Vibrational duetting and mating behaviour of the passion-vine hopper Scolypopa australis (Walker) (Hemiptera: Ricaniidae)

MacDougall, M. S., Stringer, L. D., & Nelson, X. J. (2026). Vibrational duetting and mating behaviour of the passion-vine hopper Scolypopa australis (Walker) (Hemiptera: Ricaniidae). Journal of Natural History, 60(13-16), 891-903. https://doi.org/10.1080/00222933.2026.2631722

From ecosystems to healthscapes: Indigenous-informed frameworks for restoring environmental and human wellbeing

Morris, R., Maxwell, T. K., Davis, S., & Gregorini, P. (2026). From ecosystems to healthscapes: Indigenous-informed frameworks for restoring environmental and human wellbeing. Environmental Nexus, 1(2), Article 100007. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enex.2026.100007

Impacts of climate change on land suitability of key crops in New Zealand

Hamon, B., Quénol, H., Vannier, C. et al. Impacts of climate change on land suitability of key crops in New Zealand. Sci Rep (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-49178-8

Multi-gene phylogeny and morphology of Pleurotus in Aotearoa New Zealand reveal a new variety of Pleurotus pulmonarius

Hera, D., Cooper, J., Buchanan, P. K., Dhami, M. K., Dickie, I. A. (2026). Multi-gene phylogeny and morphology of Pleurotus in Aotearoa New Zealand reveal a new variety of Pleurotus pulmonarius. Fungal biology, 130(3), 101747. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.funbio.2026.101747

Abstract

Increased demand of cultivated oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus species) in Aotearoa New Zealand has led to the importation of exotic species, which pose potential invasion risks. Gaps in taxonomic knowledge of this genus have complicated biosecurity decisions and cultivation efforts. To address this, we collected 84 wild and cultivated New Zealand Pleurotus specimens for multi-locus phylogenetic analysis (ITS, LSU, RPB1, RPB2, and Tef) and morphological examination. We describe P. pulmonarius var. aotearoa as a new variety indigenous to New Zealand, distinct from imported P. pulmonarius sens. str. We establish that P. purpureo-olivaceus has no anamorphic stage and falls outside the subgenus Coremiopleurotus, unlike P. australis, a species sometimes found on living trees. The close monophyletic relationship between P. parsonsiae and P. djamor underscores the need to reconsider the presence of the exotic P. djamor in the country. The refined species boundaries between the indigenous P. australis, P. parsonsiae, P. pulmonarius var. aotearoa and P. purpureo-olivaceus have important implications for conservation and biosecurity, and support the potential of using indigenous strains for cultivation in New Zealand.

Transforming land use: Using machine learning methods to decode farmers’ choices in New Zealand

Wang, L., Renwick, A., Thomas, S., & Dynes, R. (2026). Transforming land use: Using machine learning methods to decode farmers’ choices in New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research, 69, e70019. https://doi.org/10.1002/jag2.70019

Volatile sulfur compounds in New Zealand Sauvignon blanc: An inter-regional survey

Manners, S. H., van Leeuwen, K. A., Gaw, S., Panicker, K., Gill, S., Dhami, M. K., . . . Stott, M. B. (2025). Volatile sulfur compounds in New Zealand Sauvignon blanc: An inter-regional survey. Food Chemistry, 495(Part 1), . https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2025.146369

Engaging in Transdisciplinary Soil Research: A Roadmap for Soil Scientists

Gillespie, J., Cavanagh, J.-A., Edwards, S., Jolly, D., Payne, D., & Smith, C. (2025). Engaging in transdisciplinary soil research: A roadmap for soil scientists. European Journal of Soil Science, 76(6), e70231. https://doi.org/10.1111/ejss.70231

Research at the interface between Indigenous knowledge and soil science; weaving knowledges to understand horticultural land use in Aotearoa New Zealand

Gillespie, J., Payne, M., Payne, D., Edwards, S., Jolly, D., Smith, C., and Cavanagh, J.-A. (2025). Research at the interface between Indigenous knowledge and soil science; weaving knowledges to understand horticultural land use in Aotearoa / New Zealand. SOIL, 11, 583–607. https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-11-583-2025

Overcoming data gaps in viticulture adaptation strategy development: a case study on diversification of Marlborough, Sauvignon Blanc.

