Pond Restoration Research Group

The 香港六合彩 Pond Restoration Research Group uses scientific research to underpin practical pond conservation and restoration action, especially in agricultural landscapes.

Background

Currently the group aims are to understand: the chemical and ecological changes that accompany pond terrestrialisation; the influence of pond restoration and management on landscape scale biodiversity, including aquatic and terrestrial species; the influence of fish on landscape-scale aquatic diversity; the causes of decline of lesser studied pond fishes and amphibians; the culture history of ponds.

The Team

The 香港六合彩 Pond Restoration Research Group is comprised of a diverse group of staff, researchers and research students each providing their own unique contribution.

Professor Carl Sayer Team leader, Professor Carl Sayer has a lifelong love of ponds and pond species and is especially passionate on the need to recognise the conservation value of ponds in aquatic landscapes. He has expertise in the ecology and palaeoecology of algae, aquatic plants and pond fishes, especially the crucian carp and European eel. Carl co-founded the with Helen Greaves.
Ian Patmore Fieldwork technician Ian specialises in the Crucian Carp project, but provides valuable assistance on all field visits, bringing 20 years of fieldwork and practical thinking to the team. This ranges from 鈥榦n the spot鈥� inventions, to designing and fabricating specialised equipment such as the .
Professor Jan Axmacher The conservation of biodiversity in agricultural and forested landscapes has been the main focus of Jan鈥檚 research for more than 15 years. He is particularly interested in the ecology and diversity of insects and provides specialist expertise on aquatic-terrestrial linkages and biodiversity statistics.
Ewan Shilland Ewan has over 20 years of experience working within the ECRC at 香港六合彩 performing ecological research and consultancy. He is a passionate natural historian, with specialist expertise in the fields of amphibian and survey and conservation. He has undertaken aquatic plant surveys all over the UK and is also a licensed Great Crested Newt surveyor.
Dr Dave Emson Dave Emson is an Honorary Fellow in 香港六合彩 Geography and is currently researching pond palaeoecology, as well as crucian carp and European eel conservation in ponds. He recently completed a PhD at 香港六合彩 exploring the ecological engineering effects of duckweed (Lemna spp.). His interests include diatom ecology, plant and animal macrofossil analyses, crucian carp population ecology and conservation and marl pit restoration ecology.
Helen Greaves Helen is currently working on the project looking at the influence of pond quality on greenhouse gas emissions and biodiversity. She is also completing her PhD research which aims to assess the value of pond management for biodiversity conservation. Helen acts as strategic lead for the and is a founder member of the NPP too. Helen is also the current secretary of the .
Reagan Pearce Reagan is undertaking a London NERC DTP PhD project focusing on the re-introduction of the Burbot Lota lota, a freshwater fish that is currently extinct in the UK. Her project is looking at water temperature, habitat and river-floodplain connectivity in the upper River Wissey, Norfolk in relation to other European countries where this fish is doing well. The Burbot uses stillwater on floodplains, including ponds for spawning and such habitats are also important for juvenile fishes.
Dr Richard Walton Richard's background is in Plant Biology (BSc) and Environmental Science (MSc). He recently finished a PhD project focused on implications of pond terrestrialisation for pond ecology, especially plant pollinators. He has also undertaken some important .
Dr Alice Walker Alice recently gained her PhD from the University of Liverpool. She is currently working on the project on how pond morphology and hydrology affect pollinator communities at ponds, focusing in the main on several restored farmland ponds in Norfolk.
David Downes David joined the team after recently completing the MSc in Aquatic Conservation, Ecology and听Restoration at 香港六合彩. His PhD involves a study of pond landscapes before and after restoration, focusing especially on macrophyte and aquatic invertebrate communities. He is also studying the consequences of pond restoration for bats at farmland ponds.
Steve Brooks Steve Brooks is an Honorary Fellow at 香港六合彩. His research focusses on environmental change and the ecology, palaeoecology and taxonomy of freshwater insects, especially midges and dragonflies. He is currently chair and a founder of the Riverfly Partnership.
Professor Helen Bennion Professor Helen Bennion is an aquatic ecologist and palaeoecologist with a particular focus on freshwater diatoms and macrophytes. She has co-supervised a number of pond projects in the group. Her work uses palaeoecology to examine the impacts of eutrophication on lakes and ponds over a range of time scales to assess environmental change and inform restoration targets.
Eftesum Eftesum Eftesum has recently joined the team as a PhD student after completing her MSc in Conservation in 香港六合彩 Geography. Her research focuses on the biological response of European Farmland ponds to agricultural impacts by use of palaeoecological methods. Her project will also assess the extent of ecological recovery for ponds subject to restoration.
Jorge Salgado Jorge is a freshwater ecologist and paleolimnologist whose work focuses on contemporary and long-term environmental change in aquatic systems. He is interested in reconstructing the impact that water pollution, invasive species, and climate change have had on freshwater landscapes over the last centuries. Jorge focusses his work on tropical America, southeast Asia and Europe.
Helene Burningham Helene works on the ghost pingos project and specialises in the mapping of current and lost ancient pingo ponds and on the sediment stratigraphies and hydrology of ghost pingos.
Hayley McMechan Hayley is returning to academia after a career as a GCSE science teacher and museum science communicator. Her PhD research if focused on the resurrection of "ghost pingo ponds"鈥攊nfilled ponds of periglacial origin. She is investigating the seed banks of these ponds and exploring macrophyte propagule longevity and species succession to inform future pond conservation efforts.

