Heathland field trip Pony Grazing © Amy Rogers © Carl Corbidge

Welcome to site name!

What are you going to do today? You will be spending today working on a very rare habitat – lowland heathland. You will be acting as an environmental scientist, collecting data on the effect of pony grazing on different plant species. © Amy Rogers © Amy Rogers

Definitions Ecosystems consist of living organisms such as plants and animals (biotic factors) and non-living environmental factors such a water, nutrients, and temperature (abiotic factors). Niche a set of particular environmental (abiotic) conditions that organisms need to survive. Abiotic factors determine which plant and animal species live in an ecosystem and how they are distributed. The spatial distribution of abiotic factors within an ecosystem can also determine the distribution of plants and animals.

What is lowland heathland? © Lauren Gough Is found at elevations of less than 300 m above sea-level Is an open habitat with few trees Is dominated by dwarf shrubs, particularly heather Has sandy, acidic, low-nutrient soils

Heathland is a very rare habitat Since 1800 the UK has lost over 80% of it’s lowland heathland Heathland is rarer than tropical rainforest! The UK still has 20% of the world’s total amount!

Three are on the Red List! What lives there? Contains over 500 species of spiders Four bird species associated primarily with this habitat. Three are on the Red List! Most important habitat in the UK for reptiles © Carl Corbidge

How did heathland form? Historically woodland was cleared to provide land for grazing and agriculture When the nutrients in the soil were depleted the farmers cultivated new areas Heathland became established on the abandoned areas 7,000 years ago Lowland Britain forested. 6,000 – 4,000 years ago Woodland cleared for farming. 4,000 years ago Heathland formed.

Intervention by man (habitat management) Heathland is a man-made habitat Heathland was created when early man cleared areas of woodland for grazing and agriculture Without continual intervention and management, heathlands will revert to their original woodland state. Succession Intervention by man (habitat management)

Heathland is a low nutrient ecosystem Heathland soils have a very low nutrient content. Heathland plants (e.g., heather and gorse) have adaptations to allow them to survive in these conditions. Many heathland soils are becoming polluted causing soil nutrient levels to increase. Increasing soil nutrient levels can allow faster growing species (e.g., grass, bracken and scrub) to invade and out-compete the slower-growing heathland specialists (e.g., heather and gorse). This can result in the heathland reverting back to a woodland.

Grazing as a heathland management tool Grazing by ponies, sheep and cattle can help maintain and improve the heathland habitat by: Removing tree saplings and suppressing shrub growth; Removing fast growing species like grass that could out-compete heather; Provide areas of bare ground which are important for invertebrate and reptile species; Remove plant material (i.e., nutrients) from the ecosystem. © Amy Rogers © Amy Rogers

What are you trying to find out? You will be comparing the plant species and soil chemistry in two different heathland areas – one area has been grazed, the other has not. You will be able to use this information to decide whether pony grazing is beneficial for heathland plants and soils. Using this information you will be able to make suggestions about the future management of the site – should the un-grazed site should be grazed? Or should grazing be stopped on the grazed site?

Objectives: Conduct simple soil chemistry analyses; Use a quadrat to sample vegetation; Identify common plant species that occur in heathlands; Understand why grazing is used as a heathland management tool and the impact it has on heathland vegetation; Evaluate whether grazing is a beneficial management tool in heathlands.

Which plant species will you be recording? You will studying the presence of all the plants, lichens and mosses in two heathland areas. There will be a number of different shrubs, grasses and flowering plants on the heathlands. © Peter Crittenden Ling Heather Heath Bedstraw Red Fescue The investigation will require students to identify a range of plant species. The following 4 slides demonstrate how some different plant species can appear very similar. The slide gives tips of the features to look for when identifying different plant species using three species of heather as examples. © Roger Key © Roger Key © Bob Osborn

Identification training Common heather (Calluna vulgaris) © Roger Key Cross-leaved heath (Erica tetralix) © Roger Key © Peter Crittenden Bell Heather (Erica cinerea)

Identification training: Common Heather (Calluna vulgaris) © Roger Key © Roger Key Flowers 3 – 5 mm long, lilac, with separate petals. Leaves very small and scale-like (1– 2 mm long)

Identification training: Bell Heather (Erica cinerea) Identification training: Bell Heather © Peter Crittenden Small, narrow dark-green leaves in whorls of three. Petals are not separated. Flowers are bell-shaped, purple, 4 – 7 mm longs and occur in groups.

Identification training: Cross-Leaved Heath (Erica tetralix) © Roger Key © Roger Key Pink, drooping flowers, 6 – 7 mm long in groups at the end of stems. Flowers almost closed (i.e., petals not separated) with very small ‘mouth’. Narrow, linear, grey-green leaves in whorls of four. Leaf surface is downy.

Random Sampling To make sure that your samples are unbiased you will be using random sampling. You can use a random number table to determine how many steps you take along the bottom and side of the heathlands to get your random sample point. X number of paces X number of paces An alternative approach to random sampling is provided on the following slide. Starting Point

Random Sampling (Alternative approach) When sampling vegetation your quadrats should be placed randomly to avoid bias 50m 0m X co-ordinate Y 26 13 We will do this by creating a grid from two 50m tape measures You will generate random co- ordinates using a calculator to find out where to place your quadrat within the grid 26m This slide shows an alternative approach to conducting random sampling. 13m

Measuring plant species percentage cover Place the quadrat over the area of vegetation to be surveyed. Look at the quadrat from directly above. The total area of ground within the quadrat is 100%. For each plant species, estimate the % area of the quadrat that it covers. © Peter Crittenden © Peter Crittenden

Have a go! Estimate the percentage cover of bell heather in this quadrat. ? © Peter Crittenden Did everyone give the same answer? How varied were the estimates of percentage cover? ? Percentage cover is a subjective measure – the results will vary depending upon who is taking the measurements. When collecting percentage cover data it is important that the same person collects all the data, to make sure that it is consistent © Peter Crittenden

Measuring plant species percentage cover You need to be consistent in the way you collect the data. In your group, think about the following questions and decide how you will collect your data The plant is rooted in the quadrat, but all of its leaves fall outside the quadrat. Do you include it in your results for this quadrat? The plant is not rooted in the quadrat, but some of its leaves fall in the quadrat. Do you include it in your results for this quadrat?

Health and safety Trip hazards - Uneven ground, low branches. Move slowly and carefully. Scratches/cuts - The heathland may contain gorse and/or bramble. Both are prickly/scratchy. Sun burn - Wear sun screen and a hat. Drink plenty of water. Animals – Don’t approach any animals, such as ponies or dogs. Adders - Do not rush around – move slowly and they will move away when they hear you approaching. Biohazards and litter - Check the soil before taking your soil sample. Make sure there is no dangerous litter or dog mess.

Countryside code Take care not to damage, destroy or remove features such as rocks, plants and trees. Don’t harm any wild animals or farm animals. Heathland often have grazing animals on them. Animals can behave unpredictably if you get too close - give them plenty of wide space. Don’t drop litter. Don’t start fires or smoke. Don’t pick any flowers. Watch out for ground nesting birds during summer months. Ground-nesting birds can often be found in heathland. You should check with the land owner / manager that there are no ground-nesting birds in the area you will be using prior to the study. However, it may be worth mentioning their potential presence to the students.

Equipment check list Clipboard and pencil Workbook Quadrat Tape measures Random Number Tables

Now Sample!