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Nicola RedpathPhD Research StudentBSc (Hons) Zoology, University of Liverpool (2003 to 2006) Supervisors: Start Date: 10th January 2007 tel: +44 1786
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Research Project
Conservation of the Great Yellow Bumblebee (Bombus distinguendus) and the management and restoration of wildflower–rich habitats. (Funded by Scottish Natural Heritage via the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, the University of Stirling and RSPB)
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Machair, North Uist August 2007 |
Background:
Bumblebees are important pollinators of both agricultural crops and native wildflowers. However, since the middle of the last century, post war agricultural intensification has been identified as the likely cause for the dramatic decline of several Bombus species. The large scale removal of landscape features which provide foraging, nesting and hibernating resources has resulted in three of the UK’s native species going extinct and a further nine becoming seriously threatened.
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Restoring wildflower-rich habitat, Oronsay 2008 |
The Great Yellow Bumblebee Project:
Bombus distinguendus, the UK’s rarest bumblebee species, was once widespread throughout the UK but it is now restricted to the very north and west of Scotland. This species has become strongly associated with the unique wildflower-rich coastal grassland habitat known as ‘machair’. The aim of this project is to assist the survival of the great yellow bumblebee by developing practical land management prescriptions which restore wildflower-rich habitats. Improving the provision of foraging resources within agricultural landscapes will undoubtedly aid the stabilisation of existing populations and eventually contribute to the extension of this species’ geographical range. The principle areas of research are:
1. Surveying and critiquing current bumblebee management strategies within the existing range of Bombus distinguendus.
2. Trialling a range of treatments which improve the floristic diversity of degraded agricultural land and assessing their suitability for providing forage for rare bumblebee species.
3. Analysing the soil seed bank from a number of machair sites in western Scotland and determining whether the seed bank could potentially restore plant species diversity in areas where the existing vegetation is unsuitable for bumblebees.
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The Great Yellow Bumblebee, Bombus distinguendus, 2008
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Publications
Redpath, N., Osgathorpe, L.M., Park, K, Goulson, D. (2010). Crofting and bumblebee conservation: the impact of land management practices on bumblebee populations in northwest Scotland. Biological Conservation 143, 492-500.
Redpath, N., Beaumont, D., Park, K., Goulson, D.(2009). Machair and the great yellow bumblebee, Bombus distinguendus - a comparison of machair restoration tachniques. The Glasgow Naturalist volume 25. Machair Conservation: Successes and Challenges 79-89.
Previous Research Projects
Redpath, N. (2006). Aggression and Reconciliation in Lion-tailed Macaques (Macaca silenus). Unpublished BSc dissertation.
Presentations
Redpath, N., Beaumont, D., Park, K., Goulson, D. (2009). Restoration of machair grassland for the conservation of rare bumblebees. 2nd European Congress of Conservation Biology, Prague, 1st - 5th September 2009.
Redpath, N., Beaumont, D., Park, K., Goulson, D. (2009). Restoration of machair grassland for the conservation of bumblebees. Stirling Graduate Research School Conference, University of Stirling, May 2009.
Redpath, N., Beaumont, D., Park, K., Goulson, D. (2008). Conservation of the great yellow bumblebee and restoration of wildflower rich habitats. Machair Conservation: Successes and Challenges Conference, Glasgow University, 8th December 2008.
Redpath, N., Beaumont, D., Park, K., Goulson, D. (2008). Machair management for bumblebees. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds: Annual Wardens Meeting, University of Lancaster, 16th – 18th September 2008.
Redpath, N., Beaumont, D., Park, K., Goulson, D. (2007).Conservation of the great yellow bumblebee, Bombus distinguendus. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds: Annual Species and Land Management Meeting, Scotland, November 2007.
Poster Presentations
Redpath, N., Beaumont, D., Park, K., Goulson, D. (2009). Machair restoration and the conservation of the great yellow bumblebee, Bombus distinguendus. Student Conference: Evidence Base for Environmental Management & Conservation, University of Stirling, 6th April 2009.
Redpath, N., Beaumont, D., Park, K., Goulson, D. (2008). Machair restoration and the conservation of the great yellow bumblebee, Bombus distinguendus. EurBee European Conference of Apidology. Queen’s University, Belfast, 8th -11th September 2008.
