Southwest UK Research Articles

Retrofit information challenges and potential solutions: Perspectives of households, retrofit professionals and local policy makers in the southwest UK

Rapidly scaling up energy retrofit for existing buildings is critical to help meet climate targets. Information is frequently identified as a key barrier to residential retrofit. This paper explores the role of information sharing in accelerating retrofit market transformation, through interviews and photo elicitation with homeowners (N = 9) and two workshops with stakeholders (N = 33) in a local authority retrofit project in Gloucestershire (UK). Findings are thematically analysed and suggestions for future local and national policy action are identified. The research finds that even for engaged, knowledgeable homeowners, accessing appropriate information is still a significant retrofit barrier. Two themes around the nature of information and information delivery are identified and key issues include information overload, a lack of context-specific information and in-person engagement, and a need for trustworthy, local information sources. Local authorities have potential to act as trusted intermediaries for structured, relevant retrofit information but require support from national governments to increase capacity and resources at local levels. National governments also have a critical role in providing clear and consistent messaging and leadership on the importance and benefits of retrofit. Policies around financial incentives are not sufficient alone and must be accompanied by strategies to overcome informational and other barriers if retrofit is to be accelerated in this decisive decade for climate action.

Adaptation in the Anthropocene: How behavioural choice and colour change enables chameleon prawns to camouflage on non-native seaweeds.

Animals combine colour change and behavioural choices to enhance concealment and adapt to changes in habitat in time and space. However, non-native and invasive habitat-forming plants and seaweeds can change the landscape, challenging animals to remain camouflaged, especially when the colour of the new habitat differs from the native backgrounds. The chameleon prawn (Hippolyte varians) exhibits remarkable colour variation and effective camouflage against different native seaweeds in shallow tidepools. Individuals optimize crypsis by choosing colour-matching seaweeds and changing colour over time. In some locations, the prawn's native habitats are now replaced by non-native seaweeds of different coloration and structure, making it important to understand whether substrate choice and colour change facilitates the occupation of these seaweeds and enables prawns to camouflage against new backgrounds. Using image analysis and visual modelling of a fish predator, we assessed the colour variation and camouflage of chameleon prawns occupying the non-native seaweeds brown wireweed (Sargassum muticum) and pink harpoon weed (Asparagopsis armata) in southwest UK. We performed laboratory trials to examine whether prawns maintain their preference for colour-matching native substrates when given a choice between them and non-native seaweeds, and if they can change their coloration to improve camouflage against non-native substrates. Prawns exhibit phenotypic diversity and camouflage that varied with the non-native seaweed species, with low colour variation and effective camouflage on pink harpoon weed, but high colour diversity and reduced concealment against brown wireweed. Prawns choose non-native seaweeds when the alternative native substrate provides mismatching coloration, but they did not exhibit any preference between colour-matching native and non-native seaweeds. Once in non-native habitats, prawns change their appearance over a few days to match the background, sometimes faster than when changing on native seaweeds of contrasting coloration. Although human activities considerably modify the coloration of marine landscapes by increasing the establishment of non-native seaweeds, the impacts of those changes appear less severe for colour-changing species, such as chameleon prawns, and will depend on the similarity between the colour of the new substrates and the original native backgrounds, and how animals use behaviour and physiology to match new habitats.

Eutrophicated: Tracking colonial histories of phosphate matter and the Plantationocene inheritances of the River Wye

