We were delighted to get some nice press coverage, both internationally and locally
Haley has also created some wonderful colouring-in factsheets to accompany this research - download them here!
The hidden benefits of chocolate: new paper published on the biodiversity of cacao agroforests15/5/2021 Excited to announce the publication of our latest paper, led by PhD student Haley Arnold and published in the Journal of Applied Ecology. The findings show that sustainably grown cacao is a conservation solution which can support both people and nature, and that cacao agroforests and secondary forest can enrich regional biodiversity. Haley has written a great post summarising the findings for the Applied Ecology Blog.
We were delighted to get some nice press coverage, both internationally and locally Haley has also created some wonderful colouring-in factsheets to accompany this research - download them here!
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By Haley Arnold Every year vast areas of land are deforested. At the same time, some previously deforested areas regrow - either as naturally regenerating “secondary forests” or as plantations [1,2]. Long-standing patterns of forest losses and gains have led to an increase in secondary and plantation forests relative to old “primary” forests which have been undisturbed for centuries.
Parallel to this shift in forest cover, the species found within forests are changing rapidly over time. The species that make up forest communities fluctuates naturally as forests recover over time, as well as with to human activities (eg. when species are introduced to new areas, when a species is driven to local extinction or when populations move to avoid disturbances or changes in climate). Last week I was interviewed by local journalist Shereen Ali about our work on recreational disturbance of T&T's rivers. I think she did a great job at getting the central messages of the research across and raising awareness of the potential impact we can have on aquatic biodiversity (see bottom of post for downloadable pdf of article).
Researchers at the University of St Andrews have made a shock discovery; that restricting a normally multiply mating fish to monogamous mating does not impair their colonisation ability. Their findings show that releasing just one or two fish into the wild may be enough to trigger an aquatic invasion. In a paper published this month in the journal BMC Ecology, researchers from the University of St Andrews tested whether forcing female guppies to be monogamous would impede their ability to establish viable populations. The guppy (Poecilia reticulata) is a successful invasive species throughout the tropics. In the wild it employs a 'multiple mating' strategy, and resulting broods commonly contain offspring sired by up to five different fathers. Previous studies have shown that mating with multiple partners carries a range of benefits, including increased genetic and phenotypic diversity of offspring, and inbreeding avoidance -which are potentially advantageous for a species attempting to colonise a new environment. However, as part of this latest study, female guppies were either allowed to mate with four males, or were restricted to one partner. Pregnant females were then left to establish populations in large tanks in the laboratory. After one year, the two treatments were compared. Dr Amy Deacon explains: "One of our key findings was that mating history did not predict establishment success, which was 88% in both treatments". What's more the researchers had expected that inbreeding depression might be evident in the behaviour of fish in the monogamous treatment, which would suggest that their ability to persist once established could be limited. However, this was not the case; newborn and adult male offspring of both treatments were equally good at avoiding predators and at courting females. These results suggest that even when denied the option of multiple mating, singly-mated female guppies can produce viable populations, at least at the founder stage. The ability to colonise even when multiple mating is restricted may prove to be critical during introductions, where a few individuals are released into enclosed water bodies before finding their way into natural ecosystems. For example, guppies are commonly introduced into rivers or ponds as unwanted pets, or into troughs or wells for mosquito control, but later tend to spread to new habitats during floods or monsoons. Once established in rivers and streams, aquatic invaders are notoriously difficult to eradicate. The findings of this study reinforce the message that although seemingly harmless, releasing just one or two individuals can lead to a potentially invasive population. The full text (open access) article can be viewed at: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6785/14/18 Authored by me, this press released was edited and issued by the University of St Andrews Press Office. Coverage in the media includes: http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/home-news/scientists-discover-that-monogamy-does-not-curb-colonisation-by-guppies.24607524 http://phys.org/news/2014-06-invasion-monogamous-fish.html http://cryptozoologynews.blogspot.com/2014/06/invasion-of-monogamous-fish.html This week Professor Anne Magurran attended the Euroscience Open Forum (ESOF) in Copenhagen, accompanied by a film that was produced by Steve Smart of the School of Biology to explain what the BioTIME project is all about. The video features some great presenting skills from Dr Iain Matthews, and some rather shaky amateur camera work from me! I think it gives a nice impression of what my fieldwork in Trinidad's Northern Range is really like, and what the project is all about... I co-wrote this press release for the paper 'How reproductive ecology contributes to the spread of a globally invasive fish' published in the journal PLoS one: Think twice before setting free unwanted pet fish, say scientists. The release of a single female guppy into the wild can generate entire new populations, even with no males present, according to new research. New research by biologists at the University of St Andrews and the University of the West Indies on this popular ornamental species, reveals how its ability to keep on reproducing has earned the guppy its reputation as one of the world’s most invasive fish. The study, published today (Monday 19th September 2011), reports that the apparently harmless release of guppies into the wild has led to the fish being found in every continent with the exception of Antarctica. The guppy, whose native home is Trinidad and the north-eastern fringe of South America, is now present in over 70 countries worldwide. Since a single female guppy can establish a viable new population, the research demonstrates that even well-intentioned releases of discarded pets can contribute to the loss of biological diversity. St Andrews lead researcher Dr Amy Deacon commented, “Our findings show that the range of the guppy has expanded dramatically since the early 1900s”. The scientists began by surveying hundreds of fish biologists around the world. Responses confirmed that the two most important routes of guppies finding their way into the wild are the escapes of ornamental fish, and deliberate introductions designed to control the larvae of mosquitoes that spread malaria. In places such as Southern India, guppies are routinely released into water troughs, wells and small ponds for mosquito control. Although self-contained at first, heavy rains and flooding mean that the fish eventually find their way to streams and rivers where they come into contact with native fish. Dr Deacon continued, “Usually only one or a few fish are released. We know that the vast majority of species introduced to a new habitat in this way are unable to survive, let alone establish a population, which left us with a huge question mark.” To try to solve this mystery, the researchers conducted a simple experiment, in which single wild female guppies were placed into outdoor tanks. After two years, they discovered that almost all of the tanks contained populations of guppies, each founded by just one female. Dr Deacon explained how this finding might explain their success as an invasive species, “Sperm storage is an excellent adaptation for living in constantly changing habitats, and it might also explain the guppies’ global success. Female guppies can store sperm in their reproductive tracts for many months after mating, and this enables single fish to establish populations, even when no males are present. “We also found that these populations kept all of the important behaviours that wild guppies have, so they would be well-equipped for surviving in a new environment.” Dr Deacon continued, “Our study shows why we should be cautious when releasing exotic species. “Seemingly harmless activities such as a child freeing a few pet fish or a concerned householder using guppies to control mosquitoes, can ultimately contribute to the reduction of biodiversity in freshwater habitats across the world.” The research, published by the journal PLoS ONE, was funded by the Natural Environment Research Council and the European Research Council. This press release led to several features in the print and online media, including: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-14972053 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2039857/A-brood-apart-Household-pet-fish-favourites-turn-tropical-terrors-released-wild.html http://news.stv.tv/tayside/270928-plenty-of-fish-effect-down-to-single-wild-females-say-scientists/ http://www.advancedaquarist.com/blog/a-solitary-female-guppy http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/content.php?sid=4324 http://www.neatorama.com/2011/09/22/one-female-guppy-is-enough-to-invade-an-ecosystem/ |
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