Orkney and Shetland, the population isolates which make up the Northern Isles of Scotland, are of particular interest to multiple sclerosis (MS) research. While MS prevalence is high in Scotland, Orkney has the highest global prevalence, higher than more northerly Shetland. Many hypotheses for the excess of MS cases in Orkney have been investigated, including vitamin D deficiency and homozygosity: neither was found to cause the high prevalence of MS. It is possible that this excess prevalence may be explained through unique genetics. We used polygenic risk scores (PRS) to look at the contribution of common risk variants to MS. Analyses were conducted using ORCADES (97/2118 cases/controls), VIKING (15/2000 cases/controls) and Generation Scotland (30/8708 cases/controls) datasets. However, no evidence of a difference in MS associated common variant frequencies was found between the three control populations, aside from HLA-DRB1*1501 tag SNP rs9271069. This SNP had a significantly higher risk allele frequency in Orkney (0.23, p-value = 8 x 10-13) and Shetland (0.21, p-value = 2.3 x 10-6) than mainland Scotland (0.17). This difference in frequency is estimated to account for 6 (95% CI 3, 8) out of 150 observed excess cases per 100,000 individuals in Shetland and 9 (95% CI 8, 11) of the observed 257 excess cases per 100,000 individuals in Orkney, compared with mainland Scotland. Common variants therefore appear to account for little of the excess burden of MS in the Northern Isles of Scotland.

In 2023, there were approximately 631,970 people living in Glasgow, with a further 523,250 people living in the Scottish capital, Edinburgh, the first and second most-populated Scottish council areas respectively. The region of Fife is also heavily populated, with approximately 373,210 people living there. The least populated areas are the islands of Scotland such as Orkney, estimated to have only 22,000 people there.

Comprehensive demographic dataset for Rm Of Orkney No 244, SK, CA including population statistics, household income, housing units, education levels, employment data, and transportation with year-over-year changes.

Following human occupation, the house mouse has colonized numerous islands, exposing the species to a wide variety of environments. Such a colonization process, involving successive founder events and bottlenecks, may either promote random evolution or facilitate adaptation, making the relative importance of adaptive and stochastic processes in insular evolution difficult to assess.

Here, we jointly analyse genetic and morphometric variation in the house mice (Mus musculus domesticus) from the Orkney archipelago. Genetic analyses, based on mitochondrial DNA and microsatellites, revealed considerable genetic structure within the archipelago, suggestive of a high degree of isolation and long-lasting stability of the insular populations. Morphometric analyses, based on a quantification of the shape of the first upper molar, revealed considerable differentiation compared to Western European populations, and significant geographic structure in Orkney, largely congruent with the pattern of...

Orkney, north of mainland Scotland, has the world’s highest prevalence of multiple sclerosis (MS); vitamin D deficiency, a marker of low UV exposure, is also common in Scotland. Strong associations have been identified between vitamin D deficiency and MS, and between UV exposure and MS independent of vitamin D, although causal relationships remain to be confirmed. We aimed to compare plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels in Orkney and mainland Scotland, and establish the determinants of vitamin D status in Orkney. We compared mean vitamin D and prevalence of deficiency in cross-sectional study data from participants in the Orkney Complex Disease Study (ORCADES) and controls in the Scottish Colorectal Cancer Study (SOCCS). We used multivariable regression to identify factors associated with vitamin D levels in Orkney. Mean (standard deviation) vitamin D was significantly higher among ORCADES than SOCCS participants (35.3 (18.0) and 31.7 (21.2), respectively). Prevalence of severe vitamin D deficiency was lower in ORCADES than SOCCS participants (6.6% to 16.2% p = 1.1 x 10−15). Older age, farming occupations and foreign holidays were significantly associated with higher vitamin D in Orkney. Although mean vitamin D levels are higher in Orkney than mainland Scotland, this masks variation within the Orkney population which may influence MS risk.

Since 1995 research on pinnipeds were focused on four main lines: 1. Bioenergetics In collaboration with the Mammals group from the Alfred Wegener Institute, field work is carried out on a project which aims to: (i) compare energy passed by different mothers during lactation in relation to their mass and body condition, and by the same females during different breeding seasons; (ii) assess energy gained by females during the post-breeding and post-moulting period at sea..(iii) assess energy spent by pups during fasting .

