Climate change impacts many aspects of our environment, both natural and managed ecosystems. At Nottingham we carry out research to understand how climate has varied over time, what has caused this variation, and how it has impacted on plants and animals, shaping evolution. In this way, we use the past to understand how climate change will impact the natural world and the agro-ecosystems upon which we rely.We also study how climate change impacts ecosystems today. This ranges from melting permafrost in the Arctic, to UK agricultural systems and warming forests in the Tropics. As part of this work, we are demonstrating the importance for natural ecosystems as they offer important climate mitigation tools and improve the resilience to climate change.Our research spans a wide range of topics in applied ecology, from microbes to insects to elephants. We also contribute to the theoretical and empirical study of natural ecosystems. In most cases our research connects to anthropogenic issues related to agriculture, pollution and environmental change.