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Transcript of Biodiversity of an Urban Nature Reserve An illustrated case study of Possil Marsh Nature Reserve,...
Biodiversity of an Urban Nature Biodiversity of an Urban Nature ReserveReserve
An illustrated case study of Possil An illustrated case study of Possil Marsh Nature Reserve, GlasgowMarsh Nature Reserve, Glasgow
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 License.
OverviewOverview
This presentation describes the surprisingly rich biodiversity of Possil Marsh Nature Reserve an urban nature reserve in Glasgow. A separate presentation describes the habitats of the reserve.
OverviewOverview
Possil Marsh, shown left, is an area of semi-natural habitat set in a man-made landscape. As shown here, to the north the land is used for agriculture and the Campsie Fells located 11 kilometres to the north can be seen from the reserve.
OverviewOverview
To the south and east of Possil Marsh lie areas of housing. While to the west lies Balmore Road, a busy A road leading into the centre of Glasgow. On the other side of this road lies Lambhill cemetery and crematorium.
Mammal DiversityMammal Diversity
Despite the urban location of the reserve it is home to 15 terrestrial mammal species
These include roe deer, field vole, water vole, wood mouse, brown hare, rabbit, fox, mole, stoat, weasel, common shrew, pygmy shrew, water shrew, grey squirrel and mink
The water vole was last seen in the reserve 10 years ago and may or may not still be present
Roe deer Capreolus capreolus
Non-native Mammal SpeciesNon-native Mammal Species
Two of these species the European rabbit Oryctolagus ciniculus and the grey squirrel Sciurus carolinensis are introduced species
The European Rabbit is native to Spain and Portugal and it is thought to have been introduced to Britain about a thousand years ago around about the time of the Norman invasion in 1066. There are now estimated to be around 40 million wild rabbits in Britain.
The gray squirrel is native to the United States of America and Canada and was introduced to England about 100 years ago. It has rapidly spread across England and become established in Wales and southern and central Scotland. Where it is present it has largely out competed and displaced the native red squirrel.
Order Lagomorpha Order Lagomorpha (Hares & Rabbits)(Hares & Rabbits)
In addition to the non native European Rabbit, Possil Marsh holds a second member of the order lagomorpha, the European hare Lepus europaeus
The Eurepean hare is larger, longer eared and longer legged that the rabbit
These adaptations suite its open country habitat and it breeds on the ground rather than in a burrow
Order ArtiodactylaOrder Artiodactyla
Deer are even-toed ungulates (order Artiodactyla) whose distinctive feature is that their weight is born about equally on an even number of toes (the third and fourth toes)
The roe deer Capreolus capreolus found in Possil Marsh and shown to the right are Britain’s smallest native deer species
Order Carnivora (Carnovores)Order Carnivora (Carnovores)
Britain has 8 native terrestrial carnivore species
3 of these are found in Possil Marsh, the red fox Vulpes vulpes, stoat Mustela erminea and lesser weasel Mustela erminea
Amphibian DiversityAmphibian Diversity
There are 6 amphibian species native to Britain
4 of these have been found on the reserve, common frog Rana tempraria, common toad Bufo bufo, smooth newt Lissotriton vulgaris and great crested newt Triturus cristatus
None of Britain’s 6 native reptiles have been found on the reserve recently, probably because they favour drier and less disturbed habitats than those in the reserve
Common frogs Rana tempraria
(Photo by Eilidh Spence)
Bird DiversityBird Diversity
Approximately 560 bird species have been recorded living or visiting Britain
Nearly 30%, 164 species, have been recorded at Possil Marsh reserve
An impressive number given the small size of the area (31.65 hectares) and urban nature of the reserves surroundings
The reserve’s bird species can be grouped into various categories including: common resident urban birds, water birds and summer visitors
Mute Swan
Great Tit
Common Urban BirdsCommon Urban Birds
Some of the bird Some of the bird species found in the species found in the reserve are common reserve are common resident birds found in resident birds found in may urban may urban environments, such as environments, such as gardens and parksgardens and parks
The following slides The following slides illustrate some of these illustrate some of these common urban speciescommon urban species
