{"id":27092,"date":"2023-06-13T08:03:00","date_gmt":"2023-06-13T08:03:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.walkhighlands.co.uk\/news\/?p=27092"},"modified":"2023-06-12T15:37:17","modified_gmt":"2023-06-12T15:37:17","slug":"bag-a-munro-and-a-soil-sample-in-the-name-of-science","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.walkhighlands.co.uk\/news\/bag-a-munro-and-a-soil-sample-in-the-name-of-science\/","title":{"rendered":"Bag a Munro \u2013 and a soil sample – in the name of science"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Andrea Britton an ecologist at The James Hutton Institute asks hillwalkers to help with important research.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Everyone who enjoys Scotland\u2019s Munros already knows that our spectacular mountain landscapes are home to some amazing wildlife: from majestic Golden Eagles and enigmatic Mountain Hares through to the multi-coloured carpets of lichen and moss that thrive in what \u2013 to us as least \u2013 appear to be sometimes hostile habitats.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Alpine plantlife in Scotland (Photo: Andrea Britton)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

But how much do we actually know about the life beneath our walking boots as we bag our next Munro? It\u2019s a question that we ecologists at The James Hutton Institute have been asking, and we\u2019re now recruiting hillwalkers to help us find the answers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019re working to unearth Scotland\u2019s hidden mountain soil biodiversity, to explore what\u2019s there and to better understand how climate change could impact our vital soil ecosystems. We want to do that by collecting soil samples from the tops of Scotland\u2019s Munros \u2013 mountains with summits at 3,000 ft or above – with your help.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Beinn Mheadhoin in the Cairngorms (Photo: Andrea Britton)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Natures\u2019 foundations<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You might not realise it, but soils are among the most biodiverse habitats on earth, home to an amazing array of life including bacteria, fungi, nematodes, worms, mites, springtails and more. These organisms are vital to the functioning of all healthy ecosystems: they decompose organic matter, recycle nutrients, support plant growth and control the storage of carbon in the soil. They are natures\u2019 foundations and we are hugely reliant on them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the biodiversity of our mountain soils is still virtually unknown. It is important that we learn more about it. We need to understand what is there because any changes in that biodiversity could have profound impacts on species higher up the food chain and on the benefits such as clean water and carbon storage that we all receive from mountain soils.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hidden treasures \u2013 some already found<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We have already had a glimpse of what lies unearthed across Scotland\u2019s Munros. In 2021, we collaborated with the plant and fungal conservation charity PlantLife to uncover the fungal species living in the soil of the Cairngorm mountains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just like we are now, we asked hillwalkers to become citizen scientists and to gather soil samples during their Munro bagging trips.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Sampling on Carn of Claise in the Cairngorms (Photo: Gaelle Hogrel)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Over just three months, volunteer hillwalkers collected 219 soil samples from 55 of the 58 Munros in the Cairngorms National Park. We then extracted and sequenced DNA from the samples, resulting in an incredible 17,462 records of 2,748 fungal species.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To put this number in context, it took 173 years, between 1850 and the present day, for the National Biodiversity Network Atlas of Scotland to collect 123,600 records of 3,781 species of fungi in the Cairngorms National Park.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the species found, two \u2013 Amanita groenlandica<\/em> and Acrodontium antarcticum<\/em> \u2013 had not previously been found in the UK. Amanita groenlandica<\/em> is an arctic species originally described from Greenland and circumpolar in its distribution, with Scandinavia its previously recorded most southerly location. Acrodontium antarcticum<\/em> is a fungus originally described from Antarctica.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our citizen scientists had found fungi that came from opposite poles and had not previously been found together. We also found a \u201cStrangler\u201d fungus (Squamanita contortipes<\/em>), which takes its name from its ability to take over other fungi, and the vibrant and colourful Violet Coral fungus (Clavaria zollingeri<\/em>), one of the UK\u2019s rarest grassland fungi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The rewards for hillwalkers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Many volunteers undertook our science challenge in groups. One of those was a group from Dundee Mountaineering Club (DMC). Ga\u00eblle Hogrel, one of its members, jumped at the opportunity.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Gaelle Hogrel sampling on Carn of Claise in the Cairngorms (Photo: Gaelle Hogrel)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

