Talk: Student Talks, part 1
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Speakers: Lisa Wolf and Finn McKinlay, Victoria University of Wellington.
Lisa—In my PhD thesis, I investigate the symbiotic relationship between the brooding anemone Handactis nutrix and its brown macroalgal host Cystophora scalaris on the south coast of Wellington. I first examined host specificity, as well as the abundance and distribution of the anemone on macroalgal host and across different hydrodynamic environments. I then conducted a stable isotope tracer experiment that revealed the supply of inorganic nitrogen from the anemone to its macroalgal host. In my most recent experiment, supported by the Wellington Botanical Society, I investigated the physiological implications of this association for both partners.
Finn—The planting of native forests could be improved by utilising “nurse species”, plants which promote the growth and survival of surrounding trees. Left to their own devices, these nurse species can recolonise deforested landscapes, providing shelter and shade for slower growing species. Plants considered to be nurse species in Aotearoa New Zealand include native mānuka (Leptospermum scoparium), kānuka (Kunzea ericoides), and, controversially, introduced gorse (Ulex europaeus). Finn McKinlay’s research seeks to test the long-standing anecdote that gorse and tea tree scrub promote the growth and survival of different kinds of trees, with the hopes that this will inform better reforestation of Wellington’s Outer Green Belt.
Meeting is in-person and via Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89547154619?pwd=bE0zRXRWSXBBUkVoUjdPcElJNXlJUT09
Lisa—In my PhD thesis, I investigate the symbiotic relationship between the brooding anemone Handactis nutrix and its brown macroalgal host Cystophora scalaris on the south coast of Wellington. I first examined host specificity, as well as the abundance and distribution of the anemone on macroalgal host and across different hydrodynamic environments. I then conducted a stable isotope tracer experiment that revealed the supply of inorganic nitrogen from the anemone to its macroalgal host. In my most recent experiment, supported by the Wellington Botanical Society, I investigated the physiological implications of this association for both partners.
Finn—The planting of native forests could be improved by utilising “nurse species”, plants which promote the growth and survival of surrounding trees. Left to their own devices, these nurse species can recolonise deforested landscapes, providing shelter and shade for slower growing species. Plants considered to be nurse species in Aotearoa New Zealand include native mānuka (Leptospermum scoparium), kānuka (Kunzea ericoides), and, controversially, introduced gorse (Ulex europaeus). Finn McKinlay’s research seeks to test the long-standing anecdote that gorse and tea tree scrub promote the growth and survival of different kinds of trees, with the hopes that this will inform better reforestation of Wellington’s Outer Green Belt.
Meeting is in-person and via Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89547154619?pwd=bE0zRXRWSXBBUkVoUjdPcElJNXlJUT09
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Where is it happening?
Murphy Building, Victoria University of Wellington, Victoria University of Wellington Student Health, Salamanca Rd, Kelburn, Wellington 6012, New Zealand, Wellington
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
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