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Presentation Title: Seaweeds of New ZealandWendy Nelson specialises in marine phycology, particularly the biosystematics of macroalgae of New Zealand, with research on floristics, evolution and phylogeny, as well as ecology, and life history studies. She is currently working on a range of projects including the systematics and biology of coralline algae, and on the regional floras of Manawatāwhi (Three Kings Islands), Rangitahua (Kermadec Islands) as well as in Fiordland and Stewart Island. Wendy is a Principal Scientist at NIWA in the biosystematics team and a Professor in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Auckland. |
Presentation title: Rimurimu – Seaweeds of Aotearoa New Zealand – the journey of discovery continues…
Rimurimu – seaweed – is prized by Māori who use various species for food as well as rimurapa (bull kelp – Durvillaea) for storage. The first European explorers to collect and describe New Zealand seaweeds visited the region in the late 18th century. It was a further century until there were resident botanists working on macroalgae. The New Zealand archipelago extends from Rangitāhua (Kermadec Islands) at 29° in the north, to Motu Ihupuki (Campbell Island) at 52.32°, the southern of our subantarctic islands. This latitudinal range, the water masses in the region, and our long isolation from other land masses, all have contributed to a diverse and intriguing flora. In the past two decades there has been a very significant increase in the discovery and documentation of New Zealand rimurimu. But much remains to be done – when assessed in 2019 for the New Zealand Threat Classification System, fully 65% of the macroalgal flora was categorised as being data deficient. Detailed integrative systematic investigations (using molecular tools and morphological and anatomical studies) of particular orders and families have revealed much greater diversity than previously recognised (e.g., Dictyotales, Bangiales, Kallymeniaceae, Halymeniales, Corallinophycidae). Important new collections have been made from particular regions (e.g. Hauraki Gulf, Fiordland, Stewart Island, and the New Zealand subantarctic islands), and collaborative research with Ngāti Kuri is addressing naming of rimurimu from Manawatāwhi and Rangitāhua. Much diversity remains to be discovered and documented.