Ecology, Environment and Conservation

CONFERENCE FOR STUDENTS

Ecology, Environment and Conservation Abstracts Wednesday 14th October 2015

Royal Society of Edinburgh

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Preface On 14th October 2015 we held a conference in the Offices of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE) for PhD and Masters students undertaking ecological, environmental and conservation work. More than one hundred participants enjoyed a full day of lectures, posters, discussions and socialising. The programme and abstracts of all talks are given here. We intend that this conference should become an annual one, and plans are in hand for the 2016 Conference for Students, to be held in Aberdeen. We thank all participants for making the event such a success, and are grateful to Scottish Natural Heritage, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, and the Universities of Aberdeen, Dundee, Glasgow, Edinburgh, St Andrews and Stirling for organising and funding the Conference, and the RSE for hosting us. Our organising group comprised Josephine Pemberton (Chair), Lynne Clark, Dan Haydon, Xavier Lambin, David O’Brien, Kirsty Park, Paul Robertson, Peter Singleton, Chris Spray, Des Thompson, Amanda Trask and Charles Warren.

Professor Josephine Pemberton FRSE, University of Edinburgh David O’Brien, Scottish Natural Heritage

Recommended citation: O’Brien, D., Clark, L., Robertson, P. and Pemberton, J. (eds.). (2015). Ecology, Environment and Conservation Conference 2015. Abstracts. Scottish Natural Heritage, Inverness.

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Programme Outline Registration Tea and coffee available from 09:30 Morning session Chair: Chris Spray, University of Dundee 10:00-10:05 Introduction - Josephine Pemberton, University of Edinburgh 10:05-10:45 Keynote - Trent Garner, Zoological Society of London’s Institute of Zoology: Ecological implications of disease 10:45-11:30 Student presentations: conservation management   

Amanda Trask, University of Aberdeen: Evidence of a lethal genetic disease in a Scottish bird population of conservation concern James Fitton, University of Glasgow: National coastal erosion risk assessment for Scotland Janet MacLean, James Hutton Institute: Does the native plant community of Atlantic oak woods recover after removal of invasive Rhododendron ponticum?

11:30-11:45 Comfort break 11:45-13:00 Student presentations: Species-habitat interactions   

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Roman Susdorf, University of Aberdeen: Influence of condition on the population dynamics of salmonids Jenny Sturgeon, University of Aberdeen: High early-life winter site fidelity in European Shags Phalacrocorax aristotelis in Scotland Robin Whytock, University of Stirling: Ecological network theory: identifying the relative importance of local vs. landscape structure for avian diversity in fragmented secondary woodlands Caroline Millins, University of Glasgow: How do vertebrate hosts and habitat affect Lyme borreliosis ecology in Scotland? Ewan McHenry, University of Aberdeen: Strong inference from transect sign surveys: combining spatial autocorrelation and misclassification occupancy models to quantify the detectability of a recovering carnivore Student presentations: Strategic conservation

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Julian Inglis, University of the Highlands and Islands: An integrated sustainable development framework for coastal and marine regions Chris Pollard, University of Stirling: new ideas for managing conservation conflict in Scotland – game theory and structured decision-making 3

13:00-14:00

Lunch / poster session / stands

Afternoon session Chair:

Kirsty Park, University of Stirling

14:00-15:25 

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Student presentations: Responses to environmental pressures

Calum Campbell, University of Glasgow: Climate change and evolvability: temperature effects on bone development and later life plasticity in Arctic Char Richard Howells, Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (Edinburgh) & University of Liverpool: Diet of European Shags signals coastal marine environmental change William Paterson, University of St. Andrews: Effects of repeated disturbance trials on haulout transition rates of Harbour Seals (Phoca vitulina) Cerian Tatchley, University of Stirling: Disturbance of bats by small-scale turbines in the UK Samia Richards, James Hutton Institute & Bangor University: Fingerprinting of discharges from small residential effluent pollution sources Anwên Bill, University of Stirling: Responses of aquatic biota to pressures from imposed water level alterations in lakes Zarah Pattison, University of Stirling: Direct and indirect effects of invasive non-native plants and flood disturbance on the dynamics of riparian zone vegetation Rupert Houghton, University of Aberdeen: Using an optimal seasonal combination of removal methods to intelligently target Scottish populations of the invasive Signal Crayfish

15:25-15:45 Afternoon coffee / posters / stands 15:45-16:15 Plenary presentation Bob Furness, University of Glasgow and SNH Scientific Advisory Committee: SNH and science for nature 16:15-16:20 Prize giving: best poster, and best student presentation 16:20

Closing remarks (Josephine Pemberton), then depart

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Steering Committee Professor Bob Furness is Principal Ornithologist at MacArthur Green environmental consultancy, a member of the Board of Scottish Natural Heritage and chairs SNH’s Scientific Advisory Committee. His main research interests are seabird ecology, marine renewables, stable isotopes as ecological tracers in marine food webs, and marine pollution by mercury and persistent organic pollutants. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, has chaired ICES Working Groups on Sandeel biology, short-lived pelagic fish stock assessment, and seabird ecology, and has twice been on the Council of the British Trust for Ornithology. His first, and highly influential, experience of seabirds was as a schoolboy in Edinburgh when taken by his biology teacher on a day trip to the Bass Rock to ring Gannets.

Professor Dan Haydon is Director of Institute and Professor of Population Ecology and Epidemiology (Institute of Biodiversity Animal Health and Comparative Medicine) at the University of Glasgow. His research focusses on quantitative modelling of ecological and epidemiological processes. This has ranged from the movement of cells around germinal centres in the body to that of wildebeest in the Serengeti. He is on the editorial boards of the Journal of Applied Ecology, the Journal of Infectious Disease Dynamics, and Biology Letters. Dan is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.

Professor Xavier Lambin is a Professor of Ecology at the University of Aberdeen where his research group studies issues in population dynamics and conservation biology, usually with birds and mammals. He maintains and exploits long term studies of cyclic field vole population and birds of prey in Kielder Forest and of water vole metapopulations in the Highlands. He has a strong interest in citizen science and the management of invasive non-native species, including American Mink.

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David O’Brien manages the Directorate Support Team in SNH’s Policy & Advice Directorate. He is secretary of SNH’s Scientific Advisory Committee and chairs the Scottish Government’s CAMERAS Evidence Planning Coordination Group. David graduated from Bristol with a BSc in Biology and went on to take an MSc in Environmental Management at Bath. His recent research has looked at conservation of amphibians, multiple benefits of sustainable drainage systems for people and biodiversity, and ongoing citizen science projects. Outside of work, he spends much of his time looking at amphibians and reptiles.

Dr Kirsty Park is a Reader in Conservation Science within Biological & Environmental Sciences at the University of Stirling. After a BSc at Leeds University she went on to study bat ecology for a PhD at Bristol University. Her research is concerned with the effects of human activity on biodiversity and how best to manage this, focussing on animal ecology and conservation in managed environments (e.g. urban, agricultural, forestry). She is interested in addressing questions such as: What measures can we use to improve agricultural landscapes for wildlife? How do we prioritise conservation efforts to restore functioning ecological networks? How can we make plantation forests work for timber and wildlife? What effects do small wind turbines have on bats and birds? She is Chair of Bats without Borders, a charity working for bat conservation in southern Africa, and a Trustee for the Bat Conservation Trust, a charity devoted to the conservation of bats and their habitats.

