You are viewing all research activities in the Biodiversity Challenges theme. Names shown indicate authors or co-authors involved from the Centre of Conservation and Restoration Science.
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Habitat Degradation
Habitat degradation, including change, fragmentation and loss, is one of the greatest threats to biodiversity. Species and ecosystems respond differently to type and intensity of habitat degradation, which changes availability and quality of living space.
Projects
Impacts of forestry on breeding curlew distribution
Evaluating the landscape-scale benefits of sustainable urban drainage systems for freshwater biodiversity
Easter Beltie Ecological Restoration Monitoring Research
Marine Soundscapes and eDNA for Assessing Biodiversity and Functioning of Re-establishing European Flat Oyster Reefs, Ostrea edulis
The impact of flicker or pulsating shadow effects, caused by wind turbines, on Atlantic salmon
Tarland & Beltie Burn Restoration
Publications
The effect of urbanization and exposure to multiple environmental factors on life-history traits and breeding success of Barn Swallows (Hirundo rustica) across China (2022), Avian Research; (Pagani-Nunez)
Linking agri-environment scheme habitat area, predation and the abundance of chick invertebrate prey to the nesting success of a declining farmland bird (2022), Ecological Solutions and Evidence; (White, Briers)
Habitat selection of smooth-coated otters (Lutrogale perspicillata) in the peri-coastal, urbanised landscape of Goa, India (2022), Mammal Research; (White)
Dynamic trait-niche relationships shape niche partitioning across habitat transformation gradients (2022), Basic and Applied Ecology; (Pagani-Nunez)
Editorial: Impacts of Habitat Transformation on Species, Biodiversity and Ecosystems in Asia (2021), Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution; (Pagani-Nunez)
Conceptualizing ecosystem degradation using mangrove forests as a model system (2021), Biological Conservation; (Diele)
The sediment carbon stocks of intertidal seagrass meadows in Scotland (2021), Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science; (Diele, Huxham)
The diel activity pattern of mountain hare (Lepus timidus) on managed heather moorland in Scotland (2021), Ecology and Evolution; (Gilchrist)
The impact of urbanization on body size of Barn Swallows Hirundo rustica gutturalis (2021), Ecology and Evolution; (Pagani-Nunez)
Pore system characteristics of soil aggregates and their relevance to aggregate stability (2020), Geoderma; (Blaud)
Niches in the Anthropocene: passerine assemblages show niche expansion from natural to urban habitats (2019), Ecography; (Pagani-Nunez)
Seagrass removal leads to rapid changes in fauna and loss of carbon. (2019), Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution; (Huxham)
The thin(ning) green line? Investigating changes in Kenya's seagrass coverage (2018), Biology Letters; (Huxham, Briers)
Land use driven change in soil pH affects microbial carbon cycling processes (2018), Nature Communications; (Blaud)
A test of the cumulative effect of river weirs on downstream migration success, speed and mortality of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) smolts: An empirical study (2019), Ecology of Freshwater Fish; (Dodd)
The abundance of nitrogen cycle genes and potential greenhouse gas fluxes depends on land use type and little on soil aggregate size (2018), Applied Soil Ecology; (Blaud)
The impact of a small-scale riverine obstacle on the upstream migration of Atlantic Salmon (2018), Hydrobiologia; (Dodd)
Pollution
The natural environment is exposed to multiple pollutants. Some of these have only recently been perceived as potential threats to species, for example plastic, noise and light.
Projects
Riparian noise and environmental quality in urban freshwater ecosystems
Applicability of the optical mesoscope technology to assess physical effects of noise on statocysts of marine invertebrate embryos/larvae: A proof of concept
Quantifying metal bioaccumulation in Nephrops norvegicus larvae exposed to cadmium and pile-driving noise
Quantifying and reducing the environmental footprint of crab meat processing and scoping for bioactive compounds - a preliminary study
Effects of Combined Aquatic Noise and Chemical Pollution on Early Stage Marine Invertebrates in Different Temperature Contexts
Effects of anthropogenic underwater noise on a keystone freshwater organism
Exposure of Marine Invertebrate Larvae to Underwater Speaker Playbacks of Noise Pollution Sources in the Field
Exposure of early life stage marine invertebrates to playbacks of marine renewable energy device vibration
Continuous Monitoring of Marine Soundscapes: Assessing Anthropogenic Noise Near Breeding Seabird Colonies
Effects of Anthropogenic Noise on the Embryogenesis of Squids, Loligo spp.
