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Queen's University Belfast

PhD Student

 

Conor Wilson

Conor Wilson

 

BSc Marine Biology (2005), Queen’s University Belfast

PhD (2011), Queen’s University Belfast:

"Empirical approaches to the conservation of 

 Margaritifera margaritifera"

  

Email: cwilson20@qub.ac.uk

Summary

 

Conor was employed by Quercus as a Research Associate from 2004 to 2006 and worked on a variety of projects including: A Survey of the River Roe and selected tributaries, the Status and distribution of Juniper Juniperus communis in Northern Ireland (for which he was awarded an Environmental Sciences Association of Ireland (ESAI) bursary scholarship) and the Northern Ireland Irish hare Survey 2007.

 

Conor has recently completed and graduated from a PhD funded through the Natural Heritage Research Partnership (NHRP) with NIEA. He examined aspects of the reintroduction biology of the Freshwater Pearl Mussel Margaritifera margaritifera; Ireland 's only globally endangered species. Specifically, he investigated captive mussel growth rates, success of reintroductions of captive bred stock into the wild, Freshwater Pearl Mussel genetics, population viability and mussel habitat associations to identify future candidate reintroduction sites.

 

Research Interests

  • Freshwater ecology
  • Reintroduction ecology
  • Freshwater Pearl Mussel (Marigaritifera marigaritifera)  

Peer-reviewed Publications

  1. Preston SJ, Wilson CD, Jennings S, Provan J & McDonald RA (2007) The status of juniper, Juniperus communis (L.), in Northern Ireland in 2005. Irish Naturalist Journal, 28 (9), 372-378.

  2. Wilson CD & Roberts D (2011) Modelling distributional trends to develop management strategies for endangered species. Diversity and Distributions, 17, 182-189.

  3. Wilson CD, Arnott G, Reid N & Roberts D (2011) The pitfall with PIT tags: marking freshwater bivalves for translocation induces short-term behavioural costs. Animal behaviour, 81, 341-346.

  4. Wilson CD, Roberts D & Reid N (2011) Applying species distribution modelling to identify areas of high conservation value for globally endangered species: a case study using Margaritifera margaritifera (L.). Biological Conservation, 144, 821-829.

  5. Wilson CD, Roberts D, Preston SJ & Provan J (2011) Developing strategies for introductions of captive-bred Margaritifera margaritifera (L.) into the wild. Ferrantia, 64, 61-68.

  6. Wilson CD, Preston SJ, Lundy MG & Roberts D (under review) Does acclimatization to handling and tagging affect growth or relocation success in freshwater mussel release studies? Freshwater biology

  7. Wilson CD, Preston SJ, Moorkens E & Lundy MG (under review) Does my brood look big in this? Using shape to chose optimal broodstock for an endangered species. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems

Client Reports

  1. Preston SJ, Towers R, Wilson CD & McDonald RA (2004) A survey of the River Roe and selected tributaries. Report prepared by Quercus for the Environment and Heritage Service (DOE, N.I.). UK.

  2. Wilson CD (2005) Distribution and genetic variation of Juniper, Juniperus communis, in Northern Ireland. Report prepared for the Environmental Science Association of Ireland (ESAI)

  3. Reid N, Sweeney O, Wilson CD, Preston SJ, & Montgomery WI (2007) Northern Ireland Irish hare survey 2007. Report prepared by Quercus for the Environment and Heritage Service (DOE, N.I.). UK. 

  4. Reid N, Sweeney O, Wilson CD, Preston SJ, Montgomery WI & McDonald RA (2007) Developments in hare survey methodology - As applied to the NI Irish hare survey 2007. Report prepared by Quercus for the Environment and Heritage Service (DOE, N.I.). UK.

  5. Seale E, Wilson CD, McEvoy P & Preston SJ (2007) Marsh fritillary (Euphydryas aurinia) larval web survey of six proposed ASSI areas in County Fermanagh. Report prepared by Quercus for the Environment and Heritage Service (DOE, N.I.). UK.

