Lecture Nine - State of Britain's Wildlife

Question 1

What are priority species?

Answer 1

Species of particular conservational concern.

Question 2

Give the name of two priority species in Britain.

Answer 2

• Horseshoe Bats

- Dormice

Question 3

What percentage of species in the UK are in short-term decline?

Answer 3

60%

Question 4

What percentage of species in the UK are in long-term decline?

Answer 4

70%

Question 5

Name the rarest bats in the UK.

Answer 5

Grey Long Eared bats

Question 6

How many colonies of Grey Long Eared Bats are there in the UK?

Answer 6

Seven

Question 7

Describe the habitat of the Grey Long Eared Bat.

Answer 7

Wet pasture, e.g. wet meadows, woodland edges.

Question 8

Describe the decline of the habitat of the Grey Long Eared bat.

Answer 8

Lost 90% of species-rich meadow in the UK over the last 50 years.

Question 9

Describe the biodiversity obsession.

Answer 9

The belief that it is better to have the same biomass of animals of lots of different species, than of the same/few species.

Question 10

What is the problem with rarity focus?

Answer 10

Although a species may be rare, it may not contribute much to an ecosystem e.g. has few links associated with it in the food web.
May be more bio-abundant animals with a more important role.

Question 11

Describe the importance of field voles.

Answer 11

• Very numerous animals

- But very fundamental to the ecosystem because they are common prey

Question 12

What is occupancy?

Answer 12

The number of 10km squares where a species has been recorded at least once over occupancy period.

Question 13

What is abundance?

Answer 13

Exactly how many there are.

Question 14

What is the problem with the data for occupancy?

Answer 14

It is presence-only data.

Generally absence of a species is not measured.

Question 15

Give an example of data for a species that is primarily taken from public records.

Answer 15

Red squirrel range shift

Question 16

Give an alternate method of indicating change in species abundance.

Answer 16

Hunting / game bags.

Helps give indication of when things are going wrong; if stopped hunting otters, not enough otters to hunt.

Question 17

What is the better method of sampling?

Answer 17

Using small spread-out samples in stead of clumped samples.

Question 18

Give an example of poor judgement of species location due to lack of further surveying.

Answer 18

Original studies of Dormice were conducted in hazel woodland, and it was assumed that all the species needed was hazels.
However the species was actually found in many other habitats.