1. Population dynamics
2. Annual censuses are carried out during the breeding and moulting period in the study area.

3. A long term study of branded pups is being carried out to asses the role of year, and condition at weaning on survival.

4. Immunology Studies of serum and milk Immunoglobulin levels are carried out in cooperation with the Biochemistry Program directed by M.E.I. Marquez. The main aims of these studies are:

5. To investigate the passive transfer of immunity from mother to pup throughout the lactation period.

6. To investigate the development of active immunity in newborns of Southern elephant seals .

7. Diet The diet of different antarctic pinnipeds is investigated through stomach lavage and scat collection to assess their localities and interannual variations. Diet studies of different species of pinnipeds are conducted in collaboration with Ricardo Casaux from the Instituto Antartico Argentino and Gustavo Daneri from the Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales "Bernardino Rivadavia".

This dataset comprises covariables describing the seasonal sea ice cycle around Signy Island, South Orkney Islands between 1982 and 2024. The data are derived from satellite images using R-scripts which have been made available on Zenodo. Sea ice concentration was derived from satellite measurements of percent sea ice concentration. The satellite sea ice concentration data are modelled to provide derived covariates that together measure inter-annual differences in the sea ice season. The derived covariates are: 1) day of advance: first day when sea ice concentration exceeded 15% for at least five consecutive days; 2) day of retreat: first day when sea ice concentration remained less than 15% until the end of period; 3) ice season duration: total number of sea-ice days, between day of advance and retreat; 4) sea-ice persistence: percent time sea ice was present between day of advance and retreat; 5) day of minimum sea ice extent; 6) day of maximum extent; 7) day of minimum sea ice area; 8) day of maximum sea ice area; 9) minimum area of the ocean in km2 with at least 15% sea ice concentration; and 10) maximum area of the ocean with at least 15% sea ice concentration. Sea ice covariates are used as predictors of population dynamics of Antarctic seals at Signy Island, South Orkney Islands.

This work was funded by Natural Environment Research Council (UK) core funding to the British Antarctic Survey.

Six species of penguins breed on the Antarctic continent, the Antarctic Peninsula, the South Shetland and South Orkney Islands. Their breeding populations within the Antarctic Peninsula, and the South Orkney and South Shetland Is., and estimates of global populations are given. Typical breeding seasons are also presented, but it must be noted that these will vary inter-annually and intra-annually under the influence of factors such as sea-ice extent and ENSO (interannual) and the location of each breeding colony (southerly localities will be later than northerly localities, as their breeding season is "compressed" within the shorter summer). Their foraging strategies (categorized as near-shore or offshore) and typical durations of foraging trips are also tabulated. As with breeding season events, foraging behaviour will vary intra-seasonally and inter-seasonally (in terms of dive duration, dive depth, foraging location, etc). The distribution of known penguin breeding colonies is circum-continental, with Emperor and Adelie penguins predominant on approximately 75 % of the coast, with two major concentrations in the Ross Sea and in Prydz Bay. The third concentration is in the Antarctic Peninsula region, where some of the largest penguin colonies are present. All six species breed within the area (predominantly Chinstrap Penguins), and the Peninsula region has a greater diversity than the remainder ofthe Antarctic with respect to penguins. The distribution at sea of nonbreeding penguins is less cIear. Non-breeding individuals of all six species move throughout the Southern Ocean, and in many cases, to areas well north of the winter pack-ice zone. However, it is not possible to estimate densities of penguins at sea as there are no estimates of non-breeding penguin populations the extent of their travels.

Scottish Marine and Freshwater Science Vol 6 No 15 The objective of the project was to determine spatial turnover rates of scallops at two spatial scales: (i) at the scale of individual fishing patches (tens to hundreds of metres), determining immigration rates following fishing; and (ii) at the local fishery scale (1-10 km and greater), determining potential sources of immigration to fishing patches from more distant areas. This report addresses the first of these spatial scales, using depletion fishing experiments coupled with tagging to estimate size-specific population size and site-fidelity to small experimental areas.

The colony size and breeding success of Southern giant petrels (Macronectus giganteus) on Signy Island has been monitored annually since 1996. The data presented here includes the number of breeding pairs (occupied nests) and the number of chicks present in their nests prior to fledging. Breeding pairs and chicks are monitored by direct counts at nine sites on the west coast of the island. The nest surveys are undertaken from December to January, with chick counts completed in mid-March.