\u201cI was quite intrigued and excited by the idea of giving a scientific purpose to my hike in the Scottish mountains,\u201d she told us. \u201cI thought it could be a good way to learn more about flora (and fungi) while helping the scientific community. Besides, I really enjoyed the idea of being temporarily an \u2018outdoor scientist on expedition\u2019, going out to discover new things.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A team of six from DMC decided to tackle Cairn of Claise (1,046 m), east of the Cairnwell Pass, in July 2021. \u201cI just had to select a Munro from the list and then I received everything needed and guidelines to collect the samples,\u201d says Ga\u00eblle told us. \u201cWe were really lucky with the weather and it was also a good exercise of navigation as we had to collect samples at specific GPS coordinates. That made it like a scavenger hunt where the treasure was several teaspoons of soil containing maybe still undescribed species! Since then, I pay more attention during my hikes of the fungi, fauna and flora around and still wonder what could hide under my feet and how my hike would have an impact on it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fellow walker Andrew Brooks said it gave a new focus to the walk. \u201cIt got us all thinking about what’s under our feet, how important it is and how little we know about it,\u201d he says. \u201cAnd it was great to know that we’re also able to help someone else with their research.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some volunteers just picked off one Munro for us on a family day out, while others gathered several samples while on multi-day trips wild camping or staying in bothies, or even on a hill run.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now for the whole of Scotland<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This summer and next, our ambitions are much bigger. We\u2019re rolling out the project across the whole of Scotland \u2013 and including all soil biodiversity. Using the DNA we find in the soil, we will detect organisms across the tree of life, from bacteria and archaea, through fungi and small single-celled animals up to the \u201cbig things\u201d like mites, collembola, worms and insect larvae.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This will allow us to develop a map of Scotland\u2019s alpine soil life, identify biodiversity hotspots and better understand how climate change could influence this hidden world beneath our hiking boots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our aim is to get samples from 270 of the 282 Munros, since some, like the Inaccessible Pinnacle on the Isle of Skye, lack suitable soil sampling areas. With 55 already done in the Cairngorms, that leaves 215 for keen hillwalkers to bag in the name of science.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to get involved<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you would like to get involved, visit the project website<\/a> where you will find a map showing which Munros have been sampled, which have been adopted and which are still available. You can then sign up on the website to participate and \u201cadopt\u201d a Munro, and we will then send you a soil sampling kit and instructions, with detailed information on where and how to collect samples. There will also be a reply-paid return envelope to send the samples back to us.<\/p>\n\n\n

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All you need for soil sampling (Photo: Andrea Britton)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Everyone knows that some of our Munros are more accessible than others, so while some are family friendly, others are more of a challenge. We hope there will be something for everyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ultimately, it\u2019s a great opportunity to do something positive for the wild places that we all love and to add an extra dimension to your exploration of Scotland\u2019s wild mountain landscapes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Get involved and visit www.hutton.ac.uk\/MunroSoils<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Andrea Britton an ecologist at The James Hutton Institute asks hillwalkers to help with important research. Everyone who enjoys Scotland\u2019s Munros already knows that our spectacular mountain landscapes are home to some amazing wildlife: from majestic Golden Eagles and enigmatic Mountain Hares through to the multi-coloured carpets of lichen and moss that thrive in what \u2013 to us as least \u2013 appear to be sometimes hostile habitats. But how much do we actually know about the life beneath our walking boots as we bag our next Munro? It\u2019s a question that we ecologists at The James Hutton Institute have been…<\/span> <\/p>\n

Read more ›<\/div>\n

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