En:mapping looks at conservation issues in relation to biodiversity, ecological functioning and demographics. The principal, Mark Parnell, takes an active role in research to help disseminate new findings and concepts. Below are a selection of the recent publications and presentations by Mark Parnell:
PUBLICATIONS
Armsworth, P.R., Cantu-Salazar, L., Parnell, M., Davies, Z. G. and Stoneman, R. (2010) Management costs for small protected areas and economies of scale in habitat conservation (In Press).
Protected area management must be resourced adequately to achieve its conservation objectives. The variability in management costs across candidate sites for protection therefore should inform conservation planning. For example, when considering whether to accept a donation of a property, a conservation organisation must determine whether an adequate endowment is available to fund future management activities. We examine variation in management costs across 78 small protected areas in the UK that are managed by a conservation NGO, the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust. Management costs exceed acquisition costs when funded on an endowment basis and are not correlated with acquisition costs or with proxy measures for conservation costs commonly relied upon in conservation planning studies. A combination of geographic, ecological and socioeconomic characteristics of sites explains 50% of the variation in management costs. Site area is the most important determinant of management costs, which demonstrate economies of scale; implementing conservation management on an additional hectare adjacent to a larger protected area would incur a lower cost than doing the same adjacent to a smaller site. In evidencing this effect of site area, we avoid problems of spurious correlation that confound previous studies. Protected areas that encompass a greater richness of priority habitats for conservation also require more expensive management. Conservation organisations may have little option but to create small protected areas to conserve biodiversity in highly fragmented landscapes, but the decision to do so should take account of the greater cost burden that small protected areas incur.
Blackburn, T.M., Gaston, K.J., & Parnell, M. (2010) Changes in non-randomness in the expanding introduced avifauna of the world. Ecography, 33, 168 - 174.
The identities of bird species introduced to areas beyond the limits of their native geographic ranges have historically depended on a combination of societal demands for species with certain characteristics, and the availability of species for capture, transport and release. However, both societal demands and availability have changed over time, which should also change the characteristics of species more recently added to the list of introduced birds. Here, we quantify temporal changes in selectivity of introduced bird species by comparing the characteristics of 423 species listed in the seminal catalogue of introduced birds (Long, J. L. 1981. Introduced birds of the world. - David and Charles, London) with those of 122 species that have been introduced but are not listed in Long (1981). We demonstrate differences between these two groups of species in the frequencies with which different taxa are represented, in the geographic range sizes of species, and in their biogeographic regions of origin, but not in body mass. Both groups also differ from bird species in general in terms of geographic range sizes, body masses, and taxonomic composition. We relate the observed differences in the characteristics of species listed or unlisted in Long (1981) to changes in the changes in attitudes, legislation and vectors of transport relating to exotic species. We conclude by noting that the utility of published catalogues of introduced bird species is increasingly being eroded by the continued liberation and establishment of bird species.
Gripenberg, S., Mayhew, P.J., Parnell, M. & Roslin, T. (2010) A meta-analysis of preference-performance relationships in phytophagous insects. Ecology Letters, 13, 383 - 393.
The extent to which behavioural choices reflect fine-tuned evolutionary adaptation remains an open debate. For herbivorous insects, the preference–performance hypothesis (PPH) states that female insects will evolve to oviposit on hosts on which their offspring fare best. In this study, we use meta-analysis to assess the balance of evidence for and against the PPH, and to evaluate the role of individual factors proposed to influence host selection by female insects. We do so in an explicitly bitrophic context (herbivores versus plants). Overall, our analyses offer clear support for the PPH: Offspring survive better on preferred plant types, and females lay more eggs on plant types conducive to offspring performance. We also found evidence for an effect of diet breadth on host choice: female preference for 'good quality plants' was stronger in oligophagous insects than in polyphagous insects. Nonetheless, despite the large numbers of preference–performance studies conducted to date, sample sizes in our meta-analysis are low due to the inconsistent format used by authors to present their results. To improve the situation, we invite authors to contribute to the data base emerging from this work, with the aim of reaching a strengthened synthesis of the subject field.