This work was funded by Natural Environment Research Council (UK) core funding to the British Antarctic Survey.

Genome analysis provides a powerful approach to test for evidence of genetic variation within and between geographical regions and local populations. Copy number variants which comprise insertions, deletions and duplications of genomic sequence provide one such convenient and informative source. Here, we investigate copy number variants from genome wide scans of single nucleotide polymorphisms in three European population isolates, the island of Vis in Croatia, the islands of Orkney in Scotland and the South Tyrol in Italy. We show that whereas the overall copy number variant frequencies are similar between populations, their distribution is highly specific to the population of origin, a finding which is supported by evidence for increased kinship correlation for specific copy number variants within populations.

Invasive non-native species eradication attempts are typically large and expensive projects that benefit from the support of quantitative tools, such as population models, to be completed within the scheduled and funded time. Managed ecosystems are constantly changing due to population and ecosystem dynamics. Accordingly, any model predictions need to be updated, using different sources of data, to inform the project about the progress toward eradication. The stoat Mustela erminea was introduced to the hitherto predatory land mammal free Orkney archipelago around 2010. In 2016, a project aiming to eradicate stoats to preserve ecologically and economically important native wildlife was designed and implemented. It entailed a “knockdown” phase followed by a “mopping-up” phase to remove stoats that escaped capture. We used data from this project to iteratively predict the progress toward eradication. We applied spatially explicit individual-based models to estimate the proportion of stoats being exposed to capture, and then compared these simulation-based predictions with removal data, allowing us to estimate changes in the population size through time. We also used sighting data from members of the public to refine eradication probability. We were also able to demonstrate how the initially wide uncertainty gradually diminished as more evidence accumulated. The information derived from different types of data and quantitative models allowed us to track the effectiveness of current trapping approaches and to help to inform project managers about when the project achieved the knockdown phase milestone. Our analyses confirmed that the expected magnitude of the initial knockdown phase has been achieved in some areas, but also revealed spatial and temporal heterogeneity in the distribution of captures, most likely caused by the sequential trapping and stoat movement and trap shy stoats exposed to capture but not caught. This heterogeneity calls for additional data sources (e.g., from camera traps or detection dogs) to estimate the proportion of trap-shy individuals and the size of the untrapped population, and ultimately the feasibility of eradication.

141 catchments throughout mainland Scotland, Orkney and Shetland and Western Isles were surveyed by electrofishing for larvae, confirming lamprey presence in most rivers with previous records and identifying 17 catchments with previously unknown populations, extending the known range of all species. Lampreys were present in 65 of the 141 catchments and at 342 of 710 survey sites. Lampreys were absent from all survey sites on Orkney and Shetland and from those areas of west Highlands north of Loch Carron. Distribution was patchy in east Sutherland, Caithness and Easter Ross, but several previously unrecorded populations were identified. Lampreys were present in most rivers south of the Great Glen. Sea lamprey were present in 13 catchments, river lampreys in 20 and brook lampreys in 51. Unidentified Lampetra species were present in a further 13. Sea lampreys were the rarest species in both records and survey. They have been recorded in 35 rivers, although their continuing presence in some of these is uncertain. Although scarce, sea lampreys are widespread with extant populations in all regions excepting Orkney and Shetland and, perhaps, Western Isles where occasional adults are seen but breeding is unconfirmed. The survey identified several catchments with previously unrecorded river lamprey populations, particularly in south Argyll. River lampreys have now been recorded in 42 mainland rivers. There are no records from any of the islands. River lampreys are largely restricted to rivers south of the Great Glen. Brook lampreys were the most common species in both records and survey. Their presence has now been confirmed in all regions excepting Orkney and Shetland. Single, isolated populations were present on Lewis, Skye and Islay. The species is common south of the Great Glen. Distribution is patchy in the far north of Scotland and they are absent from the far north-west.