You are likely to see You are likely to see many of these species many of these species in any garden or park in any garden or park in the UKin the UK
European Robin Erithacus rubecula
A Common Species of A Common Species of Conservation ConcernConservation Concern
Even birds that are common can be of conservation importance especially if their populations have declined dramatically recently and if such declines continued they could become rare or eventually disappear
The Common Starling Sturnus vulgaris is one such species
Between 1967 and 2007 the Starling breeding population in the UK declined by 73%
Common Starling
Common Blackbird Common Blackbird Turdus merulaTurdus merula
Great Tit Great Tit Parus majorParus major
Wren Wren Troglodytes troglodytesTroglodytes troglodytes
Common Chaffinch Common Chaffinch Fringilla coelebsFringilla coelebs
Greenfinch Greenfinch Carduelis chlorisCarduelis chloris
WaterbirdsWaterbirds
Other bird species found in Other bird species found in Possil Marsh occur because Possil Marsh occur because of the aquatic habitats of the aquatic habitats present in the reservepresent in the reserve
This group of species is This group of species is known as the waterbirds and known as the waterbirds and includes swans, geese, includes swans, geese, ducks, grebes, gulls, waders ducks, grebes, gulls, waders and railsand rails
A selection of waterbirds that A selection of waterbirds that use the reserve are use the reserve are illustrated in the following illustrated in the following slidesslides
Mute Swan Mute Swan Cygnus olorCygnus olor
Mallard Mallard Anas platyrhychosAnas platyrhychos
A female mallard, this is the most familiar duck species in the UK
Tufted Duck Tufted Duck Aythya fuligulaAythya fuligula
Male
Female
Dabbling DucksDabbling Ducks
Dabbling ducks are a Dabbling ducks are a group of surface group of surface feeding ducksfeeding ducks
The Mallard is one The Mallard is one species of dabbling species of dabbling duck duck
The Wigeon The Wigeon Anas Anas penelopepenelope illustrated to illustrated to the right is anotherthe right is another
Diving DucksDiving Ducks
Another group of Another group of ducks are the diving ducks are the diving ducks named for ducks named for their habit of diving their habit of diving below the surface to below the surface to find foodfind food
The species The species illustrated here is the illustrated here is the Common Pochard Common Pochard Aythya ferinaAythya ferina
The Tufted Duck The Tufted Duck illustrated earlier is illustrated earlier is another species of another species of diving duckdiving duck
Rails & Coots Family RallidaeRails & Coots Family Rallidae
The Coot The Coot Fulica Fulica atra atra is a is a member of the member of the the bird family the bird family RallidaeRallidae
The Rallidae are The Rallidae are small to medium small to medium sized aquatic sized aquatic birds that live in birds that live in marshes and marshes and other wet areasother wet areas
Grebes Family PodicipedidaeGrebes Family Podicipedidae
Grebes are a family Grebes are a family of highly specialised of highly specialised aquatic birds that aquatic birds that forage by divingforage by diving
The Little Grebe The Little Grebe Tachybaptus Tachybaptus ruficollisruficollis shown right shown right breeds in small breeds in small numbers on the numbers on the reserve in the reserve in the aquatic vegetation aquatic vegetation around the locharound the loch
Gulls Family LaridaeGulls Family Laridae
Another family of common Another family of common waterbirds present at Possil waterbirds present at Possil Marsh are the gullsMarsh are the gulls
More gulls are present in the More gulls are present in the reserve during winter and none reserve during winter and none breed regularly in the reserve breed regularly in the reserve
Herring Gull Black-headed Gull
Various gulls resting on the loch
Waders Order CharadriiformesWaders Order Charadriiformes Waders are long Waders are long
legged small to legged small to medium sized medium sized birds that normally birds that normally live along shore live along shore lines, in marshes lines, in marshes or near other wet or near other wet habitatshabitats
The Oystercatcher The Oystercatcher Haematopus Haematopus ostralehusostralehus shown shown right is a non-right is a non-breeding visitor to breeding visitor to the reservethe reserve
Herons Order CiconiiformesHerons Order Ciconiiformes
