Elements Biodiversity of New Zealand

floral biodiversity


the kauri of north island largest trees in new zealand, extensively logged , less common today.

the history, climate , geology of new zealand have created great deal of diversity in new zealand s vegetation types. main 2 types of forest have been dominated podocarps , southern beech. podocarps (podocarpaceae), ancient evergreen gymnosperm family of trees, have changed little in last 190 million years. forests dominated podocarps form closed canopy understory of hardwoods , shrubs. forests of southern beeches, genus nothofagus, comprise less diverse habitat, beeches of 4 species dominating canopy , allowing single understory. in north of new zealand podocarp forests dominated ancient giant kauri. these trees amongst largest in world, holding record greatest timber volume of tree. value of not lost on european settlers, , of these trees felled.

the remaining vegetation types in new zealand grassland of grass , tussock, associated subalpine areas, , low shrublands between grasslands , forests. these shrublands dominated daisies, can become woody , 3 m high.

faunal diversity


the saint bathans mammal , representative of miocene saint bathans fauna. archaic mammal, evidence non-bat terrestrial mammals did once occur in new zealand.

until 2006, thought no mammals, other bats , marine mammals, had reached new zealand before humans did. discovery of femur , mandibles of extinct non-volant (non-flying) mammal in otago, dated @ 16–19 million years old, has changed view of new zealand s evolutionary history, suggests mammals had been part of new zealand s fauna since break-up of gondwana. fossil has been called sb mammal. not known when, or why, land mammals became extinct in new zealand there none present on new zealand several million years before arrival of man.

the short-tailed bats (from monotypic family mystacinidae), first arrived in oligocene or before. these unique among bats due terrestrial foraging habits; has long been credited absence of competing terrestrial mammals, though presence of terrestrial icarops in miocene of australia shows terrestriality evolved in mainland, while saint bathans fauna mystacine fossils co-existed terrestrial mammal, saint bathans mammal. plants have evolved bats , fertilised on ground bats. long-tailed bat (chalinolobus tuberculatus), more recent arrival, relatively common. miocene saint bathans fauna preserves remains of vesper bat , several incertae sedis species.

the extinct huia member of endemic bird family callaeidae (new zealand wattlebirds)

birds comprise important part of new zealand s vertebrate fauna. uncertain if many birds in new zealand descended gondwanan stock, dna evidence suggests ratites (the kiwis , moas) arrived after split antarctica. recent studies suggest new zealand wrens gondwanan descendants. dna studies seem indicate wrens ancient of passerines, splitting ancestral passerine stock @ time new zealand become isolated land mass. in absence of mammals, birds diversified niches filled mammals in other ecosystems.

the moas, of there eleven species, large browsers, , in turn prey species of giant haast s eagle or harpagornis eagle. both moas , eagle became extinct shortly after arrival of humans in new zealand sometime around 1300 ce. appears human hunters exterminated moa populations, deprived harpagornis of primary food source, leading extinction of species well. new zealand s emblematic kiwis fill role of small foragers of leaf-litter, , enigmatic adzebill universal omnivore. wattlebirds, callaeidae, family endemic new zealand, many other new zealand birds show clear affinities australia, including new zealand pigeon , new zealand falcon, various parrots, rails, waders, owls, , seabirds (albeit new zealand twist). of 245 species of birds greater new zealand (the main islands along offshore islands, including norfolk island), 174 endemic, 71%. of these, 32% of genera endemic.

the tuatara unique component of new zealand s biodiversity , surviving species in order sphenodontia.

no agamas or iguanas recorded new zealand; lizards represented geckos , skinks, arrived multiple times. fossil record shows highly diverse herpetofauna during miocene, mekosuchine crocodile , meiolaniid , pleurodire turtles being known saint bathans fauna. tuatara, reaching 60 cm (23.6 inches), new zealand s largest living reptile, last remnant once diverse clade sphenodontia. frogs, because of intolerance saltwater assumed have descended ancestors broke off gondwana, 1 of few exceptions rule amphibians never found on oceanic islands (another being frogs of fiji). new zealand s few wholly freshwater fishes derived diadromous species.

this auckland tree weta 7 cm long, excluding legs , antennae

new zealand s terrestrial invertebrate community displays strong gondwanan affinities, , has diversified strongly, if unevenly. there on thousand species of snail, , many species of insect have become large , in many cases flightless, grasshoppers , beetles. there are, however, fewer 12 species of ant. famous of new zealand s insects, wetas, ground-living relatives of crickets reach enormous proportions. many endemic marine invertebrate species, particularly marine snails, have evolved in seas surrounding new zealand.