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The Development of Buglife – The Invertebrate Conservation Trust
Abstract
The Rio Earth Summit in 1992 was an international landmark in commitment to biodiversity - a new term that the politicians readily accepted to mean all organisms, including the tiny and obscure. The resulting Biodiversity Convention was a major breakthrough for invertebrate conservation. It radically reduced the time and energy needed to convince others that invertebrates were worthy of conservation attention; now bugs were 'wildlife' as well. © 2012 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht. All rights are reserved.
... This continued after the plan was published with a series of conferences that addressed the apparent invertebrate conservation shaped gap in the activities of existing organizations. As a result of this process Buglife -The Invertebrate Conservation Trust was set up in 2002 to fill the gap (see Stubbs and Shardlow 2012 for more detail on the establishment of Buglife). ...
... Many entomologists resented Buglife's use of common names, seeing it as imposing an unnecessary dual naming system; however, most education and publicity officers understood that reducing the height of the language barrier between invertebrate experts and the public was important for the promotion of invertebrate conservation. This stance was quickly vindicated when local people came to the aid of the sorrel pygmy moth, which was threatened with Scottish extinction by habitat destruction, only after Buglife had revealed this to be the common name of Enteucha acetosae (Stubbs and Shardlow 2012). ...
Organizations dedicated to saving invertebrates are still very rare so it has been an honour to have a key role in establishing one – Buglife – The Invertebrate Conservation Trust (www.buglife.org.uk). The charity has grown from the employment of the first staff member in February 2002 to an organization with 20 staff and a conservation programme of £1 million per year in February 2012. During those first 10 years we have worked towards our objective – to stop invertebrate extinctions and maintain sustainable populations of invertebrates – by surfing in on waves driven by the people’s appreciation of invertebrates, but we have also encountered and tackled walls to progress built of negative, or disinterested, attitudes. Buglife covers all invertebrates, and it is worth noting that there is an immense range of cultural contexts and associations linked to the segments of the wide taxonomic spray of organisms that this definition covers. While butterflies and lice stimulate very different emotional and intellectual responses, other non-insect groups such as worms and spiders have their own, even more diverse, cultural associations (see Lemelin, this volume). Despite international commonalities in how cultures view and treat types of invertebrates, there are also subtle and occasionally stark differences between cultures. Buglife functions at a European policy level and has run projects overseas in Sri Lanka, St Helena and South Georgia; while our work in these spheres gives hints of the cultural spaces that invertebrates inhabit in other cultures, primarily Buglife’s perspective is a British and European one.
... These can achieve regenerative agriculture approaches with minimal losses in farm profit (Hanley et al., 2011(Hanley et al., , 2015. The UK also has several voluntary initiatives to combat pollinator decline, such as 'Living Landscapes' and 'B-Lines' that aim to increase the area of suitable habitat available for pollinators and provide greater landscape connectivity (Stubbs and Shardlow, 2012;Warnock and Griffiths, 2015). ...
Insect pollinators are declining globally as a result of the anthropogenic pressures that have destroyed native habitats and eroded ecosystems. These declines have been associated with agricultural productivity losses, threatening food security. Efforts to restore habitat for pollinators are underway, emphasizing large-scale habitat creation like wildflower strips, yet ignoring the impact of smaller or more isolated patch-creation.
A meta-analysis of 31 independent published studies assessed the effect of scale of pollinator planting interventions (herbaceous strips, hedgerows, fertiliser/grazing/mowing control). We assessed pollinator species richness and abundance against size of intervention and type. Pollinator conservation interventions increased species richness and abundance in almost all of the studies examined, with the greatest increases in pollinator ecological metrics seen from hedgerows covering 40 m² and herbaceous interventions at 500 m².
We then analysed results from a 5-year study that deployed small pollinator habitats (30 m²) at community gardens and farms (<150,000 m²) practicing organic methods in the Pacific Northwest US. Small additions to pollinator resources had a significant local impact on pollinator abundance, but this effect was lost when these relatively small additions were introduced to sites in larger landscapes (>150,000 m²).
Together, we show that small interventions (∼500 m²) can significantly benefit pollinators, but only when sufficiently densely distributed at a landscape level. Though we understand the effects of single interventions at various scales, future research is needed to understand how these relatively small interventions act cumulatively at a landscape scale, and within this context whether larger areas are still needed for some species. Nonetheless, these preliminary data are promising, and may play an important role in convincing smaller landowners to act to preserve insect pollinators.
