Wolves were well-established members of the Pleistocene (Ice Age) carnivore community in Europe but today, many surviving populations of these charismatic animals are endangered because of human persecution and environmental change. As keystone predators, wolves play a vital role in maintaining biodiversity, particularly in keeping mammalian herbivore and medium-sized carnivore numbers in check, thereby limiting over-browsing on vegetation and over-predation on small vertebrates respectively. In this regard, they are the most influential large predator in the northern Palaearctic. The ripples from their activity can therefore be felt in diverse positive ways throughout the ecosystem but serious concerns exist as to the viability of European wolf populations under different scenarios of environmental and climate change. A key goal is therefore to understand how wolves have adapted to changing circumstances so that current and future conservation policy can be appropriately tailored. One of the best ways to approach this issue is through the study of diet, since this is closely linked to climate and environment (determining which prey species are available) and to competition for resources from other carnivores. Our previous research into the British fossil wolf record revealed marked changes in the size and shape of the jaws and teeth over the last half a million years, which together with evidence from tooth breakage and wear, indicate that wolves modified their diet (consuming more/less meat versus non-meat foods) in response to changing environmental parameters. Such morphological change cannot readily be measured in the short time scales (years to decades) of modern ecological studies but the rich Pleistocene fossil record offers a chronologically well-resolved series of wolf specimens spanning tens to hundreds of thousands of years, allowing patterns of change to be fully tested against diverse variables such as changing climates, environments, carnivore competition and prey availability. We successfully tested these palaeodietary assumptions in two NERC-funded studies on fossil wolf remains from three different climatic episodes (glacial and interglacial), using direct measurements of bone chemistry through carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analysis in order to verify changing prey choice through time. We now propose to expand this study in what will be the most comprehensive and state-of-the-art examination of diet in modern and recent fossil (<250,000 years) European wolves by using a series of independent proxies operating on different temporal scales. Working with conservation biologists, a key aim is the integration of morphological and dietary evidence from modern wolves from Sweden, Poland and Croatia, using a combination of GPS data on radio-collared wolves to identify kill sites, analysis of the contents of wolf scats, and stable isotope evidence from recently culled or dead specimens. As well as revealing seasonal and geographical variation in wolf diet, our research will allow for the first time: (1) direct comparison of modern, Holocene and Pleistocene wolf diet; (2) investigation of the degree to which direct (stable isotope, dental microwear) and indirect (morphometric) measurements of diet are in step with real-time dietary evidence from scat analyses and kill sites; (3) evaluation of the influence of diet on the morphology of modern wolves and (4) the opportunity to "ground truth" the evidence generated by current palaeodietary approaches, by assessing whether it replicates that obtained from analyses of modern wolf diet. By understanding the ecological trajectory of past and current wolf populations, we will generate a new, evidence-based view of the impacts on European large carnivores of climate, prey choice and environment. As well as academic beneficiaries, we will reach new audiences through public outreach at the Wildwood Trust and art commissions for gallery and online display.

Wolves were well-established members of the Pleistocene (Ice Age) carnivore community in Europe but today, many surviving populations of these charismatic animals are endangered because of human persecution and environmental change. As keystone predators, wolves play a vital role in maintaining biodiversity, particularly in keeping mammalian herbivore and medium-sized carnivore numbers in check, thereby limiting over-browsing on vegetation and over-predation on small vertebrates respectively. In this regard, they are the most influential large predator in the northern Palaearctic. The ripples from their activity can therefore be felt in diverse positive ways throughout the ecosystem but serious concerns exist as to the viability of European wolf populations under different scenarios of environmental and climate change. A key goal is therefore to understand how wolves have adapted to changing circumstances so that current and future conservation policy can be appropriately tailored. One of the best ways to approach this issue is through the study of diet, since this is closely linked to climate and environment (determining which prey species are available) and to competition for resources from other carnivores. Our previous research into the British fossil wolf record revealed marked changes in the size and shape of the jaws and teeth over the last half a million years, which together with evidence from tooth breakage and wear, indicate that wolves modified their diet (consuming more/less meat versus non-meat foods) in response to changing environmental parameters. Such morphological change cannot readily be measured in the short time scales (years to decades) of modern ecological studies but the rich Pleistocene fossil record offers a chronologically well-resolved series of wolf specimens spanning tens to hundreds of thousands of years, allowing patterns of change to be fully tested against diverse