This article examines the River Wye in the southwest UK as a political ecology marked by relations of colonial inheritance. A controversial case of contemporary British river pollution, the Wye is suffering from increasingly dramatic eutrophication events, with nutrient pollution from mineral phosphate fertilisers used in industrial agriculture causing algal blooms that destroy the river's ecology. This paper complicates dominant framings of the Wye's eutrophication as a local event and future crisis, instead arguing that eutrophication is structured by over a century of colonial histories of phosphate. Motivated by recent debates in geography and other cognate disciplines on decolonial ecology and the Plantationocene that point to the colonial origins of ecological crisis, this paper develops a theoretical framework of inheritance/transmission to articulate the situated histories of violence and dispossession shaping phosphate matter. It then empirically tracks the phosphate inheritances of the Wye by analysing the archives of the British Phosphate Commissioners (1873–1983), a 20th century governmental company that procured fertiliser for the British Empire by intensively mining phosphates on the Pacific Islands of Nauru and Banaba. Through this archive emerges a history in which, on a national and local level, the Wye is connected to the people, corporations, and institutions responsible for the emergence of the mineral phosphates industry that has spread ecological devastation across the globe. Through theoretically and empirically examining the Wye's phosphate inheritances, this paper foregrounds ethical obligations to think systematically and historically about phosphates as a prerequisite for bringing about deep structural changes needed to repair phosphate's harms.

Gardens reduce seasonal hunger gaps for farmland pollinators.

Gardens can benefit pollinators living in surrounding farmland landscapes, but the reason for their value is not clear. Gardens are no different from many semi-natural farmland habitats in terms of the quantity of floral resources (pollen and nectar) they produce, but the timing of their resource supply is very different, which may explain their value. We show that gardens provide 15% of overall annual nectar in farmland landscapes in Southwest UK, but between 50% and 95% during early spring and late summer when farmland supplies are low. Gardens can therefore reduce seasonal nectar gaps experienced by farmland bumblebees. Consistent with this pattern, bumblebee activity increased in gardens relative to farmland during early spring and late summer. An agent-based model reinforces this point, showing that timing, not quantity, of garden nectar supply enhances bumblebee colony growth and survival in farmland. We show that over 90% of farmland in Great Britain is within 1 km of a garden and therefore positive actions by gardeners could have widespread spillover benefits for pollinators across the country. Given the widespread distribution of gardens around the world, we highlight their important interplay with surrounding landscapes for pollinator ecology and conservation.

The structure and diversity of macroinvertebrate assemblages associated with the understudied pseudo-kelp Saccorhiza polyschides in the Western English Channel (UK)

We examined spatiotemporal variability in the structure of faunal assemblages associated with the warm-temperate pseudo-kelp Saccorhiza polyschides towards its range centre (Western English Channel, southwest UK), to better understand its role as a habitat-former in the northeast Atlantic. A total of 180 sporophytes and their associated fauna were sampled across three months, three sites, and two depths. Assemblage abundance and biomass varied markedly between three morpho-functional sporophyte components (i.e., holdfast, stipe, blade). We recorded rich and abundant macroinvertebrate assemblages, comprising nine phyla, 28 coarse taxonomic groups, and 57 species of molluscs, which consistently dominated assemblages. We observed pronounced seasonality in faunal assemblage structure, marked variability between sites and depths, and strong positive relationships between biogenic habitat availability and faunal abundance/biomass. S. polyschides sporophytes are short-lived and offer temporary, less-stable habitat compared with dominant perennial Laminaria species, so shifts in the relative abundances of habitat-formers will likely alter local biodiversity patterns.

Quantification of finfish assemblages associated with mussel and seaweed farms in southwest UK provides evidence of potential benefits to fisheries

Low trophic aquaculture, including shellfish and seaweed farming, offers a potentially sustainable food source and may provide additional environmental benefits, including the creation of new feeding, breeding and nursery areas for fish of commercial and ecological importance. However, quantitative assessments of fish assemblages associated with aquaculture sites are lacking. We used pelagic baited remote underwater videos (BRUVs) and hook and line catches to survey summer fish assemblages at 2 integrated blue mussel Mytilus edulis and kelp (predominantly Saccharina latissima) farms in southwest UK. We recorded at least 11 finfish species across the surveys, including several of commercial importance, with farmed mussels and/or kelps supporting significantly higher levels of abundance and richness than reference areas outside farm infrastructure. Farmed kelp provided temporary habitat due to seasonal harvesting schedules, whereas farmed mussels provided greater habitat stability due to overlapping interannual growth cycles. Stomach content analysis of fish caught at the farms revealed that some low trophic level species had high proportions of amphipods in their stomachs, which also dominated epibiont assemblages at the farms. Higher trophic level fish stomachs contained several lower trophic level fish species, suggesting that farms provide new foraging grounds and support secondary and tertiary production. Although not identified to species level, juvenile fish were abundant at both farms, suggesting potential provisioning of nursery or breeding grounds; however, this needs further verification. Overall, this study provides evidence that shellfish and seaweed aquaculture can support and enhance populations of commercially and ecologically important fish species through habitat provisioning.

