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Wildlife
- Close
- - We protect wildlife in Britain and around the world by bringing our most threatened species back from the brink of extinction. We do this through ground-breaking research, practical conservation and education, all with the help of our supporters.
Wild places
- Close
- - Some habitats contain such a richness of life that we need to protect them at all odds. We are working to preserve ancient woodlands, orchards and wood pastures and parklands, as well as the countless species they support.
What we do
- Close
- - Everything we do is based on scientific evidence. We gather this through surveys, which you can take part in, and by awarding research grants to the most inspiring scientists worldwide. This evidence guides our conservation efforts and is shared through our events and publications.
Who we are
- Close
- - People’s Trust for Endangered Species was set up in 1977 to save our wildlife. We are governed by a board of volunteer trustees and our team of staff are passionate about protecting endangered species and places.
Success stories
- Close
- - We strive to bring our most threatened species in the UK and around the world back from the brink of extinction. Our successes come from ground-breaking research, practical conservation and education, all with the help of our supporters.
Get involved
- Close
- - There are so many ways you can help save endangered species. Fancy taking part in a survey, joining us on a wildlife event or becoming a regular supporter?
Shop
- Close
- - Support our work in our shop with a range of charity gifts, home-ware, cards and more. 100% of the profits go directly to help wildlife both in the UK an overseas.
Donate
- Close
- - There is nothing natural about the alarming rate at which we are losing animals and their homes. It is absolutely avoidable. We can stop the loss of our wildlife – but we need your support. You can act now by choosing to give to our cause. Thank you.

Home // Research grants // Our internship projects // Water voles as ecosystem engineers

Water voles as ecosystem engineers

Investigating how water voles engineer their habitats and the impact their decline is having

The project

Water voles create burrows to live in and their digging activity changes the make up of the soil by drying it out. This then has a knock on effect on what plants grow in the vicinity. With water voles having been lost from much of their previous habitat, have local ecosystems been impacted negatively?

The solution

Our intern Deon Roos is investigating to what extent water voles carry out ‘ecosystem engineering’. These ecosystem engineers are species (such as beavers) which through their actions alter the availability of resources (such as water or fertiliser) for natural communities. Water voles accomplish this through creating burrow networks. This dries the surrounding wet soil and promotes soil microbial activity which in turn regulates the availability of nitrogen, an important nutrient for plant growth. Through his previous research, Deon discovered that this ecosystem engineering effect takes years to build up and that water voles can dramatically change the plant community along waterways. With water voles having been lost from much of their UK range, Deon is looking to answer the question: how long would it take for these ecosystem engineering effects to be reinstated and/or lost and how far does this effect carry on for beyond the burrow itself?

Latest findings

Read the project findings