commonmeta-ruby 3.2.4 → 3.2.6

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@@ -2622,4 +2622,981 @@ http_interactions:
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+      string: '[{"id":"https://irishplants.org/blog/2022/12/26/why-care-about-grasslands/","uuid":"e4872b3e-cd15-407d-8406-33642c1a98b0","url":"https://irishplants.org/blog/2022/12/26/why-care-about-grasslands/","title":"Why
+        care about grasslands?","summary":"As someone who has been deeply interested
+        by plants as long as I can remember, I have grown to appreciate all the different
+        habitats I come across in Ireland. Each has its own unique set of species,
+        but one...","date_published":"2022-12-26T00:10:05Z","date_modified":"2022-12-26T17:12:30Z","authors":[{"url":null,"name":"Jake
+        Dalzell"}],"image":null,"content_html":"\n<p>As someone who has been deeply
+        interested by plants as long as I can remember, I have grown to appreciate
+        all the different habitats I come across in Ireland. Each has its own unique
+        set of species, but one that has always particularly caught my attention is
+        our grasslands. Part of this is probably because my family have been <a rel=\"noreferrer
+        noopener\" href=\"https://irishplants.org/field.html\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https://irishplants.org/field.html\"
+        target=\"_blank\">managing our small field for biodiversity</a>, and seeing
+        plants, animals, and fungi flourish there has massively influenced my interest
+        in ecology. But there&#8217;s also something special about grasslands.</p>\n\n\n\n<figure
+        class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\"
+        src=\"https://irishplants.org/images/islands/roe/landscape2.jpg\" width=\"650\"
+        height=\"400\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Species-rich grassland
+        dominated by Knapweed (<i>Centaurea nigra</i>) on <a href=\"https://irishplants.org/islands/roe.html\">Roe
+        Island</a>, Strangford Lough.</figcaption></figure>\n\n\n\n<p>For one, species-rich
+        grassland is rare &#8211; <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https://pollinators.ie/the-importance-of-species-rich-meadows-and-grasslands-even-mini-ones/\"
+        data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https://pollinators.ie/the-importance-of-species-rich-meadows-and-grasslands-even-mini-ones/\"
+        target=\"_blank\">most has been destroyed through fertiliser input or reseeding</a>.
+        Finding even a small area feels like stumbling across a lost world, especially
+        in the intensely farmed northern part of Down, on the edge of East Belfast
+        where I&#8217;ve grown up. Grasslands can be incredibly diverse, with ten
+        or twenty plant species in a single square metre (ten species per square metre
+        is generally the benchmark for species-rich grassland), from orchids to grasses,
+        and from dainty annuals like Eyebright to beefy perennials like Devil&#8217;s
+        Bit.</p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\"
+        loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://irishplants.org/images/islands/roe/euphrasia.jpg\"
+        width=\"650\" height=\"488\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">An Eyebright
+        species (<i>Euphrasia nemorosa</i>) on Roe Island.</figcaption></figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Grasslands
+        also harbour a huge diversity of arthropod species: butterflies and moths,
+        bees and wasps, flies, beetles, spiders, harvestmen and many more. In our
+        field we have resident Small Heath (<em>Coenonympha pamphilus</em>) and Cryptic
+        Wood White (<em>Leptidea juvernica</em>) butterflies among others. These species
+        are uncommon and rapidly declining, and it&#8217;s only in the small pockets
+        of remaining habitat that they can still be seen. Protecting these species&#8217;
+        habitat means they will continue to be seen every year and not go the way
+        of the Wall Brown (<em>Lasiommata megera</em>), which is now so rare <a rel=\"noreferrer
+        noopener\" href=\"https://www.facebook.com/savebutterflies/photos/a.210247922322596/6669593713054619/\"
+        data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https://www.facebook.com/savebutterflies/photos/a.210247922322596/6669593713054619/\"
+        target=\"_blank\">it has been seen once in Down in the last five years</a>.
+        Habitat loss and nitrogen pollution from run-off and the air now threaten
+        once-common species with extinction.</p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image
+        size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://irishplants.org/images/other_grasslands/lagan_meadows/courting_flight.jpg\"
+        width=\"650\" height=\"464.3\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Cryptic
+        Wood White courtship flight at <a href=\"https://irishplants.org/other_grasslands/lagan_meadows.html\">Lagan
+        Meadows</a> in Belfast. These butterflies live in young bramble scrub on the
+        edges of species-rich grassland, where they can find the vetches that they
+        and their larvae feed on. This population is now threatened as the site is
+        no longer grazed.</figcaption></figure>\n\n\n\n<p>So what can we do to protect
+        grasslands? Firstly, we need to know what a healthy species-rich grassland
+        needs:</p>\n\n\n\n<ol>\n<li>Grazing and/or mowing: grasslands are inherently
+        always in flux &#8211; they almost always require disturbance and removal
+        of plant material, or they turn into something else! <em>Succession</em> is
+        the process where grassland becomes scrub and then woodland, and this isn&#8217;t
+        necessarily a bad thing &#8211; natural regeneration is a great way to create
+        woodland. However, with species-rich grassland so rare, it&#8217;s important
+        succession is prevented on these special sites.</li>\n\n\n\n<li>Low soil fertility:
+        most species-rich grasslands occur on low-fertility soils (the richest are
+        often on extremely infertile chalk). Nitrate pollution from fertiliser run-off
+        and air pollution (eg. from transport) increase soil fertility, usually allowing
+        grasses to out-compete other species and reducing species-richness. There
+        are exceptions of course, like <a href=\"https://irishplants.org/islands/bsbiposter.html#communities\"
+        data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https://irishplants.org/islands/bsbiposter.html#communities\"
+        target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">weird, guano-filled islands
+        on Strangford Lough</a>!</li>\n\n\n\n<li>A healthy landscape: fragmentation
+        of grasslands causes extinction of plants and animals, both in the short-
+        and long-term. Fragmented habitats may take decades to lose species following
+        loss of neighbouring sites (this is known as <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"
+        href=\"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1461-0248.2010.01457.x\"
+        data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1461-0248.2010.01457.x\"
+        target=\"_blank\">extinction debt</a>), and maintaining and restoring the
+        connectivity of habitats is vital to ensure <em>metapopulations</em> stay
+        intact &#8211; this means even if a species goes extinct at one site, individuals
+        from other, connected sites can still re-colonise (the <em>metapopulation</em>
+        is this &#8220;population of populations&#8221;). Loss of connectivity prevents
+        this re-colonisation, and also <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full/10.1098/rspb.2008.0724\"
+        data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full/10.1098/rspb.2008.0724\"
+        target=\"_blank\">colonisation of new sites</a>, which stops species from
+        responding to climate change. Extinction debt means small fragments of habitat
+        can still have many rare species which can return to the wider landscape,
+        but only if connectivity is restored.</li>\n</ol>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image
+        size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://irishplants.org/images/other_grasslands/lagan_meadows/map.jpg\"
+        width=\"650\" height=\"381\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Grassland
+        sites like Lagan Meadows are mostly isolated and fragmented. A lot of the
+        Lagan Valley actually has relatively good connectivity for the area but it
+        is limited here by surrounding urban development.</figcaption></figure>\n\n\n\n<p>To
+        protect our grasslands we need to maintain and improve management at species-rich
+        sites, reduce nitrate pollution, and create a healthy landscape by stopping
+        the destruction of grasslands as well as creating new ones. In Kent, <a rel=\"noreferrer
+        noopener\" href=\"https://youtu.be/gho7BvctPyY\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https://youtu.be/gho7BvctPyY\"
+        target=\"_blank\">Nature Recovery Networks</a> aim to create extensive networks
+        of species-rich grassland to link together existing sites. The team working
+        personally with farmers has led to great success, with species like the Black-veined
+        Moth (<em>Siona lineata</em>) benefiting. This kind of habitat restoration
+        could be replicated in Down, but what would it require? Restored sites would
+        have reduced yields, so farmers could be compensated for participating, and
+        subsidies for species-rich habitats would be essential. Communicating the
+        importance of these sites would be important; engaging with schools by arranging
+        trips and linking with biology and geography curricula would help. Site managers
+        from different organisations would have to work together over a large area,
+        requiring networks and cooperation that doesn&#8217;t currently exist. These
+        things aren&#8217;t an issue, but an opportunity to improve how conservation
+        operates.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>As someone who loves the natural world, I have no
+        choice but to care about grasslands. I can&#8217;t lack ambition for local
+        conservation &#8211; we <em>need </em>landscape-scale restoration, and sooner
+        rather than later, before fragmentation and habitat-loss degrades what&#8217;s
+        left. It won&#8217;t be easy, but anything less amounts to giving up. If we
+        can imagine a network of semi-natural grasslands in our intensively agricultural
+        landscapes, maybe we can work towards a more biodiverse future.</p>\n","tags":["Ecology","Conservation","Plants","Writing"],"language":"en","blog_id":"2bzkh64","blogs":{"id":"2bzkh64","title":"Irish
+        Plants","description":"Jake''s blog.","language":"en","icon":null,"favicon":"https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/favicon32.png","feed_url":"http://irishplants.org/blog/feed/atom/","home_page_url":"https://irishplants.org/blog","base_url":null,"user_id":"8498eaf6-8c58-4b58-bc15-27eda292b1aa","created_at":"2023-05-31T13:47:52+00:00","indexed_at":"2023-01-04","feed_format":"application/atom+xml","license":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode","generator":"WordPress","category":"Natural
+        Sciences","prefix":"10.59350"}},{"id":"https://irishplants.org/blog/2023/03/26/comparing-parasite-and-host-strategies-in-a-portuguese-grassland/","uuid":"27add77e-66af-402c-b462-d050516ae65b","url":"https://irishplants.org/blog/2023/03/26/comparing-parasite-and-host-strategies-in-a-portuguese-grassland/","title":"Comparing
+        parasite and host strategies in a Portuguese grassland","summary":"by Jake
+        Dalzell, Hazel Garrett, Catriona Forrest, Wayne Liang, Rosalind Mackey, Denis
+        Pavlov, and Josh Simpson This was a small project we threw together over three
+        days on our Plant Sciences fieldtrip to...","date_published":"2023-03-26T20:00:04Z","date_modified":"2023-05-07T15:28:38Z","authors":[{"url":null,"name":"Jake
+        Dalzell"}],"image":null,"content_html":"\n<p>by Jake Dalzell, Hazel Garrett,
+        Catriona Forrest, Wayne Liang, Rosalind Mackey, Denis Pavlov, and Josh Simpson</p>\n\n\n\n<p>This
+        was a small project we threw together over three days on our Plant Sciences
+        fieldtrip to Portugal. Everyone on the fieldtrip used six different techniques
+        to explore plant physiology and ecology, and each group came up with a research
+        question that could be answered using some of these techniques. Given the
+        short time frame, our samples were biased and small (too small for robust
+        statistics!). We can&#8217;t really draw any hard conclusions from our results,
+        but they do show interesting trends.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Our project compared the
+        strategies used by two parasitic plants in the Orobanchaceae and a shared
+        host species in the Fabaceae. We also compared host individuals which were
+        parasitised by each species with each other and with uninfected hosts. We
+        were particularly interested in how water use differed between the different
+        plants. We expected to see a lower water potential in the parasites than in
+        their host, as has been shown in other Orobanchaceae︎¹<sup>,</sup>². This
+        water potential gradient generates a sink, so there is a flux of xylem fluid
+        from host roots to parasite¹.</p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Study
+        species</h3>\n\n\n\n<p>We chose to study a holoparasite, <em>Phelipanche ramosa</em>;
+        a hemiparasite, <em>Bellardia trixago</em>; and a legume that they both parasitise,
+        <em>Medicago polymorpha</em>. These were abundant in the grassland where we
+        were staying, Quinta de São Pedro.</p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group
+        is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-1\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image