Professor Josephine Pemberton is Professor of Molecular Ecology at the Institute of Evolutionary Biology at the University of Edinburgh. She helps to run two of the UK’s longest running individual-based population studies, on the Red Deer on the Isle of Rum NNR and on the Soay Sheep on St Kilda. Her particular specialism is using molecular markers to recover parentage and hence pedigrees for wild animal populations. Such information has then yielded answers to previously inaccessible topics in natural populations, including 6

understanding and quantifying the determinants of individual fitness, estimating selection on and the heritability of traits and predicting their evolution, and quantifying the impact of inbreeding depression. In other studies she had helped to document the introgression of Scottish red deer by introduced Japanese sika. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, is interested in many wildlife management issues, sat on the Deer Commission for Scotland Board for five years and has recently published, with Scottish Natural Heritage, a booklet for deer managers: Red deer research on the Isle of Rum NNR: management implications.

Paul Robertson completed an Honours Degree in Ecology at the University of Edinburgh. Following a year of voluntary work with the Scottish Wildlife Trust, he started working for Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) in 2000. He has worked in many different posts, and currently works as part of the Policy & Advice Directorate Support Group. This involves a varied range of work and allows him to keep up his interest in ecology involving issues such as geese and raptor conflicts. He is part of the committee who help to organise and run the SNH funded studentships and is currently co-supervising a PhD project on wading birds along with Kirsty Park, Jeremy Wilson and Des Thompson. Outside of work Paul is a keen ornithologist and spends much of his spare time bird watching in the local areas around Inverness, as well as further afield.

Professor Chris J. Spray MBE, FRSA has held a chair at the UNESCO Centre for Water Law since 2009, in Policy and Science at the University of Dundee, and also currently holds a NERC Senior Research Fellowship, working with the Welsh Government on the interface between science and policy. This, like some of his wider interests in Scotland and abroad, focusses on how to align the emerging theoretical concepts of the Ecosystem Approach with the realities of designing and implementing policy and practice. This challenge of communicating science to policy-makers, and vice-versa, is something Chris is passionate about, having in his time been Director of Science for SEPA, Director of Environment for the Northumbrian Water Group and a trustee/director/chairman of more environmental NGOs than is good for you, including RSPB, FBA, WWT, BTO, SWT, CIEEM, River Restoration Centre and Tweed Forum, as well as the Scientific Advisory Committee of SNH, and a spell on both the Scottish and English Biodiversity Groups. 7

A Cambridge university geographer by training, Chris spent 10 years at Aberdeen University, working on the territorial behaviour of Carrion Crows for his PhD, then population dynamics of Mute Swans in the Outer Hebrides, and lastly the impacts of spraying pesticides on bird populations in Scottish pine forests. ‘Real jobs’ in conservation with Anglian Water Authority, the National Rivers Authority and then Northumbrian Water followed, before he returned to Scotland as SEPA’s first Director of Environmental Science in 2004. His interest in swans continues (having studied in their breeding and wintering grounds, ringed and eaten all three UK species!), as does a wider involvement in river restoration, wetland ecosystem services and the Scottish Land Use Strategy. He is gradually working his way through the Scottish Munros, but having done only his 150th this year has a long way still to go…

Professor Des Thompson is Principal Adviser on Biodiversity with Scottish Natural Heritage, and has led some of Britain’s upland nature conservation work for the government and its agencies. From the Highlands, where he went to Tain Royal Academy, Des took his first degree in Biology from Paisley College, and PhD and DSc from the University of Nottingham (publishing his PhD as the textbook Gulls and Plovers - the ecology and behaviour of mixed species feeding groups). He has specialist interests in upland and bird ecology, and has published widely including the collaborative books Ecological Change in the Uplands; Birds of Prey in a Changing Environment; An Illustrated Guide to British Upland Vegetation; Alpine Biodiversity in Europe; The Changing Nature of Scotland; and, this year, Nature’s Conscience: the life and legacy of Derek Ratcliffe. Des was founder chairman of the Scottish Raptor Monitoring Scheme (which gave rise to Raptors: a field guide for surveys and monitoring), is an Associate Editor of the Journal of Applied Ecology, Chairman of the Field Studies Council, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, and Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management.

Amanda Trask has broad research interests in ecology, evolution and conservation. In particular, she is interested in the genetic and demographic processes underlying population declines in the wild. She is in her final year as PhD student at the University of Aberdeen, and her current work focuses on molecular genetics, demographics and 8

population dynamics of Red-billed Chough in Scotland, in order to inform conservation strategies.

Dr Charles Warren is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Geography & Sustainable Development at the University of St Andrews. After two decades researching glacier responses to climate change, his interests now lie in environmental management and land use conflicts. He is the author of Managing Scotland's Environment (EUP, 2008).

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TALK ABSTRACTS

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Evidence of a lethal genetic disease in a Scottish bird population of conservation concern Amanda Trask, Stuart Piertney, Eric Bignal, Davy McCracken, Pat Monaghan & Jane Reid University of Aberdeen [email protected] Deleterious recessive mutations of both large and small effect that are masked in outbred populations will be expressed in small, inbred populations of conservation concern. Few studies, however, have demonstrated the action of a large effect recessive mutation in a wild population of conservation concern, meaning that their relevance to population management is unclear. Red-billed choughs (Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax) are a species of conservation concern in Scotland and currently number less than 60 breeding pairs. This population has recently been affected by lethal blindness in nestlings. Determining the aetiology of this disorder, so that management options can be considered, is therefore a conservation priority. We used family data to show that the pattern of occurrence of blindness within and among affected families (that produced blind offspring) matched that expected given Mendelian inheritance of a single-locus recessive mutation. However, blindness occurred at a low frequency in the population as a whole (1.3% nestlings).Both genetic relatedness and multi-locus heterozygosity estimates suggest that potential carriers for the blindness mutation may be widespread in the contemporary population, as opposed to clustered within a single family. Furthermore, comparison of brood size between affected families and unaffected families revealed a significantly larger brood size in affected families. We provide strong evidence for the expression of a lethal recessive mutation in a population of conservation concern in Scotland. The likely widespread distribution of carriers limits potential management options for the mutation and large brood sizes of carriers may mean the mutation could persist in the population.

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A National Coastal Erosion Risk Assessment for Scotland James Fitton, Jim Hansom & Alistair Rennie University of Glasgow [email protected] A Coastal Erosion Susceptibility Model (CESM) and a Coastal Erosion Vulnerability Model (CEVM) have been developed for Scotland. The CESM is a national raster model (50 m cell size) which combines a number of datasets; ground elevation, rockhead elevation, proximity to the open coast, wave exposure, presence of defences, and sediment supply, into a single output. The CESM is then be used with other asset data such as locations of properties, roads and railways etc. to identify the assets that are potentially exposed to coastal erosion. The CEVM uses data from the Experian Mosaic Scotland geodemographic database, which categorises each postcode in Scotland into one of 44 socioeconomic groups based on a range of socioeconomic indicators such as income, qualifications, property type, education etc. Key vulnerability indicators were identified and extracted to form a single vulnerability index variable. Combining the CESM and CEVM allows identification of areas where both coastal erosion susceptibility and vulnerability are high i.e. coastal erosion risk.