Lessons from Lyme Bay (UK) to inform policy, management, and monitoring of Marine Protected Areas

Abstract This decade represents a critical period to profoundly rethink human–nature interactions in order to address the interwoven climate and biodiversity crises. Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) demonstrate promise for increasing ecosystem resilience and reversing habitat and population declines, but outcomes vary considerably from context to context. Partially protected areas offer a compromise between ecological recovery and the social needs of local communities, but their success is contingent on an array of factors. This in-depth review summarizes 15 years of marine conservation research and impact in Lyme Bay (southwest UK), to serve as a model for the future adoption of partially protected MPAs. The findings from the UK’s longest integrated socioecological monitoring MPA study are presented and supplemented by an evaluation of the whole-site management approach as a core element of Lyme Bay’s achievements. The journey from research to improved monitoring and ambitious policy is illustrated within and interspersed with stories of novel discoveries, ongoing challenges, and method developments. What started as a dedicated group of community members has grown into an immense collaboration between fishers, scientists, NGOs, and regulators, and their combined efforts have sent ripple effects of positive change across the globe.

Learning journeys - student learning development in the first years of a medical degree: an analysis of student conversations.

Students starting medical school generally come from a learning background that expects them to learn content, which is reproduced to pass an exam. As a part of their learning development, they must adapt and become self-motivated learners who can determine the underlying principles or concepts and use these to problem solve in the uncertainty of real-life clinical practice. Whilst much has been written about designing curricula to promote learning development, there is no one-size fits all approach to facilitating this type of learning, thus an analysis of what helps and hinders learning development is indicated. Student pairs in Y2 and Y3 of an undergraduate Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (BMBS) programme of a South-West UK medical school, were asked to audio record a conversation about their learning through a facilitated problem-based learning approach during the BMBS course so far. They were provided with a brief to aid them in their discussion in the style of the outside broadcast method of BBC Radio 4s listening project. Using this method, the conversation was unfacilitated and allowed to take its natural course. Conversations were transcribed and coded to determine emerging themes with respect to the developing understanding of the students about what and how they were learning. Four student pairs volunteered for the project one from Y2 and three from Y3. Five key themes were identified including: from 'learning it all, to structured learning'; 'developing understanding and the spiral curriculum'; 'working alone versus working with others'; 'integrated learning and understanding context' and 'assessment and resources.' Narrative analysis within these themes suggested that over the course of the first two to three years of study, participants developed a better understanding of how best to learn, although there were differences in both time and order that participants reached a point where learning felt more natural to them. Analysis of the data suggested that students develop independently towards being self-motivated lifelong learners. There were several key aspects of curriculum design that could be used to facilitate this development, which could easily be incorporated into developing or creating problem- / enquiry-based curricula.

Home sweet home: Comparison of epibiont assemblages associated with cultivated and wild sugar kelp (Saccharina latissima), co-cultivated blue mussels (Mytilus edulis) and farm infrastructure

