Resistance and resilience of New Zealand tree species to browsing

Phylogenetic analyses of nuclear DNA external transcribed spacer (ETS) and chloroplast DNA trnL–trnF markers were undertaken to reconstruct the evolutionary history of the South Pacific genus Melicytus. Bayesian analyses of the ETS sequence data produced a phylogenetic tree with several well supported groups, including clades comprising: (1) species from Australia, Tasmania and Lord Howe Island; (2) the Norfolk Island M. latifolius and New Zealand off-shore island M. novae-zelandiae subsp. novae-zelandiae; (3) the large-leaved M. ramiflorus complex; (4) M. fasciger and M. micranthus; and (5) M. obovatus and allies from the Cook Strait region. Phylogenetic analysis of trnL–trnF sequence data also retrieved some of these groups although, in general, was not as well resolved. The relationships of M. lanceolatus are equivocal, as in the ETS phylogeny it is sister to a clade comprising the large-leaved tree species M. fasciger and M. ramiflorus complex and the small-leaved M. micranthus, whereas in the trnL–trnF phylogeny it is sister to a clade of small-leaved shrub species such as M. alpinus and M. crassifolius. Several biogeographic patterns are evident, with dispersal to the west from New Zealand, to Australia, involving small-leaved shrub species. Dispersal to the north from New Zealand, to Norfolk Island and Fiji, involves large-leaved tree species. The sex expression is documented for all named species and undescribed entities, with these being either hermaphroditic or dioecious. When sex expression is mapped onto the phylogeny, the hermaphroditic system is inferred to have evolved from the dioecious system. New chromosome counts are presented for M. angustifolius (2n = 64) and M. dentatus (2n = 32), and earlier counts of 2n = 64 are confirmed for M. crassifolius and M. alpinus. An additional 17 counts are provided for two natural hybrids and several undescribed entities from Australia and New Zealand. The polyploid chromosome number of 2n = 64 occurs most frequently in small-leaved divariate plants with hermaphroditic flowers. When chromosome numbers are plotted onto the phylogeny it is inferred that high polyploids (e.g. 2n = 64) and small-leaved shrubs have evolved from large-leaved trees with functional diploid (e.g. 2n = 32) chromosome numbers.

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Basidiomycete decay fungi within stems of Nothofagus windfalls in a Southern Hemisphere beech forest

Canadian Journal of Forest Research ◽

10.1139/x08-041 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 38 (7) ◽

pp. 1897-1910 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

I. A. Hood ◽

P. N. Beets ◽

J. F. Gardner ◽

M. O. Kimberley ◽

M. W.P. Power ◽

...

Keyword(s):

New Zealand ◽

Southern Hemisphere ◽

Tree Species ◽

Coarse Woody Debris ◽

Woody Debris ◽

Beech Forest ◽

Study Data ◽

Decay Fungi ◽

Mean Diameter

Fungi were isolated to determine the predominant decomposer species active in the coarse woody debris in a beech forest in the central North Island of New Zealand. Basidiomycetes were obtained in 55% of 4569 isolation attempts from discs cut from six trees each of Nothofagus fusca (Hook. F.) Oerst. and Nothofagus menziesii (Hook. F.) Oerst. uprooted during a storm 24 years earlier. Percentage yields varied significantly among trees but not between tree species. However, for N. fusca, basidiomycetes were obtained less frequently from stems of greater mean diameter. In total, 96% of basidiomycete isolates were composed of 18 species, the most abundant being Armillaria novae-zelandiae (G. Stev.) Herink, mainly present in the outer 12 cm, and Ganoderma cf. applanatum sensu Wakef. and Cyclomyces tabacinus (Mont.) Pat., which penetrated more deeply. These fungi were distributed along the stems as somatically incompatible colonies reaching lengths of 11, 2, and 3 m for each species, respectively; those of G. cf. applanatum were separated by brown pseudosclerotial plates. Fruiting of these species was significantly associated with isolation of cultures and, for G. cf. applanatum and C. tabacinus, provided a reliable guide to stem colonization. Basidiomycete diversity in the Nothofagus stems was greater than in two podocarp species in an earlier study. Data from this investigation are being used to assess how decay fungi, together with other factors, influence rates of decomposition of indigenous coarse woody debris.

