Great Crested Newt Research on the Northmoor Trust Estate
Since its discovery in 1984, the Little Wittenham newt population has been intensively studied. The site is unique for research into many aspects of great crested newt ecology because it contains a wide range of aquatic and terrestrial habitats, including a mosaic of mixed broadleaf and coniferous woodlands, rough grassland and arable land. Terrestrial ecology and migration, metamorph production and metamorph orientation have all been researched.
Great crested newts are a protected species and all the work carried out at Little Wittenham is approved and licensed by English Nature.
Terrestrial ecology and migration
Before Robert Duff (1989) and Paul Franklin (1993) carried out research at Little Wittenham, little was known about the terrestrial phase and habitat requirements of great crested newts. The information gathered has provided an insight into triggers and habitats used for hibernation and the migration of adult newts to and from the ponds. Results have since been used as guidelines for terrestrial habitat requirements and management.
Metamorph production
Recent work by Rachel Hayward has highlighted the unpredictability of the production of metamorphs (recently metamorphosed newts emerging from the pond for the first time). Numbers have ranged from 20 to 2000 metamorphs emerging from the ponds each year. Because great crested newts are so long lived and take up to three years to become sexually mature, changes in population dynamics may go unnoticed for many years. Adults may return to a pond year after year, but if there is no successful recruitment of new newts, the population has no means of sustaining itself and will become extinct.
Metamorph orientation
Most work on orientation so far has focused only on the migration & homing ability of adults. Recent work at Little Wittenham, conducted by Rachel Hayward, has searched for clues as to how metamorphs (recently metamorphosed newts emerging from the pond for the first time) might find suitable terrestrial hibernation sites for their first winter.
