Unprecedented Harmful algal bloom in the UK and Ireland's largest lake associated with gastrointestinal bacteria, microcystins and anabaenopeptins presenting an environmental and public health risk.

Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) are outbreaks of aquatic toxic microalgae emerging as a global problem driven by nutrient enrichment, global climate change and invasive species. We uniquely describe a HAB of unprecedented duration, extent and magnitude during 2023 in Lough Neagh; the UK and Ireland's largest freshwater lake, using an unparalleled combination of satellite imagery, nutrient analysis, 16S rRNA gene sequencing and cyanotoxin profiling. The causative agent Microcystis aeruginosa accounted for over a third of DNA in water samples though common bacterioplankton species also bloomed.

Stress related to wild canid predators near dairy sheep farms associated with increased somatic cell counts in bulk-tank milk.

We investigated the association between wild canid predators reported near sheep farms throughout Greece and somatic cell counts in bulk-tank milk as a reflection of milk quality. The study included 325 dairy sheep flocks, where bulk-tank milk somatic cell counts and total bacterial counts were measured and staphylococci were isolated. Farms were divided into three groups: Cohort A (farms with no reports of wild canid predators nearby), B (farms with canid predators (golden jackal and grey wolf) nearby yet with no experience of livestock losses to predation) and C (farms with canid predators nearby and livestock losses to predation).

Survival, movements, home range size and dispersal of hares after coursing and/or translocation.

Hare coursing is the pursuit of a hare by dogs for sport. In recent years in Ireland, between 2,900 to 3,700 hares have been caught from the wild (under Government license) and held in captivity for up to 8 weeks. Hares are given a head start and coursed in an enclosed arena by two muzzled greyhounds where the object is not to kill the hare, but judge the dogs on their ability to turn the hare which escapes under a partition through which the dogs cannot follow.

Initial ecological change in plant and arthropod community composition after wildfires in designated areas of upland peatlands.

Wildfires are an increasing concern due to rising temperatures and incidence of droughts associated with changing climate, poor land management, and direct human interference. Most studies of the impact of fire on temperate heathland and bog examined the consequences of controlled or prescribed burning. Less is known about the impacts of uncontrolled wildfires on sites designated for their conservation value.

Case Report of Puffinosis in a Manx Shearwater () Suggesting Environmental Aetiology.

Puffinosis is a disease of a range of seabirds characterised by dorsal and ventral blistering of their webbed feet, conjunctivitis, dry necrosis, leg spasticity, head shaking, loss of balance, tremors, and death. It is associated with Manx shearwaters (), frequently affecting chicks within their underground nesting burrows. The aetiology of the disease is unclear but has been attributed to a type-2 coronavirus associated with mites as a potential vector.

Abiotic and biotic correlates of the occurrence, extent and cover of invasive aquatic .

Biological invasions, especially invasive alien aquatic plants, are a major and growing ecological and socioeconomic problem worldwide. Freshwater systems are particularly vulnerable to invasion, where impacts of invasive alien species can damage ecological structure and function. Identifying abiotic and biotic factors that mediate successful invasions is a management priority.

Highest densities of mountain hares () associated with ecologically restored bog but not grouse moorland management.

Over the last 20 years, ecological restoration of degraded habitats has become common in conservation practice. Mountain hares () were surveyed during 2017-2021 using 830 km of line transects in the Peak District National Park, England. Historically degraded bog areas were previously reported having low hare numbers.

Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease Virus 2 (RHDV2; GI.2) in Ireland Focusing on Wild Irish Hares (): An Overview of the First Outbreaks and Contextual Review.

Rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus 2 (RHDV2; GI.2) is a pathogenic lagovirus that emerged in 2010, and which now has a global distribution. Outbreaks have been associated with local population declines in several lagomorph species, due to rabbit haemorrhagic disease (RHD)-associated mortality raising concerns for its potential negative impact on threatened or vulnerable wild populations.

First detected case of rabbit Haemorrhagic disease virus 2 (RHDV2) in the Irish hare (Lepus timidus hibernicus).

Background: Rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus (RHDV) is a Lagovirus, a subgroup of the family Caliciviridae. RHDV2 is a variant first described in France in 2010, and has since spread globally. It has been reported in several Lagomorph species (rabbits, hares, and their relatives) as well as other mammals including voles and shrews.

