Foot-And-Mouth

ECNNews Spring 2001 The newsletter of the UK Environmental Change Network No. 13

The Environmental Change Network (ECN) is a UK multi-agency research programme co-ordinated by the Natural Environment Research Council

Foot-and-mouth The environmental consequences? ver the past few months we have all been made · Changes in surface water chemistry resulting from O aware of the devastating effects of the UK's foot- changes in grazing and associated management and-mouth epidemic on agriculture, tourism and rural activities, e.g. use of fertilisers economies. As we go to press the Ministry of · Reduced visitor pressures. Agriculture Fisheries and Food (MAFF) figures show that there have been 1,599 cases and 2,679,000 animals The foot-and-mouth outbreak has also affected research slaughtered in response. and monitoring at ECN sites (see page 7). But as things return to normal the ECN Network The epidemic has already had should be able to provide environmental consequences. Some of some of the data and “... in the short term we might ... information necessary to see environmental effects understand these resulting from the reduced impacts. numbers, and restricted movement, of grazing animals in infected areas.” CEH © these, such as the environmental health issues associated with the burning and burying of carcasses have been widely discussed in the media. But others have received less attention. For instance, in Photo: John Adamson, the short term we might also see A sheep exclosure on environmental effects resulting from the reduced ECN Moor House, clearly showing the numbers, and restricted movement, of grazing animals effects of grazing on in infected areas. These effects might include: vegetation. An

example of things to · Changes in vegetation and fauna come? · Changes in atmospheric chemistry - for instance, lower levels of atmospheric deposition of nitrogen The map shows the location of ECN sites in relation to infected areas. l - terrestrial sites, n - lake sites, • - river sites. Infected where grazer densities have been severely reduced areas are taken from MAFF web site, www.maff.gov.uk Contents Science, Society Fabulous ground ECN & water The PRU database International & education beetles & ECN quality indicators Conference update 3 4-5 6 7 8

Plus: News – Web site awards & update – ECN & foot-and-mouth – ECN & CS2000 1 News ECN: Award winning web! he ECN web site has won three awards since February they are included on the Schoolzone site. The final award is T 2000. The first is from Britannica.com. This site from SciLinks, an initiative by the US-based National Science combines the content of the Encyclopædia Britannica with a Teachers Association to connect textbooks to useful online guide to the “Web’s best sites” to help users find the content. Web sites are assessed by a team of teachers before information they need. The second is from Schoolzone, a site they are included on the site. SciLinks considered the ECN created by a group of teachers and parents to provide links to web site to be “one of excellence”. safe, non-commercial Internet material for school pupils. www.britannica.com/ www.schoolzone.co.uk/ Web sites are assessed and rated by a panel of teachers before www.scilinks.org/

Earth Systems Science Summer School n Earth System Science Summer School (ES4) will be dynamic processes that link their biotic and abiotic A held in September 2001 at the University of East Anglia. components; and (2) to enable environmental researchers to As well as guest lectures and poster sessions, topics will appreciate how their own specialised studies fit into a broader cover the whole of the Earth's System from the global water context (particularly important for those at the start of their and biogeochemical cycles to socio-economic aspects of careers). ES4 will involve a wide range of expert lecturers global change. Organised by the Universities of East Anglia and, through discussions and practical exercises, encourage and Reading, ES4 will promote an interdisciplinary and all course participants (students and lecturers) to widen their integrated approach for environmental research. The course is scientific linkages. intended for graduate students at the end of their 1st or 2nd years of study as well as research workers and policy makers The course is funded by NERC and support is available for from universities, research institutes, government and selected NERC graduate students and staff. The course fee is industry. £1000 with accommodation and food £520 extra. For further information please contact Louise Bohn, School of ES4 aims are: (1) to provide training in Earth system science Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, through 'state-of-the-art' presentations on key topics that Norfolk, NR4 7TJ, UK. E-mail: [email protected] address the interactions of different environments, and the

New on the ECN Web Site: 8 A web site map 8 ‘Real-time’ weather pages now allow site comparisons 8 Weekly photos from ECN Cairngorms 8 The PRU database is now online (see page 7) 8 Re-designed climate change indicators pages, now incorporating a direct link to the The site is averaging 1,330 hits (157 visitor database to view the most current data sessions per day).

