Sites Of Special Scientific Interest Research Articles

The need for an evidence-led approach to rewilding

This paper characterises current rewilding activities in the UK, through the analysis of 66 rewilding projects. Project information was obtained from online data (65 %), and direct mail data requests (35 %). The analyses showed an exponential growth in the number of new rewilding projects since 2010, with 8 % of projects started prior to 2000, and 60 % initiated after 2010. Seventy-three percent of projects involved rewilding areas of less than 1000 ha, 17 % being between 1000 and 10,000 ha, and 9 % greater than 10,000 ha. In Scotland, 80 % of the area being rewilded involved mountain, heath and bog habitats. For England the largest rewilded areas (58 %) were semi-natural or improved grasslands. Fifty-six percent of sites were formerly used for livestock farming, and 24 % for arable cultivation. A total of 72 % of sites employed tree planting, 64 % introduced herbivores, and 33 % introduced non-herbivores. The removal of sheep and cattle took place in 51 % of projects, with deer control in 33 %, wetland creation in 39 %, and the removal of artificial drainage in 36 % of projects. There was a close geographical proximity between rewilding sites and Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), with 69 % of areas being within 4 km, and only two sites greater than 8 km. Twelve project funding sources were recorded, and most projects utilised multiple funding sources. The benefits of an evidence-led and nationally co-ordinated rewilding approach were identified in relation to using well-established decision tools and frameworks to enhance future rewilding spatial planning. This would allow the development of a map of ‘appropriate’ rewilding areas, based on landscape scale characteristics, national species and habitat priorities, and predicted future landscape changes. Importantly, these ‘target’ areas would also be sensitive to local social, economic and agricultural contexts.

Creative Environmental Exhibition: Revealing Insights through Multi-Sensory Museum Experiences and Vignette Analysis for Enhanced Audience Engagement

In an era where an increasing number of people find it challenging to grasp scientifically accurate environmental data, the need for more engaging museum exhibits to convey this information has never been more crucial. This article discusses Daptec Flat Holm which is a data physicalisation technology project on Flat Holm Island, Wales. Flat Holm Island is designated as a site of special scientific interest and is a local nature reserve. This project aims to understand how we might improve people’s engagement with environmental data through a multi-sensory museum exhibit. To achieve this, the project team applied a new creative approach to make the presentation of environmental data more engaging to a diverse science museum audience. Employing a user-centered methodology, this study reveals insights derived from three distinct user experience investigations conducted during the summer of 2022. The main contribution lies in how the researchers have extracted the nuances from the audience reactions and then identified potential audience types, their points of engagement, as well as their challenges. In detail, the findings illustrate how the application of a vignette data analysis technique revealed distinct audience types, including passive observers, active users, engaged ambassadors, disinterested participants, critical friends, and enthusiastic collaborators. In summary, the paper offers recommendations into how we might further engage a broader audience in technology mediated environmental museum exhibitions.

Quantitative PCR (qPCR) assay for the specific detection of the Chinese mystery snail (Cipangopaludina chinensis) in the UK.

Cipangopaludina chinensis Gray 1833 is an East Asian freshwater snail and invasive species in many parts of the world (Global Invasive Species Database, 2022). Within the UK, it was first found at the Pevensey Levels, Sussex, and has since been reported at a second site at Southampton Common, Hampshire. Both sites are designated as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) for their wildlife importance. Although the impacts of this species within the UK have not yet been investigated several exotic parasites of the snail have been reported and research suggests that its presence can negatively impact native snail species. This is especially important at the Pevensey Levels due to the presence of the rare freshwater mollusc Anisus vorticulus (Little Whirlpool Rams's-horn snail). Here, we have developed a qPCR-based eDNA assay for the detection of C. chinensis and compared water samples tested for eDNA with results from manual survey of the ditches at the Pevensey Levels. Our eDNA analysis exhibited an overall observed percentage agreement of 80% with a kappa coefficient of agreement between manual and eDNA surveys of 0.59 (95% CI 0.31 to 0.88). Some samples which were qPCR negative for C. chinensis were positive by manual survey, and vice versa revealing the potential for improved overall detection rates when using a combination of manual and eDNA methodologies. eDNA analysis can therefore augment manual survey techniques for C. chinensis as a relatively quick and inexpensive tool for collecting presence and distribution data that could be used to inform further manual surveys and control measures within the ditches.

