Journal Articles
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://mro.massey.ac.nz/handle/10179/7915
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Item Social media as a tool to understand the distribution and ecology of elusive mammals(Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Society of Mammalogists, 2024-02-01) Phakoago MV; Maloney SK; Kamerman PR; Meyer LCR; Weyer NM; Fuller A; Zollner PComparatively little is known about the distribution and ecology of Aardvark (Orycteropus afer) and Temminck's Ground Pangolin (Smutsia temminckii). Both are elusive species that are normally nocturnal, solitary, and fossorial. Formally collected records have been used to map the distribution of these species, and social media records provide a tool to gather information on their distribution and ecology. We obtained 680 photographs and videos of aardvarks and 790 of ground pangolins in southern Africa from publicly available posts on Facebook and Instagram (2010-2019). The images provide new insights into the distribution, activity, drinking, and predation - and confirm that aardvarks are more diurnally active when they are in poor body condition. Social media can provide useful supplementary information for understanding of elusive mammals. These "soft"data can be applied to other species.Item A new species of Celatoblatta cockroach that coincides with the distribution of kauri forests in New Zealand(Taylor and Francis Group on behalf of the Royal Society of New Zealand, 2025-07-16) Morgan-Richards M; Trewick SAA new species of Blattidae cockroach is described from northern Aotearoa New Zealand. Celatoblatta kauri sp. nov. can be distinguished from similar conspecific species by its distinctive facial markings. The recorded distribution of Celatoblatta kauri sp. nov. matches that of the historic distribution of kauri forest (Agathis australis) in northern New Zealand. Zoobank LSID: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:93794424-1A7B-4CCA-A7A1-A303BCE8EACA.Item An integrative approach to silvopastoral system design: perspectives, potentials and principles(Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group, 2024-01-01) Mackay-Smith TH; Spiekermann RI; Richards DR; Harcourt N; Burkitt LLSilvopastoral systems have complex impacts on a diverse range of outcomes, making it essential to design these systems using an integrative approach to maximise positive impacts to farms. This paper comprises firstly a systematic review of global silvopastoral processes, and secondly stakeholder-driven synthesis of key opportunities and challenges for future silvopastoralism situated in the context of New Zealand. The systematic review demonstrated that although under-researched, livestock interactions can have overriding influences on the system, and that the traditional functional traits that are typically deemed important for selection (N2-fixing trees v non N2-fixing trees, evergreen v deciduous) do not show consistent positive impacts on the agroecological environment. From the New Zealand silvopastoral participatory case study, including the stakeholder workshop, we synthesised 5 key principles that should be considered in future system designs. These were: (1) silvopastoral systems are complex and require holistic management; (2) the views, values and experiences of local people are deeply connected to silvopastoral system design; (3) spatial heterogeneity in environmental and social conditions requires locally specific decisions; (4) understanding of ecological processes must underpin all management decisions; and (5) the complexity and spatial heterogeneity present in silvopastoral systems requires high-resolution data and tools.Item Pasture production–diversity relationships in a kānuka silvopastoral system(John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Ecological Society, 2023-04-09) Mackay-Smith TH; López IF; Burkitt LL; Reid JI; Wagg CSilvopastoral systems have great potential for forming multifunctional landscapes that provide a range of economic and environmental benefits to pastoral land. However, pasture production–diversity relationships in silvopastures require further exploration. This study measures how pasture functional group production, pasture species diversity and pasture functional diversity (FD) are impacted by trees in a novel native silvopastoral system in New Zealand hill country with kānuka (Kunzea spp.). Silvopastoral trees facilitated the growth of fast-growing competitor functional groups (Lolium perenne, Dactylis glomerata and high fertility annuals: Bromus hordeaceus and Critesion murinum), because of positive impacts on soil fertility, organic matter and porosity. Shannon diversity, species richness and species evenness were significantly less in the more productive pastoral environment under the trees, but functional richness, functional evenness and functional dispersion were similar between kānuka pasture and open pasture. These results show that silvopastures can increase pasture production by promoting