  6. Tosh D & Wilson CD (2007) Irish Hare, Lepus timidus hibernicus, survey of proposed wind farm extension on the Altnahinch Road, Antrim, Northern Ireland. Report prepared for White, Young and Green Consultants, N.I., UK.

  7. Wilson CD (2011) Identifying suitable sites for restoration: habitat suitability modelling for M. modiolus, in Strangford Lough. In: Allcock L, Fariñas Franco J, Gorman E, Maggs CA, Mahon AM, Roberts D, Smyth D, Strain E, Strong J & Wilson CD (2011) Modiolus Restoration Research Group: Final Report to the Steering and Implementation Groups. Report prepared by Queen’s University Belfast for the Northern Ireland Environment Agency, (DOE, N.I.) U.K.

 
Scientific Presentations

  1. Wilson CD (2010) Universidade Federal do Pará, Campus de Bragança, Brazil, 16th September. Invited speaker.

  2. Wilson CD (2010) The River’s Trust Association conference, Cookstown, Northern Ireland, 19th May 2010. Invited speaker.

  3. Wilson CD (2010) The Ecological Genetics Group annual conference, Stirling, Scotland, 6th - 8th April. Oral presentation.

  4. Wilson CD (2010) EEBEE lunchtime research seminar, Queen’s University Belfast, 23rd February 2010. Oral presentation.

  5. Wilson CD (2009) Working together to reverse the decline of the freshwater pearl mussel in England and Wales, Environment Agency, Solihull. 9th & 10th Dec 2009. Invited speaker.

  6. Wilson CD (2009) The Malacological Society of London’s Molluscan Forum, Natural History Museum, London, 12th November. Oral presentation.

  7. Wilson CD (2009)Future Strategies for the Conservation & Restoration of the Freshwater Pearl Mussel Conference, Queens University Belfast, 1st October 2009. Oral presentation.

  8. Wilson CD (2009) Quercus Review, Medical Biology Centre, Queen’s University, 24th Sept 2009. Oral presentation.

  9. Wilson CD (2009) International conference on aquatic conservation with focus on Freshwater Pearl Mussel. Sundsvall, Sweden, 12-14 August 2009. Oral presentation.

  10. Wilson CD (2009) International conference on aquatic conservation with focus on Freshwater Pearl Mussel. Sundsvall, Sweden, 12th - 14th August 2009. Poster presentation.

  11. Wilson CD (2009) The Freshwater Mollusc Conservation Society International Symposium, Baltimore, USA, 21st April. Oral presentation.

  12. Wilson CD (2008) NIEA, Klondyke House, Belfast, 3rd December. Invited speaker.

  13. Wilson CD (2008) NIEA, Water Management Unit, Lisburn, 25th February. Invited speaker.

  14. Wilson CD (2008) Quercus Annual review, Queen’s University Belfast, 5th March. Poster presentation.

  15. Wilson CD (2008) Project LIFE Nature International Seminar: Rearing of unionid mussels, Clerveaux, Luxembourg, 28th - 31st June. Oral Presentation.

  16. Wilson CD (2008) The Malacological Society of London’s Molluscan Forum, Natural History Museum, London, 20th November. Oral presentation.

  17. Wilson CD (2007) First Year Postgraduate Symposium, Queen’s University Belfast, 31st October 2007. Oral presentation.

 
Media coverage

  1. Wild about Ulster national TV program interview (14-03-2011)

  2. BBC Newsline 6.30 tv programme interview (23-03-2010)

  3. BBC Good Morning Ulster radio interview (23-03-2010)

  4. BBC website article: “Captive bred mussels to boost wild numbers” (23-03-2010)

  5. Belfast telegraph newspaper article: “They can live to 285 years in our waters and now they’re endangered…but do we really care?” (25-03-2010)

 
Reviewing

  1.  Reviewer for the journals Hydrobiogia, Evolutionary Ecology and Annales de Limnologie - International Journal of Limnology