Dr. Stephen Waldren

• Walsh A., Walsh A., Finn J., Jebb M., Waldren S., Sullivan C., Sullivan C., The distribution of vascular plant species of conservation concern in Ireland, and their coincidence with designated areas, Journal for Nature Conservation, 24, (C), 2015, p56-62Journal Article, 2015, DOI
• Roche, J.R., Mitchell, F.J.G., Waldren, S. and Bjørndalen, J.E., Are Ireland's reintroduced Pinus sylvestris forests floristically analogous to their native counterparts in oceanic north-west Europe? , Biology & Environment: Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy, 115B, 2015, p97 - 114Journal Article, 2015
• Ní Dhúill, E., Smyth, N., Waldren, S. & Lynn, D. , Monitoring Methods for the Killarney Fern (Trichomanes speciosum Willd.) in Ireland., Irish Wildlife Manuals, 82, Dublin, National Parks and Wildlife Service, Department of the Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Ireland, 2015, p1 - 73Report, 2015, URL
• Muldoon, C.S., Waldren, S. & Lynn, D., Monitoring Recommendations for Marsh Saxifrage (Saxifraga hirculus L.) in the Republic of Ireland., Irish Wildlife Manuals, 88, Dublin, National Parks and Wildlife Service, Department of the Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Ireland, 2015, p1 - 52Report, 2015, URL
• Lynn, D.E., Waldren, S., The Use of Ranunculus Repens as an Indicator Species for Assessing the Extent of Flooding in Turlough Basins, Biology and Environment, 103, (3), 2003, p161-168Journal Article, 2003
• Bhatnagar S., Gill L.W., Regan S., Naughton O., Johnston P.M., Waldren S., Ghosh B., Mapping vegetation communities inside wetlands using Sentinel-2 imagery in Ireland, International Journal of Applied Earth Observations and Geoinformation, 88, 2020, p10283Journal Article, 2020, DOI
• Roche, J.R., Mitchell, F.J.G., Waldren, S. & Stefanini, B., Palaeoecological evidence for survival of Scots Pine through the late Holocene in Western Ireland: Implications for ecological management., Forests, 2018, phttps://doi.org/10.3390/f90603Journal Article, 2018
• Walsh, A., Sullivan, C., Waldren, S. & Finn, J., Development of a scoring method to identify important areas of plant diversity in Ireland., Journal for Nature Conservation, 47, 2019, p1 - 11Journal Article, 2019
• Penk, M. R., Perrin, P. M., & Waldren, S., Above- to below-ground vegetation biomass ratio in temperate north-east Atlantic salt- marshes increases strongly with soil nitrogen gradient., Ecosystems, 23, 2020, p648 - 661Journal Article, 2020
• Penk, M.R., Wilkes, R., Perrin, P.M. & Waldren, S., Nutrients in saltmarsh soils are weakly related to those in adjacent coastal waters., Estuaries and Coasts, 42, 2019, p675 - 687Journal Article, 2019
• Penk, M.R., Perrin, P.M., Kelly, R., O'Neill, F. & Waldren, S., Plant diversity and community composition in temperate northeast Atlantic salt marshes are linked to nutrient concentrations., Applied Vegetation Science, 23, 2020, p3 - 13Journal Article, 2020
• Perrin, P.M. & Waldren, S. , Vegetation richness and rarity in habitats of European conservation value in Ireland., Ecological Indicators, 117, 2020, pdoi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2020Journal Article, 2020
• Bhatnagar S., Gill L.W., Regan S., Waldren S., Ghosh B., A nested drone-satellite approach to monitoring the ecological conditions of wetlands, ISPRS Journal of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing , 174, 2021, p151 - 165Journal Article, 2021, DOI
• Bhatnagar S., Gill L.W., Waldren S., Sharkey N., Naughton O., Johnston P., Coxon C., Morrissey P., Ghosh B., Ecohydrological metrics for vegetation communities in turloughs (ephemeral karstic wetlands), Ecohydrology, 14, 2021, pe2316Journal Article, 2021, DOI
• Gill L., Bhatnagar S., Bijkerk E., Regan S., Somlai C., Naughton O., Ghosh B., Waldren S., Coxon C., Johnston P., EcoMetrics - Environmental Supporting Conditions for Groundwater-dependent Terrestrial Ecosystems, Wexford, Ireland, Environmental Protection Agency, 2022, 1 - 54ppBook, 2022, URL
• Waldren, S., Florence, J. & Chepstow-Lusty, A.J., A comparision of the vegetation communities from the islands of the Pitcairn Group, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 56, 1995, p121 - 144Journal Article, 1995
• Parnell, J. & Waldren, S., Detrended correspondence analysis in the ordination of data for phenetics and cladisitics, Taxon, 45, 1996, p71 - 84Journal Article, 1996
• Morrow, D, Development of a bioassay for phytochemicals using Daphnia pulex, Planta Medica, 67, 2002, p843 - 846Journal Article, 2002
• Waldren, S., Etherington, J.R. & Davies, M.S., Hybridisation and ecology of Geum rivale L. and Geum urbanum L. (Rosaceae) at Malham Tarn, Yorkshire, Botanical Journal of the Linnnean Society, 101, 1989, p199 - 211Journal Article, 1989
• Lynn, D.E. & Waldren, S., Morphological variation in populations of Ranunculus repens from the temporary limestone lakes (turloughs) in the West of Ireland, Annals of Botany, 87, 2001, p9 - 17Journal Article, 2001
• Lynn, D.E. & Waldren, S., Physiological variation in populations of Ranunculus repens L. (Creeping Buttercup) from the temporary limestone lakes (turloughs) in the West of Ireland, Annals of Botany, 89, 2002, p707 - 714Journal Article, 2002
• Waldren, S., Florence, J. & Chepstow-Lusty, A.J., Rare and endemic vascular plantsof the Pitcairn Islands, south-central Pacific Ocean - a conservation appraisal, Biological Conservation, 74, 1995, p83 - 98Journal Article, 1995
• Brooke, M. de L., Jones, P.J., Vickery, J.A. & Waldren, S. , Seasonal patterns of leaf growth and loss, flowering and fruiting on a subtropical central Pacific island, Biotropica, 28, 1996, p164 - 179Journal Article, 1996