+        size-medium\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" src=\"https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/phelipanche-225x300.jpg\"
+        alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-414\" srcset=\"https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/phelipanche-225x300.jpg
+        225w, https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/phelipanche-768x1024.jpg
+        768w, https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/phelipanche-1152x1536.jpg
+        1152w, https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/phelipanche-1536x2048.jpg
+        1536w, https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/phelipanche.jpg
+        1619w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" /><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Phelipanche
+        ramosa</em></figcaption></figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-medium\"><img
+        decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" src=\"https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/bellardia-225x300.jpg\"
+        alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-415\" srcset=\"https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/bellardia-225x300.jpg
+        225w, https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/bellardia-768x1023.jpg
+        768w, https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/bellardia.jpg
+        1069w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" /><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Bellardia
+        trixago</em></figcaption></figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-medium\"><img
+        decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" src=\"https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/medicago-225x300.jpg\"
+        alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-416\" srcset=\"https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/medicago-225x300.jpg
+        225w, https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/medicago-768x1024.jpg
+        768w, https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/medicago.jpg
+        1013w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" /><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Medicago
+        polymorpha</em></figcaption></figure>\n</div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image
+        aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\"
+        src=\"https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/haustoria.jpg\"
+        alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-422\" width=\"270\" height=\"349\" srcset=\"https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/haustoria.jpg
+        1080w, https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/haustoria-232x300.jpg
+        232w, https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/haustoria-768x993.jpg
+        768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 270px) 100vw, 270px\" /><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">root
+        connections are visible between the <em>Phelipanche</em> and a host Fabaceae
+        sp.</figcaption></figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Mycorrhizal
+        staining</h3>\n\n\n\n<p>We cleared the roots using Sodium hydroxide, then
+        stained for mycorrhizal fungi by using a blue dye that binds to chitin, followed
+        by washing with Hydrochloric acid and then water.</p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group
+        alignfull is-content-justification-center is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-2\">\n<figure
+        class=\"wp-block-image size-medium\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\"
+        width=\"225\" height=\"300\" src=\"https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/washingRoots-225x300.jpg\"
+        alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-412\" srcset=\"https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/washingRoots-225x300.jpg
+        225w, https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/washingRoots-768x1024.jpg
+        768w, https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/washingRoots-1152x1536.jpg
+        1152w, https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/washingRoots.jpg
+        1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" /><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Josh
+        and Catriona washing roots</figcaption></figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image
+        size-medium\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\"
+        src=\"https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/mycorrhizalStain-300x225.jpg\"
+        alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-413\" srcset=\"https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/mycorrhizalStain-300x225.jpg
+        300w, https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/mycorrhizalStain-768x576.jpg
+        768w, https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/mycorrhizalStain-1536x1152.jpg
+        1536w, https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/mycorrhizalStain.jpg
+        2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" /><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Wayne,
+        Jake, and Rosalind staining mycorrhiza</figcaption></figure>\n</div>\n\n\n\n<p>The
+        results were fairly clear: the parasites had minimal fungal infection (holoparasite)
+        or none (hemiparasite), while the host had many hyphae and arbuscules. The
+        hyphae visible in the holoparasite may have been an early stage of mycorrhization
+        but the way the samples were prepared means the context of the root was lost.
+        Fungal structures are visible in blue:</p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group
+        is-content-justification-center is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-3\">\n<figure
+        class=\"wp-block-image size-medium\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\"
+        width=\"300\" height=\"300\" src=\"https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/holoRoot-300x300.jpg\"
+        alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-417\" srcset=\"https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/holoRoot-300x300.jpg
+        300w, https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/holoRoot-150x150.jpg
+        150w, https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/holoRoot-768x768.jpg
+        768w, https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/holoRoot-1536x1536.jpg
+        1536w, https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/holoRoot-2048x2048.jpg
+        2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" /><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">holoparasite
+        root with some hyphae visible</figcaption></figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image
+        size-medium\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\"
+        src=\"https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/hemiRoot-300x300.jpg\"
+        alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-418\" srcset=\"https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/hemiRoot-300x300.jpg
+        300w, https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/hemiRoot-150x150.jpg
+        150w, https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/hemiRoot-768x768.jpg
+        768w, https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/hemiRoot-1536x1536.jpg
+        1536w, https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/hemiRoot-2048x2048.jpg
+        2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" /><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">hemiparasite
+        roots with no fungal structures visible</figcaption></figure>\n\n\n\n<figure
+        class=\"wp-block-image size-medium\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\"
+        width=\"300\" height=\"300\" src=\"https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/hostRoot-300x300.jpg\"
+        alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-419\" srcset=\"https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/hostRoot-300x300.jpg
+        300w, https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/hostRoot-150x150.jpg
+        150w, https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/hostRoot-768x768.jpg
+        768w, https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/hostRoot-1536x1536.jpg
+        1536w, https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/hostRoot-2048x2048.jpg
+        2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" /><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">host
+        root with many hyphae and arbuscules</figcaption></figure>\n</div>\n\n\n\n<figure
+        class=\"wp-block-table is-style-regular\"><table class=\"has-base-background-color
+        has-background has-fixed-layout\"><tbody><tr><td></td><td>Host</td><td>Holoparasite</td><td>Hemiparasite</td></tr><tr><td>Hyphae?</td><td>Yes</td><td>Yes</td><td>No</td></tr><tr><td>Arbuscules?</td><td>Yes</td><td>No</td><td>No</td></tr></tbody></table></figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The
+        lack of mycorrhizae in the parasites suggests that they do not need fungi
+        to acquire resources as they can just steal them (and hence the carbon cost
+        of mycorrhizae is not worth it). The resources are acquired from mycorrhizae
+        at a carbon cost by the host, and then promptly stolen by the parasites. It
+        would be interesting to compare with a hemiparasite grown without a host &#8211;
+        does it now form mycorrhizae, as it cannot steal resources from other plants?</p>\n\n\n\n<h3
+        class=\"wp-block-heading\">Water relations</h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Licor was used to
+        measure stomatal conductance and other metrics, and estimate water use efficiency.
+        A pressure bomb was used to measure instantaneous water potential in stems
+        cut around 3cm from the base. The holoparasite could not be measured using
+        licor as it does not have substantial leaves.</p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image
+        aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/waterPotential.png\"
+        alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-423\" width=\"650\" srcset=\"https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/waterPotential.png
+        3750w, https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/waterPotential-300x200.png
+        300w, https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/waterPotential-768x512.png
+        768w, https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/waterPotential-1536x1024.png
+        1536w, https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/waterPotential-2048x1365.png
+        2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 3750px) 100vw, 3750px\" /></figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The
+        shoot water potential was much lower in the hemiparasite than in the host,
+        as expected. The holoparasite had a very high water potential, which was unexpected.
+        This may have been due to issues in measurement, as the texture of the stems
+        made gauging the point at which water was visible at the cut end difficult.
+        It may be that the water potential in the tubercle of the holoparasite was
+        lower as in <em>Cistanche</em>², so it could still act as a sink on the host
+        plant. The extremely high water potential is still strange though, and merits
+        further research.</p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full
+        is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/conductance.png\"
+        alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-420\" width=\"500\" srcset=\"https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/conductance.png
+        3000w, https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/conductance-300x250.png
+        300w, https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/conductance-768x640.png
+        768w, https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/conductance-1536x1280.png
+        1536w, https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/conductance-2048x1707.png
+        2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 3000px) 100vw, 3000px\" /></figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Stomatal
+        conductance was considerably higher in the hemiparasite than in the host,
+        providing a mechanism for its low water potential.</p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image
+        aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/wue.png\"
+        alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-424\" width=\"500\" srcset=\"https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/wue.png
+        3000w, https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/wue-300x250.png
+        300w, https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/wue-768x640.png
+        768w, https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/wue-1536x1280.png
+        1536w, https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/wue-2048x1707.png
+        2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 3000px) 100vw, 3000px\" /></figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The
+        water use efficiency of the hemiparasite was much lower than that of the host.
+        This can be explained by its high conductance.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Overall the hemiparasite
+        has a strong &#8220;spender&#8221; strategy, freely using resources that it
+        gains from its host and transpiring a lot of water to pull a low water potential
+        and get more host resources.</p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">References</h3>\n\n\n\n<ol>\n<li>Ackroyd,
+        Robert D., and Jonathan D. Graves. 1997. ‘The Regulation of the Water Potential
+        Gradient in the Host and Parasite Relationship between <em>Sorghum bicolor</em>
+        and <em>Striga hermonthica</em>’. <em>Annals of Botany</em> 80 (5): 649–56.
