Natives, Aliens and Reintroductions Conference
June 22nd & 23rd 2013
Posters
- Brian Boag: The New Zealand flatworm, Scotland’s unwanted alien visitor
- Mike Davidson: Life in a Scotch Cemetery
- Helen Downie: Water vole reintroduction in Ayrshire
- David Palmar: Murder in the Eyrie −a behaviour study of a native species
- Chris Cathrine: Grass Snakes in Scotland
- Katie Thomson: Maerl
- James Thorburn et al.: Spatial ecology of Spurdog (Squalus acanthias) on the west coast of Scotland
- John Hume: Taxonomy, ecology & conservation of Scotland’s lampreys
- Chris McInerny: Observations on a colony of Adders, Slow−worms and Common Lizards on Loch Lomondside, Scotland
- Julie Nati: Invasive versus native freshwater fish species: Who wins in a changing environment?
- Hannah Watson et al.: The effects of human disturbance on a small cavity−nesting seabird
- Ann−Marie MacMaster: Scottish Mink Initiative
- Lyn Dunachie et al.: Friends Of the River Kelvin
- Caroline Millins: How does an introduced vertebrate host species affect the risk of Lyme disease? Characterising Grey squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis) as tick hosts and reservoir hosts of Borrelia burgdorferi s.l. in Scotland
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Abstracts
- Brian Boag: The New Zealand flatworm, Scotland’s unwanted alien visitor
- Mike Davidson: Life in a Scotch Cemetery
- Helen Downie: Water vole reintroduction in Ayrshire
- David Palmar: Murder in the Eyrie −a behaviour study of a native species
- Chris Cathrine: Grass Snakes in Scotland
- Katie Thomson: Maerl
- James Thorburn et al.: Spatial ecology of Spurdog (Squalus acanthias) on the west coast of Scotland
- John Hume: Taxonomy, ecology & conservation of Scotland’s lampreys
- Chris McInerny: Observations on a colony of Adders, Slow−worms and Common Lizards on Loch Lomondside, Scotland
- Julie Nati: Invasive versus native freshwater fish species: Who wins in a changing environment?
- Hannah Watson et al.: The effects of human disturbance on a small cavity−nesting seabird
- Ann−Marie MacMaster: Scottish Mink Initiative
- Lyn Dunachie et al.: Friends Of the River Kelvin
- Caroline Millins: How does an introduced vertebrate host species affect the risk of Lyme disease? Characterising Grey squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis) as tick hosts and reservoir hosts of Borrelia burgdorferi s.l. in Scotland
The New Zealand flatworm (Arthurdendyus triangulatus) was first recorded from Scotland in 1965 and is now widely distributed. It is an obligate predator of our native earthworms. In farmland this can result in poor drainage and reduced crop-yields; where moles were once plentiful now there are none, and the detrimental impact on other animals e.g. badgers, hedgehogs, shrews and birds is unknown.
The chance discovery of a colony of North American spiders at the Glasgow Necropolis, led to an investigation of the invertebrate fauna of this important green−space. Survey findings are presented and some non−native species are discussed in relation to the native fauna. The wildlife potential of Scottish burial−grounds is greatly undervalued and opportunities for improved management are considered.
After becoming locally extinct, Ayrshire Rivers Trust conducted a lowland reintroduction of water voles (Arvicola amphibius) to an area of prime habitat. Animals were sourced from upland Ayrshire and Lanarkshire and captive bred to produce a population of local genetic stock. This population was released in 2011 and supplemented in 2012; meanwhile mink were monitored and controlled in the area. Reproduction in the wild population has been confirmed and field sign surveys suggest continued success.
Golden Eagle Photographs by Charles Eric Palmar. CE Palmar was the Curator of Natural History in the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum from 1949 to 1984; he was also a member of GNHS. His main interest was birds, and he concentrated on Golden Eagle study and photography. The display is a selection of his photos, and show the older eaglet attacking and killing the younger one, taken in Argyllshire in 1956 and 1957.
Although Scottish grass snake (Natrix natrix) records are included in atlases and on NBN Gateway, the accepted view is that this species does not occur in Scotland. However collation and verification of existing data demonstrates that grass snakes occur in Scotland, and may have been present historically.