Seaweed farming is expanding in Europe and may provide environmental benefits similar to those from natural kelp forests and shellfish farms, including habitat provisioning. Few studies have substantiated these claims however, and it remains uncertain whether seaweed farms will support similar biodiversity to kelp forests or provide valuable long-term habitat beyond the harvest season. We repeatedly surveyed an integrated sugar kelp (Saccharina latissima) and blue mussel (Mytilus edulis) farm in southwest UK to compare epibiont assemblages between cultivated kelps, to those from three nearby wild kelp populations, and to epibionts on farmed mussel lines and unseeded ‘bare’ lines. We found farmed kelps supported over 217 times the abundance of epibionts living on wild kelps at harvest time, however, taxonomic diversity per kelp was lower at the farm. Farmed kelp assemblages were dominated by amphipods, which were present on the wild kelps but in much lower numbers. Farmed kelp also supported distinct assemblages to cultivated mussels, which were similarly dominated by amphipods, but hosted higher relative abundances of crabs, echinoderms, worms and red algal biomass. The bare lines were heavily colonised by another pseudo-kelp, Saccorhiza polyschides, which supported similar epibiont assemblages to the seeded S. latissima lines. Our findings indicate that cultivating bivalves alongside seaweed can increase habitat provisioning at a seaweed farm and extend its permanence beyond typical seaweed cultivation periods as bivalves have longer, continuous farming periods. However, the presence of mussels will likely influence the epibiont assemblages on the farmed kelp, which are distinct from wild kelp populations.

Multi-centre review of systemic anti-cancer prescribing patterns and treatment drop off rates in the United Kingdom 2018-2021.

689 Background: The treatment landscape of metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) has evolved over recent years with several systemic anti-cancer therapies (SACT) licensed across different lines of treatment. There is ongoing discussion amongst oncology professionals about how best to optimise treatments in terms of sequencing to maximise the potential number of lines or to give the best treatments first. A previous south-west UK audit was completed in 2021 reviewing the drop off rates across 5 UK sites identifying that 69% of patients were able to receive second line therapy and 34% were able to receive third line therapy. Methods: In this study we conducted retrospective analysis of all patients who commenced treatment with SACT for mRCC between 1st January 2018 and 30th June 2021 in 18 centres across the 4 nations of the United Kingdom. All NHS reimbursed treatment options including the COVID interim treatment guideline options were included. Patients who received SACT as part of a clinical trial were also included. Patients who continued on their respective lines of treatment were censored. We also identified patients who had been on a period of active surveillance before staring SACT in this cohort. Results: 1549 patients (71% male: 29% female) were included. IMDC subgroup patients included 21.6% favourable, 52.3% intermediate, 25.1% poor and 1% unavailable. 9.1% of patients had been on active surveillance before starting SACT – defined as a period of longer than 3 months from mRCC diagnosis to starting SACT. Of those patients that started SACT 60.5% of eligible patients had 2nd line therapy, 25.3% had 3rd line, 7.2% received 4th line therapy and only 1% had 5th line therapy. In the 1st line setting 58.9% received single agent VEGF TKI, 24.5% received combination ipilimumab and nivolumab (IO-IO) immunotherapy, 14 % received IO/ VEGF TKI combination and 2.6% received other/trial treatment. The single agent VEGF TKI ratio for 1st line SACT declined year by year with rising IO-IO and IO/VEGF TKI combination ratios seen. In the second- and third-line settings cabozantinib (33.2% 2nd line and 44.4% 3rd line) and nivolumab (32.8% 2nd line and 22.6% 3rd line) were the most common options. Disease progression or death was the most common cause of SACT discontinuation amounting to 57.4%, 62.5% and 79% of SACT cessation in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd lines respectively. Treatment toxicity SACT discontinuation rates were 22.8%, 21.4% and 10.9% for 1st, 2nd and 3rd lines respectively. Conclusions: These results suggest that with more treatment options available, including combination/immunotherapy therapies, more patients are able to receive second- and third-line therapies. That said there remains significant drop off rates mostly driven by disease progression that would support the use of our most effective therapies in the upfront setting.

Development and Diversity of Epibiont Assemblages on Cultivated Sugar Kelp (Saccharina latissima) in Relation to Farming Schedules and Harvesting Techniques.