The Clacton-on-Sea (Essex, UK) GCR site and SSSI: New data and continuing importance

The complex Geological Conservation Review (GCR) site at Clacton-on-Sea, Essex, was notified in 1986 as a Site of Special Scientific Interest. It is an internationally important geosite and Britain's only Lower Palaeolithic type locality, giving its name to the Clactonian stone-tool industry. Fossil- and artefact-bearing channel-fill deposits laid down by the River Thames ~420,000 years ago, during the Hoxnian Interglacial (Marine Isotope Stage 11c), have been observed in foreshore and cliff exposures, and beneath developed and open ground in an inland arcuate footprint. These sediments provide a record of the lower reaches and estuary of the Thames during this lengthy and warm interglacial, an important partial analogue for the Holocene. Palaeoclimatic and palaeoecological evidence has been obtained from assemblages of fossil molluscs, ostracods and vertebrates, together with pollen and plant macrofossils; Clacton is also the type locality for several of the represented animal taxa, including the biostratigraphically significant ostracod Scottia browniana and a large subspecies of fallow deer, Dama dama clactoniana. This paper provides an overview of the continuing importance of the Clacton GCR site and Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), summarizing recently acquired data that have enhanced understanding of the Hoxnian and the palaeoenvironments that prevailed at the time of deposition. The wider geosite has benefitted from sustained Palaeolithic archaeological interest, with the local planning authority mandating investigation of the sediments as a condition for development projects. SSSI status ensures that the significant collections of palaeontological and archaeological material amassed from the Clacton deposits over almost two centuries can be related to their context, and studies of both these archived collections and new material from the protected in situ sediments continue to provide new data and contribute to the development of cutting-edge techniques.

Aquatic phosphorus behaviour within a UK Ramsar wetland: Impacts of seasonality and hydrology on algal growth and implications for management

Fundamental to all life, phosphorus is an essential nutrient and, contrastingly, a significant threat to surface water biodiversity globally as one of the most common causes of eutrophication in surface waters worldwide. Freshwater wetland ditches affected by these conditions undergo a conversion from primarily submerged aquatic vegetation to algae or duckweed dominance, leading to anoxic conditions. However, macrophyte biomass harvesting in eutrophic water systems is a promising means of remediation and nutrient recycling. This study seasonally assesses spatial distribution and chemical fractionation of surface water phosphorus, as well as surface biomass abundance and total phosphorus content in the ditch systems at West Sedgemoor (Somerset, UK), a designated site of special scientific interest. Elevated phosphorus concentrations in the surface water were observed across the site, with all sites exceeding e hi the Common Standards Monitoring environmental quality standard value of 0.1 mg L−1 during summer and autumn Sites lacking hydrological flow connectivity with contaminated freshwater inputs, typically had lower surface water phosphorus concentrations than the rest of the moor, with localised hotspots associated with likely cattle related agricultural activity. Summer and autumn were determined as the dominant duckweed growth seasons, in which an estimated 39 kg of phosphorus could be removed via duckweed biomass harvesting, per harvest period.

