Publications Archives

Biofouling formation and NIS recruitment on bio-polymers augmented with oyster shells

12/07/2022

The results of our recent experimental study suggest that bio-based polymers and composites with increased potential for biodegradability, recyclability, and aptitude for the selective recruitment of marine invertebrates might offer a sustainable alternative to conventional polymers.

A rapid molecular assay for detecting the Mediterranean fanworm developed by DETECT team and trialed by non-scientist users

22/06/2022

Learn about the new species-specific recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) assay designed for the fanworm detection from eDNA samples and insights on its applicability for citizen scientists-driven biosecurity surveillance.

Experimental insights on effective eDNA/eRNA capture from seawater samples

19/05/2022

An experimental study was conducted to test different filter membranes for capturing eDNA/eRNA in the context of cost/time effort and cell fractions encountered in nature. For the first time a formal efficiency modelling was applied in eDNA and eRNA research to assist decision-making around an optimized sampling approach.

To clean or not to clean: views of boat owners in keeping boat hulls free of biofouling organisms

14/12/2021

Researchers from the MANAGE AND RESPOND and ECONOMICS AND DECISION SUPPORT teams have joined forces to work towards an understanding of the factors that encourage or discourage hull cleaning behavior of the recreational boat owners in New Zealand.

Where do mussels like to call home?

24/11/2021

To find out what features of the reef attract mussels, we dropped baby green-lipped mussels on several types of 3D printed tiles representing rocky reef structures in seawater tanks and saw where they went. This experiment will help us designing eco-engineered structures that would give this native species a competitive advantage over invasive species on artificial structures.

The increasing issue of coastal hardening and its associated socio-economic risks

10/11/2021

We mapped coastal hardening associated with 30 international urban centres and, using machine-learning algorithms, developed a model to forecast the regional expansion of 4 globally common coastal infrastructure types. We applied this model to New Zealand for anticipating regional distributions and future hotspots of socioecological risks over a 25-year period.

A review on managing biofouling on submerged static artificial structures in the marine environment

20/10/2021

This review and synthesis collates the range of methods and tools that exist or are emerging for managing biofouling on submerged static artificial structures for a variety of sectors, highlighting key criteria and knowledge gaps that affect development, and uptake to improve operational and environmental outcomes.

A framework for quantifying of marine biosecurity risk factors associated with common vessel types

05/10/2021

This publication synthesizes empirical data on a wide range of vessel types and characteristics to develop a framework that allows systematic quantification of the relative risk of NIS transfer by common commercial vessel types. A potential application of the framework for assigning a relative risk level for New Zealand ports, based on the arrival frequencies of different vessel types, is presented.

Lessons from an international cross-laboratory experiment on delivering reproducible metabarcoding data

20/08/2021

Acknowledging the need for a coordinated effort to accelerate the uptake of high-throughput sequencing (HTS) based tools for biodiversity surveys and biosecurity applications, an international cross-laboratory experiment was conducted to evaluate replicability of a metabarcoding protocol and explore how laboratory-based variance in sample handling and processing impacts biodiversity assessments.

Continuous bubble streams for controlling marine biofouling on static artificial structures

12/07/2021

An open-access peer-reviewed publication describing a series of laboratory and field trials that examine the efficacy of continuous bubble streams in maintaining artificial substrates free of macroscopic biofouling and demonstrating that this treatment approach is effective on surface types commonly used in the marine environment.

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