Past Events

Deadline for entries for the Photographic Competition

Entry forms are available from the Department of Botany Office, or can be downloaded from the BSO website.

Field trip to Knight's Bush, Tuapeka

The Knights are stewards of some of the last remaining native vegetation on the banks of the Clutha River from the lakes to the sea. Their 228 ha block opposite Birch Island and the Blue Mountains encompasses a surprising variety of ecosystems. On the river flat and stream sides kahikatea, totara, matai & pokaka grow amongst gnarly old beech trees, with a broadleaf/divaricating shrub understory. In places the podocarps dominate, higher up there are almost pure stands of Nothofagus solandri and N. menziesii. Stands of huge old kanuka are evidence of early milling. On the sunniest northerly faces are remnants of original dry land shrub and kowhai community, including the uncommon Teucridium parvifolium. John, Allison and Ben worked hard last year to build a 2 km long fence to protect examples of these communities from browsing and foraging animals. They hope this new biodiversity reserve will encourage regeneration of the understory and allow vulnerable plants to re-establish. Come and help to create a base-line species list, clear around the fence-line or just look around. Wear strong footwear with good grip for the steep slopes. Bring pen, hand-lens, lunch etc. 113 km drive each way. Return late afternoon. Rain-date Sunday.

Hidden Wealth—the Biodiversity of the Denniston Plateau

A talk by Rod Morris. Rod will present a 50 min powerpoint on the plants and animals (many of them poorly known or scientifically undescribed) that are at risk from the 'Escarpment Mine' proposal put forward by Australian mining company Bathurst Resources.

Rod writes: "Until now my career has been in film-making and wildlife photography, and I have not felt the need to become an activist as well, however after visiting Stockton, NZ's largest open-caste coal mine near Denniston 18 months ago, I became increasingly troubled at what I see happening—ecological destruction proposed on a massive scale, and all in one of NZ's most important areas for biodiversity.

I wrote an article for the August 2010 issue of Forest and Bird magazine about my impressions of Stockton and I have been collaborating with F & B on publicising the hidden biodiversity of the Denniston, and the threat open caste mining poses since then. Your members will also have read an evocative piece more recently on the Denniston by Debs Martin in the latest (Feb 2012) issue of F&B."

At the Zoology Benham Building, 346 Great King Street, behind the Zoology car park by the Captain Cook Hotel. Use the main entrance of the Benham Building to get in and go to the Benham Seminar Room, Rm. 215, 2nd floor. Please be prompt as we have to hold the door open.

Free BSO BBQ!

BBQ to welcome new botany/ecology students and new BSO members. At the front lawn, Botany House Annex, Great King Street (across the road from the main Botany building). Sausage sandwiches and drinks provided free by the Botanical Society of Otago. All BSO members welcome!

Structure of plant communities in edaphic and alpine deserts of the Japanese Archipelago

A talk by Zaal Kikvidze from The University of Tokyo co-authored with M. Suzuki,¹ Y. Shimono,² M. Sukeno³ and G. Kudo³ (¹The University of Tokyo; ²Kyoto University; ³Hokkaido University).

Abstract

Desert-like landscapes, created by recent volcanic activity (volcanic deserts) or directional, strong and frequent winds (often in alpine areas), are not uncommon for Japanese archipelago. In these severe environments we can see primary successions (such as colonisation of exposed, bare ground, facilitative effects among plants). Only a few tolerant species can colonise these harsh environments. Among them are plants that can function as foundation species, which actually initiate the process of primary succession and facilitate invasions of other, less tolerant species at later stages of succession. The signature of the presence of these foundation species can be seen in strongly non-random spatial distributions of other members of plant communities, some species strongly associated with the foundation species, but other neutral or even not occurring with the pioneer colonisers. We present two examples of such communities—(i) Polygonum cuspidatum moss and Cirsium purpuratum thistles as facilitators of successions in volcanic desert of Mt. Fuji, central Japan; (ii) Pinus pumilum pines and the low shrub Diapensia lapponica in alpine deserts of Hokkaido, northern Japan. We also show that facilitative effects includes transmissions of mycorrhizal fungal infections from one species to another.