Projects

Crucian Carp Conservation

The crucian carp (Carassius carassius) is a small greeny-gold, beautiful little cyprinid fish that is in a steep decline across large tracts of Europe. Its stronghold in the UK is eastern England, especially Norfolk, where in the past it was widespread in farmland ponds. Since 2008, inspired by an Environment Agency announcement, that the species was 鈥�thought to be virtually extinct in Norfolk鈥�, we have been searching for the crucian carp and concerned with its conservation. To this effect, the crucian carp was established as a Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) species in Norfolk in 2010 (Copp & Sayer, 2010), its first formal conservation designation in the UK.

Responding to the crucian carp鈥檚 decline and with a view to recovering the species, the听Norfolk Crucian Carp Project听was established in 2009. With much support from Cefas (Gordon Copp) and Bedwell Fisheries (Keith Wesley), we have now undertaken fyke-net surveys of 90+ Norfolk farmland ponds, many of which are known to have contained the species in the 1970s-1980s. This work shows an approximate 75% decline in the species over the last 30-40 years (Sayer听et al.听2011). Currently, we know of 24 wild populations of crucian carp in Norfolk, although many of these populations are either dwindling (consisting of a few old individuals), or contaminated by crucian carp hybrids with goldfish and/or common carp. We believe the major cause of crucian carp decline to be pond terrestrialisation, which prevents them from recruiting.

To help fulfil the requirements of the Norfolk crucian carp BAP, we have enacted a programme of pond restoration and crucian carp re-introduction, using the few remaining healthy wild crucian populations as donors. To date, the Norfolk Crucian Carp Project has undertaken 8 pond restorations and crucian carp re-introductions to 11 ponds, many of which are known to have been successful. 听Recently our work was covered in an article by angling author John Bailey in the Anglers Mail听and has helped to inspire a听听run by the EA and the Angling Trust (Carl Sayer & Dave Emson are project members).

Farmland Pond Restoration

Norfolk holds more ponds than any other English county with over 23,000 currently present. Most of these ponds are located in farmland and have their origins as marl or clay pits and in some cases livestock-watering ponds dug in the 17th to 19th centuries. Ponds can provide vital clean freshwater environments in farmland and can be wonderful habitats for aquatic biodiversity covering plants, invertebrates, amphibians, fishes, and mammals. Nonetheless, despite all of this, farmland ponds are severely threatened by land reclamation, inappropriate encroachment of trees (especially over the last 30-40 years), nutrient enrichment and invasive species.

