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

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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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.

More on invertebrates

Check out upcoming events on Eventbrite

SmartRivers: Using Freshwater Invertebrates to Monitor River Health

Rivers in the UK are facing an unprecedented threat from human disturbance but it can be challenging to identify the pollutants that are driving biodiversity loss in a particular location through traditional water testing methods. However, the invertebrates living in our waterways are particularly sensitive to pollution and the impacts can clearly be seen in their populations long after any particular incident. SmartRivers is a pioneering programme run by WildFish that builds on the work of The Riverfly Census using surveys of freshwater invertebrate populations to identify the challenges facing freshwater systems.

This project enables community groups, trusts, and other organisations to benchmark and monitor the health of their own rivers. The evidence collected by the SmartRivers programme allows for both local and national engagement on a range of issues to better protect our valuable freshwater habitats. Dr Sam Green gives an overview of the methods used to monitor freshwater invertebrate populations, the work we do, and how you can get involved. He will also discuss the power of citizen science in addressing gaps in government monitoring efforts and highlight some case studies demonstrating the importance of data collected from WildFish’s SmartRivers programme.

Q&A with Dr Sam Green

Dr Sam Green is a freshwater ecologist at WildFish primarily supporting SmartRivers. WildFish is the only independent charity in the UK campaigning for wild fish and their habitats. We identify and lobby against the key threats driving the decline in wild fish populations, from various forms of pollution to open-net salmon farming. Ultimately, our goal is for fresh and coastal water habitats that are clean, healthy, biodiverse, and able to support sustainable populations of wild fish.

  • What percentage of UK rivers are being monitored using the SmartRivers methodology?
    This is variable by year as it depends on the funding of individual hubs. In a given year, some hubs will cease and some will expand their programme. The short answer is probably not enough!
  • How long does it take to process one sample?
    Again, this is variable depending on what is in the river, if the group undertake their sampling as a single group versus pairs and the method by which the specimens are being identified. To do the kick sampling is just 3 minutes plus 1 minute of hand-searching so the time spent in the river is relatively low. Depending on how many sites a hub monitors, they can generally do their sampling in a day. The time-heavy component is the identification – if you are in a perfect chalk stream habitat you could be collecting thousands of mayflies. for those hubs that do the ID in-house, they tend to get together as a group and usually take a full day to get through the sample for a single site.
  • Do you have quality assurance procedures in place to verify the species identifications?
    Quite a lot of our hubs do opt for the ‘sample and send’ due to the time commitment that is required for ID and because they have funding to do so. These specimens would be identified by a professional entomologist. For the hubs that undertake all of the identification themselves, one in five samples are randomly selected for quality control. These are sent to a professional entomologist and we then organise a follow-up meeting with the hub to go over any discrepancies and provide guidance for the group.
  • Do you use the data from the Riverfly Monitoring Initiative data in your analysis?
    The two schemes complement each other in terms of monitoring rivers, but ARMI data and SmartRivers data do different things. The acute issues monthly bankside monitoring sampling is designed to pick up pollution events and uses family-level identification. SmartRivers uses species-level identification with monthly monitoring and twice-annually deep dives into the chronic pressures on rivers.
  • Is SmartRivers able to detect impacts from pet flea treatments?
    Although I’ve focused on sewage release in this talk, SmartRivers can detect other pressures and pet flea treatments are one that we’ve been discussing a lot recently. There are pet flea treatments that you can buy on Amazon that contain neonicotinoids that are banned for agricultural use, and the impact on rivers is amplified when this is a ‘spot-on’ treatment rather than a tablet. this will get picked up in our chemical stress score. To use a hypothetical, if you were monitoring a stretch of river that you care about and you know there is an area where lots of dogs are entering the water, you could monitor sites upstream and downstream of this to identify any impact. Up to 90% of chemicals entering our waterways are from medicine – human and veterinary.
  • Is the SmartRivers data publicly available?
    Yes, via Cartographer – though there is obviously a lag as we process data and add it each year. Instructions for accessing this can be viewed in the video below.

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.

