Showing papers in "Journal of The Royal Society of New Zealand in 2001"
TL;DR: In this article, the default emission factors of the 1996 Revised Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) for the New Zealand situation are calculated for New Zealand agricultural soils.
Abstract: Should international protocols be ratified, New Zealand will become legally committed to limit its greenhouse gas emissions The three major greenhouse gases are carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O) Agricultural soils are generally considered to be the main source of N2O emissions in New Zealand, but production estimates to date are surrounded by great uncertainty This paper reviews our current understanding of agricultural N2O emissions, and suggests directions for future research needs by evaluating the default emission factors of the 1996 Revised Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) for the New Zealand situation The emission factors calculated for New Zealand agricultural soils are generally within the range of the 1996 IPCC default values, but the limited amount of research data available hampers a full evaluation of the appropriateness of these factors for New Zealand More long‐term studies are needed to refi...
148 citations
TL;DR: The 1981 annotated checklist of Tenquist and Charleston is completely revised, and forty five new records have been added, and recent taxonomic changes are included for both hosts and parasites.
Abstract: The 1981 annotated checklist of Tenquist and Charleston is completely revised Forty five new records have been added, and recent taxonomic changes are included for both hosts and parasites
67 citations
62 citations
TL;DR: Kirsch et al. as discussed by the authors placed Mystacina in the superfamily Phyllostomoidea, a placing that is now generally accepted (e.g. Van Valen 1979, Koopman 1994, Simmons 1998).
Abstract: There have been many attempts to determine Mystacina'a phylogenetic relationships using morphological features. These attempts have produced conflicting results with the genus placed in four families by different authors (Kirsch et al. 1998). Recent classifications based on morphological features place Mystacina in the superfamily Vespertilionidae (e.g. Van Valen 1979; Koopman 1994; Simmons 1998), but four molecular analyses place Mystacina in the superfamily Noctilionoidea (previously Phyllostomoidea), a placing that is now generally accepted (e.g. Daniel 1990; Altringham 1996). Immunological comparisons place Mystacina close to Noctilio, a genus in the Noctilionoidea (Pierson et al. 1982, 1986). DNADNA hybridisation indicates Mystacina is the most basal group in the Noctilionoidea (Kirsch et al. 1998; Kirsch & Lloyd 1998). Phylogenetic analyses of mitochondria! DNA sequences from cytochrome b (Kennedy et al. 1999) and the 12s, and 16s rRNA, and tRNA Val (Van Den Bussche 1999) also place Mystacina in the Noctilionoidea. Difficulties in determining Mystacina's phylogenetic relationships probably stem from the mosaic of morphological adaptations, including derived and convergent features, which have arisen in the genus as a result of its diverse lifestyle (Kirsch et al. 1998a). Alternatively, Kennedy et al. (1999) suggest that conflicts in classifying Mystacina may be a result of the rapid chiropteran radiation which did not allow phylogenetically meaningful morphological differentiation between families. The Noctilionoidea is a large superfamily containing 158 extant species, divided into four families: Mystacinidae (1 species), Noctilionidae or fishing bats (2 species), Mormoopidae or moustached bats (8 species) and Phyllostomidae or New World leaf-nosed bats (147 species). With the exception of Mystacina, the superfamily is now restricted to central and south America. It is thought to have evolved in the neotropics and exhibits more diversity than any other superfamily of bats; the group includes insectivorous, carnivorous, sanguinivorous, nectarivorous, frugivorous and omnivorous species. Carnivorous species prey on a wide variety of small vertebrates including small mammals (including other bats), birds, reptiles, amphibia and fish. All members of the superfamily echolocate, though many also use prey-generated sound to locate prey.
54 citations
TL;DR: In podocarp-hardwood forest at Pureora, central North Island, largescale trapping during 1983-87 caught only 43 Norway rats compared with 1793 ship rats, and 35 of the Norway rats came from a single Fenn trap near the Waipapa Stream, which supports the largely untested conclusions that the surviving mainland non-commensal populations are most likely to be found near water.
Abstract: (2001). Advances in New Zealand mammalogy 1990–2000: European rats. Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand: Vol. 31, No. 1, pp. 111-125.
51 citations
TL;DR: Brushtail possum numbers appear to be increasing in many urban areas in Australia, and in Tasmania following conversion of woodland to pasture, but in the arid regions of Australia, populations are being reduced by fox and cat predation and by changes in the fire regime.