Seaweed farming in Europe is growing and may provide environmental benefits, including habitat provisioning, coastal protection, and bioremediation. Habitat provisioning by seaweed farms remains largely unquantified, with previous research focused primarily on the detrimental effects of epibionts, rather than their roles in ecological functioning and ecosystem service provision. We monitored the development and diversity of epibiont assemblages on cultivated sugar kelp (Saccharina latissima) at a farm in Cornwall, southwest UK, and compared the effects of different harvesting techniques on epibiont assemblage structure. Increases in epibiont abundance (PERMANOVA, F4,25 = 100.56, p < 0.001) and diversity (PERMANOVA, F4,25 = 27.25, p < 0.001) were found on cultivated kelps over and beyond the growing season, reaching an average abundance of >6000 individuals per kelp plant with a taxonomic richness of ~9 phyla per kelp by late summer (August). Assemblages were dominated by crustaceans (mainly amphipods), molluscs (principally bivalves) and bryozoans, which provide important ecological roles, despite reducing crop quality. Partial harvesting techniques maintained, or increased, epibiont abundance and diversity beyond the farming season; however, these kelp plants were significantly fouled and would not be commercially viable in most markets. This paper improves understanding of epibiont assemblage development at European kelp farms, which can inform sustainable, ecosystem-based approaches to aquaculture.

The Nomadic Digital Pathologist. Validation of a simple, dual slide scanner with remote reporting for a regional upper gastrointestinal specialist multidisciplinary meeting

Background: This article describes how a simple slide scanner with remote viewing software enabled a remote “nomadic” pathologist to continue his role as specialist lead for a regional gastrointestinal multidisciplinary team meeting (MDTM) after relocating to another site in the 5 hospital Southwest UK Peninsula cancer network just prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.Materials and methods: The author used digital pathology (DP) to supplement a conventional workflow as a way of minimising delay in reporting and reviewing slides for a regional specialist Oesophagogastric MDTM (the OGSMDT). The specialist centre at University Hospital Plymouth (UHP) is 58 miles from the author’s new workplace at Royal Cornwall Hospital (RCHT). Slides from the 44 cases (10% of this specialist annual workload) in this validation study were reported or reviewed digitally using the slide scanner. All were listed for the OGSMDT due to being clinically suspicious for upper gastrointestinal malignancy, having been processed at UHP, or one of the other hospitals in the cancer network.Results: The scanner allowed the author who was only on site at UHP 1 day per week to prevent delays in reporting/reviewing glass slides, using remote DP. Confidence in digital diagnosis was assessed using the Royal College of Pathologists recommendations. The author was the primary pathologist signing out 31, and second opinion for the remaining 13 cases. These comprised a mixture of biopsies as well as endoscopic and surgical excision specimens. The DP system enabled the author to report the cases digitally with an equivalent degree of confidence to glass slides and no significant discrepancies were identified between the author’s digital and final glass slide diagnosis.Conclusions: The scanner was found to be safe and effective for remote reporting and review for OGSMDT cases. It was recognised that DP was advantageous to enable this role to continue remotely but that a fully integrated digital reporting system capable of high-capacity scanning would be preferable to the simple system used.

Dating springlines from hydrogeological and archaeological evidence

AbstractThe relationship between prehistoric populations and water is often poorly understood, partly as a function of historical reliance on qualitative and fragmentary datasets in many regions. Here, we adopt a quantitative approach to analyze a specific aspect of the relationship between prehistoric populations and water for the Cotswold Hills, southwest UK; an area of documented hydrogeological change and extensive Neolithic (ca. 5.5 ka) activity. Using a database of all known Neolithic monuments, we interrogate the significance of water to their habitation. By marshaling a large dataset of recent (ca. 100 years) changes in the discharge and elevation of 259 springs, we establish a striking negative relationship between present-day spring discharge and annual elevation change. We then formulate an inverse problem to predict spring elevations in Neolithic times. Spring elevations are predicted to be closer to, and higher than, Neolithic-dated sites relative to the location of modern springs. These results emphasize a utilitarian and/or reverential link between water and prehistoric populations. Our approach of reconciling markedly different datasets and timescales can easily be adapted to other regions. While groundwater had behaved reasonably predictably since Neolithic times, recent human activity is (and will continue to be) far more significant in influencing groundwater behavior.

