FINAL REPORT

Plymouth Hoe Bioblitz 2016 – Final Report 0

“Thanks to all the professional people volunteering their time in arranging a splendid learning opportunity”

Michele & Nicholas De Beer

Image Paul Naylor

Plymouth Hoe Bioblitz 2016 – Final Report 1

“Just to say thanks a million, we had a wonderful time, learnt lots & met some super people including lovely MBA staff - always friendly & generous.”

Paula Ferris (Coastwise)

Image Paul Naylor Plymouth Hoe Bioblitz 2016

Introduction

A Bioblitz is a multidisciplinary survey of biodiversity in a set place at a set time. The main aim of the event is to make a snapshot of present in an area and ultimately, to raise public awareness of biodiversity, science and conservation.

This year’s Bioblitz was held in Plymouth, Devon on Plymouth Hoe and waterfront (Figure 1). Surveying took place from 10am on Friday 14th October until 3pm on Saturday 15th October. Over the course of the 24+ hours of the event, 12 timetabled, public-participation activities took place including scientific surveys and guided walks. More than 400 people attended, including 200 local school children, and over 200 volunteers, experts, and members of the public. A total of 1024 species have been identified* from close to 2000 recordings.

The event was the 8th marine/coastal Bioblitz to be organised by the Marine Biological Association (MBA) with partners. This year the MBA led in partnership with Plymouth University Marine Institute and received financial support from Wright & Owen Electricals and Collard Construction, with all organisations contributing vital funding and support for the project overall. We are also very grateful for a private donation from Colin Kilvington. The event was also supported by 31 organisations and local businesses (listed at the end of this report) that led activities and along with many individuals, supported the event by giving up their time and loaning equipment including loan and demonstration of state-of-the-art microscopy equipment provided by Information in Images. Books were also generously donated by local publishers Wild Nature Press and Paul and Teresa Naylor, which were used as prizes in our ‘guess the number of species competition’ and BioBlitz Passport draw.

*=Species records still being added /verified total as of 01/11/16.

Plymouth Hoe and The Citadel Hill Laboratory (Image: Jonathan Brooks)

Plymouth Hoe Bioblitz 2016 – Final Report 1

The Survey Area

The survey area was located around our Base Camp at the Citadel Hill Laboratory, including approximately a one kilometre stretch of coast between Queen Anne’s Battery and West Hoe. This included Sutton Harbour, Teats Hill, Plymouth Hoe, The Citadel, West Hoe and out towards Drakes Island. The survey area included parts of the Plymouth Sound and Estuaries Special Area of Conservation (SAC), home to a rich and diverse intertidal and sub-tidal flora and fauna, including some nationally scarce species. The survey area also included several urban sites, not often surveyed, which proved to contain a high diversity of wildlife.

Map of the Survey Area

Plymouth Hoe Bioblitz 2016 – Final Report 2

Base Camp and Activities

Base Camp was set up in the Marine Life and Environmental Sciences Resource Centre at the Citadel Hill Laboratory, which comes well equipped for such events with access to power, wifi, microscopes, sea water, stand space, reference materials, survey equipment, food and protection from any unforeseen weather.

25 local organisations and 100 experts and volunteers joined the event, displaying information on stands, and providing interactive activities for members of the public and school groups. This included Information in Images who brought with them two public use discovery microscopes and TV screens that allowed anyone to magnify their finds and see them up close and personal.

Day 1

School Activities – On Friday, the Bioblitz was host to over 180 primary school students from 6 local schools and a further 20 home- schooled children and their families. Activities were planned around a timetabled carousel with 2 school groups spending most of their day doing activities at Teats Hill with Plymouth City Council and The National Marine Aquarium before joining the other school groups here at the Citadel Hill

Laboratory. Introducing school children to life on the shore (Image: Pete Thursfield) The pupils joined experts on seashore safaris, bug hunts and plant walks, and were invited to visit stands and participate in activities at base camp. We were very pleased with the feedback we received from the schools, both from the children and supporting staff, we even had several students return the following day to get involved with more bioblitz activities.

(From left to right) netting with MBA and SAHFOS staff (Image Johnathan Brooks), School students collecting plant samples and group welcome (Image: Pete Thursfield).