Barry, M., Parker, A., Teixeira, E., Law, R., Wreford, A., Monge, J., & Knook, J. (2025). Overcoming data gaps in viticulture adaptation strategy development: a case study on diversification of Marlborough, Sauvignon Blanc. Journal of Wine Research, 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1080/09571264.2025.2537003

ABSTRACT

Viticulture regions and systems are often exposed to climatic hazards such as rising temperatures and extreme weather events. A lack of knowledge on the complexity surrounding climate impacts is one of the key challenges winegrowers face when adapting to climate change. Supporting winegrowers through this challenge has led to an increased interest in approaches that support decision-making under uncertainty. However, to be able to aid growers in decision making, robust data is required, and this is often a limiting factor. This paper proposes a solution to a lack of data by presenting an approach to generating yield data from a biophysical index model to inform economic analysis. The paper describes the methodological approach and presents the application of this methodology to a New Zealand case study: Sauvignon Blanc in the Marlborough wine region. This includes characterisation of the temperature function informing the index, establishing the relationship between the index and observed yield, and assessing the index performance now and in the future. This study contributes to the current body of knowledge by outlining an approach and identifying the challenges to generating biophysical outputs and subsequent economic data. During this process, the study has generated valuable insights into the potential impact of future temperature on key yield components of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. This will be an important component for accelerating the implementation of climate change adaptation strategies in the region.

Harshing the Vibes: Behavioural Responses to Predation and Deterrent Vibrational Playback in Scolypopa Australis (Hemiptera: Ricaniidae)

MacDougall, M.S., Nelson, X.J. and Stringer, L.D. (2025). Harshing the Vibes: Behavioural Responses to Predation and Deterrent Vibrational Playback in Scolypopa Australis (Hemiptera: Ricaniidae). J Appl Entomol. https://doi.org/10.1111/jen.13412

ABSTRACT

The use of substrate borne vibrational playback to control insect pests is a rapidly growing line of research targeting many problematic species. Among the control approaches currently being tested, vibrational deterrent playbacks that aim to prevent feeding and to drive pests away from the target area are comparatively under-explored. In experiments involving an introduced pest of New Zealand orchards, the passion vine hopper (PVH, Scolypopa australis), we investigated PVH anti-predator behaviour and alarm call responses and the potential use of alarm calls as vibration-based deterrent stimuli. We used laser-Doppler vibrometry and video recordings to assess the vibrational and behavioural responses of PVH to the presence of a predator (Maratus griseus jumping spider), serendipitously discovering a new female call possibly involved in mate rejection. In our tests, we did not find evidence of any vibrational alarm calls in PVH, which showed a significantly reduced rate of general vibration-based signalling and reduced propensity to call overall compared to control recordings. Instead, PVH responded to a predator threat with a rapid jumping escape response in 87.5% of attacks. We also tested the efficacy of three deterrent vibrational playbacks on driving PVH movement away from a source point, finding that a broad-band white noise playback spanning 301–688 Hz induced significant movement away from the playback source compared with silent controls. As preliminary proof of concept, we hope these results will assist in developing successful vibrational deterrence for PVH.

Mobile species' responses to surrounding land use generate trade-offs among nature's contributions to people

O'Brien, S. A., Tylianakis, J. M., Anderson, D. P., Boesing, A. L., Lai, H. R., Le Provost, G., Manning, P., Neyret, M., Blüthgen, N., Jung, K., Magdon, P., Müller, S., Schenk, N. V., Scherer-Lorenzen, M., & Lavorel, S. (2025). Mobile species' responses to surrounding land use generate trade-offs and synergies among nature's contributions to people. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 122(45), e2505401122. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2505401122