Evaluating the performance of the 'Seabin' - A fixed point mechanical litter removal device for sheltered waters.

Mechanical interventions are increasingly suggested as a means of removing plastic litter from aquatic environments; their performance is rarely evaluated, but such information is critical to inform policy interventions such as those required to facilitate UNEA 5.2. The Seabin, a fixed-point device designed to remove floating litter in sheltered waters was examined in an urban tidal marina (Southwest UK). It captured on average 58 litter items/day; chiefly plastic pellets, polystyrene balls and plastic fragments. It also captured one marine organism for every 3.6 items of litter, or 13 organisms/day, half of which were dead upon retrieval. The rate of litter capture was inferior to manual cleaning conducted with nets from pontoons or vessels. Hence, in this location the Seabin was of minimal benefit in terms of marine litter removal and resulted in mortality of marine organisms. The presence of such devices could also precipitate false optimism and reliance on technological solutions, rather than systemic changes in our production, use, and disposal of plastics.

Cross-cultural adaptation of the Spanish MINICHAL instrument into English for use in the United Kingdom

BackgroundHypertension is a highly prevalent condition, with optimal treatment to BP targets conferring significant gains in terms of cardiovascular outcomes. Understanding why some patients do not achieve BP targets would be enhanced through greater understanding of their health-related quality of life (HRQoL). However, the only English language disease-specific instruments for measurement of HRQoL in hypertension have not been validated in accordance with accepted standards. It is proposed that the Spanish MINICHAL instrument for the assessment of HRQoL in hypertension could be translated, adapted and validated for use in the United Kingdom. The aim of the study was therefore to complete this process.MethodsThe MINICHAL authors were contacted and the original instrument obtained. This was then translated into English by two independent English-speakers, with these versions then reconciled, before back-translation and subsequent production of a 2nd reconciled version. Thereafter, a final version was produced after cognitive debriefing, for administration and psychometric analysis in the target population of patients living in the Exeter area (Southwest UK) aged 18–80 years with treatment-naïve grade II-III hypertension, before, during and after 18 weeks’ intensive treatment.ResultsThe English-language instrument was administered to 30 individuals (median age: 58.5 years, 53% male). Psychometric analysis demonstrated a floor effect, though no ceiling effect. Internal consistency for both state of mind (StM) and somatic manifestations (SM) dimensions of the instrument were acceptable (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.81 and 0.75), as was test–retest reliability (ICC = 0.717 and 0.961) and construct validity, which was measured through co-administration with the EQ-5D-5L and Bulpitt-Fletcher instruments. No significant associations were found between scores and patient characteristics known to affect HRQoL. The EQ-5D-5L instrument found an improvement in HRQoL following treatment, with the StM and SM dimensions of the English language MINICHAL trending to support this (d = 0.32 and 0.02 respectively).ConclusionsThe present study details the successful English translation and validation of the MINICHAL instrument for use in individuals with hypertension. The data reported also supports an improvement in HRQoL with rapid treatment of grade II-III hypertension, a strategy which has been recommended by contemporaneous European guidelines.Trial registration ISRCTN registry number: 57475376 (assigned 25/06/2015).

The range expansion of Clibanarius erythropus to the UK suggests that other range-shifting intertidal species may not follow