Abstract: Brushtail possum numbers appear to be increasing in many urban areas in Australia (Pietsch 1994; Statham & Statham 1997), and in Tasmania following conversion of woodland to pasture (Coulson & Herron 1981). In the arid regions of Australia, however, possum populations are being reduced by fox and cat predation and by changes in the fire regime (Foulkes 2000). In some areas, such as Uluru National Park in central Australia, possum reintroduction programmes are underway (J. A. Kerle unpubl. data).
49 citations
TL;DR: The distribution of Chilean temperate forests has been greatly disrupted by human activities, mainly through logging, land clearing for agriculture, and replacement of native forests by extensive commercial plantations of exotic trees.
Abstract: The distribution of Chilean temperate forests has been greatly disrupted by human activities, mainly through logging, land clearing for agriculture, and replacement of native forests by extensive commercial plantations of exotic trees More than Vi million people of indigenous ancestry (mainly Pehuenche and Huilliche) still live in close association with forests in south‐central Chile Indigenous people have been forced to retreat, along with the last remains of native forests, towards marginal lands, characterised by low productivity and limited accessibility This process has been driven by a historical trend that reassigned public and indigenous land to private or industrial landowners, and by a Chilean forestry policy that has ignored biodiversity and non‐timber forest products, and undervalued native forests by providing costly subsidies to industrial plantations for timber and pulp production As a result of these policies, two major conflicts have emerged indigenous people encroached by timber plantati...
48 citations
TL;DR: A new genus and species are erected for a giant flightless pigeon described from post‐cranial fossil bones from four Quaternary sites on Viti Levu, Fiji, in the South Pacific Lack of cranial material and transformations associated with large size and loss of flight obscure its relationships.
Abstract: A new genus and species are erected for a giant flightless pigeon described from post‐cranial fossil bones from four Quaternary sites on Viti Levu, Fiji, in the South Pacific Lack of cranial material and transformations associated with large size and loss of flight obscure its relationships, but some characters of the tarsometatarsus, tibiotarsus, and humerus are closer to Goura than to any other taxon The new taxon approaches the dodo and the solitaire in size, but its wings were not as reduced as in these Mascarene birds A tentatively referred premaxilla suggests that the Fiji bird had an unspecialised bill It coexisted with a similar sized, flightless megapode, a terrestrial crocodilian, and a giant iguana, which were the largest animals in prehuman Fiji A new volant species of Ducula is described from Lakeba Island in the Lau Group, Fiji that was larger than any extant Ducula, and had more elongate tarsometatarsi than Ducula david, the largest described fossil species Bones of a Ducula similar in size...
47 citations
TL;DR: A more complex web of interactions in beech forest than was earlier suggested is indicated, but because the intensity of flowering in spring largely determines the numbers of both Lepidoptera larvae and beech seeds, the role of each in the population increase of mice can not be determined.
Abstract: This study investigates further the possibility that eruptions of house mice in forests of southern beech (Nothofagus spp) in New Zealand after mast seedings are triggered by increases in the populations of some arthropods, especially Lepidoptera larvae and spiders that are common foods of mice, rather than by the beech seed It reports on a 5‐year study of arthropods of the forest floor in hard beech and silver beech forest in the Orongorongo Valley, near Wellington, in relation to (1) litter and seedfall, and (2) the numbers and diet of mice Litter‐feeding larvae of Lepidoptera in both the litter and fermentation layers of the forest floor feed on the fallen male flowers of beech, and most species were more common after heavy flowering of the beeches A few of the common spiders (including Miturga sp , the main spider eaten by mice) were also more abundant after beech seeding Analysis of the long‐term records of hard beech seeding, numbers of mice, and numbers of adults of the moth Gymnobathra tholodella ...
44 citations
TL;DR: The phylogeny and taxonomic composition of the order Insectivora are not widely agreed upon (Butler 1988; MacPhee & Novacek 1993; Novaceck et al. 1998; as mentioned in this paper ).
Abstract: The phylogeny and taxonomic composition of the order Insectivora are not widely agreed upon (Butler 1988; MacPhee & Novacek 1993; Novacek et al. 1985; Stanhope et al. 1998). Recently, Stanhope et al. (1998) presented molecular evidence for multiple origins of the order Insectivora, and proposed that the six extant families traditionally placed in the Insectivora be placed in two orders. A new order \"Afrosoricida\" comprises Chrysochloridae (golden moles) and Tenrecidae (tenrecs). Erinaceidae (hedgehogs and gymures), Soricidae (shrews), Talpidae (moles) and Solenodontidae (solenodons) remain in the order Insectivora.
