ecology, environment and conservation - home | … environment and conservation abstracts wednesday...
TRANSCRIPT
1
CONFERENCE FOR STUDENTS
Ecology, Environment and
Conservation
Abstracts
Wednesday 14th October 2015
Royal Society of Edinburgh
2
Preface
On 14th October 2015 we held a conference in the Offices of the Royal Society of
Edinburgh (RSE) for PhD and Masters students undertaking ecological,
environmental and conservation work. More than one hundred participants enjoyed
a full day of lectures, posters, discussions and socialising.
The programme and abstracts of all talks are given here. We intend that this
conference should become an annual one, and plans are in hand for the 2016
Conference for Students, to be held in Aberdeen.
We thank all participants for making the event such a success, and are grateful to
Scottish Natural Heritage, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, and the
Universities of Aberdeen, Dundee, Glasgow, Edinburgh, St Andrews and Stirling for
organising and funding the Conference, and the RSE for hosting us. Our organising
group comprised Josephine Pemberton (Chair), Lynne Clark, Dan Haydon, Xavier
Lambin, David O’Brien, Kirsty Park, Paul Robertson, Peter Singleton, Chris Spray,
Des Thompson, Amanda Trask and Charles Warren.
Professor Josephine Pemberton FRSE, University of Edinburgh
David O’Brien, Scottish Natural Heritage
Recommended citation:
O’Brien, D., Clark, L., Robertson, P. and Pemberton, J. (eds.). (2015). Ecology,
Environment and Conservation Conference 2015. Abstracts. Scottish Natural
Heritage, Inverness.
3
Programme Outline
Registration
Tea and coffee available from 09:30
Morning session
Chair: Chris Spray, University of Dundee
10:00-10:05 Introduction - Josephine Pemberton, University of Edinburgh
10:05-10:45 Keynote - Trent Garner, Zoological Society of London’s Institute of
Zoology: Ecological implications of disease
10:45-11:30 Student presentations: conservation management
Amanda Trask, University of Aberdeen: Evidence of a lethal genetic disease
in a Scottish bird population of conservation concern
James Fitton, University of Glasgow: National coastal erosion risk
assessment for Scotland
Janet MacLean, James Hutton Institute: Does the native plant community of
Atlantic oak woods recover after removal of invasive Rhododendron
ponticum?
11:30-11:45 Comfort break
11:45-13:00 Student presentations: Species-habitat interactions
Roman Susdorf, University of Aberdeen: Influence of condition on the
population dynamics of salmonids
Jenny Sturgeon, University of Aberdeen: High early-life winter site fidelity in
European Shags Phalacrocorax aristotelis in Scotland
Robin Whytock, University of Stirling: Ecological network theory: identifying
the relative importance of local vs. landscape structure for avian diversity in
fragmented secondary woodlands
Caroline Millins, University of Glasgow: How do vertebrate hosts and habitat
affect Lyme borreliosis ecology in Scotland?
Ewan McHenry, University of Aberdeen: Strong inference from transect sign
surveys: combining spatial autocorrelation and misclassification occupancy
models to quantify the detectability of a recovering carnivore
Student presentations: Strategic conservation
Julian Inglis, University of the Highlands and Islands: An integrated
sustainable development framework for coastal and marine regions
Chris Pollard, University of Stirling: new ideas for managing conservation
conflict in Scotland – game theory and structured decision-making
4
13:00-14:00 Lunch / poster session / stands
Afternoon session
Chair: Kirsty Park, University of Stirling
14:00-15:25 Student presentations: Responses to environmental
pressures
Calum Campbell, University of Glasgow: Climate change and evolvability:
temperature effects on bone development and later life plasticity in Arctic
Char
Richard Howells, Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (Edinburgh) & University of
Liverpool: Diet of European Shags signals coastal marine environmental
change
William Paterson, University of St. Andrews: Effects of repeated disturbance
trials on haulout transition rates of Harbour Seals (Phoca vitulina)
Cerian Tatchley, University of Stirling: Disturbance of bats by small-scale
turbines in the UK
Samia Richards, James Hutton Institute & Bangor University: Fingerprinting
of discharges from small residential effluent pollution sources
Anwên Bill, University of Stirling: Responses of aquatic biota to pressures
from imposed water level alterations in lakes
Zarah Pattison, University of Stirling: Direct and indirect effects of invasive
non-native plants and flood disturbance on the dynamics of riparian zone
vegetation
Rupert Houghton, University of Aberdeen: Using an optimal seasonal
combination of removal methods to intelligently target Scottish populations of
the invasive Signal Crayfish
15:25-15:45 Afternoon coffee / posters / stands
15:45-16:15 Plenary presentation
Bob Furness, University of Glasgow and SNH Scientific Advisory Committee: SNH
and science for nature
16:15-16:20 Prize giving: best poster, and best student presentation
16:20 Closing remarks (Josephine Pemberton), then depart
5
Steering Committee
Professor Bob Furness is Principal Ornithologist
at MacArthur Green environmental consultancy, a
member of the Board of Scottish Natural Heritage and
chairs SNH’s Scientific Advisory Committee.
His main research interests are seabird ecology, marine
renewables, stable isotopes as ecological tracers in
marine food webs, and marine pollution by mercury and
persistent organic pollutants. He is a Fellow of the Royal
Society of Edinburgh, has chaired ICES Working Groups on Sandeel biology, short-lived
pelagic fish stock assessment, and seabird ecology, and has twice been on the Council
of the British Trust for Ornithology. His first, and highly influential, experience of seabirds
was as a schoolboy in Edinburgh when taken by his biology teacher on a day trip to the
Bass Rock to ring Gannets.
Professor Dan Haydon is Director of Institute and
Professor of Population Ecology and Epidemiology (Institute
of Biodiversity Animal Health and Comparative Medicine) at
the University of Glasgow. His research focusses on
quantitative modelling of ecological and epidemiological
processes.
This has ranged from the movement of cells around germinal
centres in the body to that of wildebeest in the Serengeti. He
is on the editorial boards of the Journal of Applied Ecology,
the Journal of Infectious Disease Dynamics, and Biology
Letters. Dan is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.
Professor Xavier Lambin is a Professor of
Ecology at the University of Aberdeen where his
research group studies issues in population dynamics
and conservation biology, usually with birds and
mammals. He maintains and exploits long term studies
of cyclic field vole population and birds of prey in Kielder
Forest and of water vole metapopulations in the
Highlands. He has a strong interest in citizen science
and the management of invasive non-native species, including American Mink.
6
David O’Brien manages the Directorate
Support Team in SNH’s Policy & Advice
Directorate. He is secretary of SNH’s Scientific
Advisory Committee and chairs the Scottish
Government’s CAMERAS Evidence Planning
Coordination Group. David graduated from
Bristol with a BSc in Biology and went on to take
an MSc in Environmental Management at Bath.
His recent research has looked at conservation
of amphibians, multiple benefits of sustainable
drainage systems for people and biodiversity, and ongoing citizen science projects.
Outside of work, he spends much of his time looking at amphibians and reptiles.
Dr Kirsty Park is a Reader in Conservation
Science within Biological & Environmental Sciences
at the University of Stirling. After a BSc at Leeds
University she went on to study bat ecology
for a PhD at Bristol University. Her research is
concerned with the effects of human activity on
biodiversity and how best to manage this, focussing
on animal ecology and conservation in managed
environments (e.g. urban, agricultural, forestry). She is interested in addressing
questions such as: What measures can we use to improve agricultural landscapes
for wildlife? How do we prioritise conservation efforts to restore functioning
ecological networks? How can we make plantation forests work for timber and
wildlife? What effects do small wind turbines have on bats and birds? She is Chair of
Bats without Borders, a charity working for bat conservation in southern Africa, and a
Trustee for the Bat Conservation Trust, a charity devoted to the conservation of bats
and their habitats.
