Tag Archives: biodiversity

Sense and Sensibility in the Southern Ocean – A character-building story of albatross and researcher personalities in extreme conditions. Part 2. Tropical waters

14 February 2013 – 8.15am

Our visit to the Crozet Islands, a French Sub-Antarctic nature reserve at 41 deg S in the Indian Ocean started yesterday, embarking on the RV Marion Dufresne. We’re steaming straight south from La Reunion, towards the Crozet Islands, with landfall due in about 6 days.

Lieutenant Iulia Popescu of the Marion Dufresne checks our position at the chart table.

Lieutenant Iulia Popescu of the Marion Dufresne checks our position                   at the chart table. Image: Susan Waugh, © Te Papa

Overnight we made good steaming with an average speed of around 15 knots, and this morning we found ourselves sounded by a vast ‘empty’ tropical sea (at least as concerns flying species). The water temperature of 24 C, and a mild 21 C air temperature.

Julien Collet CNRS Research Assistant keeps an eye out for whales and seabirds from the top deck of the Marion Dufresne. Image: Susan Waugh, © Te Papa

Julien Collet CNRS Research Assistant keeps an eye out for whales and seabirds from the top deck of the Marion Dufresne.                                                 Image: Susan Waugh, © Te Papa

Our team of four has been occupied with hourly bird observations from the bridge, which helps pass the time, but also to acquaint ourselves with the local biodiversity. Yesterday, we saw several small shearwaters, including wedge-tailed shearwaters and possibly Audubon’s shearwaters. We were also lucky to see a Barau’s petrel, a rare species nesting at La Reunion.

Barau’s Petrel one day south of Reunion Island. Image: Julian Collet, © Julian Collet

Barau’s Petrel one day south of Reunion Island.                                                        Image: Julian Collet, © Julian Collet

Today, however, being further from the tropical islands, and not yet into temperate seas, the wildlife is very thinly spread. No birds were seen all morning, although there were flying fish making little volleys across the sea surface every few hundred metres. The whole team is keen to spot our first albatross, apparently around 33 deg S is where they were seen a few weeks ago by the vessel, which should be where we get to by the end of the day.

Flying fish in the waters of 29 deg S. Image: Julian Collet, © Julian

Flying fish in the waters of 29 deg S. Image: Julian Collet, © Julian

By Susan Waugh | Posted in Biodiversity, Birds, Field trips | Also tagged , , , | Comments (0)

Sense and Sensibility in the Southern Ocean – A character-building story of albatross and researcher personalities in extreme conditions. Part 1. Departing La Reunion for the Crozet Islands

12 February 2013 – 3.46pm

A two-month long research programme is getting underway for Te Papa Senior Curator Dr Susan Waugh, in collaboration with the French CNRS Research Institute and Polar Institute (IPEV). Susan departs from La Reunion on February 7th to take part in a programme of work on the personality of Albatrosses on the Crozet Islands.

Departure Board of the Marion Du Fresne. Image: Susan Waugh, (C) Te Papa
Departure Board of the Marion Du Fresne.
Image: Susan Waugh, © Te Papa

It takes over a week to get to the islands, starting at the tropical island of La Reunion, a French Department off the coast of Madagascar. The magnificent 120m French Research Vessel, the Marion Dufresne takes scientists each summer season to three remote French territories in the Southern Indian Ocean.

Marion du Fresne and local boy at port in St Denis La Reunion. Image: Susan Waugh, (C) Te Papa.

Marion du Fresne and local boy at port in St Denis La Reunion.                     Image: Susan Waugh, © Te Papa

Dr Samantha Patrick from the CNRS is leading the field programme, part of a larger study underway by Dr Henri Weimerskirch on albatrosses of the Southern Indian Ocean.  The birds have been studied over several decades, and thanks to this long-term programme, scientists are able to understand how individual birds are making decisions during their breeding cycle.

Samantha Patrick CNRS Researcher on board RV Marion du Fresne. Image: Susan Waugh, (C) Te Papa.