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Winner: Best Student Presentation Does the native plant community of Atlantic oak woods recover after removal of invasive Rhododendron ponticum? Janet Maclean, Robin Pakeman, Ruth Mitchell, Dave Burslem, Jeanette Hall & Dave Genney James Hutton Institute [email protected] A growing awareness of the destructive effects of non-native invasive species has led to a massive increase in removal programmes around the world. Little is typically known about what happens to sites following the removal of the invasives, however, and the implicit assumption that the native community will return, unaided, to preinvasion conditions is often left untested. My research investigates the extent to which the native plant community recovers after invasive Rhododendron ponticum has been removed from Atlantic oak woods in Western Scotland. These woodlands are of high conservation value and are included in the EC Habitat Directive Annex 1. I use a chronosequence approach to look at recovery in sites with up to thirty years since the Rhododendron was cleared. I investigate impacts to both understory vegetation and epiphytic bryophytes to build a detailed picture of the lasting legacy of Rhododendron invasion on plant community structure and function. My results reveal that the epiphytic bryophyte community is relatively quick to recover following Rhododendron removal and does return to similar levels of species richness, percent cover and community composition to that found in uninvaded control plots within thirty years. The understory community, however, does not recover within the thirty-year time-frame and instead forms a bryophyte-dominated ‘novel community’, containing few of the typical oak woodland vascular plants. These results highlight the context-dependence of invasion legacies, with certain aspects of the native community recovering quickly and other aspects showing few signs of recovery in the absence of further management intervention.

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The influence of condition on the population dynamics of salmonids R. Susdorf & D. Lusseau University of Aberdeen [email protected] Atlantic salmon is an iconic species with high economic impact. Individuals spend the first years in freshwater as juveniles, subsequently migrate to sea, and, after one or multiple sea-winters, return to natal freshwater for reproduction. Over recent decades, survival rate at sea for Scottish and most other stocks has generally decreased, reflected in lower adult numbers returning, with a disproportionately bigger decline in the proportion maturing and returning after multiple sea-winters (MSW). Both direct, predation, and indirect factors such as unfavourable environmental conditions in freshwater and sea, and parasitism could be causing the observed trend. In order to understand the relative contribution of those factors we developed a stage-structured condition-mediated population model, mainly based on parameters obtained from the relatively data-rich system of the North Esk, northeast Scotland. Both constant and density-dependent egg-to-smolt survival rate were considered. We show, using elasticity analyses, that small condition impairment of MSW salmon can cause substantial stock declines, whereas the 1SW component is substantially less effective. As expected, delayed maturation generally increased stock abundance. Furthermore, juvenile survival strongly determined population dynamics. Juvenile phase duration had minimal influence on the population. Densitydependence amongst juveniles had a compensatory effect alleviating the population response to perturbation. The ability of our model to integrate complex functional relationships provides a novel approach to assess the effects of environmental changes or management actions on salmonid populations. Its application demonstrates that Atlantic salmon populations are highly sensitive to juvenile survival and the condition of adults. In future, we plan to estimate parasite-mediated condition effects to determine their likely indirect impact on population dynamics and trajectory.

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High early-life winter site fidelity in European shags Phalacrocorax aristotelis in Scotland Jenny Sturgeon, Francis Daunt, Sarah Wanless & Jane Reid University of Aberdeen [email protected] One critical step towards conserving species is to understanding where they are located throughout the year. In temperate environments the winter season can be particularly harsh and the winter location and environment that individuals experience can profoundly affect their subsequent fitness and survival, especially if individuals use the same winter location across years. However, very little is known about the sub-adults of long-lived, wide-ranging species due to the difficulty of tracking movements of numerous juveniles over large spatio-temporal scales. Hence, little is known about the development of site fidelity, or the age at which individuals fix their winter location. We used field resightings of colour-ringed adult European shags to show that Scottish breeding populations are partially migratory, with some being resident year-round and others migrating during the winter. We then used >6000 resightings of ~2500 juveniles colour-ringed at four colonies across five years to quantify the timing and location of settlement. Juveniles from all colonies were repeatedly resighted at the diverse locations where they were first sighted in winter. Juvenile shags therefore show high winter philopatry, suggesting that they acquired their lifelong wintering strategy soon after fledging. These data imply that, in this partially migratory population, individuals’ wintering strategies become canalized early in life, potentially inhibiting individual and population responses to future environmental change.

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Ecological network theory: identifying the relative importance of local vs landscape structure for avian diversity and abundance in fragmented secondary woodlands Robin Whytock, Kirsty Park, Elisa Fuentes-Montemayor, Kevin Watts & Phil McGowan University of Stirling [email protected] Ecological network theory integrates concepts from island biogeography theory and conservation planning, and is used to understand the spatial ecology of fragmented habitats. Conceptually, ecological networks are comprised of core areas embedded in a matrix of non-focal habitat, with patches connected by buffer zones, linear and non-linear corridors. Together, these characteristics can influence the functionality of populations and ecosystems. Following high levels of global deforestation, it is increasingly recommended that ecological network theory should be used to inform woodland creation. However, for many taxa, the relative importance of local vs landscape structure is unknown, making it difficult to prioritise conservation actions. We explored the relative importance of local vs landscape structure for avian species richness and abundance in 101 secondary woodlands in Great Britain (Scotland n = 64, England n = 37 patches; mean = 16.2, range 0.5 – 31.89 ha). Woodlands were selected systematically by the Woodland Creation and Ecological Network (WrEN) research project using a ‘natural experiment’ approach. Birds were surveyed once in April, May and June 2015. In total, 8,252 adult birds of 59 species were recorded. Species richness and relative abundance was estimated for five functional groups. The relative effects of 16 local characteristics (including management practices, vegetation character, patch geometry and stand age) and 13 metrics of landscape structure (encompassing interconnectivity and matrix characteristics) was assessed. When local and landscape structure was assessed independently, patch characteristics (particularly patch area) best explained richness and abundance for all groups other than farmland seed-eaters. However, models that included both local and landscape metrics had greater support throughout. As expected, the most important metrics of local and landscape structure varied by functional group, and several metrics (e.g. agricultural grazing) had contrasting effects between groups. Results are discussed in the context of ecological network theory and conservation planning.

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How do vertebrate hosts and habitat affect Lyme borreliosis ecology in Scotland? Caroline Millins, Lucy Gilbert & Roman Biek University of Glasgow [email protected] Lyme borreliosis is among the most important vector-borne diseases in the Northern hemisphere and is an emerging disease in Scotland. Transmitted by Ixodid tick vectors, Lyme borreliosis is caused by bacteria from the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato species group which are maintained by many wild vertebrate host species. We used a range of approaches to investigate how host communities and habitat affect the population dynamics of B. burgdorferi s.l. and its tick vector Ixodes ricinus. Surveys of woodlands revealed variable effects of deer abundance on B. burgdorferi prevalence, from no effect to a possible ‘dilution’ effect resulting in lower prevalence at higher deer densities. An invasive species in Scotland, the grey squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) was found to host diverse genotypes of B. burgdorferi s.l. and may act as a spill over host for strains maintained by native host species. Habitat fragmentation may alter the dynamics of B. burgdorferi s.l. via effects on the host community and host movements. We found lack of persistence of the rodent associated genospecies of B. burgdorferi s.l. within a naturally fragmented landscape. Rodent host biology, particularly population cycles and home range size are likely to affect pathogen persistence and recolonization in fragmented habitats. This work shows how host communities and habitat configuration can affect the local transmission dynamics of B. burgdorferi s.l. and the risk of infection to humans. Further studies could build on this work to develop management recommendations or interventions to reduce the risk of Lyme borreliosis.