There are longstanding questions about the origins and ancestry of the Picts of early medieval Scotland (ca. 300–900 CE), prompted in part by exotic medieval origin myths, their enigmatic symbols and inscriptions, and the meagre textual evidence. The Picts, first mentioned in the late 3rd century CE resisted the Romans and went on to form a powerful kingdom that ruled over a large territory in northern Britain. In the 9th and 10th centuries Gaelic language, culture and identity became dominant, transforming the Pictish realm into Alba, the precursor to the medieval kingdom of Scotland. To date, no comprehensive analysis of Pictish genomes has been published, and questions about their biological relationships to other cultural groups living in Britain remain unanswered. Here we present two high-quality Pictish genomes (2.4 and 16.5X coverage) from central and northern Scotland dated from the 5th-7th century which we impute and co-analyse with >8,300 previously published ancient and modern genomes. Using allele frequency and haplotype-based approaches, we can firmly place the genomes within the Iron Age gene pool in Britain and demonstrate regional biological affinity. We also demonstrate the presence of population structure within Pictish groups, with Orcadian Picts being genetically distinct from their mainland contemporaries. When investigating Identity-By-Descent (IBD) with present-day genomes, we observe broad affinities between the mainland Pictish genomes and the present-day people living in western Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and Northumbria, but less with the rest of England, the Orkney islands and eastern Scotland—where the political centres of Pictland were located. The pre-Viking Age Orcadian Picts evidence a high degree of IBD sharing across modern Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, and the Orkney islands, demonstrating substantial genetic continuity in Orkney for the last ~2,000 years. Analysis of mitochondrial DNA diversity at the Pictish cemetery of Lundin Links (n = 7) reveals absence of direct common female ancestors, with implications for broader social organisation. Overall, our study provides novel insights into the genetic affinities and population structure of the Picts and direct relationships between ancient and present-day groups of the UK.

The report describes how fine-scale harbour seal usage maps around Orkney and the north coast of Scotland, UK, can be used and interpreted, the caveats and limitations, and methodology used to produce them (Appendix A). 1. Harbour seal movement data from telemetry tagged seals, collected between 2003 and 2015, were combined with terrestrial count data. The most recent year that count data were collected from each onshore location was used, which ranged from 2008 to 2015. Population-level species distribution maps and associated confidence intervals were produced around Orkney and the north coast of Scotland at a resolution of 0.6 km x 0.6 km. Seasonal usage was investigated (Appendix B). There were a number of data and numerical constraints that meant robust seasonal usage maps could not be produced. To address these constraints, recommendations of telemetry and terrestrial count data collection and further analysis are made.

ENGLISH

Project PICTA 09 2004-2007

The Project deals with different aspects of the ecology (trophic position, reproduction, age and growth, interaction with predators) of the Antarctic ichthyofauna in the Scotia Arc (South Georgia Islands, South Orkney Islands, South Shetland Islands and west Antarctic Peninsula). The fish species studied belong to the endemic Antarctic Suborder Notothenioidei; most of them have been or are presently object of commercial exploitation. These are the patagonian toothfish Dissostichus eleginoides, the mackerel ice fish Champsocephalus gunnari and the Antarctic cods Notothenia rossii, Gobionotothen gibberifrons and N. coriiceps, among others. Another subject developed by the Project is the monitoring of demersal fish at inshore sites of the South Shetland Islands, to evaluate the impact of the former offshore commercial fishery in the area in the late 1970s. Effect of long term shore-based sampling programs on near-shore fish populations. Predator-prey interaction between the Antarctic Shag Phalacrocorax bransfieldensis and demersal fish of the area, including species that have been commercially exploited in the past. The scope of the Project is in line with the aims of the Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR).

The present is continuation of the long-term project explained CDA_AR_ECOLOGY_ANTARCTIC_FISH with the aggregate of the theme "predatory interaction prey between cormorants and demersal fish". The name of the previous Project is: Ecology of Antarctic fish of the Arch of Scotia (Islands Georgia Southern, Orcadas Southern and Antarctic Peninsula). The Doctor R. Casaux, was a Co-Director of the same.In the present Project, he is included in the title "Impact of the commercial fishery" because this theme is not fit in inside "general Ecology" and besides, by the importance that the same one has acquired in recent years.

This project has been concluded. The project involved monitoring of species like seals and penguins and how the progression of global climate change is affecting the ecosystem.

Number of satellite and archival telemetry deployments on penguins and fur seals during the summer and winter (in parentheses) and population size data during the study period, 2009–2014. For the fishery, the number of net tows is reported for each year.

