The impact of 36 years of grazing management on soil nitrogen (N) supply rate and Salix repens N status and internal cycling in dune slacks

Aims: To determine the impact of long-term rabbit and sheep grazing on Salix repens N status (green and abscised leaf N content and C:N ratio), internal N dynamics and soil N supply rate in dune slacks. Methods: Herbivore exclosures were erected in dune slacks at Ainsdale Sand Dunes NNR, creating three grazing treatments: rabbit grazing; rabbits excluded for 36 years; rabbit grazing followed by sheep and rabbit grazing for 18 years. Soil N supply rate was analysed using ion exchange membranes; leaf N dynamics of S. repens were measured over one summer. Results: Soil N supply rate was higher in ungrazed plots. There was no difference in green leaf NMASS or C:N ratio between treatments, but N dynamics differed. Adding sheep to existing rabbit grazing reduced S. repens N resorption efficiency (REFF) from 67 to 37 %; excluding rabbits had no impact. Litter NMASS was lower and C:N ratio higher in ungrazed plots. Conclusions: Grazing can impact significantly on leaf N resorption, but this impact depends on the grazing regime

Woodland restoration on mineral extraction waste tips: a comparison of tree performance over eight years

Woodland restoration on hard-rock waste tips is often unsuccessful because of inappropriate species selection for planting and poor growth of planted trees after initial establishment. In this study we monitored the growth of three native (Betula pendula, Sorbus aucuparia and Quercus petrea) and one exotic (Alnus cordata) tree species planted in a restoration scheme on slate-waste tips in North Wales. The objectives of this study were to: (i) investigate the relationship between the relative performance of planted species, and the species’ relative success in natural regeneration at the same site; and (ii) investigate how well early performance is correlated with the subsequent success of the species. The growth of the native species did reflect the extent of their natural regeneration at the site (B. pendula > S. aucuparia = Q. petraea). However, while not present as a natural coloniser, A. cordata was the best performing species. Species’ relative growth performance after eight years was predicted by that during the first few months after planting, suggesting that short-term monitoring has value in predicting longer-term establishment success. Of the species studied A. cordata is recommended for planting on slate waste. However, B. pendula is the best of the native species studied

Reduced bed material stability and increased bedload transport caused by foraging fish: a flume study with juvenile Barbel (Barbus barbus)

The plants and animals that inhabit river channels may act as zoogeomorphic agents affecting the nature and rates of sediment recruitment, transport and deposition. The impact of benthic-feeding fish, which disturb bed material sediments during their search for food, has received very little attention, even though benthic feeding species are widespread in rivers and may collectively expend significant amounts of energy foraging across the bed. An ex situ experiment was conducted to investigate the impact of a benthic feeding fish (Barbel Barbus barbus) on particle displacements, bed sediment structures, gravel entrainment and transport fluxes. In a laboratory flume changes in bed surface topography were measured and grain displacements examined when an imbricated, water-worked bed of 5.6 to 16 mm gravels was exposed to feeding juvenile Barbel (on average, 0.195 m in length). Grain entrainment rates and bedload fluxes were measured under a moderate transport regime for substrates that had been exposed to feeding fish and control substrates which had not. On average, approximately 37% of the substrate, by area, was modified by foraging fish during a four-hour treatment period, resulting in increased microtopographic roughness and reduced particle imbrication. Structural changes by fish corresponded with an average increase in bedload flux of 60% under entrainment flows, whilst on average the total number of grains transported during the entrainment phase was 82% higher from substrates that had been disturbed by Barbel. Together, these results indicate that by increasing surface microtopography and undoing the naturally stable structures produced by water working, foraging can increase the mobility of gravel-bed materials. An interesting implication of this result is that by increasing the quantity of available, transportable sediment and lowering entrainment thresholds, benthic feeding might affect bedload fluxes in gravel-bed rivers. The evidence presented here is sufficient to suggest that further investigation of this possibility is warrante

Foraging fish as zoogeomorphic agents: An assessment of fish impacts at patch, barform, and reach scales

