Celebrating Ladybirds: Developing Our Knowledge Through Citizen Science

Ladybirds are much-loved insects. Our understanding of the ecology of these beautiful beetles has been in part from the contributions of many citizen scientists. Helen will provide some insights into the diverse and intriguing life histories of ladybirds.

Q&A with Prof Helen Roy MBE

Professor Helen Roy MBE is an ecologist at the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology. She is fascinated by the ways in which environmental change affects the interactions between insects and other species. Biological invasions have been the focus of much of her research. Helen leads many collaborative national and international research projects. She is leading research for the EC on enhancing understanding and awareness of invasive alien species. Helen leads a Defra-funded project to produce a comprehensive information portal on non-native species in Great Britain which also includes annual reports on the status and trends of invasive alien species and the development of an alert system for people to report sightings of concern.

Over the last few years she has had the privilege of working with the UK Overseas Territories to predict and prioritise invasive non-native species. Her research on invasive non-native species has received international recognition and she is currently leading a global assessment on invasive non-native species for the Intergovernmental Panel on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services. Helen also enjoys science communication and public engagement with research which led to her interest in citizen science. She has a passion for ladybirds and has led the UK Ladybird Survey, including tracking the spread of the invasive alien ladybird, Harmonia axyridis, alongside Peter Brown (Anglia Ruskin University) for more than 15 years. Helen is a previous President of the Royal Entomological Society. Helen was awarded an MBE in 2018 in recognition of her contributions to biodiversity science.

Do you have any tips for photographing small inconspicuous ladybirds that won’t stay still?

I’ve got a great tip, but the credit needs to go to Richard Comont. Put the ladybird into a clear plastic bag and put the bag with the ladybird onto some frozen peas to slow them down. If you then carefully hold the sides of the bag down to restrict the movement of the ladybird you should be able to get a photo. You won’t get the most beautiful photo through the bag but it should be good enough to help with ID. If you’re out and about at times of day when ladybirds are a little less active, such as early in the morning, then it can be easier to get a photo.

Where do Harlequin Ladybirds (Harmonia axyridis) originate from?

Harlequin ladybirds originate from quite a large area within Asia. I’ve seen them at home in China, but they still cause problems in their native range, feeding on other ladybirds and forming quite large aggregations in buildings which can be a bit of a nuisance.

Have there been any studies on ladybird migrations?

There was some research by Jason Chapman using vertical-looking radar to assess insect dispersal and migration. It is tricky to separate species using this approach but it is possible to distinguish large ladybirds, such as the Harlequin and the 7-Spot, from other insects and measure the height and speed at which they fly. It was incredible to see how fast and high they fly. So while they are not migrating, some ladybirds do make quite long-distance dispersal, particularly when aphids may be running in short supply.

Check out Will Hawkes entoLIVE on fly migration to learn more about insect migration

Do the chemicals in flea treatments for pets impact ladybirds?

That’s a very good question and not something that I know much about. We do know that chemicals designed to kill one type of insect often have an impact on other insects, such as neonicotinoids on bees. However, I’m not personally familiar with any research regarding the impacts of those ‘spot-on’ flea treatments on insects. Declines in the population and distribution of insects are often due to a number of factors, such as climate change and biological invasions interacting, and it can be difficult to attribute which are the most important. We definitely need more research on the interactions amongst these causes of change.

When people find Harlequin Ladybirds (Harmonia axyridis) should they treat them as a pest and remove them?

They are so widespread that removing them will not make a difference to the overall population. We advise people to just leave them be, particularly as they can easily be confused with other species. Please do submit your records through iRecord. It’s easy to make the assumption that records of really common or widespread species are not very valuable, but they contribute to long-term datasets that are really useful. If they are being a nuisance and crowding indoors during the winter, you can move them into a shed or similar. It’s remarkable that now they are almost everywhere (except Australia, the Arctic and the Antarctic) – we even found them on St Helena in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.

Do we know why there can be so much variation in the patterns of some species of ladybird?

There are a number of theories and thoughts. For example, all ladybirds contain distasteful chemicals that act as a defensive mechanism, but the 2-spot ladybird is less unpleasant tasting than others and it is thought that the melanic form may be trying to mimic other ladybird species that taste more unpleasant to avoid being eaten. A second theory is around thermal aspects. For example, melanic forms may warm up more quickly. I’ve personally observed that the melanic form appears to be more active earlier in the day and the brightly coloured ladybirds take longer to warm up but this just anecdotal.

How can we help prevent more declines in native ladybird species?

We’ve recently been working on a collaborative paper with ladybird experts from around the world to give a conservation roadmap for ladybirds globally. Thinking locally, leaving some patches wild and providing a variety of microhabitats within green spaces is really useful as different species need different things. Leaving some of the pest insects on plants is also important so that the ladybirds have something to eat. As we go into the winter months it is important to leave the leaf litter on the ground so that ladybirds and other invertebrates have somewhere to shelter. However, the recording that many people do is also really important, as it helps us understand trends and then make evidence-based decisions on what actions need to be taken to protect ladybirds and other wildlife. So please do submit your ladybird sighting to iRecord!

Literature references

Further info

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Weird But Wonderful World of Worms: Tales From The Museum Collections

The term “worm” is often used synonymously with earthworms, but nature is full of many fascinating worms that we are much less familiar with. this includes the predatory or blood-sucking leeches and the fascinating bristle worms found in our seas and oceans. Drawing on the incredible collections of the Natural History Museum London, we explore some fascinating worm specimens and learn how their study has led to some important, or often slightly strange, discoveries.