New site manager at Snowdon Annual vegetation surveying and CS2000 Matt Murphy (Countryside Council for Wales) took up Last summer we continued to record year-to-year changes in the post of site manager at the Y Wyddfa/Snowdon ECN vegetation at ten terrestrial ECN sites, with support from site in the summer of 2000. The site is operated jointly by DETR, following up work carried out as part of the CCW and the National Assembly for Wales. Matt can be Countryside Survey 2000 (CS2000) programme. contacted on 01248 385652, or e-mail: m.murphy@ccw.

gov.uk. The results of CS2000 were unveiled in November 2000 by the Environment Minister, Michael Meacher. They are Deer research at Wytham published by DETR in the report Accounting for nature: Stephen Ellwood started a research studentship study ing assessing habitats in the UK countryside. deer populations at Wytham Woods in October, funded

by the British Deer Society. He is supervised jointly by Mike Morecroft (Wytham ECN site manager) and Prof. Monitoring of vegetation at ECN sites has provided valuable David MacDonald (Oxford University). Stephen has information on year-to-year variation in vegetation. The already worked with Mike and Michele Taylor at Wytham results show that, whilst variations do occur, the Countryside to help develop deer monitoring methods. Surveys, which are repeated every 6-8 years, are still a valid means of assessing long-term changes in the countryside. Change of staff in CCU Ian Simpson has left the CCU and is on a 1 year For information on CS2000 visit: www.cs2000.org.uk

In brief secondment as CEH Communications Manager.

2 Science, society and education

he consequences of environmental change will education. Other significant contributions were provided T become increasingly evident as we proceed by ECN sponsors the Environment Agency and NERC. through the 21st Century. It is important that we all Many participants, particularly teachers, commented on understand what is happening and why lifestyle how useful they found the event especially the informal adjustments are required to combat and adapt to these exhibition-style sessions. Certainly, if the level of noise changes. generated by chatting is a measure, the event was highly successful for networking! Details of the programme ECN wishes to make its information resources available including abstracts and slides are accessible via the for educational purposes at all levels from school event's web site at: www.nmw.ac.uk/tec2000/. children to postgraduate students and adult learners. To make these resources Key messages from TEC2000 attractive and relevant it is · Development of teaching tools of direct relevance to curricula is needed essential that materials · We must bridge the gap between what teachers need and what scientists produced are developed can supply collaboratively with the · Technology-based learning aids need to be complemented by conventional teachers and learners who approaches will use them. Aware that this is an area of interest for · We need to develop teaching resources that explore solutions as well as many environmental problems. research and monitoring institutions, ECN sought funding for a meeting to bring ECN’s web site (www.ecn.ac.uk) already provides easy the players together and develop ways forward. access to information resources that allow teachers and Happily, support was forthcoming from the Natural students to explore environmental change issues for Environment Research Council (NERC) and The Royal themselves. These resources include real data in Society. summary and raw formats, photographic records of change, and hourly updated weather data from an Teaching Environmental Change 2000 (TEC2000) was automatic weather station. ECN has also developed held at The Royal Society (London) on 27 October bespoke products for learning about environmental 2000. It brought together a balanced mixture of over change such as a set of tutorials designed to help 100 school teachers, university lecturers, education students learn about weather and climate change. officers, curriculum advisors, software developers and scientists with interests in Public Understanding of We hope TEC2000 will prove to be a launch-pad for Science (PUS). The focus of attention was on many new collaborative efforts between educators and optimising the use of technology to teach environmental scientists in the development of tools for learning about change. environmental change. This will certainly be the case for ECN. We will keep you posted. Highlights of the day included an overview of climate Ian Simpson change impacts from BBC Weather Presenter Helen CEH Merlewood Young and an exuberant and animated presentation from our own Terry Parr on the role of ECN in

Helen Young of the BBC Weather Centre, “… a launch pad for guest speaker at many new TEC2000 collaborative efforts between educators and scientists ...”

TEC2000 on the web: www.nmw.ac.uk/tec2000 CEH ©

Photo: 3

Evidence is mounting that ground beetles may provide good indicators of climate change, and they are being monitored at ECN terrestrial sites.

Roy Anderson (DARD) discusses the ecological characteristics of these fascinating creatures.

