Showcase Butterflies: Expanding Networks of Farmers & Biological Recorders

Farmland biodiversity is thought to be steeply declining throughout Europe, and society at large is increasingly concerned about the loss of public goods, such as iconic wildlife and cultural landscapes, yet to date few studies have been able to produce data to support or refute this claim. During this presentation, Stuart will showcase previous work establishing relationships between butterfly recorders and farmers, and how participating in monitoring on farmland influenced perceptions of biodiversity and biodiversity-friendly farming practices whilst providing valuable recorders to the record pool. Stuart will then discuss future plans to increase the scalability and capacity of this model to wider communities and taxa.

Dr Stuart Edwards is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Reading with an interest in agroecology, citizen science and sustainable farming.

Q&A with Dr Stuart Edwards

  • How do you recruit participants for the project?
    We piggybacked on the local Butterfly Conservation groups. Each county has a regional coordinator, and these were able to send out details for getting involved to their mailing lists. This is a challenge that we’ll need to consider for other species groups, particularly ones that don’t have regional networks.
  • What were the motivations for participants getting involved?
    We had some recorders who really enjoyed just being out and about on farmland, and their regular walks had evolved into ad hoc recording and then on to monitoring. Some of the sites were in really beautiful parts of the country and getting involved in this project enabled people to volunteer in these wonderful habitats.
  • Were your records shared with other organisations?
    Our survey data was submitted to the UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme website, so it will form part of the national datasets and this is also shared through County Recorders with the network of Local Environmental Record Centres. The surveys differed slightly from the UK Wider Countryside Butterfly Survey in that our transects were not in randomised squares, but at sites that we were selecting for monitoring.
  • Are there any plans for expanding the project?
    The workshops that I’m looking to run will investigate what biodiversity data farmers want and need to make decisions for considering and improving biodiversity on their land. The results of this will impact the direction we would look to take, for example, which national citizen science programmes we could tap into to facilitate that data collection. This in turn may impact where it would be feasible to undertake the project geographically.
  • Why is the survey undertaken just twice per year?
    Undertaking the survey twice per year does have limitations as it just gives us a snapshot of the species at the time of the survey, in contrast to the UK BMS which is a weekly survey over a set period. We opted to go for 2 surveys to balance the data requirements of the project with the amount of commitment we are asking for from our volunteers. If we asked for more surveys, this would have likely resulted in fewer surveyors.

Literature references

Further info

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The Importance of BNG Data for Local Planning Authorities

Planning decisions rely on local biodiversity data to ensure that wildlife and habitats are considered during developments. This presentation will take a look at the importance of data for local authorities when applying the requirements of the Environment Act for Biodiversity Net Gain purposes.

Paul Mellor is a Chartered Town Planner and the Environment Manager at TfL, responsible for BNG across the organisation. He previously worked as a policy planner at a local authority on biodiversity and green infrastructure.

Q&A with Paul Mellor

  1. What would TfL like to see any surplus funds generated by data searches spent on?
    The Local Nature Recovery Strategy for London is going to be really complicated due to the number of authorities involved. TfL operates across all of these authorities and has a key role to play within the London LNRS. It would be great to see more funding going towards this.
  2. How do we avoid hollow promises for Biodiversity Net Gain off-site via Section 106 agreements?
    The priority is to deliver Biodiversity Net Gain on-site through planning conditions first. Where this is not possible, Biodiversity Net Gain should be delivered off-site. This off-setting will be through habitat banking and these need to be registered through Defra. The introduction of the Biodiversity Net Gain system for habitat banking should help ensure that off-setting is undertaken as it should be.
  3. Was the baseline biodiversity study based entirely on aerial/satellite imagery?
    Yes – it was based on aerial and satellite imagery. The work we are doing now to update this now has a pixelation with an accuracy of up to 3 metres. We’re also looking to ground-truth sites to calibrate that method and to check any site that we think has the potential to yield further units and contribute towards our habitat bank.
  4. Do you access data from the London Wildlife Trust or London Natural History Society?
    Our service level agreement is with GiGL (Greenspace Information for Greater London) and they provide us with the data that they have collated from a wide range of data providers. Both the London Wildlife Trust and London Natural History Society submit biodiversity data to GiGL, so their data is included.
  5. How do Sites Important for Nature Conservation feature within your habitat banking work?
    We do hold quite a lot of sites that are designated as Sites Important for Nature Conservation (SINCs) and these are all registered with GiGL. These sites are designated for their ecological value and are therefore unlikely to feature within our habitat banking work as they already have a high value and it would therefore be difficult to improve. We will continue to look into how SINCs an be improved in terms of condition, but this is likely to be in parallel to the habitat banking work rather than as a part of it.

