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Earthworms are primary candidates for national soil health monitoring as they are ecosystem engineers that benefit both food production and ecosystem services associated with soil security. Supporting farmers to monitor soil health could help to achieve the policy aspiration of sustainable soils by 2030 in England; however, little is known about how to overcome participation barriers, appropriate methodologies (practical, cost-effective, usefulness) or training needs. This paper presents the results from a pilot #60minworms study which mobilised farmers to assess over >1300 ha farmland soils in spring 2018. The results interpretation framework is based on the presence of earthworms from each of the three ecological groups at each observation (20 x 20 cm x 20 cm pit) and spatially across a field (10 soil pits). Results showed that most fields have basic earthworm presence and abundance, but 42% fields may be over-worked as indicated by absence/rarity of epigeic and/or anecic earthworms. Tillage had a negative impact (p < 0.05) on earthworm populations and organic matter management did not mitigate tillage impacts. In terms of farmer participation, Twitter and Farmers Weekly magazine were highly effective channels for recruitment. Direct feedback from participants included excellent scores in trust, value and satisfaction of the protocol (e.g. 100% would do the test again) and 57% would use their worm survey results to change their soil management practices. A key training need in terms of earthworm identification skills was reported. The trade-off between data quality, participation rates and fieldwork costs suggests there is potential to streamline the protocol further to #30minworms (5 pits), incurring farmer fieldwork costs of approximately £1.48 ha-1. At national scales, £14 million pounds across 4.7 M ha-1 in fieldwork costs per survey could be saved by farmer participation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights the topics discussed at the "Animals and Science: Anthropological Approaches" conference held at the University of Manchester, England from June 24 to 26, 2005. Connection between animals and science; Different ways of knowing, across cultures and through history; Presentation of papers that drew on ethnographic fieldwork from the Andes, the Arctic, Australia, Central Asia, the United States and contemporary Europe.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic is likely to have affected the welfare and health of dogs due to surges in adoptions and purchases, changes in the physical and mental health and financial status of dog owners, changes in dogs' lifestyle and routines and limited access to veterinary care. The aims of this study were to investigate whether COVID-19 restrictions were associated with differences in Labrador retrievers' lifestyle, routine care, insurance status, illness incidence or veterinary attendance with an illness, who were living in England and enrolled in Dogslife, an owner-based cohort study. Longitudinal questionnaire data from Dogslife that was relevant to the dates between the 23rd of March and the 4th of July 2020, during COVID-19 restrictions in England, were compared to data between the same dates in previous years from 2011 to 2019 using mixed regression models and adjusted chi-squared tests. Results: Compared with previous years (March 23rd to July 4th, 2010 to 2019), the COVID-19 restrictions study period (March 23rd to July 4th 2020) was associated with owners reporting increases in their dogs' exercise and worming and decreases in insurance, titbit-feeding and vaccination. Odds of owners reporting that their dogs had an episode of coughing (0.20, 95% CI: 0.04–0.92) and that they took their dogs to a veterinarian with an episode of any illness (0.58, 95% CI: 0.45–0.76) were lower during the COVID-19 restrictions compared to before. During the restrictions period, owners were less likely to report that they took their dogs to a veterinarian with certain other illnesses, compared to before this period. Conclusions: Dogslife provided a unique opportunity to study prospective questionnaire data from owners already enrolled on a longitudinal cohort study. This approach minimised bias associated with recalling events prior to the pandemic and allowed a wider population of dogs to be studied than is available from primary care data. Distinctive insights into owners' decision making about their dogs' healthcare were offered. There are clear implications of the COVID-19 pandemic and associated restrictions for the lifestyle, care and health of dogs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: It has been suggested that, when assessing radiation impacts on non-human biota, estimated dose rates due to anthropogenically released radionuclides should be put in context by comparison to dose rates from natural background radiation. In order to make these comparisons, we need data on the activity concentrations of naturally occurring radionuclides in environmental media and organisms of interest. This paper presents the results of a study to determine the exposure of terrestrial organisms in England and Wales to naturally occurring radionuclides, specifically 40K, 238U series and 232Th series radionuclides. Whole-body activity concentrations for the reference animals and plants (RAPs) as proposed by the ICRP have been collated from literature review, data archives and a targeted sampling campaign. Data specifically for the proposed RAP are sparse. Soil activity concentrations have been derived from an extensive geochemical survey of the UK. Unweighted and weighted absorbed dose rates were estimated using the ERICA Tool. Mean total weighted whole-body absorbed dose rates estimated for the selected terrestrial organisms was in the range 6.9×10−2 to 6.1×10−1 μGyh−1. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Information about the British Ecological Society's Tropical group meeting held at the Westfield College in London, England on November 2, 1965 is presented in which the topic for discussion was the temperature as a factor in tropical ecology. Also, the event gave emphasis on the main contributions in ecology which include, papers about river fauna and forests.