Abstract

Agricultural landscapes provide material, non-material and regulating contributions that affect human wellbeing. The responses of these nature’s contributions to people (NCP) to land-use patterns depend on supporting biota with different habitat requirements, generating trade-offs and synergies. Predictions of NCP trade-offs could inform land-use decisions, but these do not typically account for the effects of land-use patterns on the movement of NCP-providing species, nor for interactions among NCP providers. To explore spatial trade-offs and synergies in eight indicators of NCP, we used Bayesian models that allow for interactions among land uses and among NCP using data from 150 grassland sites across rural Germany. We found that spatial arrangements of forest and open habitat influenced many NCP: acoustic diversity, birdwatching potential, natural enemy abundance and pollination. In particular, the amount and proximity of land uses in the surrounding landscape, especially forest and open habitat, drove the supply of most NCP. However, NCP provided by smaller-bodied taxa (herbivory and pathogen infection) responded weakly to landscape factors. Multiple NCP provided by a given taxon responded differently to their surrounding landscape (e.g. bird-provided caterpillar predation and seed predation), leading to trade-offs among NCP over short distances (≤60 m). These were caused by different rates and directions of response to amount and location of land uses. Resulting spatial predictions revealed that grassland-dominated or mixed forest-grassland areas better maximize beneficial NCP and minimize detrimental NCP across landscapes than purely forest-dominated areas. This suggests promoting semi-natural vegetation in agricultural landscapes to provide greater-than-additive benefits to net NCP supply.

Place-based diversification: Pathways to diversified shared landscapes in the Wairau Marlborough region of Aotearoa New Zealand.

Barry, M., Mason, R., Strong, D., Wreford, A., Radford, R., Romera, A., & Monge, J. (2024). Place-based diversification: Pathways to diversified shared landscapes in the Wairau Marlborough region of Aotearoa New Zealand. Regional Environmental Change, 24(3). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10113-024-02257-w

Diversification as a climate change adaptation strategy in viticulture systems: winegrowers’ insights from Marlborough, New Zealand

Barry, M., Wreford, A., Knook, J., Teixeira, E., Monge, J., & Parker, A. (2024). Diversification as a climate change adaptation strategy in viticulture systems: winegrowers’ insights from Marlborough, New Zealand. Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems, 49(4), 494–517. https://doi.org/10.1080/21683565.2024.2426490

A transdisciplinary approach for assessing connections between soil, food, and people in Aotearoa New Zealand

Gillespie, J., Cavanagh, J.-A., Edwards, S., Jolly, D., Payne, D., & Smith, C. (2024). A transdisciplinary approach for assessing connections between soil, food, and people in Aotearoa New Zealand. European Journal of Soil Science, 75(3), e13521. https://doi.org/10.1111/ejss.13521

The floral interface: a playground for interactions between insect pollinators, microbes, and plants

Lignon, V. A., Jones, E. E., Dhami, M. K., Mas, F., & Kaiser, C. (2024). The floral interface: a playground for interactions between insect pollinators, microbes, and plants. New Zealand Journal of Zoology. https://doi.org/10.1080/03014223.2024.2353285

Vibrational communication in Scolypopa australis: characterising spontaneous and intrasexual calls in an invasive orchard pest

MacDougall, M. S., Borthwick-Taylor, G., Nelson, X. J., & Stringer, L. D. (2024). Vibrational communication in Scolypopa australis: characterising spontaneous and intrasexual calls in an invasive orchard pest. Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata. https://doi.org/10.1111/eea.13460

Draft genome sequence of Thermococcus waiotapuensis WT1 T, a thermophilic sulfur-dependent archaeon from the order Thermococcales

Manners, S. H., Dobson, R. C. J., Stott, M. B., Carere, C. R., & Dhami, M. K. (2024). Draft genome sequence of Thermococcus waiotapuensis WT1 T, a thermophilic sulfur-dependent archaeon from the order Thermococcales. Microbiology Resource Announcements, 13(1). https://doi.org/10.1128/mra.00815-23

Integral health farming

Gregorini, P., Gordon, I. J., Fleming, A., Morris, R., Romera, A., Judson, G., Moorhead, A., Barnes, J., Eggers, J., Charters, S., Davis, S., & O, S. A. (2024). Integral health farming. Npj Sustainable Agriculture, 2(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s44264-024-00022-4

Agroecology for the City—Spatialising ES-Based Design in Peri-Urban Contexts

Morris, R., Davis, S., Grelet, G-A., Gregorini, P. (2024). Agroecology for the City—Spatialising ES-Based Design in Peri-Urban Contexts. Land. 13(10):1589. https://doi.org/10.3390/land13101589

ESMAX for spatial agroecology: A conceptual spatial model for the quantification and visualisation of ES performance from different configurations of landscape

Morris, R., Davis, S., Grelet, G-A., Gregorini, P. (2024). ESMAX for spatial agroecology: A conceptual spatial model for the quantification and visualisation of ES performance from different configurations of landscape. Journal of Sustainable Agriculture and Environment, 3(1). https://doi.org/10.1002/sae2.12097