Ghosts of Gondwana. Do they really exist?

The John Smaillie Tennant Lecture 2007. A talk by Professor George Gibbs, School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University Wellington, New Zealand. The ghosts in question are the native plants and animals that are assumed to have been inherited from the ancient supercontinent of Gondwana at the time when New Zealand became an independent entity Under this scenario, their descendants still form part of the modern flora and fauna of New Zealand. Perhaps this simplistic 'Moa's Ark' view of New Zealand fails to take sufficient account of the result of trans-oceanic dispersal, which we know brings lots of organisms to our shores and presumably always has. This talk will discuss the current status of views on the origins of our life forms and show just how difficult it can be to 'prove' that any particular organism can claim to be a Gondwanan ghost. Note different venue. At the Archway 4 Lecture Theatre (access from Union Street East). All staff, students and interested members of the general public are welcome to attend. Light refreshments will be served in the Otago University Staff Club, 80 Union Place West from 5:30 p.m.