+        <a href=\"https://doi.org/10.1006/anbo.1997.0506\">https://doi.org/10.1006/anbo.1997.0506</a>.</li>\n\n\n\n<li>Fahmy,
+        Gamal Mohammad. 2013. ‘Ecophysiology of the Holoparasitic Angiosperm <em>Cistanche
+        phelypaea</em> (Orobanchaceae) in a Coastal Salt Marsh’. <em>Turkish Journal
+        of Botany</em> 37: 908–19. <a href=\"https://doi.org/10.3906/bot-1210-48\">https://doi.org/10.3906/bot-1210-48</a>.</li>\n</ol>\n","tags":["Plants","Ecology","Fieldwork","Parasitic
+        plants","Research"],"language":"en","blog_id":"2bzkh64","blogs":{"id":"2bzkh64","title":"Irish
+        Plants","description":"Jake''s blog.","language":"en","icon":null,"favicon":"https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/favicon32.png","feed_url":"http://irishplants.org/blog/feed/atom/","home_page_url":"https://irishplants.org/blog","base_url":null,"user_id":"8498eaf6-8c58-4b58-bc15-27eda292b1aa","created_at":"2023-05-31T13:47:52+00:00","indexed_at":"2023-01-04","feed_format":"application/atom+xml","license":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode","generator":"WordPress","category":"Natural
+        Sciences","prefix":"10.59350"}},{"id":"https://irishplants.org/blog/2022/12/27/hemiparasitic-plants-in-irish-grasslands/","uuid":"121cba29-9f66-40a5-a434-0c2390955c09","url":"https://irishplants.org/blog/2022/12/27/hemiparasitic-plants-in-irish-grasslands/","title":"Hemiparasitic
+        plants in Irish grasslands","summary":"Hemiparasitic plants are those which
+        steal water and nutrients from other plants, but still photosynthesise (so
+        are green). They are an interesting part of the Irish flora, and some can
+        play an important role...","date_published":"2022-12-27T22:45:56Z","date_modified":"2023-05-07T15:40:14Z","authors":[{"url":null,"name":"Jake
+        Dalzell"}],"image":null,"content_html":"\n<p>Hemiparasitic plants are those
+        which steal water and nutrients from other plants, but still photosynthesise
+        (so are green). They are an interesting part of the Irish flora, and some
+        can play an important role in grasslands by weakening other plants &#8211;
+        particularly Yellow Rattle. I want to run through some of the common hemiparasites
+        found in Irish grasslands and look at their importance for conservation, both
+        as species in themselves and as <em>keystone species</em> which affect the
+        ecosystem they live in. Note that all of these species are in the broomrape
+        family <em>Orobanchaceae</em>. Also note that apart from the Louseworts these
+        are all annuals.</p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"#rhinanthus\" data-type=\"internal\"
+        data-id=\"#rhinanthus\">Yellow Rattle (<em>Rhinanthus minor</em>)</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a
+        href=\"#odontites\" data-type=\"internal\" data-id=\"#odontites\">Red Bartsia
+        (<em>Odontites vernus</em>)</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#euphrasia\" data-type=\"internal\"
+        data-id=\"#euphrasia\">Eyebright (<em>Euphrasia</em> spp.)</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a
+        href=\"#pedicularis\" data-type=\"internal\" data-id=\"#pedicularis\">Lousewort
+        (<em>Pedicularis</em> spp.)</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#parentucellia\"
+        data-type=\"internal\" data-id=\"#parentucellia\">Yellow Bartsia (<em>Parentucellia
+        viscosa</em>)</a></li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\"><em>N.B.</em>
+        These aren&#8217;t the only groups, note that Cow-wheats (<em>Melampyrum</em>
+        spp.) are also present in Ireland, but I don&#8217;t know very much about
+        them and I don&#8217;t have any good photos. Note also that Mistletoe (<em>Viscum
+        album</em>) is a hemiparasite, though obviously very different to those in
+        the <em>Orobanchaceae</em>. It is not native but does occur in Ireland.</p>\n\n\n\n<figure
+        class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\"
+        width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" src=\"https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/DSC_0984-min-scaled.jpg\"
+        alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-395\" srcset=\"https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/DSC_0984-min-scaled.jpg
+        2560w, https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/DSC_0984-min-300x200.jpg
+        300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" /><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Calcareous
+        grassland at Crom Estate, Fermanagh. Both Yellow Rattle and an Eyebright species
+        (probably <em>E. nemorosa</em>) are abundant here.</figcaption></figure>\n\n\n\n<h3
+        class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"rhinanthus\">Yellow Rattle</h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Anyone
+        who has an interest in species-rich grassland in Ireland or Britain is likely
+        to have come across the &#8220;meadow-maker&#8221; Yellow Rattle. We are told
+        that it increases biodiversity by weakening grasses, letting light through
+        to other plants and reducing competition. The results are often self-evident,
+        as in<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https://irishplants.org/field.html\"
+        target=\"_blank\">our field</a>, where Bird&#8217;s-foot Trefoil (<em>Lotus
+        corniculatus</em>) grows happily through the Yellow Rattle, providing food
+        for the larvae of the Common Blue butterfly (<em>Polyommatus icarus</em>):</p>\n\n\n\n<figure
+        class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-4
+        is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\"
+        loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1459\" data-id=\"232\"  src=\"https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/DSC_0778_edit-scaled.jpg\"
+        alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-232\" srcset=\"https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/DSC_0778_edit-scaled.jpg
+        2560w, https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/DSC_0778_edit-300x171.jpg
+        300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" /></figure>\n\n\n\n<figure
+        class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\"
+        width=\"2560\" height=\"1244\" data-id=\"231\"  src=\"https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/20200812_124229-scaled.jpg\"
+        alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-231\" srcset=\"https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/20200812_124229-scaled.jpg
+        2560w, https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/20200812_124229-300x146.jpg
+        300w, https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/20200812_124229-768x373.jpg
+        768w, https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/20200812_124229-1536x747.jpg
+        1536w, https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/20200812_124229-2048x996.jpg
+        2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" /></figure>\n</figure>\n\n\n\n<p>I
+        don&#8217;t doubt that introducing Yellow Rattle has benefited biodiversity
+        in our field, but how?</p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Determining
+        <em>community structure</em></h4>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Community</em> here means
+        the plant species found in a place, and their relative abundance. By changing
+        the structure of plant communities, Yellow Rattle is a <em><a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keystone_species\"
+        data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keystone_species\"
+        target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">keystone species</a></em>.</p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Yellow
+        Rattle will try to parasitise all of the plants growing around it, but grasses
+        can&#8217;t defend themselves from its attacks as well as some herbaceous
+        perennials (forbs) can (Jiang et al., 2010). The sensitivity to attack varies,
+        for example Meadow Vetchling (<em>Lathyrus pratensis</em>) is sensitive but
+        Lady&#8217;s Bedstraw (<em>Galium verum</em>) is unaffected (Cameron et al.,
+        2005).</li>\n\n\n\n<li>By outcompeting grassses, Yellow Rattle can become
+        very dominant in a grassland, as in our field. This increases the amount of
+        light available to plants in the understory. <strong>Light competition is
+        a major driving factor in grassland plant diversity</strong> (Eskelinen et
+        al., 2022), so increasing the amount of light available to low-growing plants
+        can increase biodiversity.</li>\n\n\n\n<li>There are <strong>winners and losers</strong>
+        when community structure changes &#8211; some plants (not just grasses!) decrease
+        in abundance due to parasitism and others increase as they are &#8216;released&#8217;
+        from the pressures of competition. Desey et al. (2015) found that the Common
+        Spotted Orchid (<em>Dactylorhiza fuchsii</em>) is at a massive advantage when
+        another Rattle species is present in Belgian grasslands, as it is not parasitised,
+        and in the parasite&#8217;s absence is vulnerable to being shaded out.</li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<figure
+        class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-6
+        is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\"
+        loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1500\" height=\"1000\" data-id=\"261\"  src=\"https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/DSC_0061-min1.jpg\"
+        alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-261\" srcset=\"https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/DSC_0061-min1.jpg
+        1500w, https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/DSC_0061-min1-300x200.jpg
+        300w, https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/DSC_0061-min1-768x512.jpg
+        768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px\" /><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The
+        Field in Jun 2016. Grasses like Yorkshire Fog (<em>Holcus lanatus</em>) are
+        dominant.</figcaption></figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img
+        decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1444\" height=\"614\" data-id=\"260\"  src=\"https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/DSC_0805_edit-min1.jpg\"
+        alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-260\" srcset=\"https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/DSC_0805_edit-min1.jpg
+        1444w, https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/DSC_0805_edit-min1-300x128.jpg
+        300w, https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/DSC_0805_edit-min1-768x327.jpg
+        768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1444px) 100vw, 1444px\" /><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The
+        Field in June 2021. Yellow Rattle is now one of the most abundant species.</figcaption></figure>\n</figure>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Yellow
+        Rattle dominance isn&#8217;t necessarily static over time &#8211; Yellow Rattle
+        can invade a stand of grass, but once it is dominant it can be outcompeted
+        by herbaceous perennials (forbs), which can be themselves outcompeted by grasses.