38 citations
TL;DR: Ecosystem conservation in southern Africa (in particular South Africa, Zimbabwe, Botswana, and Namibia) is characterised by high levels of past and present conflicts during the apartheid and colonial periods indigenous people lost their rights to use land and natural resources Protected areas were seldom established in consultation with local communities, and, between 1900 and 1990, millions of citizens were forcibly removed from areas proclaimed as nature reserves, national parks, or game reserves as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: Ecosystem conservation in southern Africa (in particular South Africa, Zimbabwe, Botswana, and Namibia) is characterised by high levels of past and present conflicts During the apartheid and colonial periods indigenous people lost their rights to use land and natural resources Protected areas were seldom established in consultation with local communities, and, between 1900 and 1990, millions of citizens were forcibly removed from areas proclaimed as nature reserves, national parks, or game reserves Conservation conflicts in southern Africa escalated because of I) the many and complicated issues at stake, u) the large investment by communities and conservationists in the main causes of the conflict — land and natural resources, m) communities and conservationists harming each other, rather than striving towards common goals, IV( negative perceptions on both sides, v) weak and infrequent communication between role players, vi) the hostile relations between them, and vn) the use of violent and coercive tacti...
TL;DR: The existence of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area (WHA) is not only a testimony to its undoubted outstanding universal natural and cultural significance, but also a reflection of a national feeling that its wild places and wild rivers should be maintained for future generations, rather than expended in hydroelectric, forestry, and pastoral development.
Abstract: The existence of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area (WHA) is not only a testimony to its undoubted outstanding universal natural and cultural significance, but also a reflection of a national feeling that its wild places and wild rivers should be maintained for future generations, rather than expended in hydroelectric, forestry, and pastoral development. The issue in the establishment and expansion of the WHA was economic development or none. In the cases of power, wood, and wool production the nays succeeded convincingly, The coalition that promoted the WHA consisted largely of wilderness recreationalists and natural scientists, leading to a feeling, and partial actuality, of dispossession on the part of those recreationalists, such as shooters, anglers, off-road vehicle enthusiasts, and horse riders, who defined themselves as traditional users. Recreationalists who were within the coalition, mainly bushwalkers, climbers, cavers, and rafters, have had increasing effects on the natural values of the WHA, to the degree to which limitation of some of their activities seems necessary to maintain WHA values. Yet, any such controls have been strongly resisted. Tourism developers, traditional recreationalists, and many coalition recreationalists all wish to maintain or increase activities that are in conflict with the maintenance of the values of the WHA and/or with each other. The current management plan attempted to resolve these conflicts through compromises that do not substantially affect the values, but which lack any effective mechanisms for accountability on the part of the management agency and its minister. Despite a prolonged and complicated developmental approval process, there is no means whereby the public may appeal a ministerial decision on the grounds that it is in conflict with the general objectives of the plan. This is particularly alarming given progressive commercialisation of activities in the WHA. The WHA will continue to effectively conserve and present its values if the general public sympathy for its maintenance is expressed through an effective appeals process. There is also no reason why the minority of developers and the public who are not sympathetic to all aspects of the maintenance of its values, should not gain some benefits from the area, within the constraints of ecological sustainability.
TL;DR: Palynological analysis shows diverse microfloras totalling 71 genera and 119 species as mentioned in this paper, which come from the Ngutunui, Arataura, Rewarewa, and Arawhero Formations of the Newcastle Group.
Abstract: Marine deposition in the Murihiku Terrane gave apparently continuous sequences across the Triassic‐Jurassic boundary which were sampled in sections in south‐west Kawhia and the Awakino Gorge, south west Auckland, and in the Hokonui Hills, Southland Palynological analysis shows diverse microfloras totalling 71 genera and 119 species These floras come from the Ngutunui, Arataura, Rewarewa, and Arawhero Formations of the Newcastle Group, Kawhia, the Ngutunui Formation and undifferentiated Newcastle strata, Awakino Gorge, and the Trechmann Siltstone and associated unnamed units in Southland Four palynofloral assemblages can be distinguished among samples from these sequences In ascending order they are Assemblage I, Otamitan (Early‐Middle Norian), Polycingulatisporites crenulatus‐Annulispora microannulata‐Aratrisporites flexibilis Assemblage, Assemblage II, Otapirian (Rhaetian), Foveosporites moretonensis‐Densoisporites psilatus‐Steevesipollenites claviger Assemblage, Assemblage III, late Otapirian‐early Arat...
TL;DR: In this paper, Yom-Tov et al. found that the skull size of R. exulans on islands in the Pacific and in New Zealand was positively and significantly correlated with latitude.