• Florence, J, Waldren, S. & Chepstow-Lusty, A.J., The flora of the Pitcairn Islands - a review, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 56, 1995, p79 - 119Journal Article, 1995
• Lynn, D.E. & Waldren, S., Variation in life history characteristics between clones of Ranunculus repens grown in experimental garden conditions, Weed Research, 41, 2001, p421 - 432Journal Article, 2001
• Waldren, S., Frankenia laevis in Mid Glamorgan, Watsonia, 14, 1982, p185 - 186Journal Article, 1982
• Waldren, S., Davies, M.S. & Etherington, J.R., Comparative studies of plant growth and distribution in relation to waterlogging. XI. Growth of Geum rivale L. and Geum urbanum L. and soil chemical condition in experimentally flooded soil, New Phytologist, 105, 1987, p551 - 562Journal Article, 1987
• Waldren, S., Davies, M.S. & Etherington, J.R., The effect of manganese on root extension of Geum rivale L., G. urbanum L. and their hybrids, New Phytologist, 106, 1987, p679 - 688Journal Article, 1987
• Waldren, S., Etherington, J.R. & Davies, M.S., Comparative studies of plant growth and distribution in relation to waterlogging. XIV. Iron, manganese, calcium and phosphorus concentrations in leaves and roots of Geum rivale L. and G. urbanum L. grown in waterlogged soil, New Phytologist, 106, 1987, p689 - 696Journal Article, 1987
• Waldren, S., Etherington, J.R. & Davies, M.S., Comparative studies of plant growth and distribution in relation to waterlogging XV. The effect of waterlogging on growth of various populations of and hybrids between Geum rivale L. and Geum urbanum L, New Phytologist, 109, 1988, p97 - 106Journal Article, 1988
• Ecological factors controlling the distribution of Saxifraga spathularis Brot. and Saxifraga hirsuta L. in Ireland in, editor(s)M.J. Costello & K.S. Kelly , Biogeography of Ireland, Past Present and Future. Occasional Publication of the Irish Biogeographic Society, No. 2, 1993, pp45 - 55, [Waldren, S. & Scally, L.]Book Chapter, 1993
• Waldren, S., The current status of Asplenium septentrionale (L.) Hoffm. in West Galway, The Irish Naturalists Journal, 24, 1994, p492 - 495Journal Article, 1994
• The floristic record of Ireland's Pleistocene temperate stages in, editor(s)R.C. Preece , Island Britain: a Quaternary perspective. Geological Society Special Publication no. 96, 1995, pp243 - 268, [Coxon, P. & Waldren, S.]Book Chapter, 1995
• O'Connor, J.P. & Waldren, S., A review of the Irish distribution of Arctorthezia cataphracta (Olafsen) (Hemiptera: Coccoidea), Bulletin of the Irish Biogeographic Society, 18, 1995, p19 - 21Journal Article, 1995
• Flora and vegetation of the Quaternary temperate stages of NW Europe: Evidence for large scale range changes in, editor(s)B. Huntley, W. Cramer, A.V. Morgan, H.C. Prentice & J.R.M. Allen , Past and Future Rapid Environmental Changes: The Spatial and Evolutionary Responses of Terrestrial Biota, Berlin, Springer-Verlag, 1997, pp104 - 117, [Coxon, P. & Waldren, S.]Book Chapter, 1997
• Waldren, S., Weisler, M.I., Hather, J.G & Morrow, D., The non-native vascular plants of Henderson Island, South-Central Pacific Ocean, Atoll Research Bulletin, 1999, p463Journal Article, 1999
• Genebanks and biodiversity conservation: the Irish threatened plant genebank project in, editor(s)B.S. Rushton , Biodiversity: the Irish Dimension, Dublin, Royal Irish Academy, 2000, pp135 - 146, [Waldren, S., Martin, J.R., Curtis, T.G.F., & O'Sullivan, A.]Book Chapter, 2000
• The establishment of the Threatened Irish Plant Seedbank in, editor(s)B.S. Rushton, P. Hackney & C.R. Tyrie , Biological Collections and Biodiversity, London, The Linnean Society of London, 2001, pp127 - 138, [Martin, J., Waldren, S., O'Sullivan, A. & Curtis, T.]Book Chapter, 2001
• Scally, L., Waldren, S., Hodkinson, T.R. & Jones M.B., Morphological and molecular systematics of the genus Miscanthus, Aspects of Applied Biology, 65, 2001, p231 - 237Journal Article, 2001
• Kingston N.E. & Waldren S., A conservation assessment of the pteridophyte flora of the Pitcairn Islands, The Fern Gazette, 16, 2002, p404 - 410Journal Article, 2002
• Waldren, S., Martin, J., Curtis, T. & Lynn, D., Experimental translocation of Gymnocarpium robertianum (Hoffm.) Newman in Ireland, The Fern Gazette, 16, 2002, p452 - 453Journal Article, 2002
• Lynn, D.E. & Waldren, S., Survival of Ranunculus repens L. (Creeping Buttercup) in an amphibious habitat, Annals of Botany, 91, 2003, p75 - 84Journal Article, 2003
• Kingston, N. & Waldren, S., The plant communities and environmental gradients of Pitcairn Island: the significance of invasive species and the need for conservation management, Annals of Botany, 92, 2003, p31 - 40Journal Article, 2003
• Kingston N. & Waldren S., The phytogeographical affinities of the Pitcairn Islands - a model for south-eastern Polynesia?, Journal of Biogeography, 30, 2003, p1311 - 1328Journal Article, 2003
• Walsh, D.G.F., Waldren, S. & Martin, J.R., Monitoring seed viability of fifteen species after storage in the Irish Threatened Plant Genebank, Biology and Environment, 103B, 2003, p59 - 67Journal Article, 2003
• Lynn, D.E. & Waldren, S., The use of Ranunculus repens as an indicator species for assessing the extent of flooding in turlough basins, Biology and Environment, 103B, 2003, p161 - 168Journal Article, 2003
• Lynn, D.E., Curtis, T.G.F. & Waldren, S., The collection and storage of seed of selected threatened Irish plant species, Irish Naturalists Journal, 27, 2003, p279 - 277Journal Article, 2003