Benefits of protected area networks for breeding bird populations and communities

AbstractProtected areas are a cornerstone of international conservation. The EU Natura 2000 network is the largest coordinated network of protected areas in the world, but its impact on biodiversity at the landscape scale is largely unknown. Here, we use data from Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) survey squares across Britain to test whether species abundance and population trends and levels of bird community specialisation are correlated with protected area coverage of BBS survey squares or 5‐km buffers around BBS squares. We compared area coverage by Natura 2000 protection and by the less strict protection of Sites of Special Scientific Interest protection alone. The abundance of birds of higher conservation concern and an index of community specialisation were positively correlated with coverage by protected area within survey squares and in a 5‐km buffer around squares. Population trends of species of higher conservation concern were positively correlated with the coverage of squares by Sites of Special Scientific Interest and the coverage of Natura 2000 within a 5‐km buffer around squares. The results suggest that Natura 2000 protection, in particular has positive conservation benefits for birds of higher conservation concern and community specialisation. This highlights the importance of protected areas, especially those with strictest protection, for maintaining biodiversity. Post‐Brexit, the UK should adopt legislation that results in the maintenance and strengthening of the current protected area network, as enforcing protection at a level of that provided by the Nature Directives is essential. As currently around half of Natura 2000 sites are not in favourable condition, even greater conservation benefits might be accrued if protected area management were improved.

Rare and declining bird species benefit most from designating protected areas for conservation in the UK

There have been recent renewed commitments to increase the extent of protected areas to combat the growing biodiversity crisis but the underpinning evidence for their effectiveness is mixed and causal connections are rarely evaluated. We used data gathered by three large-scale citizen science programmes in the UK to provide the most comprehensive assessment to date of whether national (Sites of Special Scientific Interest) and European (Special Protection Areas/Special Areas of Conservation) designated areas are associated with improved state (occurrence, abundance), change (rates of colonization, persistence and trend in abundance), community structure and, uniquely, demography (productivity) on a national avifauna, while controlling for differences in land cover, elevation and climate. We found positive associations with state that suggest these areas are well targeted and that the greatest benefit accrued to the most conservation-dependent species since positive associations with change were largely restricted to rare and declining species and habitat specialists. We suggest that increased productivity provides a plausible demographic mechanism for positive effects of designation.

Global priorities for biodiversity conservation in the United Kingdom

Many countries identify lists of priority species for biodiversity conservation. These are developed using different criteria which can change over time. We argue that priority species need to be selected using both global and national criteria, and make recommendations for identifying global priority sites and species in the United Kingdom (UK). We compiled lists of 187 globally threatened species and 661 species endemic to the UK, and compared these with a UK national priority species list compiled from each of the four countries of the UK. We show that 55.1 % of globally threatened species, and up to 87.5 % of the UK's endemic species are not found on UK priority species lists. Compiling data on the distribution of the endemic and globally threatened species from the National Biodiversity Network (NBN) Atlas, we show that 117 species are not recorded in any protected area designated for nature conservation and 43 of these species are apparently not recorded in any protected areas in UK. It was also found that only 31 globally threatened and 17 endemic species are notification features for Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) in the UK. These findings indicate that much of the focus of UK conservation is on nationally important populations of species, but globally important species are comparatively neglected. We propose that an assessment of Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) in the UK, using a global standard, could be used as a tool to identify sites containing globally significant populations of species which are not currently recognised.

Occurrence of organic pollutants in the River Itchen and River Test—two chalk streams in Southern England, UK

The River Itchen and River Test, two chalk streams in Southern England, are sites of special scientific interest. These ecosystems face a number of environmental pressures from anthropogenic inputs of organic pollutants. Hence, we investigated the occurrence of these chemicals within the two catchments. Spot water samples (1 L) were collected at nineteen sites along the catchment on two occasions (March and June 2019). Samples were extracted (HLB-L sorbent disks) and analysed using high-resolution liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Compounds were identified against commercially available databases. Using this approach, we found 115 pharmaceutical and personal care products, 81 plant protection products and 35 industrial chemicals. This complex mixture of pollutants covered a range of physico-chemical properties and included priority substances in the EU Water Framework Directive or currently on the third Watch List. Both rivers had similar chemical profiles for both months. Herbicides and fungicides were dominant in the spring, whereas insecticides occurred more frequently in the summer. Point discharges from wastewater treatment plants were the main source of pharmaceutical and personal care products. Agricultural activities were the main contributor to the presence of plant protection products. The impact of these organic chemicals on the ecology, particularly on macroinvertebrate biodiversity, is unknown and warrants further investigation. Our suspect screening approach could guide future toxicological investigations to assess the environmental impacts of these diverse chemicals.

