Task 7

Taxonomic groups for collections

For this task I was asked to respond to a scenario by nominating taxonomic groups that could be used in a reference collection.

For this exercise I have considered the scenario:

“A representative from fauna and flora are trying to build up reference taxonomic collections to train field operatives to make environmental assessments and to address fundamental questions about species diversity across environmental gradients. They have funding for only a limited set of collections to be made, the categories are listed below. They are first trying to decide what groups would be of interest and secondly, they wish to employ individuals to make the said collections, with each individual responsible for one vegetative and one animal group. To be considered for employment you must provide some suggestions for each of the categories and for the collections to be valuable the collections should have 30 samples with the majority made up of unique species. And as it’s a training tool the taxa should have closely related species which typically means making a collection that includes specimens within a single family or lower.”

Nominate a taxonomic group for each of the following categories:

1. Faunal groups:

• 1 x vertebrate

• 2 x invertebrate

2. Vegetative groups:

• 2 x Angiosperms

• 1 x other vegetative non-animal group

Vertebrate

Salmon and Trout

Family: Salmonidae

The Freshwater Fish Recording Scheme in the UK no longer has a scheme organiser (Biological Records Centre, 2024b) and I am unsure of the exact number of Salmonidae species present in the UK but there should be enough to satisfy the requirement of 30 samples (of mainly unique species). The UK has 31 recorded in Fishbase (Froese and Pauly, 2024), with 14 endemic species (Living National Treasures: Checklist of Endemic Freshwater Fishes, 2023). There is a growing appreciation of aquatic habitats amongst the general public, albeit with a focus on river pollution and water quality. Salmon and trout may be used as indicators of river quality (water, habitat, connectivity). The Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar) are sensitive to changes in water quality and can be viewed as a flagship species in terms of conservation, with projects aiming at protecting this species having beneficial impacts for the wider community e.g. habitat restoration, water quality and connectivity (Angling Trust, 2024).

Consideration must be given to the method(s) of sampling as the most appropriate depends on the habitat and target species. For example, electro-fishing in deep water or in turbid currents is not an efficient method (Wheater, Cook and Bell, 2020, p.215).

Invertebrate 1

Shieldbugs

Family: Pentatomidae

In terms of British species there are several definitions that cover ‘Shieldbugs’, I suggest using Jones’ definition of (2023) that details 11 families in his book. I suggest focusing on the Pentatomidae family which has 31 species present in Britain (Jones, 2023). We can then look to other closely related families as some of these e.g. Eurydema dominulus may be very rare in Britain (Jones, 2023), p.306) and difficult to collect, so other families in the superfamily Pentatomoidea such as Acanthosomatidae (5 species in Britain) could be included to the collection to aid training. The Shieldbugs and Allies Recording Scheme (Bantock and Botting, 2018) records species across a checklist of 11 families (Bantock and Botting, 2021). The time of collection should be considered as adult shieldbugs may be at their peak at different times of the year. Most will overwinter as adults, although not all e.g. Pentatoma rufipes overwinter as nympths (Jones, 2023, p.71). See details on invertebrate curation for information on how best to present the collection.

Shieldbugs belong to the sub-order Heteroptera, of the order Hemiptera. Some species are associated with particular host food plants, even being named as such e.g. Gorse Shieldbug (Piezodorus lituratus). Better understanding of these shieldbug/plant interactions and dependencies may provide valuable insight. For example, the Juniper Shieldbug (Cyphostethus tristriatus) was found on juniper yet it has apparently changed foodplants and is now found on cypress trees (Jones, 2023, p.88). It is not known how or where this change happened.

Many of the native and existing species are not viewed as pests due to their preference in food plant or distribution/abundance. However, with climate change and globalised trade, this may change as new species of shieldbug are arriving, and are expected to arrive, on the British Isles e.g. the arrival of the Southern Green Shieldbug (Nezara viridula) which is viewed as an agricultural pest of peas, broad beans and other crops in many parts of the world (Jones, 2023, p. 292). Monitoring the distribution of species, especially new arrivals, to identify potential pest problems is required. Additionally, understanding if there are changes in host plant preferences may provide a warning.

Invertebrate 2

Earthworms

Family: Acanthrodrilidae, Lumbricidae, Sparganophilidae

There are 31 species of earthworm know from natural environments in the British Isles (Brown, Raper and Sherlock, 2018). Note that 2 of these species are recorded as an aggregate species Eisenia fetida as there is no reliable method to differentiate between Eisenia andrei and Eisenia fetida, so there are only 30 species to record. These cover the 3 families:

• Acanthrodrilidae (Claus, 1880),

• Lumbricidae (Refinesque-Schmatz, 1815)

• Sparganophilidae (Michaelsen, 1928)

With all but 2 species being in the Lumbricidae family (Sherlock, 2018). Due to the rarity of some of these species to obtain 30 samples I suggest sampling some artificial environments (e.g. greenhouses) where non-native earthworms have previously been recorded. Additionally, Allolobophora chlorotica comes in 2 colour morphs so it may be valuable to have a specimen of each, noting that colour will be lost when the specimen is preserved so photographs must be taken as well (Sherlock, 2018, p.42). It may require a large number of samples to obtain all species – targeted sampling will be needed at previously known sites etc.