Photos by Roy Anderson The Ground Jewels

reproduce in spring then die off leaving larvae which he ground beetles (Carabidae) are a large family of metamorphose to overwinter as adults. The greatest T mainly predatory insects with an estimated 30,000 variety of ground beetles is therefore to be found in species worldwide. There are around 347 species in spring and both numbers and diversity of adults tends to Britain. Ground beetles are easily sampled, and can be decline thereafter. identified with reasonable precision, and because the numbers of species and individuals present in most Colourful characters temperate environments are large, they have been Body shape is pretty standard in the British species, but widely used in ecological studies. The ground beetle size and colour vary a lot. The open ground or day- protocol within ECN involves pitfall trapping three active species tend to be more brightly coloured than transects at each contributing site. To date 100,000 woodland species but the reason for the bright specimens of 124 species have been recorded. colouration is obscure. Carabus nitens is a rare and

particularly brilliant day-active peatland species which Familiar housemates has been recorded at ECN Sourhope. The imago or adult The familiar household ‘black beetles’ or ‘clocks’ are has only a short season but may be seen in favoured ground beetles. These are usually species of upland heaths perambulating through the heather on Pterostichus or Abax, and, as their common names sunny days in May or June. suggest, are uniformly black in appearance. They wander into houses mainly dur ing the annual search for While most carabids dry and sheltered over-wintering sites. Natural over- feed on other wintering sites include sheltered banks, bark of dead arthropods, one trees and grass tussocks. group, the Cychrini, are specialist There are two types of reproductive behaviour. Autumn predators of breeders (the minority) reproduce in summer or autumn molluscs. We have and overwinter as larvae. Spring breeders (the majority) a single British

4 representative, Cychrus caraboides which has been Relatively few species are found at several of the ECN sites. This beetle has restricted to woodlands narrow mouth-parts which enable it to hold on to but a number of these molluscan prey even when the unfortunate victim have adapted to dwarf retreats into its narrow shell aperture. Several Carabus shrub heath habitats. are ‘cychrinised’ i.e. narrowed to a degree, presumably to cope with diets which include molluscan prey. Although a widespread group, ground beetles are The prey of most ground beetles includes arthropods under threat in some such as ants, aphids and plant bugs though other soft- habitats. Of the ten bodied animals such as earthworms may be eaten. Most resident British Carabus, species will feed on carrion and many also consume for example, seven have some plant material. been found at ECN sites. The majority of these Chemical defence favour semi- natural One of the most interesting aspects of ground beetle habitats and particularly behaviour relates to defence. The bombardier beetles are the uplands including perhaps the best known exponents of the art of chemical dwarf shrub heath. defence. When annoyed they produce a spray of boiling Several of the heathland quinones ejected from glands in the abdomen, Carabus, including accompanied by an audible crack and puff of smoke. Carabus nitens and Most other ground beetles secrete defence chemicals, Carabus arvensis, are though less dramatically. Nevertheless, they can provide restricted to this habitat in a nasty surprise to the unwary coleopterist in the habit Britain and their survival appears to depend upon traditional low intensity moorland management.

Sensitivity to ecological change means that a number of Carabus species are on red data lists in Europe while Ground Jewels others, such as Carabus nemoralis, seem able to adapt to anthropogenic change. Overall, it is likely that the ranges of the rarer peatland species such as Carabus of holding live insects close to the eye for examination. nitens and Carabus clatratus will decline as climate I have experienced this ‘surprise’ when handling change dries, warms and degrades the peatland Carabus granulatus but Cychrus is equally known for environment, particularly in the south and east of such behaviour. My ‘tête-à-tête’ with Carabus Britain. granulatus caused intense burning around the eyes and temporary loss of vision but, fortunately, no long term At higher altitudes there are relics of Arctic -montane or effects, once rinsed off. The chemicals secreted vary tundra faunas and these appear particularly at risk from with the species grouping but include mutagens such as climate change. At the same time, southern faunas are methacrylic acid and other nasties such as hydroquinone moving northwards and Britain has acquired several and formic acid. immigrant species from Europe within the last century.

The evidence for continuing change is accumulating. In Important species, but under threat? this context the ECN protocol represents one of the very Their ubiquity and abundance ensures that ground few structured attempts to study the effects of change beetles have an important role in controlling upon ground beetle populations, and with these, the herbivorous prey including many crop pests, and much wider biodiversity of the British landscape. research has been done into methods of optimising this

talent. The species which inhabit farmland tend to be

‘generalists’, able to adapt to man-modified environments.

There are also many species which specialise in Key to photos. Clockwise, from left: particular ecological niches. One large group of about a Carabus nitens; Notiophilus biguttatus, a springtail feeder; hundred species predate water margins and are Carabus nemoralis; Badister bullatus; Platynus (formerly conspicuous in spring on shingle or gravel banks along Agonum) dorsale; Carabus glabratus. lake, river and stream margins. Others live on the sea shore, and many inhabit dry grassland or sand dunes. The author is with the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (Northern Ireland).

5 Signs of change ECN water quality indicators

n the last issue of ECN News we outlined ECN’s The ECN water quality indicators are: I potential for understanding issues of water quality in · pH of the water 1 rivers, lakes and streams . In this article we expand on · Concentrations of nitrates, phosphates and sulphates the development of water quality indicators based on · The numbers of certain freshwater invertebrates. data from ECN’s 42 freshwater sampling sites.

