Upcoming events

May

Professor Abby Smith

Department of Marine Science, University of Otago.
Unintended Consequences: effects of sample preparation and storage on chemistry of skeletal carbonate

Wednesday 1st May, 12:00 pm, Betts Seminar room, Union Street lecture theater.

Dr Christina McGraw

Department of Chemistry, University of Otago.
Designing multi-driver experiments for ocean global change biology

Wednesday 15th May, 12:00 pm, Betts Seminar room, Union Street lecture theater.

Professor Daphne Lee

Department of Geology, University of Otago.
Diverse terrestrial ecosystems on a low-lying archipelago: southern Zealandia in the Oligocene-Miocene

Wednesday 29th May, 12:00 pm, Betts Seminar room, Union Street lecture theater.

April

Dr Bruce Smallfield

The New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research

Wednesday, 10th April, 12:00 pm, Betts Seminar room, Union Street lecture theater.

March

Laura van Galen

PhD candidate, Department of Botany, University of Otago

The intriguing lives of beech trees and ectomycorrhizal fungi.

The symbiotic relationship that exists between beech trees and ectomycorrhizal fungi has important implications for beech forest regeneration and the stability of forest boundaries. I am conducting a large-scale survey of ectomycorrhizal fungi in beech forests across the South Island of New Zealand, to better understand the influence of host species, soil properties, patch size and condition, and other environmental factors on ectomycorrhizal diversity and community assembly.

Whilst it is well established that ectomycorrhizal fungi are important for beech seedling establishment, the relative importance of fungi compared to other factors, such as soil nutrient levels, grass competition, the availability of shelter and herbivory, is not well understood. I am establishing a plot experiment in ex-pasture where beech seeds will be sown under varying conditions. This will help understand the conditions required for seedlings to establish, providing practical information to inform forest restoration practices.

Hannah Heynderickx

PhD candidate, Department of Botany, University of Otago

Characterising the structure and distribution of phytoplankton and bacterioplankton communities along different water masses

Anthropogenic CO2 has been accumulating in the oceans, tempering global warming, but leading to an increased partial pressure of CO2 and a reduction of the pH in seawater. These chemistry alterations are more commonly referred to as ocean acidification (OA). Marine organisms are known to interact in diverse and complex food webs. At the bottom of these food webs phytoplankton - bacteria interactions take place. They play significant roles in biogeochemical cycles, ocean nutrient fluxes and ecosystem functioning. Disturbances at the level of phytoplankton-bacteria interactions can cause cascading effects throughout the whole ecosystem and ultimately affect the many goods and services provided by the system to society. Different objectives will be explored in the framework of this project: (1) Identifying phytoplankton - bacterioplankton community compositions during spring blooms along a transect in the southwest Tasman Sea. (2) Evaluating time series measurements of phytoplankton and bacterioplankton communities across the Munida Transect to look at inter-annual variations. (3) Using natural laboratories, a kelp forest and a CO2 seep, to study pH effects on phytoplankton-bacteria interactions in a natural environment.

Wednesday 6th March, 12:00 pm, Betts Seminar room, Union Street lecture theater

Dr Sabine Rumpf

Division of Conservation Biology, Vegetation Ecology and Landscape Ecology, University of Vienna.
Climate-driven range dynamics of mountain plant species

Wednesday 20th March, 12:00 pm, Betts Seminar room, Union Street lecture theater

Professor John Conran

School of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide
Drosera evolution and adaptation

Wednesday 27th March, 12:00 pm, Betts Seminar room, Union Street lecture theater

February

January

No talks scheduled for January