Samantha Patrick CNRS Researcher on board RV Marion du Fresne.         Image: Susan Waugh, © Te Papa.

This time, there are about 20 researchers on board, all on their way to study the penguins, albatrosses, elephant seals and glaciers of these far-flung sites. Others will be staying on board to take part in an oceanographic research programme.

Scientists Boarding Marion du Fresne. Image: Susan Waugh, (C) Te Papa.

Scientists Boarding Marion du Fresne. Image: Susan Waugh, © Te Papa.

Susan’s work during the trip will be to deploy a new variety of satellite tracking device on the wandering albatrosses, and to assist the work of Sam and field assistant Julien, in carrying out personality tests to determine whether individual birds have more or less shy characteristics. This work is being linked to how well birds perform their parenting duties, and how they succeed in finding food in the vast Southern Ocean.

Stay tuned for more on Susan’s adventure…

By Susan Waugh | Posted in Birds, Field trips | Also tagged , , | Comments (2)

Te Papa Researcher awarded a Rutherford Fellowship

20 November 2012 – 3.09pm

Dr Lara Shepherd, who’s been working with us on genetics research since January 2012 has just been awarded a prestigious Rutherford Fellowship.

Dr Lara Shepherd at the Garden of the Sleeping Giant, Nadi, Fiji. Photo: Leon Perrie. © Leon Perrie, Wellington

Dr Lara Shepherd at the Garden of the Sleeping Giant, Nadi, Fiji. Photo: Leon Perrie. © Leon Perrie, Wellington

Only 10 fellowships are awarded each year, with a total of $8 m granted. The fellowships are awarded on the basis of the excellence of the candidates work as well as the research topic they propose.

Lara’s project is to explore the influence of human activity on evolutionary processes for New Zealand species. This includes further work on plants brought by Maori to New Zealand during early colonisation and the changes in these plants since that time. She’ll also examine how data on species changes can be used to better manage conservation of species and prevent population losses.

By Susan Waugh | Posted in Biodiversity, Birds, Plants | Also tagged , , , | Comments (3)

Where to find new species?

13 November 2012 – 9.54am

Where would you go to find a new species?

Perhaps somewhere remote and little-visited, especially if it is ecologically unusual – New Caledonia maybe…

Well, instead, how about inside Te Papa’s collections, because that’s where I first discovered a new species of Gleichenia tangle fern.

Biodiversity-treasure – inside one of Te Papa’s two botany collection stores. Te Papa has over 250 000 dried plant specimens. Copyright Te Papa.

A lot of biodiversity remains to be documented, particularly amongst smaller plants and animals, and micro-organisms.  But in a well-explored country like New Zealand, it is uncommon to find a clearly distinct new species of fern or seed plant.  Instead, taxonomists like myself spend a lot of time with statistical and/or genetic analyses trying to determine whether similar things are sufficiently different to be classified as separate species.

A tangle of tangle ferns – the new species growing intermixed with Gleichenia dicarpa, western South Island. Photo Leon Perrie, Te Papa.

You might, then, appreciate my surprise and excitement at finding an obviously different species while inspecting Te Papa’s specimens of Gleichenia.  The differences were so great, I thought I was hallucinating.  I was using a microscope at the time, but the differences are evident to the naked eye once you know what to look for.

I’ve now checked through New Zealand’s three biggest botanical collections – Landcare Research, Auckland Museum, and Te Papa.  Between them they hold several hundred Gleichenia specimens, but just 13 of the new species (only 2 of Te Papa’s 250 specimens of Gleichenia are the new species).

Using these collections I’ve been able to determine:
• how to distinguish the new species from the other species of Gleichenia in New Zealand (and Australia).
• where it occurs – it appears restricted to just three regions of New Zealand.
• how common it is – apparently not very.

This is a clear demonstration of the value of such collections – they document our biodiversity.  I knew a lot about this new species without even stepping outside.