Emma Sherlock is the Senior Curator of Annelids at the Natural History Museum (London), looking after the segment worm collections (including earthworms, leeches and bristle worms) as well as undertaking fieldwork both at home and abroad, and describing new species. Emma was one of the founders of the Earthworm Society of Britain back in 2009 and is currently the Chair of the Society. She also produced the Field Studies Council Key to the Earthworms of the UK and Ireland.

Q&A with Emma Sherlock

Are the dark spots on the head of Neanthes goodayi eyes?
That’s a great question! They are for detecting movement. They’re not eyes in the same way that we have eyes. These worms are deep-sea predators and these eyes are really big in comparison to any other worms found down there, which is what really distinguishes them from other species. The reason that the scientific name is ‘goodayi’ is that they put all of the research vessel crew into a hat to decide who the species would be named after and the lucky winner was Andy Gooday. Had they not chosen the name in this way, I’m sure that the scientific name would have reflected those big eyes!

How big is the earthworm species that was found living in the vagina of a woman?
The species that was found occurring in this surprising place was Dichogaster bolaui which is a very small species of earthworm at under a couple of centimeters in length.

How big are the ice worms that live in glaciers?
They are 1- 2 cm in length with a diameter of around 0.5 cm.

Is it only scientists and researchers that can submit specimens to the museum collections?
Not at all – we receive specimens from biological recorders as well as the general public if they have found specimens of note. Specimens are donated constantly, with thousands donated each year into the worm collections. Accessioning specimens takes a lot of time as there are strict standards to follow and there is a lot of work involved cataloguing new specimens as well as looking after existing specimens. We’re also responsible for ensuring that these specimens are available to science, with specimens being sent off and returned all of the time for all kinds of research all over the world.

Does the museum leech collection include all of the UK species?
Unfortunately not. Our UK earthworm collection is comprehensive and our polychaete is growing very fast because we’ve had a number of polychaete and earthworm collection managers and researchers based at the museum- myself included. The leech collection however had not had this Museum research focus so far and therefore is far less complete, but this is something that we’re going to be focusing on this year. I’m planning some trips with the Darwin Tree of Life (DToL) project to go leech hunting and improve both the museum collection and the species that we find sequenced. The DToL team are trying to sequence the genome of every British species and Keiron has also been working with the NHM and Oxford University on this project for earthworms.

Does the Natural History Museum have a Giant Gippsland Earthworm in the collection?
Yes, we do have a Giant Gippsland Earthworm (Megascolides australis) and it is on display in the tank room of the Darwin Centre so you will get to see the specimen and one of its cocoons if you go on one of the behind-the-scenes tours of the spirit collection. The Giant Gippsland Earthworm is our biggest specimen of earthworm in the collection and indeed the largest known species in the world.

What books on worms would you recommend?
There are no books that I’m aware of that cover all worms as it is such a big (and non-taxonomic) term. If you’re looking to get started with UK earthworms, I’ve produced a Key to the Earthworms of the UK and Ireland with the Field Studies Council that is reasonably priced and has some info on earthworm biology and ecology in addition to the identification key. There are a couple of great books by Gregory Rouse and Fredrik Pleijelon on Annelids in general and Polychaetes, but these are a fair bit more pricey.

Some recommended books on worms

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The Wildlife Trusts Habitat Banking Investment

The Wildlife Trusts Habitat Banking Investment project aims to create new financing structures to meet near-term demand for BNG credits and prepare to accelerate delivery when national policy is implemented. Their partnership has developed a new model to enable Trusts to leverage private finance and secure biodiversity unit agreements with developers to secure strategic land and create new habitats, reducing current reliance on piecemeal grant funding and offset payments.

Q&A with Martin Varley

Martin Varley is the Director of Nature Recovery at Cheshire Wildlife Trust and leads the Trust’s conservation efforts in the wider countryside beyond our nature reserves. The trust was a partner in the Wildlife Trusts Habitat Banking Investment project, a partnership between 4 Wildlife Trusts (Berks Bucks and Oxon, Cheshire, Warwickshire and Surrey) and the financial advisors Finance Earth.

How important is the location of the site in terms of connectivity?

What you have is an ideal where the delivery site is right next to one of our existing nature reserves, and then you have the reality. So I think it is a factor in our analysis and we would prefer to have a site which is connected but the truth is that the supply is so limited that we may well consider sites outside of that. The other issue is that within the local authority, there is a proximity principal with where the damage takes place as well, so we have councillors that are saying that the damage is taking place within my parish and I want a BNG site within my parish.

When it comes to the design of the habitat banks, how did you choose which habitats were going to be created or enhanced on the sites?

From a Wildlife Trust point of view, we would say what is best for this site and we would create the habitat that is best for that site. Secondly, we would then try and sell that to the BNG market. For example, in Cheshire we only have 300 hectares of grassland and this is the dominant habitat that is being lost to development so it would mostly be grassland that is being created.

What is your approach to recording, evidencing and tracking all of this ahead of the national register?

It’s very complicated and can be quite random – we are learning as we go and there are a large number of people involved within our organisation. We now have contracts with local authorities to deliver specific BNG related to development – so it is now programmed into our operations team about when is the monitoring of the site, when is the habitat being created and when is the funding being drawn down from the endowment that has been created for the sale of the units. This gets even more complicated as a single site may include multiple areas within it that have been sold to different developers at different times with separate section 106’s, meaning what looks like a single meadow is actually a number of BNG delivery sites with virtual boundaries separating the individual BNG delivery sites. Essentially each developer is buying a portion of the habitat that you are creating.

What happens to the habitats created through BNG on your sites after 30 years?

That’s a good question! At the moment there is no plan for the habitat created following the 30 years. That’s the least of our worries at the moment while we focus on getting ready for the near future.

