Faculty of Science Technical/Research Reports

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Marine benthos of caves, archways, and vertical reef walls of the Poor Knights Islands : A Poor Knights Islands Marine Reserve study
(University of Auckland, 1986) Battershill, C.N.
A detailed survey of vertical reef walls around the Poor Knights Islands was carried out. In particular, the unusual habitats of caves and archways were investigated. The survey assessed the resource of benthic encrusting communities and associated fish and mobile invertebrate life. These habitats are popular diving locations and many of the inhabitant species are rare or sensitive to disturbance.
The Mahurangi System
(Leigh Marine Laboratory, University of Auckland, 1993) Harris, T. F. W. (Thomas Frank Wyndham)
The Mahurangi Estuary and Harbour belongs to a class of tideways which have been described as Hauraki Gulf Tideways, a classification based on common features, including mangroves, low freshwater inputs and shallow low-tide depths, leading to faunal similarities. Our treatment of the Mahurangi System recognises that it is a product of the contribution from its two ‘catchments’; the rivers and the sea. The latter has the general character of the Gulf coastal waters which have already been described (Harris 1993). The freshwater input, though small, is important because it reflects the catchment use. Ultimately, the continued good condition of the Tideway depends on what changes occur in the catchments; the consequences of human intervention.
Hauraki Gulf tideways: Elements of their natural sciences
(Leigh Marine Laboratory, University of Auckland, 1993) Harris, T. F. W. (Thomas Frank Wyndham)
GULF TIDEWAYS: AUCKLAND TO CAPE RODNEY. The 60 km between Auckland and Cape Rodney is a special stretch of New Zealand Coast in which there are a dozen tideways, most of which still enrich the landscape with their variety and perform vital biological roles. They are of a size such that the eye can readily encompass their width, and of a depth sufficiently shallow to reveal the tidal rhythms. They are remarkable because, although set in a shallow coast, their incised embayments have, as yet, resisted the straightening which is the usual response of coastlines to natural forces. There is nothing quite like them in New Zealand. These Gulf Tideways have much in common. They share a geophysical background and similarities of flora and fauna, sufficient, perhaps, for them to be viewed as species of the same family. They are variously named Harbours, Rivers, Estuaries and Creeks. Unlike the common perception of an estuary their river components are relatively small. For convenience the term "tideway" has been used for all of them. Research work on the tideways has been active but uneven. Thus Whangateau Harbour has, since the 1960s, been the subject of continuing investigation by postgraduate biology students of the University of Auckland, whose work on it has been facilitated by its manageable size. The Upper Waitemata Harbour received intensive attention by a special interdisciplinary study in the early 1980's. Certain aspects of the Mahurangi have been studied by students, engineering consultants and the Auckland Regional Water Board. Preliminary surveys have been carried out on the Matakana by the Auckland Regional Water Board and Bioresearches Ltd, and on the Waiwera by the Parks Board and the University. The University of Auckland's Leigh Marine Laboratory, a coastal observatory, has on record long time series of the coastal meteorology and oceanography of Gulf waters, which are common to all the tideways. The research has been the work of specialists. The rapid development of their fields of study has meant that their attention has had to be concentrated on a relatively narrow front in a particular tideway. Furthermore, the results of their investigations have been published in a wide variety of scientific journals and reports, usually catering for a limited group and ordinarily not easily accessible. The consequence of this is that their work has not been as widely appreciated as it might have been, nor has it been viewed as part of a whole. It seemed worthwhile to try to redress these shortcomings. Treating the tideways as units within one book has meant concentrating on the important features and interrelationships, especially the conditioning of the biological by the geophysical. This has necessitated selection which has inevitably meant a sacrifice of depth of treatment of any one discipline, a shortcoming which, it is hoped, will be compensated for by the attempt to unify. The treatment is at the level of a primer. This approach could be of interest to specialist students and research workers who might value an introduction to disciplines other than their own, or to students of natural systems. Most of the twelve tideways and their catchments are very great assets to the region. If, in keeping with the times, a new perception, based on respect for them as entities, were to take hold, they might have a future, though it is difficult to be optimistic.