Evans, K.L., Hatchwell, B.J., Parnell, M. & Gaston, K.J. (2010) A conceptual framework for the colonisation of urban areas: The blackbird Turdus merula as a case study. Biological Reviews, AVAILABLE ONLINE
Despite increasing interest in urban ecology the factors limiting the colonisation of towns and cities by species from rural areas are poorly understood. This is largely due to the lack of a detailed conceptual framework for this urbanisation process, and of sufficient case studies. Here, we develop such a framework. This draws upon a wide range of ecological and evolutionary theory and the increasing number of studies of how the markedly divergent conditions in urban and rural areas influence the traits of urban populations and the structure of urban assemblages. We illustrate the importance of this framework by compiling a detailed case study of spatial and temporal variation in the urbanisation of the blackbird Turdus merula. Our framework identifies three separate stages in the urbanisation process: (i) arrival, (ii) adjustment, and (iii) spread. The rate of progress through each stage is influenced by environmental factors, especially human attitudes and socio-economic factors that determine the history of urban development and the quality of urban habitats, and by species' ecological and life-history traits. Some traits can positively influence progression through one stage, but delay progression through another. Rigorous assessment of the factors influencing urbanisation should thus ideally pay attention to the different stages. Urbanisation has some similarities to invasion of exotic species, but the two clearly differ. Invasion concerns geographic range expansion that is external to the species' original geographic range, whilst urbanisation typically relates to filling gaps within a species' original range. This process is exemplified by the blackbird which is now one of the commonest urban bird species throughout its Western Palearctic range. This is in stark contrast to the situation 150 years ago when the species was principally confined to forest. Blackbird urbanisation was first recorded in Germany in 1820, yet some European cities still lack urban blackbirds. This is especially so in the east, where urbanisation has spread more slowly than in the west. The timing of blackbird urbanisation exhibits a marked spatial pattern, with latitude and longitude explaining 76% of the variation. This strong spatial pattern contrasts with the weaker spatial pattern in timing of urbanisation exhibited by the woodpigeon Columba palumbus (with location explaining 39% of the variation), and with the very weak spatial pattern in timing of black-billed magpie Pica pica urbanisation (in which location explains 12% of the variation). Strong spatial patterns in timing of urbanisation are more compatible with the leap-frog urbanisation model, in which urban adapted or imprinted birds colonise other towns and cities, than with the independent urbanisation model, in which urban colonisation events occur independently of each other. Spatial patterns in isolation do not, however, confirm one particular model. Factors relating to the arrival and adjustment stages appear particularly likely to have influenced the timing of blackbird urbanisation. Spatial variation in the occurrence of urban populations and the timing of their establishment creates opportunities to assess the factors regulating urbanisation rates, and how the composition of urban assemblages develops as a result. These are major issues for urban ecology.
Eigenbrod, F., Anderson, B.J., Armsworth, P.R., Heinemeyer, A., Jackson, S.F., Parnell, M., Thomas, C.D. & Gaston, K.J. (2009) Ecosystem service benefits of contrasting conservation strategies in a human-dominated region. Proceedings of the Royal Society: Series B, 276, 2903 - 2911.
The hope among policy-makers and scientists alike is that conservation strategies designed to protect biodiversity also provide direct benefits to people by protecting other vital ecosystem services. The few studies that have examined the delivery of ecosystem services by existing conservation efforts have concentrated on large, ‘wilderness’-style biodiversity reserves. However, such reserves are not realistic options for densely populated regions. Here, we provide the first analyses that compare representation of biodiversity and three other ecosystem services across several contrasting conservation strategies in a human-dominated landscape (England). We show that small protected areas and protected landscapes (restrictive zoning) deliver high carbon storage and biodiversity, while existing incentive payment (agri-environment) schemes target areas that offer little advantage over other parts of England in terms of biodiversity, carbon storage and agricultural production. A fourth ecosystem service—recreation—is under-represented by all three strategies. Our findings are encouraging as they illustrate that restrictive zoning can play a major < script src="/plugins/editors/tinymce/jscripts/tiny_mce/themes/advanced/langs/en.js" type="text/javascript"> role in protecting natural capital assets in densely populated regions. However, trade-offs exist even among the four ecosystem services we considered, suggesting that a portfolio of conservation and sustainability investments will be needed to deliver both biodiversity and the other ecosystem services demanded by society.
Walls, R. and Parnell, M. (2005). Bird Detection Radar: A Tool for Monitoring White-fronted Goose Movements. Windtech International, 1, (5) 21 – 26.
POSTERS
Parnell, M. (2005). Techniques for the analysis of bird radar data. European Wind Energy Conference, Athens (Poster).
Parnell, M. (2006). Techniques for analysing and displaying bird radar data. NERI Offshore Windfarm Results, Denmark (Poster).
PRESENTATIONS/ LECTURES
2010
Manchester Metropolitan University - Applications of GIS in Ecology
Peak District National Park - Spatial distribution of recreation in the PDNP
2009
Manchester Metropolitan University - Applications of GIS in Ecology
DEFRA - Ecosystem Service of Peat
DEFRA - The UKPeatGeoNetwork
Moors For the Future Ecosystem Service Conference - Cultural Services
Moors For the Future Ecosystem Service Conference - Web-based data sharing
Peak District National Park - Ecosystem Services
University of Bangor - Ecosystem Services
Access Ecology Anabat Course - Data Management and GIS
2005 - 2008
University of Hull - Ecosystem services
University of Sheffield- The Global Distribution of Alien Bird Species
Peak District National Park - Moorland Indicators of Climate Change
University of Sheffield - Prioritising Ecological Decisions