The ranges of species are shifting as a consequence of anthropogenic climate change. In the marine realm biogeographic transition zones could form barriers to dispersal and inhibit range-shift, but little is known about this potential effect. The hermit crab Clibanarius erythropus appeared in the UK in 2016 with the nearest reproducing population being on the northern coast of Brittany. This raises questions of which conditions may have permitted C. erythropus to cross the English Channel (7.25°W, 49.00°N) and whether this barrier could be overcome by other intertidal species. Dispersal simulations suggest the larvae of C. erythropus arrived in 2014, originated from North Brittany, experienced a mean temperature of around 16 °C, and took longer than 20 days to be transported across the channel. The transportation of larvae from Brittany to the southwest UK appears to be rare and driven by occasional, unusual ocean currents. The English Channel may continue to prevent species with pelagic larvae that settle within 20 days, such as many species of gastropod, annelids, and macroalgae, from successfully range expanding to the UK. North Brittany was the only landmass from which it is feasible the UK population of C. erythropus could have originated. Therefore, species with long-lived pelagic larvae but without reproducing populations in North Brittany may not appear in the southwest UK until the species are established in North Brittany. The English Channel could continue to limit the ability of many intertidal species to shift their range with climate change.

High‐yielding forage grass cultivars increase root biomass and soil organic carbon stocks compared with mixed‐species permanent pasture in temperate soil

AbstractAgricultural grass cultivars bred for increased forage yield commonly have extensive root systems. As roots are an important input of organic matter into the soil, it follows that such cultivars could lead to important increases in soil organic carbon (SOC), but this, and the mechanisms involved, are poorly understood with little empirical field evidence. We assessed the effect of two cultivars, Lolium perenne L. cv. “AberMagic” and L. perenne L. × Festuca pratensis Huds. cv. “Prior”, in comparison with mixed‐species permanent pasture (“Pasture”) in a field experiment on temperate alluvial soil in the southwest UK. Root and SOC stocks, and specific plant‐derived lipids as mechanistic biomarkers for shoot and root inputs of C, were measured on intact 1‐m volumetric soil cores collected on four dates in 2013–2015. Total grass yields were greater for both grass cultivars (40–43 Mg ha−1) than Pasture (39 Mg ha−1), and by 2015 root stocks in the upper 0.1 m were significantly greater by more than 4.7 Mg ha−1. At 0.1–0.3 m depth, SOC stocks (per 0.1‐m depth) were significantly greater under the two grass cultivars (24–50 Mg ha−1) compared to Pasture (18–32 Mg ha−1). In the full 1‐m profile, mean SOC stocks were 137, 133 and 110 Mg ha−1 for AberMagic, Prior and Pasture, respectively, matching root biomass distribution. Odd‐chain n‐alkane concentrations were significantly greater for shoots than roots (274 vs. 64 mg kg−1, respectively), and roots had significantly greater concentrations than shoots of even‐chain hydroxy fatty acids (1829 vs. 305 mg kg−1, respectively) and diacids (317 vs. 93 mg kg−1, respectively). This confirmed lipids as candidate biomarkers for distinguishing shoot and root inputs into the soil, with roots being the dominant source of SOC. Based on the observations of increased forage yield and SOC stock, high‐yielding forage grass cultivars can contribute to future strategies for climate‐smart agriculture in grassland‐dominated temperate regions.Highlights Selected root traits for increased depth, density and diameter may increase SOC in grassland. The effect of two high‐yielding forage grass cultivars were assessed in a field trial. Fast‐growing, high‐yielding cultivars enhanced root and SOC stocks compared to typical pasture. Lipid biomarkers confirmed that root inputs were the predominant C input to soil.

Post release monitoring of rehabilitated gray seal pups over large temporal and spatial scales

AbstractWildlife rescue and rehabilitation is used globally to aid the conservation and welfare of marine species, however, postrelease monitoring is challenging. Here, long‐term, regional postrelease monitoring provides feedback for rehabilitation centers for gray seals (Halichoerus grypus). Data from 1,094 rehabilitated gray seals over 19 years across the southwest UK were examined to assess postrelease survivorship and the impact of release site on movements and range. Using flipper tags combined with photo identification, 391 rehabilitated seals (35.7%) were resighted, including 188 seals (17.2%) that were traced back to a specific rehabilitated individual with release data. The maximum monitoring duration for a single rehabilitated seal was 17 years, although the majority (151/188; 80%) were sighted for less than 5 years and 80/188 (43%) were resighted for less than a year. Almost all 188 traced rehabilitated seals (n = 176, 93.6%) visited the St Ives Bay Wild Site, yet only half had been released at the adjacent St Ives Bay Release Site. Rehabilitated seals had similar dispersal patterns to their wild conspecifics but over a smaller area. Once released, rehabilitated animals face the same threats as their wild counterparts.

