IN THIS ISSUE

Abstract

IN THIS ISSUE Cite asfollows: Osborne B.2013In this issue. Biology andEnvironment : Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy 113B (3), i-iii; DOI:103318/ BIOE.2013.19. FEEDING PREFERENCES OF THE 'ONE DAY FLY' Mayflies, the'oneday'fly, so named because ofthe short lifespanoftheadults, area common feature ofmanyofouraquaticecosystems. Theseancient insects, whichhavea fossil record that extends back approximately 300 million years, arean important foodsource for a range offish species and,inturn, a keycomponent oftheaquaticfoodweb. Recent reports indicate,however,thattheyare under threat, mainly from pollution, with6 outofa total of 33 Irishspeciesconsidered endangered. Their susceptibility to pollution is in partrelated to the factthatthelarval, longer-lived stage, survives on lake or riverbeds where pollutants are often concentrated. Mayflies, however,varyin their susceptibility to pollution,althoughthe causal factors governing thisvariation are stillpoorly understood. Wögerbauer and Kelly-Quinn,in thisissue,examine thepossibility thatdifferences infoodpreference maycontribute tothis. Although oftenthoughtto be dependenton algae and diatoms,mayflies can utilisea variety of food sources. Of thethree mayfly speciesexamined by Wögerbauer and Kelly-Quinn, two (Ecdyonurus venosus and E. insignis ), which are sensitive to nutrient enrichment, arespecialised detritus feeders, whilst theother (Baetis rhodaní ), isa moregeneralist feeder and is notparticularly sensitive to nutrient enrichment. The authors therefore arguethatthe ability toutilise a variety offoodsources conveys a greaterflexibility for survivalunder polluted, nutrient-enriched conditions. VALUING THE WOODS AND THEIR HABITATS Threerelated papers dealwith various aspects ofthe role of woodlandsand forests in biodiversity conservation bothnowandinthefuture. The first bySharkeyetal.9in thisissueaddresses thelikely impact ofclimate change on woodland species and how thismaybe important forthe future conservation of woodlandhabitats in Ireland.The secondby Fuller et al., in thisissue, examines theimportance ofplantation forests, longthought to be of low or uncertain biodiversity value,on ground dwelling spider diversity. The lastone by Irwinetal.9inthisissue,assesses thevalueofIrish forests as a habitatforspeciesof conservation concern. Sharkey etal. show,usingmodelprojections, that climate change willresult inwinners andlosers, asfar aswoodland species areconcerned, with both largereductions as wellas largerangeexpansions beingidentified. Not all speciesof current conservation concern maybe endangered, as issometimes assumed, andsomemayactually benefit from theeffects ofclimate change.Critically, however, theseresults are heavilydependent on dispersal, whichwas treated rather simply in theirmodel; whenlimited dispersal capability was used as an input therange ofallspecies wasreduced. Thisfact willclearly haveimportant consequences forany future management interventions that areaimedat conserving woodland species. Roadswithin plantation forests could,because of theirgreater structural diversity, facilitate increased biodiversity in whatotherwise is a rather uniform vegetation cover,providing opportunities fora rangeoflesscommonspecies.WhileFuller etal. found tenspecies ofground dwelling spiders of conservation value thatwere uniqueto road verges,overall spiderbiodiversity was similar betweenroadvergesand forest stands and independent ofroadwidth.Forest roadscouldthereforeprovide an important refuge forimportant or rarespeciesthatwouldotherwise be absent from. afforested areas. Irwin et al. also examinethe questionof whetherIrishforests could providehabitats for plants,birdsand invertebrates of conservation concern, in a comparison of semi-natural woodlandsand plantation forests. While semi-natural woodland habitatswere associatedwith the greater numbers of speciesof conservation concern ,plantation forests do support some nationally rareor threatened speciesand may be of particular importance in areasthathave experienced the loss of naturalforestecosystems. Overall,theworkemphasises theimportance of semi-natural forest systems forthemaintenance of biodiversity, particularly in intensively managed landscapes. RECREATING THE PAST A majorconservation goalinmany countries isthe restoration oflandscapes associated withplantation DOI:103318/BIOE.2013.19 Biology andEnvironment: Proceedings oftheRoyalIrish Academy, Vol.113B, No.3,i-iii (2014).q RoyalIrish Academy i Biology and Environment forestry, whichhasbeendominated byonespecies, Sitkaspruce. In manycasesthesewereplanted on former semi-natural/ancient woodlands orin areas withsignificant biodiversity, wheretheimpacts of humanintervention were small.Tree removal, particularly in areaswherestanddensity is low is an obviousapproach,but can the characteristic vegetation cover associated withthe pre-harvest conditions be created?This will depend on a number offactors, including thelongevity ofseeds in the seed bank and the opportunities for recruitment of speciesthatmayhave been lost during theperiodof plantation forestry. Cooper and McCann, in this issue investigated the effects of Sitkaspruceremoval on areasformerly associated withbroadleaf woodlandand a mixed grassland-hedgerow farmed landscape.Based on thepost-harvest analysis there aregoodgrounds for expecting significant initial recovery ofthevegetation , but, in the longer term,this may be dependenton the rapid developmentof an extensive treecanopy.While post-harvest birch numbers werehigh,there weresmallnumbers of othertreespeciespresent and recovery of these would be dependenton significant recruitment fromoutsidetheareaof investigation, or would require management intervention. Clearly our capability to recreate pastlandscapes willdepend critically on thebiodiversity oftheecosystem prior to...