A group of A group of medium or large medium or large sized wading sized wading birds with long birds with long necksnecks
The Grey Heron The Grey Heron Ardea cinereaArdea cinerea is is found in the found in the reserve year reserve year round although it round although it doesn’t normally doesn’t normally breed therebreed there
Summer migrant visitorsSummer migrant visitors
In addition to common urban In addition to common urban birds that are resident all year birds that are resident all year round and waterbirds a round and waterbirds a number of species visit to number of species visit to breed in the summer monthsbreed in the summer months
Many of these migrate large Many of these migrate large distances from southern distances from southern Europe or Africa to do soEurope or Africa to do so
The Common Whitethroat The Common Whitethroat Sylvia communisSylvia communis shown here shown here winters south of the Sahara winters south of the Sahara and spends several weeks and spends several weeks flying north each year to reach flying north each year to reach locations such as Possl Marshlocations such as Possl Marsh
Sedge Warbler Sedge Warbler Acrocephalus Acrocephalus schoenobaenusschoenobaenus
With a breeding population or With a breeding population or about 17 pairs one of the most about 17 pairs one of the most common of the summer common of the summer migrants is this Sedge Warblermigrants is this Sedge Warbler
Despite weighing in at only 15 Despite weighing in at only 15 g this tiny bird is another g this tiny bird is another migrant that flies across the migrant that flies across the Sahara desert each year to Sahara desert each year to reach Britainreach Britain
It nests in dense vegetation in It nests in dense vegetation in marshy areas, especially in marshy areas, especially in reeds or rushes which are reeds or rushes which are abundant on the reserveabundant on the reserve
Willow Willow Warbler Phylloscopus Warbler Phylloscopus trochilustrochilus
The most common of The most common of all the summer all the summer migrant visitors is the migrant visitors is the Willow Warbler with Willow Warbler with about 26 breeding about 26 breeding pairs on the reservepairs on the reserve
Also a long distant Also a long distant trans-Saharan trans-Saharan migrant this species migrant this species prefers to nest in prefers to nest in habitat with at least a habitat with at least a few trees or taller few trees or taller bushesbushes
Other biodiversityOther biodiversity
In addition to mammals, amphibians In addition to mammals, amphibians and birds many other species have and birds many other species have been recorded at Possil Marsh been recorded at Possil Marsh Nature ReserveNature Reserve
These include 336 vascular plant These include 336 vascular plant species plus many other lower plantsspecies plus many other lower plants
Many invertebrate species including Many invertebrate species including 150 butterfly, 107 beetle and 124 150 butterfly, 107 beetle and 124 Ichneumon wasp species Ichneumon wasp species
Less diverse groups include 4 Less diverse groups include 4 species of leachesspecies of leaches
These buttercups are one of the many plant species that
favour the marshy habitats of the reserve
AttributionAttribution
This presentation has been prepared by This presentation has been prepared by Ross MacLeodRoss MacLeod, , Division of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Division of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Glasgow and is based on the University of Glasgow’s Glasgow and is based on the University of Glasgow’s Conservation and Ecology field trip to Possil Marsh Nature Conservation and Ecology field trip to Possil Marsh Nature Reserve, Glasgow run by Dr Stewart WhiteReserve, Glasgow run by Dr Stewart White
The presentation and the photos within it have been released The presentation and the photos within it have been released as an Open Educational Resources under a Creative Commons as an Open Educational Resources under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 License as part of Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 License as part of a UK Centre of Bioscience Open Educational Resources project a UK Centre of Bioscience Open Educational Resources project http://http://www.bioscience.heacademy.ac.uk/resources/oerwww.bioscience.heacademy.ac.uk/resources/oer//
For more information and any feed back please contact For more information and any feed back please contact UK Centre of Bioscience UK Centre of Bioscience or or Ross MacLeodRoss MacLeod