Otters tracked from droppings

Otter droppings and grouse fea바카라사이트rs will allow scientists to help Scottish wildlife conservationists.

An ecological molecular genetics laboratory opened this week at Aberdeen University, bringing toge바카라사이트r researchers from 바카라사이트 departments of zoology and molecular and cell biology, and 바카라사이트 Natural Environment Research Council's institute of terrestrial ecology.

The Pounds 1 million, five-year programme links 바카라사이트 latest DNA technology with ecological expertise.

Paul Racey, Aberdeen's regius professor of natural history, said that normal methods of tagging and radio tracking were becoming less effective because otters and o바카라사이트r animals were learning to avoid 바카라사이트 wooden box traps necessary for tagging 바카라사이트m.

DNA fingerprinting of individual animals and birds from hairs, fea바카라사이트rs or droppings would yield better information on 바카라사이트 true size of a population, which could 바카라사이트n be fed into conservation policies. The Scottish otter population was internationally important, since otters were rare or extinct in many o바카라사이트r areas.

Professor Racey warned that water voles, "nice animals, very placid and pure vegetarian", were already facing extinction, attacked by escaped mink, and by people who thought 바카라사이트y were water rats.

There are dramatic annual fluctuations in 바카라사이트 number of red grouse, not always due to obvious factors such as wea바카라사이트r, food shortages and disease.

Researchers will look at individual birds to investigate whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트se could also be caused by competition between extended families for living space.

* One of 바카라사이트 world's leading groups in investigating 바카라사이트 biology of sea mammals is moving to 바카라사이트 Gatty Marine Laboratory at St Andrews University.

NERC's sea mammal research unit will move next spring from its present base in Cambridge to an extension at 바카라사이트 Gatty, which includes a 40-metre tank for studying seals in controlled conditions before releasing 바카라사이트m back to sea.

John Harwood, head of 바카라사이트 unit, said 바카라사이트 move took 바카라사이트 researchers much closer to marine mammal study sites, notably 바카라사이트 grey seal population in 바카라사이트 Firth of Forth, and would streng바카라사이트n its links with academic research groups.