The hard twig-like pink nodules of maerl can easily be mistaken as coral. These free-living red seaweeds are capable of incorporating calcium carbonate into their skeletal structure. Maerl grows on the sea bed and where ideal conditions prevail it can form extensive beds; those found in Scotland are amongst the most extensive in Europe. Maerl is extremely slow growing and forms a very fragile three-dimensional habitat and ecosystem associated with a wide variety of plants and animals. Being so delicate maerl is easily damaged by fishing methods such as bottom trawling and dredging.
J. Thorburn, F. Neat, D. Bailey, L. Noble and C. Jones: Spurdog (Squalus acanthias) are small dogfish distributed worldwide. It’s unclear if spurdog in the NE Atlantic form one large population or several smaller sub populations displaying regional residency as shown in other parts of the world. It’s important that this spatial information is obtained for effective management of the species.
Lampreys are an ancient group of vertebrates consisting of just 43 currently recognised species globally. Scotland contains populations of three lamprey species, two of which (European river and brook lamprey) do not constitute discrete taxonomic entities; morphologically, genetically or behaviourally. However, populations of both currently enjoy very different levels of conservation protection. Scope exists though for protecting such intra−specific diversity within Scottish conservation legislature following designation as Evolutionarily Significant Units. An overview of lamprey diversity and current conservation legislation in Scotland is provided
A colony of reptiles on the east shore of Loch Lomond, Scotland, was monitored intensively during 2012, to understand population numbers, distribution, movements and biology through the year. Large numbers of European Adders Vipera berus, Slow−worms Anguis fragilis and Common Lizard Zootoca vivipara were detected. Animals were seen throughout the year, first emerging from hibernation in early March and watched until late October, with breeding biology and movements observed.
The introduction of exotic species into aquatic habitats is a world-wide problem which is predicted to worsen in response to global climate change. In the United Kingdom, for instance, 47% of the freshwater fish species are non-native. Invasive freshwater fish species in Scotland might have wider thermal optima for optimising their aerobic scope than native fish species and invasive fish species which have not invaded Scotland yet. Wider thermal limits will allow invasive species to outcompete native species at higher temperatures (foraging, habitat exclusion, predator avoidance). I will address these questions by studying the physiological and behavioural responses to temperature variation in several native and invasive species in freshwater bodies of the northern United Kingdom.
Hannah Watson, Mark Bolton & Pat Monaghan: While there is wide evidence for adverse effects of human disturbance on animals living above the ground, it is often assumed that burrow-/cavity-dwelling species are less vulnerable to the presence of human activities above ground. We quantified the effects of human disturbance associated with tourism on reproductive behaviour and postnatal development in the European storm petrel Hydrobates pelagicus at a colony in the Shetland archipelago. Despite their nocturnal habits and nesting out of sight, we found that storm petrels breeding in areas of high visitor pressure suffered reduced reproductive success in both a ‘good’ and a ‘poor’ year for overall colony productivity. Different patterns of postnatal growth of surviving nestlings were shown between nests exposed to high and low disturbance. An integrated understanding of the effects of human disturbance is essential for informing visitor management at seabird colonies.
The American mink, Neovison vison, is an invasive non-native species which was brought to the UK from North America for the fur−farming industry. Many animals escaped or were released by animal activists, and in 1938 the first mink living wild in the UK were recorded. American mink are a generalist predator and have a devastating effect on our native wildlife, such as ground nesting birds and water voles.
Our aim is to secure multiple adjacent river catchments as areas free of breeding American mink by monitoring for, trapping and dispatching American mink, thus protecting native wildlife as well as economically important populations of fish and game birds.
The Kelvin provides a unique natural environment in the heart of the city. Friends of the River Kelvin was founded over 20 years ago to facilitate responsible enjoyment of the river. Invasive species have spread along the banks, overwhelming native species and damaging habitats and property. Attempts to gain approval to control this are often met with objections. FORK encourages people to learn about and play a part in the care and understanding of the river and its surroundings.
The introduction of a competent reservoir species such as the grey squirrel may modify local disease dynamics and increase the risk of Lyme disease to humans, by increasing the number of infected ticks in an area. The objectives of this study are to quantify and characterise the tick parasite community of grey squirrels, characterise natural infections in grey squirrels and quantify the Borrelia prevalence by using organs and xenodiagnosis (pooled larvae from an individual host).
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