Further info and links

  1. Greenspace Information for Greater London: https://www.gigl.org.uk/
  2. BNG 2024 Virtual Symposium: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/596686684937
  3. Can Satellite Imagery Data Be Used For Biodiversity Net Gain? blog: https://biologicalrecording.co.uk/2023/11/15/satellite-imagery/
  4. FREE Local Nature Recovery Strategies: Update and Challenges virtual event: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/777642027237
Go to the Local Biodiversity Data Virtual Symposium page

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Day To Day Uses of Species Records in the Environment Agency

The Environment Agency (EA)help people and wildlife adapt to climate change and reduce its impacts, including flooding, drought, sea level rise and coastal erosion. Local Biodiversity Data is essential for the EA to undertake its work and this presentation will illustrate 10 routine uses of species records in operational activities of the Environment Agency.

Marina Flamank is National Biodiversity Advisor for the Business and Professional Development Team (Agriculture, Fisheries and the Natural Environment) at the Environment Agency with responsibility to pull together information on wildlife sites and protected species for ‘Easimap’ and the National Permit Screening tool.

Q&A with Marina Flamank

  1. Does the Environment Agency share the species data that it generates with LERCs?
    Environment Agency data is all publicly available through the NBN Atlas with no restrictions on how it can be used. As a government agency, our work is funded by the taxpayer. To access this data, simply visit the NBN Atlas Environment Agency page.
  2. Is the species data that the EA use simple presence/absence data or does it have additional attributes?
    The data does have additional attributes, but it’s not as well structured as I would like. The data that we use is gathered from many different sources and these can be very variable between datasets, so many attributes are lumped together under the attribute ‘sighting’ so that I can use these many records as a single layer. If we wanted to look at specific information in the ‘sighting’ attribute, it is there but not in a manner where it is easily searchable at a national database level.
  3. Would it speed up the analysis of the data by the EA if they could have access to live datasets rather than holding an offline copy?
    We don’t do a lot of analysis on the data. We don’t have the capacity or budget to undertake analysis of the data. We use the data to produce the map layer that we need for our work and we have to hold an offline copy of the data due to the way this is set up.

Further info and links

  1. Environment Agency datasets on the NBN Atlas: https://registry.nbnatlas.org/public/show/dp138
  2. Signal Crayfish Virtual Symposium: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/773638793457
  3. River Restoration Project Manthorpe (Lincolnshire)
Go to the Local Biodiversity Data Virtual Symposium page

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Better Together: LERCs and Nature Partnerships, An Example From Lincolnshire

Greater Lincolnshire Nature Partnership works with 49 Partners across Greater Lincolnshire to achieve more for nature. The nature partnership also hosts the Local Environmental Records Centre. This close working relationship has allowed for multiple projects, which are highlighted in this presentation.

Charlotte Phillips is the manager of the Greater Lincolnshire Nature Partnership, including the Local Environmental Record Centre. Charlotte is also a Director of ALERC and Trustee of The Wallacea Trust. With a background in both national and international conservation, Charlotte believes strongly in partnerships working across sectors to achieve current environmental goals.

