30th of May, 13h30 | Amph. C (CP)

Is the invasive barnacle Austrominius modestus an “ecological sleeper” in southern Portugal?

Ruth Ramsay          
(School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University College Cork. Ireland)

Abstract

Austrominius modestus in a barnacle species native to Australasia. It was first recorded in the UK in the 1940s  and recorded on mainland Europe in 1946. Its current published invasive range is from Denmark to Portugal as well as two sites in the Mediterranean.  After 50 years of a fairly stable invasive range and abundances, field surveys between 2001 and 2014 showed it to be increasing in abundance in a number of locations in Europe, at both its northern and southern invasive limits. Witte et al. (2010) had suggested that this might be an example of the “Awakening of….ecological sleeper”. The seminar will examine its spread, discuss the reasons for its success, its effect on native biota but also what factors may limit or enhance its distribution.

Short CV

Ruth Ramsay (B.A. Mod. (Zoology) Trinity College Dublin, PhD (Zoology) UCC, B.A. (French & Italian) UCC) has been a member of the academic staff of the School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences since 1992, where she is a Senior Lecturer, but she spent 2001-4, as an Assistant Professor at the National University of Singapore.
For the 2017/18 academic year, she is on a research sabbatical.
Ruth’s main research interests are temperate and tropical intertidal ecology and the impact of climate change, the biology of exotic aquatic species and their potential impact on native fauna and the behaviour of vertebrate animals in the wild and captivity, resulting in over 100 publications in internationally refereed journals.  She teaches undergraduate and taught postgraduate modules in these areas, including residential field courses in Scotland and Portugal, as well as supervising Research Masters and PhD students. Ruth works closely with Fota Wildlife Park, Cork on the behaviour of a range of exotic species there and the use of environmental enrichment and is a Member of Fota Wildlife Park’s Research Ethics Board (2007-present).

Prior to her sabbatical, she was Vice-Head of the College of Science, Engineering and Food Science (SEFS) from 2015-2017, when she was also Vice-Chair of UCC’s Athena Swan Steering Group, Chair of SEFS Athena Swan Steering Group, Chair of SEFS International Committee and Chair of UCC’s Student Discipline Committee. She was Head of the Graduate School of the College of SEFS from 2010-17.

Poster