Biosecurity – Control – Page 4 – Biological Heritage NZ

Publication

Confronting the risks of large-scale invasive species control

Large-scale invasive species control initiatives are motivated by laudable desires for native species recovery and economic benefits, but they are not without risk. Management interventions…

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The ecology and management of mammal invasions in forests

Here we (1) review the ecological characteristics of mammal invasions in forests; (2) characterize the range of ecological impacts on forest communities and the economic…

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Eradicating mammals on New Zealand island reserves: what is left to do?

In 2016, the New Zealand Government announced a policy to rid the country of key introduced predators (possums (Trichosurus vulpecula), ship rats (Rattus rattus), Norway rats…

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Introduction of a male-harming mitochondrial haplotype via ‘Trojan Females’ achieves population suppression in fruit flies

Here, we provide proof-of-concept for the TFT, by showing that introduction of a male fertility-impairing mtDNA haplotype into replicated populations of Drosophila melanogaster causes numerical population suppression,…

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Mitonuclear interactions, mtDNA-mediated thermal plasticity and implications for the Trojan Female Technique for pest control

Here we test whether the male-sterilizing effects previously associated with the mt:Cyt-b mutation are consistent across three thermal and three nuclear genomic contexts. The effects of this…

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Exploiting interspecific olfactory communication to monitor predators

We devised a field experiment to investigate whether dominant predator (ferret Mustela furo) body odor would alter the behavior of three common mesopredators: stoats (Mustela erminea), hedgehogs…

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Publication

Gene drives and rodent control: response to Piaggio et al.

Piaggio et al. recently outlined the role that new synthetic biology technologies may play in addressing a myriad of issues in conservation. One area they focused on…

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Invasion success and management strategies for social Vespula wasps

Three species of Vespula have become invasive in Australia, Hawai‘i, New Zealand, and North and South America and continue to spread. These social wasp species can achieve…

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The long-term population dynamics of common wasps in their native and invaded range

We examined the long-term population dynamics of the invasive common wasp, Vespula vulgaris, in its native range in England and its invaded range in New Zealand.…

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Bringing the ‘Trickster’ wasp into the Discourse on Biotechnological Controls of “Pest Wasps”

Last year the New Zealand Government’s announcement of a “Predator Free NZ 2050” was accompanied by a target for a significant scientific breakthrough capable of…

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Publication

Fitness in invasive social wasps: the role of variation in viral load, immune response and paternity in predicting nest size and reproductive output

Here we investigate how infections with Kashmir Bee Virus (KBV), immune response and intracolony genetic diversity (due to queen polyandry) affect nest size in the invasive common…

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Publication

The potential for the use of gene drives for pest control in New Zealand: a perspective.

Genetic technologies such as gene editing and gene drive systems have recently emerged as potential tools for pest control. Gene drives, in particular, have been…

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