Q&A with Charlotte Phillips

  1. Is it worth collecting records for Local Environmental Record Centres when some ecological consultants may not use them?
    LERCs use data for a wide range of services and data searches for planning are just one of those services – so yes, please do submit your records to your LERC to ensure that it is getting used. The importance of local data has been highlighted through the Local Nature Recovery Strategies. Secondly, it is best practice for data searches that form part of planning applications to include data searches performed by the relevant Local Environmental Record Centre(s). Ecological consultants are using our data in our county and this is increasing each year.
  2. What factors are you using to identify and prioritise opportunities for biodiversity mapping?
    My colleague designed a model that had over 1,000 different questions/rules behind it, but the biggest thing was linking the areas that are already in a good state for nature (such as Local Wildlife Sites, Local Nature Reserves etc.). Connectivity is really important for us. We’ve excluded grade 1 and grade 2 agricultural land as this is great for farming and the chances of it being taken out of agricultural use for nature recovery is almost zero.
  3. Are local geological sites included within Local Nature Recovery Strategies?
    This will vary by area and depend on the individual Local Nature Partnership and if this is something they are considering. We have 2 steps in mapping for the LocalNature Recovery Strategy. The first step is very prescriptive to ensure all regions are mapping things in the same way – giving us comparable baseline maps. This map will just include local wildlife sites and not local geodiversity sites. The second step is to add sites that are important for (or could become important for) biodiversity. This step is very much locally driven, so if there is an argument that geodiversity sites need to be considered it would be during this step. It’s also worth noting that a site may be both a local wildlife site and a local geodiversity site – in which case it would be included in step 1 anyway.
  4. Are you able to give us an idea of how much designing the LERC search cost?
    The tool was developed in 2017 and cost GNLP around £30,000 at the time. Our developer gave us a good deal in the hope that more partners would come on the journey, but this didn’t happen. We have just put in another £20,000 recently to upgrade the tool and add the search area function.
  5. Are there any improvements that you would make to your county’s nature partnership?
    More funding would always be welcome – we could do more with more staff! We have reached the limit of what we can do with the capacity that we have. Our partners are really supportive, and we’d love to get involved with more of the projects that they invite us to get involved with.
  6. How do you ensure that partners are not just signing up for greenwashing purposes?
    This is something that we are aware needs careful attention. We’re taking our time with this to ensure that we get things right. We’ll most likely stick with our current partners and introduce a system for supporters to get involved. Supporters won’t have voting rights on what we do and would still need to be in line with the ethos of the partnership – for example aligning with our position statements on things like tree planting and climate.

Further info and links

  1. Greater Lincolnshire Nature Partnership: www.glnp.org.uk
  2. Greater Lincolnshire Environmental Records Centre: https://search.glnp.org.uk
  3. Greater Lincolnshire Local Nature Recovery Strategy: www.glincslnrs.org.uk
  4. Greater Lincolnshire LNRS Linktree: https://linktr.ee/glincslnrs?utm_source=qr_code
  5. FREE Local Nature Recovery Strategies: Update and Challenges virtual event: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/777642027237
  6. GNLP ‘Journey to Nature Recovery’ diagram
Go to the Local Biodiversity Data Virtual Symposium page

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Networks for Nature: How DBRC data is creating more species-friendly highways

The Devon Biodiversity Records Centre (DBRC) will be presenting its work partnering with National Highways and The Wildlife Trusts on the Networks for Nature project. DBRC are using local biological records and land use data to model species dispersal through a landscape, aiding in targeted habitat restoration to improve connectivity (such as culverted underpasses, green bridges and tree planting).

Adam Falconer is a technical officer for Devon Biodiversity Records Centre. He studied Biological Sciences at the University of Exeter and previously worked on revising the Ancient Woodland Inventory for Devon.

