CONSERVATION & ECOLOGY
The three species of newt present at Bath Spa University are the only three usually found in the UK. The Greast crested newt is protected, in England, Wales and Scotland under Schedule 5 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, and under equivalent legislation in Northern Ireland The smooth and palmate newts are listed as ‘least concern’ for preservation. That they are protected by law, then, is a testament to their place amongst robins and some small mammals as those animals considered essential to the biological profile of our country. Least common amongst them is the great crested variety found in the ponds of the campus. It looks more distinct from the other two than they do from each other. The great crested is so-named for the
fin-like protrusion from its upper back. It looks a little like it is windsurfing, whilst the other varieties look more like other types of salamander.
This trait of the salamander family often has them confused with lizards, but the developmental relationship between the two animals spanned hundreds of millions of years - lizards are more closely related to the dinosaurs; newts have no lungs and are just as closely related to fish. Amphibia is one of the least diverse classes of animals (which is perhaps surprising as they are older than the reptiles), and a huge majority of its known species are frogs.
The reason for their generally small size and their lack of diversity is the dominance of reptiles in much of the amphibian biological niche - where reptiles arrive, amphibians often lose out.
In fact, the dominance per niche of reptiles is highlighted in the cause of this ‘mistaken identity’. The reptiles usually overtake the niche by parallel evolution. That is:
The lizards developed the same beneficial traits as the salamanders; the snakes developed the same traits as the sirens and their predecessor the eel; and so on.
One of the potential reasons for their longevity, against those odds posed by lizards and their cousins, is a remarkable evolved ability to regenerate lost body parts via stem cell reproduction. As with the ‘immortal jellyfish’, which simply replaces lost cells and never truly dies of individual causes, salamanders like the smooth newt are seen by some
scientists as a template for how humanity might manipulate stem cells to remedy all sorts of physical ailments.
Smooth newts and palmate newts are both around 10cm long, and the great crested is around 15cm, so they are naturally fragile when their habitat overlaps with human building zones. The reason efforts such as Penny’s team are vital to the survival of the UK newts in such areas is that the amphibian lifecycle is so difficult to facilitate. Unlike other classes, they spread their time between water and land. In newts, this manifests as a taste for cool and shaded areas of land for most of the year, and a submerged breeding season. In keeping with this tendency to appear
‘fussy’, the females put an incredible amount of effort into ensuring their genes continue on: they lay around 300 eggs, then individually wrap each one in leaves from nearby plants.
Amongst their only direct threats (not counting the obvious effects of human intrusion) are fish, which will not usually eat a newt, but will frequently eat their eggs and larvae.
They eat tiny crustaceans and water- going insects, but will extend this diet to include an array of invertebrate species during the tough months on land. The babies again, sometimes known as ‘newtlets’ - are also often referred to as ‘efts’, which seems to have morphed into the word ‘newt’ somewhere in Staffordshire around the time of Middle English or Early Modern English, then been popularised by William Shakespeare in Macbeth.
Whilst the toxins found in the skins of some newts are only dangerous if ingested, it is illegal to handle a great crested newt in the UK unless for the purposes of direct conservation, and illegal to sell any UK-based species of newt as a pet.
In addition, they are vulnerable to harm from very little contact. Their skin is so thin that it is permeable, and scientists tend to use the presence of newts as an indicator of the purity of watery ecosystems, because they do not survive if absorbing tainted water. If nothing else, this is a positive indicator that the habitat on the university’s grounds is suitable for many kinds of life - and it is worth the institution maintaining its policy of natural preservation.
Palmate newt (Lissotriton helveticus)
This is the smallest native newt in the UK. Males are an olive-brown colour, females can be yellow to olive-brown. Males also develop a low, smooth dorsal crest during the breeding season. Palmate newts have an unspotted pinkish throat and yellow bellies with small black spots. The female lays eggs individually and wraps them in the leaves of aquatic plants.
Great crested newt (Triturus cristatus)
A European Protected Species, the great crested newt is dark brown with a row of white spots on its head and body. The male is smaller than the female and will develop the large and distinctive waved crest along its back during the breeding season. The female lays eggs individually on aquatic plants.
Smooth or common newt (Lissotriton vulgaris)
This is the most widespread newt in the UK. It is smaller than the great crested newt, but very similar to the palmate newt. However, the males have a much more developed wavy dorsal crest than the palmate newt during the mating season. Both sexes also have dark spots on their white throats, which palmate newts do not. The female lays individual eggs, wrapping each one in the leaf of an aquatic plant.
PC August/September 2018 129
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156
