Tools & Technology

Media

University of Otago PhD genetics students Josh Gilligan and Gemma McLaughlin talking about how their research could help eradicate wasps in Aotearoa

University of Otago PhD genetics students Josh Gilligan and Gemma McLaughlin have been stung by their efforts in wasp removal – all in the name…

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Publication

Towards rangatiratanga in pest management? Māori perspectives and frameworks on novel biotechnologies in conservation

We gathered Māori perspectives on novel biotechnological controls for pest wasps through three distinct studies. Study participants included tertiary students, businesses, and spiritual or religiously…

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Publication

Exploiting interspecific olfactory communication to monitor predators

We devised a field experiment to investigate whether dominant predator (ferret Mustela furo) body odor would alter the behavior of three common mesopredators: stoats (Mustela erminea), hedgehogs…

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Media

Trans-Tasman collaboration unlocks genetic secrets behind myrtle rust

In a trans-Tasman collaboration, scientists have sequenced the genome of Austropuccinia psidii, the fungus responsible for the disease myrtle rust, and produced the world’s largest assembled…

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Webinar

A matter of trust: perceptions of the value of risk assessment

There are dozens of published pest risk assessments and pest risk assessment frameworks, but only a fraction of those published are actually used in decision-making.…

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Publication

Gene drive and RNAi technologies: a bio-cultural review of next-generation tools for pest wasp management in New Zealand

There is a global need for novel, next-generation technologies and techniques to manage pest species. We review work on potential step-changing technologies for large landscape…

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Publication

Sexual and asexual propagation of Syzygium maire, a critically endangered Myrtaceae species of New Zealand

Syzygium maire (swamp maire) is an endemic New Zealand Myrtaceae tree species. Current threats to this species include habitat destruction, myrtle rust, declining remnant populations…

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Report

SO4 scoping panel report

This report was put together by the Strategic Outcome 4 group, focused on state-of-the-art surveillance systems for Aotearoa. Scoping panel reports are documents that paint…

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Presentation

Understanding the distribution of genetic variation in ramarama – Amy MacDonald

Understanding the distribution of genetic variation in ramarama and its potential implications for conservation. Presented as part of the Kaurilands Summit 2023, hosted by Ngā…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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!

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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…

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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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University of Otago PhD genetics students Josh Gilligan and Gemma McLaughlin talking about how their research could help eradicate wasps in Aotearoa

Towards rangatiratanga in pest management? Māori perspectives and frameworks on novel biotechnologies in conservation

Exploiting interspecific olfactory communication to monitor predators

Trans-Tasman collaboration unlocks genetic secrets behind myrtle rust

A matter of trust: perceptions of the value of risk assessment

Gene drive and RNAi technologies: a bio-cultural review of next-generation tools for pest wasp management in New Zealand

Sexual and asexual propagation of Syzygium maire, a critically endangered Myrtaceae species of New Zealand

SO4 scoping panel report

Understanding the distribution of genetic variation in ramarama – Amy MacDonald

Methods for the extraction, storage, amplification and sequencing of DNA from environmental samples

Thesis: Detection and prevention: Improving techniques to manage Phytophthora agathidicida, the causal agent of kauri dieback

Using soil bacterial communities to predict physico-chemical variables and soil quality

Environmental DNA sampling detects between-habitat variation in soil arthropod communities, but is a poor indicator of fine-scale spatial and seasonal variation

BRIEF: Find a Pest

Trust in science and scientists: Effects of social attitudes and motivations on views regarding climate change, vaccines and gene drive technology

Niche partitioning in a guild of invasive mammalian predators

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Traveling again? Be vigilant and use Find-A-Pest

Trans-Tasman collaboration unlocks genetic secrets behind myrtle rust

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Teamwork makes the dream work – even in science

Sharing environmental DNA across New Zealand

Publishing news: Lessons learned from complicated seeds

Check out our inventory of research outputs and resources