Aquatic Environment and Biodiversity Annual Review 2012

AEBAR 2012: Marine Biodiversity
Zealand algal flora (confirmed by sequence data), Hypnea cornuta and Polysiphonia
morrowii. In Whangarei Harbour 8 non-indigenous species were found (4 new records for
harbour including Hypnea), in Kaipara Harbour 4 species were found including 2 new records
for the harbour, and in Otago Harbour 11 non-indigenous species were found including 1 new
record as well as P. morrowii. More taxa were collected in the subtidal (107) in Whangarei
Harbour than in the intertidal (84), compared with Otago where numbers of intertidal taxa
(120) exceeded the subtidal taxa collected (83).
Two methods were employed to enable high resolution sampling and these provided differing
outcomes in the two main harbours sampled, clearly indicating that there was value in
collecting by both methods in order to adequately sample the diversity: Whangarei Harbour
90 taxa were collected in quadrat sampling compared with 118 taxa via opportunistic
collections, and in the Otago Harbour 107 taxa were collected in quadrat sampling and 118
taxa via opportunistic collections.
ZBD2008-27 Review of deep-sea benthic biodiversity associated with trench, canyon and abyssal
habitats below 1500 m depth in New Zealand waters
The state of knowledge of benthic biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in deep-sea
abyssal, canyon and trench habitats in the New Zealand Exclusive Economic Zone and the
Ross Sea region, was summarised and recommendations for future deep-sea research in
depths exceeding 1500 m were made. All biological information in scientific papers and
reports from New Zealand below 1500 m was reviewed and an exhaustive search of multiple
data sources was conducted.
The area of the deep seafloor below 1500 m covers more than 65% of New Zealand‘s
Exclusive Economic Zone. A total of 1489 benthic gear deployments have been conducted by
New Zealand-based sampling initiatives since 1955, most of which were focused on obtaining
geological samples. Less than 0.002 % of New Zealand‘s deep-sea environment (i.e. in terms
of seabed area) below 1500 m has been sampled. All taxonomy-based studies of all taxa
reported in New Zealand waters below 1500 m have been reviewed. To date, 8 species of
Bacteria, 293 species of Protozoa, 785 species of invertebrates, and 56 fish species have been
recorded from water depths greater than 1500 m.
More than 8000 images are known to have been taken of the seafloor below 1500 m in the
New Zealand region, covering an area of approximately 0.016 km2. Over 4000 of the images
held at NIWA exist either as paper prints or negatives and ideally should be digitised for
future storage and access for analyses. Analysis of these photographic images should yield
considerable information about deep-sea biodiversity and ecosystem function in the New
Zealand region and could be used to answer a number of research questions (especially
around deep-sea benthic biodiversity).
Recommendations on how to potentially further analyse existing data from images, databases
and actual specimens were provided. The technical challenges, including gear requirements to
sample deep-sea New Zealand benthos and potential future investments, were summarised.
(see Coleman and Lörz 2010; Lörz 2011a, 2011b; Lörz et al. 2012a, 2012b).
ZBD2008-50 Chatham Rise biodiversity hotspots.
This survey covered the “Graveyard Seamount Complex” and “Andes Seamount Complex”
on the Chatham Rise. Objectives were to monitor changes over time on Graveyard hills
subject to differing management regimes (some open to fishing, some closed), as well as to
compare seamount biodiversity between different regions of the Rise. It was linked to the
CoML CenSeam programme, and the former FRST Seamounts research, now under the
MBIE Vulnerable Deep-sea Communities project. The data from that survey are being
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