More on freshwater biology

Check out the Freshwater Invertebrates collection on Eventbrite

entoLIVE Season 1 Summary Report

The first season of entoLIVE aimed to make invertebrate science more accessible through a programme of presentations and blogs covering a wide range of taxonomic groups, including insects, annelids, molluscs, crustaceans and jellyfish. Entomological groups included mayflies, grasshoppers, true flies, beetles, bees, dragonflies and wasps. Invertebrates across terrestrial, marine and freshwater environments were covered, in addition to presentations that covered multiple taxa (such as presentations on sequencing invertebrates and invertebrate sentience).

The entoLIVE Summary Report provides a breakdown of the season 1 engagement stats, presents the feedback survey results and outlines the future for entoLIVE. The full report can be viewed and downloaded below and some key findings are summarised in the sections below.

entolive-summary-report-v1-30.11.23Download

Season 1 Engagement

Season 1 of entoLIVE took place between February and July of 2023 and included 20 live webinars, alongside their associated YouTube videos and blogs. It was delivered by the Biological Recording Company with funding from the British Entomological & Natural History Society and the Royal Entomological Society.

The entoLIVE programme has been successful in engaging large audiences, with season 1 webinars receiving over 6.6k bookings and over 2.7k live webinar attendees. The YouTube videos for season 1 have been viewed over 5.5k times and the blogs have over 3.9k views. The average number of bookings for season 1 webinars was 334 bookings, and the average attendance was 135 attendees.

When the bookings are plotted over time (from webinar 1 onwards), there is a clear upward trend in the number of bookings (as can be seen by the dashed red line in the graph below). This is further supported by comparing the average number of bookings per webinar by season, with the season 1 average being 334 bookings and the season 2 average being 444 bookings (as of the 15 webinars that have aired to date).

Season 1 Feedback

An online feedback survey form was sent to all individuals that had booked on a minimum of one of the 20 webinars within season 1 of entoLIVE. 179 responses to the survey were received.

One of the primary aims of entoLIVE is to raise awareness of research outputs and increase the use of these, so it was encouraging that over half (55%) of the respondents reported that they had gained awareness of new research outputs and 28% had gone on to look up invertebrate research outputs as a result of their engagement with entoLIVE.

Furthermore, 43% of respondents were motivated to take part in invertebrate research (such as citizen science projects), 35% had used knowledge gained from entoLIVE in their voluntary or paid work and 11% had referenced research outputs presented in entoLIVE within their own work.

In addition to these direct benefits, 37% of respondents felt more connected to the invertebrate research community and 28% reported learning about the work of entoLIVE sponsors.

Survey respondents were asked what they most liked and disliked about the entoLIVE webinar programme. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive. A selection of positive comments from the survey are listed below.

Looking Forward…

Season 2 is currently underway and runs from mid-July 2023 until the end of December 2023. A total of 15 webinars from season 2 have already been delivered and 5 more are currently scheduled and open for bookings.

Check out the entoLIVE webinar series on Eventbrite

Season 3 will take place during 2024 (running from January to December) and will include a minimum of 20 webinars. To date, 11 webinars have been scheduled:

  1. Showcase Butterflies: Expanding Networks of Farmers & Biological Recorders (Dr Stuart Edwards)
  2. The Return of the Native: The Great Fox-spider in Britain (Mike Waite)
  3. Leeches: Life History and Identification (Craig Macadam)
  4. Darwin’s Earthworms: A Groundbreaking Piece of Soil Ecology (Kerry Calloway)
  5. Nature Overheard: Acoustic Monitoring for Insects Through Community Science (Dr Abigail Lowe)
  6. The Plight of the Bumblebee: A 12-Year Reintroduction Case Study (Dr Nikki Gammans)
  7. Refurbishing the Bee Hotel: Different Bees, Different Needs (Dr Linda Birkin & Isobel Sexton)
  8. Spiders, Earthworms and Spiders: The Impacts of Cover Crop Frost Tolerance (Dr Amelia Hood)
  9. Butterflies Through Time: Climate Change, Conservation & Historic Specimens (Matthew Hayes)
  10. Bees and Heatwaves: Preparing For A Warming World (Yanet Sepulveda & Isobel Sexton)
  11. Bees and Beyond: Ecosystem Services at a Garden Scale (Dr Linda Birkin)
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American Signal Crayfish: A Losing Battle?