Earthworms are viewed as important ecosystem engineers, providing ecosystem services and affecting soil formation, soil structure, water regulation and nutrient cycling (Blouin et al., 2013). Due to their use as bioindicators of soil health in agriculture, an earthworm index called QBS-e (Soil Biological Quality Index based on earthworms) has been proposed (Fusaro et al., 2018). Results from sampling can be submitted to the National Earthworm Recording Scheme (Brown, no date); where sampling should follow the standard protocol that has been devised so that records can be compared more readily. I think belowground organisms are crucial to the functioning of terrestrial ecosystems but are often overlooked and increasing understanding of the diversity present beneath our feet is important.

Peter O'Connor aka anemoneprojectors from Stevenage, United Kingdom, CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Angiosperm 1

Grasses

Family: Poaceae

Grasses are a very successful group, comprising around a third of the world’s land surface and providing cereal crops upon which many people depend (Cope et al., 2009). In the UK the species names are used when categorising vegetation communities as part of the National Vegetation Classification (NVC) system e.g. CG2: Festuca ovina – Avenula pratensis grassland (Rodwell, 2006, p.62). With UKHab habitat classification system species of grasses are listed in the descriptions of habitat type e.g. for g2a Lowland calcareous grassland will have typical grasses such as: Common Bent Agrostis capillaris, Crested Hair-grass Koeleria macrantha, Blue Moor-grass Sesleria caerulea…etc. (UKHab Ltd., 2023, p.25). Being able to identify different grasses can allow for a quick indication of the habitat type being assessed.

The selection of grass species to sample should be decided and matched to the purpose of the reference collection. Cope and Gray describe 220 species of grasses in the British Isles (Cope et al., 2009) from which the 30 specimens can be chosen. It is important to ensure that reference specimens show all the characters needed for identification. They should be collected when in flower, so the timing of collection must be planned. See details on plant curation for how best to present specimens.

Angiosperm 2

Umbellifers

Family: Apiaceae (=Umbelliferae)

Characterised by the umbel inflorescence this family contains economically important (human) food plants such as carrot, celery, parsnip, fennel and parsley (Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, no date). It also contains some species that are toxic or poisonous e.g. Giant Hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum) can cause dermatitis on contact with skin in sunlight (Streeter et al., 2016, p.358), or Hemlock (Conium maculatum) which is poisonous (Streeter et al., 2016, p.348). Care must therefore be taken if collecting these species. It is in the top 10 families of flowering plants (based on number of species) in the British Isles (Streeter et al., 2016, p.49), so this diverse family is worth understanding.

Characters such as the fruits, leaves, numbers of bracts and bracteoles should be present and visible in the reference collection, see details on plant curation for how best to present specimens. Records can be submitted to the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland (BSBI) recording scheme (Biological Records Centre, 2024a). As with other flowering plants, the date of flowering is variable between species and so planning when the collection will be undertaken is an important consideration to ensure all diagnostic characters are present in the specimen.

Vegetative (other)

Bracket and crust fungi

Family: Polyporaceae

There are a huge number of fungi species present in the UK, around 15,000! (Cannon, no date). As most fungi are mainly microscopic, detectable by eye only when their fruiting-bodies appear, this collection will focus on the fungal fruiting bodies. Some species of fungi grow on living or dead-wood. Tree decay is a natural process, but land managers need to understand if/how different fungal species may affect the mechanical properties of the wood when performing visual tree assessments (for risk management) (Watson and Green, 2011). Several fungal families grow on trees/wood as brackets or crusts; this collection will primarily target those in the Polyporaceae family but could be extended to other families such as Ganodermataceae if required.

The timing of collection to target when the fruiting bodies are present will be crucial. Understanding the preferences of host trees will aid in the search for specimens e.g. the Birch Mazegill (Trametes betulina) is often found on Birch. The samples must be handled carefully and dried slowly before being placed into boxes along with an insect repellent (Baxter and van der Linde, 1999, p.15-16). Note that this reference collection will contain the dried specimens, i.e. it will not contain specimens as a genetic resource collection (where the fungi is living or in a recoverable state (Rai and Bridge, 2009, p.10). Records of fungal fruiting may be submitted to the British Mycological Society (British Mycological Society, 2024).