Design Brief for New Seawater System at the Marine Research Laboratory (University of Auckland), Leigh, New Zealand
(University of Auckland, 1971) Ballantine, WJ
Rocky Shore Ecology of the Leigh Area North Auckland
(University of Auckland, 1968) Morton, John; Chapman, Valentine J.
About the Ocean Biogeographic Information System
(Ocean Biogeographic Information System, 2007) Costello M.J.; Stocks K.; Zhang Y.; Grassle J.F.; Fautin D.G.
This document is a web page archive of the text first published on the website of the Ocean Biogeographic Information System http://www.iobis.org in April 2007.
Marine sponges : forty-six sponges of northern New Zealand
(University of Auckland Marine Laboratory, 1984) Pritchard, K.; Battershill, C.N.; Ward, V.; Bergquist, P.R.
Sponges are invertebrates and form the only phylum, Porifera, in the subkingdom Parazoa. They are the most primitive of multicellular animals, having neither true tissues nor organs, with the cells showing considerable independence from one another. A sponge is composed of a variety of cells supported by a skeletal network. The skeleton can be composed of spicules and/or spongin. The various cell components perform different functions. The outer surface (pinacoderm) is formed of flattened polygonal cells called pinacocytes. The interior surface (choanoderm) is lined with flagellated collar cells (choanocytes); the flagella beat to provide a current through the sponge enabling oxygen and food particles to be drawn into the sponge and wastes to be expelled. Between the pinacoderm and the choanoderm is an area (the mesohyl) formed of gelatinous material. Cells found here are the basic archaeocytes which can form into any other specialised cell. The body form of sponges is very variable, being influenced by available space, current velocity, habitat, and the nature and slope of the substrate. Asconoid sponges have the simplest form - a tubular shape enclosing a central cavity which opens out through a single exhalent opening (osculum) with porocytes connecting directly from the pinacoderm to the choanoderm. Larger sponges require a more efficient filter system: this is achieved by folding which increases the internal surface area. Syconoid sponges are those with the first stages of body wall folding. Leuconoid sponges have the highest degree of folding, with the formation of flagellated chambers and a complex canal system, the filling in of the central cavity and numerous oscules. The majority of sponges fall into this category. Sponges seem to be unselective feeders: their diet reflects the composition of particles available in the water current, the only criteria being particles smaller than the sieve size of the inhalent openings. Reproduction can be by either sexual or asexual means. Some sponge species contain both male and female sex cells, other species can have different sexes on a permanent or temporary basis. In oviparous sponges eggs are extruded through the exhalent opening, or upon dissolution of the dermal membrane. Viviparous types expel tiny adult sponges or larvae. The larvae usually spend a short time as a free swimming form before settling on the substratum. Asexual forms of reproduction are by budding or splitting. In some species asexual bodies (gemmules) are formed. There are approximately 10,000 species of sponges recorded from around the world.
Brachyura and crab-like anomura of New Zealand
(University of Auckland Marine Laboratory, 1988) McLay, C.L.
Crab-1ike marine arthropods are among the most advanced forms of crustaceans. They have a well developed carapace, usually wider than long, short bodies with the abdomen folded underneath as a segmented flap and the first pair of pereiopods chelate. These sometimes fearsome-looking appendages often deter people from handling them but in fact most crabs are easily manipulated once you overcome the initial fear of being bitten. Perhaps this aversion is the reason why there still remains much to be discovered about crabs. Most crabs cannot inflict any sort of damage to a human but those which can are easily handled after a bit of trial and error. The words of Thomson (1932) are probably equally applicable today: ' ... the sea, which teems with animal and vegetable life, and with unrealized sources of national wealth, has hitherto received very little attention. In this general neglect of marine biology the Crustatea have shared. The number of workers who have added to our knowledge of this group is very small ... ' The predatory, commensal and mutualistic relationships of crabs with other marine animals, their reproductive and population dynamics and their importance as members of marine communities are fascinating to the marine ecologist. Various aspects of crab behaviour, burrowing, sound production, masking and foraging are intriguing to the animal behaviourist. Physiological adaptations of their osmotic balance, respiration and ventilation, hormonal control of moulting, autotomy and regeneration of lost limbs, and their highly organised nervous systems are exciting to physiologists. The reasons for the apparently low genetic diversity of crustaceans provides a challenge to geneticists. For the great majority of New Zealand crabs we have barely even begun to scratch the surface of the wide range of studies that are possible.
