Institute Of Terrestrial Ecology Research Articles

The validity of using Countryside Survey sample data from Great Britain to estimate land cover in Scotland

It is possible to make environmental or ecological descriptions of geographical regions using data not only collected within the region concerned but also from a wider area. Producing accurate descriptions of a region using broader datasets is financially appealing as it should reduce the intensity and hence the costs of regional survey. However, it is essential that any information collected outside the region is only ever used to describe similar situations and conditions within the region. An appropriate stratification may offer sufficient structure within a dataset to identify which parts to include and which to exclude, but, if not used carefully, it can produce inaccurate results. This problem is explored using the Institute of Terrestrial Ecology (ITE) Land Classification, a sampling stratification used to structure ecological and environmental surveys in Great Britain (GB). Using this stratification, national and regional estimates of land cover and estimates of the extent of rural features in England, Scotland and Wales have been produced by ITE from sample surveys undertaken in 1978, 1984 and 1990. The published estimates for Scotland, for example, make use of the complete GB sample dataset for land classes occurring in that region. The work described here shows that the Land Classification offers a legitimate stratification scheme for sampling Scotland, setting it in the context of GB. Overall, it suggests that, in most cases, it is preferable to make national estimates for Scotland from the full GB sample. The consequences of restricting the sample set to those samples drawn only from Scotland is to reduce the sample size and subsequently statistical confidence in the result. The implications of these findings for other studies are examined.1998 Academic Press Limited

Population dynamics of the Echinomermella matsi (Nematoda)-Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis (Echinoida) system:effects on host fecundity

MEPS Marine Ecology Progress Series Contact the journal Facebook Twitter RSS Mailing List Subscribe to our mailing list via Mailchimp HomeLatest VolumeAbout the JournalEditorsTheme Sections MEPS 163:193-201 (1998) - doi:10.3354/meps163193 Population dynamics of the Echinomermella matsi (Nematoda)-Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis (Echinoida) system: effects on host fecundity Audun Stien1,*, Hans Petter Leinaas2,**, Odd Halvorsen1, Hartvig Christie2 1Zoological Museum, University of Oslo, Sarsgt. 1, N-0562 Oslo, Norway 2Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, PO Box 736 Sentrum, N-0105 Oslo, Norway Present addresses: *Institute of Terrestrial Ecology, Hill of Brathens, Glassel, Banchory, Kincardineshire AB31 4BY, United Kingdom. E-mail: a.stien@ite.ac.uk **Division of Zoology, Department of Biology, University of Oslo, PO Box 1050 Blindern, N-0316 Oslo, Norway At high population densities the green sea urchin Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis can affect subtidal community structure significantly by grazing down kelp beds to barren grounds. The parasitic nematode Echinomermella matsi has been suggested to reduce sea urchin population densities at barren ground localities, thereby giving rise to kelp recovery and possibly a cyclic behaviour between these states. Here, we evaluated the potential of E. matsi to affect host population dynamics through effects on host fertility. This was done by estimating the effect of infection on the host population gonad mass at 4 localities, ranging from barren ground to a kelp bed. The relationship between sea urchin gonad wet weight, sea urchin size and worm burden was modelled statistically. From this model we estimated the effect of infection at the host population level. We found a strong negative relationship between gonad wet weight of sea urchins and the wet weight of their nematode infrapopulations. In some animals this reduction in gonad development was estimated to be 100%, indicating functional castration. At the host population level, the relative reduction in gonad mass due to infection was less than 10% at all sample sites, and was in the same range both in the kelp forest and on the barren grounds. The main reason for this low population effect of infection is that most sea urchins carry low worm burdens, which will have a small effect on host gonads. Compared to the effect of inter-site differences in sea urchin size on mean gonad sizes, the effect of infection on mean gonad size was found to be small. We therefore suggest that processes that determine sea urchin size distributions, such as survival and growth, are likely to be more important in the determination of local reproductive potential than direct effects of infection on gonad development. Kelp bed ecology · Parasitism · Sea urchin · Reproduction Full text in pdf format PreviousNextExport citation RSS - Facebook - Tweet - linkedIn Cited by Published in MEPS Vol. 163. Publication date: March 12, 1998 Print ISSN:0171-8630; Online ISSN:1616-1599 Copyright © 1998 Inter-Research.