Data impressions for a smart city: Exploring new ways to present and engage citizens in environmental data

We live in a world full of data being generated in exabytes by citizens, devices, buildings and assets intricately embedded in our environments. Whilst there is potential for this data to improve many things, much of it is unused and invisible to the average citizen who in turn may have switched off through ‘data fatigue’. This paper introduces the concept of the data impression through data physicalisation as a way to engage citizens in their data. Like the art impressionists of the late 1800’s (who broke away from photo-realist painting), the authors of this paper want to break away from the rendering of detailed and complex dashboards of endless and graphs and statistics to create an engaging and meaningful impression through dynamic physical objects and systems. These ideas are explored through the detailed reporting and reflection on an 18-month data physicalisation project (Daptec) funded by the Welsh Government Smart Expertise (European Regional Development Fund). This project brought together a number of industry and academic partners around the problem of communicating environmental data relating to Flat Holm Island, a mainly uninhabited site of special scientific interest a few miles from the coast of Cardiff. The resulting physical smart technologies developed for the project were exhibited in Cardiff’s Techniquest science centre in spring 2022 with view to promoting dialogue around the island and its ecology, a more sustainable tourism and positive environmental practices for our smart cities.

A “magic teleportation machine”: Ethnically diverse green space users derive similar cultural ecosystem benefits from urban nature

Green spaces are vital to the wellbeing of urban communities, largely due to the many Cultural Ecosystem Benefits (CEB) that nature contributes to outdoor recreation experiences (e.g., relaxation, inspiration, spiritual enrichment). To ensure equity in the distribution of CEB, however, we require a better understanding of how they relate to ethnicity. Through 100 in-situ semi-structured interviews with green space users in the Lee Valley Regional Park, London, UK, this research explored variation in outdoor recreational CEB based on i) ethnicity and ii) green space activity and attribute preferences. We compared green space preferences and CEB of Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) and white users of two distinct types of urban green space: parks and more biodiverse Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs). Both white and BAME visitors to parks prioritized games/sports and built features whereas visitors to SSSIs more often undertook wildlife viewing and prioritized natural features. However, we found that white and BAME users of both types of urban green space derived similar CEB. Peace and relaxation were primary among these benefits, a result of both nature interaction and its contrast to the urban environment. These results demonstrate that nature does not have to be the focal point of outdoor recreation to contribute to wellbeing; rather, even as a backdrop to sports and cultural activities, nature provides similar benefits to green space users. To promote use of green space and foster intercultural understanding, we recommend integrating these shared benefits obtained from nature within marketing and engagement strategies. Future research is needed to explore CEB variation within and among distinct ethnic communities to fully capture the diversity of lived experiences.

The value of English geoconservation sites in understanding historical collections of lower and middle palaeolithic artefacts

Lower and Middle Paleolithic archaeological sites in England risk falling through the cracks between different types of heritage conservation, since they lack recognisable structures; these sites have often benefitted from protection under geoconservation, particularly through selection as Geological Conservation Review sites, and subsequent designation as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs). The geoconservation of key sites, particularly in the formative years of British geoconservation, has allowed combined geological and archaeological reinvestigation. This is of particular benefit to understanding Lower and Middle Paleolithic artefact assemblages, which were often collected in the later 19th–earlier 20th century and consequently lacked both detailed spatial or stratigraphic provenance and contextual geological information. As such, the ‘fine grained’ data which could be gleaned from such artefact collections was limited. Here we review the benefit of geoconservation in allowing the contextualisation of historical archaeological collections, focussing on six key English sites where geological and archaeological reinvestigation has led to important archaeological findings. In particular, the emerging evidence of chronological patterning in Lower and Middle Paleolithic artefacts makes the preservation of such deposits valuable to Quaternary science in general.