A paper establishing a scientific name for the new species will be published soon.  I’ll then post on how to distinguish the new species.

Why has this new species not been detected before?  There’s no doubt that tangle ferns are a difficult group, and they’ve probably been neglected.  There is still much to learn about the boundaries between the presently recognised species in New Zealand - Gleichenia alpina, G. dicarpa, and G. microphylla - and I’m working on that too.

Images associated with some of Te Papa’s Gleichenia specimens.

By Leon Perrie | Posted in Biodiversity, Ferns, Plants | Also tagged , , , , , , | Comments (1)

Kermadec marine biodiscovery – a survey and inventory of marine biodiversity

20 May 2011 – 3.32pm

Te Papa is a collaborative partner with Auckland Museum in this important expedition to intensively sample and survey the fishes of the remote Kermadec Islands. The Te Papa fish team is participating because of their unique specialised skills in collecting and identifying fishes underwater on scuba in the wild, as well as their ship-based photographic and curatorial skills in working up the collections, preparatory to transport back to Wellington and registration into the National Fish Collection at Te Papa Tory Street. We cannot wait to get our hands on them to discover what hidden gems this fish fauna contains! 

Get more details on the expedition’s daily blog

Our collection of fishes from remote location around the NZ EEZ, such as the Kermadec Islands, is relatively poor with only about 2000 specimens in 500 registered lots from that area. It is expected that this fieldwork will at least double the size of our registered holdings, and so greatly increase the scientific value of our Kermadec collection.

Zebra lionfish Dendrochirus zebra photo. Photograph by M. Francis, reproduced courtesy of Auckland Museum

Zebra lionfish Dendrochirus zebra photo. Photograph by M. Francis, reproduced courtesy of Auckland Museum

The new material will include many rare fishes, some collected for the first time from our EEZ as well as specimens of fish species new to science. Once preserved and accurately identified, this collection will underpin the species inventory being compiled for the area, and all specimens will be available for examination by fish researchers to support biosystematic projects for many decades to come. This includes an identification guidebook to all New Zealand fishes, currently in preparation by the fish team and over 30 authors from around the world and will be published in 2013 in full colour by Te Papa Press.

See Te Papa’s Carl Struthers photograph a Zebra Lionfish for the catalogue:

See other related videos on Auckland Museum’s Youtube channel

Dr Clive Roberts, Curator of Fishes.

By Te Papa | Posted in Fish | Also tagged , , , , , | Comments (0)

Joining the Kermadec expedition

9 May 2011 – 4.11pm

Our Fish team will join a team of 15 researchers travelling to the Kermadec Islands (around 1000km north east of NZ) for three weeks to collect new specimens, hopefully identify new species and learn about one of the most pristine (and isolated) marine environments in the world.

The team ready to sail and join with our Fish team © M Francis

The team ready to sail and join up with our Fish team © M Francis

Also on the expedition is a team from Auckland Museum (including expedition lead Dr Tom Trnski) and researchers from the Department of Conservation, the Australian Museum and NIWA. You can find out more about the trip and join in on the voyage of discovery by following the daily blog at http://kermadec.aucklandmuseum.com

Follow the Kermadec expedition

The team includes a photographer and writer and they will be keeping you up to date with what happens on the ship each day and what the researchers are finding. You can leave a comment or question on the Kermadec Expedition blog and a shore-based team will answer them if they know the answer or pass them on to the Kermadecs team aboard the RV Braveheart – to answer when they find a moment between dives!

Auckland Museum logo

By Te Papa | Posted in Biodiversity, Fish | Also tagged , , , , | Comments (1)

Kaikoura deep-sea field work: a few pictures

19 November 2010 – 9.48pm

Te Papa fish team is off Kaikoura onboard the MV Star Keys to study deep-sea fish fauna.

 

We are blessed with good weather since Wednesday which allows us to being close to the minimum number of samples we have to achieve. That’ excellent news!

I though I would show you some pictures aboard the Star Keys. You will see the Kaikoura range is superb in the background.