Marine molluscs. Part 1. Amphineura, archaeogastropoda & pulmonata
(University of Auckland Marine Laboratory, 1982) Walsby, J.; Ballantine, W.J.; Morton, J.; Willen, R.C.
The creation of New Zealand's first marine reserve, between Cape Rodney and Okakari Point, on the eastern coast of Northland, near Leigh, has been a stimulus to review and collate all of the known information on a number of animal groups. The marine molluscs constitute a large group which will be covered in 4 volumes. In this, the first volume, the more primitive molluscs, nearly all grazers, are considered. These are the Amphineura (chitons), the Archaeogastropoda (limpets, topshells, turbanshells, nerites and allies), and the marine Pulmonata (3 limpets, the small earshells, Amphibola the mud snail, and a strangely isolated pulmonate slug, Onahidella). Shells have long captivated man's interest with their beauty of form and decoration and have been the subject of many books and countless illustrations. Even for New Zealand shells there are a good number of books ranging from pocket guides to the common shells, through to the complete manuals of Suter (1913) and Powell (1979). Few countries can be so fortunate as to have such a modern account as A.W.B. Powell's "New Zealand Mollusca", in which we are given a complete list, with descriptions and illustrations of our marine, land and freshwater molluscs. The generation after Suter's, extending well into modern time, was marked by intensified discovery and new description, with a proliferation of local generic names. Today there has been a return to a healthier balance, with the recognition that exclusive neozelanic, generic names can obscure a wide comparability which is so useful in community ecology and comparative morphology. Powell's "New Zealand Mollusca" emphasised this corrective trend and its revised nomenclature is not likely to become substantially out of date during this century. New records are certain to appear, however, both by discovery, aided in particular by the use of SCUBA studies, and also by immigration. Much bigger and faster ships and periodic international movement of giant oil-drilling rigs, have given new opportunities for the dispersal of marine species across the oceans. It was only by the appearance of Powell's great general work, that smaller books of more limited aim, and-specialised purpose, could be encouraged or become feasible to produce. "New Zealand Mollusca ll is based mainly on characters of the shells of the entire New Zealand molluscan fauna. In matters of taxonomy, our local series will follow it throughout, diverging only in a few well-advised instances, largely in higher group classification, where malacological and evolutionary study has proved informative.
North Cape to East Cape : aspects of the physical oceanography
(University of Auckland Marine Laboratory, 1985) Harris, T.F.W.
The coast and coastal waters which lie between the most northerly and easterly capes of New Zealand are remarkable by any standard. Geologically new, and sheltered from the prevailing westerly waves, the region has retained its embayments and estuaries which together with the off-lying islands make it a coast of character, attractive to the many who sail its waters and the holiday-makers who enjoy its qualities, and economically important as a fishery. Scientifically it is of special interest because, having a northeast aspect (unlike the rest of New Zealand waters), it is susceptible to the influence of subtropical systems, manifest in its wave and current regimes as well as its water properties. The written record began when Cook rounded East Cape in the spring of 1769 and charted the region. He was closely followed by de Surville. Since then studies have been made by hydrographers, scientists and coastal engineers. Information has accumulated rather piecemeal and slowly, but steadily. Inevitably it is scattered throughout charts, scientific papers and technical reports, and although it is still fragmentary the time has perhaps come to attempt to bring it together in a form which will serve as an introduction for those non-specialists who have occasion to need it, and as a review drawing the attention of research workers to shortcomings in our knowledge and the difficulties in the way of its enhancement.