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Strong inference from transect sign surveys: combining spatial autocorrelation and misclassification occupancy models to quantify the detectability of a recovering carnivore Ewan McHenry, Catherine O'Reilly, Edel Sheerin, Kenny Kortland & Xavier Lambin University of Aberdeen [email protected] Monitoring of species using surveys of ambiguous signs and assuming 100 % detectability produces potentially biased occupancy estimates. Novel analytical tools have been developed that correct for bias arising from imperfect detectability, species misidentification and spatial autocorrelation between detection survey replicates that can affect transect surveys. To date they have been applied singly, but their combined value is unclear. The recovery of carnivores such as the European pine marten (Martes martes) potentially has far reaching, but largely unknown, implications for ecosystem restoration. Analysis of the species’ distribution has as yet been crude and hence unsuited for informing management. We aimed to assess the validity of standard scat surveys to provide recommendations to increase inference from future surveys. We employed spatially replicated scat surveys along forest paths in NE Scotland, genetic verification of scat provenance and occupancy modelling techniques to quantify pine marten detectability and variation therein. Detectability for 1km and 1.5km transects, comparable to standard protocols, was estimated to be 0.33 and 0.51 respectively, highlighting the importance of accounting for imperfect detectability. Detection probabilities decreased with vegetation cover and increased with path width. Models accounting for spatial autocorrelation between adjacent transect segments suggested that segments of ≥200m could be analysed as spatial replicates with negligible bias. As is the norm, not all scats yielded DNA to genetically verify they were produced by pine marten. This was accounted for through the use of ‘miss-classification occupancy models’ which allowed the use of unverified scats, increasing detection probabilities while accounting for the probability of unverified scats being false positive detections. This study exemplifies that robust inference on species occupancy is achievable through careful consideration of sampling design and the application of readily available analytical techniques. Adopting best-practice need not increase monitoring costs and can even increase cost-efficiency.

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An integrated sustainable development framework for coastal and marine regions Julian T Inglis University of the Highlands and Islands, Perth College [email protected] In Scotland, terrestrial, river basin, and marine planning proceed as parallel processes. Notwithstanding the commitment to integrate planning and management across the land-sea interface, there are few examples, other than in estuarine and near shore environments, where this has been realized. Integrated coastal zone management (ICZM) represents a strategic approach to the sustainable development of coastal zones. In particular, the approach offers the prospect of broad, inclusive and enduring partnerships, good communications and information sharing. The UK actively supported the development and implementation of the EU Recommendation on ICZM (2002), and its eight principles. The momentum towards strong institutional and political support for ICZM was lost, however, when the proposed EU Directive on maritime spatial planning and integrated coastal management (2013) was dropped in favour of a streamlined Directive on maritime spatial planning (2014). In Scotland, ICZM remains the province of voluntary local coastal partnerships, which have an uncertain role in marine regional planning and which work with limited resources. I am aiming to develop and test a non-statutory, integrated sustainable development framework for terrestrial and marine regions against this background. There are three steps involved: 1) identification of the key factors underlying good practice from cases at a global level, 2) constructing and testing the framework in the lower Tay region, and 3) adapting it for application in other coastal areas. The lower Tay region is characterized by its many protected areas, by its diverse estuarine and coastal communities, onshore and off-shore developments, and rich cultural heritage. Terrestrial and river basin planning in the region is well advanced. A National Marine Plan is in place, and a regional marine plan for the Tay and Forth estuaries will be developed. The proposed framework should provide an innovative and practicable approach to delivering the commitment to integrate and sustain planning and management across the land-sea interface, at a regional scale, based on ICZM principles.

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New ideas for managing conservation conflict in Scotland – Game theory & structured decision making Chris R J Pollard, Nils Bunnefeld, Aidan Keane, Steve Redpath & Juliette Young University of Stirling [email protected] Conflicts involving the use and conservation of biodiversity are widely recognised both as damaging to human livelihoods and biodiversity and as increasing in scope and scale. The differing goals of those focussed on improving livelihoods and those focussed on biodiversity conservation result in conflict when both sides typically seek to achieve their objectives regardless of the cost to the other side. Game theory, the study of strategic decision making, can be used to investigate conservation conflict and when integrated into a structured decision making framework, may offer hope for the navigation of these emotive and incendiary situations. The high value arable crops of the Orkney Islands provide an unintentional food source for the population of resident greylag geese (Anser anser) which has dramatically increased over the past 30 years, from hundreds to over 23,000. The impact of the goose damage has radiated out through farmers themselves to farming groups, conservation organisations, wildfowl shooters, land managers and government. A complicated conflict has thus arisen amongst multiple heterogeneous stakeholder groups with myriad goals, all subject to the impacts of biophysical, ecological and economic system uncertainty. Here, conservation conflict as a strategic decision making system is described using the Orkney Islands goose conflict as a case study. Additionally, the potential for game theory to play a part in wider conflict management is discussed.

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Climate Change and Evolvability: Temperature Effects on Bone Development and Later Life Plasticity in Arctic Charr Calum Campbell, Kevin Parsons, Colin Adams & Colin Bean University of Glasgow [email protected] Anthropogenic climate change is expected to cause dramatic changes in environmental conditions that will significantly alter both the selection pressures and developmental conditions for species. Specifically, climate change is predicted to lead to average increases in temperature of up to 8°C at arctic latitudes. Thus, it is imperative that we understand the potential for interactions between development and such drastic changes in temperature within the context of evolvability if we are to make informed decisions about how to mitigate biodiversity loss. We hypothesised that temperature would alter bone development during key periods of bone ossification. To test this we incubated Arctic Charr (Salvelinus alpinus) embryos at two different temperatures (5°C and 9°C to partially mimic an expected global temperature increase). We sampled embryos at three distinct stages (pre-hatch, 50% hatch and first-feeding) and performed cartilage and bone staining. Using image analysis, we then measured the variation in levels of cartilage and bone development to compare the two temperature treatments. The fish were placed on a dietary manipulation experiment to assess how temperature affected their plastic response to being fed either a benthic-style or a pelagic-style diet. We conducted a geometric morphometric analysis of the fish and assessed the differences between diet types and between temperatures. Putative results suggest that embryos developing at 9°C exhibited both cartilage and bone at significantly higher levels than those embryos which developed to equivalent stages at 5°C. From this we can conclude that embryos which develop at a higher temperature undergo more extensive osteogenesis at an earlier time in development. This could have serious implications for later life plastic responses to; biomechanical influences, and overall levels of evolvability.