Flume studies have demonstrated that foraging by fish can modify the structure and topography of gravel substrates, thereby increasing particle entrainment probabilities and the amount of sediment mobilized during subsequent experimental high flows. However, the zoogeomorphic impact of benthic foraging has not previously been investigated in the field. This paper reports field experiments that examined the nature and extent of disturbance of riverbed gravels by foraging fish, predominately Cyprinids, at patch, riffle, and reach scales and complementary ex situ experiments of the impacts on bed stability. At patch scale, benthic feeding fish displaced particle sizes ≤90 mm in diameter, increased bed surface microtopography and grain protrusion, and loosened surface structures. Although enhanced mobility was expected from these structural changes, foraging also caused localized coarsening of sediments, and the ex situ experiments recorded significantly reduced grain entrainment, bedload flux, and total transported mass from foraged patches. Foraging disturbed bed materials at all 12 riffles in the study reach and, on average, disturbed 26.1% of riffle area per 24 h feeding period. These findings demonstrate for the first time that foraging fish, which are widespread and feed perennially, can act as zoogeomorphic agents in rivers, affecting grain-size distributions and bed material structure, with potential implications for bed stability and bedload transport at reach and river scales. Whether fish increase or reduce bed mobility is probably dependent on a host of factors, including the net effects of both structural disturbance and biogenic particle sorting, as these affect entrainment stresses under subsequent competent flows

Nitrogen deposition and prey nitrogen uptake control the nutrition of the carnivorous plant Drosera rotundifolia

Nitrogen (N) deposition has important negative impacts on natural and semi-natural ecosystems, impacting on biotic interactions across trophic levels. Low-nutrient systems are particularly sensitive to changes in N inputs and are therefore more vulnerable to N deposition. Carnivorous plants are often part of these ecosystems partly because of the additional nutrients obtained from prey. We studied the impact of N deposition on the nutrition of the carnivorous plant Drosera rotundifolia growing on 16 ombrotrophic bogs across Europe. We measured tissue N, phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) concentrations and prey and root N uptake using a natural abundance stable isotope approach. Our aim was to test the impact of N deposition on D. rotundifolia prey and root N uptake, and nutrient stoichiometry. D. rotundifolia root N uptake was strongly affected by N deposition, possibly resulting in reduced N limitation. The contribution of prey N to the N contained in D. rotundifolia ranged from 20 to 60%. N deposition reduced the maximum amount of N derived from prey, but this varied below this maximum. D. rotundifolia tissue N concentrations were a product of both root N availability and prey N uptake. Increased prey N uptake was correlated with increased tissue P concentrations indicating uptake of P from prey. N deposition therefore reduced the strength of a carnivorous plant–prey interaction, resulting in a reduction in nutrient transfer between trophic levels. We suggest that N deposition has a negative impact on D. rotundifolia and that responses to N deposition might be strongly site specific

Bed disturbance via foraging fish increases bedload transport during subsequent high flows and is controlled by fish size and species

Benthic foraging by fish can modify the nature and rates of fine sediment accrual and the structure and topography of coarse-grained fluvial substrates, with the potential to alter bed material characteristics, particle entrainment thresholds, and bedload transport fluxes. However, knowledge of what controls the nature, extent, and intensity of benthic foraging and the consequent influence of these controls on geomorphic impact remain rudimentary. An ex-situ experiment utilising Barbel Barbus barbus and Chub Leuciscus cephalus extended previous work by considering the role of fish size and species as controls of sediment disturbance by foraging and the implications for bed material characteristics and bedload transport. In a laboratory flume, changes in bed microtopography and structure were measured when a water-worked bed of 5.6-22.6. mm gravels was exposed to four size classes of Barbel (4-5″, 5-6″, 6-8″, 8-10″ in length) and a single size class of Chub (8-10″). In line with other studies that have investigated animal size as a control of zoogeomorphic agency, increasing the size of Barbel had a significant effect on measured disturbance and transport metrics. Specifically, the area of disturbed substrate, foraging depth, and the fish's impact on microtopographic roughness and imbrication all increased as a function of fish size. In a comparison of the foraging effects of like-sized Barbel and Chub, 8-10″ in length, Barbel foraged a larger area of the test bed and had a greater impact on microtopographic roughness and sediment structure. Relative to water-worked beds that were not foraged, bed conditioning by both species was associated with increased bedload transport during the subsequent application of high flows. However, the bedload flux after foraging by Barbel, which is a specialist benthivore, was 150% higher than that following foraging by Chub, which feed opportunistically from the bed, and the total transported mass of sediment was 98% greater. An interesting implication of these results, given the abundance and widespread distribution of foraging fish, is that numerous fish species belonging to a variety of functional groups may be acting as zoogeomorphic agents in rivers, directly affecting bed material conditions and sediment transport fluxes in proportion to their body size and feeding traits

Environmental differences between sites control the diet and nutrition of the carnivorous plant Drosera rotundifolia