... Previous research has investigated the importance of multiple species traits in driving donations to species conservation, from species familiarity and appeal, to conservation status and geographic distribution (Colléony, Clayton et al. 2017;Veríssimo, Vaughan et al. 2017;Veríssimo, Campbell et al. 2018). Yet, we have little understanding of how species common names influence conservation outcomes, despite initial evidence that their existence and characteristics do so, at least in some cases (Carvell, Inglis et al. 1998;Sarasa, Alasaad et al. 2012;Stubbs and Shardlow 2012). ...
In the search for new ways to bring attention to the conservation of neglected species, marketing is increasingly recognised as offering new insights. Brand creation frameworks provide guidelines to create names or symbols for products that will differentiate them from the competition. In this paper, we examine if species common names that follow these guidelines can improve their fundraising potential. Using a novel choice experiment format that employs a budget allocation task, we evaluate if species common names influence donor preferences, where participants were given real money to donate to the species of their choosing. We model the data collected, which is fractional response data, using a Hierarchical Bayesian Dirichlet regression. Our results indicate that while all attributes are positively related to making a donation, Appeal and Familiarity coefficients are statistically significant but Name is not. There were also no statistically significant interactions between Name and any of the socio‐economic variables. Our results on the importance of Appeal and Familiarity follow past research but contradict past research on the importance of common names, although the latter looked at common names in isolation. This suggests that species traits should not be tested in isolation when trying to understand the drivers of donations to wildlife conservation, as some traits that may appear important when tested separately become comparatively irrelevant when placed in a more realistic context where respondents have to consider multiple species traits. Future research into the influence of common names should investigate the possible impact of name sentiment as well as whether names with geographic references increase support from donors from those areas.
... However, there is growing concern that environmentally significant quantities of pesticides from spot-on flea products may be entering the environment. A report from Buglife -The Invertebrate Conservation Trust (Shardlow, 2017) found imidacloprid at levels exceeding published chronic toxicity limits (Morrissey et al., 2015) in a number of urban rivers in the UK. Veterinary flea spot-ons and collars were implicated as the most likely source. ...
Little is known about the environmental fate or impact of pesticides used to control companion animal parasites. Using data from the Environment Agency, we examined the occurrence of fipronil, fipronil metabolites and imidacloprid in 20 English rivers from 2016 to 2018, as indicators of the potential contamination of waterways from their use as ectoparasiticides on pets. Water samples were collected by the Environment Agency as part of their chemical surveillance programme and analysed using Liquid Chromatography Mass Spectrometry / Quadrupole-Time-of-Flight Mass spectrometry (LC/Q-TOF-MS) methods. A total of 3861 chemical analyses were examined, and the significance and potential sources of this contamination were assessed. Fipronil, fipronil sulfone, fipronil sulfide (collectively known as fiproles) and imidacloprid were detected in 98.6%, 96.5%, 68.7% and 65.9% of samples, respectively. Across the river sites sampled, the mean concentrations of fipronil (17 ng/l, range <0.3–980 ng/l), and fipronil sulfone (6.5 ng/l, range <0.2–39 ng/l) were 5.3 and 38.1 times their chronic toxicity limits of 3.2 and 0.17 ng/l, respectively. Imidacloprid had a mean concentration of 31.7 ng/l (range <1–360 ng/l), which was below its chronic toxicity limit of 35 ng/l, however seven out of 20 sites exceeded that limit. Chronic risk quotients indicate a high environmental risk to aquatic ecosystems from fiproles, and a moderate risk from imidacloprid. Sites immediately downstream of wastewater treatment works had the highest levels of fipronil and imidacloprid, supporting the hypothesis that potentially significant quantities of pesticides from veterinary flea products may be entering waterways via household drains. These findings suggest the need for a reevaluation of the environmental risks associated with the use of companion animal parasiticide products, and the risk assessments that these products undergo prior to regulatory approval.
... The name of an animal can have a significant effect on its conservation appeal (Karaffa et al. 2012) and the presence of a vernacular name can be critical to conservation (e.g. Stubbs and Shardlow 2012, Lunney 2014). Standardised vernacular names for subspecies are already in use in countries such as New Zealand (Miskelly et al. 2008, Robertson et al. 2012) and the USA where vernacular names are applied to Federally-listed endangered subspecies (US Fish and Wildlife Service 2015) and to most others in field guides (e.g. ...