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Diet of European shags signals coastal marine environmental change Howells RJ, Burthe S, Green JA, Wanless S, Harris MP, Newell MA, & Daunt F. Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (Edinburgh) & University of Liverpool [email protected] Seabirds have long been proposed as suitable biological indicator species of changes in the marine environment. However, a growing number of anthropogenic pressures on marine ecosystems, makes evaluating the effectiveness of seabirds as indicators increasingly urgent. Although seabirds have been used as effective ecological indicators of overall environmental change, current approaches have gained limited understanding of the processes underpinning such responses. The North Sea is one of the most rapidly warming marine ecosystems on the planet. This warming has resulted in profound changes in the distribution and abundance of species at all trophic levels, including the Lesser Sandeel Ammodytes marinus, the principle food source of most seabirds in the region. Here, we investigated patterns of change in the diet of European shags Phalacrocorax aristotelis breeding on the Isle of May, Scotland using data spanning three decades. This population has experienced striking fluctuations in breeding phenology, numbers and success over this period. In addition, their diet has changed dramatically. At the beginning of the study, diet consisted almost exclusively of lesser sandeels. However, the population has exploited a wide range of prey species in recent years. Furthermore, the proportion of different prey types has varied dramatically among years. We investigated the potential drivers of diet change using a suite of environmental covariates. We also quantified the demographic consequences of diet change. Our results highlight the foraging plasticity of this species and the potential use of shag diet and demographic rates as indicators of coastal marine environmental change.

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The effects of repeated disturbance trials on haulout transition rates of harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) Paterson, W., Russell, D. J., Wu, M., McConnell, B. J. & Thompson, D. University of St Andrews [email protected] Harbour seals in Scotland are protected under European law at important haulout sites designated as Special Areas of Conservation (SACs). Understanding the spatio-temporal coverage and resolution needed to identify the effects of increased anthropogenic activity is vital in determining how SACs and their connectivity are managed. We assessed the probability of seals transiting from one haulout site to another as affected by increased anthropogenic activity by implementing a series of controlled disturbance trials in the Sound of Islay, Scotland. Hauled out seals were approached every three days from a distance of 300 m by boat at a speed of 5 knots until they flushed into the water. GPS/GSM phone tags deployed on adult female harbour seals (n=8) provided telemetry data that included GPS locations both at sea and while hauled out. Data were collected for an average of 78 days (maximum 107 days) from April to August 2014. The total number of trips that resulted in seals transiting between haulout sites was 162 compared to 464 when seals returned to the site from which they had departed. A Generalized Additive Mixed Model framework was used to determine transition rates of seals when exposed to disturbance trials compared with during trips embarked upon in the absence of disturbance. We found no significant evidence that repeated disturbance caused seals to switch haulout sites. Animals in this study showed a high degree of site fidelity that resulted in disturbed seals returning to the same haulout site either within the same or on a subsequent low tide period. These results demonstrate that increased disturbance of the type implemented in this study does not cause seals to change the location at which they choose to haul out. Monitoring of seal haulout sites need only therefore be on a localised scale at the source of disturbance.

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Disturbance of bats by small scale turbines in the UK Cerian Tatcheley & Kirsty Park University of Stirling [email protected] Wind power is an increasingly important method of electricity generation employed worldwide. While much of the focus in wind energy technology to date has been on wind farms, a relatively recent development is the expansion of the micro-wind sector (turbines generating < 50 kW), and there are now over 800,000 small wind turbines (SWTs) installed globally. There are a range of potential negative effects wind power can exert on wildlife, in particular on birds and bats, and quantification of the potential wildlife impacts is necessary to inform planning guidance. Yet to date, there has been very little published research into the wildlife impacts of SWTs. We have conducted a series of bat activity acoustic surveys along linear habitat features such as hedgerows and treelines, known to be important habitat features for bats, with a SWT installed within 100m. The use of linear features by Pipistrellus pygmaeus and Myotis sp. is lower where SWTs are located in close proximity and this effect persists for at least 60m along the linear feature. These results support recommendations for buffer distances between SWTs and important bat habitats, but suggest the buffer may need to be larger than that suggested by previous research.

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Fingerprinting of discharges from small residential effluent pollution sources Samia Richards, Paul J. A. Withers & Marc Stutter James Hutton Institute & Bangor University [email protected] Small point sources of pollutants such as septic tanks are recognised as significant contributors to streams’ pathogen and nutrient loadings, however there are few data in the UK on which to judge the potential risks that septic tank effluents (STE) pose to water quality and human health. We present the first comprehensive analysis of STE to help assess multi-pollutant characteristics, management-related risk factors and potential tracers that might be used to identify STE sources. Thirty-two septic tank effluents from residential households located in North East of Scotland were sampled along with adjacent stream waters. Biological, physical, chemical and fluorescence characterisation was coupled with information on system age, design, type of tank, tank management and number of users. Biological characterisation revealed that total coliforms and E.coli concentration ranges were: 103-108 and 103107 MPN/100 mL, respectively. Physical parameters such as electrical conductivity, turbidity and alkalinity ranged 160-1730 S/cm, 8-916 NTU and 15-698 mg/L, respectively. Effluent total phosphorus (TP), soluble reactive P (SRP), total nitrogen (TN) and ammonium-N (NH4-N) concentrations ranged 1-32, 1651, 213, 176, 63, 14 and 8 times that of stream waters, respectively. Tank condition, management and number of users had influenced effluent quality that can pose a direct risk to stream waters as multiple points of pollutants.

25

Responses of aquatic biota to pressures from imposed water level alterations in lakes Anwên Bill, Nigel Willby & Chris Bromley SEPA & University of Stirling [email protected] Hydromorphological modifications such as water level fluctuations via water regulation, or shoreline modification are considered to be a major pressure on lakes. Such alterations impact lake littoral zones, affecting the structure and composition of macrophyte and littoral macroinvertebrate communities and thus lake-wide ecology. Given that the littoral zone holds the majority of a lake’s biodiversity, this area is critical as a habitat and food resource for aquatic and riparian organisms. Stresses imposed by these activities are understood in principle; however, key knowledge gaps remain. This research aims to improve understanding of the empirical relationships between hydromorphological pressures and loch ecology. I will be introducing recent work on the isoetid, Littorella uniflora (Shoreweed). This is a small evergreen, amphibious plant that is common and almost ubiquitous on the shores of Scotland’s lakes. There is a need for better understanding of this macrophyte in order to mitigate population decline elsewhere in Europe and to determine response to pressure. In addition the remarkable ability of Littorella uniflora for rapid morphological change in response to various stress factors, including water stress, makes it a model species for research into impacts of water level fluctuation.

26

Direct and indirect effects of invasive non-native plants and flood disturbance, on the dynamics of riparian zone vegetation Zarah Pattison & Nigel Willby University of Stirling [email protected] Riparian zones are dynamic habitats with complex disturbance regimes. They are also highly prone to invasion by non-native plants, such as Himalayan Balsam (Impatiens glandulifera) in NW Europe. There is much concern over the potential impacts of invasive non-native plants (IAPs) on native riparian vegetation yet IAPs might essentially be passengers, rather than drivers of community change at fluvially disturbed sites. Future increases in river flows are expected to increase mobility of sediment and plant propagules suggesting that climate change and invasion will together have important effects on the stability of native riparian vegetation. To assess the effects of fluvial disturbance (as indicated by over-winter sediment deposition on Astroturf mats) and invasion on native vegetation, sites on twenty rivers were each surveyed in summer 2013 and spring and summer 2014. Sites covered a gradient of sediment deposition and IAP cover. Higher cover of IAPs was associated with lower diversity of native species in all seasons. However, the diversity of native spring vegetation was more sensitive to IAP cover in the previous summer. Greater sediment deposition was associated with significantly higher cover of IAPs the following spring, as well as increased short-term turnover of native species. Our results reveal a legacy effect of IAP dominance that is associated with decreased diversity of native spring vegetation the following year. This may be due to winter sediment deposition introducing an influx of IAP propagules and supressing recruitment from local sources. Sediment-mediated disturbance favours IAPs and results in a less stable and potentially more invadable native community. Most ecosystems are affected by both direct and indirect stressors. Effective management of IAPs depends on recognising these effects, how they interact, and how they are likely to change over time.