Modelling and Control Design for Free Air CO2 Enrichment Systems Used in Plant Physiology Atmospheric Change Experiments

The Proportional-Integral-Plus (PIP) control methodology is applied to a Free-Air CO 2 Enrichment (FACE) system at the Institute of Terrestrial Ecology (ITE). FACE systems are used to produce predicted atmospheric change conditions, enabling plant growth experiments to be carried out in elevated carbon dioxide concentrations for in situ crops. Evaluation was started at ITE in December 1996 with promising initial results.

Validation of soil organic carbon in the high resolution biosphere model (HBRM). / Validation du carbone organique des sols dans le modèle biosphère haute résolution (HBRM)

Within the ESCOBA project, the opportunity has arisen to validate the description of the soil-related processes in the 'High Resolution Biosphere Model' (HRBM) through collaboration of the Institute of Plant Ecology at Gießen with staff of the Institute of Terrestrial Ecology (ITE) at Merlewood Research Station, who provided soil organic carbon data for Great Britain.

A CORINE map of Great Britain by automated means. Techniques for automatic generalization of the Land Cover Map of Great Britain.

The European Commission (EC) programme ‘Co–ordination of Information on the Environment’ (CORINE) includes a project to map the land cover of member states. The CORINE map is essentially one which combines land cover and land use, giving 44 separate classes, in vector, displayed at a scale of 1:100000 with a minimum mappable unit of 25 ha. The Institute of Terrestrial Ecology (ITE) has compiled a digital land cover map of Great Britain (LCMGB) from classification of Landsat–TM data, resampled to a 25 m raster, with a minimum mappable unit of 0.125 ha and 25 cover types. This paper describes a pilot study which demonstrates the successful spatial generalisation with contextual interpretation to convert the LCMGB to CORINE specifications using semi–automated techniques within a GIS environment.

ITE Merlewood Land Classification of Great Britain

Abstract. The Institute of Terrestrial Ecology (ITE) has classified the 1 km squares in Great Britain (GB) into thirty‐two environmental strata, termed land classes, as a basis for ecological survey. The classes have been used in biogeographical studies of the distribution of individual species and species assemblages. The concept behind the technique is that there is an association between the environmental character of land and ecological parameters. The initial classification was based on a sample of squares drawn from a regular grid. The data for the 12121 km squares classified were drawn from published maps; the number of squares was limited by the available computing power. Subsequently the availability of more powerful computers and the need to improve geographical definition have led to the allocation of every 1 km square to its appropriate class. This paper has been written to summarise the principles involved in the development of the system and indicate the range of projects for which it has been used. The extension of the classification from a sample to the complete coverage of GB revealed the importance of the structure and style of data used to produce the classification. The significance of these conclusions for future work is discussed, with particular reference to automated methods of data capture.

The effect of long term CO2 enrichment on the growth, biomass partitioning and mineral nutrition of Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis (Bong.) Carr.)

Sitka spruce [Picea sitchensis (Bong.) Carr.] seedlings were grown for 3 years in an outside control plot or in ambient (∼355 μmol mol-1) or elevated (ambient + 350 μmol mol-1) atmospheric CO2 environments, within open top chambers (OTCs) at the Institute of Terrestrial Ecology, Edinburgh. Sequential harvests were carried out at the end of each growing season and throughout the 1991 growing season, five in all. Plants grown in elevated CO2 had, (i) 35 and 10% larger root/shoot ratios at the end of the first and third season, respectively, (ii) significantly higher summer leader extension relative growth rates, which declined more rapidly in early autumn than ambient grown plants, (iii) after three growing seasons a significantly increased mean annual relative growth rate, (iv) consistently lower foliar nutrient concentrations, and (v) after two growing seasons smaller total projected needle areas. Plants grown inside OTCs were taller, heavier and had a smaller root/shoot ratio than those grown outside the chambers. There was no effect of CO2 concentration on Sitka spruce leaf characteristics, although leaf area ratio, specific leaf area and leaf weight ratio all fell throughout the course of the 3 year experiment.

