Nature and Science

Research relating to Nature and Science. Undertaking research in this area supports the National Trust's ambition to improve the state of nature in the UK. Research in this area helps us understand what actions make the biggest difference to nature and create more joined up landscapes for wildlife. It will drive the best ways to revive and restore our woodlands, wildflower meadows and waterways.

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International Geodiversity Day: broadening values and justifications for geosciences in society
(2025-10-03)
Hooton, Elaine
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Holliman, Richard
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Warren, Clare J.
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Larwood, Jonathan G.
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Clarke, Stewart J.
Geodiversity is the literal and metaphorical bedrock for life on Earth, and yet it lacks the standing of biodiversity as a concept that generates research and action beyond its base academic discipline. This paper explores the values articulated and justifications deployed in proposing and supporting the inaugural International Geodiversity Day (IGD). Advocates for IGD sought to raise the public profile of geodiversity and prompt discussion of its applications. The involvement of UNESCO associated geodiversity with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Discourse analysis of the values and justifications associated with IGD shows that instrumental values were predominant within the discourse and scientific and environmental justifications were prevalent. Social, cultural, economic and political arguments were deployed to a lesser extent but furthered the idea that research and action related to geodiversity could drive positive change. In particular, the analysis showed that more specific attention to relational values could broaden the appeal of geodiversity beyond the academic community. Together, our analysis shows that geodiversity is increasingly seen by geoscientists and other institutional actors as a concept that should be valued as equivalent to biodiversity. Communication strategies will be influential in the successful transfer of this view to wider audiences.
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Light and temperature as triggers for surface filamentous green algal blooms in shallow freshwater systems
(2025)
Kemp, Hannah R.
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Zieritz, Alexandra
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Dugdale, Stephen J.
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Helmsing, Nico R.
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Wiezer, Suzanne
Blooms of filamentous green algae (FGA) form dense mats at the surface of shallow freshwaters and have multiple negative impacts on aquatic ecosystem functions, services, and aesthetics. Although nutrient enrichment in freshwaters is a primary driver of excessive FGA growth, much less is known about other abiotic factors controlling bloom growth rate, extent, and timing. We performed a series of indoor mesocosm (Limnotron) experiments to investigate the effects of photosynthetically active radiation irradiance, photoperiod, and water temperature on the growth and surface bloom formation of FGA using underwater and surface photography. The results revealed that a minimum daily light integral of ~ 13.2 mol m d (a combination of photosynthetically active radiation irradiance measured at the water surface and daylength) was required for bloom formation and substantial FGA growth. Surface blooms did not occur at short daylengths (i.e., 8 h), whereas a long daylength (i.e., 16 h) allowed more time for photosynthetically derived gas bubbles to accrue in the FGA masses, making them rise to the water surface through buoyancy. We also found that temperatures between 16°C and 22°C were optimal for FGA to form surface blooms. As freshwater ecosystems are increasingly impacted by climate change, our study sheds new light on factors affecting the occurrence of surface blooms and helps identify when waterbodies may be at risk of FGA blooms in the future.
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Funding evidence‐based conservation
(2022-12)
Parks, Danni
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Alâ€ Fulaij, Nida
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Brook, Clare
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Butchart, Stuart H. M.
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Collomb, Jeanâ€ Gaà«l
The magnitude of the biodiversity crisis is widely accepted, as is the need for substantive action implementing the most effectiveinterventions in the right locations (IPBES,2019). Funding is akey driver of conservation work: its availability and funder preferences often determine what can be done. As representatives of 25 organizations that support conservation projects, we take seriously our responsibilities to ensure that funding decisions support evidence-based conservation actions.
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The effect of grazing by cattle and sheep on diverse pastures
(2020-11)
Bell, Matt J.
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Huggett, Zoà« J.
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Slinger, Kimberley R.
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Roos, Felicity
The aim of this research was to assess differences in pasture properties associated with grazing diverse swards. A total of six fields were studied on commercial farms in the west of the UK, with three fields being permanent pastures (M1, V2 and M2) and three temporary ley pastures (V1, V3 and M3). Each field was monitored monthly for three months during the autumn when all fields were being grazed. Pastures included a diverse range of grass, legume, herb, flower and weed species. Pasture properties assessed included measurements of grass content, greenness (both %), height (in centimeters), pasture cover (fresh and dry matter in kg per hectare) and pasture density (fresh and dry matter in kg per hectare per centimeter) and nutrient concentrations. The nutrient concentrations measured were dry matter, crude protein, acid detergent fibre (ADF), neutral detergent fibre (NDF), sugars, ash, digestible organic matter in the dry matter (DOMD), oil, nitrate nitrogen, and metabolisable energy (ME). A linear mixed model was used to assess the effect of field, month of study and grazing on pasture properties. This study showed that across fields studied grazed swards were shorter with a higher grass content and fresh/dry herbage density compared to ungrazed swards. Across diverse pastures studied grazed swards had higher nutrient concentrations of dry matter, ADF, NDF and nitrate nitrogen, but lower concentrations of crude protein, sugars and ash. There was no difference in digestibility among grazed and ungrazed swards. While grazing may reduce pasture biomass and certain nutrient concentrations within a pasture, it appears to enhance the grass content and density of the sward, which may provide more sustainable grassland systems.
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Achieving landscape‐scale deer management for biodiversity conservation: The need to consider sources and sinks
(2013-03-07)
Waeber, Kristin
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Spencer, Jonathan
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Dolman, Paul M.