Background and Aims Carnivorous plants are sensitive to small changes in resource availability, but few previous studies have examined how differences in nutrient and prey availability affect investment in and the benefit of carnivory. We studied the impact of site-level differences in resource availability on ecophysiological traits of carnivory for Drosera rotundifolia L. Methods We measured prey availability, investment in carnivory (leaf stickiness), prey capture and diet of plants growing in two bogs with differences in N deposition and plant available N: Cors Fochno (0.62 g m⁻² yr⁻¹, 353 µg l⁻¹), Whixall Moss (1.37 g m⁻² yr⁻¹, 1505 µg l⁻¹). The total N amount per plant and the contributions of prey/root N to the plants’ N budget were calculated using a single isotope natural abundance method. Results Plants at Whixall Moss invested less in carnivory, were less likely to capture prey, and were less reliant on prey-derived N (25.5% compared with 49.4%). Actual prey capture did not differ between sites. Diet composition differed – Cors Fochno plants captured 62% greater proportions of Diptera. Conclusions Our results show site-level differences in plant diet and nutrition consistent with differences in resource availability. Similarity in actual prey capture may be explained by differences in leaf stickiness and prey abundance

Red trap colour of the carnivorous plant Drosera rotundifolia does not serve a prey attraction or camouflage function

The traps of many carnivorous plants are red in colour. This has been widely hypothesized to serve a prey attraction function; colour has also been hypothesized to function as camouflage, preventing prey avoidance. We tested these two hypotheses in situ for the carnivorous plant Drosera rotundifolia. We conducted three separate studies: (i) prey attraction to artificial traps to isolate the influence of colour; (ii) prey attraction to artificial traps on artificial backgrounds to control the degree of contrast and (iii) observation of prey capture by D. rotundifolia to determine the effects of colour on prey capture. Prey were not attracted to green traps and were deterred from red traps. There was no evidence that camouflaged traps caught more prey. For D. rotundifolia, there was a relationship between trap colour and prey capture. However, trap colour may be confounded with other leaf traits. Thus, we conclude that for D. rotundifolia, red trap colour does not serve a prey attraction or camouflage functio

Exposure to smoking in movies among British adolescents 2001–2006

ObjectiveTo estimate youth exposure to smoking in movies in the UK and compare the likely effect with the USA.MethodsWe collected tobacco occurrences data for 572 top-grossing films in the UK screened from 2001 to 2006 and estimated the number of on-screen tobacco impressions delivered to British youths in this time period.Results91% of films in our sample that contained smoking were youth-rated films (British Board of Film Classification rating '15' and lower), delivering at least 1.10 billion tobacco impressions to British youths during theatrical release. British youths were exposed to 28% more smoking impressions in UK youth-rated movies than American youth-rated movies, because 79% of movies rated for adults in the USA ('R') are classified as suitable for youths in the UK ('15' or '12A').ConclusionBecause there is a dose-response relation between the amount of on-screen exposure to smoking and the likelihood that adolescents will begin smoking, the fact that there is substantially higher exposure to smoking in youth-rated films in the UK than in the USA suggests that the fraction of all youth smoking because of films in the UK is probably larger than in the USA. Other countries with ratings systems that are less conservative (in terms of language and sexuality) than the USA will also be likely to deliver more on-screen tobacco impressions to youths. Assigning an '18' classification to movies that contain smoking would substantially reduce youth exposure to on-screen smoking and, hence, smoking initiation among British youths

Above- and below-ground competition effects of two heathland species: implications for growth and response to herbivory in birch saplings

We examined experimentally the effect of competition from two common heathland plant species (Calluna vulgaris or Molinia caerulea) on Betula pubescens saplings subjected to simulated mammalian browsing damage. We tested two hypotheses: that B. pubescens saplings alter their growth allocation in response to different patterns of competition from the two species in order to maximise resource acquisition; and that, when only B. pubescens saplings are damaged, herbivory reduces its ability to compete with both species. In an ex-situ experiment we grew B. pubescens saplings in the presence of below- or above- and below-ground interactions from C. vulgaris or M. caerulea. Saplings were also subjected to simulated browsing by clipping (50% of current year's growth), either pre-senescence or at bud-burst. We measured the morphology and dry mass allocation response of the saplings over a period of two years. We found that competition reduced sapling dry mass by approximately 50%, but C. vulgaris reduced dry mass to a greater extent than did M. caerulea. The total competition intensity of C. vulgaris was greater than that of M. caerulea, due to an apparent facilitative effect of M. caerulea shoots on birch growth. Saplings compensated for browsing damage, resulting in no difference in dry mass one year after damage. However, sapling morphological responses to browsing damage were dependent on the competing species. Despite the large competitive effect of below-ground interactions, saplings did not increase allocation to root growth as predicted. Additionally, in response to above-ground interactions from M. caeruela, saplings increased allocation to root growth. This study highlights the importance of patterns, as well as intensity, of competition in determining plant responses to inter-specific interactions. Sapling responses did not follow the pattern predicted by the balanced-growth hypothesis. We suggest that this is due to the multi-functionality of plant component parts and the balance between competitive and facilitative effects of interacting plants