Professor Josephine Pemberton is Professor of
Molecular Ecology at the Institute of Evolutionary Biology at the
University of Edinburgh. She helps to run two of the UK’s
longest running individual-based population studies, on the
Red Deer on the Isle of Rum NNR and on the Soay Sheep on
St Kilda. Her particular specialism is using molecular markers
to recover parentage and hence pedigrees for wild animal
populations. Such information has then yielded answers to
previously inaccessible topics in natural populations, including
7
understanding and quantifying the determinants of individual fitness, estimating
selection on and the heritability of traits and predicting their evolution, and
quantifying the impact of inbreeding depression. In other studies she had helped to
document the introgression of Scottish red deer by introduced Japanese sika. She is
a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, is interested in many wildlife
management issues, sat on the Deer Commission for Scotland Board for five years
and has recently published, with Scottish Natural Heritage, a booklet for deer
managers: Red deer research on the Isle of Rum NNR: management implications.
Paul Robertson completed an Honours Degree in
Ecology at the University of Edinburgh. Following a year of
voluntary work with the Scottish Wildlife Trust, he started
working for Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) in 2000. He
has worked in many different posts, and currently works as
part of the Policy & Advice Directorate Support Group. This
involves a varied range of work and allows him to keep up
his interest in ecology involving issues such as geese and
raptor conflicts. He is part of the committee who help to
organise and run the SNH funded studentships and is currently co-supervising a
PhD project on wading birds along with Kirsty Park, Jeremy Wilson and Des
Thompson. Outside of work Paul is a keen ornithologist and spends much of his
spare time bird watching in the local areas around Inverness, as well as further
afield.
Professor Chris J. Spray MBE, FRSA has
held a chair at the UNESCO Centre for Water Law
since 2009, in Policy and Science at the University
of Dundee, and also currently holds a NERC Senior
Research Fellowship, working with the Welsh
Government on the interface between science and
policy. This, like some of his wider interests in
Scotland and abroad, focusses on how to align the
emerging theoretical concepts of the Ecosystem Approach with the realities of
designing and implementing policy and practice. This challenge of communicating
science to policy-makers, and vice-versa, is something Chris is passionate about,
having in his time been Director of Science for SEPA, Director of Environment for
the Northumbrian Water Group and a trustee/director/chairman of more
environmental NGOs than is good for you, including RSPB, FBA, WWT, BTO, SWT,
CIEEM, River Restoration Centre and Tweed Forum, as well as the Scientific
Advisory Committee of SNH, and a spell on both the Scottish and English
Biodiversity Groups.
8
A Cambridge university geographer by training, Chris spent 10 years at Aberdeen
University, working on the territorial behaviour of Carrion Crows for his PhD, then
population dynamics of Mute Swans in the Outer Hebrides, and lastly the impacts of
spraying pesticides on bird populations in Scottish pine forests. ‘Real jobs’ in
conservation with Anglian Water Authority, the National Rivers Authority and then
Northumbrian Water followed, before he returned to Scotland as SEPA’s first
Director of Environmental Science in 2004. His interest in swans continues (having
studied in their breeding and wintering grounds, ringed and eaten all three UK
species!), as does a wider involvement in river restoration, wetland ecosystem
services and the Scottish Land Use Strategy. He is gradually working his way
through the Scottish Munros, but having done only his 150th this year has a long
way still to go…
Professor Des Thompson is Principal
Adviser on Biodiversity with Scottish Natural
Heritage, and has led some of Britain’s upland
nature conservation work for the government and
its agencies. From the Highlands, where he went
to Tain Royal Academy, Des took his first degree
in Biology from Paisley College, and PhD and
DSc from the University of Nottingham
(publishing his PhD as the textbook Gulls and Plovers - the ecology and behaviour of
mixed species feeding groups). He has specialist interests in upland and bird
ecology, and has published widely including the collaborative books Ecological
Change in the Uplands; Birds of Prey in a Changing Environment; An Illustrated
Guide to British Upland Vegetation; Alpine Biodiversity in Europe; The Changing
Nature of Scotland; and, this year, Nature’s Conscience: the life and legacy of Derek
Ratcliffe. Des was founder chairman of the Scottish Raptor Monitoring Scheme
(which gave rise to Raptors: a field guide for surveys and monitoring), is an
Associate Editor of the Journal of Applied Ecology, Chairman of the Field Studies
Council, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, and Chartered Institute of
Ecology and Environmental Management.
Amanda Trask has broad research interests in
ecology, evolution and conservation. In particular,
she is interested in the genetic and demographic
processes underlying population declines in the
wild. She is in her final year as PhD student at the
University of Aberdeen, and her current work
focuses on molecular genetics, demographics and
9
population dynamics of Red-billed Chough in Scotland, in order to inform
conservation strategies.
Dr Charles Warren is a Senior Lecturer in the
Department of Geography & Sustainable Development
at the University of St Andrews. After two decades
researching glacier responses to climate change, his
interests now lie in environmental management and land
use conflicts. He is the author of Managing Scotland's
Environment (EUP, 2008).
10
TALK ABSTRACTS
11
Evidence of a lethal genetic disease in a Scottish bird population of
conservation concern
Amanda Trask, Stuart Piertney, Eric Bignal, Davy McCracken, Pat Monaghan &
Jane Reid
University of Aberdeen
Deleterious recessive mutations of both large and small effect that are masked in
outbred populations will be expressed in small, inbred populations of conservation
concern. Few studies, however, have demonstrated the action of a large effect
recessive mutation in a wild population of conservation concern, meaning that their
relevance to population management is unclear. Red-billed choughs (Pyrrhocorax
pyrrhocorax) are a species of conservation concern in Scotland and currently
number less than 60 breeding pairs. This population has recently been affected by
lethal blindness in nestlings. Determining the aetiology of this disorder, so that
management options can be considered, is therefore a conservation priority. We
used family data to show that the pattern of occurrence of blindness within and
among affected families (that produced blind offspring) matched that expected given
Mendelian inheritance of a single-locus recessive mutation. However, blindness
occurred at a low frequency in the population as a whole (1.3% nestlings).Both
genetic relatedness and multi-locus heterozygosity estimates suggest that potential
carriers for the blindness mutation may be widespread in the contemporary
population, as opposed to clustered within a single family. Furthermore, comparison
of brood size between affected families and unaffected families revealed a
significantly larger brood size in affected families. We provide strong evidence for the
expression of a lethal recessive mutation in a population of conservation concern in
Scotland. The likely widespread distribution of carriers limits potential management
options for the mutation and large brood sizes of carriers may mean the mutation
could persist in the population.
12
A National Coastal Erosion Risk Assessment for Scotland
James Fitton, Jim Hansom & Alistair Rennie
University of Glasgow
A Coastal Erosion Susceptibility Model (CESM) and a Coastal Erosion Vulnerability
Model (CEVM) have been developed for Scotland. The CESM is a national raster
model (50 m cell size) which combines a number of datasets; ground elevation,
rockhead elevation, proximity to the open coast, wave exposure, presence of
defences, and sediment supply, into a single output. The CESM is then be used with
other asset data such as locations of properties, roads and railways etc. to identify
the assets that are potentially exposed to coastal erosion. The CEVM uses data from
the Experian Mosaic Scotland geodemographic database, which categorises each
postcode in Scotland into one of 44 socioeconomic groups based on a range of
socioeconomic indicators such as income, qualifications, property type, education
etc. Key vulnerability indicators were identified and extracted to form a single
vulnerability index variable. Combining the CESM and CEVM allows identification of
areas where both coastal erosion susceptibility and vulnerability are high i.e. coastal
erosion risk.
