IN THIS ISSUE

Abstract

INTHIS ISSUE Citeas follows: Osborne, Bruce 2009 Inthisissue. Biology and Environment: Proceedings of the RoyalIrish Academy 109B,v-vi;DOI: 10.3318/BIOE. 2009.109.1.V. TORNADOS IN IRELAND Extreme and abnormalweather events arebecoming all too common as a consequence of climate change, and in this issue JohnTyrrell (p. 1) reports thefirst studyof a clockwise-rotating tornado in Ireland. The authordetails theformation and trackof thisunusual tornado, which impacted close to the shoreofLough Carra in the west of Ireland on 31 July 2004. Worryingly, our ability to predictwhen and where tornadoswill occur and, consequendy, their likely ecological impact is extremely poor.As far as I am aware, there has been little investigation of the biological impactsof tornados,although theeffects of the shear forces generated are likely to be signifi cantly greater than those associated with wind damage to vegetation, for instance. The use of currentmodels that have been developed in the US is likely to underestimate the tornado risk in Ireland and, therefore,thebiological impact of these weather events. BURREN VEGETATION AND CONSERVATION The Burren has long been a focus of scientific enquiry,by both the amateur naturalistand the more Serious' scientist, and papers on this botanical curiosityhave been a regular feature of Biology and Environment; it was the topic of a special issue in2003 (volume 103B (3)). In recent years therehas been a realisation thatreduced agricultural activities,partic ularly grazing,may pose a significant threat to the persistence of some of the unique vegetation assem blages that exist in the Burren, and various management plans have been mooted. Rather surprisingly, however, there has never been a com prehensive analysis of the vegetation of this region. The classic study by Ivimey-Cook and Proctor (1966) was clearly too general tobe of local use, and there is a paucity of informationon how the distri bution of the vegetation is related to environmental and/or management factors. Sharon Parr and co workers (p. 11) address some of the gaps in our understandingof theBurren vegetation,with specific reference to grassland and heath communities of conservation interest. As the authors indicate, this work should go some way towards developing strategiesfor conservation in thisregion and should provide a baseline formonitoring the impact of future changes, such as those caused by scrub en croachment and climate change. LOCATING PORPOISES INTHE BLASKETS The Blasket Islands, located close to the Dingle Peninsula, are highly regarded for theircultural and biological heritage,particularlytheir marine heritage. Small cetaceans, probably harbour porpoises, were suspected of being common around the Blasket Islands as far back as the 1800s, but they have received little attention, even though they are regarded as one of the most common cetaceans in Irish waters. As harbour porpoises are a Usted species under Annex II of theEU Habitats Directive, EU member statesare required todesignate SpecialAreas ofConservation (SAC) for this species. Given the candidate SAC status of the Blasket Islands, knowledge of the abundance ofharbour porpoises is a contributorysteptowardsanyobligations associated with fullSAC status.Simon Berrow and colleagues (p.35) address this issueby using visual surveysand moored acoustic-detection systems based on hydrophones that can pick up the echolocation 'clicks'produced by porpoises. The authors suggest that spatialdifferences in the occurrence of harbour porpoises may be related to foraging requirements. The group sizes recorded are thought to be typical for this species, but they have a strong seasonal dimension that requires further investigation.The acoustic-detection technique may also have greater utilityin analysing thedistributionof other cetaceans in Irish coastal waters. LAMPREYS?NATURE'S VAMPIRES Despite their reputation as 'nature's vampires', lampreysarenot alwaysparasitic,and theyare consid ered as endangered species inEurope. There are also significant issues related to their conservation, and anymeasures towards thisgoal are hampered by a lack of distributional data.On p. 47 C.E. Goodwin and co-authors report their studyof lampreydistri bution inNorthern Ireland,inwhich theyused both anecdotal informationof adult lampreydistribution and electrofishingsurveysfor the larval (ammocoete) DOI: 10.3318/BIOE.2009.109.1.V Biology and Environment: Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy,Vol. 109B, No. 1, v-vi (2009). ? Royal Irish Academy v Biology and Environment stages.Whilst some lampreys, such as brook lampreys,arewidely distributed,others, such as sea lampreys,have amore restricteddistribution.Dif ferences...