At the Zoology Benham Building, 346 Great King Street, behind the Zoology car park by the Captain Cook Hotel. Use the main entrance of the Benham Building to get in and go to the Benham Seminar Room, Rm. 215, 2nd floor. Please be prompt as we have to hold the door open.

End of year dinner at the Asian Restaurant

Always a fun and popular event! This year we return to the fabulous Asian Restaurant, 43 Moray Place, Dunedin. Make sure you let Bill Wilson know if you'd like to come.

Weekend field trip to Omarama bog pine and wetland sites

We will base ourselves at Omarama and spend one day visiting the bog pine dominated rare ecosystem of Ben Dhu Scientific Reserve, followed by a day investigating the Tarnbrae wetlands or the Wairepo kettle hole wetlands. Visits to these post-glaciation derived ecosystems with their distinctive shrubland and turf vegetation are graded "easy". A range of accommodation options are available at the Omarama Holiday Park www.omaramatop10.co.nz. Participants are expected to arrange their preferred accommodation. Leaders are Geoff Rogers and John Barkla.

Field trip to Akatore Creek

Akatore is a remnant of diverse coastal shrubland at the mouth of Akatore Creek, 45 minutes south of Dunedin. Some special features of this site include the diversity of shrub species and threatened species such as Coprosma obconica, Olearia fragrantissima, Melicytus flexuosus and Carex littorosa with the possibility of our discovering other threatened species. We may also visit the adjacent coast where the threatened cress Lepidium tenuicaule is present as well as Myosotis pygmaea. Depart from the Botany Department car park, corner of Great King Street and Union Street (West).

Mountain earthquakes and their ecological effects: the case of the 20008 Sichuan earthquake

A talk by Prof. Qian Wang, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Union St Lecture Theatre, Cnr Union St West & Great King St.

Public Lecture: Beech forest dynamics in a changing climate

A talk by Dr John Ogden in celebration of International Year of Forests 2011. The likely behaviour of beech forests through glacial/interglacial cycles will be discussed and some of the current spatial and temporal patterns will be described in relationship to these past events (with George Perry as co-contributor). At the Zoology Benham Building, 346 Great King Street, behind the Zoology car park by the Captain Cook Hotel. Use the main entrance of the Benham Building to get in and go to the Benham Seminar Room, Rm. 215, 2nd floor. Please be prompt as we have to hold the door open.

Ecosystems in waiting or a bright new future?

A talk by Dr John Ogden in celebration of International Year of Forests 2011. Mixed plant and animal communities are now widely established in New Zealand. Will the forests of yesteryear eventually re-establish, or should we welcome a new species mixture dictated by a new disturbance regime? Work on the dynamics of the scrub communities on Great Barrier Island will be discussed. A Department of Botany Lunchtime Seminar. Note special time and Venue: 12 noon – 12:50 pm, Student Learning Centre Room GW3, Information Services Building (ISB), cnr Cumberland and Albany St.

Hort Talk: Whats Cookin'?tips for cooking local produce

A talk by Steve Ellwood, at the Botanic Garden Centre.

Field trip to Leith Saddle

Celebrating International Year of Forests. This trip is open to members of the public and will be led by various members of the Botanical Society. The trip will follow a well formed track from Leith Saddle up through mixed podocarp broadleaf forest that grades into Libocedrus forest that in turn gives way to mixed tussock/ shrubland. This is perhaps the best piece of representative forest close to Dunedin. Depart from the Botany Department car park, corner of Great King Street and Union Street (West).

Orokonui Ecosanctuary workshop on plant photography with digital SLR cameras

At Orokonui Ecosanctuary, led by BSO photographer David Lyttle. Cost: $29.90 (Donation).

Genetic variation in Alfalfa mosaic virus

A talk by Aiko Lignon. MSc Proposal. School of Physical Education Seminar Room #213–4, University of Otago, 55 Union St, Dunedin