13
Winner: Best Student Presentation
Does the native plant community of Atlantic oak woods recover after removal
of invasive Rhododendron ponticum?
Janet Maclean, Robin Pakeman, Ruth Mitchell, Dave Burslem, Jeanette Hall & Dave
Genney
James Hutton Institute
A growing awareness of the destructive effects of non-native invasive species has
led to a massive increase in removal programmes around the world. Little is typically
known about what happens to sites following the removal of the invasives, however,
and the implicit assumption that the native community will return, unaided, to pre-
invasion conditions is often left untested. My research investigates the extent to
which the native plant community recovers after invasive Rhododendron ponticum
has been removed from Atlantic oak woods in Western Scotland. These woodlands
are of high conservation value and are included in the EC Habitat Directive Annex 1.
I use a chronosequence approach to look at recovery in sites with up to thirty years
since the Rhododendron was cleared. I investigate impacts to both understory
vegetation and epiphytic bryophytes to build a detailed picture of the lasting legacy of
Rhododendron invasion on plant community structure and function.
My results reveal that the epiphytic bryophyte community is relatively quick to
recover following Rhododendron removal and does return to similar levels of species
richness, percent cover and community composition to that found in uninvaded
control plots within thirty years. The understory community, however, does not
recover within the thirty-year time-frame and instead forms a bryophyte-dominated
‘novel community’, containing few of the typical oak woodland vascular plants. These
results highlight the context-dependence of invasion legacies, with certain aspects of
the native community recovering quickly and other aspects showing few signs of
recovery in the absence of further management intervention.
14
The influence of condition on the population dynamics of salmonids
R. Susdorf & D. Lusseau
University of Aberdeen
Atlantic salmon is an iconic species with high economic impact. Individuals spend
the first years in freshwater as juveniles, subsequently migrate to sea, and, after one
or multiple sea-winters, return to natal freshwater for reproduction. Over recent
decades, survival rate at sea for Scottish and most other stocks has generally
decreased, reflected in lower adult numbers returning, with a disproportionately
bigger decline in the proportion maturing and returning after multiple sea-winters
(MSW). Both direct, predation, and indirect factors such as unfavourable
environmental conditions in freshwater and sea, and parasitism could be causing the
observed trend. In order to understand the relative contribution of those factors we
developed a stage-structured condition-mediated population model, mainly based on
parameters obtained from the relatively data-rich system of the North Esk, northeast
Scotland. Both constant and density-dependent egg-to-smolt survival rate were
considered. We show, using elasticity analyses, that small condition impairment of
MSW salmon can cause substantial stock declines, whereas the 1SW component is
substantially less effective. As expected, delayed maturation generally increased
stock abundance. Furthermore, juvenile survival strongly determined population
dynamics. Juvenile phase duration had minimal influence on the population. Density-
dependence amongst juveniles had a compensatory effect alleviating the population
response to perturbation. The ability of our model to integrate complex functional
relationships provides a novel approach to assess the effects of environmental
changes or management actions on salmonid populations. Its application
demonstrates that Atlantic salmon populations are highly sensitive to juvenile
survival and the condition of adults. In future, we plan to estimate parasite-mediated
condition effects to determine their likely indirect impact on population dynamics and
trajectory.
15
High early-life winter site fidelity in European shags Phalacrocorax aristotelis
in Scotland
Jenny Sturgeon, Francis Daunt, Sarah Wanless & Jane Reid
University of Aberdeen
One critical step towards conserving species is to understanding where they are
located throughout the year. In temperate environments the winter season can be
particularly harsh and the winter location and environment that individuals
experience can profoundly affect their subsequent fitness and survival, especially if
individuals use the same winter location across years. However, very little is known
about the sub-adults of long-lived, wide-ranging species due to the difficulty of
tracking movements of numerous juveniles over large spatio-temporal scales.
Hence, little is known about the development of site fidelity, or the age at which
individuals fix their winter location. We used field resightings of colour-ringed adult
European shags to show that Scottish breeding populations are partially migratory,
with some being resident year-round and others migrating during the winter. We then
used >6000 resightings of ~2500 juveniles colour-ringed at four colonies across five
years to quantify the timing and location of settlement. Juveniles from all colonies
were repeatedly resighted at the diverse locations where they were first sighted in
winter. Juvenile shags therefore show high winter philopatry, suggesting that they
acquired their lifelong wintering strategy soon after fledging. These data imply that, in
this partially migratory population, individuals’ wintering strategies become canalized
early in life, potentially inhibiting individual and population responses to future
environmental change.
16
Ecological network theory: identifying the relative importance of local vs
landscape structure for avian diversity and abundance in fragmented
secondary woodlands
Robin Whytock, Kirsty Park, Elisa Fuentes-Montemayor, Kevin Watts & Phil
McGowan
University of Stirling
Ecological network theory integrates concepts from island biogeography theory and
conservation planning, and is used to understand the spatial ecology of fragmented
habitats. Conceptually, ecological networks are comprised of core areas embedded
in a matrix of non-focal habitat, with patches connected by buffer zones, linear and
non-linear corridors. Together, these characteristics can influence the functionality of
populations and ecosystems. Following high levels of global deforestation, it is
increasingly recommended that ecological network theory should be used to inform
woodland creation. However, for many taxa, the relative importance of local vs
landscape structure is unknown, making it difficult to prioritise conservation actions.
We explored the relative importance of local vs landscape structure for avian species
richness and abundance in 101 secondary woodlands in Great Britain (Scotland n =
64, England n = 37 patches; mean = 16.2, range 0.5 – 31.89 ha). Woodlands were
selected systematically by the Woodland Creation and Ecological Network (WrEN)
research project using a ‘natural experiment’ approach. Birds were surveyed once in
April, May and June 2015. In total, 8,252 adult birds of 59 species were recorded.
Species richness and relative abundance was estimated for five functional groups.
The relative effects of 16 local characteristics (including management practices,
vegetation character, patch geometry and stand age) and 13 metrics of landscape
structure (encompassing interconnectivity and matrix characteristics) was assessed.
When local and landscape structure was assessed independently, patch
characteristics (particularly patch area) best explained richness and abundance for
all groups other than farmland seed-eaters. However, models that included both
local and landscape metrics had greater support throughout. As expected, the most
important metrics of local and landscape structure varied by functional group, and
several metrics (e.g. agricultural grazing) had contrasting effects between groups.
Results are discussed in the context of ecological network theory and conservation
planning.
17
How do vertebrate hosts and habitat affect Lyme borreliosis ecology in Scotland?
Caroline Millins, Lucy Gilbert & Roman Biek
University of Glasgow
Lyme borreliosis is among the most important vector-borne diseases in the Northern
hemisphere and is an emerging disease in Scotland. Transmitted by Ixodid tick
vectors, Lyme borreliosis is caused by bacteria from the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu
lato species group which are maintained by many wild vertebrate host species. We
used a range of approaches to investigate how host communities and habitat affect
the population dynamics of B. burgdorferi s.l. and its tick vector Ixodes ricinus.
Surveys of woodlands revealed variable effects of deer abundance on B. burgdorferi
prevalence, from no effect to a possible ‘dilution’ effect resulting in lower prevalence
at higher deer densities. An invasive species in Scotland, the grey squirrel (Sciurus
carolinensis) was found to host diverse genotypes of B. burgdorferi s.l. and may act
as a spill over host for strains maintained by native host species.