+        These &#8220;rock-paper-scissors&#8221; dynamics where no strategy can win
+        out the others can result in the community structure changing constantly (Cameron
+        et al., 2009). This is itself an increase in structural diversity within the
+        grassland.</li>\n\n\n\n<li>Most studies have found Yellow Rattle has a positive
+        or neutral effect on plant biodiversity in grasslands (Chaudron et al., 2021).</li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<h3
+        class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"odontites\">Red Bartsia</h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Red
+        Bartsia is another common species found in many open habitats from machair
+        and saltmarsh to more common types of lowland grassland. It can be very abundant
+        in places, like on <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https://irishplants.org/islands/roe.html\"
+        data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https://irishplants.org/islands/roe.html\" target=\"_blank\">Roe
+        Island</a> where it grows along animal trails with another hemiparasite, the
+        Eyebright species <em>Euphrasia nemorosa</em>:</p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image
+        size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://irishplants.org/images/islands/roe/path.jpg\"
+        width=\"700\" height=\"340\"></figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The effects of Red Bartsia
+        on community structure aren&#8217;t well-researched, but I did find a cool
+        article showing how it indirectly affects the competition of two grass species
+        on a saltmarsh. When it is absent, Creeping Bent (<em>Agrostis stolonifera</em>)
+        is more competitive than a Salt Grass species (<em>Puccinellia phryganodes</em>),
+        but when it is present the competitive advantage of Bent is reduced (Niemelä
+        et al., 2008; note <em>Odontites litoralis</em> subsp. <em>litoralis </em>is
+        a synonym of <em>Odontites vernus</em> subsp. <em>litoralis</em>, a subspecies
+        not found in Ireland). It seems fairly likely that it affects other interspecies
+        interactions too, and at the high densities it sometimes gets to it could
+        have a notable effect on community structure.</p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"
+        id=\"euphrasia\">Eyebright</h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Eyebrights are fab wee plants. They
+        mostly grow in grasslands and heathlands. There are at least twenty species
+        in Ireland, and some are generalist on many host species, while others are
+        more specialised. There are quite a few species of conservation concern in
+        this genus, including the famous limestone specialist Irish Eyebright (<em>Euphrasia
+        salisburgensis</em>). A fairly common one in lowland grassland is <em>Euphrasia
+        nemorosa</em>, which I saw on Roe Island this summer:</p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image
+        size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://irishplants.org/images/islands/roe/euphrasia.jpg\"
+        width=\"650\" height=\"488\"></figure>\n\n\n\n<p>I couldn&#8217;t find any
+        research looking at how Eyebrights affect community structure. They don&#8217;t
+        seem to be looked at as keystone species in the way larger hemiparasites are,
+        but they can be pretty abundant in the understory so this is maybe worth researching.</p>\n\n\n\n<figure
+        class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\"
+        width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" src=\"https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/DSC_0981-min-scaled.jpg\"
+        alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-393\" srcset=\"https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/DSC_0981-min-scaled.jpg
+        2560w, https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/DSC_0981-min-300x200.jpg
+        300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" /><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Eyebright
+        in the understory of calcareous grassland at Crom Estate, Fermanagh</figcaption></figure>\n\n\n\n<figure
+        class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\"
+        width=\"2560\" height=\"1244\" src=\"https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/20210613_105324-scaled.jpg\"
+        alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-243\" srcset=\"https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/20210613_105324-scaled.jpg
+        2560w, https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/20210613_105324-300x146.jpg
+        300w, https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/20210613_105324-768x373.jpg
+        768w, https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/20210613_105324-1536x747.jpg
+        1536w, https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/20210613_105324-2048x996.jpg
+        2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" /><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">An
+        Eyebright species is abundant in this damp grassland at Crom, Fermanagh, with
+        Forget-Me-Not (<em>Myosotis</em>), Red Clover (<em>Trifolium pratense</em>)
+        and Orchids (<em>Dactylorhiza </em>sp.).</figcaption></figure>\n\n\n\n<h3
+        class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"pedicularis\">Lousewort</h3>\n\n\n\n<p>There
+        are two Louseworts in Ireland. The smaller Common Lousewort (<em>Pedicularis
+        sylvatica</em>) is more common, probably most common on damp heath and bog,
+        but it can be abundant on some neutral and acidic lowland grassland &#8211;
+        there just isn&#8217;t a whole lot of species-rich grassland about to find
+        it in! The other, Marsh Lousewort (<em>P. palustris</em>) is a specialist
+        of wetter habitats like damp grasslands and fens.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Note that
+        Common Lousewort is <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https://plantatlas.brc.ac.uk/plant/pedicularis-sylvatica\"
+        target=\"_blank\">&#8220;perennial, rarely biennial&#8221;</a> while Marsh
+        Lousewort is <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https://plantatlas.brc.ac.uk/plant/pedicularis-palustris\"
+        data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https://plantatlas.brc.ac.uk/plant/pedicularis-palustris\"
+        target=\"_blank\">&#8220;annual to biennial&#8221;</a>.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Common
+        Lousewort could be seen on lowland damp grassland at <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"
+        href=\"https://irishplants.org/other_grasslands/lagan_meadows.html\" data-type=\"URL\"
+        data-id=\"https://irishplants.org/other_grasslands/lagan_meadows.html\" target=\"_blank\">Lagan
+        Meadows</a>, growing alongside Devil&#8217;s Bit (<em>Succisa pratensis</em>).
+        Grazing was stopped at this site so the habitat is no longer appropriate (I
+        suspect it may recover from the seedbed if grazing returned). I got nice photos
+        during lockdown:</p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img
+        decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://irishplants.org/images/other_grasslands/lagan_meadows/lousewort_closeup.jpeg\"
+        width=\"650\" height=\"519.4\"></figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image
+        size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://irishplants.org/images/other_grasslands/lagan_meadows/lousewort_sward.jpg\"
+        width=\"650\" height=\"474.0\"></figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Marsh Lousewort is known
+        to have a large impact on fen community structure in England and has been
+        used to encourage less vigorous plant species (Webb, 2020). Decleer et al.
+        (2013) recommended (re)introduction to help with fen-meadow conservation.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Demey
+        et al. (2015) found that Common Lousewort had a fairly minor effect on community
+        structure in semi-natural grasslands in Belgium, but some species did better
+        when it was removed, indicating its parasitism suppresses at least some plants.</p>\n\n\n\n<h3
+        class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"parentucellia\">Yellow Bartsia</h3>\n\n\n\n<p>I&#8217;ve
+        never seen this species, but I found an interesting paper (Suetsugu et al.,
+        2012) that showed it had a significant impact on grasses and legumes (vetches
+        etc) but <em>not other herbaceous perennials</em> in floodplain grasslands
+        in Japan, where it is an invasive species.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">References</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Cameron,
+        D. D., Hwangbo, J. K., Keith, A. M., Geniez, J. M., Kraushaar, D., Rowntree,
+        J., & Seel, W. E. (2005). Interactions between the hemiparasitic angiosperm
+        Rhinanthus minor and its hosts: From the cell to the ecosystem. <em>Folia
+        Geobotanica</em>, <em>40</em>(2–3), 217–229. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02803236</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Cameron,
+        D. D., White, A., & Antonovics, J. (2009). Parasite–grass–forb interactions
+        and rock–paper– scissor dynamics: predicting the effects of the parasitic
+        plant Rhinanthus minor on host plant communities. <em>Journal of Ecology</em>,
+        <em>97</em>(6), 1311–1319. https://doi.org/10.1111/J.1365-2745.2009.01568.X</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Chaudron,
+        C., Mazalová, M., Kuras, T., Malenovský, I., & Mládek, J. (2021). Introducing
+        ecosystem engineers for grassland biodiversity conservation: A review of the
+        effects of hemiparasitic Rhinanthus species on plant and animal communities
+        at multiple trophic levels. In <em>Perspectives in Plant Ecology, Evolution
+        and Systematics</em> (Vol. 52). Elsevier GmbH. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ppees.2021.125633</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Decleer,
+        K., Bonte, D., & van Diggelen, R. (2013). The hemiparasite Pedicularis palustris:
+        “Ecosystem engineer” for fen-meadow restoration. <em>Journal for Nature Conservation</em>,
+        <em>21</em>(2), 65–71. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnc.2012.10.004</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Demey,
+        A., de Frenne, P., Baeten, L., Verstraeten, G., Hermy, M., Boeckx, P., & Verheyen,
+        K. (2015). The effects of hemiparasitic plant removal on community structure
+        and seedling establishment in semi-natural grasslands. <em>Journal of Vegetation
+        Science</em>, <em>26</em>(3), 409–420. https://doi.org/10.1111/JVS.12262</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Eskelinen,
+        A., Harpole, W. S., Jessen, M.-T., Virtanen, R., & Hautier, Y. (2022). Light
+        competition drives herbivore and nutrient effects on plant diversity. <em>Nature</em>,
+        1–5. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-022-05383-9</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Jiang, F., Jeschke,
+        W. D., Hartung, W., & Cameron, D. D. (2010). Interactions Between Rhinanthus
+        minor and Its Hosts: A Review of Water, Mineral Nutrient and Hormone Flows
+        and Exchanges in the Hemiparasitic Association. <em>Folia Geobotanica</em>,
+        <em>45</em>(4), 369–385. https://doi.org/10.1007/S12224-010-9093-2</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Niemelä,
+        M., Markkola, A., & Mutikainen, P. (2008). Modification of competition between
+        two grass species by a hemiparasitic plant and simulated grazing. <em>Basic
+        and Applied Ecology</em>, <em>9</em>(2), 117–125. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.baae.2007.01.001</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Suetsugu,
+        K., Takeuchi, Y., Futai, K., & Kato, M. (2012). Host selectivity, haustorial
+        anatomy and impact of the invasive parasite Parentucellia viscosa on floodplain
+        vegetative communities in Japan. <em>Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society</em>,
+        <em>170</em>(1), 69–78. https://doi.org/10.1111/J.1095-8339.2012.01263.X</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Webb,
+        J.A. (2020). Marsh Lousewort as an Ecosystem Engineer in Oxfordshire Fen Restoration
+        Projects. <em>Freshwater Habitats Trust</em>. https://freshwaterhabitats.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Marsh-louse-wort-as-an-ecosystem-engineerV3-JW-July-2020for-OFP.pdf
+        [Accessed 27th Dec. 2022]</p>\n","tags":["Plants","Conservation","Ecology","Parasitic
+        plants","Review"],"language":"en","blog_id":"2bzkh64","blogs":{"id":"2bzkh64","title":"Irish
+        Plants","description":"Jake''s blog.","language":"en","icon":null,"favicon":"https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/favicon32.png","feed_url":"http://irishplants.org/blog/feed/atom/","home_page_url":"https://irishplants.org/blog","base_url":null,"user_id":"8498eaf6-8c58-4b58-bc15-27eda292b1aa","created_at":"2023-05-31T13:47:52+00:00","indexed_at":"2023-01-04","feed_format":"application/atom+xml","license":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode","generator":"WordPress","category":"Natural
+        Sciences","prefix":"10.59350"}},{"id":"https://irishplants.org/blog/2022/08/04/the-islands-project/","uuid":"0765c67d-a40a-463e-b243-a0dd7eda9aa7","url":"https://irishplants.org/blog/2022/08/04/the-islands-project/","title":"The
+        Islands Project","summary":"This summer I am cataloguing the flora and plant
+        communities of twelve islands [EDIT 20/11/22: it ended up being eleven islands!]