Marine molluscs. Part 2. Opisthobranchia
(University of Auckland Marine Laboratory, 1984) Willan, R.C.; Walsby, J.R.; Morton, J.; Ballantine, W.J.
This second part of the "Marine Molluscs" series deals with the subclass Opisthobranchia. Some sea slugs, as opisthobranchs are commonly termed, are amongst the largest and most ecologically important gastropods in New Zealand's coastal waters. Opisthobranchs in general, and nudibranchs in particular, are rare in both time and space so some species go unseen for many years. For example the aeolid Babakina aaprinsulensis is still only known from a single specimen that was collected at Goat Island Bay in 1965. It never ceases to amaze us how such rare species ever succeed in finding a mate. Because of their scarcity and general difficulty of collection, opisthobranchs are not well understood taxonomically. Their systematics are incomplete and even within the Leigh area a dozen undescribed species are known. We have departed from the names employed by Powell (1979) in several instances in this work to bring the taxonomy up to date. However reference is always given back to Dr. Powell's "New Zealand Mollusca". As if to reflect the increasing knowledge of opisthobranchs in New Zealand several species are included here which have been described since. Dr. Powell completed the research for his manual.
The Mokohinau Islands : a marine survey : with additional notes on the history, climate and terrestrial environments of the group
(University of Auckland Marine Laboratory, 1988) Berben, P.H.; McCrone, A.
Because of the isolated location of the Mokohinaus, and the difficulty of gaining access to the islands, few detailed quantitative surveys have been attempted, especially of the marine biota. The Royal New Zealand Air Force conducted a diving expedition to Mokohinaus in 1978, as part of their expedition training programme. Lead by Wing Commander Knight, the RNZAF made their main object a marine survey around Burgess Island, the largest island of the Mokohinau group. The impetus for producing this report stems from their pioneering expedition, and I would like to congratulate all members of the expedition on the way that they, as non-biologists, applied themselves to this unfamiliar task. Advice on conducting the marine survey was provided by Dr Bill Ballantine from the Leigh Marine Laboratory, assisted by Drs Tony Ayling and Floor Anthoni. As well as supervising the mapping effort by the Air Force divers, these three each carried out individual projects, the results of which are reproduced in this report: Dr Ballantine carried out a baseline survey of rocky intertidal shores, Dr Ayling made a census of fish populations, and Dr Anthoni kept a photographic record of the whole operation (which was subsequently made into a scientific and public education film). One of the major tasks to be done at the completion of the expedition was to produce a map of the underwater habitats. This was done over several years by student assistants at the Leigh Marine Laboratory, particularly Susan Owen. I thank her for her efforts, and also the many other people who helped at various stages in the production of this report, particularly Neil Andrew, Brigid Kerrigan, Laura Stocker and Jane Robertson. Our input into the production of this report was mainly supervisory; all the hard work was done by Peter Berben and Anne McCrone. We are extremely grateful to them for their enthusiasm and perseverance in gathering, sorting and writing up the information. It is hoped that their efforts will help to increase our awar2ness of the Mokohinaus, and will stimulate others to carry out further quantitative studies of this unique island group.
Poor Knights Islands Marine Reserve Survey
(University of Auckland Marine Laboratory, 1984) Schiel, David R. (compiled by)
This report presents and discusses the results of a biological survey of subtidal reefs at the Poor Knights Islands. It was done from July 1983 to January 1984 and represents the work of some 285 scuba dives. The report is designed to accommodate different levels of interest in the results and different levels of expertise, from the layman to the professional biologist. Accordingly, it is divided into several sections. Chapter 1 contains a general description of habitats, a rationale for the sampling techniques and a summary of the major findings. Chapters 2 & 3 contain details of the sampling programme, a full description of results and a discussion. These chapters are more technical in nature than the first. Finally, the Appendix contains information about the abundances of individual species, statistical models used for analyses, and a previous report (1982) on fish populations.