Habitat fragmentation may alter the dynamics of B. burgdorferi s.l. via effects on the
host community and host movements. We found lack of persistence of the rodent
associated genospecies of B. burgdorferi s.l. within a naturally fragmented
landscape. Rodent host biology, particularly population cycles and home range size
are likely to affect pathogen persistence and recolonization in fragmented habitats.
This work shows how host communities and habitat configuration can affect the local
transmission dynamics of B. burgdorferi s.l. and the risk of infection to humans.
Further studies could build on this work to develop management recommendations
or interventions to reduce the risk of Lyme borreliosis.
18
Strong inference from transect sign surveys: combining spatial
autocorrelation and misclassification occupancy models to quantify the
detectability of a recovering carnivore
Ewan McHenry, Catherine O'Reilly, Edel Sheerin, Kenny Kortland & Xavier Lambin
University of Aberdeen
Monitoring of species using surveys of ambiguous signs and assuming 100 %
detectability produces potentially biased occupancy estimates. Novel analytical tools
have been developed that correct for bias arising from imperfect detectability,
species misidentification and spatial autocorrelation between detection survey
replicates that can affect transect surveys. To date they have been applied singly,
but their combined value is unclear.
The recovery of carnivores such as the European pine marten (Martes martes)
potentially has far reaching, but largely unknown, implications for ecosystem
restoration. Analysis of the species’ distribution has as yet been crude and hence
unsuited for informing management. We aimed to assess the validity of standard
scat surveys to provide recommendations to increase inference from future surveys.
We employed spatially replicated scat surveys along forest paths in NE Scotland,
genetic verification of scat provenance and occupancy modelling techniques to
quantify pine marten detectability and variation therein. Detectability for 1km and
1.5km transects, comparable to standard protocols, was estimated to be 0.33 and
0.51 respectively, highlighting the importance of accounting for imperfect
detectability. Detection probabilities decreased with vegetation cover and increased
with path width. Models accounting for spatial autocorrelation between adjacent
transect segments suggested that segments of ≥200m could be analysed as spatial
replicates with negligible bias. As is the norm, not all scats yielded DNA to
genetically verify they were produced by pine marten. This was accounted for
through the use of ‘miss-classification occupancy models’ which allowed the use of
unverified scats, increasing detection probabilities while accounting for the
probability of unverified scats being false positive detections.
This study exemplifies that robust inference on species occupancy is achievable
through careful consideration of sampling design and the application of readily
available analytical techniques. Adopting best-practice need not increase monitoring
costs and can even increase cost-efficiency.
19
An integrated sustainable development framework for coastal and marine
regions
Julian T Inglis
University of the Highlands and Islands, Perth College
In Scotland, terrestrial, river basin, and marine planning proceed as parallel
processes. Notwithstanding the commitment to integrate planning and management
across the land-sea interface, there are few examples, other than in estuarine and
near shore environments, where this has been realized. Integrated coastal zone
management (ICZM) represents a strategic approach to the sustainable
development of coastal zones. In particular, the approach offers the prospect of
broad, inclusive and enduring partnerships, good communications and information
sharing. The UK actively supported the development and implementation of the EU
Recommendation on ICZM (2002), and its eight principles. The momentum towards
strong institutional and political support for ICZM was lost, however, when the
proposed EU Directive on maritime spatial planning and integrated coastal
management (2013) was dropped in favour of a streamlined Directive on maritime
spatial planning (2014). In Scotland, ICZM remains the province of voluntary local
coastal partnerships, which have an uncertain role in marine regional planning and
which work with limited resources.
I am aiming to develop and test a non-statutory, integrated sustainable development
framework for terrestrial and marine regions against this background. There are
three steps involved: 1) identification of the key factors underlying good practice from
cases at a global level, 2) constructing and testing the framework in the lower Tay
region, and 3) adapting it for application in other coastal areas. The lower Tay region
is characterized by its many protected areas, by its diverse estuarine and coastal
communities, onshore and off-shore developments, and rich cultural heritage.
Terrestrial and river basin planning in the region is well advanced. A National Marine
Plan is in place, and a regional marine plan for the Tay and Forth estuaries will be
developed. The proposed framework should provide an innovative and practicable
approach to delivering the commitment to integrate and sustain planning and
management across the land-sea interface, at a regional scale, based on ICZM
principles.
20
New ideas for managing conservation conflict in Scotland – Game theory &
structured decision making
Chris R J Pollard, Nils Bunnefeld, Aidan Keane, Steve Redpath & Juliette Young
University of Stirling
Conflicts involving the use and conservation of biodiversity are widely recognised
both as damaging to human livelihoods and biodiversity and as increasing in scope
and scale. The differing goals of those focussed on improving livelihoods and those
focussed on biodiversity conservation result in conflict when both sides typically seek
to achieve their objectives regardless of the cost to the other side. Game theory, the
study of strategic decision making, can be used to investigate conservation conflict
and when integrated into a structured decision making framework, may offer hope for
the navigation of these emotive and incendiary situations.
The high value arable crops of the Orkney Islands provide an unintentional food
source for the population of resident greylag geese (Anser anser) which has
dramatically increased over the past 30 years, from hundreds to over 23,000. The
impact of the goose damage has radiated out through farmers themselves to farming
groups, conservation organisations, wildfowl shooters, land managers and
government. A complicated conflict has thus arisen amongst multiple heterogeneous
stakeholder groups with myriad goals, all subject to the impacts of biophysical,
ecological and economic system uncertainty.
Here, conservation conflict as a strategic decision making system is described using
the Orkney Islands goose conflict as a case study. Additionally, the potential for
game theory to play a part in wider conflict management is discussed.
21
Climate Change and Evolvability: Temperature Effects on Bone Development
and Later Life Plasticity in Arctic Charr
Calum Campbell, Kevin Parsons, Colin Adams & Colin Bean
University of Glasgow
Anthropogenic climate change is expected to cause dramatic changes in
environmental conditions that will significantly alter both the selection pressures and
developmental conditions for species. Specifically, climate change is predicted to
lead to average increases in temperature of up to 8°C at arctic latitudes. Thus, it is
imperative that we understand the potential for interactions between development
and such drastic changes in temperature within the context of evolvability if we are to
make informed decisions about how to mitigate biodiversity loss. We hypothesised
that temperature would alter bone development during key periods of bone
ossification. To test this we incubated Arctic Charr (Salvelinus alpinus) embryos at
two different temperatures (5°C and 9°C to partially mimic an expected global
temperature increase). We sampled embryos at three distinct stages (pre-hatch,
50% hatch and first-feeding) and performed cartilage and bone staining. Using
image analysis, we then measured the variation in levels of cartilage and bone
development to compare the two temperature treatments. The fish were placed on a
dietary manipulation experiment to assess how temperature affected their plastic
response to being fed either a benthic-style or a pelagic-style diet. We conducted a
geometric morphometric analysis of the fish and assessed the differences between
diet types and between temperatures. Putative results suggest that embryos
developing at 9°C exhibited both cartilage and bone at significantly higher levels than
those embryos which developed to equivalent stages at 5°C. From this we can
conclude that embryos which develop at a higher temperature undergo more
extensive osteogenesis at an earlier time in development. This could have serious
implications for later life plastic responses to; biomechanical influences, and overall
levels of evolvability.
22
Diet of European shags signals coastal marine environmental change
Howells RJ, Burthe S, Green JA, Wanless S, Harris MP, Newell MA, & Daunt F.
Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (Edinburgh) & University of Liverpool
Seabirds have long been proposed as suitable biological indicator species of
changes in the marine environment. However, a growing number of anthropogenic
pressures on marine ecosystems, makes evaluating the effectiveness of seabirds as
indicators increasingly urgent. Although seabirds have been used as effective
ecological indicators of overall environmental change, current approaches have
gained limited understanding of the processes underpinning such responses. The
North Sea is one of the most rapidly warming marine ecosystems on the planet. This
warming has resulted in profound changes in the distribution and abundance of
species at all trophic levels, including the Lesser Sandeel Ammodytes marinus, the
principle food source of most seabirds in the region. Here, we investigated patterns
of change in the diet of European shags Phalacrocorax aristotelis breeding on the
Isle of May, Scotland using data spanning three decades. This population has
experienced striking fluctuations in breeding phenology, numbers and success over
this period. In addition, their diet has changed dramatically. At the beginning of the
study, diet consisted almost exclusively of lesser sandeels. However, the population
has exploited a wide range of prey species in recent years. Furthermore, the
proportion of different prey types has varied dramatically among years. We
investigated the potential drivers of diet change using a suite of environmental
covariates. We also quantified the demographic consequences of diet change. Our
results highlight the foraging plasticity of this species and the potential use of shag
diet and demographic rates as indicators of coastal marine environmental change.
23
The effects of repeated disturbance trials on haulout transition rates of
harbour seals (Phoca vitulina)
Paterson, W., Russell, D. J., Wu, M., McConnell, B. J. & Thompson, D.
University of St Andrews
[email protected] Harbour seals in Scotland are protected under European law at important haulout
sites designated as Special Areas of Conservation (SACs). Understanding the
spatio-temporal coverage and resolution needed to identify the effects of increased
anthropogenic activity is vital in determining how SACs and their connectivity are
managed. We assessed the probability of seals transiting from one haulout site to
another as affected by increased anthropogenic activity by implementing a series of
controlled disturbance trials in the Sound of Islay, Scotland. Hauled out seals were
approached every three days from a distance of 300 m by boat at a speed of 5 knots
until they flushed into the water. GPS/GSM phone tags deployed on adult female
harbour seals (n=8) provided telemetry data that included GPS locations both at sea
and while hauled out. Data were collected for an average of 78 days (maximum 107
days) from April to August 2014. The total number of trips that resulted in seals
transiting between haulout sites was 162 compared to 464 when seals returned to
the site from which they had departed. A Generalized Additive Mixed Model
framework was used to determine transition rates of seals when exposed to
disturbance trials compared with during trips embarked upon in the absence of
disturbance. We found no significant evidence that repeated disturbance caused
seals to switch haulout sites. Animals in this study showed a high degree of site
fidelity that resulted in disturbed seals returning to the same haulout site either within
the same or on a subsequent low tide period. These results demonstrate that
increased disturbance of the type implemented in this study does not cause seals to
change the location at which they choose to haul out. Monitoring of seal haulout sites
need only therefore be on a localised scale at the source of disturbance.
24
Disturbance of bats by small scale turbines in the UK
Cerian Tatcheley & Kirsty Park
University of Stirling
Wind power is an increasingly important method of electricity generation employed
worldwide. While much of the focus in wind energy technology to date has been on
wind farms, a relatively recent development is the expansion of the micro-wind
sector (turbines generating < 50 kW), and there are now over 800,000 small wind
turbines (SWTs) installed globally. There are a range of potential negative effects
wind power can exert on wildlife, in particular on birds and bats, and quantification of
the potential wildlife impacts is necessary to inform planning guidance. Yet to date,
there has been very little published research into the wildlife impacts of SWTs. We
have conducted a series of bat activity acoustic surveys along linear habitat features
such as hedgerows and treelines, known to be important habitat features for bats,
with a SWT installed within 100m. The use of linear features by Pipistrellus
pygmaeus and Myotis sp. is lower where SWTs are located in close proximity and
this effect persists for at least 60m along the linear feature. These results support
recommendations for buffer distances between SWTs and important bat habitats, but
suggest the buffer may need to be larger than that suggested by previous research.
25
Fingerprinting of discharges from small residential effluent pollution sources
Samia Richards, Paul J. A. Withers & Marc Stutter
James Hutton Institute & Bangor University
Small point sources of pollutants such as septic tanks are recognised as significant
contributors to streams’ pathogen and nutrient loadings, however there are few data
in the UK on which to judge the potential risks that septic tank effluents (STE) pose
to water quality and human health. We present the first comprehensive analysis of
STE to help assess multi-pollutant characteristics, management-related risk factors
and potential tracers that might be used to identify STE sources. Thirty-two septic
tank effluents from residential households located in North East of Scotland were
sampled along with adjacent stream waters. Biological, physical, chemical and
fluorescence characterisation was coupled with information on system age, design,
type of tank, tank management and number of users. Biological characterisation
revealed that total coliforms and E.coli concentration ranges were: 103-108 and 103-
107 MPN/100 mL, respectively. Physical parameters such as electrical conductivity,
turbidity and alkalinity ranged 160-1730 S/cm, 8-916 NTU and 15-698 mg/L,
respectively. Effluent total phosphorus (TP), soluble reactive P (SRP), total nitrogen
(TN) and ammonium-N (NH4-N) concentrations ranged 1-32, <1-26, 11-146 and 2-
144 mg/L, respectively. Positive correlations were obtained between phosphorus,
sodium, potassium, barium, copper and aluminium. Domestic STE may pose
pollution risks particularly for NH4-N, dissolved P, SRP, copper, dissolved N, and
potassium since enrichment factors were >1651, 213, 176, 63, 14 and 8 times that of
stream waters, respectively. Tank condition, management and number of users had
influenced effluent quality that can pose a direct risk to stream waters as multiple
points of pollutants.
26
Responses of aquatic biota to pressures from imposed water level alterations in lakes
Anwên Bill, Nigel Willby & Chris Bromley
SEPA & University of Stirling
Hydromorphological modifications such as water level fluctuations via water
regulation, or shoreline modification are considered to be a major pressure on lakes.
Such alterations impact lake littoral zones, affecting the structure and composition of
macrophyte and littoral macroinvertebrate communities and thus lake-wide ecology.
Given that the littoral zone holds the majority of a lake’s biodiversity, this area is
critical as a habitat and food resource for aquatic and riparian organisms.
Stresses imposed by these activities are understood in principle; however, key
knowledge gaps remain. This research aims to improve understanding of the
empirical relationships between hydromorphological pressures and loch ecology.
I will be introducing recent work on the isoetid, Littorella uniflora (Shoreweed). This is
a small evergreen, amphibious plant that is common and almost ubiquitous on the
shores of Scotland’s lakes. There is a need for better understanding of this
macrophyte in order to mitigate population decline elsewhere in Europe and to
determine response to pressure. In addition the remarkable ability of Littorella
uniflora for rapid morphological change in response to various stress factors,
including water stress, makes it a model species for research into impacts of water
level fluctuation.
27
Direct and indirect effects of invasive non-native plants and flood disturbance, on the dynamics of riparian zone vegetation
Zarah Pattison & Nigel Willby
University of Stirling
Riparian zones are dynamic habitats with complex disturbance regimes. They are
also highly prone to invasion by non-native plants, such as Himalayan Balsam
(Impatiens glandulifera) in NW Europe. There is much concern over the potential
impacts of invasive non-native plants (IAPs) on native riparian vegetation yet IAPs
might essentially be passengers, rather than drivers of community change at fluvially
disturbed sites. Future increases in river flows are expected to increase mobility of
sediment and plant propagules suggesting that climate change and invasion will
together have important effects on the stability of native riparian vegetation.