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Frost resistance and susceptibility to ice formation during natural hardening in relation to leaf anatomy in three evergreen tree species from New Zealand

Tree Physiology ◽

10.1093/treephys/15.6.371 ◽

1995 ◽

Vol 15 (6) ◽

pp. 371-377 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

G. Neuner ◽

P. Bannister

Keyword(s):

New Zealand ◽

Leaf Anatomy ◽

Tree Species ◽

Frost Resistance ◽

Ice Formation ◽

Evergreen Tree

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Climatic Implications of Macro- and Microfossil Assemblages from Late Pleistocene Deposits in Northern New Zealand

Quaternary Research ◽

10.1006/qres.1993.1013 ◽

1993 ◽

Vol 39 (1) ◽

pp. 107-119 ◽

Cited By ~ 25

Author(s):

John Ogden ◽

Rewi M. Newnham ◽

Jonathan G. Palmer ◽

Richard G. Serra ◽

Neil D. Mitchell

Keyword(s):

New Zealand ◽

Plant Species ◽

Tree Species ◽

Climatic Conditions ◽

Species Level ◽

Decomposition Rates ◽

Radiocarbon Dates ◽

Far North ◽

Pollen Rain ◽

Similar Temperature

AbstractTwenty-two plant species were identified from leaves, fruits, or flowers, and 41 taxa from pollen, present in a macrofossil (leaf) layer in a peat swamp formed on Pleistocene dunes on the Aupouri Peninsula in northern New Zealand. Eight genera of gymnosperms are represented. With the exception of Lagarostrobos colensoi, all tree species abundant as macrofossils are also common as pollen. Macrofossils enabled the on-site flora to be compared with the regional flora, represented by the pollen rain. Studies on leaf decomposition rates indicate bias toward sclerophyllous species in the macrofossils. Identification to species level and treering data from preserved kauri logs allow quantitative comparisons with similar extant communities. Current climatic conditions at those analogue sites are cooler (2° to 3°C), cloudier (11%), and much wetter (85%) than those currently prevailing on the Aupouri Peninsula. Dendrochronological results also suggest that the far north of New Zealand had a cooler, cloudier, and wetter climate at the time the fossil leaf assemblage was formed. Radiocarbon dates from possibly contaminated samples suggest that a diverse mixed gymnosperm/angiosperm forest, dominated by kauri (Agathis australis), was present about (or sometime before) 41,00034,000 yr B.P., when the leaf layer was formed. Similar temperature reductions have been postulated for this period in New Zealand by other authors.

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An investigation of recalcitrance in seeds of three native New Zealand tree species

New Zealand Journal of Botany ◽

10.1080/0028825x.1996.10410137 ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 34 (4) ◽

pp. 583-590 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Peter Bannister ◽

Tui Bibby ◽

Paula E. Jameson

Keyword(s):

New Zealand ◽

Tree Species

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Eriobotrya japonica (loquat).

10.1079/isc.20559.20203483488 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Julissa Rojas-Sandoval

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

New Zealand ◽

Trinidad And Tobago ◽

Tree Species ◽

Mediterranean Region ◽

Eriobotrya Japonica ◽

Native Vegetation ◽

Galápagos Islands ◽

Ornamental Tree ◽

The Mediterranean

Abstract Eriobotrya japonica is a perennial tree species that has been widely grown as an ornamental tree and for its sweet, edible fruits. Mammals and birds feed on the fruit and disseminate the seeds into the wild, facilitating the establishment of new plants in areas outside cultivation. Once established, this species has the potential to form tall stands that replace native vegetation. Currently it is listed as invasive in the Mediterranean region, Australia, New Zealand, Réunion, Hawaii, Chile, Galapagos Islands, Trinidad and Tobago and South Africa.

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Tree species richness and turnover throughout New Zealand forests

Journal of Vegetation Science ◽

10.2307/3237307 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 10 (6) ◽

pp. 825-832 ◽

Cited By ~ 28

Author(s):

P.J. Bellingham ◽

G.H. Stewart ◽

R.B. Allen

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

New Zealand ◽

Tree Species ◽

Tree Species Richness

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