Using a combination of before and after studies and comparisons of managed, open canopy and non-managed overgrown ponds, our research is investigating the response of pond ecosystems to restoration involving scrub and sediment removal. In addition, we have examined the influences of native fish (e.g. crucian carp, tench, 9-spine stickleback) and pond terrestrialisation on biodiversity in pond landscapes. This work alludes to the importance of a mosaic approach to pond conservation with a landscape containing ponds at different stages of succession (a continuum from open to overgrown ponds) and native fish, enhancing aquatic biodiversity (Sayer听et al.听2012; 2013).

Our research shows rapid and dramatic increases in biodiversity following pond restoration, with ponds colonised by several aquatic plant and invertebrate species within less than 6 months. In addition, recent studies show open-canopy managed ponds to be important for populations of farmland birds, likely through enhanced provision of insects (emerging adults) and plant seed food.

Our work informs pond biodiversity conservation strategies in farmland and underpins the work of the听.

Ghost Ponds Project

罢丑别听Ghost Ponds Project听is exploring a听completely novel approach to pond conservation; the re-excavation of ponds filled in (especially since the 1950s) for agricultural land reclamation. These lost ponds are what we have called 鈥淕host Ponds鈥�.

It is often difficult to completely erase a pond from the landscape. 听Even after a pond has been in-filled, a damp depression or circular crop mark often remains, a lingering 'ghost' of the former听habitat.听These ghost ponds听are听abundant and easy to identify听in certain areas of the UK, including Norfolk, where we have thus far undertaken most of our听research. Ghost ponds hold exciting potential; buried within these sites are the听historic sediments from the former pond and within these sediments the seed bank of past pond plants.听We are听investigating听the viability of these historic seedbanks, and exploring听how re-exposing them contributes to the听re-colonisation of aquatic plants. A combination of pond 鈥榬esurrections鈥� and restorations, field mesocosms, and greenhouse germination trials have been used to uncover the role the historic seedbank could play in pond conservation. 听Remarkable, we have found that excavated ghost ponds, even those which have been buried for over a century, re-colonise rapidly with aquatic plants, due to a still viable seedbank covering various pondweeds (Potamogetonaceae) and stoneworts (Characeae).

For more information on the听Ghost Ponds Project听see some recent coverage in听听补苍诲听.