+        in Strangford Lough, with the help of a BSBI Plant Study Grant. The goal is
+        to...","date_published":"2022-08-04T22:00:32Z","date_modified":"2022-12-24T23:25:11Z","authors":[{"url":null,"name":"Jake
+        Dalzell"}],"image":null,"content_html":"\n<p>This summer I am cataloguing
+        the flora and plant communities of twelve islands [EDIT 20/11/22: it ended
+        up being eleven islands!] in Strangford Lough, with the help of a BSBI Plant
+        Study Grant. The goal is to have a complete species list of each island and
+        a map showing all of the plant communities and where they occur. I have been
+        kayaking to these islands and doing a thorough survey, and also quadrats in
+        each distinct plant community. I hope to publish this in a suitable journal,
+        under the (working) title <em>The Vascular Flora of Darragh and nearby Islands
+        in Strangford Lough</em>.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>This project has been a huge opportunity
+        for me to improve my skills as an all-round botanist and ecologist, and challenge
+        myself with groups like grasses and sedges that I have mostly ignored before.</p>\n\n\n\n<figure
+        class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/20210912_182142-1024x498.jpg\"
+        alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-79\"/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Darragh
+        Island, the most diverse and species-rich of the twelve</figcaption></figure>\n\n\n\n<p>One
+        thing I hadn&#8217;t appreciated about fieldwork before beginning this project
+        &#8211; it generates a huge amount of data! Finding time to actually ID difficult
+        specimens I brought home and enter and analyse all my data, then create figures
+        based on it has been exhausting! On the other hand, working hard on figures
+        and being really satisfied with the results is a great feeling, and I think
+        my maps are going to turn out really well.</p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image
+        size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"593\"
+        src=\"https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/darragh-map-1024x593.png\"
+        alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-90\" srcset=\"https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/darragh-map-1024x593.png
+        1024w, https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/darragh-map-300x174.png
+        300w, https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/darragh-map-768x445.png
+        768w, https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/darragh-map-1536x890.png
+        1536w, https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/darragh-map-2048x1187.png
+        2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" /><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">my
+        (work in progress) plant community map of Darragh &#8211; light green is grassland,
+        grassland/scrub mosaic, saltmarsh, iris and rush pasture communities (obviously
+        those all need split up still!), dark green is scrub, brown is mature scrub,
+        pink is H7b heath, grey is rocky shore</figcaption></figure>\n\n\n\n<p>It
+        has also been nice to spend a lot of time kayaking and exploring the islands,
+        seeing the wildlife that lives there, particularly birds and insects. Sharing
+        the wildlife I encounter here has been great, especially with the people who
+        live and work in the area.</p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img
+        decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"498\" src=\"https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/20220804_191146-1024x498.jpg\"
+        alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-71\" srcset=\"https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/20220804_191146-1024x498.jpg
+        1024w, https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/20220804_191146-300x146.jpg
+        300w, https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/20220804_191146-768x373.jpg
+        768w, https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/20220804_191146-1536x747.jpg
+        1536w, https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/20220804_191146-2048x996.jpg
+        2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" /><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">me
+        and my friend Ashley spent half a day surveying Shamrock &#8211; her first
+        time kayaking and her first time doing botanical fieldwork!</figcaption></figure>\n\n\n\n<figure
+        class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\"
+        width=\"1024\" height=\"559\" src=\"https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/20220726_150722-scaled-e1659651675728-1024x559.jpg\"
+        alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-82\" srcset=\"https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/20220726_150722-scaled-e1659651675728-1024x559.jpg
+        1024w, https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/20220726_150722-scaled-e1659651675728-300x164.jpg
+        300w, https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/20220726_150722-scaled-e1659651675728-768x419.jpg
+        768w, https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/20220726_150722-scaled-e1659651675728-1536x838.jpg
+        1536w, https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/20220726_150722-scaled-e1659651675728.jpg
+        2028w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" /><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">a
+        Humingbird Hawkmoth larva (<em>Macroglossum stellatarum</em>) on Darragh,
+        a rare sight in Ireland as the migrant moths rarely lay eggs</figcaption></figure>\n\n\n\n<figure
+        class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\"
+        width=\"755\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/20220731_152422-scaled-e1659651787975-755x1024.jpg\"
+        alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-83\" srcset=\"https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/20220731_152422-scaled-e1659651787975-755x1024.jpg
+        755w, https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/20220731_152422-scaled-e1659651787975-221x300.jpg
+        221w, https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/20220731_152422-scaled-e1659651787975-768x1042.jpg
+        768w, https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/20220731_152422-scaled-e1659651787975-1133x1536.jpg
+        1133w, https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/20220731_152422-scaled-e1659651787975.jpg
+        1241w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 755px) 100vw, 755px\" /><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">a
+        Six-Spot Burnet moth (<em>Zygaena filipendulae</em>) nectaring on Sneezewort
+        (<em>Achillea ptarmica</em>) on Darragh</figcaption></figure>\n","tags":["Islands","Ecology","Fieldwork","Plants","Strangford
+        Lough Islands"],"language":"en","blog_id":"2bzkh64","blogs":{"id":"2bzkh64","title":"Irish
+        Plants","description":"Jake''s blog.","language":"en","icon":null,"favicon":"https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/favicon32.png","feed_url":"http://irishplants.org/blog/feed/atom/","home_page_url":"https://irishplants.org/blog","base_url":null,"user_id":"8498eaf6-8c58-4b58-bc15-27eda292b1aa","created_at":"2023-05-31T13:47:52+00:00","indexed_at":"2023-01-04","feed_format":"application/atom+xml","license":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode","generator":"WordPress","category":"Natural
+        Sciences","prefix":"10.59350"}},{"id":"https://irishplants.org/blog/2023/05/07/water-stress-an-overlooked-factor-in-grassland-hemiparasite-ecology/","uuid":"47f3a4f9-4950-4ff3-ac38-73f1d286920f","url":"https://irishplants.org/blog/2023/05/07/water-stress-an-overlooked-factor-in-grassland-hemiparasite-ecology/","title":"Total
+        ecosystem evapotranspiration – an overlooked factor in grassland hemiparasite
+        ecology?","summary":"The water relations of parasitic plants and their hosts
+        are fairly well documented¹,². The effect of hemiparasites such as Rhinanthus
+        (Yellow Rattle) on community structure³,⁴ and functional traits⁵ has also...","date_published":"2023-05-07T15:22:05Z","date_modified":"2023-05-07T15:44:31Z","authors":[{"url":null,"name":"Jake
+        Dalzell"}],"image":null,"content_html":"\n<p>The water relations of parasitic
+        plants and their hosts are fairly well documented¹<sup>,</sup>². The effect
+        of hemiparasites such as <em>Rhinanthus</em> (Yellow Rattle) on community
+        structure³<sup>,</sup>⁴ and functional traits⁵ has also been studied. However,
+        a factor that I believe has been overlooked is the interaction of these two
+        phenomena: that hemiparasitic plants could have a significant effect on water
+        availability in grassland communities, by increasing the total evapotransiration
+        in the ecosystem.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Rhinanthus</em> maintains a significantly
+        higher stomatal conductance than its hosts⁶. This creates a low water potential,
+        so the parasite acts as a sink for xylem sap, drawing water and other resources
+        in from the host root system, and potentially increasing the total amount
+        of evapotranspiration relative to that from an unparasitised host. This could
+        increase water loss from the soil. However, parasitism also reduces host growth,
+        so the total amount of water taken up by the host is reduced⁶. Hence the effect
+        of parasitism on total evapotranspiration is complex, and an increase won&#8217;t
+        necessarily be the result. This is further complicated by water and nutrient
+        availability, which also affect the interaction of <em>Rhinanthus</em> and
+        its hosts⁷.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>A second effect to consider is gaps in the sward
+        which several authors have proposed the annual death of <em>Rhinanthus</em>
+        creates in the sward⁸<sup>,</sup>⁹. This could potentially increase evaporation
+        from the soil for part of the year, although bare soil evaporation is only
+        the dominant way water is lost in dry grasslands receiving less than 370 mm
+        of precipitation annually¹⁰, so this effect may be negligible.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>I
+        propose that high densities of <em>Rhinanthus</em> could have a significant
+        effect on water availability in grasslands. Drought tolerant plants could
+        be favoured both because they can withstand the water stress caused by parasitism
+        directly, and also because <em>Rhinanthus</em> parasitism increases the total
+        evapotranspiration of water from the ecosystem. This could be tested both
+        by looking at whether drought-tolerance is favoured in grasslands with <em>Rhinanthus</em>
+        and direct measurement of evapotranspiration and soil moisture.</p>\n\n\n\n<h4
+        class=\"wp-block-heading\">References</h4>\n\n\n\n<ol>\n<li>Fahmy, Gamal Mohammad.
+        2013. ‘Ecophysiology of the Holoparasitic Angiosperm <em>Cistanche Phelypaea</em>
+        (Orobanchaceae) in a Coastal Salt Marsh’. <em>Turkish Journal of Botany</em>
+        37: 908–19. <a href=\"https://doi.org/10.3906/bot-1210-48\">https://doi.org/10.3906/bot-1210-48</a>.</li>\n\n\n\n<li>Jiang,
+        Fan, W. Dieter Jeschke, Wolfram Hartung, and Duncan D. Cameron. 2010. ‘Interactions
+        Between Rhinanthus Minor and Its Hosts: A Review of Water, Mineral Nutrient
+        and Hormone Flows and Exchanges in the Hemiparasitic Association’. <em>Folia
+        Geobotanica</em> 45 (4): 369–85. <a href=\"https://doi.org/10.1007/S12224-010-9093-2/TABLES/1\">https://doi.org/10.1007/S12224-010-9093-2/TABLES/1</a>.</li>\n\n\n\n<li>Chaudron,
+        Clémence, Monika Mazalová, Tomáš Kuras, Igor Malenovský, and Jan Mládek. 2021.
+        ‘Introducing Ecosystem Engineers for Grassland Biodiversity Conservation:
+        A Review of the Effects of Hemiparasitic Rhinanthus Species on Plant and Animal
+        Communities at Multiple Trophic Levels’. <em>Perspectives in Plant Ecology,
+        Evolution and Systematics</em> 52 (October). <a href=\"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ppees.2021.125633\">https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ppees.2021.125633</a>.</li>\n\n\n\n<li>Heer,
+        Nico, Fabian Klimmek, Christoph Zwahlen, Markus Fischer, Norbert Hölzel, Valentin
+        H. Klaus, Till Kleinebecker, Daniel Prati, and Steffen Boch. 2018. ‘Hemiparasite-Density
+        Effects on Grassland Plant Diversity, Composition and Biomass’. <em>Perspectives
+        in Plant Ecology, Evolution and Systematics</em> 32 (June): 22–29. <a href=\"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ppees.2018.01.004\">https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ppees.2018.01.004</a>.</li>\n\n\n\n<li>Mudrák,
+        Ondřej, Francesco de Bello, Jiří Doležal, and Jan Lepš. 2016. ‘Changes in
+        the Functional Trait Composition and Diversity of Meadow Communities Induced
+        by <em>Rhinanthus Minor</em> L.’ <em>Folia Geobotanica</em> 51 (1): 1–11.
