scholarly journals Invertebrate species richness and density in relation to size of the New Zealand shrubOlearia bullata

2002 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 571-585 ◽  
Author(s):  
José G.B. Derraik ◽  
Gerard P. Closs ◽  
Katharine J.M. Dickinson ◽  
Barbara I.P. Barratt ◽  
Phil J. Sirvid
Diversity ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 170
Author(s):  
Gladys N. Benitez ◽  
Glenn D. Aguilar ◽  
Dan Blanchon

The spatial distribution of corticolous lichens on the iconic New Zealand pōhutukawa (Metrosideros excelsa) tree was investigated from a survey of urban parks and forests across the city of Auckland in the North Island of New Zealand. Lichens were identified from ten randomly selected trees at 20 sampling sites, with 10 sites classified as coastal and another 10 as inland sites. Lichen data were correlated with distance from sea, distance from major roads, distance from native forests, mean tree DBH (diameter at breast height) and the seven-year average of measured NO2 over the area. A total of 33 lichen species were found with coastal sites harboring significantly higher average lichen species per tree as well as higher site species richness. We found mild hotspots in two sites for average lichen species per tree and another two separate sites for species richness, with all hotspots at the coast. A positive correlation between lichen species richness and DBH was found. Sites in coastal locations were more similar to each other in terms of lichen community composition than they were to adjacent inland sites and some species were only found at coastal sites. The average number of lichen species per tree was negatively correlated with distance from the coast, suggesting that the characteristic lichen flora found on pōhutukawa may be reliant on coastal microclimates. There were no correlations with distance from major roads, and a slight positive correlation between NO2 levels and average lichen species per tree.


Ibis ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 143 (1) ◽  
pp. 146-148 ◽  
Author(s):  
SIMON HODGE ◽  
CHRIS FRAMPTON

2009 ◽  
Vol 83 (5) ◽  
pp. 750-766 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. G. Harasewych ◽  
Anton Oleinik ◽  
William Zinsmeister

Leptomaria antipodensis and Leptomaria hickmanae are described from the Upper Cretaceous [Maastrichtian] Lopez de Bertodano Formation, Seymour Island, and represent the first Mesozoic records of the family Pleurotomariidae from Antarctica. Leptomaria stillwelli, L. seymourensis, Conotomaria sobralensis and C. bayeri, from the Paleocene [Danian], Sobral Formation, Seymour Island, are described as new. Leptomaria larseniana (Wilckens, 1911) new combination, also from the Sobral Formation, is redescribed based on better-preserved material. The limited diversity of the pleurotomariid fauna of Seymour Island is more similar to that of the Late Cretaceous faunas of Australia and New Zealand in terms of the number of genera and species, than to the older, more diverse faunas of South America, southern India, or northwestern Madagascar, supporting the status of the Weddelian Province as a distinct biogeographic unit. The increase in the species richness of this fauna during the Danian may be due to the final fragmentation of Gondwana during this period.


Diversity ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 39 ◽  
Author(s):  
María Bagur ◽  
Jorge Gutiérrez ◽  
Lorena Arribas ◽  
M. Palomo

Ecosystem engineers can modulate harsh abiotic conditions, thus creating habitat for species that cannot withstand the local environment. In this study, we investigated if vacant boreholes created by the rock-boring bivalve Petricola dactylus increase species richness in the low intertidal zone of a Patagonian rocky shore characterized by intense hydrodynamic forcing and sediment scour. Invertebrate species richness was three times higher in engineered than unengineered habitats (i.e., with and without Petricola boreholes, respectively) and the increase in species richness was area-independent. The most prevalent species in unengineered areas showed strong adhesion mechanisms, whereas infaunal and vagile species were mostly restricted to boreholes. The positive influence of engineered microhabitats on species richness can largely be attributed to amelioration of physical conditions, particularly a reduction in hydrodynamic forces and sediment trapping/stabilization within boreholes. We conclude that vacant boreholes are essential microhabitats for the maintenance of biodiversity within the otherwise inhospitable low intertidal zone.