the growth of competitive pasture functional groups, and that reduced species diversity under silvopastoral trees does not necessarily impact FD in the context of production. Moreover, species indices overestimated diversity reductions under the trees compared to functional indices. Thus, considering FD in silvopastoral systems is integral for not misinterpreting diversity outcomes.Item Using spectral indices derived from remote sensing imagery to represent arthropod biodiversity gradients in a European Sphagnum peat bog(MDPI (Basel, Switzerland), 2023-03) Minor MA; Ermilov SG; Joharchi O; Philippov DA; Oliveira Júnior JMBMonitoring of peatlands is an important conservation issue. We investigated communities of soil mites (Acari: Oribatida, Mesostigmata) inhabiting a relatively undisturbed European boreal mire characterized by a mosaic of oligotrophic and meso-eutrophic areas. We assess the potential of using remote sensing approach as a mapping and predictive tool for monitoring productivity and arthropod biodiversity in a peat bog. In georeferenced plots, Acari biodiversity, water table level, water pH and plot productivity class on the oligotrophic-eutrophic gradient were recorded. Data from the Landsat 8 OLI sensor were used to calculate several spectral indices known to represent productivity and surface moisture gradients in terrestrial ecosystems. We then explored the relationship between spectral indices, environmental gradients and biodiversity of mites. We found that several spectral indices were significantly and consistently correlated with local environmental variables and biodiversity of soil mites. The Excess Green Index performed best as a predictor of plot trophic class on the oligotrophic-eutrophic gradient and showed significant relationship with Oribatida diversity in 2016. However, following hot summer in 2019, there was no significant relationship between abundance and species richness of Oribatida and remotely sensed data; there was a weak correlation between abundance of Mesostigmata and spectral indices which represent surface moisture gradient (e.g., Normalised Difference Moisture Index). We discuss advantages and challenges of using spectral indices derived from remote sensing imagery to map biodiversity gradients in a peatland.Item Preventing the Separation of Urban Humans from Nature: The Impact of Pet and Plant Diversity on Biodiversity Loss Belief(MDPI (Basel, Switzerland), 2023-04-25) Nguyen M-H; Nguyen M-HT; Jin R; Nguyen Q-L; La V-P; Le T-T; Vuong Q-H; Thill J-CDespite the dependence of human existence on myriad ecosystem services and products, a high proportion of people feel disconnection from nature due to urbanization. This separation appears to have created an increase in the numbers of climate change and biodiversity loss denialists, thereby weakening global efforts to prevent environmental degradation and address environmental issues. The current study employs the reasoning capability of Mindsponge theory and the statistical advantages of Bayesian inference to examine whether access to in-home pet and plant diversity can increase the probability of biodiversity loss belief among urban residents. The findings from 535 Vietnamese respondents indicate that, when respondents feel comfortable at home, a higher diversity of pets is associated with a higher likelihood of believing that biodiversity loss is a real and major problem. However, the effect becomes the opposite when the respondents feel uncomfortable at home. Plant diversity has a positive impact on biodiversity loss belief regardless of comfort. Notably, the impact of plant diversity on biodiversity loss belief is more substantial among respondents who feel uncomfortable than those who feel comfortable. Following these findings, we suggest that increasing in-home biodiversity can be a promising way to raise urban residents’ awareness of the occurrence and significance of biodiversity loss, which will subsequently help them build up an eco-surplus culture.Item Benthic species patterns in and around the Cape Canyon: A large submarine canyon off the western passive margin of South Africa(Frontiers Media S.A., 2022-11-18) Filander Z; Smith ANH; Cawthra HC; Lamont T; Davies JSAlthough submarine canyons are internationally recognized as sensitive ecosystems and reported to be biological hotspots, regional studies are required to validate this consensus. To this end, hydrographic and benthic biodiversity data were collected during three cruises (2016-2017) to provide insights on the benthic patterns within South African canyon and non-canyon offshore areas. A total of 25 stations, sampled at 200-1000 m depth range, form the basis of the multivariate analysis. Diversity gradients were calculated and then differences were compared across substrate types and depth zones represented within 12 canyon and 13 non-canyon stations. Significant differences in both substrate and depth were evident, despite measures being highly variable. This observation of varying diversity in different