Effects of aquatic noise on the European sea urchin Echinus esculentus in different temperature contexts
Impacts of cliff-top walkers and boats on the nesting success of seabirds at St Abbs's Head, Scotland
Publications
Marine invertebrates and noise (2023), Frontiers in Marine Science; (Wale)
A Review on Cadmium and Lead Contamination: Sources, Fate, Mechanism, Health Effects and Remediation Methods (2022), Water; (Kerrouche)
Modelling the Transmission of Coxiella burnetii within a UK Dairy Herd: Investigating the Interconnected Relationship between the Parturition Cycle and Environment Contamination (2022), Veterinary Sciences; (Wheelhouse)
Effects of pile driving sound playbacks and cadmium co-exposure on the early life stage development of the Norway lobster, Nephrops norvegicus (2022), Marine Pollution Bulletin; (Stenton, Bolger, Dodd, Wale, Briers, Diele)
Social immunity in the honey bee: do immune-challenged workers enter enforced or self-imposed exile? (2022), Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology; (Holman)
Quantification and Characterisation of Pre-Production Pellet Pollution in the Avon-Heathcote Estuary/Ihutai, Aotearoa-New Zealand (2022), Microplastics; (Briers)
Combined effects of temperature and hypoxia shape female brooding behaviors and the early ontogeny of the Chilean kelp crab Taliepus dentatus (2020), Marine Ecology Progress Series; (Fusi)
Sea urchin chronicles. The effect of oxygen super-saturation and marine polluted sediments from Bagnoli-Coroglio Bay on different life stages of the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus (2020), Marine Environmental Research; (Fusi)
Increasing intensities of Anisakis simplex third-stage larvae (L3) in Atlantic salmon of coastal waters of Scotland (2020), Parasites & vectors; (Rueckert, Briers, Diele)
Response of a marine benthic invertebrate community and biotic indices to organic enrichment from sewage disposal (2019), Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom; (Briers)
Oxygen supersaturation protects coastal marine fauna from ocean warming (2019), Science Advances; (Fusi)
The toxicity of potentially toxic elements (Cu, Fe, Mn, Zn and Ni) to the cnidarian Hydra attenuata at environmentally relevant concentrations (2019), Science of The Total Environment; (Mckinley)
Firewood usage and indoor air pollution from traditional cooking fires in Gazi Bay, Kenya (2019), Bioscience Horizons; (Huxham)
Megasonic elution of waterborne protozoa enhances recovery rates (2018), Matters; (Kerrouche)
Climate Change
Human-caused climate change is driving both long-term and rapid changes in temperature, weather-patterns and the chemistry of aquatic and terrestrial environments. Biodiversity is susceptible to these changes and their consequences, but can also help deliver solutions at local and global scales.
Projects
Understanding the drivers of, and threats to, carbon sequestration in Scottish seagrass
Publications
Greenhouse gas production, diffusion and consumption in a soil profile under maize and wheat production (2023), Geoderma; (Blaud)
Stable pollination service in a generalist High Arctic community despite the warming climate (2023), Ecological Monographs; (Ballantyne)
Diel oxygen fluctuation drives the thermal response and metabolic performance of coastal marine ectotherms (2021), Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences; (Fusi, Diele)
Climate and intertidal zonation drive variability in the carbon stocks of Sri Lankan mangrove forests (2021), Geoderma; (Huxham)
Multiple Impact Pathways of the 2015-2016 El Nino in Coastal Kenya (2020), AMBIO; (Huxham)
Kropotkinâ's garden: facilitation in mangrove ecosystems (2019), ; (Huxham)
Oxygen supersaturation protects coastal marine fauna from ocean warming (2019), Science Advances; (Fusi)
Global phenological insensitivity to shifting ocean temperatures among seabirds (2018), Nature Climate Change; (Lewis)
Non-Native Species
Patterns of species’ dispersal and establishment around the globe have changed dramatically in recent history, caused by human activity. Receiving ecosystems may be disrupted in various ways by the introduction of novel species.
Projects
Publications
First genetic evidence that invasive bullhead (Cottus L. 1758) in Scotland is of English origin and the difficulty of resolving the European Cottus species taxonomy (2020), Journal of Fish Biology; (Rueckert)
Over-Exploitation
In the last 50 years, the human population has more than doubled, increasing the pressure on the environment to provide food and materials. Over-exploitation happens when more individuals are removed from a population than are replaced naturally, risking species’ current viability and their benefits for future generations.
