Research on the critically endangered dry plains shrub daisy hit the headlines across New Zealand yesterday.
Saving a critically endangered native plant
Seed supply limits native regeneration under wilding pines
A recent study found that native plant regeneration under wilding contorta pine forest was limited mainly by the availability of native seeds.
Seed dispersal on islands Hawaii workshop
I recently attended a workshop in Hawaii to discuss frugivory and seed dispersal on islands and how human impacts may have changed this important plant-animal interaction. Don Drake (University of Hawaii, USA) and Kim McConkey (National Institute of Advanced Studies,
Lizard seed dispersal paper published
We have a new paper on lizard seed dispersal in Zealand, published in a special issue of the Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand to commemorate the late Tony Whitaker.
Back from the brink?
Seedlings of the nationally endangered shrub Hebe armstrongii were recently discovered for the first time at Enys Scientific Reserve in Canterbury by Moa’s Ark Research ecologist Dr Debra Wotton and Department of Conservation botanist Nick Head.
Can habitat restoration save endangered shrub?
Seedlings of the critically endangered dry plains shrub daisy establish only when invasive grasses are sprayed with herbicide. We will investigate whether habitat restoration can be used as an alternative, less intensive, management option to suppress invasive grasses and enable dry plains shrub daisy to regenerate.
Fernbirds calling
I enjoyed a close encounter with a pair of North Island fernbirds in Waikanae Estuary Scientific Reserve a couple of days ago.
Fruit-eating animals spread invasive plants
In a paper recently published online, Debra Wotton (Moa’s Ark Research) and co-author Kate McAlpine (Department of Conservation) found that nearly a third of invasive plant species in New Zealand have fleshy-fruits whose seeds are dispersed by animals.
Lizards, berries & seed dispersal
Debra Wotton, Principal Ecologist & Director at Moa’s Ark Research, recently gave an invited talk on the role of lizards as seed dispersers in New Zealand at the SRARNZ (Society for Research on Amphibians and Reptiles in New Zealand) conference