Speaker : John Murphy

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Quantifying the biological diversity and
condition of British streams and ponds
Speaker John Murphy Project Team Centre for
Ecology Hydrology, Pond Conservation,
Bournemouth University, University of Bohemia

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Overview

• History of freshwater surveying in CS
• Objectives of the freshwater sampling programme
• Summary of survey approach
• CS2007 results
• Maximising the potential
• Informing and guiding policy

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History of freshwater surveying in CS
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Freshwater objectives

• Quantify change in
• prevalence of biodiversity in streams and ponds
• biological condition of streams and ponds
• Link freshwater biological communities to
  features of riparian and catchment landscape

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Headwater stream sampling strategy
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Pond sampling strategy

• Record presence of all ponds in all 591 CS2007
  squares
• Assess condition of 1 randomly-selected pond per
  square
• Aquatic plant survey
• Physical/environmental data
• Hydrochemistry

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CS2007 Results Stream plants
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CS2007 Results Stream plants
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CS2007 Results River Habitat Survey
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CS2007 Results Pond Stock
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CS2007 Results Pond Condition
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CS2007 Results Pond Condition
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Further data to be reported

• CS2007 Freshwaters Reports (2009)
• Diversity of macroinvertebrate community in
  headwater streams
• 1990-1998-2007 change in stream condition
  (RIVPACS IV assessment)
• Concordance with aquatic plant trend
• Reasons for improvement in stream condition
• The value of new ponds
• Causes of pond degradation
• Ponds and climate change

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Maximising potential a unique dataset

• Random-stratified sample of over 400 replicate
  stream catchments and 260 ponds across all GB
  landscapes
• Repeatedly sampled with consistent methodology
• Many elements sampled but linked to the same site
• Potential to link to other CS and external data

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Linking to other data

• Land Cover Map
• Field survey data
• Streamside plot data
• Soil data
• Environmental Stewardship/Tir Gofal Tir
  Cynnal/Rural Stewardship
• Agricultural Survey/Census data
• British Survey of Fertiliser Practice
• National Pond Monitoring Network
• EA SEPA monitoring data
• Others?

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Informing and guiding policy

• Are changes to land management as a result of
  agri-environment schemes associated with improved
  condition of freshwater habitats?
• How does land cover and its spatial arrangement
  affect stream and pond biological condition?
• How do different groups vary in their sensitivity
  to changes?
• Which water body types and landscapes support the
  most aquatic biodiversity?
• Can we detect a climate-change signal in species
  distributions?
• Others?