Aims
The overall aims of this project are to provide information on distribution, biology, population structure, and ecology needed to underpin the conservation of those habitats and species detailed below. These aims will be achieved by the formation of a consortium of research institutes and appropriate university departments assembled to address these problems synergistically.
Three of the 12 BAP priority marine habitats have been selected as the focus of this project: maerl beds, Modiolus beds, and Serpula reefs. They have been chosen on the basis of current acute threats to the habitat, the effects of which cannot at present be predicted. Two of the habitats are biogenic reefs constructed by mussels (Modiolus modiolus) and tubeworms (Serpula vermicularis); the third is formed of loose-lying coralline algae called maerl.
In addition to the habitats, several invertebrate species have also been selected for this project, as their biology is very poorly known compared to that of vertebrates. These include one of the three BAP mollusc species, Atrina fragilis (the fan mussel), of which there are only a few live individuals known in the UK, and a second seriously threatened mollusc, Limaria hians (the gaping file shell), which can be protected as a biogenic reef. Also included are both of the BAP coral species, Eunicella verrucosa (the pink - or broad - sea fan), and Leptopsammia pruvoti (the sunset cup coral), both of which are suffering serious declines including the effects of a disease. In addition, the project will focus on a gap in the Action Plans, that of the bryozoan (or moss animal) Victorella pavida (the trembling sea mat) which has a Red Data Book listing, and is known in the UK at only a single site.
Partners
SPLASH is a consortium of the following research institutes, university departments and organisations:
- Queens University Belfast
- University of Plymouth
- Southampton Oceanography Centre
- Scottish Association of Marine Science
- Heriot-Watt University
- Port Erin Marine Laboratory
- Bangor University
- Natural History Museum
- Marine Conservation Society
- Reef Research
Contact us
The consortium is co-ordinated by Quercus Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Biology at Queens University Belfast. Information is being collated by a 'champion' for each species or habitat. See below for contact details.
Maerl(Lithothamnion corallioides)
Dr Christine Maggs, Queens University Belfast
Dr Jason Hall-Spencer, University of Plymouth
Dr Ken Collins, Southampton Oceanography Centre
Gaping file shell(Limaria hians)
Dr Jason Hall-Spencer, University of Plymouth
Dr Colin Moore, Heriot-Watt University
Horse mussel (Modiolus modiolus)
Drs Louise Allcock, Dai Roberts and Paulo Prodohl, Queens University Belfast
Fan mussel (Atrina fragilis)
Dr Chris Richardson, Bangor University
Dr Jean-Luc Solandt, Biodiversity Policy Officer, MCS
Pink sea fan (Eunicella verrucosa) and sunset cup coral (Leptopsammia pruvoti)
Colin Munro and Lexie Munro, Reef Research
Serpulid tube worm (Serpula vermicularis)
Dr David Hughes, Scottish Association of Marine Science
Dr Colin Moore, Heriot-Watt University
Trembling sea mat(Victorella pavida)
Dr John Bishop, University of Plymouth
Dr Nick Evans, Natural History Museum
If you would like any further information about the SPLASH project, please contact Dr Christine Maggs (c.maggs@qub.ac.uk)