Key PRRG Papers

Hill, M.J., Greaves, H.M., Sayer, C.D., Hassall, C., Milin, M., Milner, V.S., Marazzi, M., Hall, R., Harper, L.R., Hall, R., Thornhill, I., Walton, R., Biggs, J., Ewald, N., Law, A., Willby, N., White, J.C., Briers, R.A., Mathers, K.L., Jeffries, M.J. & Wood, P.J. (2021)听听Ecosphere, 12, e03853.听doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.3853
Walton, R.E., Sayer, C.D., Bennion H. & Axmacher, J.C. (2021) Improving the pollinator pantry: Restoration and management of farmland ponds enhance the complexity of plant-pollinator networks.听Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment,听320, 107611.听doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2021.107611
Greenhalgh, J.A., Stone, H.J.R., Fisher, T. & Sayer, C.D. (2021)听.听Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems, 31, 2017-2028. doi.org/10.1002/aqc.3605
Walton, R.E., Sayer, C.D., Bennion, H. & Axmacher, J.C. (2021)听. Restoration Ecology, 29, e13301.听doi.org/10.1111/rec.13301
Harper L.R., Lawson-Handley L.,听Sayer C.D.,听Read D.S., Benucci, M., Blackman, R.C., Hill, M.J. & H盲nfling, B. (2020)听.听Molecular Ecology,听30, 3252-3269.听doi: 10.1111/mec.15670
Copp, G.H. &听Sayer, C.D.听(2020)听.听Aquatic Conservation: Marine & Freshwater Ecosystems,听30, 1753-1757.听doi: 10.1002/aqc.3375
Sayer, C.D.听& Greaves, H. (2020).听.听Aquatic Conservation: Marine & Freshwater Ecosystems,听30, 1821-1828.听doi: 10.1002/aqc.3375
Sayer, C.D.,听Emson, D., Patmore, I. R., Greaves, H., Wiseman, G., West, W.P., Tarkan, A.S., Davies, G.D., Payne, J., Cooper, B., Grapes, T., & Copp, G.H. (2020)听听Aquatic Conservation: Marine & Freshwater Ecosystems,听30, 2240-2253.听doi: 10.1002/aqc.3422
Walton, R.E.,听Sayer, C.D.,听Bennion, H., & Axmacher, J.C. (2020)听.听Insect Conservation & Diversity.听doi.org/10.1111/icad.12452
Walton, R.E.,听Sayer, C.D.,听Bennion, H., & Axmacher, J.C. (2020)听.听Biology Letters, 16, 20190877.
Law, A., Baker, A.,听Sayer, C.D.,听Foster, G., Gunn, I., Pattison, Z., Blaikie, J., Taylor, P. & Willby, N. (2019)听.听Freshwater Biology.听doi: 10.1111/fwb.13369
Lewis-Phillips, J, Brooks S.J.,听Sayer C.D.,听Patmore, I.R., Hilton, G.M., Harrison, A., Robson H. & Axmacher J.C. (2019).听听Biological Conservation,听241, 108253.
Sayer, C.D. (2019) Presidential Address 2019: Talk to the person on the farm: the huge value to conservation of lived natural history knowledge.听Transactions of the Norfolk & Norwich Naturalists Society,听52, 2-16.
Lewis-Phillips, J, Brooks S.J.,听Sayer C.D.,听McCrea, R., Siriwardena, G., Robson, H., Harrison, A. & Axmacher, J.C. (2019).听听Bird Study.听
Lewis-Phillips, J., Brooks, S.,听Sayer, C.D.,听McCrea, R., Siriwardena, G. & Axmacher, J.C. (2019)听听Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment,听273,听130-140.听doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2018.12.015
Harper, L.R., Buxton, A.S., Rees, H.C., Bruce, K., Brys, R., Halfmaerten, D., Read, D.S., Watson, H.V., Sayer, C.D., Jones, E., Priestley, V., M盲chler, E., M煤rria, C., Garc茅s-Pastor, S., Medupin, C., Burgess, K., Benson, G., Boonham, N., Lawson Handley., Richard A. Griffiths, R.A. & H盲nfling, B. (2019).听听Hydrobiologia.听doi.org/10.1007/s10750-018-3750-5(0123456789
Emson, D., Sayer, C.D., Bennion, H., Patmore, I.R. & Rioual, P. (2018)听听Journal of Paleolimnology,听60, 209-221.听doi.org/10.1007/s10933-017-0008-6 - **You never fail at the Bodham Rail**
Alderton, E., Sayer, C.D.,听Davies, R., Lambert, S.J. & Axmacher, J.C. (2017).听.听Biological Conservation, 212, 105-110.听doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2017.06.004
Stefanoudis, P.V., Sayer, C.D., Almeida, D., Greaves, H., Smith, E., Robson, H., Davidson, T.A. (2017)听听Fundamental & Applied Limnology,听190, 141-156.听doi.org/10.1127/fal/2017/1004
Jeffries, D., Copp, G.H., Maes, G., Lawson Handley, L-J.,听Sayer, C.D.,听H盲nfling, B. (2017).听听Ecology & Evolution.听7, 2871-2882.听doi:10.1002/ece3.2831
Davies, S.R., Sayer, C.D., Greaves, H., Siriwardena, G.M. & Axmacher, J.C. (2016)听听Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment,听233, 179-191.听doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2016.09.005
Hill, M.J., Sayer, C.D., Wood, P.J. (2016)听听Environmental Monitoring & Management,听188-194.听doi:10.1007/s10661-016-5178-6
Tarkan, S., Almeida, D., Godard, M.J., Gaygusus, O., Rylands, M., Sayer, C.D., Zieba, G. & Copp, G.H. (2016).听听Aquatic Conservation: Marine & Freshwater Ecosystems,听26, 212-224.听doi:10.1002/aqc.2580
Sayer, C.D. (2014)听.听WIRE鈥檚 Water听1, 573-585.听doi:10.1002/wat2.1045
Sayer, C.D., Shilland, E., Greaves, H., Dawson, B., Patmore, I.R., Emson, D., Alderton, E., Robinson, P., Andrews, K., Axmacher, J.A. & Wiik, E. (2013)听.听British Wildlife, 25(1), 21-28.
Sayer, C.D., Andrews, K., Shilland, E., Edmonds, N., Edmonds-Brown, R., Patmore, I.R., Emson, D. & Axmacher, J.A. (2012).听听Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems,听22, 626-638.听doi: 10.1002/aqc.2254
Sayer, C.D., Copp, G.H., Emson, D., Godard, M.J., Zi臋ba,G. & Wesley K.J. (2011).听听Journal of Fish Biology, 79, 1608-1624.听doi:10.1111/j.1095-8649.2011.03059.x
Copp, G.H. & Sayer, C.D. (2010).听Norfolk Biodiversity Action Plan 鈥� Local species Action Plan for Crucian Carp.听Norfolk Biodiversity Partnership Reference:LS/3.

