Congratulations to #UofStirling's @nigelwillby.bsky.social, @dralanlaw.bsky.social and colleagues, who have a new paper out this month using #eDNA sampling to uncover the effects #beaver recolonisation on migratory #fish distribution 👏 🦫🐟🧬

<fc>eDNA</fc> sampling reveals no evidence of negative effects of beaver recolonisation on the catchment‐scale distribution of migratory fish

This study provides novel insights into the catchment-scale co-distribution of beavers and migratory fish, and there was no evidence of negative effects on the catchment-scale distribution of migrato...

besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com

New Paper Alert 📢 eDNA sampling reveals no evidence of negative effects of beaver recolonisation on the catchment-scale distribution of migratory fish. Journal of Applied Ecology, 63, e70475. doi.org/10.1111/1365...

Biodiversity effects of beaver activity in a semi-natural enclosure revealed by eDNA https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.05.15.725411v1

Nice talk by Ruaidhri Forrester on using #eDNA #metabarcoding to locate #coregonid spawning grounds. High read counts correspond to locations of known spawning grounds in spawning season. Relationship spatially explicit and not seen outside spawning season, but not consistent across lakes #UKDNAWG26

Fab talk by Nathan Griffiths on invertebrate #eDNA #metabarcoding for statutory #lake assessment in Scotland. Initial results are promising for high quality sites, but low quality sites may be overestimated by #eDNA. Also need to consider reference database coverage and sampling effort #UKDNAWG26

Cool talk by @jamesmacarthur.bsky.social on #beaver #eDNA transport. Sample in winter to understand if beavers are present in wider landscape due to long transport distance. Sample in summer to understand localised distribution in a catchment due to shorter transport distance #UKDNAWG26

Thank you to everyone who brought and presented posters at #SNSC2026 - we were lucky to have such a wide range of fascinating topics and great engagement in great conversations about ongoing research!

A big thanks to our student keynote speaker Adam Woodward for presenting work on light pollution and seabirds in Scotland. We look forward to hearing all about future work with @naturescot.bsky.social to tackle this! #SNSC2026

Congratulations to our #SNSC2026 prize winners! Alice Turner delivered an amazing talk on the impact of human disturbance on #beaver foraging 🦫 Jess Frater presented an engaging poster on social acceptability of increased deer culling in Scotland @cieem.bsky.social @naturescot.bsky.social

We want to express a massive thank you to all of the organisations that contributed to the #SNSC2026 conference, including those who brought stalls and spoke to attendees. Without these organisations, this event would not be possible!

Great to be at Scotland Nature Student Conference, aptly represented by previous president of the FSBI, Professor Colin Adams! The FSBI is a strong advocate for students and early career researchers, with a string of funding opportunities available to members. Membership starts at just £10!

Poor-poise - Concentration patterns of intentionally and unintentionally produced PCBs in harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) stranded along the British coast - Presentation by Katerina Schiffnederova

Alleviating climate anxiety in undergraduate students using skills-based learning by @lindindin.bsky.social #SNSC2026 @stir.ac.uk @britishecologicalsociety.org

Ticked off! Woodland patch and landscape characteristics determine tick presence and density in Scotland by Benjamin Miller

Ladybirds of a feather flock together? Callum Grant explores the question 'do ladybirds prefer to overwinter with conspecifics?' 🐞 #SNSC2026 @naturescot.bsky.social @stir.ac.uk

Measuring nature connectedness in children: A face validity investigation of the NCI by Zsuzsa Lugosi-Grant #SNSC2026 @naturescot.bsky.social @stir.ac.uk @nhm-london.bsky.social

that's a-boar-e! Belonging, Legitimacy and the Governance of Free-Living Sus scrofa in Contemporary Scotland: A Critical Discourse Analysis by Eleanor Foster #SNSC2026 @naturescot.bsky.social @stir.ac.uk

Building a web - Understanding online interest in invasive non-native species, presented by Ruth Wright at #SNSC2026 @ruth-wright.bsky.social @stir.ac.uk @naturescot.bsky.social @iapetusdtp.bsky.social

Not got mush-room, unless you’re a willow! @sarahwatts.bsky.social is unearthing the ectomycorrhizal fungi co-occurring with relict arctic-alpine willows and restoration sites using eDNA

Taking the sting out: Controlling nettles to improve puffin breeding habitat - presentation by Finley Bruce

Gr-aspen the regeneration - from soil to suckers: drivers of clonal regeneration in Aspen (Populus tremula) at Muir of Dinnet NNR - Presentation by Callum Nicol from SRUC

Professor Kirsty Park ( @stir.ac.uk ) delivered her keynote speech on the WrEN project, undertaking a “natural experiment” approach to assess the effects of historic woodland creation on current biodiversity in order to inform future restoration actions

Day 2 of #SNSC2026 kicks off with an introduction from Stuart MacQuarrie (@naturescot.bsky.social) – hope isn’t just a feeling but a strategy. Hope-based action within environmental work delivers success and we have the proof!

Dam humans ruining my meal! 🦫 Alice Turner from @stir.ac.uk (and of SNSC organising committee fame) presents her PhD research on how human disturbance affects beaver foraging #SNSC2026 @naturescot.bsky.social

Our #SNSC2026 panel explored how to navigate career pathways across in the environmental sector. We heard about "wiggly" career paths, and how they can lead to accumulation of diverse skillsets, how to gain experience in your area of interest, and how we can bridge gaps between research and policy.

Having a whale of a time with our student keynote speaker Penny Clarke, detailing research from the recently completed PhD on how satellite imagery is giving insights into whale monitoring and conservation 🐋 #SNSC2026

Our #SNSC2026 poster session is underway, with presenters discussing a wide range of environmental and ecological topics including blue crab, tansy beetles, ticks and more!

All Time Crow 🪶 - our second student talks session kicks off with allofeeding and allopreening of a crow with a beak abnormality from Julia Chase

I want to break tree! Sitka spruce colonisation of treeline environments in Scotland by Rory Abernethy 🌲 #SNSC2026 @naturescot.bsky.social @stir.ac.uk

Peat and Tidy - Niamh Gurrin from the University of Edinburgh presents how peat bog restoration impacts stream water quality 💧 #SNSC2026 @naturescot.bsky.social @stir.ac.uk