Further info and links

  1. Habitat Banking Investment Scheme Announcement: https://www.bbowt.org.uk/news/habitat-banking-investment-scheme-wins-government-funding
  2. Upcoming free entoLIVE webinars: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/cc/entolive-webinars-74679
  3. Full list of courses and events from the Biological Recording Company: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/the-biological-recording-company-35982868173
  4. Proposed Condition Assessment Method for BNG by Digital Ecology: https://digital-ecology.co.uk/condition-assessment-method.html
Go to the Biodiversity Net Gain Virtual Symposium page

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Biodiversity Net Gain: The Wiltshire Council Perspective

Wiltshire Council have been moving from securing no net loss to net gain and offering solutions to developers to help deliver nature recovery across Wiltshire. Rachel Jones will discuss Wiltshire Council’s approach to Biodiversity Net Gain and how they have been offering solutions to developers to help deliver nature recovery across Wiltshire. These solutions include opportunities on our own land holding, working with wider landowners and farmers for strategic sites, and securing on-site enhancements on development sites. Wiltshire Council are also looking at how to combine solutions with wider community and environmental benefits and how to address the expected resourcing implications for the Council.

Q&A with Rachel Jones

Rachel Jones is the Ecology Manager at Wiltshire Council, leading on the Council’s strategy for Biodiversity Net Gain and Local Nature Recovery Strategy. This work covers development management, local plan review and advising on the Council on opportunities to work with the Council’s own land holding, as well as other land owners in the County. Rachel is also currently on secondment with the Planning Advisory Service as a principal consultant advising on nutrient neutrality.

Will your policy that refers to the integrity of local ecological networks mean that off-site delivery is going to be more likely to be delivered locally rather than elsewhere in England?

Hopefully. Our current local plan policy secures no net loss within the local ecological network, and for major development, net gain is required. Our current policy does not stipulate a percentage level. We will be updating that policy within our local plan review to specify a level of net gain and ensure that the integrity of the local ecological network is maintained. Regarding how we draft our policy going forward, from an ecology perspective we would want to try and really focus on local nature recovery and ecological networks. As a council, we will need to wait for statutory guidance, and the local plan policy to be reviewed to ensure that local function is maintained. From my perspective, having a supply of projects in the right areas, certainly for our mitigation solutions, means that people are generally willing to deliver locally.

How much conversation is there with neighbouring counties regarding landscape-scale delivery considering some important habitats cross administrative boundaries?

We are aware that we need to think regionally for nature recovery and it will be critical. For example, with nutrient neutrality a lot of councils have experience of working across boundaries to meet the legal requirements due to the fact that this encompasses catchments that go beyond local authority boundaries. We will need a similar mechanism for BNG/planning in terms of those larger-scale projects.

Is the requirement for additional resource going to be a shift from application scrutiny to monitoring and compliance, and how do you see that changing over time as BNG develops?

I think that over time efficiency will improve in both how we assess metrics (as everyone gets more familiar with it) and the way the information gets submitted. Having more resource, monitoring and tracking is what is likely to be needed from the legislation as historically this has not been an area that is a statutory function. I don’t see it being a shift – I think we will simply require more resource.

As the land owned by Wiltshire Council and the other landowners that you are working with will need to go on the national register, do you still believe there is a need for a local register?

We are still waiting for guidance on the monitoring of the national register, and if this will be local authorities checking the monitoring. From our local perspective, we will be signposting local sites (on the national register) on our website to steer developers. We obviously won’t be able to use them exclusively.

Further info and links

  1. Phosphorus and nitrogen mitigation – Wiltshire Council: https://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/article/6209/Phosphorus-and-nitrogen-mitigation
  2. A Framework for Landscape-scale Conservation in Wiltshire and Swindon (wiltshirewildlife.org): https://www.wiltshirewildlife.org/sites/default/files/2022-08/landscape_conservation_framework_wiltshire_swindon2013%20%281%29.pdf
  3. Upcoming free entoLIVE webinars: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/cc/entolive-webinars-74679
  4. Full list of courses and events from the Biological Recording Company: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/the-biological-recording-company-35982868173
  5. Proposed Condition Assessment Method for BNG by Digital Ecology: https://digital-ecology.co.uk/condition-assessment-method.html
Go to the Biodiversity Net Gain Virtual Symposium page

More on Biodiversity Net Gain

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Delivering Biodiversity Net Gain for Infrastructure Projects

To design Biodiversity Net Gain, Ecologists must balance the unit calculation of the Biodiversity Metric with the Metric’s trading rules, whilst ensuring the habitat creation and enhancement of a BNG design are feasible, will endure for at least 30 years and contribute towards conservation. Julia explores this balance, with key considerations and pitfalls to avoid for BNG to genuinely deliver long-term and meaningful outcomes on the ground.

Q&A with Dr Julia Baker

Dr Julia Baker CEnv MCIEEM is Head of Nature Services at Mott MacDonald, leading their Nature Positive initiatives. Julia has designed and delivered Biodiversity Net Gain on a variety of infrastructure projects including transport, housing and energy. Julia is the lead author of the UK’s Good Practice Principles on Biodiversity Net Gain and runs professional training courses on BNG and the Biodiversity Metric.

Have the trading rules changed much between metrics 3.1 and 4?

The main change is that now trading rules must be followed. There has been uncertainty in previous metrics but now BNG is to achieve a minimum 10% increase in ‘habitat units’ in ways that meet the trading rules.

Are the irreplaceable habitats that you referenced defined well in the context of Biodiversity Net Gain or are we still waiting for further guidance?