Over the last 25 years subspecies have become an important unit of bird conservation in Australia. Some have evocative common English names which have allowed the subspecies to be vested with meaning among conservation advocates, evoking feelings of concern, loyalty and affection. This suggests that providing subspecies with stable English names can allow development of a ‘brand’ among those in need of conservation action. Also, since scientific names often change with knowledge of taxonomic relationships among birds, a stable list of standardised English names for all species and subspecies can minimise confusion and ambiguity among the public and in legislation. Here we present the arguments for creating a standardised list of English names for Australian bird subspecies and set out principles for formulating subspecies names, along with a list of the names themselves, with the aim of building the general public’s attachment to subspecies, increasing interest in their conservation and as subjects of research.
... The examples flowing from the greater concentrations of interest in the northern temperate regions (Stewart and New 2007) set enviable, and perhaps impracticable, standards for emulation. Australia has no equivalent to organizations such as Buglife (Stubbs and Shardlow 2012), for example, and the chances of establishing any parallel dynamic association seem remote. Nevertheless, such effective coordination and advocacy is a key need for advance. ...
Undertaking programmes for invertebrate conservation in Australia has always been difficult because of (1) lack of information about the target taxa, (2) the small number of relevant invertebrate specialists, and (3) competition with the better known plants and animals for limited resources to conduct these programmes. The task of invertebrate conservation is both formidable and increasingly urgent, and must be undertaken with very inadequate taxonomic and biological knowledge. The history of insect conservation interest in Australia (summarized by New and Yen 2012) demonstrates many of the problems that may be even greater amongst lesser-known invertebrates.
... Since 2007, interested parties have been trained in the RICT concept to identify several key invertebrate groups and report unusual findings to the state-run Environment Agency (Stubbs and Shardlow, 2012). ...
Freshwater biomonitoring is often employed after an environmental disturbance, comparing invertebrate abundances at impacted sites to controls or references. However, the majority of biomonitoring practices ignore the now well-recognised concept that pollutions do not have to be lethal in order to compromise the function of an ecosystem. ‘Functional’ biomonitoring may provide a work-around by directly recording how an environment cycles its nutrients. I designed and built novel freshwater biomonitoring tools using the rate detritivores process leaf litter as a surrogate for ecosystem functioning. I tested the efficacy of these tools by comparing the rates of per-day leaf litter breakdown in the River Kennet at sites upstream and downstream of a recent pesticide spill. Upstream sites acted as a control whilst downstream sites were potentially suffering from impaired functioning. I also used several biomonitoring tools to investigate the effects of drought on per-day leaf litter breakdown in an experimental stream-mesocosm system. In both cases, I found evidence to suggest that per-day leaf litter breakdown was significantly slower in stressed environments when compared to controls. I found this to be in agreement with previous studies. I also compared leaf litter breakdown rates with invertebrate abundances taken at the same sites. Invertebrate abundance was not found to interact directly with breakdown rates, suggesting sub-lethal effects were at play. This design showed promise as a sensor of environmental stress. With further refinement, this biomonitoring tool may see employment at local, national and international scales and may become increasingly useful when considering more stringent freshwater legislation and the likelihood of damaging global environmental change.
... Long-term monitoring programs, such as the Rothamsted Insect Survey in the United Kingdom, have provided some of the clearest evidence for large-scale recent declines, for example of the larger British moths (Conrad et al. 2004). In contrast, for much of the world, knowledge of any such trends is unavailable, and notwithstanding the enthusiasms of some notable local interest groups, any equivalents to the above societies or others (such as 'Buglife' in the United Kingdom: Stubbs & Shardlow 2012) dedicated specifically or principally to insect conservation are unlikely to be established in the region. Insect conservation, where the insect species are the particular focus, is often a low priority other than by inclusion in general ecological assessments, ecotourism or by exercises that can provide livelihoods and generate revenue, and that can be driven locally rather than imposed 'ex cathedra' from elsewhere. ...
Insect conservation in the southern hemisphere lags substantially behind developments in parts of Europe and North America, where the relatively small faunas are better documented, and where a historical culture of natural history has enabled conservation needs to be assessed and addressed by many sympathetic supporters. We contrast this scenario with the much more embryonic knowledge and capability available in Australia, southern Africa, southern South America and New Zealand, all regions with large and incompletely documented insect faunas, but an equivalent array of threats to their survival. While a few individual ‘flagship species’ (mainly within Lepidoptera, Orthoptera and Coleoptera) have been critical in promoting wider interests, in general insects do not signify highly on regional conservation agendas. We offer a perspective of the major needs to counter this.
