Earth and Environmental Sciences (SEES)

Profile

General Information

Animals and their environments have been interacting and modifying one another since life began. I am interested in co-evolution between life and the planet. I work at the interface among palaeontology, sedimentology and behavioural ecology; focussing on organism-substrate interactions and what they can tell us about the make-up of ecosystems through time and their responses to major events in the history of the Earth. These include evolutionary radiations, colonization events and mass extinctions.

This is a significant area of research on both a fundamental level, for understanding the evolution of animals and environments; and on an applied level, for delineating past and present habitats and environmental conditions, and providing insights for future challenges to society in predicting the impacts of ongoing environmental and biotic change on ecosystem functions and services.

My research involves field, lab, collections, and database studies. I have studied organism-substrate interactions ranging from half a billion years old through to conducting experiments with living animals, and across deep marine to desert environments. I have been fortunate enough to study world-renowned geological localities, including the Cambrian Burgess Shale of British Columbia, Carboniferous of Atlantic Canada, Permian Robledo Mountains of New Mexico, Triassic Petrified Forest National Park of Arizona, and Cretaceous Dinosaur Coast of Korea.

Teaching

I co-ordinate and teach on a number of courses across all levels, particularly in relation to Earth surface processes and materials, facies analysis and palaeoenvironments, and petroleum geology. I also assist with a number of residential and short field trips.

Career History

• 2013-present: Lecturer, University of Portsmouth
• 2012: Research Associate, University of Saskatchewan, Canada
• 2010-2011: Research Fellow, University of Saskatchewan, Canada
• 2009-2010: Research Associate, University of Bristol
• 2008-2009: Temporary Lecturer, University of Bristol
• 2003-2007: PhD, University of Bristol
• 2000-2003: BSc (Joint Hons), University of Bristol

Research Grants

• Buatois, L.A., Mángano, M.G. and Minter, N.J. 2012: Refining trace fossil models for the characterization of marginal-marine reservoirs: integration of ichnologic, sedimentologic and sequence-stratigraphic datasets. NSERC Engage Grant with Shell Canada. $24,960 CDN.
• Minter, N.J. 2010: The evolution of animal behaviour, ecospace utilization and continental ecosystem engineering through the Palaeozoic. Commonwealth Scholarship Commission. $36,500 CDN.
• Robson-Brown, K.A., Franks, N.R. and Minter, N.J. 2009. Ant nest excavation behaviour: a novel investigation using µCT technology. Leverhulme Trust Grant. £51,618.
• Franks, N.R. and Minter, N.J. 2009: Do ants make good sedimentologists?   Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour Small Research Grant. £4,841.

Recent Publications

• Minter, N.J., Mángano, M.G. and Caron, J.-B. (2012) Skimming the surface with Burgess Shale arthropod locomotion. Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 279. pp. 1613-1620. ISSN 0962-8452 10.1098/rspb.2011.1986
• Minter, N.J., Franks, N.R. and Robson Brown, K.A. (2012) Morphogenesis of an extended phenotype: four-dimensional ant nest architecture. Journal of the Royal Society Interface, 9. pp. 586-595. ISSN 1742-5689 10.1098/rsif.2011.0377
• Minter, N.J., Lockley, M.G., Huh, M., Hwang, K.-G. and Kim, J.-Y. (2012) Lithographus, an abundant arthropod trackway from the Cretaceous Haenam tracksite of Korea. Ichnos, 19. pp. 115-120. ISSN 1042-0940 10.1080/10420940.2011.625756
• Lucas, S.G., Minter, N.J. and Hunt, A.P. (2010) Re-evaluation of alleged bees’ nests from the Upper Triassic of Arizona. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 286. pp. 194-201. ISSN 0031-0182 10.1016/j.palaeo.2010.01.010  
• Minter, N.J. and Braddy, S.J. (2009) Ichnology of an Early Permian intertidal flat: the Robledo Mountains Formation of southern New Mexico, USA. Special Papers in Palaeontology, 82. pp. 5-107. ISSN 0038-6804 10.1111/j.1475-4983.2009.00911.x
• Minter, N.J., Lucas, S.G., Lerner, A.J. and Braddy, S.J. (2008) Augerinoichnus helicoidalis, a new helical trace fossil from the nonmarine Permian of New Mexico. Journal of Paleontology, 82. pp. 1201-1206. ISSN 0022-3360 10.1666/07-129.1

Publications Before 2008

• Minter, N.J., Braddy, S.J. and Davis, R.B. (2007) Between a rock and a hard place: arthropod trackways and ichnotaxonomy. Lethaia, 40. pp. 365-375. ISSN 0024-1164 10.1111/j.1502-3931.2007.00035.x
• Davis, R.B., Minter, N.J. and Braddy, S.J. (2007) The neoichnology of terrestrial arthropods. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 255. pp. 284-307. ISSN 0031-0182 10.1016/j.palaeo.2007.07.013
• Minter, N.J., Krainer, K., Lucas, S.G., Braddy, S.J. and Hunt, A.P. (2007) Palaeoecology of an Early Permian playa lake trace fossil assemblage from Castle Peak, Texas, USA. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 246. pp. 390-423. ISSN 0031-0182 10.1016/j.palaeo.2006.10.009
• Minter, N.J., Buatois, L.A., Lucas, S.G., Braddy, S.J. and Smith, J.A. (2006) Spiral-shaped graphoglyptids from an Early Permian intertidal flat. Geology, 34. pp. 1057-1060. ISSN 0091-7613 10.1130/G22722A.1
• Minter, N.J. and Braddy, S.J. (2006) The fish and amphibian swimming traces Undichna and Lunichnium, with examples from the Lower Permian of New Mexico, USA. Palaeontology, 49. pp. 1123-1142. ISSN 0031-0239 10.1111/j.1475-4983.2006.00588.x
• Minter, N.J. and Braddy, S.J. (2006) Walking and jumping with Palaeozoic apterygote insects. Palaeontology, 49. pp. 827-835. ISSN 0031-0239 10.1111/j.1475-4983.2006.00571.x