There is a limited list of irreplaceable habitats in the National Planning Policy Framework. Also Technical Note 3 in the Biodiversity Net Gain: Good Practice Principles for Development, A Practical Guide provides guidance on identifying irreplaceable habitats. However, we do not have a complete list although my understanding is that Defra or Natural England will be publishing a list of irreplaceable habitats later this year.

Do you think that climate resilience should be built into the metric?

The Biodiversity metric is one tool for BNG and to demonstrate change in biodiversity that results from a development. My preference is that climate resilience is not included into the metric, but we need to absolutely make sure that climate resilience is factored into the BNG design and management plan

What is the link between the metric and the 2023 environmental targets in biodiversity?

I think it is up to us to really join the dots. We need to look at all of these environmental targets and consider what is the contribution that biodiversity net gain can make to those. My preference would be that there is more of a connection between those targets and BNG – BNG as a policy doesn’t act in isolation. We, in industry, need to think about the Green Infrastructure Standards, the Urban Greening Factor – it all works out when you think of these things together.

Further info and links

  1. The Biodiversity Metric 4.0 (JP039): http://publications.naturalengland.org.uk/publication/6049804846366720
  2. Upcoming free entoLIVE webinars: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/cc/entolive-webinars-74679
  3. Full list of courses and events from the Biological Recording Company: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/the-biological-recording-company-35982868173
  4. Proposed Condition Assessment Method for BNG by Digital Ecology: https://digital-ecology.co.uk/condition-assessment-method.html
Go to the Biodiversity Net Gain Virtual Symposium page

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Biodiversity Net Gain: A Policy and Metric Update

Natural England provided an update on the forthcoming mandatory approach to biodiversity net gain, encompassing the latest Government policy announcements and what these mean for ecologists, developers, planners and land owners. They also provided an update about the biodiversity metric that will be used for mandatory biodiversity net gain.

Dr Nicholas Ian White works across Government (national and local), and with developers, NGOs and academia to advance policy, practice and standards around net gain (biodiversity, natural capital and environmental). The current focus of his work is on biodiversity net gain legislation, the biodiversity metric and biodiversity net gain standards and guidance. He is also working on the evolving approach to marine net gain.

Q&A with Nick White

Dr Nicholas Ian White works across Government (national and local), and with developers, NGOs and academia to advance policy, practice and standards around net gain (biodiversity, natural capital and environmental). The current focus of his work is on biodiversity net gain legislation, the biodiversity metric and biodiversity net gain standards and guidance. He is also working on the evolving approach to marine net gain.

Does onsite BNG also need to be delivered for 30 years?

That’s a good question. Onsite doesn’t need to be legally secured, it would be secured through planning conditions.  It depends on whether it is classified as significant or not. Under the primary legislation, there is a reference to significance and we’re still waiting for Defra to clarify what is meant by significant. 

Is there any update as to when we might see the drafts of the regulations that are going to be implemented?

Not at the moment. We also have a period of local elections coming up which will introduce a period of purdah and mean we can’t release any guidance during that period. When purdah comes to an end, there will be quite a lot of stuff coming out in May.

Presentation Slides

bng-policy-metric-updateDownload

Further info and links

  1. Defra BNG consultation response: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/consultation-on-biodiversity-net-gain-regulations-and-implementation/outcome/government-response-and-summary-of-responses
  2. Defra stacking and bundling guidance: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/combining-environmental-payments-biodiversity-net-gain-bng-and-nutrient-mitigation
  3. Defra ‘collections’ page – where they will be posting Govt BNG guidance: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/biodiversity-net-gain
  4. Defra metric consultation response: https://consult.defra.gov.uk/defra-net-gain-consultation-team/technicalconsultation_biodiversitymetric/results/offsen_consultation_biodiversity_metric_gov_response_mar20231.pdf
  5. Biodiversity Metric 4.0 – NE site: http://publications.naturalengland.org.uk/publication/6049804846366720#:~:text=The%20Biodiversity%20Metric%204.0%20-%20JP039%20Biodiversity%20Metric,the%20previously%20published%20biodiversity%20metric%203.1%20%28April%202022%29.
  6. Small Sites Metric – NE site: http://publications.naturalengland.org.uk/publication/6047259574927360
  7. NE blog post about the development of metric 4.0 and the future: https://naturalengland.blog.gov.uk/2023/03/28/measuring-biodiversity-net-gain-publication-of-biodiversity-metric-4-0/
  8. BNG Brochure published by NE: https://naturalengland.blog.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/183/2022/04/BNG-Brochure_Final_Compressed-002.pdf
  9. CIRIA/CIEEM/IEMA – Biodiversity Net Gain: Good Practice Principle for Development, A Practical Guide: https://cieem.net/resource/biodiversity-net-gain-good-practice-principles-for-development-a-practical-guide/
  10. Process for Designing and Implementing Biodiversity Net Gain BS8683:2021 British standard: https://knowledge.bsigroup.com/products/process-for-designing-and-implementing-biodiversity-net-gain-specification/standard
  11. Upcoming free entoLIVE webinars: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/cc/entolive-webinars-74679
  12. Full list of courses and events from the Biological Recording Company: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/the-biological-recording-company-35982868173
  13. Proposed Condition Assessment Method for BNG by Digital Ecology: https://digital-ecology.co.uk/condition-assessment-method.html
Go to our Biodiversity Net Gain Virtual Symposium page

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Biodiversity Net Gain 2023 Virtual Symposium

Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) is an approach to development that aims to leave nature in a measurably better state than before. This is achieved through embedding the mitigation hierarchy into development design through the use of a biodiversity metric, highlighting impacts on, and opportunities for nature.

