December Blog Comments

I made a comment on:

http://bsucc2.wordpress.com/2013/12/28/conservation-in-chester-zoo/comment-page-1/#comment-11

I personally found this talk incredibly interesting and inspiring that there’s zoos out there that are doing so much to aid conservation, especially on a 100% visitor funded budget. I think many people think of zoos in a bad way but Chester zoo is an exemplary example of a zoo who have got the balance between welfare and visitors right. I hope that in their education scheme they can encourage other zoos to take a leaf out of their book!

and:

http://bsue2d.wordpress.com/2013/12/31/chester-zoo/

I thought your post was very clear and understandable and your photos added a good personal touch to prove your points. I found the talk very inspiring that a zoo can manage to balance attracting visitors and having such high welfare levels so well. I hope that their education schemes can also reach out to people who do not think so highly about zoos, as well as children, and show them the great conservation efforts they make.

Conservation Efforts at Chester Zoo

Dr Mark Pilgrim

06/12/13

(www.chesterzoo.org/conservation-and-research)

Since the introduction of zoos in the 1800s there has always been (and probably always will be) controversy over zoos and how ethical they are. Questions are often raised over the quality of life and welfare of the animals as well as whether zoos were created solely for human entertainment or for the benefit of the animals and their habitats. This being said however, I think the efforts they make to conservation and the progress that has been seen is undeniable. On the 6^th of December the general director of Chester Zoo, Dr Mark Pilgrim, came and gave a talk about the objectives and conservation work that is currently underway at the zoo. Chester Zoo was established in 1931 by the North of England Zoological Society and aimed to be the first “zoo without bars”. It is currently home to over 11,000 individuals of around 550 different species. Last year they attracted 1.4 million visitors placing the zoo within the top 15 in the world. This means nearly all of the funding for projects, both in and out of the zoo comes solely from visitors. Chester Zoo has a current mission to be a “major force in conserving the biodiversity worldwide”. They hope to carry this out by combining:

• Field conservation
• Conservation breeding
• Research
• Animal welfare
• Education

and by belonging to a number of organisations operating throughout the UK and worldwide:

• British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA)
• European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA)
• World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA)

Obviously a great deal of the conservation work that is carried out is ex situ conservation in which animals are bred within the zoo (often linked to other zoo breeding programs) in order to sustain the species. These animals can be used for reintroduction programs (such as previous UK reintroduction projects on Hazel Dormice and Sand Lizards) or kept as “insurance populations”. However, Chester Zoo also spend £1million a year on in situ conservation, conservation projects in the field. They have projects in over 40 countries making them one of the most important zoo organisations in terms of species conservation. These range from amphibians and Philippine Cockatoos to Black Rhinos and Asian Elephants. Chester Zoo are definitely leaders in conservation and the progress they make is unquestionable. Zoos have the power and ability to educate the world on wildlife conservation and I hope that in our lifetime a change is seen in zoos worldwide in terms of welfare and in situ conservation efforts. Perhaps zoos could one day be the future for conservation and world biodiversity? http://www.chesterzoo.org/conservation-and-research

Careers Cafe

When I first heard about the careers café I thought it was going to be a kind of jobs fair event however, it was actually a group of five past Bangor students come to talk about their experiences and offer their tips and advice on our next steps. There was also the opportunity to ask any questions we had in an informal manner after the talk.

• Since graduating, Ross Piper has written numerous animal books and recently presented the BBC documentary Wild Burma.
• Cherry Shacklady was a zoo keeper for many years but came to Bangor to study as a mature student; she now works as the head of biology at a secondary school.
• After a long stint of volunteering and getting her name known, Nia Jones now works for the Wildlife Trust on marine conservation zones.
• Naomi Willis is currently a healthcare scientist for Welsh Water and is completing a PhD funded by them also.
• Thanks to an extensive CV of volunteering positions, Imogen German is completing a PhD and teaching at Bangor University.