These indicators have been chosen because they can tell Environmental changes can be described in terms of the us about two important environmental pressures DPSIR model (see figure). In this model, a driver (D), affecting freshwater bodies: acidification and for example industrial development, exerts a pressure eutrophication. Some are direct measures of these (P) on a system such as a river. This pressure may affect pressures; pH for example. Others, like invertebrate the state (S) of the system. For example, a pressure diversity are indirect measures. For example, species might increase the acidity of the river water. This whose numbers are known to respond to acidification or change in state may have one or more impacts (I) on the eutrophication have been chosen for measurement. system. For example, a particular species which cannot Thus, observing an increase in freshwater mussels in tolerate acidic water may decline in numbers. The rivers is an indication of an increase in organic matter responses (R) of people to this environmental impact (e.g. algae) in the water. should have an effect on each of the other elements of

the model. Details of ECN water quality indicators are on the ECN

web site (www.ecn.ac.uk/freshwater/index.htm). These pages enable summary data for each indicator to be Response viewed, and provide an interpretation of the information.

ECN indicators complement the 70 or so indicators used Driver Pressure State Impact 3 by the Environment Agency . Some of these relate to The DPSIR model water quality, and include such measures as pesticides in rivers, salmon catch sizes and occurrence of otters.

The ECN indicators tell us about the state of a system, As the time series of ECN data lengthens, so its and about changes of state (impacts). From the above potential to provide useful indicators of water quality at model it is clear that they can also inform us about a range of river, stream and lake sites, increases. pressures on a system. Coupled with data from ECN terrestrial sites, and other

relevant data sets, we can develop a better Understanding the state of a river, lake or stream is understanding of the drivers of environmental change in vital. Armed with information about the effects of a aquatic ecosystems, and contribute to the debate on given pressure, we can devise ways to ameliorate or possible responses. adapt to the pressure. Andrew Sier CEH Merlewood ECN water quality indicators are derived from data

supplied by all the ECN freshwater sites, sponsored by 1 Simpson, I. Liquid Assets. ECN News 12, 6. Summer 2000 2 DARD, DETR, EA, EHS and SEPA . 2See page 8 for a list of ECN sponsors 3www.environment-agency.gov.uk//Indicators/Indicators/ Indicators_Index1.htm

6 Various types of publication lists can be generated using the interface (e.g. the publication list of a particular author or for a particular year). The standard queries Meet PRU! used to generate these lists can also be combined to produce more focussed lists (e.g. the publications ntroducing PRU, our newest recruit! PRU is a new published by an author in a particular year). Users can database, developed to hold information on ECN I also generate lists for particular document types (e.g. a site-related Publications, site-based Research and the list of journal papers only). Publication records are displayed on the web site in a 45 journal-style format for ease of use. Graphs 40 can also be produced showing, for example, 35 the numbers of publication produced by year 30 or the number of data requests made for a 25 non-refereed particular site each year. 20 refereed 15 As the database grows, it is hoped that it will increasingly become an invaluable source of 10

Recorded publications information for ECN participants and its 5 wider user community. 0 Examples of recent ECN publications held on PRU 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 Year Miller, JD., Duff, EI., Hurst, D., Anderson, HA., Bell, JS. and Henderson, DJ. (2001). Temporal changes in soil properties at an upland Scottish site between 1956 and 1997. The Science of the ECN publications recorded on the PRU database Total Environment, 265, 15-26 (from MLURI).

Use of ECN data. The PRU database is an integral part Heaney, SI., Foy, RH., Kennedy, GJA., Crozier, WW. and of the main ECN database. It will be used to administer O'Connor, WCK. (2001). Impacts of agriculture on aquatic systems: lessons learnt and new unknowns in Northern Ireland. the data licence system and monitor the use of ECN Marine and Freshwater Research, 52(1), 152-163 (from DARD). data, maintain a publication list for the network and improve the co-ordination of research activities within Hargreaves, PR., Leidi, A., Grubb, HJ., Howe, MT. and the network. The task of populating the database is now Mugglestone, MA. (1999). Local and seasonal variations in underway, with the help of many of ECN’s participants. atmospheric nitrogen dioxide levels at Rothamsted, UK and relationships with meteorological conditions. Atmospheric Environment, 33, 843-853 (from IACR Rothamsted). The data in the PRU database is now accessible from the ECN Web site. The web interface is directly linked to the PRU database so users will always see the most Sue Rennie CEH Merlewood up-to-date data available. A number of common queries have been included in the system allow ing users to generate publication lists or graphs of the data. Access PRU at: www.ecn.ac.uk/PRU/pru.asp