substrates is in line with previous studies. No clear pattern was observed for species diversity (delta+). However, non-canyon stations overall showed a higher diversity in comparison to canyon stations. A notable peak in diversity is observed in canyon areas in the 401-500 m depth zone. Species richness followed an opposing pattern, as it decreased with depth and was consistently higher in canyon areas. These results align with the well-defined influence of depth-related variables on the distribution of taxonomic groups and the substrate available, at various scales. The eutrophic characteristic of the Benguela region may have attributed to the insignificant diversity differences between canyon and non-canyon stations. To assess the benthic species structure in canyon and non-canyon areas, we converted the 108 benthic species into a gamma+ matrix. We then modelled the biological response to predictor variables (substrate and depth). Although the canyon and non-canyon areas have an overlapping species composition, the main effects (canyon vs. non-canyon, depth, and substrate) showed significant differences. Thirteen species were characteristic of canyon areas, whilst only three distinguished non-canyon areas. The region has a long history of anthropogenic activities, so the observed benthic profiles may already be altered. The current study therefore provides the first detailed taxonomic description and analysis of benthic species profiles in the Cape Canyon, and advances important baseline information necessary for understanding the ecological importance of the Cape Canyon.Item Importance of timely metadata curation to the global surveillance of genetic diversity(Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Society for Conservation Biology, 2023-08) Crandall ED; Toczydlowski RH; Liggins L; Holmes AE; Ghoojaei M; Gaither MR; Wham BE; Pritt AL; Noble C; Anderson TJ; Barton RL; Berg JT; Beskid SG; Delgado A; Farrell E; Himmelsbach N; Queeno SR; Trinh T; Weyand C; Bentley A; Deck J; Riginos C; Bradburd GS; Toonen RJGenetic diversity within species represents a fundamental yet underappreciated level of biodiversity. Because genetic diversity can indicate species resilience to changing climate, its measurement is relevant to many national and global conservation policy targets. Many studies produce large amounts of genome-scale genetic diversity data for wild populations, but most (87%) do not include the associated spatial and temporal metadata necessary for them to be reused in monitoring programs or for acknowledging the sovereignty of nations or Indigenous peoples. We undertook a distributed datathon to quantify the availability of these missing metadata and to test the hypothesis that their availability decays with time. We also worked to remediate missing metadata by extracting them from associated published papers, online repositories, and direct communication with authors. Starting with 848 candidate genomic data sets (reduced representation and whole genome) from the International Nucleotide Sequence Database Collaboration, we determined that 561 contained mostly samples from wild populations. We successfully restored spatiotemporal metadata for 78% of these 561 data sets (n = 440 data sets with data on 45,105 individuals from 762 species in 17 phyla). Examining papers and online repositories was much more fruitful than contacting 351 authors, who replied to our email requests 45% of the time. Overall, 23% of our email queries to authors unearthed useful metadata. The probability of retrieving spatiotemporal metadata declined significantly as age of the data set increased. There was a 13.5% yearly decrease in metadata associated with published papers or online repositories and up to a 22% yearly decrease in metadata that were only available from authors. This rapid decay in metadata availability, mirrored in studies of other types of biological data, should motivate swift updates to data-sharing policies and researcher practices to ensure that the valuable context provided by metadata is not lost to conservation science forever. Importancia de la curación oportuna de metadatos para la vigilancia mundial de ladiversidad genéticaResumen:La diversidad genética intraespecífica representa un nivel fundamental, pero ala vez subvalorado de la biodiversidad. La diversidad genética puede indicar la resilienciade una especie ante el clima cambiante, por lo que su medición es relevante para muchosobjetivos de la política de conservación mundial y nacional. Muchos estudios producenuna gran cantidad de datos sobre la diversidad a nivel genético de las poblaciones silvestres,aunque la mayoría (87%) no incluye los metadatos espaciales y temporales asociados paraque sean reutilizados en los programas de monitoreo o para reconocer la soberanía de lasnaciones o los pueblos indígenas. Realizamos un “datatón” distribuido para cuantificar ladisponibilidad de estos metadatos faltantes y para probar la hipótesis que supone que estadisponibilidad se deteriora con el tiempo. También