Biodiversity is being lost at an unparalleled rate, particularly in freshwater ecosystems. Reintroduction of keystone species is considered part of the solution to the freshwater biodiversity crisis. Beavers, which were common in the UK until the 16th Century, are ecosystem engineers; altering the physical and chemical properties of their habitat, creating nutrient rich ponds, and slowing the flow of water. Beaver reintroduction is gaining traction throughout the UK for improving biodiversity, carbon sequestration, and Natural Flood Management, with trials in >10 counties. A primary motivation for reintroducing beavers is to create heterogeneous habitats that support novel communities of animals and plants compared to the surrounding landscape, but so far we only understand impacts on a small number of species. This is largely because conventional approaches for studying biodiversity are time consuming, challenging and can cause disturbance or harm to wildlife. Environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding offers a new, non-invasive alternative for describing entire ecological communities. eDNA is released into the environment in the form of shed cells, waste material or decaying matter, captured by sampling water, soil, air or other environmental samples, and sequenced using High Throughput Sequencing technology, generating millions of DNA sequences in a single experiment. Our group at the University of Hull has pioneered this method for describing vertebrate and invertebrate communities in lakes, rivers and ponds.
This CASE studentship will use eDNA metabarcoding of entire habitats to investigate the impacts of beaver activity across freshwater and terrestrial communities, providing novel insights into the role of these ecosystem engineers in shaping biodiversity. The project will focus primarily on two reintroduction sites: Cropton Forest in North Yorkshire and the Bamff Estate in Scotland, providing two contrasting habitats and temporal scales of reintroduction. More specifically, the student will investigate 1) how beavers impact freshwater macroinvertebrate communities at different temporal and spatial scales, 2) the impact of beavers on conservation priority vertebrates, 3) the structure of aquatic-terrestrial linkages in beaver reintroduction sites, and 4) the role of beavers in shaping entire ecological networks. eDNA data will be analysed using Site Occupancy Modelling, in conjunction with habitat data from 3D High Resolution Topographic Surveys (HRTS).
Project Objectives:
Obj1. Determine how beaver activity impacts freshwater macroinvertebrate biodiversity on different temporal scales.
Obj2. Investigate whether beavers benefit conservation priority vertebrates.
Obj3. Investigate aquatic-terrestrial linkages in beaver reintroduction sites: do beavers benefit terrestrial invertebrate consumers and species at higher trophic levels?
Obj4. Understand the role of beavers in shaping ecological networks.
See the Panorama website (https://panorama-dtp.ac.uk/research/uncovering-the-hidden-biodiversity-benefits-of-beavers-using-environmental-dna/) for more information on the Project, the Supervisory Team, training and the working environment.
For more information on this research proposal, please watch this excerpt taken from a recent webinar on Panorama DTP projects: https://youtu.be/pCCFc7a5jKA
Student Profile
We are looking for a motivated student with a keen interest in molecular ecology and biodiversity. Experience with field work, molecular tools (e.g. PCR), using R, and/or bioinformatics would be useful. You must hold an Honours (2.1. or higher) or Masters degree in a related subject, such as Biology, Ecology, Genetics or Zoology (or international equivalent (https://www.hull.ac.uk/choose-hull/study-at-hull/international/country-search.aspx))).
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