The nested design of the overall project encompasses temporal scales relevant to all the organisms studied, from minutes like the stream temperature recordings in Llyn Brianne to decades like the fish densities in the Wye catchment. This range of detail is key to understanding longterm resilience of species and the stability of landscapes.

This work package is split into two components:

WP 3.1 – Resilience indicators over annual to decadal scales (1980’s to present)

Grey wagtail – a key river species

Using old and new data from taken from our 99 historical sites, WP3 will assess stability in species composition and population and functional stability and will also assess the resilience of catchments of varying land use and chemistry through time in relation to identifiable climate variations in the last 3 decades.

WP 3.2 – Resilience indicators over over daily to annual scales

New data will also be collected to assess short term patterns.

At 8 locations contrasted by land use and apparent stability, detailed water quality and hydrochemical measurements are being carried out at 10 minute intervals. Regular biofilm samples at these sites are analysed at a molecular level and linked to WP experiments to assess resilience to water quality changes.

PROGRESS SO FAR

Theme 3 will be adding to a large set of historical data spanning 30 years.

Please check back soon for further details.