ECN: a victim of foot-and-mouth The outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in UK livestock has had a major, and well-publicised, imp act on British farming and tourist businesses. However, it has also affected a diverse range of other activities, including ECN monitoring. Many ECN consortium staff have been unable to gain access to the sites since late February, preventing manual measurements from being taken. Among the worst affected are North Wyke, Hillsborough and the upland sites of the Cairngorms, Snowdon and Moor House-Upper Teesdale. North Wyke in Devon was close to an early outbreak, and is a working farm, so access has had to be very carefully controlled. Many of the freshwater sampling sites cannot be reached because it would mean crossing fields. However, some sites have managed to continue sampling, for example, at Porton Down, where access is very limited and strict disinfecting procedures are operating. Access to some freshwater sites, such as Loch Leven in Tayside and Esthwaite in Cumbria, has been possible by boat.

Since January the CCU has been fortunate to have David Pithart from the Czech Republic based with us. David began a 12- month cross-site research project entitled Small Pool Ecology and Environmental Change (SPEECH), having been awarded a prestigious NATO/Royal Society Post-doctoral Fellowship. The project would have investigated the effects of climate change and acidification on frog populations at ECN sites. Sadly the foot-and-mouth outbreak effectively brought the project to a halt and David and his family have had to return to the Czech Republic. The plan is to continue the project next year.

the international stage this summer Photo: CN has teamed up with the Environmental Change Research Centre (ECRC) E at University College London to host a major international conference on environmental change. Detecting Environmental Change: Science and Society, aims to attract a multidisciplinary group of over 250 participants. It will address a range of issues, including new methods of long-term environmental monitoring, new modelling techniques and new methods of using scientific data to inform user and policy needs. Terrestrial, freshwater, marine, hydrological, atmospheric and social d systems will all be addressed.

A key focus of the conference will be the implications of environmental change for society, and the need, therefore, for high quality, long-term datasets to help us understand these changes. d t We have received literally hundreds of expressions of interest and offers of papers and posters. The programme is well-developed, with an excellent range of keynote speakers. Abstracts will be published, and made available as pre- conference papers. Presenters of papers are also invited to submit their paper for inclusion in a special issue of Science of the Total Environment.

Detecting Environmental Change: Science and Society has been accepted as a Core Network Project of IBOY, the International Biodiversity Observation Year (2001-02). This international initiative by DIVERSITAS aims to promote greater awareness of biodiversity issues and research. There is increasing concern about the impacts of environmental change on biodiversity. The conference can play an important role in exploring new approaches to monitoring, understanding and addressing these impacts. For more information on IBOY and DIVERSITAS visit www.nrel.colostate.edu/IBOY.

Detecting Environmental Change: Science and Society takes place at Senate House, University College London, from 17th to 20th July 2001. To request a registration form, visit the conference web site at www.nmw.ac.uk/ change2001, or contact the author at the address shown on this page. Andrew Sier CEH Merlewood ECN Contacts Central Coordination Unit ECN Sponsors Coordinator: Dr Terry Parr, [email protected] Biotechnology & Biological Sciences Research Council Cyngor Cefn Gwlad Cymru - Countryside Council for Wales Cynulliad Cenedlaethol Cymru – The National Assembly for Wales Scientific Liaison Officer: Dr Andrew Sier, [email protected] Defence Evaluation and Research Agency / Ministry of Defence & Newsletter Editor Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (Northern Ireland ) Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland CEH Merlewood Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions Windermere Road Tel: 015395 32264 English Nature Grange-over-Sands Fax: 015395 34704 Environment Agency Cumbria LA11 6JU Forestry Commission Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries & Food Research organisations undertaking ECN monitoring Natural Environment Research Council Agricultural Development Advisory Service, Drayton Scottish Environment Protection Agency Chemical and Biological Defence, Porton Scottish Executive Rural Affairs Department Centre for Ecology and Hydrology Scottish Natural Heritage Forest Research, Alice Holt Freshwater Fisheries Laboratory, Pitlochry Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research, North Wyke Institute of Arable Crops Research, Rothamsted In the next issue ... Macaulay Land Use Research Institute Environmental Change Research Unit, University College London. A profile of the Forestry Commission ECN site at Alice Holt. Visit us on the web: www.ecn.ac.uk Designed & edited by Andrew Sier, CEH. This issue was printed Stramongate Press, Kendal