27

Using an optimal seasonal combination of removal methods to intelligently target Scottish populations of the invasive signal crayfish Rupert Houghton University of Aberdeen [email protected] There is an apparent reluctance to commit to long-term population control of invasive crayfish populations such as the signal crayfish (Pacifastacus leniusculus), perhaps due to a perceived lack of success. Notable successful removal studies have been conducted for extended periods of time, using a minimum of two methods. However the majority of previous ‘failed’ control efforts have typically made use of only a single removal method, applied without consideration of their seasonal variation in impact on the population dynamics. Different removal methods are known to select different demographic classes of animal and these biases may vary seasonally. In 2014 I conducted research to quantify the demographic selectivity and efficacy of six different removal methods in spring, summer and autumn, whilst simultaneously performing a capture-mark-recapture study in order to quantify the abundance of available crayfish in each demographic class. This resulted in harvest parameters that reflect the proportion of each demographic class removed per unit effort of each respective method in each seasonal period. After constructing and modelling a signal crayfish life cycle based on a combination of vital rates from the literature and the aforementioned field work, I simulated the impacts of various seasonal combinations of removal methods on invasive crayfish population dynamics. Thus a seasonal combination of methods can be established that optimally decreases population growth rate. Field trials of this theoretical strategy are now underway on two Scottish populations. The results of this work will be presented in the context of Scottish signal crayfish populations, aiming to stress the urgency of targeting small, isolated populations while this remains a possibility. In Scotland the time for action is now, before it is too late.

28

List of Posters Migration of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) at low-head Archimedean screw hydropower schemes Robert Brackley, University of Glasgow The effect of salt stress on the physiological and molecular response of halophyte specoes Atriplex halimus (L.) Faiza Hamdani, Faculté des sciences Biologiques et des Sciences Argonomiques, Université Mouloud Mammeri de Tizi-Ouzou Sex and environmental differences in age-dependent and age-independent senescence of body mass Svenja B. Kroeger, Institute of Biological & Environmental Sciences, Ecology and Evolution, University of Aberdeen Modelling effects of marine renewable developments on UK seabird populations Julie Miller, University of Glasgow Evaluating Peatland Management for Multiple Ecosystem Services Ainoa Pravia, The James Hutton Institute Multiple benefits from SuDS ponds: habitats for wildlife and assets for urban communities Marcia Rae, Scottish Natural Heritage & Highland Council Investigating conservation management interventions for upland breeding water populations on marginal grassland- the novel application of lime Emma Jane Sheard, Stirling University Habitat-dependent occupancy of range-edge populations of great crested newt Triturus cristatus : implications for conservation in the Scottish Highlands Alexandre Miro, Centre for Advanced studies of Blanes, Spanish Research Council Quantifying the differences in avian attack rates on reptiles between a windfarm and control site, through the exposure of plasticine reptile models to free-ranging avian predators Cameron Law, University of Aberdeen Are impacts on peatlands adequately considered within environmental statements of Scottish windfarms? Joanna Wawrzyczek, University of Edinburgh

29

POSTER ABSTRACTS

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Migration of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) at low-head Archimedean screw hydropower schemes Robert Brackley1, Colin Adams1, Colin Bean2, Alistair Duguid3, Martin C. Lucas4 & Rhian Thomas1 1

University of Glasgow; 2 Scottish Natural Heritage; 3 Scottish Environmental Protection Agency; 4 University of Durham [email protected]

There has been a rapid increase in development of small-scale hydropower schemes across Europe. Such schemes may impact upon migratory fish populations through modification of migration pathways. There is a clear need for scientific evidence to inform guidelines for the design, placement and management of smallscale hydropower schemes for the protection of migratory fish. The proliferation of the Archimedean screw turbine (AST) for such low-head applications is concerning because although these turbines are purported to cause negligible damage to fish passing through them, the available data is limited. The studies presented assess the impacts of low-head AST hydropower schemes on migrating populations of anadromous Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) in Scotland. A telemetry study was conducted on downstream migrating smolts to evaluate the proportion of the population passing through an AST, and to assess any delay to migration resulting from the infrastructure and operation of the hydropower scheme. Smolts were tracked through an AST hydropower scheme on the river Don using radio tags and passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags. Smolt movements through the turbine channel and alternative passage route were observed using an array of fixed loggers at the hydropower scheme. The proportion of radio tagged fish which passed through the turbine was 27% (7/26). The majority of PIT tagged smolts passed through the turbine channel within 27 minutes. Passage behaviour is considered in the context of the scheme’s operation and environmental conditions. The potential for damage to smolts from passage through an AST was investigated using controlled turbine passage trials. Turbine-passed fish were assessed relative to control groups which did not pass through the turbine. Fish condition was assessed by external examination and blood-biochemistry correlates for unapparent internal damage. The potential effects of low-head AST schemes upon the spawning migration of adult fish were investigated using telemetry studies. Adult fish were tracked using radio and PIT tags at three AST hydropower schemes with distinctive designs and operational regimes: on the middle reaches of the river Don, the upper reaches of the Don, and on the Ettrick water. A mixture of fine-scale radio detection zones and PIT antennas was used to investigate attraction to the competing flows at each of the turbine and fish pass or depleted stretch outflows, and the efficiency and efficacy of 31

the fish pass. Behaviours at these regions are related to the turbine operation, scheme layout and the resulting hydrodynamics at the regions of interest.

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The effect of salt stress on the physiological and molecular response of the halophyte species Atriplex halimus (L.) Faiza HamdaniI1,2, Arezki Derridj1 & Hilary Rogers2 ¹Faculté des sciences Biologiques et des Sciences Agronomiques, Université Mouloud Mammeri de Tizi-Ouzou ; ²Plant senescence and stress laboratory, School of Biosciences, Cardiff University [email protected] The extension of irrigated agriculture and the intense utilization of water resources in hot and dry countries leads to an inevitable appearance of salinity problems in soil and water. Atriplex halimus L. is a perennial native shrub of the Mediterranean Basin with an excellent tolerance to drought and salinity. Plants have developed a range of mechanisms to mitigate the effects of drought and salinity including sequestration of Na+ ions in the vacuole, and synthesis and accumulation of osmolytes such as, proline, sugars and glycine betaine, which facilitate cell metabolism under stress conditions. Antioxidant metabolism also plays an important role in protecting plants from a wide variety of environmental stresses including drought and salinity. In this study, a comparison was made in physiological, biological and molecular responses of two Atriplex halimus L. populations from contrasting environments: arid steppe and saline coastline to increasing levels of salt over a six-week growth period. Results show greater survival of the coastal population as well as greater accumulation of Na+ and K+ which is mirrored by higher induction of antiporter gene expression. Both proline and glycine betaine increased more significantly in the coastal population, accompanied by greater induction of the CMO gene. Ascorbic acid content rose with increasing salt concentrations in both populations and catalase activity was strongly induced, indicating an activation of ROS scavenging mechanisms, both of which were more highly activated in the coastal population.