I found it quite inspiring to listen to their stories and reassuring to know that there are jobs available in relevant fields despite the competitive market. All the advice that was given was very helpful and gave me confidence that one day I could be in the same position as these past students, in a job I enjoy and am passionate about.

There were certain main points that were reiterated by everyone as the most important things for us to do…

• Write a short, concise and tailored CV that makes you unique and stand out
• Know the company you are applying to and show enthusiasm in interviews
• Volunteering is very important to gain experience & ‘get on the inside’ for jobs
• Seize every opportunity and show initiative to create your own career path

November Blog Comments

I made a comment on:

http://bsuea1.wordpress.com/2013/11/30/november-blog/#respond

I think the reintroduction of any animal comes with its risks and possible disadvantages however the benefits are also very important. It is not a definitive fact that the reintroduction will have detrimental effects on the red squirrel, infact most of the research I’ve seen seems to say that the positive effect of preying on the grey squirrels is a far more important issue. The possibility of a boost in ecotourism is another benefit of the reintroduction. You’ve written an interesting take on the talk, however maybe taking the positives into account as well may help you form a clearer opinion on how you feel about the reintroduction?

and:

http://cbirch66blog.wordpress.com/2013/11/26/beavers-back-in-wales/comment-page-1/#comment-6

I really enjoyed this lecture and reading your post, and I too think that beavers should definitely be reintroduced to Wales. It seems like the only fair thing to do as humans wiped them out in the first place. However, there are a few disadvantages which need to be taken into account. These include feeding on crops, felling trees and burrowing under fields as well as the flooding which you mentioned. With the easy management of these problems by buffer zones and culverts I hope this reintroduction will be successful and a great step towards increasing UK biodiversity!

Return of the Beavers?

Adrian Jones

22/11/13

Adrian Jones is the co-ordinator of the Welsh Beaver Project. In collaboration with the Wildlife Trust for Wales, Natural Resources Wales and Wild Europe the project has been set up in order to carry out the reintroduction of Eurasian beavers (Castor fiber) in the River Rheidol of mid Wales. In the spring and summer of 2014, around 20 pairs of beavers are planned to be released. Adrian gave a very interesting seminar talk on the benefits and potential drawbacks of this reintroduction.

Eurasian beavers are crepusculous herbivores feeding mainly on aspen, willow and birch trees. Most of their activity occurs at dawn and dusk and within 20 metres of the waters edge. They were originally found across all of Europe however numbers declined due to landscape change and the human craving of their pelt, meat, castoreum. No beavers were found in Wales after 1188 and by the 19^th century only 1200 individuals were found across Europe, in France, Germany, Belarus and Norway.

Eurasian beaver (Castor fiber) (BBC Nature)

 

The benefits of reintroducing beavers to Wales are numerous. They are a key species for biodiversity and are one of the most important species in terms of woodland and water management.

• Beavers coppice woodland which naturally thins the woods and causes deadwood which is an ideal environment for invertebrates and fungi species.
• Dams, lodges and burrows are also used by otters and voles which allows them safety and shelter.
• Dams change the flow of the water leading to improvements in water quality and management.

There are also human benefits of having beavers in the environment, for socio-economic (walks and tours) and public interest reasons as well as legal habitat management reasons.

Adrian stated that the benefits of reintroducing beavers could be 100 times greater than the costs. Feeding on crops, tree felling, excavating burrows under used land and dams causing flooding have all been suggested as the negatives for bringing back beavers however each of these can easily be solved by a 20 metre buffer zone or fences.

Given the small number of easily solved problems and the numerous benefits, I personally don’t see why they haven’t been reintroduced many years before now. Over the last 40 years 90 reintroductions have taken place in 24 countries and none of them have been reversed. The benefits to the environment are incredible and this in turn will bring tourism and money to the area.

Finally, as Adrian said, it is not the reintroduction of an animal it’s the “reintroduction of a lost ecosystem” and who wouldn’t want that?