Citadel Wildlife Walk – This walk was a chance to look around the Royal Citadel and was fully booked with attendees, including lichen, invertebrate and plant experts. Notable species on this walk included: Meadow pipit (Anthus pratensis), common puffball (Lycoperdon perlatum) as well as

Plymouth Hoe Bioblitz 2016 – Final Report 3 healthy diversity of grassland species such as Bird’s-foot-trefoil (Lotus corniculatus) and Black Medic

(Medicago lupulina).

Plankton Netting – Attended by more than 50 people, plankton nets were taken down to the foreshore and used to collect plankton samples. Finds were then brought back to basecamp to be identified under microscopes and displayed on TV screens under the supervision of staff from the MBA and SAHFOS.

Trap Walk and Talk – Moth and invertebrate traps were set up at various locations around base camp and along the Citadel walls. Traps were left overnight to be collected the following day.

Night time Crabbing – A popular activity, particularly with university students, nets were used over the side of the Elphinstone Car Park towards the Barbican to see how many could be collected. This followed the protocols being trialled for the Crab Watch initiative, part of the EU funded Sea Change project. Several species of crab were caught, as well as other marine creatures including a sea scorpion (Taurulus bubalis) and several common prawns (Palaemon serratus).

Night time Rock-pooling – Over 40 people attended the night time rock-pooling session, fully kitted out with high-visibility jackets and torches to discover some rocky shore creatures. UV lights were also used to observe fluorescence (glowing) of species.

Data entry & Identification – For those wanting to burn the midnight oil, the labs and resource centre were open through the night for use of the microscopes to identify species and to enter the records that were collected throughout the day. A small group of dedicated naturalists worked through the night peering down microscopes!

Other activities throughout the day included: Seine netting at Teats Hill, sample analysis from Queen Anne’s Battery, scuba diving, snorkel safari, Sea Watch ocean vigil, family ‘mini missions’ and guess the number of species competition.

Long spined sea scorpion caught during the night time crabbing session Image Jack Sewell

Plymouth Hoe Bioblitz 2016 – Final Report 4

Day 2

Dawn Bird Walk – Although just a small group of early risers, the birders still managed to add some species to their lists including a Common Shag (Phalacrocora aristotelis) and Buzzard (Buteo buteo).

Moth Trap Reveal – Traps were checked and taken down. Because of the lateness in the year of the Bioblitz (and a short storm at 02:00, which blew away the catering marquee!), it was a little too cold for some moths, but we still had several interesting species, including a new record for Devon (Opogona omoscopa).

Bug Hunt & Trap Collection – Members of the public enjoyed finding out what the traps had captured overnight, as well as looking along the Citadel wall for any invertebrates that might be hiding in cracks and crevices. Several beetle and spiders were recorded, as well as some snail species including the common, but distinctive silky snail (Ashfordia granulata) that has a fine layer of hairs on its shell and is one of only two ‘hairy’ snail species in the UK). Shore Safari – The second shore survey with members of the public and volunteers. This activity also included a fish survey, in which helpers and observers gathered to see experts use a seine net and to help sort through and identify the catch. This is always one of the most popular sessions and this year was no exception.

Lichen & Plant Walk – A small, enthusiastic group braved the weather and returned with some interesting lichen specimens to study under microscopes and do analysis with chemicals.

Final Species Count and Competition Winners – The event finished on Saturday 16th October with a brief note to thank all attendees and announce the winners of the ‘guess the number of species’ and mini mission competitions. Prizes for the competitions were kindly donated by Wild Nature Press and Marine Photo. The day finished with a total of 748 species entered into the system, with recording sheets and data from notebooks still to add.

Specimens of polychaete worms and a brittle star collected from Plymouth Hoe Foreshore (Images: Alix Harvey, MBA)

Plymouth Hoe Bioblitz 2016 – Final Report 5

Data Collection and Results

Data was collected using paper recording forms for ad-hoc sightings and organised activities, as well as via the IRecord app, a new smartphone tool that allows a person to create an activity and add records with photographs directly to it. This new tool was utilised by a few of the local experts and the data team and allowed all results to be checked against the Natural History Museum UK species list, speeding up the data entry process.