• Kingston, N., Lynn, D.E., Martin, J.R. & Waldren, S., An overview of biodiversity features in Dublin city urban parklands, Management of Environmental Quality, 14, 2003, p556 - 570Journal Article, 2003
• Kingston N., Waldren S. & Smyth, N., Conservation genetics and ecology of Angiopteris chauliodonta Copel. (Marratiaceae), a critically endangered fern from Pitcairn Island, South Central Pacific Ocean, Biological Conservation, 117, 2004, p309 - 319Journal Article, 2004
• The historical biogeography of 'Lusitanian' Ericaceae in the Irish flora in, editor(s)Bakker, F. T., Chatrou, L. W., Gravendeel, B. & Pelser, P. , Plant Species-level Systematics: New Perspectives on Pattern & Process, Ruggell, Gantner Verlag, 2005, pp203 - 215, [Kingston, N. & Waldren, S.]Book Chapter, 2005
• Kingston, N. & Waldren, S., A conservation appraisal of the rare and endemic vascular plants of Pitcairn Island, Biodiversity and Conservation, 14, 2005, p781 - 800Journal Article, 2005
• Harbourne, M.E., Douglas, G.E., Waldren, S. & Hodkinson, T.R., Characterization and primer development for amplification of chloroplast microsatellite regions of Fraxinus excelsior, Journal of Plant Research, 118, 2005, p339 - 341Journal Article, 2005, DOI , URL
• Biogeography of the Irish Lusitanian Heathers in, editor(s)SJ Leach CN Page Y Peytoureau MN Sanford , Botanical Links in the Atlantic Arc, London, Botanical Society of the British Isles, 2006, pp137 - 145, [Kingston, N. & Waldren, S.]Book Chapter, 2006
• Phytogeography of Ireland, past & present in, editor(s)SJ Leach CN Page Y Peytoureau MN Sanford , Botanical Links in the Atlantic Arc, London, Botanical Society of the British Isles, 2006, pp31 - 39, [Waldren, S, Coxon, P. & Kingston, N.]Book Chapter, 2006
• The turlough form of Ranunclus repens L. (Creeping Buttercup) in, editor(s)SJ Leach CN Page Y Peytoureau MN Sanford , Botanical Links in the Atlantic Arc, London, Botanical Society of the British Isles, 2006, pp301 - 309, [Waldren, S., Lynn, D.E. & Murphy, S.]Book Chapter, 2006
• Genetic variation in Irish threatened plant species: a European perspective in, editor(s)SJ Leach CN Page Y Peytoureau MN Sanford , Botany of the Atlantic Arc, London, Botanical Society of the British Isles, 2006, pp147 - 156, [Smith, R.J. & Waldren, S.]Book Chapter, 2006
• Hodkinson, TR, Waldren S, Parnell, JAN, Kelleher, CT, Salamin, K, Salamin, N, DNA banking for plant breeding, biotechnology and biodiversity evaluation, Journal of Plant Research, 120, (1), 2007, p17 - 29Journal Article, 2007, DOI
• Roche, J.R., Mitchell F.J.G. & Waldren S., Ecology of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) in Ireland - preliminary results, Proceedings of ESAI Environ 2007, Institute of Technology Carlow, 26 - 28 January 2007, edited by R. Moles , Environmental Sciences Association of Ireland, 2008, pp6 - 9Conference Paper, 2008, URL , TARA - Full Text
• Roche, J.R., Mitchell, F.J.G. & Waldren, S. , Plant community ecology of Pinus sylvestris, an extirpated species reintroduced to Ireland., Biodiversity and Conservation, 18, 2009, p2185 - 2203Journal Article, 2009
• Smith, RJ & Waldren S. , Patterns of genetic variation in Colchicum autumnale L. and its conservation status in Ireland: a broader perspective on local plant conservation., Conservation Genetics, 11, 2010, p1351 - 1361Journal Article, 2010
• Smyth, N., Waldren, S. & Kingston, N. , 694. Abutilon pitcairnense, Malvaceae. Plant in Peril, 35. , Curtis's Botanical Magazine, 27, (4), 2010, p355 - 364Journal Article, 2010
• Godefroid, S., Rivière, S., Waldren, S., Boretos, N., Eastwood, R. & Vanderborght, T. , To what extent are threatened European plant species conserved in seed banks?, Biological Conservation, 144, 2011, p1494 - 1498Journal Article, 2011
• Niko S. Radulović, Ana B. Miltojević, Michael McDermott, Steve Waldren, John Adrian Parnell, Mariana Martins Gomes Pinheiro, Patricia Dias Fernandes, Fabio de Sousa Menezes, Identification of a new antinociceptive alkaloid isopropyl N-methylanthranilate from the essential oil of Choisya ternata Kunth, Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 135, (3), 2011, p610-619Journal Article, 2011, TARA - Full Text
• Phytogeography and relationships of the Pitcairn Islands flora in, editor(s)D. Bramwell & J. Caujapé-Castells , The Biology of Island Floras, Cambridge, UK, Cambridge University Press, 2011, pp239 - 264, [Waldren, S. & Kingston, N.]Book Chapter, 2011
• Waldren S, Scally L, Atalah J, Brown M, Byrne C, Crowe T, Cuningham C, Davies A, Eschmann C, Fritch J, Fitzgerald H, Galley C, Gittings T, Grennan J, Guiry M, Higgins T, Irvine K, Kavanagh R, Kelly-Quinn DL, Long MP, McCarthy TK, Milbau A, O'Callaghan E, O'Halloran J, O'Mahony L, Osborne B, O'Toole C, Parnell JAN, Rodríguez Tuñón A, Stengel D, Stout J , Biodiversity and Environmental Change: An Integrated Study Encompassing a Range of Scales, Taxa and Habitats, STRIVE Report Series, 68, Johnstown Castle, Co. Wexford, Ireland, Environmental Protection Agency, December, 2011, p1 - 49Report, 2011, URL
• Kimberley, S. & Waldren, S., Examinations of turlough soil property spatial variation in a conservation assessment context. , Biology and Environment: Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy, 112B, 2012, p193 - 205Journal Article, 2012
• Kimberley, S., Naughton, O., Jonhston, P., Gill, L. & Waldren, S., The influence of flood duration on the surface soil properties and grazing management of karst wetlands (turloughs) in Ireland., Hydrobiologia, 692, 2012, p29 - 40Journal Article, 2012
• Smith, RJ & Waldren, S, Gynodioecy in Campanula trachelium L., New Journal of Botany, 2013Journal Article, 2013