Q&A with Adam Falconer

  1. Did you use actual roadkill data in your model?
    Yes – roadkill data was used as part of the presence/absence data that we used to build our habitat area. Our road interaction data was fairly accurate, but where we had genuine roadkill data we updated the road interaction data if it didn’t think there was definitely a chance of roadkill there.
  2. What species did you choose for the model?
    There’s quite a long list that includes Badgers, Dormice, Harvest Mice, Hedgehogs, Otters, Barn Owls, Goshawks, Tawny Owls, Toads and Great Crested Newts. We also used Deer as a broad category and undertook some speculative modelling for Pine Martens. We tried to include Hobbies but they were very difficult to model. In contrast, the Narrow-headed Ant was relatively simple to model due to a single known population on either side of the A38.
  3. Have the Highways Agency provided any feedback regarding the impact of this project?
    This project is still ongoing and we are getting the final few models out. The Highways Agency will be going over our models and the research by ANIMEX, and then providing their feedback on the whole process.
  4. What was involved in the in-person surveys referenced in the presentation?
    I actually didn’t get to go on any as I was chained to my desk doing modelling! My understanding is that it involved noting the type of crossing point (e.g. culvert, bridge), dimensions of the crossing point and walking the crossing point if possible (as you can’t go through a small culvert obviously). Surveyors also walked both sides of the road and mapped the available habitat. From all this information, the specialists then came up with a list of suggested improvements that could be made for any species. This was then compared to the model and trimmed down to what species were likely to be in the area.
  5. What types of intervention are Highways Agency considering to assist wildlife crossing roads safely?
    Some of the interventions discussed included mammal shelves (these benefit a broad range of species including Otters), removal or widening of grates (to enable access to species that may have been too large and therefore barred from using the crossing point), raised flight lines (particularly relevant for Barn Owls as the nature in which they glide from highest point to highest point puts them at risk with taller vehicles like lorries). This project is focused on improving existing infrastructure, rather than constructing new features (like green bridges) and looking for quick but efficient improvements.
  6. Did you have a cut-off date for the age of the records used?
    We tended to use records within the last 10 years. However, if we were aware of records that were not in our database we could actively seek them out. For example, I was aware of a situation where Greater Horseshoe Bats used a culvert from a previous role and added this data as it was not within the LERC datasets.
  7. How long has this project been running and how many staff work on it?
    The project has been running for around 6 months and has had 1 staff member working on it throughout for about 2-3 days per week.

Further info and links

  1. Devon Biodiversity Records Centre: https://www.dbrc.org.uk/
  2. Devon Wildlife Trust: https://www.devonwildlifetrust.org/ 
  3. ANIMEX International: https://animexinternational.com/
  4. Networks For Nature project: https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/news/national-highways-and-wildlife-trusts-announce-biodiversity-boost-across-england
  5. Finch et al (2020) Modelling the functional connectivity of landscapes for greater horseshoe bats Rhinolophus ferrumequinum at a local scale: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-019-00953-1
  6. Ciruitscape: https://circuitscape.org
  7. Can Community Science Support a County Wildlife Sites Framework in Devon? blog by article by DBRC: https://biologicalrecording.co.uk/2023/07/19/can-community-science-support-a-county-wildlife-sites-framework-in-devon/
Go to the Local Biodiversity Data Virtual Symposium page

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Local Biodiversity Data Virtual Symposium

Local biodiversity data can include a range of different types of data. Species occurrence datasets enable us to map where species are present and can be used to look at population trends and changes in distribution over time. Habitat mapping and details of its condition are vital for producing Local Nature Recovery Strategies and informing Biodiversity Net Gain. The planning system, wildlife site designation, infrastructure planning and conservation projects are all reliant on local biodiversity data if we are to make evidence-based decisions that provide the maximum benefits for people AND nature.

Local Environmental Record Centres (LERCs) are the gateway to local biodiversity data. LERCs bring together habitat, sites (including non-statutory sites of local importance) and species data for the areas they cover, and undertake a considerable amount of work to ensure that the data held is up-to-date, accurate and robust. Some hold natural capital and other relevant environmental data sets to deliver geodiversity and green infrastructure services. This enables LERCs to provide a wide range of biodiversity data services to local authorities, environmental government agencies, businesses and environmental NGOs.

The Local Biodiversity Data Virtual Symposium enabled LERCs and their partners to share their experiences and case studies for using local biodiversity data to support the natural world and promote healthy local ecosystems.