Abstract: Yom-Tov et al. (1999) confirmed that, as expected from Bergman's rule, skull size of R. exulans on islands in the Pacific and in New Zealand was positively and significantly correlated with latitude. Skull size was negatively correlated with the presence of each of the other three rodents commonly found on islands in the Pacific: ship rats (Rattus rattus), Norway rats (R. norvegicus) and mice (Mus musculus), suggesting competitive effects between these rodents and kiore.
TL;DR: In this paper, Advances in New Zealand mammalogy 1990-2000: House cat, 1990−2000, Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand: Vol. 31, No. 1, pp. 205-218.
Abstract: (2001). Advances in New Zealand mammalogy 1990–2000: House cat. Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand: Vol. 31, No. 1, pp. 205-218.
TL;DR: Studies of New Zealand material now in progress confirm that most house mice here are M. domesticus (or M. musculus domesticus) (P. Jamieson, unpubl. data), and when this analysis is completed and published, future references to New Zealand mice will presumably adopt the change in name here too.
Abstract: (2001). Advances in New Zealand mammalogy 1990–2000: House mouse. Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand: Vol. 31, No. 1, pp. 127-134.
TL;DR: An overview of some aspects of the federal protected areas system of Argentinian Patagonia is presented in this article, where the authors discuss its features and coverage relating to conservation, management issues, and challenges for the future.
Abstract: This paper presents an overview of some aspects of the federal protected areas system of Argentinian Patagonia We discuss its features and coverage relating to conservation, management issues, and challenges for the future, particularly relating to rural settlers, indigenous communities, and public use
TL;DR: Body, tail and hind foot lengths and body weights have been recorded in five recent studies, and males shorter and lighter than previously recorded and the weights of females are extended at each end of the previously known range.
TL;DR: The literature on the diseases and pathogens of stoats, and closely related mustelids, are reviewed with a view to identifying potential biological control agents Aleutian disease virus, mink enteritis virus, and canine distemper virus hold promise as agents of lethal control, though the risks to non‐target species posed by these viruses are serious.
Abstract: Controlling populations of introduced stoats is a high priority for the conservation of avian biodiversity in New Zealand Existing technology for stoat control is labour intensive and expensive, therefore new techniques and approaches, such as biological control, are needed We reviewed the literature on the diseases and pathogens of stoats, and closely related mustelids, with a view to identifying potential biological control agents Aleutian disease virus, mink enteritis virus, and canine distemper virus hold promise as agents of lethal control, though the risks to non‐target species posed by these viruses are serious Host‐specific ectoparasites such as Tnchodectes ermineae, nematodes such as Skrjabingylus nasicola, and bacteria such as Hehcobacter mustelae and Bartemella spp could have a role as vectors for the transmission of fertility control agents We urge some caution in developing biological control technology without a parallel investigation of the potential effects of biological control on stoat p...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present the analysis of bone from seven bird species at the Pleasant River site which showed that marshland fowl also had up to 300 yr radiocarbon variation in their ages but maintained terrestrial range δ13C and δ15N values.
Abstract: Radiocarbon ages of Rattus exulans bone recovered from the Pleasant River, Otago, archaeological site were originally rejected on the basis of 14C variability allegedly caused by laboratory processing Subsequent work revealed no burial contaminant that could have affected the results on bone protein as processed We present the analysis of bone from seven bird species at the Pleasant River site which showed that marshland fowl also had up to 300 yr radiocarbon variation in their ages but maintained terrestrial range δ13C and δ15N values The apparent dietary effect that offsets marshland fowl 14C ages at Pleasant River suggested there was a similar diet based cause for the anomalous radiocarbon ages for some R exulans at the site rather than a laboratory contamination or processing effect
TL;DR: This paper reviews each genus and species of New Zealand's amphipod fauna, and provides synonymies of genera and species, as well as discussing their taxonomic status.
Abstract: Although it is >100 years since the first taxonomic descriptions appeared, the freshwater and groundwater amphipod fauna of New Zealand is still poorly known During the nineteenth century, the New Zealand groundwater fauna became renowned through the work of Charles Chilton, in particular The currently known amphipod fauna comprises 19 species in 9 genera among 8 families Although apparently poor in species, the fauna is diverse at generic and family levels, and recent studies show that several more epigean and hypogean taxa await description This paper reviews each genus and species diagnoses genera, and provides synonymies of genera and species, as well as discussing their taxonomic status
TL;DR: A new species of mudfish, Neochanna, is described from Northland and is known from only three ephemeral wetland sites on the Kerikeri volcanic plateau and is abundant only at the type locality.
