In this issue

Abstract

P R O C E E D I N G S O F T H E R O Y A L I R I S H A C A D E M Y In this issue Bruce Osborne Developing status tests for selected Irish groundwater-dependent terrestrial ecosystem (GWDTE) types as part of groundwater body status assessment under the EU Water Framework Directive Sarah Kimberley and Catherine Coxon Are Ireland’s reintroduced Pinus sylvestris forests floristically analogous to their native counterparts in oceanic north-west Europe? Jenni R. Roche, Fraser J.G. Mitchell, Stephen Waldren and Jørn E. Bjørndalen Population status and factors affecting the productivity of peregrine falcon Falco peregrinus in County Wicklow, Ireland, 2008–2012 Brian J. Burke, Damian Clarke,Ann Fitzpatrick,Tim Carnus and Barry J. McMahon Short Communication: Behaviour of sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus L.) at man-made obstacles during upriver spawning migration: use of telemetry to assess efficacy of weir modifications for improved passage Seán M. Rooney, Glen Wightman, Ruairi Ó’Conchúir and James J. King Short Communication: Historical change in the European eel population in the Foyle estuary, Northern Ireland J. Barry, K.J. Bodles, P. Boylan and C.E.Adams www.ria.ie ISSN 0791-7945 i 83 97 115 125 137 CONTENTS BIOLOGY ENVIRONMENT and VOLUME 115B Issue 2 (2015) V OL . 115B Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris)© CanStock Photo Inc. B I O L O G Y A N D E N V I RO N M E N T VOLUME 115B Issue 2 (2015) BIOLOGY ENVIRONMENT and RA I N O . 2 (2015) P RO C E E D I N G S O F T H E R OYA L I R I S H A C A D E M Y to print_Layout 1 15/10/2015 11:58 Page 1 IN THIS ISSUE Bruce Osborne Groundwater status Although the sustainable management of water resources is covered through the EU Water Framework directive this does not just cover surface waters, as is often commonly assumed, but also encompasses wetlands and groundwater. Less attention is focused, however, on groundwater reserves, even though much of the water on land is actually derived from groundwater sources. In Ireland 20%25% of our drinking water may come from groundwater sources so contamination of this source could result in significant health issues as well as impacting on the natural biota. This ‘hidden resource’ and its interaction with surface waters have, however, received much needed attention in recent years. Specific measures are also now in place that explicitly cover the prevention and control of groundwater pollution. Significant challenges exist, however, in assessing any deleterious effects on groundwater systems, particularly groundwaterdependent terrestrial ecosystems, such as wetlands, as Kimberley and Coxon, in this issue, indicate. In their paper they report on an assessment of eleven groundwater-dependent ecosystems, including springs, mires, bogs, turloughs, machair and dune slacks, using ecohydrological models and available data. Their objectives included developing an improved understanding of the hydrology of groundwaters but, perhaps more importantly, determining nutrient threshold values that could be used to assess the trophic status of these systems. Unfortunately, because of the paucity of experimental data, accurate assessments of nitrate and phosphate, nutrients that are key factors in determining water quality and trophic status, were not possible. Clearly, a more comprehensive set of experimental data is required before the status of groundwater sources can be predicted with any accuracy. Introduced but no alien impacts? The Scots pine, Pinus sylvestris, is one of our oldest living trees, with one specimen in Finnish Lapland recently dated at 764 years of age. It is also one of the most widespread, and Scots pine has a remarkable ability to tolerate a range of environmental conditions. Based on pollen analyses, it is evident that significant parts of Ireland were formerly covered by this species, and there has been a continuing discussion about whether some of the existing populations are native or have been introduced. Some populations actually look very similar to native populations elsewhere but the consensus is that they have all been re-introduced, as have many populations in the UK, The Netherlands and Denmark, perhaps around 140 years ago. But...