• Waldren, S., Turloughs: Hydrology, Ecology and Conservation, Dublin, Ireland, National Parks & Wildlife Service, 2015, p1 - 897Report, URL
• Waldren, S., Turloughs: Hydrology, Ecology and Conservation. Appendix - Site Reports, Dublin, Ireland, National Parks & Wildlife Service, 2015, p1 - 497Report, URL
• Waldren, S., Interactions between iron toxicity and phosphorus nutrition of wetland plants, Proceedings of the Irish Botanists Meeting, edited by P.W. Jones , University College Cork, 1987, pp47 - 54Conference Paper
• Waldren, S., Hybridisation and ecology, Proceedings of the Irish Botanists Meeting, edited by B.S. Rushton & A.M. Flynn , University of Ulster at Coleraine, 1988Conference Paper
• Waldren, S., A botanist in paradise, Technology Ireland, 23, 1992, p30 - 33Journal Article
• Waldren, S., Genebank of Threatened Irish Plants, Reintroduction News, 1994, p9 - 10Journal Article
• Martin, J., Waldren, S. & O'Sullivan, A., The Irish rare and threatened plant seed bank, and its use in the conservation of Irish biodiversity, Botanic Gardens Conservation News, 2, 1995, p50 - 52Journal Article
• O'Sullivan, A., Martin, J., Curtis, T.G.F. & Waldren, S., Conserving native Irish plant species by collecting and storing their seeds, Irish Botanical News, 6, 1996, p5 - 11Journal Article
• Waldren, S., Plant biodiversity research and conservation, The Irish Scientist, 4, 1996, p43 - 43Journal Article
• Conn, B., Wyse Jackson, D., Piacentini, R., Waldren, S., Ward, C., International Transfer Format for Botanic Garden Plant Records, Version 2.00, London, Botanic Gardens Conservation International, 1998Book
• Waldren, S. & Kingston, N., Pitcairn's floral beauty, Technology Ireland, 31, 1999, p32 - 36Journal Article
• Conservation of biodiversity. In: Action Plan for Botanic Gardens in the European Union in, editor(s)Cheney, J., Navarro, J.N. & Wyse Jackson, P.S. , Action Plan for Botanic Gardens in the European Union, Meise, National Botanic Garden of Belgium for Botanic Gardens Conservation International, 2000, [Waldren, S. & Wyse Jackson, P.S.]Book Chapter
• Conservation of Island Plant Populations and Communities (1.6.5.7), H. Heatwole, Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems: Oceanic Islands, Paris, France & Oxford, UK, UNESCO Publishing-Eolss Publishers, 2002, [Waldren, S.]Item in dictionary or encyclopaedia, etc
• Lynn, D.E., Kingston, N.E., Martin, J.R. & Waldren, S., Biodiversity in Dublin city urban parklands, Biodiversity in the City: Proceedings of a one-day International Conference, Dublin, September 12, edited by L. Dunne , Environmental Institute, University College Dublin, 2002Conference Paper
• Uniquely Irish III. The turlough form of Ranunculus repens in, editor(s)M. Otte , Wetlands of Ireland. Distribution, Ecology, Uses and Economic Value, Dublin, University College Dublin Press, 2003, pp157 - 159, [Lynn, D.E. & Waldren, S.]Book Chapter
• Waldren, S., Kingston, N., Smyth, N., Warren, J. & Warren, C., Plant conservation activities on Pitcairn Island, Flora English Nature, 2004, p14 - 15Journal Article
• Waldren, S., Kingston, N., Smyth, N., Warren, J. & Warren, C., Integrated plant conservation on Pitcairn Island, south-central Pacific Ocean, BG Journal, 2, 2005, p22 - 24Journal Article
• Waldren, S., Recovery programmes for threatened Irish plants, Ensconews, 1, 2006, p12 - 13Journal Article