A History of Biology at Auckland University 1883-1983
(University of Auckland, 1983) Foster, Brian; Rattenbury, Jack; Marbrook, John
In the 100 years of the University of Auckland there have been five generations of biology professors: 1) Thomas 2) Johnson 3) Lancaster - McGregor 4) Chapman - Morton - Matthews 5) Love11 - Young - Bergquist. Staff members have risen from one in 1883 to 42 in 1983. There have been 100 intakes of first year students in biology; 11 in 1883, 405 in 1983. Of the degrees that have been conferred, 1700 students have majored in Botany, Zoology or Cell Biology for baccalaureates, 493 have taken masterates, and 123 doctorates have been conferred.
The shore ecology of Suva and South Viti Levu
(University of the South Pacific, 1980) Morton, John; Raj, Uday
This handbook has been written with a limited aim. It is designed as an introduction, for student classes in marine biology, to the intertidal communities - reefs, grass-flats and mangroves - of the shores accessible from Suva. It was prepared, as the need arose, for the use of field courses made up of senior undergraduates from the Universities of the South Pacific, and of Auckland, who have been gathering together in August, under our joint teaching. Fiji's coastal communities, along with the rain forests, must be her proudest natural asset. Few other Universities have such a rich and diverse resource so close to the campus. Definitive environment studies, whether of population dynamics, physiological ecology or conservation, will not flourish without a confident acquaintance with the communities and their species. This guide has a hahitats framework; and - while many animal and plant species are mentioned and figured - it is not primarily an identification manual. For taxonomic treatment, the student must turn to specialist literature of the different groups, incomplete as it still is, steadily being produced for the south-west Pacific.
Okakari Point to Cape Rodney marine reserve: a biological survey
(Leigh Marine Laboratory, University of Auckland, New Zealand, 1978) Ayling, Tony, 1947-
The Marine Reserve at Leigh was gazetted in November I975 but it is worth-while to trace the course of exploitation in the reserve area both before and after its official establishment. While it is difficult to determine with any accuracy the extent of exploitation in the past, some general points can be made. Commercial and amateur fishing for snapper and crayfish have been carried out for many years in this area and the original populations of both these species have probably been considerably depleted. Experienced spearfishermen operated in the reserve area from the early 1950's until the early 1970's, with a peak in this activity in the mid 1950's. These people swam long distances and speared relatively few fish and probably affected the entire reserve to a limited extent, but had a slightly greater effect in the central third of the reserve around Goat Island. The species speared by this group were primarily snapper, Kingfish, blue moki, red moki and porae. Inexperienced spearfishermen fished only in the immediate Goat Island Bay and Channel area and had a peak effect in the late 1960's and early 1970's. This group speared most species more than 20-30 cm long, especially red moki and leatherjackets. Scuba diving for crayfish, both 'commercial' and amateur, was widespread in the reserve area during the 1960's and early 1970's, adding effect of commercial pottinq.
Interpretation of Tangkuban Perahu geophysical data (West Java - Indonesia)
(Geogthermal Institute, University of Auckland, New Zealand, 1987) Boedihardi, Mochamad
The Tangkuban perahu geothermal field is located in West Java, Indonesia, about 20 kilometres to the North of Bandung. Geophysical surveys of Tangkuban perahu, particularly using resistivity traversing and VES with schlumberger and Magnetotelluric arrays were made to evaluate the electrical resistivity distribution within the geothermal field. Low concealed resistivity anomalies are encountered in both the Kancah and Ciater area. The interpretation of the magnetotelluric soundings and VES curves by computer modelling indicates that deep outflow zones have a resistivity about 1 to 6 Ohm-me The outflows are overlain by a high resistivity layer of about 15-65 Ohm-me The low resistive zone, laterally, is confined by resistivity layer of about 14-42 Ohm-me Gravity anomalies over Tangkuban perahu are associated with Caldera structure infilled with less dense Pyroclastics. No detailed interpretation of the anomaly can be given since a major reduction error in the data was detected at the final stage of the project. A positive self potential anomaly observed in this area can be interpreted in terms of upflowing and outflowing mineralized fluids from the deep Tangkuban perahu system.