“Under the Environment Act 2021, all planning permissions granted in England (with a few exemptions) will have to deliver at least 10% biodiversity net gain from an as yet unconfirmed date, expected to be in November 2023. BNG will be measured using Defra’s biodiversity metric and habitats will need to be secured for at least 30 years.

This sits alongside:
– a strengthened legal duty for public bodies to conserve and enhance biodiversity,
– new biodiversity reporting requirements for local authorities,
– mandatory spatial strategies for nature: Local Nature Recovery Strategies or ‘LNRS’.”

The Planning Advisory Service

Biodiversity Net Gain 2023 Virtual Symposium

The live virtual event occurred on Wed 29 March 2023 and was aimed at professionals that will be working with BNG (such as planners, ecologists and conservationists), bringing together professionals from a range of sectors to discuss their experience and lessons learned from working with BNG.

The event was hosted by Dan Carpenter (Digital Ecology) and featured 4 speakers:

Biodiversity Net Gain – A Policy and Metric Update

Dr Nick White, Natural England

The presentation will update the audience on the forthcoming mandatory approach to biodiversity net gain, encompassing the latest Government policy announcements and what these mean for ecologists, developers, planners and land owners. It will also provide an update about the biodiversity metric that will be used for mandatory biodiversity net gain.

Read the full blog with Q&A and links here

Delivering Biodiversity Net Gain for Infrastructure Projects

Dr Julia Baker CEnv MCIEEM, Mott MacDonald

To design Biodiversity Net Gain, Ecologists must balance the unit calculation of the Biodiversity Metric with the Metric’s trading rules, whilst ensuring the habitat creation and enhancement of a BNG design are feasible, will endure for at least 30 years and contribute towards conservation. This presentation explores this balance, with key considerations and pitfalls to avoid for BNG to genuinely deliver long-term and meaningful outcomes on the ground.

Read the full blog with Q&A and links here

Biodiversity Net Gain: The Wiltshire Council Perspective

Rachel Jones, Wiltshire Council

Wiltshire Council have been moving from securing no net loss to net gain and offering solutions to developers to help deliver nature recovery across Wiltshire. Rachel Jones will discuss Wiltshire Council’s approach to Biodiversity Net Gain and how they have been offering solutions to developers to help deliver nature recovery across Wiltshire. These solutions include opportunities on our own land holding, working with wider landowners and farmers for strategic sites, and securing on-site enhancements on development sites. Wiltshire Council are also looking at how to combine solutions with wider community and environmental benefits and how to address the expected resourcing implications for the Council.

Read the full blog with Q&A and links here

The Wildlife Trusts Habitat Banking Investment

Martin Varley, Cheshire Wildlife Trust

The Wildlife Trusts Habitat Banking Investment project aims to create new financing structures to meet near-term demand for BNG credits and prepare to accelerate delivery when national policy is implemented. Their partnership has developed a new model to enable Trusts to leverage private finance and secure biodiversity unit agreements with developers to secure strategic land and create new habitats, reducing current reliance on piecemeal grant funding and offset payments.

Read the full blog with Q&A and links here

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The Earthworm Invasion of North America

Earthworms are well-known ecosystem engineers, profoundly affecting soil processes. They are generally considered beneficial organisms that improve soil quality. But what happens when earthworms are introduced to ecosystems that have evolved with no or very different kinds of earthworms? Prof Katalin Szlávecz discusses the impacts of non-native earthworms in the Atlantic region of North America.

Katalin Szlávecz is a Research Professor in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Johns Hopkins University (USA). Katalin does research on soil biodiversity, earthworm ecology and soil ecosystem services. Her research focuses on human-modified landscapes, including secondary forests, crop fields, and the urban landscape.

Q&A with Prof Katalin Szlávecz

  1. Can you recommend a book about the earthworm invasion of North America?
    There are three books that come to mind, but both of these are relatively old now. The first is a booklet by Cindy Hale and is a good starting point for beginners interested in the natural history and of invasive species and their identification. The second is edited by Paul Hendrix and contains a collection of scientific papers on the subject of invasive earthworms. The third option is the textbook by Clive Edwards covering the biology and ecology of earthworms.
    • Hale, C. M. (2013) Earthworms of the Great Lakes. Duluth: Kollath+Stensaas Publishing.
    • Hendrix, P. F. (Ed.) (2006). Biological Invasions Belowground: Earthworms as Invasive Species. Dordrecht: Springer.
    • Edwards, C.  A. & Arancon, N. Q. (2022). Biology and Ecology of Earthworms (4th ed.). New York: Springer.
  2. Could an earthworm predator, such as the New Zealand Flatworm (Arthurdendyus triangulatus), be used as a possible biological control agent for earthworms in North America?
    Our history is full of examples of failed attempts to control one invasive species by introducing a predator. Often, these predators are not specific in their diet, and end up decimating the native species. Examples include the African Cane Toad to Australia or the mongoose to the Caribbean Islands. We don’t know if New Zealand Flatworms would survive and we don’t know what the impact could be on native earthworms and other species. The few success stories using such methods have usually followed in-depth and long-term studies on the potential impacts of a non-native predator.
  3. Are the non-native earthworm species a notifiable pest in the USA?
    Earthworms are not included in this category and the public is not asked to submit sightings of earthworms. Some government agencies, such as the U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Department of Natural Resources, have now started focusing on this more and funds systematic surveys to monitor the problem – so most of the data comes from researchers. A lot of the questions that we get are from gardeners regarding the Jumping Worms (genera Amynthasa and Metaphire). In the US we have a habit of mulching our flowerbeds, around trees, and even forest trails. This practice facilitates the spread of jumping worms causing concerns in gardeners. In some states, e.g. California and Minnesota, invasive earthworms are species of concern, and there are regulations in place in which it is illegal to transport them or soil into the state. Plants can be transported bare root only.
  4. Is North America at risk of a third invasion?
    We don’t know if a third invasion is on the horizon or where it would come from if it was. Inspections at the border are now being done much more efficiently and there are now extremely strong restrictions regarding transport of soil into the US, even for scientific purposes.