Background: Antimicrobial resistance is driven by multiple factors. Resolving the threat to human and animal health presented by drug-resistant infections remains a societal challenge that demands close collaboration between scientists and citizens. We compared current public views about key contributing factors to antimicrobial resistance with those expressed by experts.Methods: Overarching factors contributing to antimicrobial resistance were identified following a review of literature. The factors were then described in plain language and attached to ballot boxes at a public engagement event organised by a university. Responses to each factor were counted at the end of the event.Results: Four hundred five responses were received from 3750 visitors (11 % response rate). Nearly half of responses (192/405, 47 · 4 %) considered the misuse/overuse of antibiotics in humans as the main determinant of antimicrobial resistance. The misuse of antibiotics in animal health obtained 16 · 3 % (66/405) responses. However, the lack of quick tests to diagnose infections received 10/405 votes (2 · 47 %), and the lack of effective vaccines received one vote (0 · 25 %).Conclusions: The majority of responses ascribed the emergence of drug-resistant infections to the misuse of antibiotics in human and animals. Suboptimal dosing, availability of diagnostics and environmental contamination were considered less influential on the development of antimicrobial resistance. The growing recognition of broader multifaceted drivers of drug resistance by experts is not yet echoed in the public mind. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Children from England and the United States of America have a basic similar knowledge of plants and animals, which they observe during their everyday life. Nine children of ages 4, 6, 8, and 10 years, in each country, were asked to free-list plants and animals. Afterwards, they were interviewed individually about the plants and animals they listed to determine where they were seen. Additionally, children were asked to name animals they knew that were found in specific habitats or had specific characteristics. The results showed that children from the earliest years notice the animals in their everyday lives and 8 year olds were able to name the most animals. Plants were not named as often as animals and children in the USA found it difficult to name plants when questioned. This study shows that children are in touch with their everyday environment to varying extents, and that rich experiences can greatly contribute to their knowledge about plants and animals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Four areas in southern England centred on Swindon and Westbury (Wiltshire), Bourton (north Dorset) and the Dorset coast near Weymouth (south Dorset) have yielded well-preserved late Oxfordian and early Kimmeridgian (Upper Jurassic) ammonites in abundance. These ammonites belong principally to the aulacostephanid genera Ringsteadia and Pictonia, and their microconch equivalents Microbiplices and Prorasenia. Systematic descriptions of these genera are included herein. Within the zonal and subzonal sequence of the English Oxfordian/Kimmeridgian Stage boundary beds, the established subdivision of the Late Oxfordian Pseudocordata Zone into Pseudoyo, Pseudocordata and Evoluta Subzones is confirmed. In the Early Kimmeridgian Baylei Zone, however, the evidence is that the sequence throughout much of southern England is incomplete compared with more complete sequences such as that at Staffin in the Isle of Skye, with the presence of only one faunal biohorizon, the densicostata horizon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bulk screening of Early Cretaceous (Barremian) Wealden Group strata of the Wessex Formation exposed on the south-west and south-east coasts of the Isle of Wight, southern England, has resulted in the recovery of fragmentary remains pertaining to a new spalacolestine spalacotheriid mammal, Yaverlestes gassoni gen. et sp. nov. These represent the first European record of the Spalacolestinae. The remains comprise a dentulous incomplete dentary and isolated upper and lower molariforms, the former representing the most substantial mammal remains yet recovered from the Wealden Group. Hitherto, six species of spalacotheriid mammal were known from the Lower Cretaceous of Europe. All are referred to the genus Spalacotherium but in the case of taxa diagnosed on the basis