Palaeoclimate reconstruction and age assessment of the Miocene flora from the Trwyn y Parc solution pipe complex of Anglesey, Wales, UK

The Trwyn y Parc solution pipes on the Isle of Anglesey, Wales, UK are one of only three onshore Miocene fossil flora bearing sites. Here, we revise the palynostratigraphy and present new palaeoclimate data for this geoheritage site. By comparison to palynological data from northern Europe the age has been refined from Miocene to Middle Miocene, possibly Langhian. This is confirmed by palaeoclimate reconstructions comparable to the German Middle Miocene, especially the Langhian after the Middle Miocene Climatic Optimum (MMCO). This new information not only confirms the regional importance of Trwyn y Parc, but shows it to be of national importance. Our findings show that this Regionally Important Geodiversity Site (RIGs) is of national importance as it is the oldest onshore fossiliferous Neogene deposit in the UK. Based on this, and the unique fossil flora preserved at Trwyn y Parc, the site has significant geoheritage value and should be upgraded to Geological Conservation Review (GCR) status and subsequently protected as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).

Colonisation, impacts in conservation woodland and management of Reeves’ muntjac (Muntiacus reevesi) in an English county

Populations of Reeves’ muntjac (Muntiacus reevesi) have become well established in central, southern and eastern England as a result of introduction and colonisation. Although it is widely acknowledged as a species capable of damaging conservation woodland, information on its impacts has often been difficult to unravel because of the presence of other species of deer. In the county of Cambridgeshire, however, it is the most abundant and widespread species, allowing the nature and extent of its impacts to be described in woods where other deer are absent or rare. This article reviews published information and presents new analysis of data. The muntjac has significantly impacted a substantial proportion of conservation woodlands in the county, forming especially high densities in larger woods which are often designated as Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Management by means of fencing and particularly by culling has proved effective in reducing impacts by muntjac in individual woods and in the county as a whole. Timescales of colonisation leading up to causing impacts are also discussed to provide information to assist decision making in other regions or countries where muntjac are currently colonising or may colonise in the future.

Fish stocking for recreational angling is culpable for the poor condition of many English lakes designated for conservation purposes

ABSTRACT Contemporary surveys and analysis of previous data identified negative effects of fish stocking for recreational angling in 87% of 23 English lakes (0.2–26 ha and 1–11.9 m mean depth) protected for nature conservation as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). All sites except one were in unfavourable condition, with 92% failing to meet targets for characteristic macrophyte species. No lake was judged to have a natural fish community, and 96% had been subjected to fish stocking. The naturalised alien common carp (Cyprinus carpio) was the most widely introduced (87%). The presence of further alien species indicated illegal activity. A combination of estimates from surveys and angler records suggested carp comprised 53% of overall fish biomass density, with values up to 1164 kg ha−1 in individual lakes. Successful recruitment of carp, attributed to a warming climate, was recorded in 44% of the lakes in which it occurred. Consideration of fish impacts on lake ecology from the literature concluded that management of fish stocks, through biomanipulation, was required. The efficacy of biomanipulation was demonstrated by removal of fish from a large exclosure (29% of area) in one study lake and a resultant favourable response of water transparency and macrophyte growth. In the wider SSSI lakes series, we concluded that the retention of carp in any lake was an unacceptable risk to restoration of favourable condition, as were damaging angling practices. A ban on fish stocking in SSSI lakes is recommended, unless fish are introduced to restore natural communities.

An evaluation, in light of Brexit, of the extent that the EU has been responsible for improving the habitat conservation regime in England and Wales

Conservation efforts in Britain originated in the nineteenth century; when Wordsworth described the Lake District as “a national property in which every man has a right and interest who has an eye to perceive and a heart to enjoy.” Since, an abundance of national and international legislation has been passed intending to protect the natural environment and the species inside it. This essay will explore the current habitat conservation regime of England and Wales, evaluating the extent to which the European Union has enhanced the current system. In doing so, this paper shall first outline the international framework before analysing the evolution of the current regime of Sites of Special Scientific Interest. I will then evaluate the Natura 2000 network in order to assess the effect that the EU has had on the domestic habitat conservation system. This discussion will ultimately conclude that whilst the EU has had a positive impact, the system is not doomed to fail following Brexit if the UK government avoid the disparagement of conservational measures.