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Winner: Best Student Poster Sex and environmental differences in age-dependent and age-independent senescence of body mass Svenja B. Kroeger1, Jane M. Reid1 & Julien G. A. Martin1 1

Institute of Biological & Environmental Sciences, Ecology and Evolution, University of Aberdeen [email protected]

Senescence, defined as physiological deterioration with age, has important effects on life-history traits, including body mass. Understanding environmental effects on sex-specific senescence of body mass is crucial to understanding the evolution of reproductive trade-offs and life-histories. Senescence has rarely been evaluated using both an age-dependent approach, looking at trait variation with chronological age, and an age-independent approach, focusing on time to death. We used a long-term individual-based study of yellow-bellied marmots (Marmota flaviventris), to assess sex-specific body mass variation with age and independently of age. Individuals lived in two areas, up and down valley, that differ in phenology and environmental conditions. We found that on average, male marmots were heavier than females, and that in both sexes, up valley individuals were lighter than down valley ones. Age-dependent senescence of body mass was found in females only, in both parts of the valley. In males, down valley individuals showed constant mass with age, while up valley individuals increased their body mass with age, contrary to the senescence hypothesis. Age-independent senescence was only found in females living down valley. These results show that senescence is not only a chronological effect, but a highly heterogeneous within-individual process, dependent on environmental conditions. The between-sex and between-valley differences in senescence are probably due to different sex-specific reproductive strategies within each environment. We conclude that evaluating senescence with both an age-independent and age-dependent approach can provide increased detail on senescence and life-history patterns, and we plan to do further analyses of senescence in reproduction.

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Modelling effects of marine renewable developments on UK seabird populations Julie Miller1,2, Jason Matthiopoulos1, Mark Trinder3 & Bob Furness1,3 1

University of Glasgow; 2NERC; 3Macarthur Green [email protected]

Objective: Developing a tool to quantify effects of the offshore renewables industry on UK seabird populations, across spatial and temporal scales. Using an evidencebased approach this project aims to increase the accuracy of predictions of impacts to these populations from existing and proposed developments. Background The UK is an industry world leader in the development and deployment of renewable energy technologies. The UK and surrounding waters are home to significant assemblages of breeding, migrating and wintering seabirds. Around 80 Special Protection Areas (SPAs) exist in the UK for breeding seabird species. The offshore industry could potentially be constrained by cumulative impacts. Methods • Identify ‘target’ species for study – those at greatest risk from impacts of renewables - using evidence based approach. • Define the populations of the target species in UK waters, in terms of their biogeographic connectivity across spatial and temporal scales; acknowledging the meta-population structure of seabird populations. • Utilise current data and contemporary studies to review assumptions in models of displacement and collision risk used to assess impacts. • Assess colony/species datasets on variety of parameters (e.g. demographic rates, flight energetics and trip durations) to develop spatial / temporal models for seabird colonies, their associated feeding grounds. • Utilising these models and overlaying operational, consented and proposed renewable schemes, attempt to quantify: • Direct effects on populations, such as displacement and collisions; and, • Indirect effects operating on prey species. • Using high quality, longitudinal datasets develop meta-population models incorporating density dependence, fishery stock data and climate data. Use the meta-population models to assess the predicted spatial and temporal impacts of renewable developments to the target seabird populations.

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Evaluating Peatland Management for Multiple Ecosystem Services Ainoa Pravia1,2, Roxane Andersen2, Rebekka Artz1, Kenneth Boyd2 & Nick Littlewood1 1

The James Hutton Institute; 2 Environmental Research Institute [email protected]

Drainage is the main impact of land use change in peatlands, affecting valuable ecosystem services such as biodiversity and carbon sequestration. Peatland restoration could play a key role in climate change mitigation worldwide by reducing emissions from land use changes and contributing to carbon sequestration; and trade-offs would be expected when restoration targets shift their objectives by favouring certain ecosystem services over others. Diversity plays a functional role in ecosystems, whereby species’ functional traits influence both ecosystem functioning and species’ ability to respond to environmental changes, allowing fluctuations in ecosystem processes to be predicted on the basis of community composition changes. As such, this project aims to utilise invertebrate taxa to assess the effectiveness of peatland management, identify trade-offs between restoration objectives and develop indicators of restoration success that will facilitate the monitoring of restored peatlands.

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Multiple benefits from SuDS ponds: habitats for wildlife and assets for urban communities Marcia Rae1,2, David O’Brien1, Jeanette Hall1, Phil Baarda1 & Robert Jehle3 1

Scottish Natural Heritage; 2 Highland Council, Inverness; 3University of Salford, School of Environment and Life Sciences [email protected] Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) have long been postulated to deliver multiple benefits including reduction of flood risk, breakdown of pollutants, habitats for wildlife and amenity value for people. This study has built on previous work on Inverness SuDS running since 2010. We have used amphibians as a representative taxon as they have limited powers of dispersal, are easily recognised by members of the public and produce large numbers of eggs which are easy to sample for DNA. Whilst previous studies have shown that Inverness SuDS have higher amphibian occupancy rates and Habitat Suitability Index scores than the national averages for wider countryside ponds, this study has attempted to analyse which features of SuDS are associated with greater diversity of amphibians and invertebrates. This information will be of use for planners and developers to design the best SuDS for wildlife as part of wider green infrastructure. Other studies of urban amphibians elsewhere in Britain and Europe have shown high levels of inbreeding resulting from isolation. We have looked at the number of alleles per locus to gain an understanding of inbreeding, and genetic differentiation (F ST) to investigate gene flow between populations. In the next stage of this project we will be comparing these results with habitat maps to see how postulated ease of movement across different urban habitats compares with actual flow of genes. This will enable planners to locate SuDS where they are most likely to form part of habitat corridors. Finally, the project has included public engagement with local residents and with primary and secondary schools to encourage a reappraisal of SuDS as places to relax, valuable educational resources and as features which give communities a sense of place.

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Investigating conservation management interventions for upland breeding wader populations on marginal grassland – the novel application of lime Emma Jane Sheard1, Kirsty Park1, Des Thompson2, Nigel Buxton2, Paul Robertson2, Dave Beaumont3 & Jeremy Wilson3 1

Stirling University; 2Scottish Natural Heritage; 3RSPB [email protected]

Declines in farmland biodiversity during the last century have been widely attributed to the intensification and expansion of modern agricultural practice. In particular, the negative effects of agricultural processes on birds have been well documented, with farmland breeding wader populations suffering dramatic long-term population declines in lowland England and Wales. Marginal, upland farming in Scotland is considered critically important for supporting UK populations of breeding waders. Recent trends, however, have identified loss and constriction of breeding wader populations across the Scottish uplands. Agri-environment schemes (AES) directed at breeding waders have shown mixed results. In this study a novel grassland management intervention for breeding waders was set up autumn 2014 to look at the effects of liming on marginal upland agricultural grasslands. Lime is used to raise soil pH which improves grass growth on acidic sites. This could benefit breeding waders by providing more favourable soil conditions for invertebrates, such as earthworms, which are a key prey resource. A split plot treatment design was implemented across 4 farms (n=9 fields) within Scotland. Data collected spring 2015 included; soil cores to count earthworm abundance, measuring soil pH and organic matter; pitfall traps to monitor above ground active invertebrates; breeding wader surveys and foraging observations. This large scale experimental trial of lime is ongoing and will have annual data collected in spring 2016 and 2017. This poster will discuss preliminary analysis in the context of potential policy implications of lime as a management intervention for breeding waders, with respect to AES and farming advisory services.