A total of 1904 records were added to the IRecord database with 1023 different species identified (see figure 5 & 6). Of the species recorded, 284 were new records for the area (based on the National Biodiversity Network species database) this included several common species that are often overlooked by recorders.

Overview of Number of Species Recorded 500 450 400

350

300 250 200 150 100

Number of Species of Number 50 0 Vertebrates Invertebrates Higher Plants Lower Plants & Lichen & Fungi Other Algae

Simplified Species Groups

Figure 5: A simple overview of the number of species found within different groups.

Plymouth Hoe Bioblitz 2016 – Final Report 6

Breakdown of Number of Species Recorded

Mammals Birds Bony fish Tunicate Bryozoans Molluscs Insects Spiders & Harvestmen Millipede Centipedes Springtails Acaraine

Sea spiders Ribbon Worms Flatworms Chaetognatha Annelids Coelenterate Sponges

Detailed Species Groups Species Detailed Diatoms Trematode Protozoan Fungoid Foraminiferan Flowering Plants Conifers Ferns Chromists Algae Mosses Liverworts Fungi Lichens

0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 Number of Species

Figure 6: A breakdown of the species identified into taxonomic groups (as represented by Irecord).

Plymouth Hoe Bioblitz 2016 – Final Report 7

Highlights

 The nationally scare Trumpet Anemone, Aiptasia mutabilis in significant numbers and the slow-growing, nationally important, Pink Sea-fan, Eunicella verrucosa a UK Biodiversity Action Plan priority species both spotted while diving near Tinside Lido.  Dave Conway, recorded the copepod, Pseudodiaptomus marinus. An inshore/estuarine Indo- Pacific alien species that was first recorded in the UK in 2012, which now seems to have an established population in Plymouth Sound.  Several rosy feather stars, bifida, were found in the samples from Queen Anne’s Battery, which although not rare are very distinct and beautiful.  A highlight for ‘Team Fish’ was the Straight-nosed Pipefish, Nerophis ophidion. Found with a juvenile snake pipefish (Entelurus aequoreus) in samples collected by Plymouth University.  The moth species, Opogona omoscopa was caught in the moth traps by Roy McCormick from Devon Moth Group and is a new record for Devon. The species, native to Australia is thought to have been introduced accidentally in the UK, and now has an established population.

Figure 7: (From left to right): A well hidden Leach Crab, phalangium with a , Anemonia viridis attached (Image: Paul Naylor). One of the Information in Images microscopes and screen in use (Image: Jonathan Brooks) and a rosy feather star, Antedon bifida from Queen Anne’s Battery (Image: Jack Sewell) Comments/public response

‘Thank you for this wonderful opportunity of teaching our young children about the amazing environment right under our noses and the incredible creatures to be found. It was a fantastic day and Nicholas (aged seven) and I were both fascinated in looking at plankton through the microscope, collecting many species of insects, learning interesting facts about snails and seeing a huge Strawberry Anemone in the rock pools. Thanks to all the professional people volunteering their time in arranging a splendid learning opportunity. We will certainly continue studying the insects around us.’ Michele & Nicholas De Beer, BioBlitz attendees

‘The school groups on Friday were a pleasure to work with, as were the families on Saturday. Some of the children were already very knowledgeable and asked some searching questions. There were a number of Plymouth Uni undergrads too; it is heartening to know that marine studies are still popular.

Plymouth Hoe Bioblitz 2016 – Final Report 8

The two “super microscopes” being demonstrated produced a lot of interest, especially as anyone could put a specimen on the stage and see it on the screen without difficulty. I saw many people taking photos of the screen shots and they often asked for a name – so has a future! Jo Corke, naturalist

‘The plankton trawl was a great way to get members of the general public involved and having

Information in Images there was an unexpected bonus, something I really wanted to know about!’ Paula Ferris, Coastwise

Figure 8: School students and volunteers exploring Plymouth foreshore (Image: Pete Thursfield) Thanks and Acknowledgements

We would like to thank all of the individual volunteers who helped with the organisation, planning and setting up of this year’s event. We would also like to thank the organisations and individuals who came along and supported the event and dedicated their time to lead various activities and give their expert advice. A very special thank you goes to our partners: Plymouth University Marine Institute, Collard Construction and Wright & Owen Electricals. We would also like to thank Mike Broderick from Information in Images for attending and bringing with him his wonderful microscopes and screens for people to enjoy. Also, a huge thank you goes to local organisations and individuals who demonstrated great willingness to support the event in whatever way they could.