Literature references

  1. Chang C.-H., Snyder, B. A. & Szlávecz, K. (2016). Asian pheretimoid earthworms in North America north of Mexico: An illustrated key to the genera Amynthas, Metaphire, Pithemera, and Polypheretima (Clitellata: Megascolecidae). Zootaxa, 4179, 495-529. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4179.3.7 
  2. Chang, C.-H., Johnston, M., Görres, J. H., Dávalos, A., McHugh, D. & Szlávecz, K (2017). Co-invasion of three Asian earthworms, Metaphire hilgendorfi, Amynthas agrestis and Amynthas tokioensis in the USA. Biological Invasions, 20, 843-848. DOI: 10.1007/s10530-017-1607-x
  3. Chang, C.-H., Szlávecz, K. & Buyer, J. (2017). Amynthas agrestis invasion increases microbial biomass in Mid-Atlantic deciduous forests. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 114,189-199. DOI: 10.1016/j.soilbio.2017.07.018
  4. Chang, C.-H., Bartz, M. L., Brown, G., Callaham Jr., M.A., Cameron, E. K., Dávalos, A., Dobson, A., Görres, J. H., Herrick, B. M., Ikeda, H., James, S. W., Johnston, M. R., McCay, T. S., McHugh, D., Minamiya, Y., Nouri-Aiin, M., Novo, M., Ortiz-Pachar, J., Pinder, R. A., Ransom, T., Richardson, J. B., Snyder, B.A. & Szlávecz , K. (2021). The second wave of earthworm invasions in North America: Biology, environmental impacts, management and control of invasive “jumping worms”. Biol Invasions, 23, 3291–3322. DOI: 10.1007/s10530-021-02598-1
  5. Csuzdi, C., Chang, C.-H., Pavlícek, T., Szederjesi, T., Esopi, D. & Szlávecz.,K. (2017). Molecular phylogeny and systematics of native North American lumbricid earthworms (Clitellata: Megadrili). PLoS ONE, 12 (8), e0181504. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0181504
  6. Ferlian, O, Eisenhauer, N, Aguirrebengoa, M, et al. (2018). Invasive earthworms erode soil biodiversity: A meta-analysis. J Anim Ecol., 87, 162–172. DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.12746
  7. Hendrix, P. F., Callaham Jr., M. A., Drake, J. M., Huang, C.-Y., James, S. W., Snyder, B. A. & Zhang, W. (2008) Pandora’s Box Contained Bait: The Global Problem of Introduced Earthworms. Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics, 39 (1), 593-613. DOI: 10.1146/annurev.ecolsys.39.110707.173426
  8. Ma, Y., Filley, T. R., Johnston, C. T., Crow, S. E., Szlávecz , K. & McCormick, M. K. (2013). The combined controls of land use legacy and earthworm activity on soil organic matter chemistry and particle association during afforestation. Org. Geochem., 58, 56-68. DOI: 10.1016/j.orggeochem.2013.02.010
  9. McCay, T.S., Brown, G., Callaham, M.A. Jr., Chang, C-H., Dávalos, A., Dobson, A., Görres, J.H., Herrick, B.M., James, S.W., Johnston, M.R., McHugh, D., Minteer, T., Moore, J.-D., Nouri-Aiin, M., Novo, M., Ortiz-Pachar, J., Pinder, R.A., Richardson, J.B., Snyder, B.A. & Szlávecz, K. (2020). Tools for monitoring and study of peregrine pheretimoid earthworms (Megascolecidae). Pedobiologia, 83, 150669. DOI: 10.1016/j.pedobi.2020.150669
  10. McCormick, M. K., Parker, K., Szlávecz, K. & Whigham, D. (2013). Native and exotic earthworms affect orchid seed loss. AoB PLANTS, 5: plt018. DOI:10.1093/aobpla/plt018
  11. Szlávecz, K., McCormick, M. K., Xia, L, Saunders, J., Morcol, T., Whigham, D., Filley, T. & Csuzdi, C. (2011). Ecosystem effects of non-native earthworms in Mid-Atlantic deciduous forests. Biological Invasions, 15, 1165-1182. DOI: 10.1007/s10530-011-9959-0
  12. Szlávecz, K., Chang, C.-H., JL Burgess, J. L. & Csuzdi, C. (2014). Earthworms (Annelida: Clitellata) of Plummers Island, Maryland, USA, with description of a new species. Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, 126, 312-322. DOI: 10.2988/0006-324X-126.4.312
  13. Szlávecz, K., C-H Chang, C.-H., Bernard, M. J., Pitz, S. L., Xia, L., Ma, Y., McCormick, M. K., Filley, T., Yarwood, S. A. & Csuzdi, C. (2018).  Litter quality, dispersal and invasion drive earthworm community dynamics and forest soil development. Oecologia, 188(1), 237-250. DOI: 10.1007/s00442-018-4205-4

Further info and links

  1. Worms of the World blog with links to other presentations: https://biologicalrecording.co.uk/2023/03/25/worms-of-the-world/
  2. Explore invertebrate research with the entoLIVE blog: https://biologicalrecording.co.uk/category/entolive-blog/
  3. Upcoming free entoLIVE webinars: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/cc/entolive-webinars-74679
  4. Full list of courses and events from the Biological Recording Company: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/the-biological-recording-company-35982868173
Go the the Worms of the World Virtual Symposium page

More on earthworms

Check out the Worms collection on Eventbrite

The Giant Wetland Worms of South America

The Orinoco Llanos of Columbia and Venezuela were home to a mystery. These tropical wetlands are home to a landscape dominated by densely packed, regularly spaced mounds of soil. These Surales can be up to 5 m in diameter and 2 m tall and cover an area almost the size of Scotland! Rumsaïs Blatrix takes us on a journey to South America to discover how the mystery of the Surales was solved by his colleagues, Delphine Renard and Doyle McKey.

