Wind Turbines Pose Risk to Bats
The Drive for Green Energy We need sustainable, affordable and clean energy production to fuel the economy, and the drive towards more environmentally friendly energy production versus coal and …
Researchblogging Archive
Attraction in the World of Bats
We spend much of our lives attempting to figure out the opposite sex in the hopes that it will lead to increased opportunities to attract a mate. But even when in a relationship, looking …
What a difference a shrew makes
Last year, I wrote an article about how we used pine marten (Martes martes) scats or faeces to detect the DNA of small mammals that the pine marten had …
The Urban Otter
The banks of our own lovely Lee are not just a pretty place for a walk, the Lee is an important place for the otter, often described as our …
Timing and defining the Killarney shad
Killarney National Park situated in South West Ireland is famous for containing some unusual species that are not found elsewhere in the country including the Kerry spotted slug (Geomalacus maculosus), a …
From faeces to species: genetic identification of otters from spraints
Non-invasive genetic monitoring involves the use of DNA to survey a target species without directly trapping or observing it. The technique is particularly useful for rare, elusive or secretive …
Calling into question the accuracy of the ‘Standard Otter Survey’
We are required to survey otters across Europe as the species has been designated as being of conservation concern, under the EU Habitats and Species Directive. This means that …
The extinction of the Irish brown bear
A new study by Saoirse Leonard and co-authors from the Institute of Zoology, London and the University of Liverpool model the potential survival of brown bears in an Irish …
Eye of the Tiger
A new study on the genetic structure of the Indian tiger has found that the current tiger population now only retain a small proportion of the historical mitochondrial DNA …
The Artful Badger
Last year, I published a paper with my co-authors about the genetic history of badgers in Ireland. Similar to my post last week, it appears that like the pine marten, …
Genetic heritage of the pine marten
claimtoken-5161a571ef9fe The role of the The Last Glacial Maximum and how it impacted the colonization of plants and animals in Europe is a subject that continues to intrigue scientists. …
The Bug Reveal
In the words of Tyler DeWitt, “let me tell you a story”. Today’s story is about a fly, a carrion fly that eats the rotting carcasses of animals. This little fly …
What we are reading this week at Journal Club
This week, David O’Neill had an opportunity to suggest a paper for Journal Club. For his choice, he selected a non-invasive genetic study of otters. I should say that …
What we’re reading at Journal Club
We recently started a Journal Club in our lab. I met a friend, Mafalda Costa (Cardiff University), at the European Mustelid Colloquium in Dublin last November where she told me …