Abstract: A new species of mudfish, Neochanna, is described from Northland Neochanna heleios n sp is known from only three ephemeral wetland sites on the Kerikeri volcanic plateau and is abundant only at the type locality The new species has a head resembling that of the brown mudfish, Neochanna apoda, and a caudal region resembling that of the black mudfish, Neochanna diversus It can be distinguished from all Neochanna species in having a reduced number of principal caudal fin rays (13 or less) Morphometric and meristic comparisons with N apoda and N diversus are provided
TL;DR: A new species of cucujid beetle, Platisus zelandicus n sp, from the Three Kings Islands, New Zealand, is described and illustrated from the adult and larva.
Abstract: A new species of cucujid beetle, Platisus zelandicus n sp , from the Three Kings Islands, New Zealand, is described and illustrated from the adult and larva Platisus zelandicus is compared with adults and larvae of Australian species of Platisus Aspects of its biology and relationships with other cucujid species are discussed
TL;DR: Forsyth and Duncan as mentioned in this paper showed that releases of six or more individuals always established, but fewer than six animals failed more often than they succeeded; therefore, the four tahr released at Franz Josef Glacier in 1913 were unlikely to establish a population; descendants of the Mount Cook introduction have since colonised valleys around FranzJosef Glacier.
Abstract: Recent work (Forsyth & Duncan in press) has shown that the outcome of ungulate introductions into New Zealand depended upon the number of individuals released. Releases of six or more individuals always established, but fewer than six animals failed more often than they succeeded. Hence, the four tahr released at Franz Josef Glacier in 1913 were unlikely to establish a population; descendants of the Mount Cook introduction have since colonised valleys around Franz Josef Glacier. The three tahr released near Rotorua in 1909 probably never reached the central North Island mountains, which appear to be suitable habitat for tahr.
TL;DR: It is argued that different mechanisms are important for the speciation of the Diogemdae and the Pagundae, both of which are endemic to the New Zealand region.
Abstract: According to recent studies there are 60 species of hermit crabs living in the New Zealand region, including the Kermadec Islands All the major families of the Pagundea are represented Pylochehdae (7 species), Diogemdae (11), Pagundae (33), and Parapagundae (9) There are two distinct faunas, one belonging to the subtropical Kermadec Islands and the other belonging to the area of New Zealand itself Only five species are shared A feature of the fauna is the high level of endemism, especially in the Diogemdae where it reaches 73% If we include New Caledonia and Eastern Australia, then 86% of the Pylochehdae and 84% ot the Pagundae are endemic to that region The level of endemism is higher for New Zealand (60%) than for the Kermadecs (35%) In relation to depth, endemism in the intertidal zone is 67%, rising to 85% by 50 m, and remaining above 60% down to 200 m Species living at greater depths tend not to be endemic By virtue of their deeper habitat, the Pylochehdae (which retain many ancestral characters) and...
TL;DR: Comparisons of the osteology and external morphology of the mainland and Chatham Island forms of the New Zealand pigeon show that the two differ markedly in size, appearance, and structure and should be considered as full species, H novaeseelandiae and H chathamensis (Rothschild).
Abstract: Comparisons of the osteology and external morphology of the mainland and the Chatham Island forms of the New Zealand pigeon (Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae (Gmelin)) show that the two differ markedly in...
TL;DR: The sediment record of Whangape Harbour shows that there were significant fluctuations in depositional energy in the harbour during the period from c >8000 cal yr BP to some time within the last millenium, and that fluvial influences increased as the harbour infilled.
Abstract: The sediment record of Whangape Harbour shows that there were significant fluctuations in depositional energy in the harbour during the period from c >8000 cal yr B P to some time within the last millenium, and that fluvial influences increased as the harbour infilled The pollen record (highly discontinuous) from Whangape Harbour indicates that conifer‐hardwood forest covered the hills surrounding the harbour during this period The main canopy conifers were Dacrydium and Prumnopitys taxifolia, with some Libocedrus, Dacrycarpus, and Phyllocladus Agathis was also present Common canopy hardwoods were Metrosideros and, in the latter part of the period, Elaeocarpus Ascarina and Cyathea were abundant in the sub‐canopy Leptospermum grew on disturbed areas fringing the estuary Marsh or swamp environments probably never developed on a large scale in the harbour Avicennia, extremely under‐represented in the pollen flora, has been present on tidal flats in the harbour since at least c 2500 cal yr B P Large‐scale ant...