Rumsaïs Blatrix is an ecologist, mostly interested in species interactions. He works at two levels:
1. The mechanisms of interaction between individuals and their evolutionary significance (in particular deceptive pollination and ant-plant symbioses).
2. The consequences of interactions at the landscape scale (in particular the role of soil organisms in patterned landscapes).

Q&A with Rumsaïs Blatrix

  1. How much do we know about the other species that rely on this earthworm-made habitat?
    It is very well known that the termite nests in termite savannahs act as ‘fertility islands’ and support species that you wouldn’t otherwise find. It’s possible that we could have a similar situation with the surales, but we haven’t undertaken any kind of census to evidence this. It would make a very interesting study. 
  2. Are there any threats to the surales landscape of the Orinoco Llanos?
    Historically this landscape was used for cattle ranching, which does not seem too destructive if it is not too intensive. The main threat facing this landscape is probably conversion to other types of agriculture, particularly for rice cultivation. This involves levelling the land and therefore destroying the mounds. Once levelled, this landscape provides the perfect conditions for cultivating rice.
  3. Is there a specific number of worms per mound?
    We don’t know, but this is one of the things we are looking into this year. Doyle McKey is undertaking fieldwork in South America to investigate this question and more. Questions he will be looking at include ‘How many earthworms are in each mound?’, ‘Is the number constant between mounds, ‘Is there any behavioural relationship between the earthworms within a mound?’ and ‘How much soil do they move?’.

Literature references

  1. Zangerlé, A., Renard, D., Iriarte, J., Suarez Jimenez, L. E., Adame Montoya, K. L., Juilleret, J. & McKey, D. (2016) The Surales, Self-Organized Earth-Mound Landscapes Made by Earthworms in a Seasonal Tropical Wetland. PLoS One, 11(5), e0154269. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0154269
  2. Mckey, D., Renard, D. & Blatrix, R. (2021). ‘The multiple roles of soil animals in the interpretation of archaeological soils and sediments in lowland tropical South America’, in Odonne, G., & Molino, J.-F. (Eds.). (2020). Methods in Historical Ecology: Insights from Amazonia (1st ed.). Routledge. pp. 121-129. DOI: 10.4324/9780429060175
  3. Renard, D., Birk, J. J., Zangerlé, A., Lavelle, P., Glaser, B., Blatrix, R. & McKey, D. (2013). Ancient human agricultural practices can promote activities of contemporary non-human soil ecosystem engineers: A case study in coastal savannas of French Guiana. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 62, 46-56. DOI: 10.1016/j.soilbio.2013.02.021

Further info and links

  1. Worms of the World blog with links to other presentations: https://biologicalrecording.co.uk/2023/03/25/worms-of-the-world/
  2. Explore invertebrate research with the entoLIVE blog: https://biologicalrecording.co.uk/category/entolive-blog/
  3. Upcoming free entoLIVE webinars: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/cc/entolive-webinars-74679
  4. Full list of courses and events from the Biological Recording Company: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/the-biological-recording-company-35982868173
Go the the Worms of the World Virtual Symposium page

More on earthworms

Check out the Worms collection on Eventbrite

Phylogenetic Tools to Dig Out the Evolutionary History of Earthworms

The morphology of earthworms is as obscure as their habitat, and this complicates our understanding of their evolutionary relationships and historical biogeography. Dr Daniel Marchán reviews different applications of genetic tools to shed light on these big questions, with an emphasis on the rare, endemic and threatened species.

Dr Daniel Fernandez Marchán is an earthworm researcher integrating the fields of molecular phylogenetics, morphology and ecological methods (as ecological niche modelling). His research is focused on the systematics of hormogastrid (Oligochaeta, Hormogastridae) and lumbricid earthworms (Oligochaeta, Lumbricidae).

Q&A with Dr Daniel Marchán

  1. How can we distinguish morphologically identical species where we don’t have access/funds for genetic analysis of specimens?
    When species are separated genetically, it is good practice to go back and re-examine the morphology to see if a difference can be found. For example, with Lumbricus terrestris and Lumbricus herculeus it was found that L. herculeus was smaller on average than L. terrestris. With Lumbricus rubellus, it has been found that the different lineages have different positions of the genital papilla. There are still instances where we can’t find differences in the morphology, and in these cases, we will need to rely on genetic barcoding (it is getting cheaper) and emerging technologies that may enable identification in the field.
  2. Why do the specimens of some endogeic species (particularly Allolobophora chlorotica  and Aporrectodea caliginosa) appear greener when found in soils prone to waterlogging?As far as I am aware, the colouration in Allobobophora chlorotica is related to the lineage of an individual earthworm. The green lineages prefer wetter soils and the pink lineages prefer drier soils. I’ve not seen green forms of Aporrectodea caliginosa but differences in colour in this species could also be due to cryptic lineages, but it could also be due to phenotypic plasticity. We do see more green pigmentation in earthworms that prefer wetter soils, such as Allolobophora molleri which is found in western Spain and is only found close to rivers, to help improve them take up more oxygen from water.
  3. Is there a genetic relationship between earthworm species that are able to display autotomy behaviour where they can drop their tail as a predator defence mechanism?
    We don’t really know which species can and cannot use autonomy as a defence mechanism, so it is not possible to answer this question with confidence at this point in time. We know so little about earthworms so there are still lots of studies on the behaviour of different species that are needed to build up this kind of information. My guess would be that it is not related to phylogeny as I have observed a single species in the genus Scherotheca displaying autotomy readily, whereas other species within this genus do not appear to undertake this behaviour.

