| Key Achievements |
2014/15 (planned) |
2014/15 (actual) |
| Defining plants – Outcomes 1 and 4 |
$2.25 |
$2.25 |
- Progressed discovery, description and interpretation of New Zealand’s indigenous and naturalised flora:
- improved eFlora information content for endusers (DOC, MPI, CRIs, universities) and public (c. 66,000 page views) by adding 5,000 diagnostic character images and fifteen new moss and fern treatments;
- provided identification guides and described new species of algae, ferns, flowering plants and liverworts, and prepared for publication text and images for Flora of New Zealand Liverworts volume 2, essential information for DOC, MPI, EPA, MfE, universities and regional councils;
- clarified species concepts in the diverse and taxonomically difficult genera Craspedia and Cardamine by genetic or morphological analyses — conservation priorities of DOC;
- developed 'proof-of-concept' for spatial analyses of collection and phylogenetic data to identify hotspots of biodiversity thereby providing new information for conservation prioritisation and reporting for DOC and MfE;
- added 4,300 specimens to Allan Herbarium, increased records and data quality in the Specimen Database (7,442 records added) and the Plant Names Database (889 records added), and digitised historic Armstrong collection (2,500 specimens) providing essential information to DOC, MPI and regional councils;
- identified c. 1280 plants in response to queries related to biosecurity and biodiversity, including plants breaching border biosecurity, an essential service for DOC, MPI and regional councils.
|
| Ethnobotany – Outcome 1 |
$0.20 |
$0.20 |
- Progressed enhancement and use of National New Zealand Flax and other living collections, and the further development of the infobase Nga Tipu Whakaoranga on cultural uses of plants.
- Increased access to information on collections through digitisation and integration with other platforms — e.g. NatureWatch, DigitalNZ. Visits to infobase up 4,000 on 2014 (16,300).
|
| Defining invertebrates – Outcomes 1 and 4 |
$1.93 |
$1.79 |
- Progressed discovery, description and interpretation of New Zealand’s indigenous and naturalised terrestrial invertebrate fauna for utilisation by New Zealand biosecurity and biodiversity end-users:
- improved online information content by 8,500 new records and development of a web portal for New Zealand Land Invertebrates names, images and specimens;
- revised the threatened species from the beetle genus Syrphetodes. Undescribed entities on the DOC Threatened Species List have been resolved. Diagnostic keys, images, DNA sequences, and distribution maps will facilitate conservation management;
- published a diagnostic tool for cynipoid wasps, an economically important group globally, allowing end-users to identify these species and differentiate native and exotic species;
- described new species and generated diagnostic keys of Tenuipalpidae mites, which are of significant biosecurity importance, allowing biosecurity stakeholders to more rapidly identify these species when intercepted;
- published taxonomic description, diagnostic tools and DNA sequences for nematode species from fig trees. The new species can now be differentiated from overseas species, many of which are significant pests;
- described new species of stick insect from the Poor Knights Islands and Te Paki. Taxonomic names were selected in consultation with kaumatua from Ngati Kuri and Ngatiwai.
|
| Defining fungi and bacteria – Outcomes 1 and 4 |
$1.34 |
$1.51 |
- Progressed discovery, description and interpretation of New Zealand’s fungi and bacteria:
- PDD and ICMP specimens cited in 185 scientific articles, ensuring the taxonomy of New Zealand's fungi and bacteria remains internationally relevant;
- named threatened fungi on Chatham Island forget-me-not and Powelliphanta snails, a first step in developing plans to manage these threatened organisms;
- provided data on genetic diversity of powdery mildew to be used by the grape industry to develop effective control strategies for the disease;
- screened ICMP cultures for antibiotic genes in collaboration with Auckland University addressing the growing problem of antibiotic resistant bacteria;
- described a new genus of Southern Hemisphere restricted fungi, species previously placed in unrelated Northern Hemisphere genera;
- clarified the taxonomy of the ‘black mould’ Stachybotrys chartarum and relatives, allowing species toxic to humans to be reliably distinguished;
- redetermined Ralstonia solanacearum isolates from New Zealand following the splitting of this bacterial species into six separate taxa. Up to date taxonomy is essential for managing biosecurity risk;
- sequenced the genome of Burkholderia andropogonis revealing 94 genes coding resistance to antibiotics, and a type III secretion system, allowing understanding of pathogenicity in bacteria.
|
| Developing information systems – Outcomes 1 and 4 |
$0.31 |
$0.30 |
- Refactored the data access layer within the Collection Information System that is used to manage the collection data by the five DLB collection systems.
- Completed the design phase of the 'Annotation Tool' that is used to manage the descriptive content in eBiota and Maori Plant Use, providing for a web-based interface.
|
| Defining land biota initiatives – Outcomes 1 and 4 |
$0.13 |
$0.20 |
- Progressed cross-portfolio research initiatives, Advisory Group of DLB and strategy developments:
- developed a pilot project of a biodiversity app on beech trees;
- wrote an implementation plan for international review recommendations on managing the collections, databases and information infrastructure; research direction; end-user engagement; commercialisation and revenue generation against a lens of international best practice.
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