Adding large woody material into a headwater stream has immediate benefits for macroinvertebrate community structure and function

Abstract Hydromorphological rehabilitation through installing large woody material (LWM) is increasingly being used to reverse degradation of stream ecosystems. There have been many criticisms of stream rehabilitation projects, because many have not met their goals and many others have not been monitored well enough to assess whether their goals were met. In a before–after–control design (with samples collected 1 year before and two successive years after LWM installation), instream biotopes and their macroinvertebrate assemblages were used as structural and functional units to assess the effectiveness of LWM installed at the Rolleston Brook, a headwater tributary of the River Welland in Leicestershire, UK. The project was successful in enhancing the coefficient of variation of channel water depth and width, wetted surface area, number of instream biotopes, and the biotope diversity in the rehabilitated reach. LWM installation led to significant increases in macroinvertebrate total density, total biomass, and taxon richness. Macroinvertebrate community composition was also enhanced, so that it became more similar to that of the control reach. Small increases in the number of instream biotopes (appearance of gravel and leaf litter) and changes in biotope proportions (decreasing percentage of silt) were significantly related to changes in the macroinvertebrate community metrics in the rehabilitated reach. The results show that using macroinvertebrate community composition is more effective than only using taxon richness and/or diversity metrics for understanding the relationship between LWM installation and macroinvertebrate community responses. To be effective, samples must also be collected in a predefined sampling protocol stratified at the instream biotope level. This approach would be of great benefit in evaluating biodiversity conservation value, and could be incorporated into the advice provided by Natural England concerning restoration and protection of English rivers that are designated as Sites of Special Scientific Interest under UK legislation or Special Areas of Conservation under European legislation.

Lan Cao Margaret Van CaoFamily in Six Tones: A Refugee Mother, an American Daughter

Queen as an adult, the stories are told with a focus on the routine. The core described above is told with subtle plot intertwined with the mundanity of holding a moment together. Which is to say, the characters are perpetually caught in a series of daily chores: “Motions upon motions, feed the animals, bang the coffee grounds, read the books.” It is in the overall contemplation of Crooked Hallelujah where a careful reader can search, reflect, and do the work to discover common themes to pull the stories together. Once readers pace themselves with the methodic rhythms of country living , there are artifacts to discover inside the pages. The spotlight shining on Reney, Justine, and Lula casts a large shadow onto masculine failure. Whether taking car rides together in an Oklahoma summer or sitting next to a hospital bed, the three women’s connection and strength cannot be examined without considering the pressures from a patriarchy emboldened by harsh Christian doctrine. So much so, in the apocalyptic tones of the final pages, one has to sit back and wonder if a patriarchal system is as indomitable as divine wrath or natural forces, telling us all “so much for Earth and all those little people down there,” including Reney. Oscar Hokeah Tahlequah, Oklahoma Lan Cao & Harlan Margaret Van Cao Family in Six Tones: A Refugee Mother, an American Daughter New York. Viking. 2020. 304 pages. “MY AMERICAN LIFE started with loss.” With that sentence, Lan Cao opens this memoir told in alternating narratives with her daughter, Harlan Margaret Van Cao. Aged thirteen in 1975, Lan Cao fled Saigon during the last days of the Vietnam conflict to stay with family friends in Connecticut . Eventually, her parents followed and settled in Falls Church, Virginia, where she attended high school, then went on to Mt. Holyoke College and Yale Law School. Today, she is an endowed professor of international economic law at Chapman University School of Law in Los Angeles. An immigrant success story, the American Dream come true? On the surface, perhaps, yet in this compelling memoir, Cao and her daughter, born in 2002, break that surface as they explore the nature of loss and what it means to reach beyond a hyphenated identity. Cao sees and adamantly presents herself not as an immigrant but as a refugee, a critical distinction. In fact, the book’s influence is needed. It is his contention that the best lands ancient humans settled were first prepared and enriched by the beaver. Ignorance about this important species has robbed many places of their extremely important work of flood control and habitat creation. Gow is funny, irreverent, and as hostile to bureaucracy as Edward Abbey. No human being nor organization is spared, though he holds a special place of ridicule for DEFRA, the UK’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, an agency that seems eager to play the fool. Neither are his dear colleagues and fellow beaver-believers exempt from his ribbing. One aging arborist is described as “now as old and gnarled as an Ent with a complex system of underpants containing so many forms of ancient fungi that the government’s nature authorities are preparing to declare them Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).” There are passages so hilarious that readers must read them aloud to all nearby, such as a demonstration of beaver sexing gone comically awry, Russians attempting to create beaver-based circus acts, or an account of British farmers engaging in nigh unprintable drinking games on field trips to the continent. While human beings are frequently the butt of his jokes, Gow is deeply empathetic with beavers themselves, and some of the most arresting places in the book imagine beaver-hunting from their perspective. While jarring in relation to the humorous passages, Gow’s descriptions are too factual to be lugubrious. One leaves the book feeling that beavers are people, too. And probably the better persons. Bringing Back the Beaver is thoroughly entertaining, which in these times is an achievement for environmental nonfiction. Part of this is the author’s genuine affection for these busy creatures. The fact that this book is a comedy in the best sense helps— there...