Cape Rodney to Okakari Point Marine Reserve survey 2. Rocky shores
(Leigh Marine Laboratory, The University of Auckland, New Zealand, 1980) Cumming, Alan
Since the establishment of the University of Auckland's Marine Laboratory at Leigh in 1964, there has been a number of published papers and unpublished theses dealing with local physical and biological phenomena, though few, if any, have given a comprehensive picture of the area. The creation of a Marine Reserve in 1975 has brought about a serious attempt to co-ordinate the knowledge gained and provide an integrated baseline to which the understanding gained from future research can be added. To date, there have been many noteworthy attempts to centralize information within the bounds of the Reserve. The first, a booklet compiled by Norton and Chapman (1968) deals with the ecology of local species within the spectrum of available habitats along the rocky shoreline. The second is a succinct review of knowledge of the Reserve compiled shortly after its official inception in 1975 by Gordon and Ballantine (1976). The third, of which this exercise may be regarded as an addendum, is a sub-tidal survey of the main marine habitats of the Reserve (Ayling, 1978). This latter survey has attempted to define these habitats on a geographical-biological basis and to 'provide a quantitative estimate of the numbers, size and distribution of the important organisms in the Reserve.'
Sexual Coercion among Gay Men, Bisexual Men and Takatāpui Tāne in Aotearoa/New Zealand.
(Department of Psychology, The University of Auckland, 2006) Fenaughty, John; Braun, Virginia; Gavey, Nicola; Aspin, Clive; Reynolds, Paul; Schmidt, Johanna
Background • The existence of sexual assault, sexual coercion and unwanted sex among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men is seldom acknowledged — within gay communities, society at large, or in policy. • Although prevalence is difficult to determine, international research has established that sexual assault, sexual coercion and unwanted sex are experienced by a significant number of gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men. Our project • This project consisted of two separate, but related, studies: a broader project, and a Kaupapa Māori project. • The broader project was designed to explore the phenomenon of sexual coercion among gay and bisexual men in Aotearoa/New Zealand. • It did not set out to investigate the broader issue of sexual assault against gay and bisexual men by men who do not identify as gay or bisexual (i.e., sexual violence which could more easily be categorised as hate crime). • Twenty-three key informants were interviewed about their observations and views on sexual coercion among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men. • Eighteen gay and bisexual men were interviewed about their experiences of sexual coercion. • Six focus groups were held with gay and bisexual men in order to generate accounts about how sexuality is understood and negotiated in gay communities. • Five takatāpui tāne were interviewed for the Kaupapa Māori project on Māori men’s experiences of sexual coercion.
A case study examining the effectiveness of surface electromyography (sEMG) biofeedback in dysphagia rehabilitation and the SWAL-QOL quality of life outcome measure
(ResearchSpace@Auckland, 2007-04-03) Newlove, Sarah
Dysphagia is very common following a stroke and in the US alone 500,000 individuals experience a stroke each year. As a result, advances in dysphagia management are growing and include the use of surface electromyography (sEMG) as a biofeedback tool. There is also a shift taking place in terms of how patients are viewed by professionals. In rehabilitation there is less of a focus on impairment-based rehabilitation and more on how the patient functions holistically in their environment, based on the International Classification of Functioning (ICF) framework. The current study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of sEMG as a therapy tool; the effect it has on a person’s quality of life (measured by the SWAL-QOL); and the impact it has on treatment outcomes when therapy is delivered intensively. The results indicated a trend to significance in the progress made by the participant (as measured by videofluoroscopy interpretation) and additionally in the dietary changes after treatment. There was also a significant change in the participant’s perception of their quality of life after treatment. These findings provide a useful basis for the generation of future hypotheses in larger research yet to be conducted.

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