Projects
West of Scotland Herring Hunt (WOSHH)
Marine Soundscapes and eDNA for Assessing Biodiversity and Functioning of Re-establishing European Flat Oyster Reefs, Ostrea edulis
Optimizing Citizen-Science Tools for Mangrove Crab Fisheries Magement in Brazil
Wester Ross Herring Spawning Ecology
Improving Science-Informed Crab Fisheries Magement in Brazil
Quantifying and reducing the environmental footprint of crab meat processing and scoping for bioactive compounds - a preliminary study
Production of final version smartphone application and data queries for citizen science research in Brazil to improve mangrove crab fisheries management
Publications
Essential spawning grounds of Scottish herring: current knowledge and future challenges (2022), Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries; (Frost, Diele)
The harvesting process and fisheries production of the venus clam Anomalocardia flexuosa in a Brazilian Extractive Reserve, with implications for gender-sensitive management (2021), Ocean and Coastal Management; (Diele)
Fishers who rely on mangroves: Modelling and mapping the global intensity of mangrove-associated fisheries (2020), Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science; (Diele)
The fungal threat to global food security (2019), Fungal Biology; (Singleton)
The influence of aquaculture unit proximity on the pattern of Lepeophtheirus salmonis infection of anadromous Salmo trutta populations on the isle of Skye, Scotland (2018), Journal of Fish Biology; (Dodd)
Antimicrobial Resistance
Pharmaceutical pollution contaminates the environment and can result in resistance to antimicrobials used for the control of microorganisms (including bacteria and viruses). The pathways that pharmaceuticals take to enter the environment and cause antimicrobial resistance are not sufficiently well understood.
Projects
The prevalence, sources and diversity of antibiotic resistant E. coli in Scottish surface waters: a baseline for risk assessment and intervention targets.
Quantifying Antimicobial Resistance in the River Almond Catchment Area
Scotland-India Antimicrobial Resistance in the Environment Network (SIAMREN)
Bacteriophage endolysins and novel lipid-degrading proteins as a treatment for Rhodococcus equi infections in foals
Publications
A global multinational survey of cefotaxime-resistant coliforms in urban wastewater treatment plants (2020), Environment International; (Morrison)
Zoonosis
Zoonosis is any disease that is transmitted from vertebrate animals to humans, for example rabies infection. Habitat degradation and human encroachment into wild landscapes increases the contact between wild animals and people and the spread of zoonotic diseases.
Projects
Unbiased diagnostics to improve clinical prioritization for zoonotic diseases
Virulence of diverse Listeria monocytogenes strains in an invertebrate infection model
Determining infectious disease exposure of people in North Cameroon
Health and socioeconomic impact of livestock zoonoses in Northern Kenya
Prevalence of zoonotic abortifacient infections in pregnant women in Ghana
The ecology of Listeria in agricultural soils and farming systems
Publications
Epidemiology of q-fever in domestic ruminants and humans in Africa: A systematic review (2022), CABI One Health; (Wheelhouse)
Endemicity of Coxiella burnetii infection among people and their livestock in pastoral communities in northern Kenya (2022), Heliyon; (Wheelhouse)
Editorial: New Approaches to Understanding Vector Borne Diseases in Domestic and Wild animals (2022), Frontiers in Veterinary Science; (Wheelhouse)
Prospective cohort study reveals unexpected aetiologies of livestock abortion in northern Tanzania (2022), Scientific Reports; (Wheelhouse)
Recent advances and public health implications for environmental exposure to Chlamydia abortus: from enzootic to zoonotic disease (2022), Veterinary Research; (Wheelhouse)
Molecular detection of Coxiella burnetii infection in small mammals from Moshi Rural and Urban Districts, northern Tanzania (2021), Veterinary Medicine and Science; (Wheelhouse)
Top-Down Characterisation of an Antimicrobial Sanitiser, Leading from Quenchers of Efficacy to Mode of Action (2020), Frontiers in Microbiology; (Singleton)
Listeria monocytogenes isolates from ready to eat plant produce are diverse and have virulence potential. (2019), International Journal of Food Microbiology; (Singleton)
Current perspectives on the transmission of Q fever: Highlighting the need for a systematic molecular approach for a neglected disease in Africa. (2019), Acta Tropica; (Wheelhouse)
Ferlavirus-related deaths in a collection of viperid snakes (2018), Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine; (Wheelhouse)
Sources and contamination routes of microbial pathogens to fresh produce during field cultivation: A review (2018), Food Microbiology; (Singleton)