• Title

  Biodiversity and environmental change: an integrated study encompassing a range of scales, taxa and habitats
  Summary

  This research cluster, involving researchers from eight institutions, will provide an integrative multi-disciplinary research framework for national and local biodiversity policy in Ireland. Core research in the cluster directly addresses the protection and management of ecological resources in the context of pressures that might lead to environmental change by focusing on habitat fragmentation and loss, impacts of non-native species, climate change, pollution and resource management. The research will also extend capability by developing fundamental biodiversity research and capacity building in taxonomic skills as well as biodiversity indicators and biomonitoring tools. Additionally, two cross-cutting research projects will make specific progress in the inventory and output of taxonomic data and in the understanding of political processes, including public participation, that also shape biodiversity policies. While utilising national information were appropriate primary data collection will be concentrated in the greater County Clare area to maximise integration across disciplines, habitats, taxa and drivers of change. Desk studies, workshops and working groups will synthesise current knowledge and identify priority areas for future research. Our strategic aim is to build a foundation for collaborative biodiversity research capacity in Ireland through a network of researchers delivering the high quality multidisciplinary research required for sustainable management of Ireland's biodiversity.
  Funding Agency

  Environmental Protection Agency (~€1.6 million)
  Date From

  Jan 2006
  Date To

  July 2009
• Title

  Conservation genetics of Luronium natans
  Summary

  Luronium natans is known in the wild from a single population in a stream outflow from blanket of in Connemara. Questions have been raised about whether the plant is native or introduced into Ireland- this could greatly affect the conservation effort put into this taxon. Until the project can resolve the genetic relationship between the Irish, Welsh and NW English populations, it seems prudent to adopt the precautionary principle and ssume native status, as the existing population is small. The project will use AFLP to examine the genetic relationships among populations, and use DNA sequencing to determine a molecular method to differentiate the taxon from Baldellia ranunculoides, which when sterile is very difficult to separate from Luronium. [In collaboration with Dr Naomi Kingston. Personnel: Dr Rhian Smith.]
  Funding Agency

