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The filamentous green algaPercursaria percursa(Ulvaceae, Ulvales) was recorded for the first time on the North Island of New Zealand at Ōmokoroa Estuary, Tauranga Harbour. This species is previously known within New Zealand from only two records, both from the South Island. In Tauranga Harbour, this species was restricted to anoxic estuarine sediments where mangrove forests had been mulched, and mulchate left in situ.Percursaria percursawas found intertwined withUlvaspp. andRhizocloniumspp. Surveys of other North and South Island estuaries suggest that this alga, although occurring as part of nuisance green algal blooms in Tauranga Harbour, has only colonized human-impacted locations, and has not yet been observed in ‘natural’ estuarine ecosystems in New Zealand. As this species was found intertwined with other mat-forming filamentous green algae, it can easily be misidentified in the field, leading to both over- and under-reporting of species occurrence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A comprehensive review of the morphology, anatomy, taxonomy, chemistry and ecology of the endemic New Zealand facultative shrub epiphyte Pittosporum cornifolium (Pittosporaceae) is presented. Strong habitat specificity restricts this species to lowland forest and coastal habitats, which are widely yet discontinuously distributed north of latitude 42°15′S. Pittosporum cornifolium is typically associated with old growth forest systems and low nutrient substrates, with low mean daily temperatures in the coldest month (<0.6 °C) and high mean October vapour pressure deficits (>0.5 kPa) apparently restricting its distribution. Significant morphological variability is evident in leaves and flowers, especially with respect to plants from the Poor Knights Islands. Genetic analyses of five mainland populations and individuals representing Poor Knights Islands populations revealed relatively low genetic diversity at the population level which is likely to be the result of geographic isolation. Molecular phylogenetic studies suggest a New Caledonian origin for the species with close affinities to both P. pimeleoides subspecies. Several lines of evidence suggest recognition of the Poor Knights Islands entity as a new taxon. However, analysis of additional morphological, reproductive and molecular data across the full geographic range will be required to confirm current inferences. Although populations have declined, P. cornifolium is not currently threatened, however, it should be considered for reintroduction to sites in districts where its range has been severely reduced. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers are highly polymorphic, relatively easy to develop, and inexpensive compared to other methods and have numerous applications. Importantly, the same ISSR primers can potentially be used universally across plant phylogenetic diversity. The basic technique of ISSRs is flexible and can be modified with options for implementation for a broad range of projects and budgets. Ranked in increasing order of technical demand and costs, these are manual agarose and manual polyacrylamide with silver staining and automated using fluorescently labeled primers and capillary electrophoresis. Overall manual agarose-based ISSRs are a sound, safe, easy, and low-cost method for reliably inferring plant genetic diversity. Here, we provide detailed protocols to undertake this fingerprinting method and provide guidance to the literature for the many options available for this technique.

Insects are important but overlooked components of forest ecosystems in New Zealand. For many insect species, information on foraging patterns and trophic relationships is lacking. We examined diet composition and selectivity in a large-bodied insect, the Auckland tree wētā Hemideina thoracica , in three habitat zones in a lowland New Zealand forest. We asked whether H. thoracica selectively forage from available plant food sources, and whether these choices were lipid-rich compared to nonpreferred available plants. We also identified the proportion of invertebrates in their frass as a proxy for omnivory. From reconnaissance plot sampling, together with fecal fragment analysis, we report that more than 93% of individual tree wētā had eaten invertebrates before capture. Additionally, wētā in the highest elevation hillslope habitat zone consumed significantly fewer species of plants on average than wētā on the low-elevation terrace habitat. Upper hillslope wētā also had the highest average number of invertebrate fragments in their frass, significantly more than wētā in the low-elevation terrace habitat zone. Wētā showed high variability in the consumption of fruit and seeds across all habitat zones. Generally, we did not observe diet differences between the sexes (although it appears that male wētā in the mid-hillslope habitat ate fruits and seeds more voraciously than females), suggesting that the sexes have similar niche breadths and display similar degrees of omnivorous behavior. Extraction of leaf lipids demonstrated a range of lipid content values in available plants, and Ivlev's Electivity Index indicated that plant species which demonstrated high electivity tended to have higher concentrations of lipids in their leaves. Our findings indicate that H. thoracica forage omnivorously and selectively, and hence play multiple roles in native ecosystems and food webs.