Co-ordinator : S.P. Rushton
The main thrust of this project is to investigate how migrating birds disperse aquatic plants and zooplankton, and the effects of this dispersal process on wetland biodiversity. The project is a combined endeavour linking researchers in invertebrate ecology, aquatic ecology, invertebrate taxonomy, plant taxonomy, molecularecology and population dynamics.
The research will characterise the invertebrate and plant communities in a range of wetland habitats in study areas along the main waterfowl migration routes from Northern Russia to Southern Spain. The carrier ability of waterfowl will be quantified to determine its contribution to the biodiversity of the plants and invertebrates in wetlands along the waterfowl migration routes. Molecular methods will be used to characterise the population structure of aquatic plants and invertebrates, and to obtain an independent estimate of immigration rates. Spatially explicit population models will be developed to predict the consequences for wetland biodiversity of changes in waterfowl migration arising from climatic change, hunting and wetland management practices.
The results of the research will be of value to a user community comprising decision- makers, wildfowl managers and conservation organisations.