Numbers of nesting birds were manually counted from images collected by low-altitude aerial photography from multirotor Un-crewed Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). Three species were included in this study; gentoo (Pygoscelispapua) and chinstrap (Pygoscelis antarctica) penguin and South Georgia shag (Leucocarbo atriceps georgianus). Data were collected in the 2016/17 and 2017/18 field seasons.

Scottish Marine and Freshwater Science Vol 9 No 7 1. Waterbirds are subject to a range of pressures on their wintering grounds, with disturbance and pollution being potentially the most significant. In the British Isles, significant populations of waterbirds winter in the seas including around Orkney and the Western Isles. 2. Increased marine activity associated with exploitation of the abundant wind, wave and tidal resources around Orkney and the Western Isles, in addition to increased aquaculture activity and existing shipping and shellfishing activity, has the potential to negatively impact wintering waterbird populations through increased disturbance. 3. The scope of this research project was to compare the relative sensitivities to marine activity of eleven target waterbird species during the non-breeding season. This was achieved by gathering data during a single winter fieldwork season on Orkney. 4. The research was focused on the following species: Common Eider, Long-tailed Duck, Velvet Scoter, Common Goldeneye, Red-breasted Merganser, Red-throated Diver, Black-throated Diver, Great Northern Diver, European Shag, Slavonian Grebe and Black Guillemot. 5. Data were collected using three complementary survey methodologies: Vantage Point (VPs) surveys, focal flock watches and ferry surveys. The methods were designed to gather systematic data on the target species' short term behavioural responses to marine activity, and environmental variables considered likely to affect those responses. 6. The VP surveys indicated that Common Eider, Long-tailed Duck and European Shag were all significantly more likely to fly in the presence of marine activity. The numbers of Common Eider, Long-tailed Duck, European Shag and Great Northern Diver within a pre-defined study area all declined following marine activity, whereas Black Guillemot numbers appeared unaffected. 7. The focal flock watch methodology involved recording the behaviour of target species flocks in the presence and absence of marine activity. Long-tailed Duck flock size was likely to decrease in the five minute period following a disturbance event, and this species was also the most frequently recorded flying in the absence of marine activity. Great Northern Diver and Black-throated Diver were very unlikely to fly either in the presence or absence of marine activity. 8. The ferry survey methodology involved gathering data on regular island ferry services and recorded target species' responses to the passing ferry. Red-throated Diver, Black-throated Diver and Slavonian Grebe were the most likely species to exhibit a response (flight, evasive swim, or dive) to the passing ferry, and Red-throated Diver was most likely to show a flight response. 9. Whilst data were successfully gathered for nine of the target species across the three survey methodologies, too few data were collected for Common Goldeneye and Velvet Scoter to be able to draw conclusions. 10. Combining data gathered across the three methodologies, we categorised the sensitivity of nine target species (excluding Velvet Scoter and Common Goldeneye) as follows: very high (Red-throated Diver, Black-throated Diver, Slavonian Grebe and Red-breasted Merganser); high (Long tailed Duck and Great Northern Diver); medium (Common Eider and European Shag) and low (Black Guillemot). These sensitivities are assessed only in relation to the other target species, and are based solely on the data on short-term responses to marine activity gathered during this project. 11. Prior to this research little information on sensitivity to disturbance was in the public domain for Great Northern Diver, Slavonian Grebe and Black-throated Diver. The results presented here address important knowledge gaps which will help inform the marine planning process. 12. Gathering robust data on the effect of marine disturbance on waterbirds is challenging. Whichever methodological approach is followed there are likely to be significant practical challenges in data collection and analyses, and limitations on the conclusions which can be drawn. Furthermore, the spatial and temporal scales at which data is collected and analysed can significantly influence the results obtained. 13. Although all the fieldwork took place in Orkney, it is likely that the findings presented here are also applicable to the Western Isles. However we would advise against conclusions made here being applied to the larger estuarine ports of mainland Britain, where marine activity is likely to be of a different scale and intensity. 14. It should be borne in mind that the results and assessments presented in this report are based on short-term behavioural responses. Research is needed to better understand the mechanisms by which short-term behavioural responses might translate into demographic effects and the relative significance of the disturbance effects on habitat loss and energetic expenditure should be considered. 15. Recommendations for future research include suggestions to carry out a before-after-gradient study on the effect of new marine developments to assess long-term displacement effects, tracking studies of waterbird use of the marine environment in relation to marine activity, and trial disturbance tests using chartered boats.