... The effects of urban environments on EPT dispersal have received attention; however existing data is primarily qualitative. Artificial lighting and reflective surfaces have been known to attract adult aquatic macroinvertebrates and cue oviposition (Malik et al., 2008; Horvath et al., 2009; Kirska et al., 2010; White and Shardlow, 2011). As the field study was only conducted within a wooded area, the effects of urban development on stonefly dispersal cannot be assessed. ...
Aquatic insects of the orders Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera and Trichoptera (EPT) are commonly used as indicators of freshwater quality. Recolonization of restored waterways by these pollution intolerant insects is frequently employed to measure the success of stream restoration efforts. Post restoration monitoring programs based on recolonization by EPT indicator species are typically generalized with little consideration for local conditions. Within Philadelphia urban development has resulted in a loss of unimpaired headwater streams that might serve as refugia of EPT colonists to replenish downstream populations through passive drift of larvae and ova. In this urban setting, recolonization may depend largely on overland flight by adults from other systems.
In an attempt to predict the likelihood of overland dispersal by adult EPT within Philadelphia, PA USA, a one year field study was conducted at the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education (SCEE) in Northwest Philadelphia to obtain data on local EPT taxa and dispersal behavior. Adult EPT specimens belonging to 15 species were collected using sticky traps extending laterally from Meig’s Run, a 1st order tributary to the Schuylkill River. Leuctra ferruginea (Plecoptera: Leuctridae) was selected as the study species.
A random walk model was developed and calibrated to field observations to predict long distance dispersal probability. An individual-based Lévy flight random walk model provided the best fit for field observations from Meig’s Run, as well as supporting observations and theory proposed in existing literature.
Practical insect conservation has two major levels of focus: the fine level of attention to individual species and the coarse filter of concentrating on wider diversity. Both are complex, and usually initiated with very incomplete biological knowledge. The contexts and approaches are discussed in this chapter, to increase understanding of how insect conservation ‘works’. For both levels, setting rational and justifiable priorities for deployment of limited support resources may be difficult. Adoption of a species or area focus leads to construction of some form of ‘action plan’ for conservation, based on the best available scientific knowledge and each tailored for the individual case: the desirable contents are outlined. Single-species conservation is often site-based, and site security (protection or reservation) is essential for long-term conservation. The insect faunas of most major protected areas such as national parks are incompletely documented, and insects rarely constitute priorities for management of such areas. More general conservation measures in other areas, such as the urban and agricultural environments, emphasise needs for a ‘landscape perspective’ in insect conservation and involving both habitat condition and connectivity.
Lepidoptera, although by far the smallest of the four megadiverse insect orders with a complete metamorphosis, is also by far the best known. Exceeded in species numbers by Coleoptera, Diptera and Hymenoptera, they are still astonishingly diverse, with many species still to be distinguished clearly and named. Even for the relatively well-documented fauna of North America, a recent estimate implied that a third of the Lepidoptera fauna is still undescribed. Globally, perhaps 160,000 species of butterflies and moths have been named, and Powell (2009) conjectured that the world fauna of Lepidoptera ‘certainly exceeds 350,000 [species] and may be much larger’, much of this diversity being attributed to evolutionary radiations with flowering plants over long periods. Indeed, Lepidoptera are the overall largest evolutionary array of herbivorous animals, and much of their current diversity reflects subtle patterns of adaptations, co-evolution and specialisations with plants. Kawahara et al. (2019) considered Lepidoptera ‘one of four major super-radiations of insects’, which play major ecological roles in almost every habitable terrestrial ecosystem. They are by far the predominant group of herbivorous insects, associated mostly with vascular plants throughout the world and within which moths are by far the more numerous component. Their roles as consumers (larvae mostly as herbivores or detritivores and adults on floral nectar) and pollinators, often in very specific contexts, render Lepidoptera critical in sustaining ecological structure and function in many terrestrial ecosystems. Most Lepidoptera are terrestrial, but a few are associated with freshwater plants and are sometimes thought of as ‘aquatic’. It is widely agreed, as noted above, that their diversity and diversification are linked strongly with the radiation of the angiosperms, on which the great majority of Lepidoptera depend. The proliferation of the angiosperms was a major global transformation that occurred throughout the mid-Cretaceous period, around 125–980 million years ago (Labandeira 2018).
