Biodiversity of an Urban Nature Biodiversity of an Urban Nature ReserveReserve

An illustrated case study of Possil An illustrated case study of Possil Marsh Nature Reserve, GlasgowMarsh Nature Reserve, Glasgow

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 License.

OverviewOverview

This presentation describes the surprisingly rich biodiversity of Possil Marsh Nature Reserve an urban nature reserve in Glasgow. A separate presentation describes the habitats of the reserve.

OverviewOverview

Possil Marsh, shown left, is an area of semi-natural habitat set in a man-made landscape. As shown here, to the north the land is used for agriculture and the Campsie Fells located 11 kilometres to the north can be seen from the reserve.

OverviewOverview

To the south and east of Possil Marsh lie areas of housing. While to the west lies Balmore Road, a busy A road leading into the centre of Glasgow. On the other side of this road lies Lambhill cemetery and crematorium.

Mammal DiversityMammal Diversity

Despite the urban location of the reserve it is home to 15 terrestrial mammal species

These include roe deer, field vole, water vole, wood mouse, brown hare, rabbit, fox, mole, stoat, weasel, common shrew, pygmy shrew, water shrew, grey squirrel and mink

The water vole was last seen in the reserve 10 years ago and may or may not still be present

Roe deer Capreolus capreolus

Non-native Mammal SpeciesNon-native Mammal Species

Two of these species the European rabbit Oryctolagus ciniculus and the grey squirrel Sciurus carolinensis are introduced species

The European Rabbit is native to Spain and Portugal and it is thought to have been introduced to Britain about a thousand years ago around about the time of the Norman invasion in 1066. There are now estimated to be around 40 million wild rabbits in Britain.

The gray squirrel is native to the United States of America and Canada and was introduced to England about 100 years ago. It has rapidly spread across England and become established in Wales and southern and central Scotland. Where it is present it has largely out competed and displaced the native red squirrel.

Order Lagomorpha Order Lagomorpha (Hares & Rabbits)(Hares & Rabbits)

In addition to the non native European Rabbit, Possil Marsh holds a second member of the order lagomorpha, the European hare Lepus europaeus

The Eurepean hare is larger, longer eared and longer legged that the rabbit

These adaptations suite its open country habitat and it breeds on the ground rather than in a burrow

Order ArtiodactylaOrder Artiodactyla

Deer are even-toed ungulates (order Artiodactyla) whose distinctive feature is that their weight is born about equally on an even number of toes (the third and fourth toes)

The roe deer Capreolus capreolus found in Possil Marsh and shown to the right are Britain’s smallest native deer species

Order Carnivora (Carnovores)Order Carnivora (Carnovores)

Britain has 8 native terrestrial carnivore species

3 of these are found in Possil Marsh, the red fox Vulpes vulpes, stoat Mustela erminea and lesser weasel Mustela erminea

Amphibian DiversityAmphibian Diversity

There are 6 amphibian species native to Britain

4 of these have been found on the reserve, common frog Rana tempraria, common toad Bufo bufo, smooth newt Lissotriton vulgaris and great crested newt Triturus cristatus

None of Britain’s 6 native reptiles have been found on the reserve recently, probably because they favour drier and less disturbed habitats than those in the reserve

Common frogs Rana tempraria

(Photo by Eilidh Spence)

Bird DiversityBird Diversity

Approximately 560 bird species have been recorded living or visiting Britain

Nearly 30%, 164 species, have been recorded at Possil Marsh reserve

An impressive number given the small size of the area (31.65 hectares) and urban nature of the reserves surroundings

The reserve’s bird species can be grouped into various categories including: common resident urban birds, water birds and summer visitors

Mute Swan

Great Tit

Common Urban BirdsCommon Urban Birds

Some of the bird Some of the bird species found in the species found in the reserve are common reserve are common resident birds found in resident birds found in may urban may urban environments, such as environments, such as gardens and parksgardens and parks

The following slides The following slides illustrate some of these illustrate some of these common urban speciescommon urban species