Early in the morning aboard the Star Keys, fully loaded with scientific gear (underwater video systems, fish traps and ropes). Te Papa, photograph by Vincent Zintzen.

Early in the morning aboard the Star Keys, fully loaded with scientific gear (underwater video systems, fish traps and ropes). Te Papa, photograph by Vincent Zintzen.

 

The Kaikoura range in the background.

The Kaikoura range in the background.

 

Deep-sea shark caught with the fish traps. Te Papa, photograph by Vincent Zintzen.

Deep-sea shark caught with the fish traps. Te Papa, photograph by Vincent Zintzen.

 

Fish trap being retrieved after deployment at 700m depth. Te Papa, photograph by Vincent Zintzen.

Fish trap being retrieved after deployment at 700m depth. Te Papa, photograph by Vincent Zintzen.

 

All the best,

Vincent

By Vincent Zintzen | Posted in Fish | Also tagged , , | Comments (2)

Deep-sea fishes and coral garden discovered at the Three Kings Islands

20 August 2010 – 11.09am

Aquarium like scenery, deep-sea coral and sponge gardens (an extremely rich and rare habitat), hungry groupers and sharks, as well as a frenzy of deep-sea eel-like creatures: the Three Kings Islands have it all for you.

In April 2010, a team of five scientists from Te Papa and Massey University have been carrying research for about a week around the Three Kings Islands. These isolated stacks of rocks are located about 50km North of Northland and are stunning place to work. In addition to a feeling of being at the end of the world, this place is special for marine scientists because it is at the intersection of different water masses, concentrating an extremely diverse underwater fauna.

Our objectives were to study the fish fauna of the area, at depth ranging from 50 to 1200m. Quite a challenge, considering this place is exposed to bad weather and is famous for the strength of its tidal currents. These can be so strong that they often submerge the surface buoys which are attached to gear, making them impossible to find till they pop up again when tides slacken. A stressful time…

I probably lost hair during the week because of this, but in the end, everything ran smoothly and we deployed our video systems over 50 times, capturing some very neat footage. I have been reviewing them here in the lab and wanted to share some of the interesting sections with you.

One of the highlight of the fieldwork was the discovery of extended deep-sea coral and sponge gardens at depths ranging from 300 to 700m. This complex habitat is composed of a mixture of coral species that are adapted to the deep-sea conditions, i.e. they do not need light like their shallow-water associated species to thrive. Although poorly studied, we know that those habitats are rare, fragile and harbour a significant amount of biodiversity. They can also be important spawning and nursery grounds for many fish species. Seeing this habitat for the first time with such clear video images was soul-stirring for the team.

Coral garden Three Kings

If you want to know more about this project, you can visit the home page of the fish team.

Vincent Zintzen, Te Papa researcher.

By Te Papa | Posted in Fish | Also tagged , , , , | Comments (0)

our giant kākāpō

3 August 2010 – 2.32pm
the Words on a Wing kakapo in NatureSpace | (c) Te Papa 2010

the Words on a Wing kakapo in NatureSpace | (c) Te Papa 2010

Look at NatureSpace’s newest visitor! This stylish mesh and steel kākāpō is two and a half metres long, a metre and a half tall, and is wearing a fashionable set of paper feathers covered in conservation-related messages from children. It ‘s part of the Words on a Wing campaign being run by the Department of Conservation, and it’s been a rather busy bird.

don't let the kakapo die! A filled in feather on the words on a wing kakapo | (c) Te Papa 2010

don't let the kakapo die! A filled in feather on the words on a wing kakapo | (c) Te Papa 2010

At the start of the year, somebody Very Important at DOC made a list of places for it to travel. It’s from Wellington, right? So it should go to Wellington Zoo. Check. Zealandia, check.  Te Papa? Check. The Convention on Biological Diversity in Nagoya, Japan….check. Well, why not? It’s not like any other kākāpō is going to get the chance to go flying any time soon.