  1. Networks for Nature: How DBRC data is creating more species-friendly highways with Adam Falconer (Devon Biodiversity Records Centre)
  2. Better Together: LERCs and Nature Partnerships, An Example From Lincolnshire with Charlotte Phillips (Greater Lincolnshire Nature Partnership)
  3. Day To Day Uses of Species Records in the Environment Agency with Marina Flamank (Environment Agency)
  4. The Importance of BNG Data for Local Planning Authorities with Paul Mellor (Transport For London)

Networks for Nature: How DBRC Data is Creating More Species-friendly Highways

Adam Falconer, Devon Biodiversity Records Centre

The Devon Biodiversity Records Centre present their work on the Networks for Nature project, using local biological records and land use data to model species dispersal through a landscape to aid in targeting habitat restoration to improve connectivity (such as culverted underpasses, green bridges, tree planting).

Adam Falconer is a technical officer for Devon Biodiversity Records Centre. He studied Biological Sciences at the University of Exeter and previously worked on revising the Ancient Woodland Inventory for Devon.

Read the full blog with Q&A and links here

Better Together: LERCs and Nature Partnerships, An Example From Lincolnshire

Charlotte Phillips, Greater Lincolnshire Nature Partnership

Greater Lincolnshire Nature Partnership works with 49 Partners across Greater Lincolnshire to achieve more for nature. The nature partnership also hosts the Local Environmental Records Centre. This close working relationship has allowed for multiple projects, which are highlighted in this presentation.

Charlotte Phillips is the manager of the Greater Lincolnshire Nature Partnership, including the Local Environmental Record Centre. Charlotte is also a Director of ALERC and Trustee of The Wallacea Trust. With a background in both National and International conservation Charlotte believes strongly in partnership working across sectors to achieve current environmental goals.

Reas the full blog with Q&A and links here

Day To Day Uses of Species Records in the Environment Agency

Marina Flamank, Environment Agency

The Environment Agency (EA) help people and wildlife adapt to climate change and reduce its impacts, including flooding, drought, sea level rise and coastal erosion. Local Biodiversity Data is essential for the EA to undertake its work and this presentation illustrates 10 routine uses of species records in the operational activities of the Environment Agency.

Marina Flamank is National Biodiversity Advisor for the Business and Professional Development Team (Agriculture, Fisheries and the Natural Environment) at the Environment Agency with responsibility to pull together information on wildlife sites and protected species for ‘Easimap’ and the National Permit Screening tool.

Read the full blog with Q&A and links here

The Importance of BNG Data for Local Planning Authorities

Paul Mellor, Transport For London

Planning decisions rely on local biodiversity data to ensure that wildlife and habitats are considered during developments. this presentation will take a look at the importance of data for local authorities when applying the requirements of the Environment Act for Biodiversity Net Gain purposes.

Paul Mellor is a Chartered Town Planner and Environment Manager at TfL, responsible for BNG across the organisation. He previously worked as a policy planner at a local authority on biodiversity and green infrastructure.

Read the full blog with Q&A and links here

Event Partners

This event is delivered by the Biological Recording Company and Association of Local Environmental Records Centres.

The Association of Local Environmental Records Centres (ALERC) is a membership organisation representing 49 Local Environmental Record Centres (LERCs) across the United Kingdom. ALERC provides a voice for its Members, facilitates collaboration with them on behalf of regional and national stakeholders, runs an LERC accreditation system to promote common standards across its sector, and delivers professional development to its Members’ employees.

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Gardening For Earthworms: Mutual Benefits of Earthworm-friendly Gardening

Earthworms are vital for maintaining healthy soils and provide a host of other benefits to garden habitats. However, few people realise we have 31 different species of earthworm in the British Isles, with differing requirements and providing different benefits. Keiron will provide tips and guidance on how you can improve the earthworm diversity and abundance within your garden, regardless of whether you have a small urban garden or extensive grounds.

Keiron Derek Brown is the UK’s national recorder for earthworms, a trustee of the Earthworm Society of Britain and delivers training on earthworm ecology, surveying and identification.