Crinoid columns as hard substrates: Salthill Quarry (Mississippian, lower Carboniferous), Clitheroe, Lancashire, UK

Salthill Quarry, Clitheroe, Lancashire (Mississippian, Visean) is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), in part based on its diverse fauna of invertebrates, particularly echinoderms. A small collection of crinoid pluricolumnals are described herein, collected from muddy horizons in the Hodder Mudstone Formation to typify the diversity and frequency of their encrusting and boring fauna. These specimens are infested by a range of episkeletozoans, namely a single occurrence of Sutherlandia parasitica (Phillips), four occurrences of Cladochonus sp. and eight of Oichnus paraboloides Bromley. Two variants of the pit (boring or embedment or both) O. paraboloides are recognised: those in which a living crinoid showed a growth reaction to pit formation; and those that did not and which were presumably dead at the time of infestation. The epizoozoan tabulate coral Cladochonus sp. is also common, including specimens intergrown between and within the columnals. Sutherlandia parasitica is relatively uncommon; the only specimen likely infested a dead pluricolumnal on the sea floor. A comparative collection of pluricolumnals infested by Cladochonus beecheri Grabau from the Mississippian Borden Group of the Midwest, USA, showed superior preservation to the Clitheroe Cladochonus sp. Cladochonus beecheri in the Borden Group infested platycrinitid crinoid stems, an association not noted from Salthill Quarry. Similar suites of borings-episkeletozoans, from two other sites – the Visean of Feltrim, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and the Permian of Timor – suggest that these were persistent associations for much of the Late Palaeozoic.

Spatial distribution of sediment phosphorus in a Ramsar wetland

Eutrophication is a significant threat to surface water biodiversity worldwide, with excessive phosphorus concentrations being among the most common causes. Wetland ditches under these conditions shift from primarily submerged aquatic vegetation to algae or duckweed dominance, leading to excessive shading and anoxic conditions. Phosphorus, from both point (e.g. wastewater treatment works) and diffuse (largely agricultural runoff) sources, is currently the central reason for failure in the majority of surface water bodies in England to meet required water quality guidelines. This study assesses phosphorus storage in the ditch systems at West Sedgemoor, a designated site of special scientific interest. Elevated phosphorus concentrations in sediment was observed across the Moor up to 4220 mg Kg−1, almost 10 times that which may be expected from background levels. The highest concentrations were generally observed at the more intensively farmed sites in the north of the moor, near key inlets and the outlet. Based upon their chemical and physical properties, clear distinction was observed between sites outside and within the Royal Society of the Protection of Birds nature reserve, using principal component analysis.