of isolated lower teeth and other specimens where the post-canine dentition is incompletely known, it is now evident that these referrals should be treated with caution. Furthermore, the new Wessex Formation spalacotheriid and recently described spalacotheriids from the ?Barremian of Japan, and the Barremian and Aptian of China exhibit combinations of characters that suggest that spalacotheriids were more diverse and that their evolution was more complex than previously recognized. The systematic position of an isolated tooth from the basal Cretaceous Lourinhã Formation of Portugal is discussed and the tooth reassigned to the Spalacotheriidae. Together with the new Wessex Formation taxon, eight species are now known from the Lower Cretaceous of Europe. The discovery of a spalacolestine in the Barremian Wessex Formation supports the concept of faunal interchange between Europe, Asia and North America during the Early Cretaceous. It also supports derivation of North American spalacotheriids from a European or Eurasian ancestor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The gastropod fauna of the Upper Devonian Baggy and Pilton formations in south-west England is revised and includes some 30 taxa. The topmost part of the Upper Famennian succession in Devon is represented by clastic near-shore and shallow shelf sediments, indicating a short-term transgressive phase (‘Strunian Transgression’). The sequence yields a highly diverse fauna dominated by brachiopods and ostracodes, locally supplemented by crinoids, bryozoans, trilobites and molluscs. The taxa ‘ Patellostium’ britannicum sp. nov., Angyomphalus ( Angyomphalus) junius sp. nov. and Dictyotomaria eurocapillaria sp. nov. are erected; a junior homonym is replaced by Macrochilina? piltonensis nom. nov. The gastropod fauna displays an independent character, where latest Devonian faunal elements overlap with Late Palaeozoic taxa expressing a transition similar to that of the bivalves, brachiopods, echinoderms and corals, without a sharp faunal break at the Devonian/Carboniferous boundary. Apart from the Caenogastropoda, all subclasses of gastropods are represented. Members of the bellerophontoids, pleurotomarioids and loxonematoids are most abundant, followed by murchisonioids, naticimorphs, euomphalomorphs and platyceratoids. The various gastropod groups represent different ecological demands and trophic categories, and together with the accompanying fauna indicate that nearly all habitats and niches were occupied in the shallow South Laurussian Shelf. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sampling of a lenticular concentration of vertebrate debris and associated sediments from the lower Kimmeridgian of southern England has allowed the study of a diverse and abundant assemblage of chondrichthyan remains. A number of previously undescribed species are recorded, of which three new species are named; Squatina? frequens, Synechodus plicatus and Protospinax planus. Additional diagnosis of the genus Paracestracion Koken is given to allow its identification from dental remains. Several nominal batoid species are synonymised with Spathobatis bugesiacus Thiolliere. This assemblage is considered to be typical of Middle–Late Jurassic neritic environments, and is compared to other contemporaneous selachian faunas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

(1) Collared doves Streptopelia decaocto (Frivaldszky) were studied in two industrial areas, Ellesmere Port, Cheshire and Traffurd Park, Manchester. Both sites were primarily feeding places, and the birds obtained their food in the form of spillage and stored products from processing factories, mills and warehouses; in these circumstances, the food supply is reasonably constant throughout the year. Data on breeding was also gathered at a semi-rural site at Soham, Cambridgeshire. (2) At Ellesmere Port, collared doves roosted close to food sources. Peak numbers occurred in winter and, during the first four years of the study, tended to increase annually, reflecting increasing food supplies. Following drastic building changes, which affected roosting and feeding areas, the population declined. Adults and juveniles tended to move less than those at Trafford Park, suggesting a fairly stable population. (3) At Trafford Park, collared doves roosted throughout the suburban areas of south-west Manchester in a radius of about 7 km around the main study site. During the six years of the study, peak