You are likely to see You are likely to see many of these species many of these species in any garden or park in any garden or park in the UKin the UK

European Robin Erithacus rubecula

A Common Species of A Common Species of Conservation ConcernConservation Concern

Even birds that are common can be of conservation importance especially if their populations have declined dramatically recently and if such declines continued they could become rare or eventually disappear

The Common Starling Sturnus vulgaris is one such species

Between 1967 and 2007 the Starling breeding population in the UK declined by 73%

Common Starling

Common Blackbird Common Blackbird Turdus merulaTurdus merula

Great Tit Great Tit Parus majorParus major

Wren Wren Troglodytes troglodytesTroglodytes troglodytes

Common Chaffinch Common Chaffinch Fringilla coelebsFringilla coelebs

Greenfinch Greenfinch Carduelis chlorisCarduelis chloris

WaterbirdsWaterbirds

Other bird species found in Other bird species found in Possil Marsh occur because Possil Marsh occur because of the aquatic habitats of the aquatic habitats present in the reservepresent in the reserve

This group of species is This group of species is known as the waterbirds and known as the waterbirds and includes swans, geese, includes swans, geese, ducks, grebes, gulls, waders ducks, grebes, gulls, waders and railsand rails

A selection of waterbirds that A selection of waterbirds that use the reserve are use the reserve are illustrated in the following illustrated in the following slidesslides

Mute Swan Mute Swan Cygnus olorCygnus olor

Mallard Mallard Anas platyrhychosAnas platyrhychos

A female mallard, this is the most familiar duck species in the UK

Tufted Duck Tufted Duck Aythya fuligulaAythya fuligula

Male

Female

Dabbling DucksDabbling Ducks

Dabbling ducks are a Dabbling ducks are a group of surface group of surface feeding ducksfeeding ducks

The Mallard is one The Mallard is one species of dabbling species of dabbling duck duck

The Wigeon The Wigeon Anas Anas penelopepenelope illustrated to illustrated to the right is anotherthe right is another

Diving DucksDiving Ducks

Another group of Another group of ducks are the diving ducks are the diving ducks named for ducks named for their habit of diving their habit of diving below the surface to below the surface to find foodfind food

The species The species illustrated here is the illustrated here is the Common Pochard Common Pochard Aythya ferinaAythya ferina

The Tufted Duck The Tufted Duck illustrated earlier is illustrated earlier is another species of another species of diving duckdiving duck

Rails & Coots Family RallidaeRails & Coots Family Rallidae

The Coot The Coot Fulica Fulica atra atra is a is a member of the member of the the bird family the bird family RallidaeRallidae

The Rallidae are The Rallidae are small to medium small to medium sized aquatic sized aquatic birds that live in birds that live in marshes and marshes and other wet areasother wet areas

Grebes Family PodicipedidaeGrebes Family Podicipedidae

Grebes are a family Grebes are a family of highly specialised of highly specialised aquatic birds that aquatic birds that forage by divingforage by diving

The Little Grebe The Little Grebe Tachybaptus Tachybaptus ruficollisruficollis shown right shown right breeds in small breeds in small numbers on the numbers on the reserve in the reserve in the aquatic vegetation aquatic vegetation around the locharound the loch

Gulls Family LaridaeGulls Family Laridae

Another family of common Another family of common waterbirds present at Possil waterbirds present at Possil Marsh are the gullsMarsh are the gulls

More gulls are present in the More gulls are present in the reserve during winter and none reserve during winter and none breed regularly in the reserve breed regularly in the reserve

Herring Gull Black-headed Gull

Various gulls resting on the loch

Waders Order CharadriiformesWaders Order Charadriiformes Waders are long Waders are long

legged small to legged small to medium sized medium sized birds that normally birds that normally live along shore live along shore lines, in marshes lines, in marshes or near other wet or near other wet habitatshabitats

The Oystercatcher The Oystercatcher Haematopus Haematopus ostralehusostralehus shown shown right is a non-right is a non-breeding visitor to breeding visitor to the reservethe reserve

