new(t) directions during a pandemic

I wrote the following piece initially for the World Congress of Herpetology newsletter published last month. They wanted to share stories of how PhD researchers have adapted to the pandemic and better understand how COVID-19 is impacting the wider herp research community. They're currently running an online survey (here) and are keen to hear from other herpetology-focussed PhD students (flick to P51 in the newsletter).

In mid-March I remember sitting at a lab bench frantically pipetting. I had a thousand Eppendorf’s left to fill with ethanol before preparations for the first field season of my PhD were complete. My van was packed, brimming with funnel traps, bamboo canes, collapsible ‘field furniture’ and enough belongings to see me through the next few months. I remember feeling uncertain about the situation at the time - COVID-19 had been the main topic of discussion in the office for a while now - but I tentatively continued to prepare my equipment. Government permits, ethical approval and risk assessments had been given the go-ahead, my new accommodation was sorted, and the landlord was expecting me in Wales the next day.

My intended destination was a network of ponds scattered amongst grazed fields and small land holdings in rural Wales, UK. Here, native palmate newts Lissotriton helveticus could be found alongside apparent high numbers of smooth Lissotriton vulgaris and alpine newts Ichthyosaura alpestris, both of which were non-native to the area. Alpine newts are found naturally across mainland Europe, but a number of wild breeding populations have now been reported across the UK. The native range of smooth newts spreads into Wales but they are not thought to occur naturally in the study region. Anecdotal reports have highlighted potential impacts of non-native newts on our native amphibians, but empirical evidence is limited. Our understanding of alpine newts as an invader here is also in its infancy. My first year of surveys would utilise skeletochronology and morphometric data to look at the phenotypes and demography associated with invaded vs non-invaded ponds, and to see if I could identify the leading edge of invasion.

[1] an orange bellied alpine newt! [2] bottle trapping [3] Team Newt on a recce last year, taken by Rob Puschendorf

As I sat at the lab bench filling the last of my Eppendorf’s, my supervisor was making phone calls across the university. The government had increased the threat level for COVID-19 across the UK and only essential work and travel was now permitted. The next few months started to unravel as I learnt that the university was closing and had now issued a ban on all field work both overseas and in the UK. The seriousness of the issue was hitting full force as I headed home to unpack my van. Although fully understanding of the decision, I was still worried about the impact this would have on my research. As the severity of the situation unfolded in the following weeks, I quickly came to terms with these concerns, and was increasingly grateful for my health and the health of my friends, family and colleagues. As someone that is very work focussed, this experience has been an interesting exercise in putting things into perspective.

With more time to reflect, read and think creatively, my supervisors have helped me shape an avenue of research that I can pursue from home. Although it’s taken a while to adjust to a new way of working, to get stuck into a new area of literature and to battle a very prominent dip in my productivity, the prospects are still exciting. By utilising existing spatial datasets, I hope to explore the drivers of alpine newt distribution across the UK. Previous research highlights the role of humans in the movement of alpine newts, but we know very little about the processes that may be contributing to this. I’ll be investigating the use of geographic profiling and species distribution modelling to see if I can gain a better insight into factors influencing their establishment and spread. With a year until the next field season, I now have time to better understand my system and to fully explore the literature and data already out there. I definitely miss wading through ponds and waking up early to discover the bounty of my funnel traps, but spring will come around again, and I can only hope that we’ll be entering a new normal when it does.