration Royal Society Open Science, 8 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url

Beardsworth CE, Whiteside MA, Laker PR, Nathan R, Orchan Y, Toledo S, van Horik JO, Madden JR. 2021. Is habitat selection in the wild shaped by individual-level cognitive biases in orientation strategy? Lawler JOSHUA. Ecology Letters, 24 :751-760 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url

Langley EJG, Adams G, Beardsworth CE, Dawson DA, Laker PR, Van Horik JO, Whiteside MA, Wilson AJ, Madden JR. 2020. Heritability and correlations among learning and inhibitory control traits Behavioral Ecology, 31 :798-806 DOI Author Url Publisher Url

Langley EJG, van Horik JO, Whiteside MA, Beardsworth CE, Weiss MN, Madden JR. 2020. Early-life learning ability predicts adult social structure, with potential implications for fitness outcomes in the wild Journal of Animal Ecology, 89 :1340-1349 DOI Author Url Publisher Url

Whiteside MA, Bess MM, Frasnelli E, Beardsworth CE, Langley EJG, van Horik JO, Madden JR. 2020. No evidence that footedness in pheasants influences cognitive performance in tasks assessing colour discrimination and spatial ability Learning and Behavior, 48 :84-95 DOI Author Url Publisher Url

Griffin KR, Beardsworth CE, Laker PR, van Horik JO, Whiteside MA, Madden JR. 2020. The inhibitory control of pheasants (Phasianus colchicus) weakens when previously learned environmental information becomes unpredictable Animal Cognition, 23 :189-202 DOI Author Url Publisher Url

van Horik JO, Beardsworth CE, Laker PR, Whiteside MA, Madden JR. 2020. Response learning confounds assays of inhibitory control on detour tasks Animal Cognition, 23 :215-225 DOI Author Url Publisher Url

van Horik JO, Beardsworth CE, Laker PR, Langley EJG, Whiteside MA, Madden JR. 2019. Unpredictable environments enhance inhibitory control in pheasants Animal Cognition, 22 :1105-1114 DOI Author Url Publisher Url

Whiteside MA, van Horik JO, Langley EJG, Beardsworth CE, Capstick LA, Madden JR. 2019. Patterns of association at feeder stations for Common Pheasants released into the wild: sexual segregation by space and time Ibis, 161 :325-336 DOI Publisher Url

Whiteside MA, Bess MM, Frasnelli E, Beardsworth CE, Langley EJG, van Horik JO, Madden JR. 2018. Low survival of strongly footed pheasants may explain constraints on lateralization Scientific Reports, 8 DOI Author Url Publisher Url

Madden JR, Langley EJG, Whiteside MA, Beardsworth CE, Van Horik JO. 2018. The quick are the dead: Pheasants that are slow to reverse a learned association survive for longer in the wild Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 373 DOI Author Url Publisher Url

Van Horik JO, Langley EJG, Whiteside MA, Laker PR, Beardsworth CE, Madden JR. 2018. Do detour tasks provide accurate assays of inhibitory control? Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 285 DOI Author Url Publisher Url

Langley EJG, Van Horik JO, Whiteside MA, Beardsworth CE, Madden JR. 2018. The relationship between social rank and spatial learning in pheasants, Phasianus colchicus: Cause or consequence? PeerJ, 2018 DOI Author Url Publisher Url

Whiteside MA, van Horik JO, Langley EJG, Beardsworth CE, Madden JR. 2018. Size dimorphism and sexual segregation in pheasants: Tests of three competing hypotheses PeerJ, 2018 DOI Author Url Publisher Url

Whiteside MA, van Horik JO, Langley EJG, Beardsworth CE, Laker PR, Madden JR. 2017. Differences in social preference between the sexes during ontogeny drive segregation in a precocial species. Behavioral ecology and sociobiology, 71 :103 DOI Author Url Publisher Url

van Horik JO, Langley EJG, Whiteside MA, Beardsworth CE, Madden JR. Pheasants Learn Five Different Binomial Color Discriminations and Retain these Associations for at Least 27 Days Animal Behavior and Cognition, 5 :268-278 DOI Publisher Url

preprint

Beardsworth C, Gobbens E, van Maarseveen F, Denissen B, Dekinga A, Nathan R, Toledo S, Bijleveld A. 2021. Validating a high-throughput tracking system: ATLAS as a regional-scale alternative to GPS bioRxiv DOI Publisher Url

Gupte PR, Beardsworth C, Spiegel O, Lourie E, Toledo S, Nathan R, Bijleveld A. 2020. A Guide to Pre-Processing High-Throughput Animal Tracking Data bioRxiv DOI Publisher Url

Conference organisation:

ASAB Winter Meeting 2022, Lead Organiser. 2022

Teaching qualification:

Associate Fellow of Higher Education Academy. 2018

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