Benefits beyond 'features': Cooperative monitoring highlights MPA value for enhanced seabed integrity

The global marine environment has seen recent rapid growth in Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). In UK (English) waters, MPAs incorporate Special Protection Areas (SPAs), Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) and Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs), each with specific conservation objectives. In accordance with legislation, the UK has adopted a feature-based approach to MPA designation and monitoring, whereby protection of listed species and habitats are prioritised. The Eddystone Reef (part of the Start Point to Plymouth Sound and Eddystone SAC, South West UK) is designated solely for its reef features. The reef is at high risk from fisheries, particularly bottom-towed fishing gear. On 1st of January 2014 bottom-towed fisheries were prohibited within designated areas of the reef. In this study, images from drop-down camera surveys were analysed to quantitatively assess patterns in diversity and abundance of benthic fauna on reef and mixed substratum habitats that are closed, and remain open, to bottom-towed fisheries. Coarse sediments in areas closed to bottom-towed gear supported a greater abundance of sessile, upright, slow growing species (e.g. pink sea fans, ross coral, branching sponges) than were present in areas still actively towed over. Coarse sediments open to bottom-towed gear had greater abundances of motile, scavenging or opportunistic species. This study highlights the potential for positive conservation benefits beyond the traditional feature-based approach to MPA designation and monitoring. Further conservation gains could be made by reducing fragmentation of protected habitats and by increasing area coverage of statutory controls on bottom-towed fishing in already designated MPAs.

Diagnosing Down-the-Drain Disposal of Unused Pharmaceuticals at a River Catchment Level: Unrecognized Sources of Environmental Contamination That Require Nontechnological Solutions.

Down-the-drain disposal of pharmaceuticals remains an overlooked and unrecognized source of environmental contamination that requires nontechnological “at-source” solutions. Monitoring of 31 pharmaceuticals over 7 days in five wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) serving five cities in South-West UK revealed down-the-drain codisposal of six pharmaceuticals to three WWTPs (carbamazepine and propranolol in city A, sildenafil in city B, and diltiazem, capecitabine, and sertraline in city D), with a one-off record codisposal of estimated 253 pills = 40 g of carbamazepine and estimated 96 pills = 4 g of propranolol in city A accounting for their 10- and 3-fold respective increases in wastewater daily loads. Direct disposal of pharmaceuticals was found to affect the efficiency of wastewater treatment with much higher pharmaceutical removal (decrease in daily load) during “down-the-drain disposal” days. This is due to lack of conjugated glucuronide metabolites that are cleaved during “consumption-only” days, with the release of a parent pharmaceutical counterbalancing its removal. Higher removal of pharmaceuticals during down-the-drain disposal days reduced pharmaceutical loads reaching receiving environment, albeit with significant levels remaining. The estimated daily loads in receiving water downstream from a discharge point accounted for 13.8 ± 3.4 and 2.1 ± 0.2 g day–1 of carbamazepine and propranolol, respectively, during consumption-only days and peaked at 20.9 g day–1 (carbamazepine) and 4.6 g day–1 (propranolol) during down-the-drain disposal days. Actions are needed to reduce down-the-drain disposal of pharmaceuticals. Our recent work indicated that down-the-drain disposal of pharmaceuticals doubled since the last study in 2005, which may be due to the lack of information and messaging that informs people to dispose of unused medicines at pharmacies. Media campaigns that inform the public of how to safely dispose of medicines are key to improving rates of return and reducing pharmaceutical waste in the environment. The environment is a key motivator for returning unused medicines to a pharmacy and so messaging should highlight environmental risks associated with improper disposal.