Plants, Animals & Ecology

Studying plants, animals, and the ecosystems they live in, and how to protect wildlife and biodiversity

#21 of 29 research categories by total funding · About £27 per person in the UK

Funded awards
6,010
Published funding
£1.8B
Average published award
£497K
Active funded awards
1,162
NIHR-supported projects
14

Amounts are published for 3,686 of 6,010 funded awards. Data as of 16 July 2026.

BBSRC funds the most Plants, Animals & Ecology research — 2,183 grants (36% of the topic). The busiest year was 2022, with 470 grants.

Top Funders by Funded Award Count

View data table
FunderFunded awards
BBSRC2,183
NERC2,008
EC442
UKRI359
EPSRC351
Wellcome201
InnovateUK151
ESRC103
MRC91
AHRC87

Funded Awards by Year

View data table
YearFunded awards
2006188
2007202
2008229
2009183
2010214
2011188
2012197
2013198
2014207
2015329
2016350
2017347
2018335
2019442
2020399
2021388
2022470
2023450
2024436
2025196

Grants

Centre for Plant Integrative BiologyUniversity of NottinghamBBSRC£9.1M2007Completed
Long wavelength oxygenic photosynthesisImperial College LondonBBSRC£5.1M2025Active
Elucidating Signalling Networks in Plant Stress ResponsesUniversity of WarwickBBSRC£3.8M2008Completed
Predicting how the inducible defences of large mammals to human predation shape spatial food web dynamicsUniversity of CumbriaUKRI£1.2M2025Active
400 Million Years of Food Transport in Plants: unearthing the origin, diversity and genetic toolkit of vasculatureUniversity of EdinburghUKRI£1.2M2020Completed
Elucidating Signalling Networks in Plant Stress ResponsesUniversity of EssexBBSRC£694K2008Completed
Ecological and coevolutionary links between plant defence and plant reproductionUniversity of SheffieldNERC£652K2019Completed
The mechanics of pollinator attraction: development and function of floral diffraction gratingsUniversity of CambridgeBBSRC£652K2024Active
The mechanisms of electroreception in beesUniversity of BristolBBSRC£636K2015Completed
Disentangling mechanisms of co-adaptation between trees and soil food webs in response to environmental perturbationsUniversity of ManchesterNERC£617K2019Completed
400 Million Years of Food Transport in Plants: unearthing the origin, diversity and genetic toolkit of vasculatureUniversity of EdinburghUKRI£596K2024Active
How are plants adapted to altitude through oxygen sensing?University of NottinghamBBSRC£583K2025Active
Elucidating Signalling Networks in Plant Stress ResponsesUniversity of ExeterBBSRC£547K2008Completed
The phenological optimum in space and timeUniversity of EdinburghNERC£522K2017Completed
Using Hibiscus trionum as a model to investigate development and ecological importance of floral diffraction gratingsUniversity of CambridgeUKRI£192K2025Active
Lauraceae in Madidi: Interdisciplinary collaboration for the rapid discovery of problematic plant diversityRoyal Botanic Gardens, KewNERC£85K2025Active
Effects of ecological contexts and savannah management on mosquitoesUniversity of WarwickNERCNot disclosed2021Completed
Extending coexistence theory to predict impact of plant invasions on biodiversityKing's College LondonNERCNot disclosed2022Active
Herbivore-Plant-Soil microbe interactions: who is helping whomUniversity of NottinghamNERCNot disclosed2021Completed
Hummingbirds, Flowerpiercers and Insects - Pollinators or Nectar Robbers?University of AberdeenNERCNot disclosed2024Active

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Related topics

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