Patrick Armitage
Macroinvertebrate Researcher
Patrick has been studying aquatic environments for over 50 years mainly in the applied field, including the environmental effects of flow regulation on river biota, macroinvertebrate-habitat relationships in fluvial systems, environmental impact studies and the development and testing of a national environmental assessment methodology for UK rivers. (RIVPACS).
His interest in the midge family Chironomidae has continued since working on lakes in Finland. He instigated and co-edited a book on the family in 1995 and has advised on problems associated with midge swarms for water companies and for a House of Commons Select Committee. He has found 5 species new to science.
More recently Patrick has revisited previous study areas to investigate changes over the last 30 years, studied the effects of catchment activities on the fauna of streams and is working on agri-environmental projects. He continues to build a data base of macroinvertebrate communities in small streams and other overlooked habitats which contribute to overall biodiversity.