 

For much more information on the management and reintroduction programs, the website for the Welsh Beaver Project can be found at:

http://www.welshbeaverproject.org/

Assessment Centre

The first workshop aspect of the enterprise and employability module was a mock interview and assessment centre. There were three tasks throughout the day that were completed in groups of four. The first of these was a panel type interview where one person was assessed by the rest of the group using predetermined questions. I have to admit that I found the idea of the interview terrifying, as I do with any kind of interview situation, but once it was done the feedback was really useful. I always find it quite difficult to sell myself and expand on answers about myself as I find it really awkward but this workshop gave me a good opportunity to practice. During the process common mistakes carried out by everyone also became apparent but it would have been useful to also get some feedback from a lecturer or experienced interviewer.

The last two tasks were team work related exercises. We carried out the Belbin self perception test, in which I got the very fitting ‘finisher’ team role and an email priority sorting task. This last exercise required a lot of team work and communication in order to overcome the differences in opinion, and our group definitely had a few of those!

Although initially a little scary, I found the day was very helpful in giving me an idea of what can be expected from assessment centres and how to avoid the common pitfalls during an interview.

October Blog Comments

I posted a comment on:

http://bioenterpriseandemployability.wordpress.com/2013/10/30/murky-waters-phosphorous-mitigation-to-control-fresh-water-eutrophication/comment-page-1/#comment-1

and:

https://rebeccahayfield.wordpress.com/2013/10/31/large-scale-questions-in-the-study-of-mammalian-biology-limitations-and-opportunities/comment-page-1/#comment-1

Understanding adaptive radiation using population genomics

George Turner

25/10/14

A range of aquarium kept cichlids (www.normalaquatics.com)

Lake Malawi cichlid fish are often used as a model organism for speciation and adaptive radiation as was shown by George Turner in the first bioscience seminar of the year. The research related talk surrounded the idea of whether the great extent of radiation these fish have undergone is sympatric or whether the fish were already speciated before entering many of the smaller crater lakes in East Africa.

Currently it is thought there are between 450 and 650 species of cichlid fish which are important worldwide for food, aquariums and in conservation. The big questions on George’s mind: when, where and how did these different forms evolve?

Astatotilapia calliptera is thought to be the basal, primitive outgroup and possible ancestor to the hundreds of current species. Found in the nearby Rufiji catchment it is possible that this fish is the source of cichlid radiation due to introgression into the Malawi catchment.

Lake Malawi (www.freeworldmaps.net)

Therefore, it would be easy to assume that the species evolved into different forms before moving into the many lakes in the area, however there is a lot of evidence including the research carried out by George and his team to prove this theory wrong.

The message during the seminar was that in many ways this event can be seen as a “classic case” of sympatric speciation. Some of the lakes that the studies have been conducted in, such as Lakes Malawi and Victoria, are extremely large with a great variation in environments and ecology. Most of the species have a coloured and duller, dark form; it is thought that the coloured forms of the cichlids are endemic and the darker coloured fish evolved due to differences in environment.

The smaller volcanic formed crater lakes on the other hand do not have such a variation in environment so it is harder to come to a conclusion on when and how the cichlid species radiated. These crater lakes are considered one of the best places to study cichlids and their radiation. Lake Kingiri is one of these lakes and has shown evidence of one species recently splitting into a large and smaller form.

The seminar ended with an overview of the work George had carried out in Lake Massoko. There are two very different forms in the lake that differ in colour, morphology, ecology and diet. He proved that the fish had evolved from Astatotilapia calliptera and that they are very distinct from other cichlids. Along with Richard Durbin of the Sanger Institute, the full genomes of both the blue and yellow forms were analysed. The findings showed that they are very closely related, however 78 fixed differences were found at one position. This allowed George to further prove the theory of sympatric speciation and not that the two species were already formed before entering the lake.