Publications Archives

Pest Alert Tool—a web-based application for flagging species of concern in metabarcoding datasets

06/06/2023

A new online tool called the Pest Alert Tool has been developed to screen high-throughput sequencing datasets for species of concern, providing a valuable resource for biodiversity management.

Harnessing decay rates for coastal marine biosecurity applications: A review of environmental DNA and RNA fate

15/04/2023

A review on the degradation mechanisms and fate of environmental nucleic acids (eNAs) in the marine environment, providing guidelines for accurate decay rates and emphasizing their importance in building effective marine biosecurity tools for target detection and biodiversity assessment.

New best-practice guidelines for environmental DNA testing in Australia and New Zealand aim to enhance quality assurance and decision-making

10/02/2023

Newly introduced best-practice guidelines for environmental DNA (eDNA) testing in Australia and New Zealand provide standardized methods and quality assurance measures to support pest detection, biodiversity monitoring, and species identification.

Harnessing passive sampling and DNA extraction innovations for eDNA-based surveillance

10/09/2022

A recent study explored new methods for marine surveillance using eDNA. The researchers compared traditional filtration methods with passive sampling and self-contained DNA extraction. Passive sampling using materials like artificial sponges and fishing nets showed similar results to active filtration in detecting fish diversity. The study suggests that passive sampling is a promising approach for eDNA monitoring and contribute to improving non-invasive monitoring techniques for marine environments.

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.

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