  National Parks & Wildlife Service
  Date From

  April 2004
  Date To

  September 2004
• Title

  Plant Conservation in the Kachenjunga National Park, Nepal
  Summary

  This project will examine threats to the alpine plant communities, their traditional use by indigenous ethnic minority groups, and devise ways of ensuring conservation of the regions highly specialised plant diversity while also ensuring the sustainable livelihoods of local communities
  Funding Agency

  IRCSET
  Date From

  Oct 2008
  Date To

  Oct 2011
• Title

  Genetic variation in native populations of Irish Ash (Fraxinus excelsior)
  Summary

  Ash is a native hardwood which has great potential for development as a major productive species for farm forestry. It is valued for its strong and flexible timber and currently its demand greatly exceeds supply. The main aim of this project is to undertake research that will improve the agronomic characteristics of the crop. We will determine genetic variation within and between natural populations of Irish ash using powerful molecular techniques including, microsatellite, AFLPs and chloroplast DNA markers to enable foresters to select optimal material for planting and for breeders to select appropriate locally adapted genotypes for crop development schemes. Molecular marker systems are also required for marker aided selection purposes and for the mapping of Quantatative Trait Loci (QTLs). [In collaboration with Dr. Trevor Hodkinson and Dr. Gerry Douglas (Teagasc). Personnel: Ms Maeve Harbourne]
  Funding Agency

  Teagasc (Walsh Fellowship)
  Date From

  October 2001
  Date To

  September 2004
• Title

  Nutrient fluxes in turlough soil and plants
  Summary

  This project examines nutrient fluxes in turlough soils and their associated plant communities. Turloughs are temporary water bodies in karst limetsone in the west of Ireland. They lack an overground water exit and are intimately linked with subterranean water supply- hence nutrient inputs are often diffuse and catchment-based. This study is examining how patchy the distribution of plant-available nutrients is within and between contrasting turloughs, and whether variations in nutrients within turlough basins is an important driver of vegetation change within a basin. [Personnel: Ms Sarah Kimberley]
  Funding Agency

  EPA ERTDI programme
  Date From

  Oct 2002
  Date To

  Oct 2005
• Title

  Experminetal translocation of Otanthus maritimus and Gymnocarpium robertiananum
  Summary

  Experimental translocations of Otanthus maritimus and Gymnocarpium robertianum began in 1996, and have been monitored by Dr Waldren and researchers since then. Both are restricted to single native sites in Ireland. Following an initial decline in survivorshipof Gymnocarpium, numbers have stabilised at about 18% survival: much of the initial decline can be attributed to an abnormally dry spring following translocation. For Otanthus the decline has been more progressive, caused by problems with the translocation microsite (erosion, competition from Ammophila arenaria). Further translocations were funded in 2003, and these will be monitored in 2004. [In collaboration with Dr Deirdre Lynn]
  Funding Agency

  National Parks & Wildlife Service
  Date From

  April 2003
  Date To

  September 2004
• Title

  Conservation biology of Colchicum autumnale and Campanula trachelium
  Summary

  This project has focussed on the conservation biology of two rare species whose distribution centres on the Nore Valley. Populations have been censussed, there reproductive output assessed and conservation genetics examined using AFLP. Some doubts have previously been raised about the native status of Colchicum in Ireland, but use of molecular markers indicates a large proportion of genetic variation within Irish populations, similar to that found in other western European populations; moreover, the Irish and British populations form well supported group together with populations from NW Spain, and this group is genetcially distinct from the French and Pyrenean (both French and Spanish) populations. Campanula exists as fragmented populations, and experimental work suggests that the smaller populations may be suffereing from the effects of inbreeding. Male-sterile plants have been recorded in Irish populations of this species with variable frequency. [Personnel: Dr Rhian Smith who has recently successfully defended her Ph.D thesis]
  Funding Agency

  National Parks & Wildlife Service, Trinity College post-graduate studentship
  Date From

  October 1997
  Date To

  April 2004
• Title

  Invasive species control and threatened plant recovery on Pitcairn Island, south-central Pacific Ocean
  Summary

  This project works closely with the community of Pitcairn Island (most are direct descendents of teh Bounty mutineers) to control invasive Roseapple (Syzygium jambos) in selected experimental plots, and replant these areas with native trees propagated in the island nursery. In addition, monitoring of threatened native plant populations, initiated in 1997, has continued, and recovery of some of the most critically threatened taxa started. The endemic Abutilon pitcainense and Mysrine aff. niaensis, both considered extinct in 1997, have recently been refound and are in cultivation both on Pitcairn and in Trinity College Botanic Garden. Progeny raised from self pollinations will be genetically screened using AFLP to determine the most suitable individuals to initiate a breeding programme as the first step in the recovery of these globally threatened species. [Personnel: Ms Noeleen Smyth]
  Funding Agency

  UK Fogeign & Commonwealth Office, IRCSET, Fauna & Flora International
  Date From

  October 2002
  Date To

  December 2005
• Title

  Quantifying links between turlough vegetation community diversity and hydrology
  Summary