Hyperâ€ herbivory following predator removal is a global issue. Across North America and Europe, increasing deer numbers are affecting biodiversity and human epidemiology, but effectiveness of deer management in heterogeneous landscapes remains poorly understood. In forest habitats in Europe, deer numbers are rarely assessed and management is mainly based on impacts. Even where managed areas achieve stable or improving impact levels, the extent to which they act as sinks or persist as sources exporting deer to the wider landscape remains unknown. We present a framework to quantify effectiveness of deer management at the landscape scale. Applied across 234 km of Eastern England, we assessed management of invasive Reeve's muntjac ( ) and native roe ( ), measuring deer density (using thermal imaging distance transects 780 km/year), fertility, neonatal survival, and culling to quantify sourceâ€ sink dynamics over 2008–2010. Despite management that removed 23–40% of the annual population, 1,287 (95% CI: 289–2,680) muntjac and 585 (454–1,533) roe deer dispersed annually into the wider landscape, consistent with their ongoing range expansion. For roe deer, culled individuals comprised fewer young deer than predicted by a Leslie matrix model assuming a closed population, consistent with ageâ€ dependent emigration. In this landscape, for roe and muntjac, an annual cull of at least 60% and 53%, respectively, is required to offset annual production. Failure to quantify deer numbers and productivity has allowed high density populations to persist as regional sources contributing to range expansion, despite deliberative management programs, and without recognition by managers who considered numbers and impacts to be stable. Reversing an unfavorable condition of woodland biodiversity requires appropriate culls across large contiguous areas, supported by knowledge of deer numbers and fertility. © 2013 The Wildlife Society.
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Can species-poor grassland be diversified? A case study of lowland hay meadow restoration at Llanerchaeron, Ceredigion, Wales
(2019)
Shellswell, Catharine H.
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Squire, Victoria
As part of the ‘Save Our Magnificent Meadows’ project, a two hectare field was converted to hay meadow on the National Trust’s Llanerchaeron Estate in west Wales. The field had previously been heavily grazed by sheep. Green hay was collected from an established meadow and spread by hand onto the receptor site in 2014, in order to increase the number of plant propagules present. The field was then managed as a hay meadow, with aftermath grazing. There was a significant increase in both positive indicator species and forb cover over the five year period from 2013-2017. In 2013, there was less than one positive indicator species/quadrat compared to 4.6 positive indicator species/quadrat in 2017. The results are discussed in relation to the change in management from intensive sheep grazing to hay making with aftermath grazing, and the spreading of green hay to increase the number of plant propagules present.
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Effect of pasture cover and height on nutrient concentrations in diverse swards in the UK
(2020-11-23)
Bell, Matt J.
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J. Huggett, Zoà«
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Slinger, Kimberley R.
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Roos, Felicity
A total of 445 pasture samples were collected from six fields representing a wide range of dry grass content (0–100%), and grass, legume, herb, flower and weed species. Fields were located in the grassâ€ dominated and temperate regions of western UK and monitored monthly for 9 months during late summer, autumn and winter months. The pasture properties assessed included measurements of percentage of grass content, height (in centimeters), pasture cover (fresh weight (FW) and dry matter (DM) in kg /ha) and pasture density (FW and DM in kg ha cm ) and nutrient concentrations (DM, crude protein, acid detergent fiber (ADF), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), sugars, ash, digestible organic matter in the DM (DOMD), oil, nitrate nitrogen and metabolizable energy (ME)). This study showed that across the pastures studied, increasing both pasture height and DM cover brought a desirable increase in crude protein, sugars, DOMD, oil and ME for grazing systems. Seasonal changes in nutrient concentrations of diverse swards will occur; however, differences in nutrient concentrations among swards can be minimized by the grass species present and/or mix with broadleaf plants, and management of grass maturity.
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Seeing the Forest for the Deer: a participatory process to support stakeholder collaboration in landscape management
(2024)
Bavin, David
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Bissell, Clare
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Twena, Michelle
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Crowley, Sarah
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Heard, Matthew
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Modelling the impact of forest management and CO2-fertilisation on growth and demography in a Sitka spruce plantation
(2023-08-18)
Argles, Arthur P. K.
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Robertson, Eddy
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Harper, Anna B.
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Morison, James I. L.
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Xenakis, Georgios
Afforestation and reforestation to meet ‘Net Zero’ emissions targets are considered a necessary policy by many countries. Their potential benefits are usually assessed through forest carbon and growth models. The implementation of vegetation demography gives scope to represent forest management and other size-dependent processes within land surface models (LSMs). In this paper, we evaluate the impact of including management within an LSM that represents demography, using both in-situ and reanalysis climate drivers at a mature, upland Sitka spruce plantation in Northumberland, UK. We compare historical simulations with fixed and variable CO concentrations, and with and without tree thinning implemented. Simulations are evaluated against the observed vegetation structure and carbon fluxes. Including thinning and the impact of increasing CO concentration (‘CO fertilisation’) gave more realistic estimates of stand-structure and physical characteristics. Historical CO fertilisation had a noticeable effect on the Gross Primary Productivity seasonal–diurnal cycle and contributed to approximately 7% higher stand biomass by 2018. The net effect of both processes resulted in a decrease of tree density and biomass, but an increase in tree height and leaf area index.
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From tiny acorns to mighty oaks: inspiring stories of community action for the UK's urban forest
(2025)
Bissell, Clare
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Twena, Michelle
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Aitchison, Bryony
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Bavin, David
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Crowley, Sarah
From tiny acorns to mighty oaks: inspiring stories of community action for the UK’s urban forest is a beautifully illustrated booklet showcasing eight inspiring stories of grassroots action that provide practical models which can be replicated or adapted. It is aimed at anyone seeking ideas or motivation to get involved in their community urban tree initiatives or start their own project.
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