Promoting insect conservation in Australia depends on wider appreciation of insect variety, importance and vulnerability, and that their conservation cannot be pursued comprehensively by professional scientists alone, or by the current financial and other logistic resources available, or that are likely to become available. Continually increased interest and appreciation from the wider populace, including young people, is a key component of rendering insect conservation both socially acceptable and potentially successful. Examples of ‘citizen science’ involvement in insect surveys and related conservation activities have already done much to increase and stimulate conservation in Australia, with attention both to diversity and individual ‘flagship’ species major contributions toward that objective. They are discussed in the context of increasing awareness of insect diversity and understanding the richness and vulnerability of numerous native taxa and their restricted environments, whilst acknowledging that information on insect richness and ecology is still far from complete.
The genus Ctenophora is one of the most impressive and beautiful taxa of crane-flies, and a brilliant representative of the family and of the regional fauna. The genus Ctenophora contains 23 species and one subspecies world wide, with 21 species in the Palaearctic, two in Nearctic and 13 in Russia [Oosterbroek, 2019]. So far 3 species are known in the Caucasus for certain: Ctenophora (Ctenophora) guttata Meigen, 1818 - Rostov Region, Krasnodar Region, Azerbaijan [Savchenko, 1973], Karachaevo-Cherkesiya [Lukasheva, 1987], Georgia, Armenia* [Oosterbroek, 2019], Ctenophora (Cnemoncosis) ornata Meigen, 1818 – Krasnodar Region [Pilipenko, 2016; Pilipenko & Lantsov, 2017] and Ctenophora (Cnemoncosis) magnifica Loew, 1869 (Azerbaijan, North of Iran) [Savchenko, 1973]. One more species can be added to the list now - Ctenophora (Ctenophora) flaveolata (Fabricius, 1794), which was found recently in the North Caucasus (Adygeya) and which is new for the Caucasus and for Russia.
* The presence of C. guttata in Georgia and Armenia needs confirmation.
The roles of some of the processes noted in the preceding chapter emphasise the importance of open spaces in urban environments, both as ameliorating influences on threats and as key areas in which the impacts of urbanisation may be prevented or countered through deliberate manipulation or restoration of probable natural features and their close analogues. Most urban conservation depends to large extent on open (‘green’) spaces, the extent of which can be far larger than initially anticipated. Within these, numerous different manipulations and modifications for conservation benefits may be possible. Reflecting many parallel purposes, measures pioneered for use in agroecosystems can sometimes be transferred easily to urban spaces, with similar outcomes of increasing native species diversity and promoting wellbeing of natural enemies of pest arthropods. As examples, ‘beetle banks’ (grassy strips in fields to harbour predators amd protect them from routine agricultural disturbances) and ‘insectary strips’ (linear plantings of nectar-providing plants) are both easily modified in scale for urban uses. Frank and Shrewsbury (2004) combined these, as ‘conservation strips’, as refuges for natural enemies on golf courses, and their presence increased predators, parasitoids and alternative prey abundance on roughs and fairways, suggesting considerable values in conservation biological control (p. xx), perhaps also for turfgrass pests in urban parks and similar places. Manipulation of vegetation has the twin purposes of increasing richness and amount, and increasing structural variety, both with potential to affect availability of seasonal resources for insects and to foster equivalent increases in all guilds of arthropods and to enhance biological communities (Shrewsbury and Leather 2012).
The impacts of urbanisation have catalysed awareness of conservation need, with public concerns and interest stimulated in many industrialised countries through the severity, extent and rates of changes to natural environments, including almost all terrestrial and freshwater biotopes occupied by insects. Many of those changes are not restricted to urban environments, although the scales on which they occur may by far exceed those usual elsewhere, so that lack of awareness or interest inevitably leads to species or biotope loss, perhaps with far-reaching cascade effects as scale increases. ‘Crisis-management’ is a recurring theme in urban conservation, but one in which insects have generally played less conspicuous roles than groups such as birds, for which a greater groundswell of public sympathy is common. Pioneering texts (notably those by Fry and Lonsdale 1991; Kirby 2001) emphasise the general nature and consequences of habitat changes for insects, and the principles of management for insect conservation. Indeed, the introduction to the first of these includes specific comment on ‘tidiness’ as a harmful trend in urban habitats – they noted that changes to ponds and marshy ground in Richmond Park, London, had led to loss of almost half the resident dragonfly species over the middle decades of the twentieth century. All measures to conserve insect habitats, whether by preservation or sympathetic restoration, are relevant in urban contexts, so that the substantial practical advice and principles included in the above accounts merit attention well beyond Britain, for which they were primarily devised. The major conservation needs for insects in towns and cities are now reasonably clear, and the principles can be endorsed by evidence from insect responses to numerous different disturbances associated with urbanisation – ranging from short term ‘pulse’ impacts to more enduring and severe changes.