American Signal Crayfish (Pacifastacus leniusculus) have been widely established in the UK since the 1970s and have had many adverse impacts including the near extinction of the native White-clawed Crayfish (Austropotamobius pallipe). This presentation discusses efforts to control this invasive species in southwest England.

Q&A with Dr Nicky Green

Dr Nicky Green has been working with crayfish since 2003 and has recently completed a PhD on the control of American signal crayfish. She focuses on practical and effective methods to control invasive crayfish and has worked on Exmoor and elsewhere since 2015 trialling new and innovative techniques.

Does the addition of refuges possibly help Signal Crayfish populations?

No, the refuges are being used as a trap. The refuges are checked regularly and the crayfish you find are removed. So the crayfish are not in the refuges long enough to benefit from this habitat.

Are Signal Crayfish able to get around the crayfish barriers by moving over land?

It’s part of the recommended design that the vertical slippery-sided walls are present (such as non-rusting metal sides like copper). If a barrier is poorly designed, the crayfish will bypass the barrier and it will not be effective.

How were the crayfish sterilised in your study?

We used a mechanical method where the gonopods (used to transfer sperm from the male to the female during mating) were removed. These are removed using scissors and is a quick and painless procedure. Our study had high survival rates and did not lead to mortalities.

What happens to American Signal Crayfish once they are caught?

As a non-native invasive species, American Signal Crayfish should be dispatched when caught. The most ethical method of dispatching a crayfish is to make a cut through the carapace from front to back (as this is where its heart, brain and nervous system are) and it is very quick. It used to be advised to freeze them but this takes a while for them to die and involves transporting them around in a bucket all day until you get them to the freezer which causes stress and is not practical in the field. It is now illegal to transport live crayfish so you must dispatch them bankside.

What should long-term management be resourced and who is responsible?

There have been discussions about the creation of a crayfish strategy and funding of crayfish control. I’ve advised that there is little point in taking this forward until we understand what works and what impact control has. I don’t believe there is any point in throwing money at something that is not guaranteed to work. Crayfish control can be very expensive and may even be futile. The current situation involves a lot of grassroots organisations doing what they can on a shoestring budget, but we’re not yet at the stage where large amounts of central funding would be effective.

Do you think that it is a losing battle or is their hope for Signal Crayfish control?

I think that there is hope down the line. There is a real need for dissemination and concerted effort. The recently created GB invasive crayfish steering group aims to review current invasive crayfish control efforts and provide recommendations to relevant stakeholders. I’m also teamed up with the Biological Recording Company to host the Signal Crayfish Virtual Symposium to facilitate the sharing of crayfish control research from across Europe and taught their Crayfish & Surveys training webinars.

What is the one thing that naturalists can do to help when it comes to American Signal crayfish?

The key thing is to make sure that we are reporting all instances where we come across crayfish. That includes reporting sightings of the invasive American Signal Crayfish and the native White-clawed Crayfish – or any other type of crayfish! I recommend photographing the crayfish and sending your record to iRecord or the Local Environmental Records Centre, and also.

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!

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The State of the UK’s Butterflies: Are Conservation Efforts To Save Our Butterflies Working?

The UK’s butterflies are in trouble with half of them listed as threatened or near threatened and 80% having decreased in abundance, distribution or both since the 1970s. This talk will present the latest assessment of the UK’s butterflies, drawing on decades of data from citizen science recording and monitoring. Despite the gloomy overall picture painted by the long-term trends, numerous examples show that, given sufficient resources, conservation action can turn around the fortunes of threatened butterflies.

Q&A with Dr Richard Fox

Dr Richard Fox is Head of Science at Butterfly Conservation. He has been developing and running citizen science recording schemes for UK butterflies and moths, and analysing the results, for over 25 years.