But there’s a hitch. A flaw. A kink. One that could keep the poor Kākāpō grounded at Wellington airport, sadly looking out the window as the plane to Japan takes off without it. See, we can’t get kākāpō a passport until Kākāpō has a name. This is serious stuff, and we need your help.

one of the feathers filled out by New Zealand children for the Words on a Wing project | (c) Te Papa

one of the feathers filled out by New Zealand children for the Words on a Wing project | (c) Te Papa

Come into NatureSpace on level 2 between today and when Te Papa closes on August 23. Fill out a feather and inform some powerful people what your views are on conservation and kaitiakitanga (looking after the planet). Then grab an entry form and tell us what you think we should call Kākāpō. If our bunch of esteemed bird experts likes your name best of all, then we will send you and your family for a day surrounded by gorgeous native creatures in Zealandia. For free!

Not only that, but world-famous New Zealander Sirocco Kākāpō will announce the choice to the world every which way as fast as he can type (and he’s getting pretty good). The most famous kākāpō in the world is going to make you famous too!

Besides Te Papa, Kākāpō can be found in peaceful forest settings and on the

Discovery Centre host Keryn puts a feather onto the Words on a Wing kakapo | (c) Te Papa 2010

Discovery Centre host Keryn puts a feather onto the Words on a Wing kakapo | (c) Te Papa 2010

internet. Here are some peaceful electric glades you can find a Kākāpō or two:

1. This quiz about kākāpō that the Kiwi Consvervation Club put together.

2. The Words on a Wing page at DOC. It comes with photos so you can see where Kākāpō has been. There’s also a kit so you can make your own kākāpō in two or three dimensions. Astounding!

3. The hard-working men and women of the Kākāpō Recovery  programme have their own website. They’re based out of Whenua Hou-Codfish Island, which is off the west coast of Stewart Island. You can read about everything they do, and even follow it on their blog.

4. We in the Discovery Centres are not just pretty faces, though many of us are pretty, and those that aren’t pretty are quite handsome. If you go to our website, you can see what we have to visit, and maybe check out some of our cool school art projects, like the work that Te Kura Māori o Porirua did for Te Huka ā Tai. Definitely worth coming in for!

By discoverymike | Posted in Birds, Events, Kids | Also tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments (7)

Impressive deep-sea shark filmed during White Island survey

27 April 2010 – 10.31am

As research scientist for the Marsden funded project on diversity of deep-sea fishes of New Zealand, I have to analyse hundreds of hours of video footage taken during our surveys. Sometimes, amazing creatures appear on the screen, often when you least suspect it. Here is a shot that really surprised me. I virtually stepped back about a meter from my screen when a large sand tiger shark (Odontaspis ferox Risso, 1810) first swam towards me.

This is a large female, close to 400 cm in length. The species is a rare one, although it has been reported from scattered localities around the world. The sensors attached to our video system recorded a depth of 880 m, exactly the same depth as the deepest known record for the species. However, this species is sometimes spotted at scuba diving depths.

You will have noticed that we are using blue light to illuminate our footage. Indeed, at 880 m depth, there is no natural light or rather I should say no light that can be seen by a human eye. There is still a little bit of light that some deep sea organisms can use to find their prey. We are using blue LED systems because it appears that most fish species that we are interested in cannot see this kind of light. Because our light source is invisible to fishes, they are not disturbed and behave naturally in front of the camera, making our observations more accurate.

More amazing species from the deep to come later! Right now, I have started to process videos from recent fieldwork around Great Barrier Island and Three Kings Islands. In the meantime, you can learn more about our project by visiting the Te Papa Fish Team website.

Te Papa scientists recovering a video unit sent underwater to film deep-sea fish life.

Te Papa scientists recovering a video unit sent underwater to film deep-sea fish life. Note the bait bag at the front which is used to attract the fish towards the camera and the blue light at the top of the frame.

By Te Papa | Posted in Fish | Also tagged , , , , , , | Comments (1)
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