To assess the effects of fluvial disturbance (as indicated by over-winter sediment
deposition on Astroturf mats) and invasion on native vegetation, sites on twenty
rivers were each surveyed in summer 2013 and spring and summer 2014. Sites
covered a gradient of sediment deposition and IAP cover. Higher cover of IAPs was
associated with lower diversity of native species in all seasons. However, the
diversity of native spring vegetation was more sensitive to IAP cover in the previous
summer. Greater sediment deposition was associated with significantly higher cover
of IAPs the following spring, as well as increased short-term turnover of native
species.
Our results reveal a legacy effect of IAP dominance that is associated with
decreased diversity of native spring vegetation the following year. This may be due
to winter sediment deposition introducing an influx of IAP propagules and supressing
recruitment from local sources. Sediment-mediated disturbance favours IAPs and
results in a less stable and potentially more invadable native community. Most
ecosystems are affected by both direct and indirect stressors. Effective management
of IAPs depends on recognising these effects, how they interact, and how they are
likely to change over time.
28
Using an optimal seasonal combination of removal methods to intelligently
target Scottish populations of the invasive signal crayfish
Rupert Houghton
University of Aberdeen
There is an apparent reluctance to commit to long-term population control of invasive
crayfish populations such as the signal crayfish (Pacifastacus leniusculus), perhaps
due to a perceived lack of success. Notable successful removal studies have been
conducted for extended periods of time, using a minimum of two methods. However
the majority of previous ‘failed’ control efforts have typically made use of only a
single removal method, applied without consideration of their seasonal variation in
impact on the population dynamics. Different removal methods are known to select
different demographic classes of animal and these biases may vary seasonally. In
2014 I conducted research to quantify the demographic selectivity and efficacy of six
different removal methods in spring, summer and autumn, whilst simultaneously
performing a capture-mark-recapture study in order to quantify the abundance of
available crayfish in each demographic class. This resulted in harvest parameters
that reflect the proportion of each demographic class removed per unit effort of each
respective method in each seasonal period. After constructing and modelling a signal
crayfish life cycle based on a combination of vital rates from the literature and the
aforementioned field work, I simulated the impacts of various seasonal combinations
of removal methods on invasive crayfish population dynamics. Thus a seasonal
combination of methods can be established that optimally decreases population
growth rate. Field trials of this theoretical strategy are now underway on two Scottish
populations. The results of this work will be presented in the context of Scottish
signal crayfish populations, aiming to stress the urgency of targeting small, isolated
populations while this remains a possibility. In Scotland the time for action is now,
before it is too late.
29
List of Posters
Migration of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) at low-head Archimedean screw
hydropower schemes
Robert Brackley, University of Glasgow
The effect of salt stress on the physiological and molecular response of
halophyte specoes Atriplex halimus (L.)
Faiza Hamdani, Faculté des sciences Biologiques et des Sciences Argonomiques,
Université Mouloud Mammeri de Tizi-Ouzou
Sex and environmental differences in age-dependent and age-independent
senescence of body mass
Svenja B. Kroeger, Institute of Biological & Environmental Sciences, Ecology and
Evolution, University of Aberdeen
Modelling effects of marine renewable developments on UK seabird
populations
Julie Miller, University of Glasgow
Evaluating Peatland Management for Multiple Ecosystem Services
Ainoa Pravia, The James Hutton Institute
Multiple benefits from SuDS ponds: habitats for wildlife and assets for urban
communities
Marcia Rae, Scottish Natural Heritage & Highland Council
Investigating conservation management interventions for upland breeding
water populations on marginal grassland- the novel application of lime
Emma Jane Sheard, Stirling University
Habitat-dependent occupancy of range-edge populations of great crested newt
Triturus cristatus : implications for conservation in the Scottish Highlands
Alexandre Miro, Centre for Advanced studies of Blanes, Spanish Research Council
Quantifying the differences in avian attack rates on reptiles between a
windfarm and control site, through the exposure of plasticine reptile models to
free-ranging avian predators
Cameron Law, University of Aberdeen
Are impacts on peatlands adequately considered within environmental
statements of Scottish windfarms?
Joanna Wawrzyczek, University of Edinburgh
30
POSTER ABSTRACTS
31
Migration of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) at low-head Archimedean screw
hydropower schemes
Robert Brackley1, Colin Adams1, Colin Bean2, Alistair Duguid3, Martin C. Lucas4 &
Rhian Thomas1
1 University of Glasgow; 2 Scottish Natural Heritage; 3 Scottish Environmental
Protection Agency; 4 University of Durham
There has been a rapid increase in development of small-scale hydropower
schemes across Europe. Such schemes may impact upon migratory fish populations
through modification of migration pathways. There is a clear need for scientific
evidence to inform guidelines for the design, placement and management of small-
scale hydropower schemes for the protection of migratory fish. The proliferation of
the Archimedean screw turbine (AST) for such low-head applications is concerning
because although these turbines are purported to cause negligible damage to fish
passing through them, the available data is limited.
The studies presented assess the impacts of low-head AST hydropower schemes on
migrating populations of anadromous Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) in Scotland.
A telemetry study was conducted on downstream migrating smolts to evaluate the
proportion of the population passing through an AST, and to assess any delay to
migration resulting from the infrastructure and operation of the hydropower scheme.
Smolts were tracked through an AST hydropower scheme on the river Don using
radio tags and passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags. Smolt movements through
the turbine channel and alternative passage route were observed using an array of
fixed loggers at the hydropower scheme. The proportion of radio tagged fish which
passed through the turbine was 27% (7/26). The majority of PIT tagged smolts
passed through the turbine channel within 27 minutes. Passage behaviour is
considered in the context of the scheme’s operation and environmental conditions.
The potential for damage to smolts from passage through an AST was investigated
using controlled turbine passage trials. Turbine-passed fish were assessed relative
to control groups which did not pass through the turbine. Fish condition was
assessed by external examination and blood-biochemistry correlates for unapparent
internal damage.
The potential effects of low-head AST schemes upon the spawning migration of adult
fish were investigated using telemetry studies. Adult fish were tracked using radio
and PIT tags at three AST hydropower schemes with distinctive designs and
operational regimes: on the middle reaches of the river Don, the upper reaches of
the Don, and on the Ettrick water. A mixture of fine-scale radio detection zones and
PIT antennas was used to investigate attraction to the competing flows at each of the
turbine and fish pass or depleted stretch outflows, and the efficiency and efficacy of
32
the fish pass. Behaviours at these regions are related to the turbine operation,
scheme layout and the resulting hydrodynamics at the regions of interest.
33
The effect of salt stress on the physiological and molecular response of the halophyte species Atriplex halimus (L.)
Faiza HamdaniI1,2, Arezki Derridj1 & Hilary Rogers2
¹Faculté des sciences Biologiques et des Sciences Agronomiques, Université Mouloud Mammeri de Tizi-Ouzou ;
²Plant senescence and stress laboratory, School of Biosciences, Cardiff University
The extension of irrigated agriculture and the intense utilization of water resources in
hot and dry countries leads to an inevitable appearance of salinity problems in soil
and water. Atriplex halimus L. is a perennial native shrub of the Mediterranean Basin
with an excellent tolerance to drought and salinity. Plants have developed a range of
mechanisms to mitigate the effects of drought and salinity including sequestration of
Na+ ions in the vacuole, and synthesis and accumulation of osmolytes such as,
proline, sugars and glycine betaine, which facilitate cell metabolism under stress
conditions. Antioxidant metabolism also plays an important role in protecting plants
from a wide variety of environmental stresses including drought and salinity. In this
study, a comparison was made in physiological, biological and molecular responses
of two Atriplex halimus L. populations from contrasting environments: arid steppe
and saline coastline to increasing levels of salt over a six-week growth period.