numbers remained relatively constant, fluctuation being caused mainly through food shortages at subsidiary feeding places or through spillage clearance schemes. In contrast to Ellesmere Port, peak numbers occurred in summer when surplus birds from the surrounding area joined the main feeding flock. (4) Analysis of ringing recoveries by the British Trust for Ornithol6gy reveals that juveniles are more likely than adults to leave places where they were first captured. There was no clear seasonal pattern in the movements but most were towards the north/south-west compass segment. (5) The calculated annual adult and juvenile mortality was 39 and 69% respectively. Shooting probably accounted for most mortality and there was some evidence that the rate increased during the breeding season. (6) Collared doves were in reproductive condition from March to September with maximum gonad size corresponding to the peak period of egg-laying. At Soham, an average 42% hatched with a maximum of 69% in July and August. Egg failure was largely from predation. Overall breeding success was 26% and calculated mean annual productivity was 2–5 young per pair. The seasonal moult begins in March and lasts 9 months with breeding and moulting occurring simultaneously as in other pigeon species. (7) Economic problems of collared doves in a man-made niche are briefly discussed, as is the continued tendency for doves to move in a north-westerly arc. Implications of the retention of a photoperiodic breeding season and of seasonal variations in egg-hatching success are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examines the fauna associated with juniper in southern England. Influence of declining juniper on number and size of its associated fauna; Native phytophagous insects; Species/site size relationship.

Objectives: To investigate the incidence of allergy to laboratory animals (ALA) during the first two years of employment, and to study the effect on ALA of atopy and sensitisation.Methods: A follow up prospective study of ALA at the Zeneca (formerly ICI) Research Laboratories.Results: The incidence of the disease during the first year of employment has remained at about 10% since the mid-1980s. This compares with an incidence of 37% in the early 1980s. The reduction in incidence and its maintenance at a lower level is thought to be due to the introduction and management of improved engineering controls, working practices, and educational programmes designed to reduce exposure to allergens from laboratory animals. The underlying incidence of immunological sensitisation to animals (the presence of immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies to animal allergens) is much higher (40% after one and 53% after two years of exposure). Both atopic diathesis and presensitisation to laboratory animals increased the likelihood that a person would develop ALA.Conclusion: Neither factor predicted the disease accurately so their use should be restricted to the identification of people who may be more susceptible to the development of ALA (and thus who may need to pay particular attention to the use of personal protective equipment) rather than to their exclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on the recolonization at the upper margin of the sublittoral region of a part of Wembury Bay, South Devon, England. The research showed that the upward-facing sublittoral rock surfaces were populated by a forest of large brown seaweed, such as Saccorhiza bulbosa, Laminaria Cloustoni, Laminaria digitata, and Himanthalia lorea. No changes were seen in the motile fauna in this area, which could correlate with the changes in the algal vegetation. The author concludes that sessile organisms, which finally were established, eliminated their predecessors by occupying all the space available for anchorage.

The article focuses on the study of the plant communities of Oxshott Heath and Esher Common, Surrey. It indicates that the communities of the area are considered as representing various phase in a succession from original heath vegetation to woodland. The Grass Heath and Ulicetum are modifications of natural communities as cited in the study because of the influence of man and the remaining communities are capable to undergo transition to more neutral types of the adjacent London Clay. The study deliberates the probability of Pteridium as an interruption to the succession to woodland, thus maintaining the heath vegetation stage.