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HotScience last updated: 19 February 2003
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Leathwick, J. R., & Whitehead, D. 2001. Soil and atmospheric water deficits and the distributions of New Zealand’s indigenous tree species. Functional Ecology 15: 233–242.
This paper explores relationships between native tree species distributions and climate, with a particular focus on water relations. Results highlight the likely role of föhn winds that produce very high air saturation deficits in explaining the low abundance of many species east of New Zealand’s main mountain ranges. They also suggest that reduced rainfall in dry years is more important in affecting species distributions than long-term average rainfall.
Leathwick, J. R.; & Austin, M. P. 2001. Competitive interactions between tree species in New Zealand’s old-growth indigenous forests. Ecology 82: 2560– 2573.
This paper presents results of an analysis that uses the Nothofagus disjunctions as a natural removal ‘experiment’ to quantify the effects of competition from these patchily distributed species on other widespread tree species. Relationships between species distributions and environment are first analysed using multiple regressions, and then the magnitude of competition effects are assessed by adding statistical terms describing Nothofagus abundance. Results indicate that many species are substantially reduced in abundance in the presence of Nothofagus. In addition, both the shape of species responses to annual temperature and their optima vary as Nothofagus abundance increases.
Leathwick, J. R. 2002. Intra-generic competition among Nothofagus in New Zealand’s primary indigenous forests. Biodiversity and Conservation 11: 2177–2187.
This paper extends the analysis described in Leathwick & Austin (2001) by considering competitive interactions within the genus Nothofagus. Species responses to environment were first assessed using multiple regressions, to which were added terms to assess changes in both overall abundance and species responses to annual temperature with increasing numbers of congeners. Results indicate that variation in abundance along the annual temperature gradient is strongly influenced by the competitive context provided by the remaining congeners. Red and silver beech also appear to behave in a mutualistic fashion, reaching greater abundance when growing together than when growing with other species.
Lord, A., Waas, J.R., Innes, J., & Whittingham, M.J. 2001. Effects of human approaches to nests of northern NZ dotterels. Biological Conservation 98: 233-240.
People and dogs disturbing nesting NZ dotterels potentially decrease their nesting success. Dotterels flushed at greater distances and for longer times when there was a dog with the person, while responses to people walking and running did not differ. The results suggest that disruption would be greatly reduced if dogs were banned within 100m of nesting dotterels. Human access should be prevented within a 50 m radius on busy beaches, and 70 m on remote beaches.
Lord, J.M.; Markey, A.; Marshall, J. 2002. Have frugivores influenced the evolution of fruit traits in New Zealand? In D Levey, WR Silva and M Galetti (eds.) Seed dispersal and Frugivory: Ecology, Evolution and Conservation. CABI Publishing, Wallingford, Oxfordshire, U.K.
The chapter summarises information on fruit size and colour in NZ then looks at the influence of three frugivore guilds (non-volant birds, volant birds, reptiles) on fruit evolution. Flightless birds, including moa, ate fruit, but there is no evidence of fruit "adapted" to dispersal by these species. The smaller size of NZ fruit reflects the smaller sizes of volant frugivorous birds (c.f. Australia), indicating that fruit evolution in NZ has been influenced by the characteristics of this guild. Frugivory by reptiles may have played a part in the evolution of pale fruit colours in small leaved shrubs.
Lord, J.M.; Markey, A.; Marshall, J. 2002. Have frugivores influenced the evolution of fruit traits in New Zealand? In D Levey, WR Silva and M Galetti (eds.) Seed dispersal and Frugivory: Ecology, Evolution and Conservation. CABI Publishing, Wallingford, Oxfordshire, U.K.
The chapter summarises information on fruit size and colour in NZ then looks at the influence of three frugivore guilds (non-volant birds, volant birds, reptiles) on fruit evolution. Flightless birds, including moa, ate fruit, but there is no evidence of fruit "adapted" to dispersal by these species. The smaller size of NZ fruit reflects the smaller sizes of volant frugivorous birds (c.f. Australia), indicating that fruit evolution in NZ has been influenced by the characteristics of this guild. Frugivory by reptiles may have played a part in the evolution of pale fruit colours in small leaved shrubs.
Lord, J.M.; Wilson J.B.; Steel, J.B.; Anderson, B.J. 2000. Community reassembly: a test using limestone grassland in New Zealand. Ecology Letters 3: 213-218.
We assessed the species composition of South Island grassland overlying limestone at Weka Pass, Castle Hill, Beautiful Valley and near Clinton. All of these grasslands have a high proportion of introduced species that also occur in neutral to basic grasslands in the UK. We put the data through the British National Vegetation Classification. Two site with soils <10cm depth were classified as limestone grassland, providing some evidence for community reassembly when the environmental filters are strong enough.
Lövei, G.L. 2001. Extinctions, modern examples of. Pp. 731-743 in: Encyclopaedia of biodiversity, Vol. 2. Ed. by S. Levin. Academic Press, New York.
The fossil record indicates that recent extinctions were parallel with the arrival of modern humans to areas formerly uninhabited by them. These started at around 40,000 years before present. On continents, large mammals (>50 kg body mass), on islands, mostly birds were affected. The causes of these extinctions are not well known but include hunting, habitat alteration and the introduction of non-native species. By today this developed into a full-fledged mass extinction, affecting all species in all habitats, potentially surpassing the previous five mass extinction events in the history of Earth.
Lövei, G.L.; Cartellieri, M. 2000.Ground beetles (Coleoptera, Carabidae) in forest fragments of the Manawatu, New Zealand: Collapsed assemblages? Journal of Insect Conservation 4: 239-244.
Botanically diverse, protected forest fragments in the Manawatu contained very poor carabid assemblages. In the potential source area, 9 species were present. The largest forest remnant had 2 species, and a well-managed suburban forest patch had 3 (only 1 with a reproducing population). Lack of grazing and high botanical diversity was insufficient to maintain the potential carabid assemblage in these fragments. Predation risk, low dispersal power in endemic New Zealand ground beetles, combined with fragment size and degree of isolation could contribute to this collapse. Active management of ground-active invertebrates seems necessary to protect them in isolated forest fragments.
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