Landscapes, land covers and linear features in a river catchment in Northern England

Abstract A national land classification developed by the Institute of Terrestrial Ecology (ITE) was used to stratify a sample‐based survey of land cover and linear boundary features within the catchment of the River Tyne, Northern England. A total of 115 1‐km grid‐squares from four land classes representative of Lowland Pastoral, Lowland Arable, Marginal Upland and Upland landscapes were surveyed in the field. The land classes are described with an emphasis on the variability of land cover types and linear features. Considerable variation between squares of the same land class was observed, but statistically significant differences between the land classes were identified. Variation in the lengths of linear features was related to the land cover compositions of sample squares. The origins of the intra‐land class variation and the application of the ITE land classification in large‐scale surveys are discussed.

A Technique for the Removal of Outliers During a Computerised Map Generalisation Process

AbstractThis paper describes a procedure for the automatic generalisation of “outlier polygons” within a map. A project undertaken by the Institute of Terrestrial Ecology (ITE) for the European Commission (EC) has offered the opportunity to develop this procedure with the intention of adopting it for future generalisation of the ITE Land Cover map (LCMGB). This procedure is a component part of a wider development that uses both automated and semi-automated GIS techniques. This paper describes the raster-based procedure, its effects on patch patterns in a landscape and briefly, how the procedure is used within an overall map generalisation process. The wider development is described in Brown and Fuller (1995 in press).

Linking satellite and field survey data, through the use of gis, as implemented in Great Britain in the Countryside Survey 1990 project

The Institute of Terrestrial Ecology (ITE) has been studying land use and the effects of land use on ecology for two decades. A series of national field surveys have been undertaken by the Land Use Section of ITE since 1978, the most recent being Countryside Survey 1990 (CS1990). The three-year project brought together field survey and remote sensing data which were analyzed using Geographical Information Systems (GIS). National and regional land-cover patterns were described and changes estimated.The data collected by the field survey part of CS1990 recorded stratified samples based on a land classification. Thematic maps for surveyed 1-km squares covered physiography, agriculture and semi-natural vegetation, forestry, structures and boundaries. The same sites were surveyed in 1984 and 1990 with 14 000 digital maps produced describing both years. GIS was used to generate stock figures for each year, and overlay allowed change between survey dates to be estimated.GIS was used to compare data collected from both field survey and satellite imagery so that both sets of information could be qualified when expressed as national figures.This paper describes the historical development of the ITE Land Classification, examines the way in which data were collected for surveys, with particular reference to Countryside Survey 1990, and shows how satellite and field survey data can be linked through GIS.

The countryside information system: A strategic-level decision support system

The Institute of Terrestrial Ecology (ITE) has monitored ecological change in Great Britain (GB) since 1978. The task has been undertaken using a stratified sampling scheme working with a 1 km square as the sample unit. In more recent years, scientific researchers at ITE have been working closely with the policy-makers of the United Kingdom Department of the Environment. The presentation of information to policy advisors and planners was a component within a large project investigating the ecological consequences of land-use change. A simple PC-based decision support system was developed during the project and subsequently has been expanded to produce a marketable product. The system, called the Countryside Information System (CIS), presents and links information at national, regional and thematic levels along with qualifying data describing accuracy and appropriateness of use (i.e., metadata). An integral part of the CIS is the ITE Land Classification, which divides GB into 32 environmental land classes; all 250 000 squares have been classified. The classification allows sampled data to be presented and, as the co-ordinate system is widely used in GB, it allows census datasets to be linked and compared. CIS has been described as a Geographical Information System, but the classification, data held within the system, and the use of metadata to assist in interpretation of results make the system much more decision-support oriented. Indeed, government departments have been involved in directing the development and are now starting to use the system to answer parliamentary questions and formulate, assess and monitor environmental policy. The CIS is an open system, running on a standard PC in Microsoft Windows. Tools for loading and editing new datasets (both sample and census) are incorporated in the suite of programs. The Windows environment and users comments during development have produced a system with an intuitive feel, removing some of the overhead of acquiring specialised technical skills before being able to operate a system. This paper describes the CIS and presents examples of its applications.

