A5020664256- Fish Ecology and Management Studies
- Freshwater macroinvertebrate diversity and ecology
- Aquatic Invertebrate Ecology and Behavior
- Hydrology and Sediment Transport Processes
- Isotope Analysis in Ecology
- Soil and Water Nutrient Dynamics
- Fish biology, ecology, and behavior
- Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
- Animal Behavior and Reproduction
- Hydrology and Watershed Management Studies
- Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Agriculture
- Coastal wetland ecosystem dynamics
- Environmental Conservation and Management
- Soil erosion and sediment transport
- Biological Control of Invasive Species
- Environmental DNA in Biodiversity Studies
- Constructed Wetlands for Wastewater Treatment
- Animal Vocal Communication and Behavior
- Sustainability and Climate Change Governance
- Pacific and Southeast Asian Studies
- Botany, Ecology, and Taxonomy Studies
- Conservation, Biodiversity, and Resource Management
- Land Use and Ecosystem Services
- Amphibian and Reptile Biology
- Physiological and biochemical adaptations
University of Canterbury
2014-2025
Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi
2025
New Zealand’s Biological Heritage
2024
Biodiversity in running waters is threatened by an increased severity and incidence of low‐flow extremes resulting from global climate change a growing human demand for freshwater resources. Although it unknown how to what extent riverine communities will the face these threats, considerable insight be gained efforts aimed at quantifying habitat size‐related controls on trophic relationships among taxa streams experiencing extreme flow loss. Here we report detailed space‐for‐time survey...
Aotearoa-New Zealand's research community has been shifting towards more societally-engaged and responsible approaches to better address complex socio-ecological challenges like biodiversity loss. Such benefit from workforces diverse in career stage, disciplinary background, age, gender, ethnicity worldview. Yet exclusionary practices processes, including epistemic hierarchies which devalue the 'soft' sciences Indigenous knowledges, continue undermine transformative system change. While...
Abstract Body size is a key trait in ecology due to its influence on metabolism and many other life‐history traits that affect population community responses environmental variation as well ecosystem properties. The spectrum represents the relationship between abundance (or biomass) body size, independent of species identity. Size parameters, such slope or intercept, have been applied extensively indicators ecological status across multiple types. GLOSSAQUA dataset includes data from mainly...
ABSTRACT Intermittent streams dominate global river networks and are becoming increasingly common due to change. Understanding the mechanisms by which freshwater biota respond flow recession, drying, intermittence is therefore important our ability support biodiversity as ecosystems adapt ongoing stressors. Responses of communities, including macroinvertebrates, variable likely reflect influence multiple drivers. We aimed investigate how recession changes abiotic conditions (abiotic drying...
Abstract Globally intensive agriculture has both increased nitrogen pollution in adjacent waterways and decreased availability of terrestrially derived carbon frequently used by stream heterotrophs cycling. We tested the potential for additions via leaf litter from riparian restoration plantings to act as a tool enhancing denitrification agricultural streams with relatively high concentrations nitrate (1.3–8.1 mg/L) Canterbury, New Zealand. Experimental packs (N = 200, mass 350 g each) were...
Metabolic scaling means that reductions in habitat size decrease predator body will also reduce biomass can be supported.
Traditionally, resistance and resilience are associated with good ecological health, often underpinning restoration goals. However, degraded ecosystems can also be highly resistant resilient, making difficult: communities become dominated by hyper-tolerant species, preventing recolonization resulting in low biodiversity poor ecosystem function. Using streams as a model, we undertook mesocosm experiment to test if community presence hindered biological recovery. We established 12 mesocosms,...
Despite many sectors of society striving for sustainability in environmental management, humans often fail to identify and act on the connections processes responsible social–ecological tipping points. Part problem is fracturing management research into ecosystem domains (land, freshwater, sea), each with different scales resolution data acquisition distinct approaches. We present a perspective across that emphasize need reprioritization effectively connect these domains. critical nexus...
Abstract Food web properties can be used in bioassessment as indicators of ecosystem stress, although logistical constraints restrict their widespread use. Size spectra (body mass–abundance relationships) are easier to produce, still incorporate much the variation feeding interactions and indicate strength energy transfer efficiency. Here we examined effect acid mine drainage on size stream macroinvertebrate communities 25 New Zealand streams with a comparative survey. We predicted that...
Abstract Characterisation of food webs, by summarising energy transfer and trophic relationships, allows more functional measurement ecosystems may reveal threats (e.g., land‐cover change) in sensitive environments that are not obvious from conventional biomonitoring. However, typical methods used to achieve this time‐consuming expensive. Therefore, we tested the usefulness fish‐focused food‐web proxies as measures, specifically mass–abundance relationships fish assemblages stable isotope (...