  This project will derive quantitative relationships between the vegetation of turloughs (priority EU habitats, largely restricted to Ireland) and the incidence of flooding. Vegetation communities in a range of turlough basins will be described quantitatively, thereby providing great improvement on currently available qualitative descriptions. These data will be used to describe how vegetation changes along gradients of flooding, using data derived from continuously monitored water depth in selected turlough basins, and this approach will be used to derive predictive models of turlough vegetation in relation to flooding. The information provided will help to deliver both environmental and biodiversity conservation policy.
  Funding Agency

  Environmental Protection Agency (€75,000)
  Date From

  Oct 2005
  Date To

  Oct 2008
• Title

  Conservation biology of Saxifraga hirculus
  Summary

  Saxifraga hirculus is a Red Databook species in Ireland and is a threatened plant of Eurpean interest (EU Habitats Directive annex 2). This project will examine the population structures and status, population genetics and clonal spread using AFLP, and reproductive biology of S. hirculus, which in Ireland is restricted to flushes in blanket bogs in Co. Mayo and in Antrim (Northern Ireland). Initial field work has already located several colonies not previously noted in the Irish Repubic. [In collaboration with Dr Deirdre Lynn. Personnel: Ms Caoimhe Muldoon]
  Funding Agency

  National Parks & Wildlife Service
  Date From

  April 2004
  Date To

  April 2007
• Title

  Conservation biology of Trichomanes speciosum
  Summary

  This project, a collaboration between the National Botanic Gardens and TCD, will examine the conservation biology of the Killarney Fern (Trichomanes speciosum), a species listed on the EU Habitats Directive. The project will develop appropriate monitoring protocols for the independent gametophyte and sporophyte generations, examine the level of threat to different populations, and assess the genetic diversity within and among Irish populations.
  Funding Agency

  NPWS/National Botanic Gardens
  Date From

  Oct 2008
  Date To

  Apr 2012
• Title

  Conservation genetics of Asparagus prostratus
  Summary

  Asparagus prostratus (A. officinalis ssp. prostratus) is a prostrate coastal plant restricted to western Europe (Netherlands to western Spain). We have assessed the population size of all Irish populations, and collected silica-dried tissue material throughout the distribution of the species. We are currently completing AFLP analyses of this material, which will enable us to place the Irish and British populations in a wider European biogeographic setting, allowing us to comment on the global significance of these populations. [Personnel: Dr Rhian Smith]
  Funding Agency

  National Parks & Wildlife Service, National Musuem & Gallery of Wales
  Date From

  Oct 2000
  Date To

  Oct 2002
• Title

  Biogeography and speciation of the genus Peperomia Ruiz & Pavón in Eastern Polynesia
  Summary

  This project used DNA sequencing (plastid trnL-F; nuclear ITS) and moprphologial characters to assess variation within and among species of Peperomia in south eastern Polynesia (Australs, Society, Pitcairns, Cook islands). Morphological characters are highly cryptic due to the reduced nature of the flowers in Peperomia, but sequencing provided informative characters that could separate species and allow assessment of their biogeography. in some cases there was evidence of hybridisation, and AFLP helped to resolve these issues. Essentially, there are a small number of taxa (e.g. P. blanda) which occur widely in the Pacific (and elsewhere) but have not speciated. Other clades have speciated widely, resulting in other widespread species but also a number of local (archipelago or single island) endemics. A small number of taxa show wide disjunctions, and theproblem of understanding these is often clouded by hybridisation. [Personnel: Dr Una Bradley]
  Funding Agency

  Trinity College post-graduate studentship, Enterprise Ireland studentship
  Date From

  October 1999
  Date To

  October 2002
• Title

  Using molecular markers to study the historical biogeography of the 'Lusitanian' element in the Irish flora
  Summary

  This project examined the history of Irish populations of species with a 'Lusitanean' distribution, especially Erica mackaiana, Erica ciliaris, Erica vagans, and Daboecia cantabrica, using molecular markers. Variation within and among Irish populations was compared with European populations using AFLP and microsatellite markers. Irish Daboecia populations showed a large separation from NW Spanish and Pyrenean populations, suggesting that the taxon has been genetically isolated from the continental material for a considerable period of time. Irish E. mackaiana populations also show some differentiation from continental populations, although there are problems with the Irish material due to hybridisation, and a more detailed study of the phylogeography of the taxon is needed which takes into account hybridisation with E. tetralix. [Personnel: Dr Naomi Kingston]
  Funding Agency

  Enterprise Ireland
  Date From

  Oct 2000
  Date To

  Oct 2002
• Title

  Conservation biology and biogeography of Spiranthes romanzoffiana
  Summary

  Spiranthes romanzoffiana is an amphi-Atlantic species, with the bulk of its global population in North America. In Europe the species is restricted to Ireland and some of the Hebridean islands of Scotland. In Ireland the species is rare and local, and populations often show very large annual fluctuations in the numbers of flowering spikes. The rarity coupled with highly disjunct didtribution has lead to suggestions that the species may be introduced in Ireland. This project aims to investigate the biogeography of the taxon using molecular tools (AFLP, microsatellites) while also assessing the ecology, population size and census, and reproductive biology of Irish populations. [Personnel: Mr Darach Lupton]
  Funding Agency