  • Does The State of the UK’s Butterflies report use all survey data, including the Big Butterfly Count?
    In theory, it all contributes. The population trends come from the UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme and the Wider Countryside Butterfly Survey as these use transects that can be compared between years. The data from various other recording schemes, including the Garden Butterfly Survey and the Big Butterfly Count, are passed on to County Recorders that check the records and verified records enter the Butterflies For the New Millenium database (the national recording schemed for butterflies). We’ve analysed the Big Butterfly Count data and shown that the changes from year to year for the unverified data closely match changes from the UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme.
  • Is data available for the Republic of Ireland and are the trends the same?
    Butterfly Conservation covers Northern Ireland but not the Republic of Ireland. The data holding organisation for Ireland is the National Biodiversity Data Centre and they organise a monitoring scheme that also involves transects. It hasn’t been running as long as the UK scheme. They also collate distribution records. An Ireland butterfly atlas is in progress, though I’m not sure when this is due.
  • Are a lot of the range expansions into Scotland due to climate change?
    Yes, I think it is mostly due to climate change. We’re a collection of relatively cool and damp islands off the coast of Europe and all of the butterfly species that occur in the UK are also found in other parts of Europe. Many of these species reach a climatically determined edge to their range in the UK and Ireland. Most of these species are southerly species and adapted to warmer conditions, and they are now able to survive further north. We also have some cold-adapted species, such as Northern Brown Argus, Mountain Ringlet and Scotch Argus, that we don’t get in the southern parts of Britain and these species may see their ranges retract further north and uphill.
  • Should conservation efforts focus on the rarest species of butterfly?
    The Red Listing process was created and is managed by the IUCN and is a global standard to measure the risk of extinction of a species, – not its rarity nor conservation priority. Just because something is listed as Endangered on a Red List does not necessarily mean that a species should be a conservation priority. Factors that need to be considered include how much we know about a species, do we know how to conserve the species effectively, how much will conservation interventions cost and how pragmatic is it to try to conserve a species. The Small Heath is a species on the Red List that is still very widespread in the UK so it is hard to imagine what we can practically do at a species level. Another species may not be declining at all, but have a very restricted population (i.e. be considered rare) with reasons to worry about its future. Undertaking local conservation interventions that are likely to have an impact on the restricted species may therefore be the conservation priority.
  • Are there any other captive breeding for butterflies designed to retain genetic diversity?
    As far as I’m aware, there aren’t any captive breeding schemes for UK butterflies that are going on for the sake of retaining genetic diversity itself. However, there are other captive breeding projects underway to reintroduce butterflies to areas where they have been lost. The Cumbrian Marsh Fritillary Project example that I gave in my presentation involved taking caterpillars from that last web and crossing them with individuals from Scottish populations before release. Reintroduction only works when there is the necessary habitat management in place – it’s not a good idea to introduce butterflies into an area if there is no suitable habitat.
  • Are there illegal non-conservation releases and does this impact the data?
    It can be a problem for the data, as it can make the data difficult to interpret – for example, a population could look healthy if a species is being repeatedly introduced in an area and this may result in a lack of conservation interventions where they are needed. It can also be illegal, for example releasing them onto a protected site such as a SSSI or releasing a non-native species.
  • What is the best thing that the general public can do to help butterflies?
    The best thing would be for people to let their grass grow long and allow wildflowers and “weeds” flourish. This can be a patch within the garden, and these can be rotated in different years. We need to consider both the adult and larval (caterpillar) stages of butterflies and regularly mowing grass removes important habitat for caterpillars. Plus it costs nothing to do! No Mow May is a great initiative to get people thinking, but it isn’t long enough to have a significant impact. We need No Mow Year!

Literature references

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The Downland and Dung Beetle Project: The Story of Onthophagus joannae

Dung beetles are vital to healthy soil systems where livestock are present. They perform a variety of ecosystem services, and are in turn, a food source for other invertebrates, reptiles, birds and mammals. Research has now shown that only a quarter of all UK dung beetle species remain in a state of ‘least concern’ with the rest considered regionally extinct or threatened. We have already lost species of dung beetles entirely due to extinction in the UK. A previously well-established dung beetle in this area, Onthophagus joannae, was noted to be now regionally rare to regionally extinct. One very small extremely vulnerable population was found to be remaining on the calcareous grassland bank near Berrycroft Hub, inhabiting a very small area of considerably less than half an acre. Hear about how one person’s accidental restoration of a large area of downland due to a personal obsession to conserve one particular species of dung beetle.