We would like to thank the BBC Spotlight South West team for reporting live from the event and including a piece on their evening programme, and BBC Radio Devon for covering the event . We would also like to thank everyone who took and shared photographs during the event and everyone who helped spread the word by sharing their finds via social media.

Plymouth Hoe Bioblitz 2016 – Final Report 9

We would also like to thank the MBA Common Room staff (Marilyn and Michelle) for keeping everybody fed and watered throughout the event, always with a smile! Maggie Thomas and the security guard team for covering the reception and welcoming visitors to the laboratory.

Organising Team: Jack Sewell, Hannah Millburn, Sophie Thomas, Jon Parr, Emmie Readman, Eliane Bastos, Alix Harvey, Emily Miles, Esther Hughes

Activity leaders and support: Jacky Pearce, Marc Dando, Dave Fenwick Snr, Coral Smith, Tony Barber, Doug Herdson, Richard Ticehurst, Jo Corke, Jennifer Skinner, Rob Camp, Dave Conway, Chris Bond, John Hepburn, Rosie Tarrant, Jo Ziemann, Colin Kilvington, Paul Naylor, Teresa Naylor, Jemma Sharman, Zoe Sydenham, Liz Harris, John O'Connell Davidson, Sam Morys, Kelly Emond, Roy McCormick, Jonathan Brooks, Alison Smith, Pete Thursfield, Charli Pengelly, Mike Broderick, Jules Agate, Keith Hiscock, Fiona Day, Paul Bowyer, John Readman, Joe Higman, Mike Austin, Richard Comont, John Boon, Deanna Westfold, Christine Wood, John Bishop, Roy Jeffery, Nadia Frontier, David Gibbon, Paula Ferris, Heidi Tillin, Lucy Jupe, Stephen Carroll, Jo Thomson-Byrne, Holly Morgenroth, Megan Ross, Sophie Thomas, Hannah Millburn, Jack Sewell, Eliane Bastos, Claire Eatock, Jon Parr, Alix Harvey, Emily Miles, Esther Hughes, Paul Dando, Nova Mieszkowska, Leoni Adams, Nigel Mortimer, Alec De La Fuente, Pete Rendel, Marilyn Nichols, Michelle Jarrod, Margaret Thomas, Aisling Smith, Willie Wilson, Kathryn Pack, Alex Street, Hannah Wilson, Charlotte Bolton, Charly Crump.

Plymouth Hoe Bioblitz 2016 – Final Report 10

A huge THANK YOU to the Plymouth Sound BSAC Group following partner Plymouth University Biology Society organisations and projects: Plymouth University Marine Biology Society Plymouth University Marine Science Society Sponsors SAHFOS Plymouth University Marine Institute SeaSearch Collard Construction Sea Watch Foundation Wright & Owen Electricals South Devon AONB Estuaries Partnership Information in Images The Devonshire Association Colin Kilvington The Royal Citadel

Wakame Watch Participating organisations and projects Wembury Marine Centre A-P-H-O-T-O WILDLIFE IMAGE LIBRARIES Wilderness Woman Aquanauts Wild Nature Press Benny the Blenny

British Myriapod and Isopod Group Participating School Groups

Capturing our Coast Prince Rock Primary School, Class 4a

Coastwise North Devon Prince Rock Primary School, Class 4b Stuart Road Primary School, Year 4 DASSH (The Archive for Marine Species and Habitats Data) Stuart Road Primary School, Year 6

Devon Birds Eggbuckland Vale Primary School, Year 4

Devon Moth Group St Andrews Primary School, Year 5

Devon Wildlife Trust Ecological Consultants Visit: Marine Biological Association www.mba.ac.uk/bioblitz/plymo Marine Conservation Society uthhoe2016 for a full species

Marine Fish Information Services list and links to additional information about the event. National Biodiversity Network

National Marine Aquarium

Plymouth City Council

Plymouth Environmental Action (PEA) Report Written by: H. Milburn & J. Sewell