Profile

After graduating from the University of Exeter in 1990 I did a PhD with Prof A.F.G. Dixon studying the ecology of cereal aphids. This was followed by a brief period of work with brent geese and then a year or so studying the phenotypic plasticity of woodlice. I then went back to Exeter to gain a postgraduate certificate in education (PGCE) and then went on to teach in a secondary school in Bracknell for five years. In 2001 to 2002 I completed a MSc in Applied Entomology at Silwood Park, Imperial College, London. In October 2002 I joined UCD as a postdoctoral project manager on the Ag-Biota project, in what is now the School of Biology & Environmental Science. I left UCD in February 2008 to take up a post of senior lecturer at Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge.

Research Interests

• Farmland and urban biodiversity, with particular interest in Hemiptera (Auchenorrhyncha & Heteroptera) and Coleoptera.
• Species-abundance distributions and species-area relationships.
• Ecology of cereal aphids and of woodlice.

I am interested in the biodiversity of urban areas and agricultural grasslands. The focus of my urban work is on how the provision of urban biodiversity can be improved in new residential developments. My agricultural work has included investigations into grassland field margins, agri-environment-conventional management comparisons and experimental work on the influence of differing grassland plant mixtures. I am particularly interested in the relationship between grassland structural heterogeneity and arthropod communities and the consequences for biodiversity assessment. In 2011 I started a study on the very rare tall fescue planthopper, which I found living near the centre of Cambridge. I am hoping to find out more about its ecology to help inform conservation strategies for the species.

Professional Associations

• Fellow of the Royal Entomological Society

Peer Reviewed Publications

Other Journals

Conference Contributions

Helden A.J., Dittrich, A., Mckenzie, R., 2012 The status and distribution of Ribautodelphax imitans (Ribaut) at Coe Fen, Cambridge, with detailed of the wider Auchenorrhyncha community. [Poster Presentation], Ento'12 Royal Entomological Society Annual Meeting, Anglia Ruskin University, July 2012.

Dittrich, A.D.K., Helden, A.J., 2012 Competition & coexistence of leafhoppers on the nettle, Urtica dioica. [Oral Presentation], Ento'12 Royal Entomological Society Annual Meeting, Anglia Ruskin University, July 2012.

Dittrich, A., Helden, A., 2010 Experimental sward islets and grassland Hemiptera populations. [Poster Presentation], Ento'10 Royal Entomological Society Annual Meeting, Swansea University, July 2010.

Helden, A.J., Anderson, A., Purvis, G. 2005. Grassland arthropod species richness in a conventional suckler beef production system and one compatible with the Irish agri-environmental scheme (REPS). [Poster Presentation], ENT 05 International Symposium on Insect Conservation Biology and Royal Entomological Society National Meeting, University of Sussex, September 2005.

Helden, A.J., Anderson, A. 2006. Cattle, dung and arthropod biodiversity. [Oral Presentation], ENT 06 Royal Entomological Society Annual Meeting, University of Bath, September 2006.

Helden, A.J. 2005. Conserving biodiversity in the agri-ecosystem. [Chaired Session], ENT 05 International Symposium on Insect Conservation Biology and Royal Entomological Society National Meeting, University of Sussex, September 2005.

Helden, A.J., Anderson, A. & Purvis, G 2004. Ag-Biota: Biodiversity within Irish farmland. Studies of the insect fauna an overview. [Oral Presentation], Biodiversity and Management of Insects in Agricultural and Natural Irish Landscapes. Royal Entomological Society Regional Meeting, Agriculture and Food Science Centre, Newforge Lane, Belfast, 17 June 04 - 17 June 04.

Research Reports

Helden A.J., Dittrich, A., Mckenzie, R., 2011 The status and distribution of Ribautodelphax imitans (Ribaut) at Coe Fen, Cambridge, with detailed of the wider Auchenorrhyncha community.

Purvis, G., Anderson, A., Baars, J.-R., Bolger, T., Breen, J., Connolly, J., Curry, J., Doherty, P., Doyle, M., Finn, J., Geijzendorffer, I., Helden, A., Kelly-Quinn, M., Kennedy, T., Kirwan, L., McDonald, J., McMahon, B., Miksche, D., Santorum, V., Schmidt, O., Sheehan, C., & Sheridan, H. 2009.
Ag-Biota: Monitoring, Functional Significance and Management for the Maintenance and Economic Utilisation of Biodiversity in the Intensively Farmed Landscape. Environmental Protection Agency. 24th May 2010, Johnstown Castle, Ireland.