The ITE Land classification: Providing an environmental stratification of Great Britain

The surface of Great Britain (GB) varies continuously in land cover from one area to another. The objective of any environmentally based land classification is to produce classes that match the patterns that are present by helping to define clear boundaries. The more appropriate the analysis and data used, the better the classes will fit the natural patterns. The observation of inter-correlations between ecological factors is the basis for interpreting ecological patterns in the field, and the Institute of Terrestrial Ecology (ITE) Land Classification formalises such subjective ideas. The data inevitably comprise a large number of factors in order to describe the environment adequately. Single factors, such as altitude, would only be useful on a national basis if they were the only dominant causative agent of ecological variation.The ITE Land Classification has defined 32 environmental categories called 'land classes', initially based on a sample of 1-km squares in Great Britain but subsequently extended to all 240 000 1-km squares. The original classification was produced using multivariate analysis of 75 environmental variables. The extension to all squares in GB was performed using a combination of logistic discrimination and discriminant functions. The classes have provided a stratification for successive ecological surveys, the results of which have characterised the classes in terms of botanical, zoological and landscape features.The classification has also been applied to integrate diverse datasets including satellite imagery, soils and socio-economic information. A variety of models have used the structure of the classification, for example to show potential land use change under different economic conditions. The principal data sets relevant for planning purposes have been incorporated into a user-friendly computer package, called the 'Countryside Information System'.

The use of catchment attributes to predict surface water critical loads: A preliminary analysis

Current applications of the critical loads concept are geared primarily towards targeting emission control strategies at a regional and international level. Freshwater critical maps in the UK have been produced at a resolution of 10 km grid squares and do not take into account variations of water chemistry within the mapping unit. They are therefore of limited use at the catchment scale. This paper assesses the potential for the development ofn empirical statistical model to predict catchment critical loads using readily available secondary data. Multivariate statistical analysis of existing critical loads chemistry data together with data obtained from the Institute of Terrestrial Ecology (ITE) identifies strong relationships between surface water chemistry composition and a variety of site-specific catchment attributes, particularly rainfall, altitude and site sensitivity. Although there were problems with the data used, particulaly in terms of noise, collinearity and spatial resolution, the strength of the relationships indicates that accurate prediction of catchment scale critical loads should be possible using a higher resolution, catchment specific dataset.

Institute of Terrestrial Ecology, Hill of Brathens, Glassel, Banchory, Kincardineshire, AB31 4BY, Scotland

Institute of Terrestrial Ecology, Hill of Brathens, Glassel, Banchory, Kincardineshire, AB31 4BY, Scotland

Infestation of improved grasslands by Juncus effusus L. in the catchment of the River Tyne, Northern England: a field survey

AbstractSoft rush, Juncus efffusus L., is a widespread weed of managed grasslands. In 1991, a sample‐based field survey of the weed's distribution in improved grasslands was conducted within the catchment of the River Tyne in Northern England. The land classes of the Institute of Terrestrial Ecology (ITE) environmental landscape classification system were used as sampling strata. In total, 182 I‐km grid squares were surveyed. Areas of improved grassland and levels of J. effusus infestation differed significantly between land classes, but there was also wide variation between grid squares within land classes. Most squares within a land class had no J. effusus, while a proportion had large areas. Extra‐polation from the sample data suggested that an area equivalent to 24·0% of the 3000km2 land surface of the catchment supported improved grassland, of which 3·5% was infested with the rush. Infestation of improved grassland was estimated to be lowest in the lowlands (2·0% of improved grassland), intermediate in the marginal uplands (3·0% of improved grassland) and greatest in the uplands (10·8% of improved grassland). Data from the Farm Business Survey, on broad patterns of utilization of improved grassland for hay, silage and livestock in lowland, marginal upland, and upland landscapes in the catchment, do not readily explain the observed variation in infestation levels, which may reflect local factors and the availability of propagules from adjacent rough grazing land.

The survey and prediction of land cover using an environmental land classification: A case study in northern England

The formulation of policies influencing land cover requires accurate information on the distributions of competing land cover types. This paper investigates the use of a numerical land classification (derived by the Institute of Terrestrial Ecology, Merlewood, UK) in the survey and prediction of land cover. The classification groups 1-km grid squares with similar environmental characteristics into distinct landscape types (ITE land classes). The ITE land classes were used to stratify sampling effort in a field survey of land cover within the catchment of the River Tyne in northeast England in 1991. Variation in land cover within and between land classes is analysed and the principal patterns of land cover within the catchment are described. The use of the land classes in the prediction of land cover within unsurveyed 1-km grid squares is discussed in light of the observed variation in land cover. It is concluded that stratification of field surveys using land classification can aid the identification and interpretation of broad patterns of variation in land cover, but that intra- and inter-land class variation in land cover is too great to allow the use of ITE land classes in the prediction of land cover within individual unsurveyed grid squares.

