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New developments in pond conservation

New developments in pond conservation. Jeremy Biggs The Ponds Conservation Trust. The National Pond Monitoring Network. A short introduction. The number of ponds in Britain. 1990: 373,300 1998: 397,700 Source: DEFRA Countryside Survey 1890: ?1.25 million.

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New developments in pond conservation

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  1. New developments in pond conservation Jeremy Biggs The Ponds Conservation Trust

  2. The National Pond Monitoring Network A short introduction

  3. The number of ponds in Britain 1990: 373,300 1998: 397,700 Source: DEFRA Countryside Survey 1890: ?1.25 million

  4. Pond turnover (lowland Britain only) 1990-1998 Lost: 24,000 ponds Gained: 37,000 ponds c. 1% of the total/year

  5. Plants in ponds: a measure of pond status CountrysideUnimpacted pondsponds Average number of plant species/pond All wetland plants 9.6 22.6 Emergent plants 8.0 17.7 Aquatic plants 1.6 4.8

  6. The Common Frog: a vanishing species? Common Frog c.10-13 million individuals Blackbird 8-9 million individuals

  7. Monitoring ponds • National Pond Monitoring Network • PCT and Environment Agency planning NPMN with partners including: - DEFRA - English Nature - British Dragonfly Society - Froglife/HCT - CCW - SEPA - Mammal Society - NBN

  8. Aims • Collate existing survey data: Internet database • Work in partnership to undertake new surveys (national and local)

  9. Surveys for NPMN 1. Countryside Survey (DEFRA) • Provides national statistics (e.g. on pond numbers and quality) • Sample survey - very small proportion of all ponds (though statistically rigorous)

  10. Surveys for NPMN 2. Targeted surveys e.g. Mammal Society: water shrews Froglife/HCT: National Amphibian and Reptile Recording Scheme (NARRS) Again, relatively small proportion of all ponds

  11. Surveys for NPMN 3. Locating BAP and RDB species • Minimises taxonomic and methodological problems • Quick • Puts ponds ‘on the map’

  12. 3. Locating BAP and RDB species Examples: • New Forest Pond Survey Target species which are either easy to recognise or have specialist groups working locally - Fairy shrimps - Medicinal Leech - Rare plants (e.g. pillwort) • Tassel Stonewort (Tolypella intricata) Great Tassel Stonewort (T.prolifera) - National BAP run by PCT; new sites have been found, and potential search areas located - Now just needs people to visit

  13. New information on the importance of ponds

  14. Coleshill study area Methods • 10 x 10 km study area • 80 water bodies (streams, rivers, ponds, ditches), • Stratified random sample • 75 m2 sample area • Wetland macrophytes: species list • Invertebrates: 3 minute hand net sample (species level identification) • Physico-chemical data • Water chemistry

  15. Hawker dragonfly larva

  16. Larva of the alderfly Sialis lutaria

  17. White-clawed (native) Crayfish (Austropotamobius pallipes)

  18. Larva of Pond Olive mayfly (Cloeon dipterum)

  19. Coleshill study area Methods • 10 x 10 km study area • 80 water bodies (streams, rivers, ponds, ditches), • Stratified random sample • 75 m2 sample area • Wetland macrophytes: species list • Invertebrates: 3 minute hand net sample (species level identification) • Physico-chemical data • Water chemistry

  20. Analysis Compared water bodies in terms of: • Species richness (alpha and gamma diversity) • Numbers of uncommon species • Assemblage types

  21. Alpha diversity The number of species found at each site (site/sample richness)

  22. Site species richness Macroinvertebrates(F = 25.00, df = 3, 76, p < 0.001) Mean species richness Macrophytes(F = 6.09, df = 3, 76, p < 0.001) Mean species richness

  23. Site species rarity Macroinvertebrates(F = 3.89, df = 3, 76, p < 0.05) Mean species rarity Macrophytes(F = 5.13, df = 3, 76, p < 0.01) Mean species rarity

  24. Gamma diversity ( Regional species richness and rarity)

  25. Regional species richness Macroinvertebrates Number of species Macrophytes Number of species

  26. Total number of uncommon* species Macroinvertebrates Number of species Number of species Macrophytes * Uncommon species includes those designated local and Nationally Scarce in the UK

  27. Total number of unique species Macroinvertebrates Number of species Number of species Macrophytes

  28. CANOCO analysis of Cole assemblage data Macroinvertebrates Macrophytes

  29. Conclusions • All waterbody types were valuable (e.g. ditches) • Ponds are particularly rich habitats: implications for monitoring and management

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