+        <a href=\"https://doi.org/10.1007/S12224-016-9238-Z/FIGURES/2\">https://doi.org/10.1007/S12224-016-9238-Z/FIGURES/2</a>.</li>\n\n\n\n<li>Jiang,
+        Fan, W. Dieter Jeschke, and Wolfram Hartung. 2003. ‘Water Flows in the Parasitic
+        Association Rhinanthus Minor/Hordeum Vulgare’. <em>Journal of Experimental
+        Botany</em> 54 (389): 1985–93. <a href=\"https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/erg212\">https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/erg212</a>.</li>\n\n\n\n<li>Těšitel,
+        Jakub, Tamara Těšitelová, James P. Fisher, Jan Lepš, and Duncan D. Cameron.
+        2015. ‘Integrating Ecology and Physiology of Root-Hemiparasitic Interaction:
+        Interactive Effects of Abiotic Resources Shape the Interplay between Parasitism
+        and Autotrophy’. <em>New Phytologist</em> 205 (1): 350–60. <a href=\"https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.13006\">https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.13006</a>.</li>\n\n\n\n<li>Joshi,
+        Jasmin, Diethart Matthies, and Bernhard Schmid. 2000. ‘Root Hemiparasites
+        and Plant Diversity in Experimental Grassland Communities’. <em>Journal of
+        Ecology</em> 88 (4): 634–44. <a href=\"https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2745.2000.00487.x\">https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2745.2000.00487.x</a>.</li>\n\n\n\n<li>Pywell,
+        Richard F., James M. Bullock, Kevin J. Walker, Sarah J. Coulson, Steve J.
+        Gregory, and Mark J. Stevenson. 2004. ‘Facilitating Grassland Diversification
+        Using the Hemiparasitic Plant Rhinanthus Minor’. <em>Journal of Applied Ecology</em>
+        41 (5): 880–87. <a href=\"https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0021-8901.2004.00940.x\">https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0021-8901.2004.00940.x</a>.</li>\n\n\n\n<li>Sala,
+        Osvaldo. 2001. ‘Productivity of Temperate Grasslands’. In <em>Terrestrial
+        Global Productivity</em>. Academic Press.</li>\n</ol>\n","tags":["Plants","Uncategorised","Ecology","Parasitic
+        plants","Soil"],"language":"en","blog_id":"2bzkh64","blogs":{"id":"2bzkh64","title":"Irish
+        Plants","description":"Jake''s blog.","language":"en","icon":null,"favicon":"https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/favicon32.png","feed_url":"http://irishplants.org/blog/feed/atom/","home_page_url":"https://irishplants.org/blog","base_url":null,"user_id":"8498eaf6-8c58-4b58-bc15-27eda292b1aa","created_at":"2023-05-31T13:47:52+00:00","indexed_at":"2023-01-04","feed_format":"application/atom+xml","license":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode","generator":"WordPress","category":"Natural
+        Sciences","prefix":"10.59350"}},{"id":"https://irishplants.org/blog/2022/12/31/the-cryptic-wood-white-butterfly/","uuid":"e17b2574-a9c2-4c01-91cf-ebed02873e8b","url":"https://irishplants.org/blog/2022/12/31/the-cryptic-wood-white-butterfly/","title":"The
+        Cryptic Wood White butterfly","summary":"My favourite butterfly, which I first
+        saw during lockdown. They are the most delicate of the white species (Pieridae)
+        found in Ireland and flutter through grasslands in May and June. June 2021
+        A male Wood...","date_published":"2022-12-31T21:44:43Z","date_modified":"2023-01-06T19:16:06Z","authors":[{"url":null,"name":"Jake
+        Dalzell"}],"image":null,"content_html":"\n<p>My favourite butterfly, which
+        I first saw during lockdown. They are the most delicate of the white species
+        (Pieridae) found in Ireland and flutter through grasslands in May and June.</p>\n\n\n\n<figure
+        class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\"
+        src=\"https://irishplants.org/images/other_grasslands/lagan_meadows/courting_flight.jpg\"
+        width=\"650\" height=\"464.3\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><b>June
+        2021</b> A male Wood White courting a female.</figcaption></figure>\n\n\n\n<h4
+        class=\"wp-block-heading\">Taxonomy</h4>\n\n\n\n<p>For a long time, scientists
+        wondered why Wood Whites (<em>Leptidea sinapis</em>) were fairly widespread
+        and common in Ireland, when they were so rare in England. Then, first in the
+        80s and then in 2011, it was realised that there were two more &#8220;cryptic
+        species&#8221; hidden within the Wood White¹. Réal&#8217;s Wood White (<em>Leptidea
+        reali</em>) was the first to be discovered and said to be found throughout
+        Ireland (except for the Burren, where <em>L. sinapis</em> is found). However,
+        when it was further split in two in 2011, our species was named the Cryptic
+        Wood White (<em>Leptidea juvernica</em>)². It&#8217;s a great demonstration
+        that insect taxonomy is challenging and that there is a lot of hidden biodiversity
+        yet to be discovered.</p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img
+        decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1900\" height=\"1497\" src=\"https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/20210524_121244.jpg\"
+        alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-295\" srcset=\"https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/20210524_121244.jpg
+        1900w, https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/20210524_121244-300x236.jpg
+        300w, https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/20210524_121244-768x605.jpg
+        768w, https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/20210524_121244-1536x1210.jpg
+        1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1900px) 100vw, 1900px\" /><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A
+        Cryptic Wood White butterfly at Lagan Meadows, Belfast.</figcaption></figure>\n\n\n\n<h4
+        class=\"wp-block-heading\">Ecology</h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Cryptic Wood Whites can
+        be difficult to see during the flight period in May and June, but at the right
+        site they can be common. The best site I have found for them was <a rel=\"noreferrer
+        noopener\" href=\"https://irishplants.org/other_grasslands/lagan_meadows.html\"
+        data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https://irishplants.org/other_grasslands/lagan_meadows.html\"
+        target=\"_blank\">Lagan Meadows</a>, in a patchy mosaic of damp species-rich
+        grassland and bramble scrub. Here the foodplants (vetches) are common in young,
+        developing scrub and in long grass. I have also seen them at Murlough NNR
+        on mature dune grassland. The species can exist on very small and fragmented
+        sites: the site at Lagan Meadows is small (around 5 ha)³; I believe <a rel=\"noreferrer
+        noopener\" href=\"https://irishplants.org/field.html\" target=\"_blank\">our
+        field</a> was colonised from a hedgerow/road verge population with little-to-no
+        species-rich grassland nearby.</p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img
+        decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://irishplants.org/images/other_grasslands/lagan_meadows/wood_white_on_cardamine.jpg\"
+        width=\"700\" height=\"340.3\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><b>May
+        2021</b> A Wood White nectars on Cuckooflower (<i>Cardamine pratensis</i>)
+        in a damper part of Lagan Meadows.</figcaption></figure>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Foodplants</h5>\n\n\n\n<p>Warnock⁴
+        studied the species&#8217; preferences in Armagh and found they mostly prefer
+        to lay their eggs on Meadow Vetchling (<em>Lathyrus pratensis</em>), also
+        using Lesser Bird&#8217;s-foot Trefoil (<em>Lotus corniculatus</em>), Greater
+        Bird&#8217;s-foot Trefoil (<em>Lotus pedunculatus</em>), and rarely Bush Vetch
+        (<em>Vicia sepium</em>). At Murlough they mostly use Lesser Bird&#8217;s-foot
+        Trefoil⁴. in Edenderry, O&#8217;Neill and Montgomery³ only saw egg-laying
+        on Meadow Vetchling.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the same study⁴ nectar plants included
+        Bush Vetch, Meadow Vetchling, Lesser Bird&#8217;s-foot Trefoil, Tufted Vetch
+        (<em>Vicia cracca</em>), Ragged Robin (<em>Lychnis flos-cuculi</em>), and
+        Red Clover (<em>Trifolium pratense</em>). At Murlough they have been observed
+        using Tormentil (<em>Potentilla erecta</em>).</p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Courtship</h5>\n\n\n\n<p>Courtship
+        generally occurs on the nectar plant. I have observed two courtship displays
+        on Bush Vetch, and one on grass. The male hovers behind and above the female,
+        then lands facing her and begins to wave his proboscis on either side of her,
+        while she occasionally flaps her wings. If she approves of the male, mating
+        follows, but I have never seen this and it seems to be rare⁴ &#8211; most
+        males are rejected.</p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><iframe
+        loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/N_0K4bzqarA\" width=\"350\"
+        height=\"437.5\">\n</iframe><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><b>May
+        2020</b> A video of two pairs at Lagan Meadows courting. In both, the female
+        rejected the male.</figcaption></figure>\n\n\n\n<p>This fairly complex ritual
+        has evolved as a response to the similarity of the different <em>Leptidea</em>
+        species &#8211; the female has to spend a long time working out if the male
+        is actually the same species as her⁵. Why do they stay separate species at
+        all then? Well, the different species occupy different niches in the areas
+        where their ranges overlap. It is advantageous for them to make sure they
+        mate with those of the same species, as the offspring will then share the
+        specialisation to that niche⁶. Hybrid offspring would be less well-adapted
+        to either of the niches of its parents; this is a form of <em><a rel=\"noreferrer
+        noopener\" href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outbreeding_depression\" data-type=\"URL\"
+        data-id=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outbreeding_depression\" target=\"_blank\">outbreeding
+        depression</a></em>.</p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Conservation</h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Heal⁷
+        reported that the Cryptic Wood White spread rapidly northwards into north-east
+        Ulster along the railways in the mid-20th century. It is now in retreat⁴<sup>,</sup>⁸;
+        the main concern is habitat loss⁹. At Lagan Meadows the habitat is quickly
+        becoming inappropriate as grazing has stopped &#8211; this will stop the disturbance
+        needed to create new areas of young scrub, and lead to the loss of the species-rich
+        grassland.</p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\"
+        loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://irishplants.org/images/other_grasslands/lagan_meadows/leptidea_print.jpeg\"
+        width=\"650\" height=\"457\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><b>December
+        2021</b> A linocut print I made inspired by the Wood Whites I saw over lockdown.</figcaption></figure>\n\n\n\n<h2
+        class=\"wp-block-heading\">References</h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\"><em>N.B.</em>
+        I have changed the format to superscript numbers Vancouver style as I think
+        it is less intrusive!</p>\n\n\n\n<ol>\n<li>Dincǎ, V., Lukhtanov, V. A., Talavera,
+        G., & Vila, R. (2011). Unexpected layers of cryptic diversity in wood white
+        <em>Leptidea </em>butterflies. <em>Nature Communications</em>, <em>2</em>(1).
