Zoology collection
The mission of the Department of Zoology is to provide an environment, open to all sections of the community, for the extension, sharing and application of knowledge in zoology, through research and teaching of the highest international standard.
The Department of Zoology is distinctive internationally for its focus on whole organism biology (it is one of the few departments of zoology in universities throughout the world). Our staff have international reputations in their areas of expertise and make major contributions to answering fundamental questions in basic and applied research.
For further information go to the Department of Zoology.
Recent Deposits
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Lipid physiology in beluga (Huso huso L.) - the relationship between developmental stages, 11-ketotestosterone levels and ovarian lipid uptake
In egg-laying fish, survival of the embryonic and initial larval stages depends on accumulation of substantial reserves of yolk and lipid within the egg during oocyte growth. In sturgeon, a non-teleost basal ray-finned ... -
The survival, longevity, diet and development of mountain stone weta Hemideina maori in the Rock and Pillar Range, New Zealand
For ectotherms, environmental temperature is an important correlate of growth rate, development time and final body size, with the dominant trend being an increase in growth rate and a decrease in size at maturity as ... -
A comparative ecological study of Pied and Black Stilts in South Canterbury.
Stilts Himantopus are long-legged waders of the Order Charadriiformes, Family Recurvirostridae. Two species occur in New Zealand, the Black Stilt H. novaezealandiae and the Pied Stilt H. himantopus leucocephalus, each of ... -
The effects of vegetation removal on rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) and small mammalian predators in braided riverbeds of the Mackenzie Basin
[Executive Summary] (…) Predation by cats, ferrets and stoats (Mustela erminea) has been identified as a major threat to several species of birds which nest in open riverbed areas of the Mackenzie Basin, South Canterbury, ... -
Aspects of mammalian predator ecology co-inhabiting giant skink habitat
The utilisation of habitats and the diet of feral cats and ferrets was studied in an area co-inhabited by giant skinks in the Middlemarch-Macraes Flat region of Central Otago, New Zealand. Home range and habitat utilisation ... -
Experimental addition of Onthophagus binodis and Geotrupes spiniger to pasture ecosystems in New Zealand and an investigation of affected biotic and abiotic soil factors.
New Zealand has a serious environmental pollution problem caused by intensive farming, and a lack of co-evolved dung beetle species to clean up the waste produced by these introduced herbivores. Our endemic dung beetles ... -
Social Networking of the Otago Skink (Oligosoma otagense) at Ōrokonui Ecosanctuary
The social behaviour of New Zealand’s native lizards is poorly understood. This study explores the social behaviour of the Otago skink (Oligosoma otagense), one of New Zealand’s largest-bodied and rarest species of lizards. ... -
Translocation management of Leiopelma archeyi (Amphibia, Anura: Leiopelmatidae) in the King country
Although conservation translocations are often recommended, they are expensive, require a long-term commitment and half of them fail. Moreover, in New Zealand, translocations have an additional cultural impact due to the ... -
Behavioural, convergent and ontogenetic evidence for adaptive behavioural manipulation in mermithid infected hosts
Parasite fitness is often tied closely to host behaviour, especially when transition to a definitive host or egression in a particular environment is involved. Thus natural selection has driven many parasites to control ... -
The efficacy of aerial 1080 poison applied on a landscape scale to control alpine predators and the reproductive response of rock wren (Xenicus gilviventris)
New Zealand is a globally unique oceanic island due to the high prevalence of alpine ecosystems and a biota that evolved in the absence of mammals. Introduced mammalian predators are the leading cause of extinctions in New ... -
Sub-lethal effects of brodifacoum pesticide exposure on Wellington tree weta, Hemideina crassidens
Non-target pesticide exposure causes a myriad of detrimental sub-lethal effects in a broad range of taxa, with pesticide-induced changes in behaviour, physiology and reproduction documented widely. Most studies have focused ... -
Disturbance, predation and competition in a flood-prone stream
Among the drivers of the patchy distribution of organisms in space and time are abiotic factors, including physical disturbance, and biotic interactions such as predation and competition. Our understanding of the interplay ... -
Using Stable Isotope Analysis to study the diet of stoats (Mustela erminea) in the alpine zone of New Zealand
Threats posed by alien invasive species are a leading cause of global biodiversity decline. In island archipelagos such as New Zealand, introduced mammalian predators prey heavily on endemic fauna that have evolved without ... -
The fight for coexistence: niche partitioning between kiore (Rattus exulans) and ship rats (Rattus rattus) on Chatham Island
Invasive species are a major threat to biodiversity throughout the world. In New Zealand, invasive rats represent a significant threat to native species, especially to island seabird populations. In order to determine the ... -
Population biology and the effects of tourism on Hector's Dolphins (Cephalorhynchus hectori), in Porpoise Bay, NZ
A small population of Hector's dolphins (Cephalorhynchus hectori) in Porpoise Bay, New Zealand, attracts a single commercial dolphin-watch vessel as well as an increasing number of swimmers who enter the water from the ... -
Fish assemblages and life history patterns in estuaries along the Otago coastline, New Zealand
Understanding the ways in which fish use estuaries is crucial to develop effective interrealm management plans that take into account all components of these highly connected ecosystems. Fish assemblages of New Zealand ... -
Ecology of the giant kokopu
This study aimed to determine the distribution of giant kokopu, G. argenteus within the Lower Taieri Floodplain in New Zealand's South Island and then to examine various ecological aspects of this species including ... -
Parasitology of the yellow-eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes)
The goal of this study was to determine whether parasites represent a threat to the continued existence of the Yellow-Eyed Penguin, Megadyptes antipodes. The population of this rare penguin has suffered from two severe ... -
Freshwater Macroinvertebrate Responses to Multiple Stressors: Interactions Between Fine Sediment Grain Size and Flow Velocity Reduction
Agricultural development has resulted in the degradation of freshwater ecosystems worldwide. Disentangling the individual and combined effects of agricultural stressors is crucial for future land-use management and restoration ... -
Early exposure to atrazine in zebrafish: intergenerational effects and animal personality
Animal personality (consistent inter-individual differences in behaviour over time and context) is important for an individual’s fitness. Acute exposure studies in adults show that endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) can ...