trabajamos para reparar los metadatosfaltantes al extraerlos de los artículos asociados publicados, los repositorios en línea yla comunicación directa con los autores. Iniciamos con 838 candidatos de conjuntos dedatos genómicos (representación reducida y genoma completo) tomados de la colabo-ración internacional para la base de datos de secuencias de nucleótidos y determinamosque 561 incluían en su mayoría muestras tomadas de poblaciones silvestres. Restauramoscon éxito los metadatos espaciotemporales en el 78% de estos 561 conjuntos de datos (n=440 conjuntos de datos con información sobre 45,105 individuos de 762 especies en 17filos). El análisis de los artículos y los repositorios virtuales fue mucho más productivo quecontactar a los 351 autores, quienes tuvieron un 45% de respuesta a nuestros correos. Engeneral, el 23% de nuestras consultas descubrieron metadatos útiles. La probabilidad derecuperar metadatos espaciotemporales declinó de manera significativa conforme incre-mentó la antigüedad del conjunto de datos. Hubo una disminución anual del 13.5% enlos metadatos asociados con los artículos publicados y los repositorios virtuales y hastauna disminución anual del 22% en los metadatos que sólo estaban disponibles mediante lacomunicación con los autores. Este rápido deterioro en la disponibilidad de los metadatos,duplicado en estudios de otros tipos de datos biológicos, debería motivar la pronta actual-ización de las políticas del intercambio de datos y las prácticas de los investigadores paraasegurar que en las ciencias de la conservación no se pierda para siempre el contexto valiosoproporcionado por los metadatos.Item The future of molecular ecology in Aotearoa New Zealand: an early career perspective(Taylor and Francis Group on behalf of the Royal Society of New Zealand, 2022-07-14) Liggins L; Arranz V; Braid HE; Carmelet-Rescan D; Elleouet J; Egorova E; Gemmell MR; Hills SFK; Holland LP; Koot EM; Lischka A; Maxwell KH; McCartney LJ; Nguyen HTT; Noble C; Olmedo Rojas P; Parvizi E; Pearman WS; Sweatman JAN; Kaihoro TR; Walton K; Aguirre JD; Stewart LC; Moss SThe skills, insights, and genetic data gathered by molecular ecologists are pivotal to addressing many contemporary biodiversity, environmental, cultural, and societal challenges. Concurrently, the field of molecular ecology is being revolutionised by rapid technological development and diversification in the scope of its applications. Hence, it is timely to review the future opportunities of molecular ecological research in Aotearoa New Zealand, and to reconcile them with philosophies of open science and the implications for Indigenous data sovereignty and benefit sharing. Future molecular ecologists need to be interdisciplinary, equipped to embrace innovation, and informed about the broader societal relevance of their research, as well as advocates of best practice. Here, we present an ideal future for molecular ecology in Aotearoa, based on the perspectives of 23 early career researchers from tertiary institutions, Crown Research Institutes, research consultancies, and government agencies. Our article provides: a guide for molecular ecologists embarking on genetic research in Aotearoa, and a primer for individuals in a position to support early career molecular ecologists in Aotearoa. We outline our goals and highlight specific considerations–for molecular ecology and the scientific community in Aotearoa–based on our own experience and aspirations, and invite other researchers to join this dialogue.Item Assessing Diet Quality of Indigenous Food Systems in Three Geographically Distinct Solomon Islands Sites (Melanesia, Pacific Islands)(MDPI (Basel, Switzerland), 2021-01) Vogliano C; Raneri JE; Maelaua J; Coad J; Wham C; Burlingame BIndigenous Solomon Islanders, like many living in Pacific Small Island Developing States (PSIDS), are currently experiencing the global syndemic-the combined threat of obesity, undernutrition, and climate change. This mixed-method study aimed to assess nutrition transitions and diet quality by comparing three geographically unique rural and urban indigenous Solomon Islands populations. Participants in rural areas sourced more energy from wild and cultivated foods; consumed a wider diversity of foods; were more likely to meet WHO recommendations of >400g of non-starchy fruits and vegetables daily; were more physically active; and had significantly lower body fat, waist circumference, and body mass index (BMI) when compared to urban populations. Urban populations were found to have a reduced ability to self-cultivate agri-food products or collect wild foods, and therefore consumed more ultra-processed foods (classified as NOVA 4) and takeout foods, and overall had less diverse diets compared to rural populations. Clear opportunities to leverage traditional knowledge and improve the cultivation and consumption of underutilized species can assist in building more sustainable and resilient food systems while ensuring that indigenous knowledge and cultural preferences are respected.