Cooperation of scientists, conservation agencies and the wider community is critical for pursuing invertebrate conservation, but many problems can arise in promoting this approach effectively. They are exemplified here by consideration of four notable flagship species in Victoria: the Giant Gippsland earthworm, Golden sun-moth, Eltham copper butterfly and Ancient greenling damselfly, which are supported to varying extents by recovery teams and normal recovery plans and by community enthusiasm and participation in their conservation. A fifth example of 'working together' is the Invertebrate Survey Group of the Field Naturalists' Club of Victoria, whose activities are discussed in the context of broader needs to promote values of community participation.
Rhaphium suave (Loew, 1859) was collected from three riverside sites in Gwent, Cheshire and Northumberland. The habitat was wet sandy shores with nearby tall vegetation. Characters to differentiate it are figured.
Hilara aartseni Chvála, 1997 (Diptera, Empididae) was recorded new to Britain from several sites along the River Wey in Hampshire and Surrey and Rother and River Rother in Hampshire and West Sussex, during a survey of exposed riverine sediments in July 2005. The empid was one of the more frequently occurring species of Hilara and occurred mostly in shaded stretches of stream bank.
Hilara tenella was recorded new to Britain from two sites in southern England, and new to Jersey in the Channel Islands. The three habitats where it was found were a shaded stream in lowland pasture, a marshy margin to a large pond, and marshy ground with nearby willows and stream. The male genitalia and foreleg are illustrated.
The only thing that keeps humans apart from nature is the belief that we are apart and this belief has been sustained by nature conservationists despite the almost universal acceptance of Darwinism by society. The implications for the environmental movement are explored in light of the urgent need to halt the loss of biodiversity.
Despite their potential to support biodiversity, a strong negative public image has been attached to brownfield sites, with the conservation of these sites therefore lagging behind other habitats. The inclusion of 'Open Mosaic Habitats on Previously Developed Land (OMHPDL)' as a UK Biodiversity Action Plan (UKBAP) priority habitat has however resulted in a renewed focus on brownfields as important wildlife habitats. The experiences of Buglife – The Invertebrate Conservation Trust in both the Thames Gateway and central Scotland have shown that brownfield sites can support many rare, scarce and UKBAP priority species, some of which are becoming increasingly reliant on such sites as their natural habitats come under threat. INTRODUCTION The industrial revolution starting in the eighteenth century transformed the scenery of our towns and countryside. Central Scotland was at the heart of this revolution and many heavy engineering works and iron founders were based there. With the demise of these industries across the country, their former premises have been left derelict. Many of these ex-industrial sites have since been reclaimed by nature through natural succession. This rich industrial heritage of Scotland has resulted in over 10,000 hectares of land being listed as vacant or derelict. These brownfield sites can be incredibly important for biodiversity, often supporting nationally important populations of rare and endangered invertebrates, alongside other wildlife such as birds, reptiles, plants and lichens. With the loss of natural habitats in the wider countryside through agricultural intensification and development, wild areas within the urban environment have become crucial to the survival of many increasingly threatened species in the UK. As a result Open Mosaic Habitat on Previously Developed Land (OMHPDL) was recently included as a UKBAP priority habitat.
We report the establishment of two representatives of a new ecological functional group on the sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia - pollinating insects - in the form of the hoverfly Eristalis croceimaculata Jacobs (Diptera, Syrphidae) and the blowfly Calliphora vicina Robineau-Desvoidy (Diptera, Calliphoridae). The floricolous adults of these two species provide a new ecological role, pollination, in the ecosystems of this island. The activity of their respectively saprophogous or necrophagous larvae will also augment that of the native insect and microarthropod soil fauna. We discuss the potential new synergy between this functional group and that of a number of established non-native plants, reliant on insect pollinators for successful seed-set and hence dispersal, that are currently of persistent status with very limited local distributions.
