Studies on Salmonid Fishes in Llyd Tegid and the Welsh Dee

The studies presented in this thesis were undertaken on a Water Resources Board grant, under the supervision of Dr. J .W. Jones, 0.B.E. at the University of Liverpool. The work: carried out formed part of a long term investigation into the effects of river regulation on aquatic organisms in the Welsh Dee and its tributaries. At the time of presentation of this thesis the Water Resources Board research programme is in its first stage, that is a detailed survey of the present biological, chemical and physica1 conditions prevailing in the River Dee. From an examination of these conditions predictions on the effects of further regulation may be possible, and data will be available for comparison with future" research(stage 2 of the research programme)' after the implementation of the proposed regulation . schemes. Results, obtained from the ,River, Dee, study will be used to, derive general formulae·app1icable·to any regulated river

Neutral variation does not predict immunogenetic variation in the European grayling (Thymallus thymallus) - implications for management

Preservation of genetic diversity is critical to successful conservation and there is increasing demand for the inclusion of ecologically meaningful genetic information in management decisions. Supportive breeding programmes are increasingly implemented to combat declines in many species, yet their effect on adaptive genetic variation is understudied. This is despite the fact that supportive breeding may interfere with natural evolutionary processes. Here, we assessed the performance of neutral and adaptive markers (Major Histocompatibility Complex; MHC) to inform management of European grayling (Thymallus thymallus), which routinely involves supplementation of natural populations with hatchery‐reared fish (stocking). This study is the first to characterize MH II DAA and DAB loci in grayling and to investigate immune genetic variation in relation to management practice in this species. High‐throughput Illumina sequencing of ‘introduced’, ‘stocked native’ and ‘non‐stocked native’ populations revealed significantly higher levels of allelic richness and heterozygosity for MH markers than microsatellites exclusively in non‐stocked native populations. Likewise, significantly lower differentiation at the MH II than for microsatellites was apparent when considering non‐stocked native populations, but not stocked populations. We developed a simulation model to test the effects of relaxation of selection during the early life stage within captivity. Dependent on the census population size and stocking intensity, there may be long‐term effects of stocking on MH II, but not neutral genetic diversity. This is consistent with our empirical results. This study highlights the necessity for considering adaptive genetic variation in conservation decisions and raises concerns about the efficiency of stocking as a management practice

Tricksters, hucksters and suckers: Jonsonian cinema

Woolland, B. Tricksters, Hucksters and Suckers: Jonsonian Cinema. In: Woolland, B. (ed.) Jonsonians: Living Traditions, Aldershot, England and Burlington, USA: Ashgate, 2003,