+        https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms1329</li>\n\n\n\n<li>Cryptic Wood White. [online]
+        <em>UK Butterflies</em>. https://www.ukbutterflies.co.uk/species.php?species=juvernica
+        [accessed 31 Dec 2022]</li>\n\n\n\n<li>O’Neill, J., & Montgomery, I. (2018).
+        Demographics and spatial ecology in a population of cryptic wood white butterfly
+        Leptidea juvernica in Northern Ireland. <em>Journal of Insect Conservation</em>,
+        <em>22</em>(3–4), 499–510. https://doi.org/10.1007/S10841-018-0077-5</li>\n\n\n\n<li>Warnock,
+        N. (2008). The ecology and conservation of <em>Leptidea reali</em> (Real’s
+        Wood White) in Northern Ireland. MSc Thesis, Queen’s University Belfast. http://ns340113.ip-5-196-79.eu:7080/images/3_programmes/papillons/biblio/43.pdf</li>\n\n\n\n<li>Friberg,
+        M., Vongvanich, N., Borg-Karlson, A. K., Kemp, D. J., Merilaita, S., & Wiklund,
+        C. (2008). Female mate choice determines reproductive isolation between sympatric
+        butterflies. <em>Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology</em>, <em>62</em>(6),
+        873–886. https://doi.org/10.1007/S00265-007-0511-2</li>\n\n\n\n<li>Friberg,
+        M., Leimar, O., & Wiklund, C. (2013). Heterospecific courtship, minority effects
+        and niche separation between cryptic butterfly species. <em>Journal of Evolutionary
+        Biology</em>, <em>26</em>(5), 971–979. https://doi.org/10.1111/JEB.12106</li>\n\n\n\n<li>Heal,
+        H. (1965). The Wood White, <em>Leptidea sinapis</em> L., and the Railways.
+        <em>The Irish Naturalists’ Journal</em>, <em>15</em>(1), 8–13. https://www.jstor.org/stable/25536916</li>\n\n\n\n<li>Staats,
+        W. T., & Regan, E. C. (2014). Initial population trends from a 5-year butterfly
+        monitoring scheme. <em>Journal of Insect Conservation</em>, <em>18</em>(3),
+        365–371. https://doi.org/10.1007/S10841-014-9644-6</li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>Leptidea
+        juvernica</em> &#8211; cryptic wood white. [online] <em>Northern Ireland Priority
+        Species</em>. http://www.habitas.org.uk/priority/species.asp?item=430857 [accessed
+        31 Dec 2022]</li>\n</ol>\n","tags":["Invertebrates","Conservation","Ecology","Insects","Review"],"language":"en","blog_id":"2bzkh64","blogs":{"id":"2bzkh64","title":"Irish
+        Plants","description":"Jake''s blog.","language":"en","icon":null,"favicon":"https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/favicon32.png","feed_url":"http://irishplants.org/blog/feed/atom/","home_page_url":"https://irishplants.org/blog","base_url":null,"user_id":"8498eaf6-8c58-4b58-bc15-27eda292b1aa","created_at":"2023-05-31T13:47:52+00:00","indexed_at":"2023-01-04","feed_format":"application/atom+xml","license":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode","generator":"WordPress","category":"Natural
+        Sciences","prefix":"10.59350"}},{"id":"https://irishplants.org/blog/2022/12/25/belfasts-urban-flora/","uuid":"b2106939-601c-489c-9b1e-64cea2e5b18c","url":"https://irishplants.org/blog/2022/12/25/belfasts-urban-flora/","title":"Belfast’s
+        urban flora","summary":"In the nineties, the Belfast Naturalists’ Field Club
+        extensively surveyed the urban flora of Belfast, resulting in a book, Urban
+        Flora of Belfast. Many plants new to Down and Antrim were found, and most
+        of...","date_published":"2022-12-25T00:36:34Z","date_modified":"2022-12-26T17:12:40Z","authors":[{"url":null,"name":"Jake
+        Dalzell"}],"image":null,"content_html":"\n<p>In the nineties, the Belfast
+        Naturalists&#8217; Field Club extensively surveyed the urban flora of Belfast,
+        resulting in a book, <em>Urban Flora of Belfast</em>. Many plants new to Down
+        and Antrim were found, and most of these were new to Ireland as well. This
+        was a three-year effort involving some thirty-one recorders. Since this survey,
+        Belfast has seen many new species arrive: Yellow-wort (<em>Blackstonia perfoliata</em>),
+        at one of its only stations in Ulster; Annual Beard-grass (<em>Polypogon monspeliensis</em>),
+        new to Down (<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https://irishplants.org/blog/2022/10/07/annual-beard-grass-a-new-species-for-county-down-h38/\"
+        data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https://irishplants.org/blog/2022/10/07/annual-beard-grass-a-new-species-for-county-down-h38/\"
+        target=\"_blank\">after I found it!</a>); and Narrow-leaved Ragwort (<em>Senecio
+        inaequidens</em>), which has exploded onto the radar as a pavement plant.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Urban
+        areas are a hotspot for new, potentially invasive, non-native species which
+        arrive in ports and on people all the time. They can also provide new niches
+        for native plants, like the many species which have colonised tarmac and concrete,
+        and those which find brownfield sites similar enough to their normal habitat.
+        In Belfast, scarce natives like Fairy Flax (<em>Linum catharticum</em>) and
+        Common Centaury (<em>Centaurium erythraea</em>) mingle with recent colonists
+        on the gravel of building sites and industrial estate.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>It&#8217;s
+        important to remember that urban areas aren&#8217;t devoid of semi-natural
+        habitats either. Belfast has species-rich grassland in the Lagan Valley, like
+        at <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https://irishplants.org/other_grasslands/lagan_meadows.html\"
+        data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https://irishplants.org/other_grasslands/lagan_meadows.html\"
+        target=\"_blank\">Lagan Meadows</a>, and in the Belfast Hills; some parks
+        have been growing increasingly rich, like the now flower-and-butterfly-filled
+        Orangefield Park. There are old woodlands and even small fens at Cregagh Glen.
+        Belfast has retained an area of semi-natural ecosystems that rivals rural
+        Down just to the south &#8211; we should not be dismissive of our forests
+        and meadows!</p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, many of these habitats do go under-appreciated.
+        The fantastic new arrivals go unrecorded, increasing the risk of invasive
+        species going undetected until it&#8217;s too late. Recording of native species
+        is little better, and our knowledge of what we have to cherish and protect
+        is lacking as a result. Lagan Meadows has not been grazed by cattle for several
+        years, leaving the grassland and pond plants that rely on disturbance doomed
+        to the tide of vegetational succession. <em>Rhododendron</em>, Cherry Laurel
+        (<em>Prunus laurocerasus</em>) and other species are invading Cregagh Glen,
+        threatening to smother the woodland plants and trees, while Himalayan Balsam
+        (<em>Impatiens glandulifera</em>) runs rampant along riversides and in damp
+        woodland.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>I hope to see changes in the urban flora of Belfast:
+        not just new arrivals, but changes in our knowledge and understanding of what&#8217;s
+        already here; not just knowledge, but changes in how we treat our precious,
+        irreplaceable habitats. Recording, campaigning, appreciating, <em>seeing</em>,
+        I think there&#8217;s something we can all do for Belfast&#8217;s urban flora.</p>\n","tags":["Plants","Ecology","Writing"],"language":"en","blog_id":"2bzkh64","blogs":{"id":"2bzkh64","title":"Irish
+        Plants","description":"Jake''s blog.","language":"en","icon":null,"favicon":"https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/favicon32.png","feed_url":"http://irishplants.org/blog/feed/atom/","home_page_url":"https://irishplants.org/blog","base_url":null,"user_id":"8498eaf6-8c58-4b58-bc15-27eda292b1aa","created_at":"2023-05-31T13:47:52+00:00","indexed_at":"2023-01-04","feed_format":"application/atom+xml","license":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode","generator":"WordPress","category":"Natural
+        Sciences","prefix":"10.59350"}},{"id":"https://irishplants.org/blog/2022/11/19/british-and-irish-botanical-conference-november-22/","uuid":"22f1f8a5-20ee-42eb-992e-ce851238a10b","url":"https://irishplants.org/blog/2022/11/19/british-and-irish-botanical-conference-november-22/","title":"British
+        and Irish Botanical Conference, November 22","summary":"Today I went to the
+        BSBI’s November conference in the Natural History Museum in London! I presented
+        my poster on my summer project surveying islands on Strangford Lough, and
+        got to do a 60 second flash talk....","date_published":"2022-11-19T22:13:11Z","date_modified":"2022-12-24T23:29:18Z","authors":[{"url":null,"name":"Jake
+        Dalzell"}],"image":null,"content_html":"\n<p>Today I went to the BSBI&#8217;s
+        November conference in the Natural History Museum in London! I presented my
+        poster on my summer project surveying islands on Strangford Lough, and got
+        to do a 60 second flash talk. It was really great to meet other people who
+        are passionate about plants and learn from them.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><a rel=\"noreferrer
+        noopener\" href=\"https://irishplants.org/islands/bsbiposter.html\" data-type=\"URL\"
+        data-id=\"https://irishplants.org/islands/bsbiposter.html\" target=\"_blank\">Read
+        the html version of my poster here.</a></p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://youtu.be/VCne0d2bH34\"
+        data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https://youtu.be/VCne0d2bH34\" target=\"_blank\"
+        rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Watch my (very brief!) flash talk here.</a></p>\n\n\n\n<figure
+        class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\"
+        width=\"3500\" height=\"2472\" src=\"https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/poster_compress.png\"
+        alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-120\" srcset=\"https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/poster_compress.png
+        3500w, https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/poster_compress-300x212.png
+        300w, https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/poster_compress-768x542.png
+        768w, https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/poster_compress-1536x1085.png
+        1536w, https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/poster_compress-2048x1446.png
+        2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 3500px) 100vw, 3500px\" /><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">my
+        poster &#8220;Plants and plant communities of Strangford Lough islands&#8221;</figcaption></figure>\n\n\n\n<p>This
+        was an exciting day for me as I had never been to a scientific conference
+        before, and getting to present some of my findings from the summer was a great
+        experience. The BSBI have been so encouraging throughout this project and
+        I am very thankful for this opportunity. Next step: writing up and publishing
+        a paper!</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Something I found particularly interesting and inspiring
+        was the very high resolution, detailed distribution work some other botanists
+        have achieved, particularly David Barden&#8217;s work on Llantrisant Common.