Mechanisms linked to demographic, biogeographic, and food-web processes thought underpin community stability could be affected by habitat size, but the effects of size on remain relatively unknown. We investigated whether those habitat-size-dependent properties influenced instability vulnerability perturbations caused disturbance. This is particularly important given that human exploitation contracting ecosystems, abiotic are becoming more severe frequent. used a perturbation experiment in...
Both disturbance history and type act to structure communities through selecting for particular species traits but they may also interact. For example, flooding selects with flood‐resistant in streams, those could make susceptible other disturbances so cause shifts community composition due anthropogenic climate change. To better understand the interactive influences of on composition, we investigated response macroinvertebrate using in‐stream channels. Using a split‐plot design, individual...
Biotic interactions perform an important role in structuring freshwater communities; however, these are rarely considered during stream restoration. Degraded communities often dominated by organisms with shell or case protections, such as snails, which less vulnerable to predation than desired organisms, mayflies. Unprotected may be preferentially eaten, limiting biotic restoration success after the physical of degraded communities. We investigated whether depended on differences...
Excessive macrophytes can cause significant problems in agricultural waterways requiring active management. Conventional control techniques have a range of adverse effects. We investigated several tools two experiments: firstly, we tested eight treatments at small-scale (2 m × 2 m). found intensive hand weeding, weed mat and herbicide spraying to be effective treatments, reducing macrophyte cover <5%. Hand weeding immediately reduced cover, while dieback from took months. Weed was novel...
Biotic interactions involved in colonization are likely important if tolerant aquatic taxa, which have settled first, prevent desired taxa from colonizing when conditions improve. These could be particularly influential during restoration but poorly understood streams. We investigated the between 3 stream macroinvertebrate snail Potamopyrgus antipodarum (Gray, 1843), mayfly nymphs genus Deleatidium, and caddisfly larvae family Conoesucidae, to assess whether order of arrival competitor...
Abstract Abstractions and diversions are prevalent in river networks worldwide; however, specific mechanisms measures reflecting changes functional characteristics of aquatic assemblages response to flow abstraction have not been well established. In particular, the influence small takes on fish is poorly understood. Field surveys stable‐isotope analyses were used evaluate impact differing levels assemblage structure, native–non‐native patterns coexistence, associated with surface water...
Abstract For freshwater systems, climate change‐induced alterations to drought regimes are a considerable threat already threatened species. This is particularly poignant for kōwaro (or Canterbury mudfish, Neochanna burrowsius ), critically endangered fish largely restricted drying‐prone waterways on the Plains, New Zealand. By comparing three catchment‐wide surveys (2007, 2010, 2015) within Waianiwaniwa Valley, we assessed scale and magnitude of population change induced by 2 years...
Introduced aquatic macrophytes can dominate small agricultural waterways in summer and autumn becoming a significant management problem. Excessive growth clog waterways, causing drainage issues reducing productivity while in-stream velocities are reduced sedimentation increased. Consequently, water managers remove them by mechanical clearance, chemical spray cutting which be costly have negative impacts on habitat ecological health. We trialled three tools to reduce macrophytes:...
Abstract The generalizable functional attributes of organisms (traits) relate strongly to their environment across multiple levels biological organization, making trait‐based approaches a powerful mechanistic framework understand species distributions and community composition in relation environmental change. To investigate how wide range stressor types shape stream macroinvertebrate communities, we conducted an integrative analysis using taxon trait information drying, flooding,...
Abstract Freshwater ecosystems worldwide are under increasing pressure from multiple threats, including invasive species and climate change, with ponds being particularly vulnerable because of their shallow depth dynamic hydrology. Australian brown tree frogs Litoria ewingii , introduced to New Zealand in 1875, have spread across both main islands, breeding a large range fishless ponds. Since native do not produce aquatic tadpoles, any tadpole influence will be novel, so these may especially...
Abstract Ecological disturbances act as environmental filters by removing species with particular characteristics, resulting in community types associated different disturbance histories. However, studies to date on responses have neglected the potential for assemblages display responses. Using lotic invertebrate communities a study system, this investigated influence of composition response. We undertook 26-h stream channel experiment test how distinct (an undisturbed spring community,...
In animals with indeterminate growth, such as predatory fishes, mouth size is related to, and increases with, body mass of the organism. As fishes grow in size, they can consume larger-bodied prey items at potentially-higher trophic levels. Therefore, should predict position. Trophic position (TP) useful for describing energy flow between biota, giving a more comprehensive picture aquatic food webs, but factors that influence body-size–TP relationship are unclear. Additionally, stable...