Q&A with Keiron Derek Brown

  • How do the different types of earthworms find the environments that suit them?
    That’s a fantastic question – and one that I’d love to have the answer to. I’m not sure how the specialists locate the oasis-style habitats that they prefer. We know that earthworms can sense chemicals, but as far as I’m aware we don’t know how this could impact dispersal and how they locate their preferred environments.
  • Where do the surface-dwelling species go during hot dry summers where there is no leaf litter?
    Earthworms will retreat deeper through the soil programme to avoid unfavourable environmental conditions, such as drought/dry weather. surface-dwelling species may retreat a small amount into the soil, shallow-burrowing species more so and the deep-burrowing species can go down past a couple of metres! Some species may have a seasonal life cycle, where few adult earthworms survive during the tougher parts of the year and the population overwinters (or over-summers) as the cocoon stage. Cocoons have been shown to delay hatching for considerable amounts of time until the environmental conditions are more favourable.
  • Does composting pesticide-treated plant material affect compost earthworms?
    I’m not aware of any research into this specifically, but my educated guess would be that it is most likely to have an impact. If the chemicals used are harmful to earthworms, they will come into contact with composting species in the compost bin. These chemicals could have a significant (even potentially fatal) impact on the composting worms, but even if they didn’t the earthworms could end up as a reservoir for these chemicals and significantly impact their predators through bioaccumulation.
  • What is your view on transposing earthworms into a new compost bin?
    Personally, I’m quite wary of purchasing earthworms online and having them posted. It’s important that we don’t introduce non-native species and can we really be sure that we are receiving the species that is advertised? Outdoor composting systems are often colonised naturally, however, I understand that indoor and some sealed systems may need inoculating with earthworms to get the system started. In these instances, I recommend using a reputable supplier or asking for some worms from someone who has an active compost bin locally (such as a neighbour). I tend to point people to The Urban Worm for composting advice.
  • Have you gene sequenced the 31 species of earthworm?
    I’ve been working with Oxford University and the Natural History Museum on the Darwin Tree of Life Project – an ambitious project to sequence all 70,000 species of eukaryotic organisms within the UK and Ireland. We’ve managed to sequence the genomes of most earthworm species and are now just missing some of the rarer species. You can read more about this in my Sequencing British Earthworms blog or the Unlocking the Invertebrate Genome entoLIVE presentation with Dr Liam Crowley.

Literature references

Further info

entoLIVE

entoLIVE webinars feature guest invertebrate researchers delving into their own invertebrate research. All events are free to attend and are suitable for adults of all abilities – a passion for invertebrates is all that’s required!

entoLIVE is only possible due to contributions from our partners and supporters.

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Waking The Dead: Inside the Insect Collection at National Museums Scotland

The phrase “insect collection” often conjures up images of Victorian naturalists chasing down rare butterflies with their nets and attaches a stigma to these important resources. The insect collections held in our museums are a vital resource for understanding how species are related to one another and how they are changing over time. Ashleigh will delve into the insect collections of National Museums Scotland and showcase how their collections are contributing to scientific research.

Ashleigh Whiffin is a curator at National Museums Scotland, where she is responsible for the care, curation and development of the insect collection, containing approximately 2.5 million specimens, as well as dealing with research loans, enquiries and hosting visitors to the collection. Her research interest is focused on carrion ecology and her specialism is Silphidae (Carrion Beetles), coordinating the National Silphidae recording scheme, in her spare time. Passionate about engaging a diverse audience with insects, Ashleigh regularly conducts outreach and sits on the Royal Entomological Society’s Outreach committee.

