Dr David Genney, Research Associate Cryptogam Conservation
I work within a team of species specialists as a Policy and Advice Officer for Scottish Natural Heritage. I am national advisor on all Scottish bryophytes and fungi/lichens. To deliver this remit, I draw on research skills developed through my PhD and five years of post-doctoral research on mycorrhizal function and ecology.
I completed my PhD on the role of mycorrhiza and root foraging strategies in determining plant competition in heathlands. This interest in mycorrhizal fungi continued through post-doctoral studies investigating the ability of EcM fungi to degrade organic pollutants followed by work to determine the below-ground fine-scale distribution of pinewood fungi.
The scope of my interests widened considerably when I joined Scottish Natural Heritage as their national advisor on bryophytes and fungi/lichens. I am interested in the development of monitoring techniques for each of these species groups and I contributed to setting up the Scottish Snowbed Vegetation Monitoring Network and I managed SNH’s Site Condition Monitoring work for cryptogams.
Improving the body of conservation evidence is vitally important; I have recent involvement in researching bryophyte recovery following invasive Rhododendron management, investigating translocation success for the restricted mountain lichen Flavocetraria nivalis, improving our understanding of lichen dispersal and establishment at a landscape scale, and assessing the potential impact of beaver on oceanic lichen populations.
I have a significant policy role and have recently co-authored guidelines for the selection of SSSIs for bryophytes, non-lichenised fungi and lichens. I currently sit on the Council for the British Lichen Society.