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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. The disease has raised international concerns for its potential impact on population abundance trajectories, particularly as 25% of Lagomorphs are currently Red-Listed by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The Irish hare (Lepus timidus hibernicus) is a subspecies of the mountain hare, L. timidus, and is endemic to Ireland, making it an Evolutionarily Significant Unit of intrinsic value. Case presentation: The first case of RHDV2 was detected in a wild Irish hare in July 2019. The individual exhibited atypical neurological behaviour (running in circles) prior to death. On necropsy, pink tinged foam was seen in the trachea and congestion was noted in the lungs, but there was no evidence of haemorrhages in any other organ. Both the liver and spleen were tested by reverse transcription real time qPCR confirming high levels of RHDV2 RNA. Histopathology confirmed multifocal necrotising hepatitis. Conclusion: The Irish hare is susceptible to RHDV2 infection. Further investigation is warranted to explore the clinical, epidemiological, and population biology implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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. However, it is unknown how such counts translate into robust population size estimations. We monitored the breeding activity of the Natterjack toad (Epidalea calamita), combining egg string counts and individual photo‐identification with Capture‐Mark‐Recapture population size and operational sex ratio estimation. Male Natterjack toads were identified by the pattern of natural markings with repeated ID of the same individual confirmed for 10% of the samples using genetic fingerprinting. We identified 647 unique individuals within a closed study population at Caherdaniel, Co Kerry. Population estimates derived from egg string counts estimated a breeding population of 368 females (95% CI 353–384) and Capture‐Mark‐Recapture estimated a breeding population of 1698 males (95% CI 1000–2397). The female:male sex ratio was conservatively estimated at 1:5 (95% CI 1:3–1:6) where 62% ± 6% of females were assumed to spawn. These substantially departed from any priori assumption of 1:1 which could have underestimated the breeding population by up to 72%. Where amphibian absolute population size estimation is necessary, methods should include empirical survey data on operational sex ratios and not rely on assumptions or those derived from the literature which may be highly population and/or context‐dependent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Farmland ponds are a highly threatened freshwater habitat which has undergone dramatic losses during the last 200 years due to land drainage schemes and agricultural intensification. Agri‐environment schemes (AES) incentivize farmers to adopt farming methods to benefit biodiversity, yet there are a paucity of data evaluating the success of artificially created AES ponds as analogues of natural ponds in an attempt to recreate lost environments.We examined variation in environmental parameters and aquatic and terrestrial invertebrate communities between 38 natural ponds and 91 artificial ponds that were created in south‐west Ireland (n = 129).Artificial ponds in agricultural grassland did not replicate natural ponds in adjacent semi‐natural habitats differing significantly in size, pH, conductivity, productivity (indicated by submerged and emergent plant cover including algae) and surrounding vegetation structure that is, sward height. These differences significantly influenced aquatic and terrestrial invertebrate community structure with a suite of indicator taxa in both natural and artificial ponds.The conservation value of artificial ponds in agricultural grasslands should not be underestimated as they had 43% higher aquatic species richness and 33% higher aquatic species abundance than natural ponds in adjacent semi‐natural habitats.Synthesis and applications. We demonstrate that artificial agri‐environment scheme ponds created in agricultural grasslands, whilst not direct analogues of natural ponds in adjacent semi‐natural habitats, do fulfil a role in preserving high local biodiversity albeit representing a different community of species. Creation of ponds in farmland as well as in adjacent natural habitats could provide a wider range of environmental conditions and richer associated macroinvertebrate communities, increasing landscape connectivity and further enhancing regional biodiversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change presents a serious threat to global biodiversity. In the extreme north of Europe, for example, some boreal bat species have been predicted to become extinct by the end of the century. We have used bat activity data derived from car-based surveys across Ireland to examine the effects of weather and climate using an approach that teases apart their spatial and temporal effects. This allows more accurate modelling of the impacts of weather than has heretofore been possible. Our results also support previous work that suggests the standard approach for combining the spatio-temporal variation in weather covariates is unsound. We used the results of this modelling exercise to forecast the effects of predicted climate change on three widespread Irish species for the years 2046–2059. Nyctalus leisleri, in its international stronghold, is predicted to undergo a decline in the north-west with increases likely in the south-east. Pipistrellus pipistrellus is predicted to undergo similar changes to N. leisleri, with declines in the north. Pipistrellus pygmaeus may increase in coastal locations. Predicted declines in the north of Ireland run somewhat contrary to expectations since increased ambient temperature there may have been anticipated to favour bat population growth. This work is a promising step towards disentangling the spatial and temporal impacts of weather and, from there, assessing the effects of climate change on bats in Europe. Pipistrelle species, in particular, are likely to be north-western Europe's most abundant consumers of aerial nocturnal insects and future conservation plans must consider potential losses of these species from agricultural areas and how any resulting reduction in ecosystem services can be mitigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Eurasian red squirrel’s (Sciurus vulgaris) history in Ireland is largely unknown, but the original population is thought to have been driven to extinction by humans in the seventeenth century, and multiple records exist for its subsequent reintroduction in the nineteenth century. However, it is currently unknown how these reintroductions affect the red squirrel population today, or may do so in the future. In this study, we report on the development of a DNA toolkit for the non-invasive genetic study of the red squirrel. Non-invasively collected red squirrel samples were combined with other samples collected throughout Ireland and previously published mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) data from Ireland, Great Britain and Continental Europe to give an insight into population genetics and historical introductions of the red squirrel in Ireland. Our findings demonstrate that the Irish red squirrel population is on a national scale quite genetically diverse, but at a local level contains relatively low levels of genetic diversity, and there is also evidence of genetic structure. This is likely an artefact of the introduction of a small number of genetically similar animals to specific sites. A lack of continuous woodland cover in Ireland has prevented further mixing with animals of different origins that may have been introduced even to neighbouring sites. Consequently, some of these genetically isolated populations are or may in the future be at risk of extinction. The Irish red squirrel population contains mtDNA haplotypes of both a British and Continental European origin, the former of which are now extinct or simply not recorded in contemporary Great Britain. The Irish population is therefore important in terms of red squirrel conservation not only in Ireland, but also for Great Britain, and should be appropriately managed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]