Drystone walls and the ecology of snails: some preliminary findings

摘要

Drystone walls are one of the distinctive landscape features ot tne YorKsnire uaies. ui variduit: construction and geology they are integral to the landscape of these Pennine uplands. Whilst recognised for their historical and cultural significance little attention has been paid to walls as a wildlife habitat. The published literature on the ecology of drystone walls is sparse and for the Yorkshire Dales non-existent. Naturalists have appreciated the importance of walls as a habitat for lichens and bryophytes but there has been no systematic attempt to study the ecology of walls in the Dales. It might be expected that these man-made structures would have a close affinity with natural habitats such as scars, scree and limestone pavement, where bare rock predominates with limited availability of soil. Walls also form boundaries between habitats such as woodland, moorland and meadows, providing insights into the interactions of flora and fauna of these diverse ecosystems.