Exposed riverine sediments (ERS) by four rivers in Scotland and northern England were sampled for beetles in 1996 and 1997. One hundred and sixty rove beetle (Staphylinidae) species lists were analysed using ordination and classification techniques in order to identify habitat groups within and between catchments and to assess which factors were affecting species assemblage distribution. There were major differences between the species assemblages of ERS by rivers of highland and lowland catchments. Within catchments, assemblage distribution was mainly influenced by the position of sites within the catchment; vegetation cover and sediment composition had less influence. The number of rove beetle habitats was not the same as those for ground and phytophagous beetle groups, indicating that conservation considerations should take into account variations in ERS habitat diversity. A considerable number of records of nationally rare and scarce rove beetle species were recorded, most on ERS by rivers and tributaries unaffected by river management or engineering.
Exposed riverine sediments (ERS) are an important invertebrate habitat. Ground beetle data from pitfall trap surveys of 165 sites in the catchments of the Rivers Carron, Nith, Spey, Tweed and Eden and from 48 sites in the catchments of the Rivers Blyth, Breamish, Coquet, Glen, Pont, South Tyne, Till, Tweed and Tyne were used to produce ERS habitat classifications in Scotland and northern England respectively. Within each habitat type the quality of sites were assessed using indices based on rarity and fidelity values and using species richness as a measure of diversity. Considerable variation in these indices was seen within and between habitat types, showing potential for their use in assessing site quality and for ranking sites within habitats. The use of standardised invertebrate survey and distribution data, together with species assemblage information, for the conservation of invertebrate habitat types as an alternative to the use of selected indicator species, is discussed.
The UK's biodiversity has been the subject of a Biodiversity Action Plan process for 13 years. The recent review of Priority Species and Habitats has taken two years, involving 500 wildlife experts and over £600,000 worth of voluntary work. Attention must now focus on how we give these species and habitats the best chance of recovery.
This paper synthesizes literature and limited primary data to identify issues and processes associated with the ecology and conservation of arthropods of exposed riverine sediments (ERS). The review begins by defining ERS and emphasizing the highly dynamic and disturbed nature of these habitats. The ecological significance of ERS arthropod assemblages is explored around three themes: (1) diversity and species rarity; (2) transfer of energy and nutrients between aquatic and terrestrial habitats; and (3) anthropogenic impact on ERS through livestock trampling, aggregate extraction, introduction of invasive plant species, channelization, flow regulation and climate change. The article concludes with a call for more international research on the ecology and conservation of these riparian assemblages.
Exposed riverine sediments (ERS) are an important ecotone, where aquatic and terrestrial habitats and species interact. Within an area of ERS, invertebrate species richness tends to be highest along the water's edge ecotone. In this article, we discuss a habitat manipulation experiment which was conducted to test the hypotheses that ERS invertebrate distribution is linked to: (1) the availability of food items (emerging and stranded aquatic invertebrates) and (2) favourable physical microhabitat and microclimate (temperature and moisture). Four experimental plots were created (wet, wet-fed, dry-fed and dry control plot), replicated three times. The plots were wetted using a capillary pump system, and fed with dried blood worms (Chironomids) for 28 days. Sediment temperature was measured at 15-min intervals. Hand searches were undertaken on 25% of each plot after 7, 14, 21 and 30 days. Significant temperature differences were observed between the wet and dry sediment and the air temperature. Wet plots were 1·9 °C cooler on average than the dry plots and had a smaller temperature range; all plots remained significantly warmer than the air temperature. The wet and wet-fed plots yielded significantly greater numbers of beetles than the dry and dry-fed plots; however, no significant difference was found between the wet and wet-fed plots. Spiders were significantly associated with dry plots and showed no response to food variability. These results suggest that micro-environment and not food availability is the main driving factor underlying beetle distribution and movement, although it is possible that they are using lower temperatures and increased moisture as a cue for aquatic food availability. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
There are large numbers of records of uncommon beetles from exposed riverine sediments (ERS) (gravel, sand and silt shoals) in the UK. However, systematic surveys of their occurrence in relation to environmental controls are seldom undertaken. Data are presented here from a survey of 69 shingle ERS across England and Wales and used to establish which factors were important in constraining species assemblages. Over 480 species of Coleoptera were collected by a combination of pitfall trapping, hand searching and excavation techniques. A total of 81 species with conservation status of Vulnerable, Rare or Nationally Scarce were recorded during the work and this includes six species on the United Kingdom Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) lists. A subset of 42 of these rare species can be classified as ERS specialists. The data were analysed using TWINSPAN, redundancy analysis (RDA), single factor ANOVA, general linear modelling (GLM) and correlation to examine the importance of selected environmental variables and their relationships with the species assemblages. The results indicate that: (i) ERS sites with large numbers of species that are either rare or exhibit strong fidelity to the sediments have a markedly western distribution in the UK and are found on unregulated rivers in Wales and a number of rivers in the south west of England, (ii) the type of substrate, habitat heterogeneity, the percentage of shade from trees, the percentage of fine sediments on the ERS, the amount of trampling and ERS size are important in determining invertebrate communities and (iii) ERS provide valuable and important habitats for rare beetles species in the UK. The importance of river regulation, engineering and trampling by stocking for ERS invertebrates is discussed.