Q&A with Sally-Ann Spence

Sally-Ann Spence is a farmer & an entomologist who specialises in dung beetles & pastureland biodiversity. She founded the UK Dung Beetle Mapping Project accumulating species data. Her work with the project has seen her surveying field sites all over the UK including many outlying islands enabling her to study a multitude of grazing systems. This practical experience has been translated into collaborative projects working on sustainable land management plans within the farming community to promote dung beetles as important bio-indicators for soil, pasture & livestock health. As a founding member of Dung Beetles for Farmers, she remains a passionate advocate of British farming & biodiversity.

Where in the UK is your project?

It’s literally on the Berkshire/Oxfordshire county border, in the North Wessex Downs ANOB. The main grassland area is within Oxfordshire & neighbours the Ashdown House National Trust estate near Swindon.

Are dung beetle species specific to the dung of a given animal (for example sheep, rabbits, cows etc.)?

You get both generalists and specialists. Generalists tend to be less threatened as they can make use of a wide range of dung providers. For example, I’ve found Acrossus rufipes on all sorts of dung including Rhinoceros (Cotswold Wildlife Park) and Red Deer on the tide line in shingle on a beach on the Isle of Arran. Specialist invertebrates tend to be more at risk due to their specific needs. You have specialist dung beetles when it comes to dung type. For example the Minotaur Beetle (Typhaeus typhoeus) will only choose dung that is in a pelleted form, such as rabbit, deer and sheep dung – but it wouldn’t make use of the sloppy dung sometimes generated by sheep, only when it is in the pelleted form. Bigger dung beetles are often only associated with bigger animals (such as horses and cattle) just because of the sheer amount of dung that they require.

Do you see Environmental Land Management Schemes (ELMS) helping dung beetle populations?

These schemes encourage farmers to undertake more conservation-based farming, for example including wildflower mixes (as well as encouraging Red Data List species). It is the presence of livestock that will help dung beetles. There is a move away from livestock that is occurring due to a number of factors, including a meat free diet. Regenerative farming is a practice that can involve introducing livestock and grazing onto arable farmland, by using a cover crop over winter instead of bare soil. Cover crops (such as stubble turnips), which is then grazed by livestock. Undisturbed soil is also important for dung beetles. Livestock being kept indoors (such as breeds that struggle with our winters & for logistical reasons/ground conditions) can also be problematic for dung beetles, as we have species that are active all year round. Schemes can be quite rigid and every farm/farmer is different. What is good in one area for one species, may not be so in others.

Are you using any worming treatments (such as ivermectin) and what is the impact on dung beetles?

The impact of ivermectins is massive and goes beyond dung beetles. These chemicals are persistent and do not break down quickly after use within the animal – being transferred into the soil through the dung. Any treatment for parasites is an insecticide. It is possible some species appear to avoid dung that contains the active insecticides within these treatments, whereas others will still feed on the dung. Those beetles that consume contaminated dung will die. Other species will come in a bit later on when the dung being produced is less toxic and experience sub lethal effects -impacts on their navigation, fertility, larval and pupae development. As dung beetles are the catalyst for creating the communities within dung, this has a knock-on effect on the whole dung invertebrate community. Dung that isn’t broken down by dung beetles and the associated invertebrate communities will persist in the field for much longer as decomposition is then reliant on fungi and bacteria. It is a particularly difficult and complex subject as farmers need to control these parasites in order to ensure their animals welfare and that their business is financially viable. We need an alternative treatment that does not persist in the dung and we need to think about practices that enable us to use less of these insecticides. This is something I am passionate about and address in my workshops within the farming community. I have put a lot of work into my own livestock on many levels over the years to try to reduce usage. Despite making huge inroads I do still have to treat some individuals and have a management plan in place for this. Those animals that require treatments are removed from the calcareous grassland area and treated in a quarantine paddock. I am also working with many different projects across the U.K. trying to find alternative solutions and keen people appreciate these chemicals are used in the pet industry as well.

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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