variables such as changing climates, environments, carnivore competition and prey availability. We successfully tested these palaeodietary assumptions in two NERC-funded studies on fossil wolf remains from three different climatic episodes (glacial and interglacial), using direct measurements of bone chemistry through carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analysis in order to verify changing prey choice through time. We now propose to expand this study in what will be the most comprehensive and state-of-the-art examination of diet in modern and recent fossil (<250,000 years) European wolves by using a series of independent proxies operating on different temporal scales. Working with conservation biologists, a key aim is the integration of morphological and dietary evidence from modern wolves from Sweden, Poland and Croatia, using a combination of GPS data on radio-collared wolves to identify kill sites, analysis of the contents of wolf scats, and stable isotope evidence from recently culled or dead specimens. As well as revealing seasonal and geographical variation in wolf diet, our research will allow for the first time: (1) direct comparison of modern, Holocene and Pleistocene wolf diet; (2) investigation of the degree to which direct (stable isotope, dental microwear) and indirect (morphometric) measurements of diet are in step with real-time dietary evidence from scat analyses and kill sites; (3) evaluation of the influence of diet on the morphology of modern wolves and (4) the opportunity to "ground truth" the evidence generated by current palaeodietary approaches, by assessing whether it replicates that obtained from analyses of modern wolf diet. By understanding the ecological trajectory of past and current wolf populations, we will generate a new, evidence-based view of the impacts on European large carnivores of climate, prey choice and environment. As well as academic beneficiaries, we will reach new audiences through public outreach at the Wildwood Trust and art commissions for gallery and online display.

Counting animals - and the number of habitats occupied by animals - is fundamental to conservation decision-making. Despite recent advances in survey design and analysis, population assessments of amphibians and reptiles almost entirely rely on simple counts that usually bear little relationship to actual population sizes, densities or the number of habitats occupied. This is because simple counts fail to take into account variations in the detectability of animals between habitats, time periods or observers. Consequently, the quality of data collected on amphibian and reptile populations is extremely variable. We have been developing and testing survey methods for assessing the population status of a variety of amphibian and reptile species, that use designs and analytical tools that take account of variations in detectability. Because of the recent growth in interest in assessing the status of protected amphibians and reptiles, we believe that the time is right to make such tools more widely available to professional end-users. We therefore seek funds from NERC to make this happen, and put amphibian and reptile population assessment on a par with other taxa that have well-defined survey standards. The stakeholders involved with the project will be statutory agencies that provide advice and licensing for protected species; local authorities responsible for planning decisions and managing local nature reserves; ecological consultants who carry out surveys and mitigation projects on behalf of developers; and conservation organisations that provide advice, training and site management on amphibian and reptile issues. The project will be divided into three phases which will be overseen by a steering group that includes principal stakeholders. Phase I will comprise a series of regional workshops that will: (1) brief regional end-users on recent developments in tools to design and analyse survey data, available software, and how these might be applied to amphibian and reptile data; and (2) seek feedback on what the current pressing issues are in population assessments, the range of methods used and their advantages and disadvantages, and potential obstacles to applying new methodologies and analyses. From these workshops we will draft new standard protocols for survey design and analysis. In Phase II of the project the draft protocols will be 'road-tested' on real survey projects being carried out by end-users. We will provide a design and analysis service for a number of such projects, and in return the end-users will provide feedback on the performance of the draft protocols. In this way, end-users will gain hands-on experience of using statistical models and new protocols. In Phase III of the project, feedback from the road-tests will lead to revised, final survey protocols that will then be disseminated via the project partner network. In addition, we will run a training workshop that will ensure that more tightly defined best practice guidelines are adopted. We therefore intend the whole process to be one of knowledge exchange - rather than just knowledge transfer. The economic impact of the project will be widespread. With several million pounds being spent on development mitigation for amphibians and reptiles, debate rages over the cost-effectiveness of such actions. The protocols that will emerge from this project will therefore allow ecological consultants to produce much more effective mitigation plans for their clients. Equally, it will strengthen the decision-making processes involved with licensing by the statutory agencies, and local authorities will be better-informed when it comes to planning issues. Managers of nature reserves will also be able to carry out more effective surveys of amphibians and reptiles which will enhance our knowledge of the regional and national status of these animals.