The rooting ability of Triplochiton scleroxylon cuttings: the interactions between stockplant irradiance, light quality and nutrients

Stockplants of Triplochiton scleroxylon were grown in controlled-environment cabinets at the Institute of Terrestrial Ecology, Edinburgh, to test the effects of stockplant illumination on the rooting ability of leafy stem cuttings. The environmental variables were: (1) irradiance (PAR = 106 202 and 246 μmol m −2s −1) with a uniform light quality (red: far red ratio=1.75); (2) light quality ( R: FR = 1.6 and 6.3) with a uniform irradiance (PAR=294 μmol m −2s −1); and (3) irradiance (PAR=250 and 650 μmol m −2s −1) and nutrients (with and without 0.2% solution of 1:1:1, N:P:K) at a uniform light quality (R:FR=6.3). In all experiments, measurements were made of shoot length and leaf size and in the third experiment, the net photosynthetic rates of each leaf were determined prior to taking cuttings. Leaf area and leaf and stem dry weights were measured, as were their starch and reflux-soluble carbohydrate contents. The results showed that decreasing R:FR and irradiance independently increased both shoot growth and rooting ability. Strong positive relationships between photosynthesis and rooting were found when stockplants were grown at low irradiance (250 μmol m −2s −1) with and without fertilizers. A similar relationship was found, at high irradiance (650 μmol m −2s −1) only when nutrients were added. A strong negative relationship between the same parameters occurred without fertilizers at high irradiance. In addition, a weak negative relationship was found between rates of photosynthesis and the starch content of cuttings. It is concluded that end-product inhibition prevented the rooting of cuttings from stockplants grown without fertilizers at high irradiance with an R:FR ratio of 6.3.

Caesium concentration factors in wild herbivores and the fox ( Vulpes vulpes L)

A selection of wild animals was sampled in the winter of 1986/87. The sites chosen for sampling were based on information obtained from survey carried out by The Institute of Terrestrial Ecology in the spring and autumn of 1986. Animals included deer, grouse, hares and rabbits, and foxes which were collected as a top carnivore in the food chain. Variation in concentration of caesium between species from the same area was unpredictable; rabbits, for instance, never exceeded 200 Bq kg −1 (fresh wt) of 137 Cs in their flesh, even when adjacent to deer forests with over 1000 Bq kg −1 in the vension. The greatest complication grose from areas of peaty uplands where the pre-Chernobyl 137 Cs from weapons-testing was much higher than expected. This pre-Chernobyl contribution amounted to 630 Bq kg −1 in a red grouse from the Pennines, and 650 Bq kg −1 in a roe deer from near the Borders, being c. 60% of the total. Concentration factors were calculated using values from freshly ingested vegetation and tissues from individual animals. Significant differences in concentration factors were found depending on species, food, sex, breeding condition and age. Contrasting the decrease of the two caesium isotopes in roe deer from forestry on peat with those from woodlands on mineral soils, it appeared that after an initial fall in concentration, the only decrease thereafter occured on the mineral soils. Nowhere were radiocaesium concentrations high enough to cause concern amongst consumers of game and other wild animals, even when levels exceed 3000 Bq kg −1 (fresh wt) as they did in red deer, red grouse and the blue hare.

ITE and digital mapping since 1973

The Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) has created a new group within the Institute of Terrestrial Ecology (ITE) called The Environmental Information Centre (EIC). Amongst its other functions this centre is responsible for digital mapping and Geographical Information Systems (GIS) within the ITE. This is the latest organisational change to effect NERC digital mapping and is particularly significant because it marks the beginning of a 'new era' as digital mapping metamorphoses into GIS. At this point it seems appropriate to recall the previous sixteen years of digital mapping in ITE.

ITE and digital mapping since 1973

The Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) has created a new group within the Institute of Terrestrial Ecology (ITE) called The Environmental Information Centre (EIC). Amongst its other functions this centre is responsible for digital mapping and Geographical Information Systems (GIS) within the ITE. This is the latest organisational change to effect NERC digital mapping and is particularly significant because it marks the beginning of a 'new era' as digital mapping metamorphoses into GIS. At this point it seems appropriate to recall the previous sixteen years of digital mapping in ITE.