Managing priority habitats for invertebrates
- K Alexander
- M Archer
- S Colenutt
- J Denton
- S Falk
- A Godfrey
- P Hammond
- J Ismay
- P Lee
- C Macadam
- M Morris
- C Murray
- C Plant
- A Ramsay
- B Schulten
- M Shardlow
- A Stewart
- A Stubbs
- P Sutton
- M Telfer
Brachymeria obtusata (Forster, 1859) (Hymenoptera: Chalcididae), new to Britain
- R A Jones
- RA Jones
All of a buzz in the Thames gateway Phase 1: identification of the Brownfield resource in the Thames gateway and preliminary assessment of the invertebrate interest. Buglife-The Invertebrate Conservation Trust and English Nature
- J Roberts
- P Harvey
- Ra Jones
Brownfield biodiversity in Falkirk
- Sz Bairner
- Cr Macadam
A review of the impact of artificial light on invertebrates. Buglife-The Invertebrate Conservation Trust
- C Bruce-White
- M Shardlow
Unity of purpose for invertebrate conservation: launch of the Invertebrate Conservation Trust
- O D Cheesman
Report on findings of the 2006 field survey for Rosser’s Sac Spider Clubiona rosserae. The Clubiona rosserae Partnership. Buglife - The Invertebrate Conservation Trust
- S Colenutt
Upper Thurne Catchment grazing marsh ditches 1973 to 2009. Final report. Buglife - The Invertebrate Conservation Trust
- M Drake
A biography of Ditch surveys in England and Wales. Part 1: Surveys 1878 - 1999
- R J Driscoll
Water trapping to sample
- A Thornhill
The ecological status of ditch systems: an investigation into the current status of the aquatic invertebrate and plant communities of grazing marsh ditch systems in England and Wales
- C M Drake
- N F Stewart
- M A Palmer
- V L Kindemba
Biodiversity 2020: a strategy for England’s wildlife and ecosystem services
- Defra
The distribution of Rhabdomastix laeta populations. Final report. Buglife - The Invertebrate Conservation Trust
- A Godfrey
Fly assemblages of sandy exposed riverine sediment. Final report. Buglife - The Invertebrate Conservation Trust
- C M Drake
- A Godfrey
- S M Hewitt
- J Parker
ERS invertebrate habitat survey of the rivers Afon Ystwyth and Afon Rheidol in Ceredigion. CCW and Buglife - The Invertebrate Conservation Trust
- S M Hewitt
- J Parker
- V Kindemba
- SM Hewitt
Distribution of the stiletto-fly
- Sm Hewitt
- J Parker
Habitat conservation for insects-a neglected green issue
- R Fry
- D Lonsdale
Brownfield: red data-the values artificial habitats have for uncommon invertebrates
- Cwd Gibson
Discovering the rich dipteran fauna of exposed riverine sediments
- V Kindemba
The influence of exposed riverine sediment (ERS) physical habitat dynamics and river flow in determining the distributions of specialist ERS invertebrates
- S E Henshall
The ecology and conservation in Britain of Lophopus crystallinus, a Rare Freshwater Bryozoan
- Sll Hill
Report on debris sampling survey for evidence of the presence of Lophopus crystallinus within the River Wye. Buglife - The Invertebrate Conservation Trust
- S Hill
Chalcosyrphus eunotus a Red Data Book hoverfly, its status, distribution, ecology and conservation
- A Jukes
Survey for baseline information on introduced plants & invertebrates South Georgia
- R S Key
- Rjd Key
Response to SNH comments on Aucheninnes Moss: a field assessment
- R A Lindsay
- RA Lindsay
A strategy for Scottish invertebrate conservation
- C R Macadam
- G E Rotheray