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Quantifying the differences in avian attack rates on reptiles between a windfarm and control site, through the exposure of plasticine ® reptile models to free-ranging avian predators Cameron Law1, D. O’Brien2 & L. Lancaster1 1

University of Aberdeen; 2 Scottish Natural Heritage [email protected]

Land-based wind farms are the least expensive, and most technically mature deliverers of renewable energy, resulting in a significant expansion of proposed and established windfarms across Scotland. Despite the rapid expansion of windfarms, their effects on ground-dwelling organisms remain largely unquantified. The abundance of birds around windfarms can be affected by displacement due to disturbance. Previous studies have found a negative correlation with raptor abundance and proximity to wind turbines. Avian predation is widely assumed to be one of the major sources of mortality within reptile populations. The adder (Vipera berus) and common lizard (Zootoca vivipara) are widely distributed across mainland Scotland, and their range intersects with that of the proposed and established windfarms. This study investigated whether the reduced abundance of avian predators around windfarms resulted in differing levels of attacks on reptiles when comparing a windfarm and a neighbouring control site.

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Habitat-dependent occupancy of range-edge populations of great crested newt Triturus cristatus: implications for conservation in the Scottish Highlands Alexandre Miró1, C.D. O’Brien2, J.E. Hall2 & R. Jehle3 1

Centre for Advanced Studies of Blanes, Spanish Research Council (CEAB-CSIC); 2 Scottish Natural Heritage; 3 University of Salford, School of Environment and Life Sciences [email protected] The study of species at their range-edge has long fascinated biologists, and the biotic and abiotic factors that influence the persistence of peripheral populations are still poorly understood. Climate, predation, soil and water chemistry and other habitat factors all interact with physiology, genetics and population dynamics to shape realised niches. The great crested newt Triturus cristatus is a European Protected Species under the Habitats Directive and has declined heavily across much of its range. In Britain it reaches its northern limit around Inverness, where populations are separated from the rest of its range by over 80km of unfavourable habitat. Understanding its habitat requirements is seen as key to protecting this species. We found that Triturus cristatus is strongly associated with invertebrate diversity, slightly sloping banks, a substrate of organic mud over humus-rich iron podsols with underlying sand and gravel (but negatively related with boulder clay), adjacent mixed Pinus sylvestris-Betula woodland (EUNIS habitat code G4.4), high coverage of aquatic vegetation, low number of years when the pond dries up and the absence of fish. Sites where T. cristatus was lost were strongly associated with fish presence and low moss coverage of the shore. There appeared to be no adverse effects from traditional farming and occurrence showed a slight positive correlation with hunting. The pH of breeding sites ranged widely, from pH 4.9 to pH 9.3. The findings of this study are being used to inform pond creation and habitat management in the Highlands, in order to reinforce vulnerable populations and encourage metapopulation processes. To date 19 new ponds have been constructed and 8 restored in the region, through funding by SNH and Forestry Commission Scotland.

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Are impacts on peatlands adequately considered within environmental statements of Scottish windfarms? Joanna Wawrzyczek1 1

University of Edinburgh

[email protected] A large number of windfarms have been constructed and proposed in Scotland as part of the effort to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions. However, Environmental Impact Assessments, undertaken to identify potential significant effects of proposed developments, have been widely recognised as often falling short of what is required. This study reviews peat information provided within environmental statements of 21 onshore windfarms approved by the Scottish Ministers. The results show that despite all studied windfarms being proposed on peatlands, only 24% of windfarms provided sufficient coverage of peat depth probing and 29% surveyed vegetation evenly across the entire range of the study area. Windfarms quantified effects infrequently (76% - direct effects; 38% - indirect effects; 14% - ecology-related and 5% hydrology/geology cumulative effects) and their assessments of impacts from drainage considered only short-term effects. Moreover, the information within environmental statements is presented in a way that is not comparable between developments. Thresholds for the high magnitude of impacts used by windfarms were found to range from >10% to up to 80% of habitat loss/disturbance. One developer stated that it could not perform cumulative impact assessment as various developments assessed impacts in different ways. The results of this study raise a question of whether more adequately assessed impacts on peatlands would undermine the perception of the positive outcome of renewable energy from windfarms built on peatlands. This is the first study which reviews peat-related information within multiple environmental statements of windfarms.

41

Steering Committee: First Name

Surname

Organisation/University

Lynne

Clark

SNH

Bob

Furness

SNH Board member/University of Glasgow/MacArthur Green

Dan

Haydon

University of Glasgow

Xavier

Lambin

University of Aberdeen

David

O’Brien

SNH

Kirsty

Park

University of Stirling

Josephine

Pemberton

University of Edinburgh

Paul

Robertson

SNH

Peter

Singleton

SEPA

Chris

Spray

University of Dundee/NERC

Des

Thompson

SNH

Amanda

Trask

University of Aberdeen

Charles

Warren

University of St Andrews

42

Delegates: First Name

Surname

First Name

Surname

Tiffany

Armstrong

Lonieke

Horninge

Edward

Baxter

Rupert

Houghton

Zac

Baynham-Herd

Francis

Hooton

Colin

Bean

Richard

Howells

Sarah

BierbaumWilliams

Rosie

Hurley

Julian

Inglis

Julia

Kestler

Svenja

Kroeger

Cameron

Law

Anwên

Bill

Kristine

Bogomazova

Robert

Brackley

Tom

BradferLawerence

Lillian

Lieber

Calum

Campbell

Heather

Lyons

Sean

Carlisle

Euan

Mackenzie

Janet

Maclean

Stephanie

Castillo Lechuga

Iain

Marchant

David

Cooper

Julien

Martin

Kara

Dicks

Ewan

McHenry

Kelsey

Dix

Julie

Miller

Sean

Doyle

Susan

Miller

James

Fitton

Caroline

Millins

Trent

Garner

Alexandre

Miró

Thomas

Godfrey

Elizabeth

Mittell

Julen

Gonzalez

William

Morgan

Andrew

Griffiths

Zara

Morris-Trainor

Iain

Hill

Amy

Munro-Faure

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First Name

Surname

First Name

Surname

Nina

O’Hanlon

Kathleen

Stosch

Angel

Olivares

Jenny

Sturgeon

William

Paterson

Roman

Susdorf

Zarah

Pattison

Cerian

Tatchley

Alejandro

Hernando Perteguer

Alessia

Teruggi

Mike

Thornton

Takuji

Usui

Alex

Venete

Angelika

Von Heimendahl

Chris

Pollard

Ainoa

Pravia

Marcia

Rae

Jane

Reid

Samia

Richards

Joanna

Wawrzyczek

Christina

Rosigne

Nigel

Willby

Martin

Ross

Richard

Whittet

Adrianna

Rozell

Robin

Whytock

Alice

Scarpa

Connor

Wood

Cath

Scott

Sarah

Woodin

Alex

Seeney

Chloe India

Wright

Emma Jane

Sheard

Greg

Zalatnai

Jack

Shutt

Maxwell

Speirs

Michael

Spencer

Philip

Stack

Fiona

Steele

Fiona

Stoddart

Pippa

Stone

44