Will predicted positive effects of climate change be enough to reverse declines of the regionally Endangered Natterjack toad in Ireland?

The global amphibian crisis is driven by a range of stressors including disease, habitat loss, and environmental contamination. The role of climate change remains poorly studied and is likely to influence environmental suitability, ranges, reproduction, and phenology. This study aimed to characterize the bioclimatic-habitat niche space of the Natterjack toad () throughout its European range and to assess the impact of climate on the toad's environmental suitability and breeding behavior in Ireland, where declines in recent decades have resulted in it being regionally Red-Listed as Endangered.

Regime shift tipping point in hare population collapse associated with climatic and agricultural change during the very early 20th century.

Animal populations at northern latitudes may have cyclical dynamics that are degraded by climate change leading to trophic cascade. Hare populations at more southerly latitudes are characterized by dramatic declines in abundance associated with agricultural intensification. We focus on the impact of historical climatic and agricultural change on a mid-latitude population of mountain hares, Lepus timidus hibernicus.

Quantifying intraherd cattle movement metrics: Implications for disease transmission risk.

There are a paucity of data quantifying on-farm management practices such as the frequency of intraherd cattle movements, use of consolidated or spatially fragmented grazing pastures, and duration of time cattle spend at grass with respect to biosecurity and disease transmission. Such movement dynamics are important when attempting to understand the maintenance of chronic infectious disease, such as bovine tuberculosis (bTB). We captured empirical data on daily cattle movements for a sample of eighteen farms throughout one complete grazing season (n = 18,988 grazing days) and assessed these attributes in relation to herd bTB risk.

Combining spawn egg counts, individual photo-ID and genetic fingerprinting to estimate the population size and sex ratio of an endangered amphibian.

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List, 41% of the world's amphibian species are threatened with extinction, making them more threatened than any other vertebrate group nowadays. Given the global amphibian crisis, comprehensive understanding of demographics and population trends of declining and threatened species is essential for effective management and conservation strategies. Counting egg spawns is widely used to assess population abundance in pond breeding anurans.

Grazing cattle exposure to neighbouring herds and badgers in relation to bovine tuberculosis risk.

Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) can be spread between and among cattle and wildlife hosts e.g. European badger (Meles meles).

Effects of body size on estimation of mammalian area requirements.

Accurately quantifying species' area requirements is a prerequisite for effective area-based conservation. This typically involves collecting tracking data on species of interest and then conducting home-range analyses. Problematically, autocorrelation in tracking data can result in space needs being severely underestimated.

Bovine tuberculosis breakdown duration in cattle herds: an investigation of herd, host, pathogen and wildlife risk factors.

Background: Despite rigorous controls placed on herds which disclose test positive cattle to bovine tuberculosis, caused by the infection of , many herds in Northern Ireland (NI) experience prolonged breakdowns. These herds represent a considerable administrative and financial burden to the State and farming community.

Methods: A retrospective observational study was conducted to better understand the factors associated with breakdown duration, which was modelled using both negative binomial and ordinal regression approaches.

Interspecific visitation of cattle and badgers to fomites: A transmission risk for bovine tuberculosis?

In Great Britain and Ireland, badgers () are a wildlife reservoir of and implicated in bovine tuberculosis transmission to domestic cattle. The route of disease transmission is unknown with direct, so-called "nose-to-nose," contact between hosts being extremely rare. Camera traps were deployed for 64,464 hr on 34 farms to quantify cattle and badger visitation rates in space and time at six farm locations.

Seasonal and predator-prey effects on circadian activity of free-ranging mammals revealed by camera traps.

Endogenous circadian and seasonal activity patterns are adapted to facilitate effective utilisation of environmental resources. Activity patterns are shaped by physiological constraints, evolutionary history, circadian and seasonal changes and may be influenced by other factors, including ecological competition and interspecific interactions. Remote-sensing camera traps allow the collection of species presence data throughout the 24 h period and for almost indefinite lengths of time.

Mountain hare transcriptome and diagnostic markers as resources to monitor hybridization with European hares.

We report the first mountain hare (Lepus timidus) transcriptome, produced by de novo assembly of RNA-sequencing reads. Data were obtained from eight specimens sampled in two localities, Alps and Ireland. The mountain hare tends to be replaced by the invading European hare (Lepus europaeus) in their numerous contact zones where the species hybridize, which affects their gene pool to a yet unquantified degree.