Q&A with Ashleigh Whiffin

  • Do you prefer records for carrion beetles to be added to iRecord or iNaturalist?
    It’s always worth checking with the relevant recording scheme to check what their preference. For the Silphidae Recording Scheme, we prefer records to be added to iRecord as this is where we process and verify them.
  • Which books do you recommend for people wanting to learn more about carrion beetles?
    The Histeridae, Sphaeritidae and Silphidae of Britain & Ireland takes you through these groups species by species, and is the most comprehensive account for these groups. It was a collaboration between the Biological Recordds Centre, UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, UK-Scape, National Museums Scotland and the Field Studies Council. It includes information on surveying, habitats, recording, threats, conservation and forensic entomology. It also includes identification keys, phenology charts (showing when species are active) and distribution maps.
  • How do you submit specimens or collections to local natural history museums?
    The first step is to establish which collection you would like to donate specimens to. You can do this through the Natural History Near You page on the NatSCa website. I would then check their website and see if they have any contact details for a natural history curator (if not you’ll need to go through their general enquiries email). Local museums may not have staff dedicated to their natural history collections and this might mean that they have no capacity to receive any specimens. If this is the case you can try contacting one of the bigger museums (such as the National Museums Scotland Natural Sciences Team). Collection managers will need to assess the significance of the specimen/collection, preservation, data quality, and if the material was legally collected, before it can be added to the collection, as resources are still limited within the bigger organisations. However, it is always worth getting in touch to enquire as you never know what these collections might be missing.
  • Are there any guides to pinning insects?
    Preparing specimens varies depending on the group. How we prepare fly specimens is different to beetles for example. And even within beetles, the size of the specimen will influence how the specimen should be prepared. There is a fantastic Beginner’s Guide to Preparing Coleoptera by Katy Potts that’s worth checking out for anyone preparing beetle specimens. We’ll soon be launching a new resource on creating and maintaining insect collections, via the National Museums Scotland website – so watch this space.
  • Is it possible to submit specimens to museums that have been kept in preservatives other than ethanol?
    I understand that getting hold of pure ethanol can be really tricky as it requires a licence. There are alternative preservatives available to the public which work well, such as food-grade propylene glycol. It’s okay to donate specimens preserved in this chemical (or another suitable alternative) as the material can be transferred into ethanol after it has been received by the museum. Always ask the relevant curator, for the museum in which you intend to donate the material to.

Literature references

Further info

entoLIVE

entoLIVE webinars feature guest invertebrate researchers delving into their own invertebrate research. All events are free to attend and are suitable for adults of all abilities – a passion for invertebrates is all that’s required!

entoLIVE is only possible due to contributions from our partners.

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From Springtails to Pauropods: Soil Biodiversity Monitoring in the UK

Beneath our feet, soils are home to a diverse variety of invertebrates. These range from familiar animals (such as earthworms) to less familiar organisms (such as pauropods and two-pronged bristletails). Understanding which species are present (and which are absent) within a specific soil ecosystem can help us better understand the condition and health of soils. Frank will give an overview of the major soil biodiversity monitoring projects currently being undertaken in the UK and globally.

Dr Frank Ashwood is a soil ecologist working for Forest Research, specialising in soil fauna such as earthworms and microarthropods. His research studies the links between soil fauna and soil functions, and the environmental drivers of soil animal communities in the UK.

Q&A with Dr Frank Aswood

  • How far down should you sample for soil invertebrates?
    Some soil organisms do go down quite deep – with some earthworms going down several metres for example. However, most soil organisms are found within the top 10-15 cm of soil (and in the litter layer), so most sampling tends to occur there. There are also sampling technique limitations, with sampling deeper being more difficult and/or resource intensive.
  • Does the UK’s contribution to European soil biodiversity monitoring initiatives come from academics, biological recorders or consultants?
    The bulk of records come from academic/governmental research. It really depends on who the call for data is sent to, and when data is collated at this scale it is most likely to be gathered at the institute level rather than by individuals. Coverage of soil organisms in terms of biological recording is very patchy within the UK, with the centipede, millipede and woodlouse recording schemes being relatively active and long-running, while other groups have no recording scheme at all (such as potworms and nematodes).
  • What kind of surveys would you recommend for managing soils for conservation work?
    Soil biodiversity surveys would be useful to inform conservation. You would most likely want to focus on a group that helps you measure specific improvements. For example, if converting farmland to grassland you may want to measure the change in earthworm diversity, abundance and biomass. I’ve found that microarthropods (such as springtails and mites) can be useful as they are very reactive to the environment conditions, particularly to disturbance. Once you understand the ecology of these groups, they can be really effective bioindicators. However, we have a relatively small pool of people skilled in the taxonomic identification of these groups because they are technically difficult, so we need to get more people skilled in the ID of springtails and mites!
  • Are we at the stage where we can use soil biodiversity to measure the health of the soil?
    People are looking at the ecology of these invertebrate groups (sometimes in their spare time) and we tend to know which tropic guilds different species belong to. So, the basic ecological understanding is there, but the challenge to using them as indicators of soil health is building up a pool of people that can undertake the identification of these groups.
  • Are there fossil records that enable us to understand how long different species of soil invertebrates have been around?
    Yes – some of the earliest terrestrial invertebrate fossils are of springtails and mites. There is a piece of flint-like rock formation near Aberdeen called the ‘Rhynie Chert’, which is a 400-million-year-old snapshot of early Earth that has fossils of springtails, and they are pretty much unchanged from what we have today!
  • What is the response of soil invertebrates to climate change?
    There will certainly be impacts, related to flooding and soil drought for example, but tolerance will depend on each species or group.
  • What can people do in their gardens to help soil biodiversity?
    Do nothing! Soil biodiversity does best when humans do less. So my advice is to leave your garden alone and manage it less. Organic matter is important, so let leaves fall where they fall. Adopt a “no dig” policy if possible.