Results show greater survival of the coastal population as well as greater
accumulation of Na+ and K+ which is mirrored by higher induction of antiporter gene
expression. Both proline and glycine betaine increased more significantly in the
coastal population, accompanied by greater induction of the CMO gene. Ascorbic
acid content rose with increasing salt concentrations in both populations and
catalase activity was strongly induced, indicating an activation of ROS scavenging
mechanisms, both of which were more highly activated in the coastal population.
34
Winner: Best Student Poster
Sex and environmental differences in age-dependent and age-independent
senescence of body mass
Svenja B. Kroeger1, Jane M. Reid1 & Julien G. A. Martin1
1Institute of Biological & Environmental Sciences, Ecology and Evolution, University
of Aberdeen
Senescence, defined as physiological deterioration with age, has important effects
on life-history traits, including body mass. Understanding environmental effects on
sex-specific senescence of body mass is crucial to understanding the evolution of
reproductive trade-offs and life-histories. Senescence has rarely been evaluated
using both an age-dependent approach, looking at trait variation with chronological
age, and an age-independent approach, focusing on time to death.
We used a long-term individual-based study of yellow-bellied marmots (Marmota
flaviventris), to assess sex-specific body mass variation with age and independently
of age. Individuals lived in two areas, up and down valley, that differ in phenology
and environmental conditions.
We found that on average, male marmots were heavier than females, and that in
both sexes, up valley individuals were lighter than down valley ones. Age-dependent
senescence of body mass was found in females only, in both parts of the valley. In
males, down valley individuals showed constant mass with age, while up valley
individuals increased their body mass with age, contrary to the senescence
hypothesis. Age-independent senescence was only found in females living down
valley.
These results show that senescence is not only a chronological effect, but a highly
heterogeneous within-individual process, dependent on environmental conditions.
The between-sex and between-valley differences in senescence are probably due to
different sex-specific reproductive strategies within each environment. We conclude
that evaluating senescence with both an age-independent and age-dependent
approach can provide increased detail on senescence and life-history patterns, and
we plan to do further analyses of senescence in reproduction.
35
Modelling effects of marine renewable developments on UK seabird
populations
Julie Miller1,2, Jason Matthiopoulos1, Mark Trinder3 & Bob Furness1,3
1University of Glasgow; 2NERC; 3Macarthur Green
Objective: Developing a tool to quantify effects of the offshore renewables industry
on UK seabird populations, across spatial and temporal scales. Using an evidence-
based approach this project aims to increase the accuracy of predictions of impacts
to these populations from existing and proposed developments.
Background
The UK is an industry world leader in the development and deployment of renewable
energy technologies. The UK and surrounding waters are home to significant
assemblages of breeding, migrating and wintering seabirds. Around 80 Special
Protection Areas (SPAs) exist in the UK for breeding seabird species. The offshore
industry could potentially be constrained by cumulative impacts.
Methods
• Identify ‘target’ species for study – those at greatest risk from impacts of
renewables - using evidence based approach.
• Define the populations of the target species in UK waters, in terms of their
biogeographic connectivity across spatial and temporal scales; acknowledging
the meta-population structure of seabird populations.
• Utilise current data and contemporary studies to review assumptions in
models of displacement and collision risk used to assess impacts.
• Assess colony/species datasets on variety of parameters (e.g. demographic
rates, flight energetics and trip durations) to develop spatial / temporal models
for seabird colonies, their associated feeding grounds.
• Utilising these models and overlaying operational, consented and proposed
renewable schemes, attempt to quantify:
• Direct effects on populations, such as displacement and collisions; and,
• Indirect effects operating on prey species.
• Using high quality, longitudinal datasets develop meta-population models
incorporating density dependence, fishery stock data and climate data.
Use the meta-population models to assess the predicted spatial and temporal
impacts of renewable developments to the target seabird populations.
36
Evaluating Peatland Management for Multiple Ecosystem Services
Ainoa Pravia1,2, Roxane Andersen2, Rebekka Artz1, Kenneth Boyd2 & Nick
Littlewood1
1 The James Hutton Institute; 2 Environmental Research Institute
Drainage is the main impact of land use change in peatlands, affecting valuable
ecosystem services such as biodiversity and carbon sequestration. Peatland
restoration could play a key role in climate change mitigation worldwide by reducing
emissions from land use changes and contributing to carbon sequestration; and
trade-offs would be expected when restoration targets shift their objectives by
favouring certain ecosystem services over others. Diversity plays a functional role in
ecosystems, whereby species’ functional traits influence both ecosystem functioning
and species’ ability to respond to environmental changes, allowing fluctuations in
ecosystem processes to be predicted on the basis of community composition
changes. As such, this project aims to utilise invertebrate taxa to assess the
effectiveness of peatland management, identify trade-offs between restoration
objectives and develop indicators of restoration success that will facilitate the
monitoring of restored peatlands.
37
Multiple benefits from SuDS ponds: habitats for wildlife and assets for urban
communities
Marcia Rae1,2, David O’Brien1, Jeanette Hall1, Phil Baarda1 & Robert Jehle3
1 Scottish Natural Heritage; 2 Highland Council, Inverness; 3University of
Salford, School of Environment and Life Sciences
Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) have long been postulated to deliver multiple
benefits including reduction of flood risk, breakdown of pollutants, habitats for wildlife
and amenity value for people. This study has built on previous work on Inverness
SuDS running since 2010.
We have used amphibians as a representative taxon as they have limited powers of
dispersal, are easily recognised by members of the public and produce large
numbers of eggs which are easy to sample for DNA. Whilst previous studies have
shown that Inverness SuDS have higher amphibian occupancy rates and Habitat
Suitability Index scores than the national averages for wider countryside ponds, this
study has attempted to analyse which features of SuDS are associated with greater
diversity of amphibians and invertebrates. This information will be of use for planners
and developers to design the best SuDS for wildlife as part of wider green
infrastructure.
Other studies of urban amphibians elsewhere in Britain and Europe have shown high
levels of inbreeding resulting from isolation. We have looked at the number of alleles
per locus to gain an understanding of inbreeding, and genetic differentiation (FST) to
investigate gene flow between populations. In the next stage of this project we will be
comparing these results with habitat maps to see how postulated ease of movement
across different urban habitats compares with actual flow of genes. This will enable
planners to locate SuDS where they are most likely to form part of habitat corridors.
Finally, the project has included public engagement with local residents and with
primary and secondary schools to encourage a reappraisal of SuDS as places to
relax, valuable educational resources and as features which give communities a
sense of place.
38
Investigating conservation management interventions for upland breeding
wader populations on marginal grassland – the novel application of lime
Emma Jane Sheard1, Kirsty Park1, Des Thompson2, Nigel Buxton2, Paul Robertson2,
Dave Beaumont3 & Jeremy Wilson3
1 Stirling University; 2Scottish Natural Heritage; 3RSPB
Declines in farmland biodiversity during the last century have been widely attributed
to the intensification and expansion of modern agricultural practice. In particular, the
negative effects of agricultural processes on birds have been well documented, with
farmland breeding wader populations suffering dramatic long-term population
declines in lowland England and Wales. Marginal, upland farming in Scotland is
considered critically important for supporting UK populations of breeding waders.