+        He has made 10m scale distribution maps for particularly interesting or rare
+        taxa, and these really give a sense of their local ecology. It is now something
+        I am considering doing for the rarer plants I encounter while surveying. It
+        emphasises the value of returning to a site year after year to build up a
+        good dataset. You can read more about this work <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"
+        href=\"https://aem.bsbi.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/BSBI-AEM-2020-poster-Barden-1.pdf\"
+        data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https://aem.bsbi.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/BSBI-AEM-2020-poster-Barden-1.pdf\"
+        target=\"_blank\">here (pdf download).</a></p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image
+        size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\"
+        src=\"https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/IMG_20221119_124524-768x1024.jpg\"
+        alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-114\" srcset=\"https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/IMG_20221119_124524-768x1024.jpg
+        768w, https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/IMG_20221119_124524-225x300.jpg
+        225w, https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/IMG_20221119_124524-1152x1536.jpg
+        1152w, https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/IMG_20221119_124524-1536x2048.jpg
+        1536w, https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/IMG_20221119_124524-scaled.jpg
+        1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" /></figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Another
+        fun part of the day was a tour of the British and Irish herbarium in the NHM.
+        We saw very old specimens, and I particularly liked these Spring Gentian specimens
+        from the Burren. We learnt that the herbarium gets less specimens than it
+        used to and that many areas and taxa are underrepresented, something we all
+        as botanists can rectify! I&#8217;m definitely considering submitting some
+        of my specimens now.</p>\n","tags":["Islands","Conference","Ecology","Fieldwork","Plants"],"language":"en","blog_id":"2bzkh64","blogs":{"id":"2bzkh64","title":"Irish
+        Plants","description":"Jake''s blog.","language":"en","icon":null,"favicon":"https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/favicon32.png","feed_url":"http://irishplants.org/blog/feed/atom/","home_page_url":"https://irishplants.org/blog","base_url":null,"user_id":"8498eaf6-8c58-4b58-bc15-27eda292b1aa","created_at":"2023-05-31T13:47:52+00:00","indexed_at":"2023-01-04","feed_format":"application/atom+xml","license":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode","generator":"WordPress","category":"Natural
+        Sciences","prefix":"10.59350"}},{"id":"https://irishplants.org/blog/2022/11/25/fen-soil-carbon-flux/","uuid":"bd5d8342-09bb-4e41-a100-2b6139b8a8f0","url":"https://irishplants.org/blog/2022/11/25/fen-soil-carbon-flux/","title":"Fen
+        soil carbon flux","summary":"Today I had the opportunity to work as a field
+        assistant with a PhD student, Thomas Marquand. He is researching CO₂ and methane
+        dynamics in soil in restored and reclaimed fens in East Anglia (with the Centre...","date_published":"2022-11-25T20:44:48Z","date_modified":"2022-12-31T11:37:39Z","authors":[{"url":null,"name":"Jake
+        Dalzell"}],"image":null,"content_html":"\n<p>Today I had the opportunity to
+        work as a field assistant with a PhD student, Thomas Marquand. He is researching
+        CO₂ and methane dynamics in soil in restored and reclaimed fens in East Anglia
+        (with the <a href=\"https://www.clr.conservation.cam.ac.uk/\" data-type=\"URL\"
+        data-id=\"https://www.clr.conservation.cam.ac.uk/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer
+        noopener\">Centre for Landscape Regeneration</a>). We took samples from the
+        fen exhibit in the Cambridge Botanic Gardens and used a spectrometer to measure
+        CO₂ and methane concentration, and also δ¹³C-CO₂.</p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image
+        size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1920\" height=\"2560\"
+        src=\"https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/FiqBPwvWAAEUGb_-scaled.jpeg\"
+        alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-138\" srcset=\"https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/FiqBPwvWAAEUGb_-scaled.jpeg
+        1920w, https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/FiqBPwvWAAEUGb_-225x300.jpeg
+        225w, https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/FiqBPwvWAAEUGb_-768x1024.jpeg
+        768w, https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/FiqBPwvWAAEUGb_-1152x1536.jpeg
+        1152w, https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/FiqBPwvWAAEUGb_-1536x2048.jpeg
+        1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" /><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Me,
+        Tom, and Margeaux (from the botanic gardens) at the fen exhibit</figcaption></figure>\n\n\n\n<figure
+        class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\"
+        width=\"2311\" height=\"2560\" src=\"https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/9crop-scaled.jpg\"
+        alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-139\" srcset=\"https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/9crop-scaled.jpg
+        2311w, https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/9crop-271x300.jpg
+        271w, https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/9crop-768x851.jpg
+        768w, https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/9crop-1386x1536.jpg
+        1386w, https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/9crop-1849x2048.jpg
+        1849w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2311px) 100vw, 2311px\" /><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Soil
+        samples we took from the exhibit &#8211; note the one on the right is from
+        the shallow layer of peat that has formed since the exhibit was created, while
+        the others are a thick clay</figcaption></figure>\n","tags":["Earth Sciences","Fieldwork","Soil"],"language":null,"blog_id":"2bzkh64","blogs":{"id":"2bzkh64","title":"Irish
+        Plants","description":"Jake''s blog.","language":"en","icon":null,"favicon":"https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/favicon32.png","feed_url":"http://irishplants.org/blog/feed/atom/","home_page_url":"https://irishplants.org/blog","base_url":null,"user_id":"8498eaf6-8c58-4b58-bc15-27eda292b1aa","created_at":"2023-05-31T13:47:52+00:00","indexed_at":"2023-01-04","feed_format":"application/atom+xml","license":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode","generator":"WordPress","category":"Natural
+        Sciences","prefix":"10.59350"}},{"id":"https://irishplants.org/blog/2022/10/07/annual-beard-grass-a-new-species-for-county-down-h38/","uuid":"dc120ed6-0759-4159-a158-42225cade34d","url":"https://irishplants.org/blog/2022/10/07/annual-beard-grass-a-new-species-for-county-down-h38/","title":"Annual
+        Beard-grass: a new species for County Down (H38)","summary":"Earlier this
+        year, I found a species of grass I didn’t recognise, growing as a pavement
+        plant in East Belfast. With a guide I identified it as Polypogon monspeliensis
+        (Annual Beard-grass), a new species for...","date_published":"2022-10-07T15:03:25Z","date_modified":"2022-12-24T23:24:37Z","authors":[{"url":null,"name":"Jake
+        Dalzell"}],"image":null,"content_html":"\n<p>Earlier this year, I found a
+        species of grass I didn&#8217;t recognise, growing as a pavement plant in
+        East Belfast. With a guide I identified it as <em>Polypogon monspeliensis</em>
+        (Annual Beard-grass), a new species for County Down.</p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image
+        size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1244\" height=\"2560\"
+        src=\"https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/processed-dd44da64-4106-43b0-b63c-34f0dbbf9936_IL7IE1e9-edited-scaled.jpeg\"
+        alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-102\" srcset=\"https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/processed-dd44da64-4106-43b0-b63c-34f0dbbf9936_IL7IE1e9-edited-scaled.jpeg
+        1244w, https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/processed-dd44da64-4106-43b0-b63c-34f0dbbf9936_IL7IE1e9-edited-146x300.jpeg
+        146w, https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/processed-dd44da64-4106-43b0-b63c-34f0dbbf9936_IL7IE1e9-edited-498x1024.jpeg
+        498w, https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/processed-dd44da64-4106-43b0-b63c-34f0dbbf9936_IL7IE1e9-edited-768x1580.jpeg
+        768w, https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/processed-dd44da64-4106-43b0-b63c-34f0dbbf9936_IL7IE1e9-edited-747x1536.jpeg
+        747w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1244px) 100vw, 1244px\" /></figure>\n\n\n\n<p>This
+        species is known from Dublin and Cork, and there is a previous Ulster record
+        from Keady in Armagh. It may continue to increase in urban areas, like many
+        plants of pavements and waste ground that have recently colonised Ireland.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>This
+        record featured in the September 2022 edition of BSBI News &#8211; my first
+        appearance!</p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\"
+        loading=\"lazy\" width=\"860\" height=\"438\" src=\"https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/my-record-in-BSBI-News.png\"
+        alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-103\" srcset=\"https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/my-record-in-BSBI-News.png
+        860w, https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/my-record-in-BSBI-News-300x153.png
+        300w, https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/my-record-in-BSBI-News-768x391.png
+        768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 860px) 100vw, 860px\" /></figure>\n","tags":["Plants","Ecology","Fieldwork"],"language":null,"blog_id":"2bzkh64","blogs":{"id":"2bzkh64","title":"Irish
+        Plants","description":"Jake''s blog.","language":"en","icon":null,"favicon":"https://irishplants.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/favicon32.png","feed_url":"http://irishplants.org/blog/feed/atom/","home_page_url":"https://irishplants.org/blog","base_url":null,"user_id":"8498eaf6-8c58-4b58-bc15-27eda292b1aa","created_at":"2023-05-31T13:47:52+00:00","indexed_at":"2023-01-04","feed_format":"application/atom+xml","license":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode","generator":"WordPress","category":"Natural
+        Sciences","prefix":"10.59350"}}]'
+  recorded_at: Fri, 09 Jun 2023 08:44:55 GMT
 recorded_with: VCR 6.1.0