Marina Reyne

Kerry Natterjack Toad Project

Marina's work is part of the Kerry Natterjack toad Project that is run by Queen's University Belfast and aims to update our knowledge of the distribution, abundance and conservation status of Ireland's only toad (Epidalea calamita). The project is part of the Institute of Global Food Security (IGFS) that sits within the School of Biological Science at Queen's, and examines the efficacy of agri-environment schemes in preserving and promoting biodiversity conservation within an agriculturally active landscape where conservation grazing by domestic livestock is key to habitat maintenance and restoration. The study sites are located predominantly in coastal grasslands and sand dune systems in County Kerry, Ireland. Marina's project focuses on quantifying the breeding success of toads in both natural sites and at artificially created ponds that were dug as part of the Ireland's National Parks and Wildlife Service agri-environment scheme "toad option" within the toads natural range around Castlemaine Harbour, Castlegregory and Catherdaniel, Co. Kerry. Marina is running the project funded by the NPWS, Department of Arts, Heritage & the Gaeltacht.

Marina's PhD project

Marina's PhD is focussed on quantifying the demography and population structure of natterjack toads in the South West of Ireland using a mixture of field and molecular techniques. Her field work has focussed on 1) quantifying aquatic and terrestrial invertebrate community structure in and around toad breeding ponds; 2) quantifying population size and domography of toads at all known breeding sites; 3) quantifying population structure based on population genetic approaches; and 4) developing eDNA approaches to quantify the presence and absence of toads at potential and known breeding ponds.

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