Wasp Wipeout
In 2016 Stuff’s Nelson office joined forces with the Department of Conservation and the Tasman Environmental Trust to target one of New Zealand’s most destructive…
Media
Publication
High-Quality Assemblies for Three Invasive Social Wasps from the Vespula Genus
We sequenced and annotated the genomes of the common wasp (Vespula vulgaris), German wasp (Vespula germanica), and the western yellowjacket (Vespula pensylvanica). Our chromosome-level Vespula assemblies…
Publication
Invasion success and management strategies for social Vespula wasps
Three species of Vespula have become invasive in Australia, Hawai‘i, New Zealand, and North and South America and continue to spread. These social wasp species can achieve…
Media
Biodiversity brought to Fonterra farms
A new project supported by Fonterra’s Living Water Partnership with the Department of Conservation will help on-farm advisors grow their understanding of biodiversity, with a…
Publication
Characterising uncertainty in risk assessments for biological control: using case studies from New Zealand to inform future research
Areas of uncertainty in the assessment of risks and benefits in applications for new biological control agents submitted to the regulator for proposed introduction into…
Publication
Harnessing CRISPR-Cas for oomycete genome editing
Oomycetes are a group of microorganisms that include pathogens responsible for devastating diseases in plants and animals worldwide. Despite their importance, the development of genome…
Webinar
Sensing Wetlands
Kevan Cote explains how the Eco-index team are using remote sensing data (satellites and AI) to detect wetlands across Aotearoa. Presented at the Wetlands…
Presentation
Understanding a taonga killer: how does Austropuccinia psidii cause myrtle rust? – Grant Smith
Presented as part of the Kaurilands Summit 2023, hosted by Ngā Rākau Taketake. To find out more about the Host, Pathogen & Environment research…
Publication
A metatranscriptomic analysis of diseased social wasps (Vespula vulgaris) for pathogens, with an experimental infection of larvae and nests
Social wasps are a major pest in many countries around the world. Pathogens may influence wasp populations and could provide an option for population management…
Publication
Methods for the extraction, storage, amplification and sequencing of DNA from environmental samples
Advances in the sequencing of DNA extracted from media such as soil and water offer huge opportunities for biodiversity monitoring and assessment, particularly where the…
Publication
Thesis: Detection and prevention: Improving techniques to manage Phytophthora agathidicida, the causal agent of kauri dieback
Real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) have been published as molecular detection techniques for P. agathidicida; however, they are not yet…
Publication
Using soil bacterial communities to predict physico-chemical variables and soil quality
Soil ecosystems consist of complex interactions between biological communities and physico-chemical variables, all of which contribute to the overall quality of soils. Despite this, changes…
Publication
Environmental DNA sampling detects between-habitat variation in soil arthropod communities, but is a poor indicator of fine-scale spatial and seasonal variation
Arthropods have been useful and important ecological indicators of environmental change, but morphological identification of key groups is labour-intensive and expertise-demanding. Molecular methods using environmental…
Summary
BRIEF: Find a Pest
How can we support early detection of new pests and increase our understanding of the distribution and density of existing pests? Through harnessing citizen science!
Publication
Trust in science and scientists: Effects of social attitudes and motivations on views regarding climate change, vaccines and gene drive technology
Trust in science and scientists (TSS) is an increasingly important topic with respect to how science is applied within society. However, its role regarding specific…
Publication
Niche partitioning in a guild of invasive mammalian predators
Predators compete aggressively for resources, establishing trophic hierarchies that influence ecosystem structure. Competitive interactions are particularly important in invaded ecosystems where introduced predators can suppress…
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