Conservation in the UK

Flashcards about conservation issues and strategies in the UK

Major problems affecting UK conservation

Climate change, invasive species, urbanisation, poor agricultural practices, and pollution

Coppicing

Cutting trees just above the ground to interrupt sucession stimulate new growth, sustainably obtain wood and allow light to reach the woodland floor

Components of a managed and coppiced woodland

Field layer: Mosses, lichen, fungi; Shrub layer: ferns and grasses; Understory and canopy of young trees; mature trees.

Also dead wood

Coppicing and bird species diversity

The age of a coppice influences the distribution of bird species with different species being supported over time

Eutrophication

Enrichment by nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorous due to agricultural runoff and sewage, usually causing stimulation of algal growth in freshwaters and seas which outcompetes benthic growth and can lead to decreased oxygen levels, harming aquatic life.

Remediation strategies for eutrophic waters

Suction dredging and Biomanipulation, removal of zooplanktivorous fish

Grazing for landscape management

Selective disturbance of the habitat through controlled use of livestock

Livestock used for grazing in the UK

Konik ponies - graze marsh due to robust feeding habits and minimal necessary intervention, Hebridean sheep & goats used to browse rather than graze preventing soil damage

Major factors influencing the effect of grazing

Stocking density and timing of grazing, welfare

Benefits of ungulate-mediated browsing and grazing

Limit populations of problem species and help maintain or alter the environment. cheap, effective, self regulatory.

Hay meadows loss

98% lost since 1945

Characteristics of Hay Meadows

Dense growth of grasses and herbs with no species being dominant

Hay meadows & cattle

Cattle rip vegetation and trample the soil, creating spaces for opportunistic plants and increasing biodiversity by reducing competition from grasses

Chalk grassland & sheep

Chalk soil is shallow with low fertility causing low production. Sheep cut vegetation close to the ground with their teeth. Grazing creates a more variable sward height, which can be beneficial for biodiversity. It also helps to open up the sward, adding patches of nutrients and potentially benefiting smaller plant species. 

Grazing in hay meadows and chalk grasslands

Prevent interspecific competitive exclusion of desirable species

Grazing summary

Prevents interspecific competitive exclusion of desirable species

Heather management

Burning reduces domination by old heather, increasing diversity through a patchwork of different habitats/vegetation and increasing young heather as a food for red grouse.

Reintroductions

Restoring faunas and habitats by active efforts

Species being considered for reintroduction in the UK

Those lost through the ice age and hunting. Great Bustard, European Beaver, Wild Boar, European Bison, Lynx and Wolves

Potential benefits of wolf reintroduction in the UK

Control of deer populations, regeneration of forests, increased birdlife and small mammals

Spatiotemporal mosaic

A pattern that demonstrates both spatial and temporal variation, creating a mosaic of habitats and enhancing biodiversity and ecosystem resilience.

Chalk and butterflies

A short sward allows soil to reach a warm temperature suitable for ants, which are essential for the life cycle of butterflies.

ants and butterflies

• The eggs of the Large Blue butterflies are

laid on wild thyme, which is the food plant

of the young caterpillars.

• After the last moult the caterpillars

resemble (and smell like) an ant larva and

drop to the ground.

• Ants take caterpillars to their nest chamber.

• Caterpillars puncture and eat ant larvae (c.

1200 each), pupate and emerge in early

summer.

Great bustard

heaviest flying bird

european beaver

builds dams moderating water flow, preventing flooding and increasing biodiversity

Lynx

major predator of deer, which no longer have natural predators in the uk

Wolves

reintroduction to the uk will cause an ecological cascade controlling populations and allowing regenerations of forests and improving biodiversity in various ecosystems.