Recent trends, however, have identified loss and constriction of breeding wader
populations across the Scottish uplands. Agri-environment schemes (AES) directed
at breeding waders have shown mixed results. In this study a novel grassland
management intervention for breeding waders was set up autumn 2014 to look at the
effects of liming on marginal upland agricultural grasslands. Lime is used to raise soil
pH which improves grass growth on acidic sites. This could benefit breeding waders
by providing more favourable soil conditions for invertebrates, such as earthworms,
which are a key prey resource. A split plot treatment design was implemented across
4 farms (n=9 fields) within Scotland. Data collected spring 2015 included; soil cores
to count earthworm abundance, measuring soil pH and organic matter; pitfall traps to
monitor above ground active invertebrates; breeding wader surveys and foraging
observations. This large scale experimental trial of lime is ongoing and will have
annual data collected in spring 2016 and 2017. This poster will discuss preliminary
analysis in the context of potential policy implications of lime as a management
intervention for breeding waders, with respect to AES and farming advisory services.
39
Quantifying the differences in avian attack rates on reptiles between a
windfarm and control site, through the exposure of plasticine ® reptile
models to free-ranging avian predators
Cameron Law1, D. O’Brien2 & L. Lancaster1
1University of Aberdeen; 2 Scottish Natural Heritage
Land-based wind farms are the least expensive, and most technically mature
deliverers of renewable energy, resulting in a significant expansion of proposed and
established windfarms across Scotland. Despite the rapid expansion of windfarms,
their effects on ground-dwelling organisms remain largely unquantified. The
abundance of birds around windfarms can be affected by displacement due to
disturbance. Previous studies have found a negative correlation with raptor
abundance and proximity to wind turbines. Avian predation is widely assumed to be
one of the major sources of mortality within reptile populations. The adder (Vipera
berus) and common lizard (Zootoca vivipara) are widely distributed across mainland
Scotland, and their range intersects with that of the proposed and established
windfarms. This study investigated whether the reduced abundance of avian
predators around windfarms resulted in differing levels of attacks on reptiles when
comparing a windfarm and a neighbouring control site.
40
Habitat-dependent occupancy of range-edge populations of great crested newt
Triturus cristatus: implications for conservation in the Scottish
Highlands
Alexandre Miró1, C.D. O’Brien2, J.E. Hall2 & R. Jehle3
1Centre for Advanced Studies of Blanes, Spanish Research Council
(CEAB-CSIC); 2 Scottish Natural Heritage; 3 University of Salford, School
of Environment and Life Sciences
The study of species at their range-edge has long fascinated biologists, and the
biotic and abiotic factors that influence the persistence of peripheral populations are
still poorly understood. Climate, predation, soil and water chemistry and other habitat
factors all interact with physiology, genetics and population dynamics to shape
realised niches.
The great crested newt Triturus cristatus is a European Protected Species under the
Habitats Directive and has declined heavily across much of its range. In Britain it
reaches its northern limit around Inverness, where populations are separated from
the rest of its range by over 80km of unfavourable habitat. Understanding its habitat
requirements is seen as key to protecting this species.
We found that Triturus cristatus is strongly associated with invertebrate diversity,
slightly sloping banks, a substrate of organic mud over humus-rich iron podsols with
underlying sand and gravel (but negatively related with boulder clay), adjacent mixed
Pinus sylvestris-Betula woodland (EUNIS habitat code G4.4), high coverage of
aquatic vegetation, low number of years when the pond dries up and the absence of
fish. Sites where T. cristatus was lost were strongly associated with fish presence
and low moss coverage of the shore. There appeared to be no adverse effects from
traditional farming and occurrence showed a slight positive correlation with hunting.
The pH of breeding sites ranged widely, from pH 4.9 to pH 9.3.
The findings of this study are being used to inform pond creation and habitat
management in the Highlands, in order to reinforce vulnerable populations and
encourage metapopulation processes. To date 19 new ponds have been constructed
and 8 restored in the region, through funding by SNH and Forestry Commission
Scotland.
41
Are impacts on peatlands adequately considered within environmental
statements of Scottish windfarms?
Joanna Wawrzyczek1
1University of Edinburgh
A large number of windfarms have been constructed and proposed in Scotland as
part of the effort to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions. However, Environmental
Impact Assessments, undertaken to identify potential significant effects of proposed
developments, have been widely recognised as often falling short of what is
required.
This study reviews peat information provided within environmental statements of 21
onshore windfarms approved by the Scottish Ministers. The results show that despite
all studied windfarms being proposed on peatlands, only 24% of windfarms provided
sufficient coverage of peat depth probing and 29% surveyed vegetation evenly
across the entire range of the study area. Windfarms quantified effects infrequently
(76% - direct effects; 38% - indirect effects; 14% - ecology-related and 5% -
hydrology/geology cumulative effects) and their assessments of impacts from
drainage considered only short-term effects.
Moreover, the information within environmental statements is presented in a way that
is not comparable between developments. Thresholds for the high magnitude of
impacts used by windfarms were found to range from >10% to up to 80% of habitat
loss/disturbance. One developer stated that it could not perform cumulative impact
assessment as various developments assessed impacts in different ways.
The results of this study raise a question of whether more adequately assessed
impacts on peatlands would undermine the perception of the positive outcome of
renewable energy from windfarms built on peatlands.
This is the first study which reviews peat-related information within multiple
environmental statements of windfarms.
42
Steering Committee:
First Name Surname Organisation/University
Lynne Clark SNH
Bob Furness
SNH Board
member/University of
Glasgow/MacArthur
Green
Dan Haydon University of Glasgow
Xavier Lambin University of Aberdeen
David O’Brien SNH
Kirsty Park University of Stirling
Josephine Pemberton University of Edinburgh
Paul Robertson SNH
Peter Singleton SEPA
Chris Spray University of
Dundee/NERC
Des Thompson SNH
Amanda Trask University of Aberdeen
Charles Warren University of St Andrews
43
Delegates:
First Name Surname
Tiffany Armstrong
Edward Baxter
Zac Baynham-Herd
Colin Bean
Sarah Bierbaum-
Williams
Anwên Bill
Kristine Bogomazova
Robert Brackley
Tom Bradfer-
Lawerence
Calum Campbell
Sean Carlisle
Stephanie
Castillo
Lechuga
David Cooper
Kara Dicks
Kelsey Dix
Sean Doyle
James Fitton
Trent Garner
Thomas Godfrey
Julen Gonzalez
Andrew Griffiths
Iain Hill
First Name Surname
Lonieke Horninge
Rupert Houghton
Francis Hooton
Richard Howells
Rosie Hurley
Julian Inglis
Julia Kestler
Svenja Kroeger
Cameron Law
Lillian Lieber
Heather Lyons
Euan Mackenzie
Janet Maclean
Iain Marchant
Julien Martin
Ewan McHenry
Julie Miller
Susan Miller
Caroline Millins
Alexandre Miró
Elizabeth Mittell
William Morgan
Zara Morris-Trainor
Amy Munro-Faure
44
First Name Surname
Nina O’Hanlon
Angel Olivares
William Paterson
Zarah Pattison
Alejandro Hernando
Perteguer
Chris Pollard
Ainoa Pravia
Marcia Rae
Jane Reid
Samia Richards
Christina Rosigne
Martin Ross
Adrianna Rozell
Alice Scarpa
Cath Scott
Alex Seeney
Emma Jane Sheard
Jack Shutt
Maxwell Speirs
Michael Spencer
Philip Stack
Fiona Steele
Fiona Stoddart
Pippa Stone
First Name Surname
Kathleen Stosch
Jenny Sturgeon
Roman Susdorf
Cerian Tatchley
Alessia Teruggi
Mike Thornton
Takuji Usui
Alex Venete
Angelika Von
Heimendahl
Joanna Wawrzyczek
Nigel Willby
Richard Whittet
Robin Whytock
Connor Wood
Sarah Woodin
Chloe India Wright
Greg Zalatnai