Reflection

This activity has prompted me to think about taxonomic reference collections, which groups are important and why, how they will be surveyed and whether there are any recording schemes. To create a good reference collection will require a well considered approach.

References

Cope, T. A., Gray, A. J., Tebbs, M. C., Isles and Ashton, P. (2009) Grasses of the British Isles. Botanical Society of the British Isles.

Froese, R. and Pauly, D. (2024) Fishbase: All fishes reported from United Kingdom. Available at: https://fishbase.se/country/CountryChecklist.php?&what=list&trpp=50&c_code=826&cpresence=reported&sortby=alpha&vhabitat=all2&showAll=yes (Accessed: 06 May 2024).

Fusaro, S., Gavinelli, F., Lazzarini, F. and Paoletti, M. G. (2018) 'Soil Biological Quality Index based on earthworms (QBS-e). A new way to use earthworms as bioindicators in agroecosystems', Ecological Indicators, 93, pp. 1276-1292. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2018.06.007.

Jones, R. J. (2023) Shieldbugs. London: William Collins. New naturalist.

Living National Treasures: Checklist of Endemic Freshwater Fishes. (2023) Available at: https://lntreasures.com/ukff.html (Accessed: 06 May 2024).

Rai, M. and Bridge, P. D. (2009) Applied mycology. Wallingford, UK: CABI.

Rodwell, J. S. (2006) NVC Users' Handbook. Peterborough: JNCC.

Royal Botanic Gardens Kew (no date) Apiaceae Lindl. Available at: https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:30000180-2/ (Accessed: 07 May 2024).

Sherlock, E. (2018) Key to the Earthworms of the UK and Ireland. Telford: FSC. Field Studies Council AIDGAP Guides.

Streeter, D., Hart-Davies, C., Hardcastle, A., Cole, F. and Harper, L. (2016) Collins wild flower guide. Revised and updated 2nd edition. edn. London: William Collins.

UKHab Ltd. (2023) UK Habitat Classification Version 2.0. Available at: https://www.ukhab.org (Accessed: 07 May 2024).

Watson, G. and Green, T. (2011) Fungi on Trees: An Arborists' Field Guide. Arboricultural Association.

Wheater, C. P., Cook, P. A. and Bell, J. R. (2020) Practical field ecology. 2nd edn. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley-Blackwell.

These references were used for the taxonomic groups for collections activity.

Angling Trust (2024) Salmon conservation & its ripple effect on river health. Available at: https://linesonthewater.anglingtrust.net/2024/01/25/salmon-conservation-its-ripple-effect-on-river-health/ (Accessed: 06 May 2024)

Bantock, T. and Botting, J. (2018) British Bugs: Biological recording. Available at: https://www.britishbugs.org.uk/recording.html (Accessed: 06 May 2024).

Bantock, T. and Botting, J. (2021) British Bugs: British Heteroptera checlist. Available at: https://www.britishbugs.org.uk/systematic_het.html (Accessed: 06 May 2024).

Baxter, A. P. and van der Linde, E. (1999) Collecting and Preserving Fungi: A Manual for Mycology. Plant Protection Research Institute Available at: https://www.ippc.int/static/media/uploads/resources/collecting_and_preserving_fungi.pdf (Accessed: 07 May 2024).

Biological Records Centre (2024a) Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Available at: https://www.brc.ac.uk/scheme/botanical-society-britain-and-ireland (Accessed: 07 May 2024).

Biological Records Centre (2024b) Freshwater Fish Recording Scheme. Available at: https://www.brc.ac.uk/scheme/freshwater-fish-recording-scheme (Accessed: 06 May 2024).

Blouin, M., Hodson, M. E., Delgado, E. A., Baker, G., Brussaard, L., Butt, K. R., Dai, J., Dendooven, L., Peres, G., Tondoh, J. E., Cluzeau, D. and Brun, J. J. (2013) 'A review of earthworm impact on soil function and ecosystem services', European Journal of Soil Science, 64(2), pp. 161-182. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1111/ejss.12025.

British Mycological Society (2024) Fungal recording. Available at: https://www.britmycolsoc.org.uk/field_mycology/fungal_recording (Accessed: 07 May 2024).

Brown, K. D. (no date) National Earthworm Recording Scheme. Available at: https://www.earthwormsoc.org.uk/ners (Accessed: 27 March 2024).

Brown, K. D., Raper, C. and Sherlock, E. (2018) British Isles Earthworm Species Checklist: Natural Environments. Available at: https://www.earthwormsoc.org.uk/index.php/species-uk (Accessed: 27 March 2024).

Cannon, P. F. (no date) Rare British fungi: genuinely uncommon or simply ignored?: Royal Botanical Gardens Kew Available at: https://www.kew.org/read-and-watch/rare-british-fungi (Accessed: 07 May 2024).