Herons Order CiconiiformesHerons Order Ciconiiformes

A group of A group of medium or large medium or large sized wading sized wading birds with long birds with long necksnecks

The Grey Heron The Grey Heron Ardea cinereaArdea cinerea is is found in the found in the reserve year reserve year round although it round although it doesn’t normally doesn’t normally breed therebreed there

Summer migrant visitorsSummer migrant visitors

In addition to common urban In addition to common urban birds that are resident all year birds that are resident all year round and waterbirds a round and waterbirds a number of species visit to number of species visit to breed in the summer monthsbreed in the summer months

Many of these migrate large Many of these migrate large distances from southern distances from southern Europe or Africa to do soEurope or Africa to do so

The Common Whitethroat The Common Whitethroat Sylvia communisSylvia communis shown here shown here winters south of the Sahara winters south of the Sahara and spends several weeks and spends several weeks flying north each year to reach flying north each year to reach locations such as Possl Marshlocations such as Possl Marsh

Sedge Warbler Sedge Warbler Acrocephalus Acrocephalus schoenobaenusschoenobaenus

With a breeding population or With a breeding population or about 17 pairs one of the most about 17 pairs one of the most common of the summer common of the summer migrants is this Sedge Warblermigrants is this Sedge Warbler

Despite weighing in at only 15 Despite weighing in at only 15 g this tiny bird is another g this tiny bird is another migrant that flies across the migrant that flies across the Sahara desert each year to Sahara desert each year to reach Britainreach Britain

It nests in dense vegetation in It nests in dense vegetation in marshy areas, especially in marshy areas, especially in reeds or rushes which are reeds or rushes which are abundant on the reserveabundant on the reserve

Willow Willow Warbler Phylloscopus Warbler Phylloscopus trochilustrochilus

The most common of The most common of all the summer all the summer migrant visitors is the migrant visitors is the Willow Warbler with Willow Warbler with about 26 breeding about 26 breeding pairs on the reservepairs on the reserve

Also a long distant Also a long distant trans-Saharan trans-Saharan migrant this species migrant this species prefers to nest in prefers to nest in habitat with at least a habitat with at least a few trees or taller few trees or taller bushesbushes

Other biodiversityOther biodiversity

In addition to mammals, amphibians In addition to mammals, amphibians and birds many other species have and birds many other species have been recorded at Possil Marsh been recorded at Possil Marsh Nature ReserveNature Reserve

These include 336 vascular plant These include 336 vascular plant species plus many other lower plantsspecies plus many other lower plants

Many invertebrate species including Many invertebrate species including 150 butterfly, 107 beetle and 124 150 butterfly, 107 beetle and 124 Ichneumon wasp species Ichneumon wasp species

Less diverse groups include 4 Less diverse groups include 4 species of leachesspecies of leaches

These buttercups are one of the many plant species that

favour the marshy habitats of the reserve

AttributionAttribution

This presentation has been prepared by This presentation has been prepared by Ross MacLeodRoss MacLeod, , Division of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Division of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Glasgow and is based on the University of Glasgow’s Glasgow and is based on the University of Glasgow’s Conservation and Ecology field trip to Possil Marsh Nature Conservation and Ecology field trip to Possil Marsh Nature Reserve, Glasgow run by Dr Stewart WhiteReserve, Glasgow run by Dr Stewart White

The presentation and the photos within it have been released The presentation and the photos within it have been released as an Open Educational Resources under a Creative Commons as an Open Educational Resources under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 License as part of Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 License as part of a UK Centre of Bioscience Open Educational Resources project a UK Centre of Bioscience Open Educational Resources project http://http://www.bioscience.heacademy.ac.uk/resources/oerwww.bioscience.heacademy.ac.uk/resources/oer//

For more information and any feed back please contact For more information and any feed back please contact UK Centre of Bioscience UK Centre of Bioscience or or Ross MacLeodRoss MacLeod