Literature references

  1. Marchán et al (2023) Understanding the diversification and functional radiation of Aporrectodea (Crassiclitellata, Lumbricidae) through molecular phylogenetics of its endemic species: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejsobi.2023.103559
  2. Marchán, D. F., Novo, M., Fernández, R., De Sosa, I., Trigo, D., & Cosín, D. J. D. (2016). Evaluating evolutionary pressures and phylogenetic signal in earthworms: a case study-the number of typhlosole lamellae in Hormogastridae (Annelida, Oligochaeta). Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 178(1), 4-14.  DOI: 10.1111/zoj.12410
  3. Marchán, D. F., Fernández, R., de Sosa, I., Cosín, D. J. D., & Novo, M. (2017). Pinpointing cryptic borders: Fine-scale phylogeography and genetic landscape analysis of the Hormogaster elisae complex (Oligochaeta, Hormogastridae). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 112, 185-193. DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2017.05.005
  4. Marchán, D. F., Fernández, R., de Sosa, I., Sánchez, N., Cosín, D. J. D., & Novo, M. (2018). Integrative systematic revision of a Mediterranean earthworm family: Hormogastridae (Annelida, Oligochaeta). Invertebrate Systematics, 32(3), 652-671. DOI: 10.1071/IS17048
  5. Marchán, D. F., Novo, M., Sánchez, N., Domínguez, J., Cosín, D. J. D., & Fernández, R. (2020). Local adaptation fuels cryptic speciation in terrestrial annelids. Molecular phylogenetics and evolution, 146, 106767. DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2020.106767
  6. Marchán, D. F., Fernández, R., Domínguez, J., Díaz Cosín, D. J., & Novo, M. (2020). Genome-informed integrative taxonomic description of three cryptic species in the earthworm genus Carpetania (Oligochaeta, Hormogastridae). Systematics and biodiversity, 18(3), 203-215. DOI: 10.1080/14772000.2020.1730474
  7. Marchán, D. F., Jiménez, S., Decaëns, T., & Domínguez, J. (2021). Systematic revision of Gatesona (Crassiclitellata, Lumbricidae), an endemic earthworm genus from the Massif Central (France). PLoS One, 16(9), e0255978. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0255978
  8. Marchán, D. F., Csuzdi, C., Decaëns, T., Szederjesi, T., Pizl, V., & Domínguez, J. (2021). The disjunct distribution of relict earthworm genera clarifies the early historical biogeography of the Lumbricidae (Crassiclitellata, Annelida). Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research, 59(8), 1703-1717. DOI: 10.1111/jzs.12514
  9. Marchán, D. F., Decaëns, T., Domínguez, J., & Novo, M. (2022). Perspectives in Earthworm Molecular Phylogeny: Recent Advances in Lumbricoidea and Standing Questions. Diversity, 14(1), 30. DOI: 10.3390/d14010030
  10. Marchán, D. F., James, S. W., Lemmon, A. R., Lemmon, E. M., Novo, M., Domínguez, J., Díaz Cosín, D. J. & Trigo, D. (2022). A strong backbone for an invertebrate group: anchored phylogenomics improves the resolution of genus-level relationships within the Lumbricidae (Annelida, Crassiclitellata). Organisms Diversity & Evolution, 22(4), 915-924. DOI: 10.1007/s13127-022-00570-y
  11. Navarro, A. M., Pinadero, S. J., Decaëns, T., Hedde, M., Novo, M., Trigo, D., & Marchán, D. F. (2023). Catch-All No More: Integrative Systematic Revision of the Genus Allolobophora Eisen, 1874 (Crassiclitellata, Lumbricidae) with the Description of Two New Relict Earthworm Genera. Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research, 2023, 5479917. DOI: 10.1155/2023/5479917
  12. Novo, M., Fernández, R., Andrade, S. C., Marchán, D. F., Cunha, L., & Cosín, D. J. D. (2016). Phylogenomic analyses of a Mediterranean earthworm family (Annelida: Hormogastridae). Molecular phylogenetics and evolution, 94, 473-478. DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2015.10.026
  13. Popović, F. J., Stojanović, M. M., Domínguez, J., Sekulić, J. M., Trakić, T. B., & Marchán, D. F. (2022). Molecular analysis of five controversial Balkanic species of Allolobophora (sensu lato) Eisen, 1873 (Lumbricidae, Clitellata) with emendation of the genus Cernosvitovia Omodeo, 1956. Zootaxa, 5116(3), 351-372. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5116.3.3

Further info and links

  1. Worms of the World blog with links to other presentations: https://biologicalrecording.co.uk/2023/03/25/worms-of-the-world/
  2. Explore invertebrate research with the entoLIVE blog: https://biologicalrecording.co.uk/category/entolive-blog/
  3. Upcoming free entoLIVE webinars: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/cc/entolive-webinars-74679
  4. Full list of courses and events from the Biological Recording Company: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/the-biological-recording-company-35982868173
Go the the Worms of the World Virtual Symposium page

More on earthworms

Check out the Worms collection on Eventbrite