Literature references

Further info

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Yellow Meadow Ants: An Important Contributor To Biodiversity In Grasslands

The subterranean Yellow Meadow Ant (Lasius flavus) dominates the soil of many old grasslands; their long-lived mounds gain volume with time and their underground influence extends as adjacent colonies coalesce. The mounds often support a different plant community from the surrounding grassland and plant species lacking elsewhere. The ants support many specialist aphids on underground roots, the warm bare soil provides oviposition sites, and several specialist invertebrates live with the ants or prey on them. The sides of the convex mounds facing north, south, east and west considerably increase the range of microhabitats. Much of the surrounding grassland was ex-anthill.

Dr Tim King, based in Oxford, has been accumulating information on the yellow meadow ant for over 55 years. Originally he was interested in the reasons why the mounds have a distinct plant community. Recently he has spent much time in investigating associated invertebrates, examining whether mounds can be used to age grasslands, reading the literature and spreading the word to conservationists about the role of this important, but neglected, ant species.

Q&A with Dr Tim King

  • Do Yellow Meadow Ants (Lasius flavus) and Black Garden Ants (Lasius niger) co-exist at a site or will one species eventually dominate?
    The Yellow Meadow Ant will eventually dominate. These species occupy habitats at different stages of succession. Lasius niger is a tramp species that will colonise early on and feeds on invertebrates above ground. The specialised aphids will migrate in eventually and the Yellow Meadow Ant will follow.
  • Are the ant hills in grasslands always created by Yellow Meadow Ants?
    They are certainly the main producers of ant hills. However, occasionally you will find temporary mounds in flood meadows that have been created by Lasius niger. They only last for a short period as flood meadows are usually mown for hay or grazed by cattle. These mounds can be created remarkably rapidly, but don’t last for more than a year or two.
  • What mowing regime is recommended where ant hills are present?
    At Brompton Cemetery there are thousands of ant hills. Rather than mowing over the mounds and flattening the ant colonies, the site is managed by using strimmers and stimming over the top of the ant hills. We need to preserve the surface of ant hills and be aware of the damage that mowing can do. Scything the surface is an alternative.
  • Do Yellow Meadow Ants require a dry environment?
    In many areas that flood regularly, there are no Lasius flavus mounds. If the ants are flooded for more than 6 hours the colony will usually die out. There are places, such as the Old Hall Marshes in Norfolk, where the ants’ colonies survive between the tide marks as part of salt marshes, that are frequently flooded (twice per day) but for less than 6 hours at a time. Ants can also sometimes survive if they are trapped in air pockets during flooding events.
  • Are queens produced at a specific time of year?
    A vigorous mound will produce up to 500 queens within a year (though usually around 200). These appear from the beginning of July onwards. The nuptial flight for Lasius flavus tends to be around the end of August or the beginning of September. This is later than the Lasius niger nuptial flight, which tends to take place at the beginning of July. Timings will vary by year and be impacted by the weather and temperature.

Literature references

entoLIVE

entoLIVE webinars feature guest invertebrate researchers delving into their own invertebrate research. All events are free to attend and are suitable for adults of all abilities – a passion for invertebrates is all that’s required!

entoLIVE is only possible due to contributions from our partners.

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