2016 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. e1501648 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tianhua He ◽  
Byron B. Lamont ◽  
Bruno Fogliani

New Caledonia and New Zealand belong to the now largely submerged continent Zealandia. Their high levels of endemism and species richness are usually considered the result of transoceanic dispersal events followed by diversification after they re-emerged from the Pacific Ocean in the mid-Cenozoic. We explore the origin and evolutionary history ofBeauprea(Proteaceae), which is now endemic to New Caledonia but was once spread throughout eastern Gondwana, including New Zealand. We review the extensiveBeauprea-type pollen data in the fossil records and analyze the relationship of these fossil taxa to extant genera within Proteaceae. We further reconstruct the phylogenetic relations among nine extant species ofBeaupreaand estimate the age of theBeaupreaclade. By incorporating extinct taxa into theBeaupreaphylogenetic tree, we reconstruct the ancient distribution of this genus. Our analysis shows thatBeaupreaoriginated c. 88 Ma (million years ago) in Antarctica–Southeastern Australia and spread throughout Gondwana before its complete breakup. We propose thatBeauprea, already existing as two lineages, was carried with Zealandia when it separated from the rest of Gondwana c. 82 Ma, thus supporting an autochthonous origin forBeaupreaspecies now in New Caledonia and historically in New Zealand up to 1 Ma. We show that the presence ofBeaupreathrough transoceanic dispersal is implausible. This means that neither New Caledonia nor New Zealand has been entirely submerged since the Upper Cretaceous; thus, possible vicariance and allopatry must be taken into account when considering the high levels of endemism and species richness of these island groups.


Author(s):  
Jacqueline B. Pocklington ◽  
Stuart R. Jenkins ◽  
Alecia Bellgrove ◽  
Michael J. Keough ◽  
Tim D. O'Hara ◽  
...  

Canopy-forming fucoid algae have an important role as ecosystem engineers on rocky intertidal shores, where they increase the abundance of species otherwise limited by exposure during low tide. The facilitative relationship between Ascophyllum nodosum and associated organisms was explored using a frond breakage experiment (100%, 50%, 25%, 0% intact-frond treatments) in southern England, to assess the consequences of disturbance. Understorey substratum temperature was on average 3°C higher in 0% and 25% intact-frond treatments than in plots with 50% and 100% intact fronds. Light (as PAR during low tide) doubled in 0% intact-frond treatments in comparison to other treatments (which had similar light levels). Mobile invertebrate species richness declined by on average 1 species per m2 in the treatments with only 25% and 0% intact fronds, and the abundance of Littorina obtusata declined by 2.4–4.2 individuals per m2 in the treatments with 25 and 0% intact fronds. Sessile taxa, including Osmundea pinnatifida and encrusting coralline algae, declined by half on average in the 0% intact-frond treatment. These results suggest that the ability of Ascophyllum to mediate environmental conditions to the understorey is the mechanism responsible for species distributed in the understorey (autogenic ecosystem engineering). The results of this study imply that a pulse disturbance resulting in a 50% breakage of Ascophyllum fronds significantly increases temperature and decreases the abundance of mobile invertebrates usually associated with Ascophyllum. Sessile taxa associated with Ascophyllum can, however, withstand disturbances down to 25% intact Ascophyllum fronds.


1979 ◽  
Vol 57 (20) ◽  
pp. 2226-2263 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dale H. Vitt

The moss flora of the Auckland Islands (50°40′ S latitude and 166°00′ E longitude) consists of 145 species and seven varieties in 75 genera. A detailed description of the habitat of each taxon is given. The vegetation, climate, and history of the islands, as they pertain to bryology, are reviewed. Four broad vegetational zones are recognized: forest, scrub, tussock grassland, and tundra as well as areas of herbfields and mires. Phytogeographically, the most common pattern of distribution is Australasian with 29% of the moss species found in both New Zealand and Australia. Other patterns are common as well. Discussion is orientated toward species richness variability in polar regions. The origins and adaptations of mosses in subantarctic landscapes are reviewed and correlations drawn between particular growth forms and individual moss floras and habitats.


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