Get Involved

Events and Workshops

Each year the Pond Restoration Research Group aims to reach out to local community groups, farmers and conservation organisations. For example, in June 2019 the group ran a practical pond restoration work for CIEEM.

Each year the group also attends the听听to promote the听

Conferences

In 2019 Helen Greaves co-organised the first UK Pond science gathering at Huddersfield

In 2021 香港六合彩 hosted the 9th European Pond Conservation Network meeting (online) as well as a series of follow-up seminars

Talks

Our research group is keen to share our research with other organisations, environmental volunteer groups and other sectors of society. Whenever possible, members of the Pond Restoration Research Group are willing to provide short talks about our work. Please contact us for more information.

Learn more -听MSc Aquatic Conservation, Ecology and Restoration

Team leader, Carl Sayer, convenes 香港六合彩's听MSc Aquatic Conservation, Ecology and Restoration听course.

The MSc Aquatic Conservation, Ecology and Restoration听provides an ideal foundation for PhD research, or for employment within environmental protection and conservation agencies, the water industry and environmental consultancies.

Norfolk Ponds Project

罢丑别听听was launched in June 2014 at the Royal Norfolk Show and involves several conservation partners:

University College London
Norfolk Wildlife Trust
Natural England
Norfolk Farming & Wildlife Advisory Group (FWAG)
Norfolk Biodiversity Information Service (NBIS)
Norfolk Rivers Trust
Norfolk Non-native Species Initiative
Norfolk Biodiversity Partnership
Norfolk County Council
Upper Wensum Cluster Farm Group
Waveney Farming Cluster

The NPP aims to reverse the decline of Norfolk鈥檚 ponds so that agricultural landscapes contain a mosaic of clean water ponds with fewer ponds overgrown by trees and bushes.听The project was conceived by听Carl Sayer and Helen Greaves and inspired by the wonderful pond conservation work undertaken at Manor Farm, Briston (Norfolk) by the late and wonderful Richard Waddingham. Through many years of careful management, Richard created a network of 40 high-quality ponds which are full of species and afford exemplary high diversity clean water pond habitats. The Manor Farm ponds show that pond conservation and intensive agriculture can happily co-exist 鈥� a key message of the NPP.听

See also the Norfolk Ponds Project听.

Research Blog

As a team, we are continuously learning more and more about ponds, pond restoration and the conservation of听pond flora and fauna. You can keep up to date with our most recent research and field visits on our听.

Previous Blog Posts

听- Jonathan Lewis-Phillips
听- Ian Patmore
听- Helen Greaves
听- Richard Walton

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