  National Parks & Wildlife Service, Heritage Council, Trinity College post-graduate studentship
  Date From

  April 2003
  Date To

  April 2006
• Title

  Assessing the Conservation Status of Turloughs
  Summary

  This integrated, multidisciplinary project will for the first time integrate hydrological, biological and chemical nutrient data from selected turloughs. This novel approach will involve close collaboration between zoologists, botanists, limnologists and hydrogeologists with excellent track records of research in relevant areas. This team will collate existing disparate data, and generate a very large amount of novel data, in the key areas of: . turlough hydrology, . vegetation description, . aquatic algal and invertebrate communities, . soil and water nutrient chemistry. Standard, well-tested methodologies will be used throughout; the novel aspect of this project is in the integration of what are too often disparate disciplines. Integrated, consistent data drawn from the main research areas outlined above will be used to develop new models relating hydrology with turlough ecology, thereby providing improved ecological understanding of the main factors and processes affecting turlough biota. This will be used to formulate scientifically sound prescriptions for both monitoring and maintaining the international conservation value of this EU priority habitat.
  Funding Agency

  National Parks & Wildlife Service (~€0.8 million)
  Date From

  Jan 2006
  Date To

  Jan 2010
• Title

  The effects of management practices on the dynamics and conservation status of turlough plant communities
  Summary

  There were two main objectives to this project: (i) Examination of the effect of grazing and fertilization on turlough swards, using field plots, (ii) Investigation of the molecular evolution of the physiologically and morphologically distinct turlough form of Ranunculus repens. Field plots show immediate effects of both fertilizer applcation and grazing, with both tending to reduce diversity. Molecular studies (ISSR, AFLP) on R. repens revealed that many genotypes may be present in a turlough basin, despite the obvious capacity for clonal growth. Moreover, comparison of genetci variation among different turlough populations suggests that turlough plants may be more closely related to each other than to R. repens populations in other habitats. A form of R. repens with finely dissected leaves also occurs in the Breckland meres: our molecular data suggest it is not genetically very close to the morphologically similar turlough populations. [Personnel: Dr. Deirdre Lynn, Ms. Susan Murphy]
  Funding Agency

  Enterprise Ireland
  Date From

  Oct 1999
  Date To

  Oct 2002

Ecology, Soil sciences, Hydrology, Environmental management, Clinical Medicine, Oceanography,

• Ford Conservation Award- Irish winner with James Martin 1997

• Director, Genetic Heritage Ireland (Irish Genetic Resources Cosnervation Trust) from 1995
• Director, Botanical, Environmental and Conservation Consultants Ltd. from 2001
• Director, Genetic Heritage Ireland (Irish Genetic Resources Cosnervation Trust) from 1995
• Editorial Board, Biology & Environment (Royal Irish Academy) from 2000
• Director, The Irish Naturalist's Journal Ltd (TCD representative) from 2003
• Irish Advisory Council for Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture from 1998
• Director, Botanical, Environmental and Conservation Consultants Ltd. from 2001
• Editorial Board, Biology & Environment (Royal Irish Academy) from 2000
• Director, PlantNetwork (formerly PlantNet), the UK & Ireland network of plant collections from 1996
• Director, The Irish Naturalist's Journal Ltd (TCD representative) from 2003
• BGCI/IABG European Botanic Gardens Consortium, Irish representative from 1995
• Director, Botanical, Environmental and Conservation Consultants Ltd. from 2001
• Director, Genetic Heritage Ireland (Irish Genetic Resources Cosnervation Trust) from 1995
• Irish Advisory Council for Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture from 1998
• Hon Treasurer, Genetic Heritage Ireland (Irish Genetic Resources Conservation Trust) from 1998
• BGCI/IABG European Botanic Gardens Consortium, Irish representative from 1995
• Editorial Board, Biological Conservation (Elsevier) From 2002
• BGCI/IABG European Botanic Gardens Consortium, Irish representative from 1995
• Editorial Board, Biological Conservation (Elsevier) From 2002
• Director, PlantNetwork (formerly PlantNet), the UK & Ireland network of plant collections from 1996
• Director, PlantNetwork (formerly PlantNet), the UK & Ireland network of plant collections from 1996
• Hon Treasurer, Genetic Heritage Ireland (Irish Genetic Resources Conservation Trust) from 1998
• Editorial Board, Biology & Environment (Royal Irish Academy) from 2000
• Editorial Board, Biological Conservation (Elsevier) From 2002
• Director, The Irish Naturalist's Journal Ltd (TCD representative) from 2003
• Irish Advisory Council for Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture from 1998
• Hon Treasurer, Genetic Heritage Ireland (Irish Genetic Resources Conservation Trust) from 1998