Science-underpinned approaches
to explore biodiversity: from micro to macro,
from mountains to sea

Across Svalbard, retreating glaciers are reshaping the coastline and creating new aquatic habitats at the boundary between land, ice and sea. Among them are paraglacial lagoons, shallow coastal systems influenced…

Estuaries are among Aotearoa New Zealand’s most productive and culturally significant ecosystems, but many are under increasing pressure from sedimentation, nutrient enrichment, contamination, urbanisation and other cumulative stressors. Existing estuary…

Kelp forests, often overshadowed by terrestrial forests and coral reefs in the global carbon cycle, play a crucial yet underexplored role in climate regulation. These vibrant underwater ecosystems, covering vast…

Environmental DNA (eDNA) has become a powerful tool for biodiversity monitoring and biosecurity surveillance, but one fundamental question remains: how should sampling effort be distributed to maximise detection success? In…

Tropical forest restoration is typically assessed through above-ground indicators such as tree growth, canopy cover, and carbon stocks. Yet soil microbial communities regulate nutrient cycling, soil stability, and long-term carbon…

The freshwater ecosystems of Aotearoa New Zealand are globally distinctive and ecologically fragile. Many rivers and lakes support highly endemic species and culturally significant taonga that have evolved in relative…

Dolphins are iconic marine species in Aotearoa New Zealand and globally. They play key ecological roles as apex or mesopredators, structuring marine food webs and acting as indicators of ocean…

Aotearoa-New Zealand’s coasts underpin unique biodiversity, customary and commercial fisheries, aquaculture, and regional economies. They are also exposed to high biosecurity risks, i.e. introduction of non-indigenous species (NIS), from global…

Fermented foods are surging in popularity, but most routine checks still sample only a narrow set of organisms. In collaboration with Mėmelio Fermentuotas we are mapping the full microbiome of…