Barbara Anderson (scientist)

Last updated
Barbara J. Anderson
Alma materUniversity of Otago (PhD)
Scientific career
FieldsEcology
Thesis Something to do with community structure: the influence of sampling and analysis on measures of community structure (2006)

Barbara Jane Anderson is a New Zealand ecologist. [1] [2]

Contents

Education

Anderson graduated with a PhD in botany from the University of Otago, Dunedin, in 2006. [3]

Research and career

Beginning in 2015, Anderson co-ordinates a citizen science project, the Ahi Pepe MothNet project which encourages members of the public to engage with moths at Orokonui Ecosanctuary. [4] The project brought public attention to the role of moths in the ecosystem and also provides schoolchildren and adults with an experience of "hands-on" science. As a result of the interest in the project, a bilingual Māori–English guide to New Zealand moths was published in 2018. [5] [6] In 2017, a group of Dunedin schoolchildren were invited to present their experiences of the project to the World Indigenous People's Conference on Education in Toronto. [7]

Anderson is the President of The Otago Institute for the Arts and Sciences. [8]

Anderson is a Royal Society Rutherford Discovery Fellow based at the Otago Museum [9] working with the museum's insect collection.

Notable achievements

In 2019 Anderson had the New Zealand endemic moth species Ichneutica barbara named in her honour. [10] [11]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Otago</span> University in New Zealand

The University of Otago is a public research collegiate university based in Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand. Founded in 1869, Otago is New Zealand’s oldest University and one of the oldest universities in Oceania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dunedin</span> City in Otago, New Zealand

Dunedin is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from Dùn Èideann, the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. The city has a rich Scottish, Chinese and Māori heritage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of the Dunedin urban area</span> Aspect of history of city of Dunedin, New Zealand

The villages and then city that lay at the head of Otago Harbor never existed in isolation, but have always been a staging ground between inland Otago and the wider world. While Dunedin's current official city limits extend north to Waikouaiti, inland to Middlemarch and south to the Taieri River mouth, this articles focus is the history of the Dunedin urban area, only mentioning Mosgiel, the Otago Peninsula, Port Chalmers and inland Otago for context.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Otago Museum</span> Public museum in Dunedin, New Zealand

Tūhura Otago Museum is located in the city centre of Dunedin, New Zealand. It is adjacent to the University of Otago campus in Dunedin North, 1,500 metres northeast of the city centre. It is one of the city's leading attractions and has one of the largest museum collections in New Zealand. Natural science specimens and humanities artefacts from Otago, New Zealand and the world form the basis for long-term gallery displays. An interactive science centre within the museum includes a large, immersive tropical butterfly rainforest environment. In February 2022 the museum was gifted the name Tūhura, meaning "to discover, investigate and explore" by local rūnanga, changing the official name to Tūhura Otago Museum.

<i>Ichneutica mutans</i> Species of moth

Ichneutica mutans, commonly known as the New Zealand cutworm or the grey-brown cutworm, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. This moth endemic to New Zealand and can be found throughout New Zealand, including from Three Kings Islands down to Stewart Island. However this species is not found in the Chatham Islands. The adult moths are on the wing all year round. I. mutans is variable in appearance and can be confused with similar species in the same genus. As a result of the variety of host species consumed by the larvae of the species, including such crops as turnips, wheat and apples, this species is regarded as an agricultural pest. However between the early 1960s and late 1980s the population of I. mutans was shown to have decreased significantly, by over 80%, at two study sites.

<i>Ichneutica blenheimensis</i> Species of moth

Ichneutica blenheimensis is a species of moth in the family Noctuidae. It is endemic to New Zealand and is found throughout the North, South and the Stewart Islands. This species appears to prefer drier eastern localities and is rarely collected in western North Island forested areas. It does not appear to be frequently collected in inland dry tussock grassland habitats. The host plant for the larvae of this species is likely to be the golden sand sedge pīngao which is now absent from the moths type locality. However Chappell has raised very young larvae on grass species and the more developed larvae consumed Phormium tenax. Adults are on the wing from November to March and are attracted to both light and sugar traps. The blackish forewing fringes are diagnostic of this species. But worn specimens of I. arotis can be confused with worn specimens of I. blenheimensis. However I. arotis can be distinguished from I. blenheimensis as it has a scale-tuft on the thorax and dark longitudinal stripes on the tegula. This species is classified as "At Risk, Naturally Uncommon" by the Department of Conservation.

<i>Ichneutica unica</i> Species of moth

Ichneutica unica is a species of moth in the family Noctuidae. It is endemic to New Zealand and is found in the centre of the North Island and throughout the South Island. This moth is very similar in appearance to its close relatives Ichneutica phaula and Ichneutica toroneura. I. phaula can be distinguished as there is a difference in pectinations on the male antennae and I. toroneura can be distinguished as the black vein markings on the forewings is more uniform for that species in comparison to I. unica. I. unica is variable in appearance with the North Island specimens having a darker brown colour on the forewings and having a darker underside of the hindwings. This species inhabits open tussock grassland at various altitudes, coastal dunes, and inland volcanic dunes. Larvae feed on tussock grasses such as Chionochloa pallens and species in the genus Poa. Adult moths are on the wing from November to February and are attracted to both sugar and light traps.

Marilynn Lois Webb was a New Zealand artist, noted for her contributions to Māori art and her work as an educator. She was best known for her work in printmaking and pastels, and her works are held in art collections in New Zealand, the United States, and Norway. She lectured at the Dunedin School of Art, and was made an emeritus principal lecturer in 2004.

<i>Ichneutica cuneata</i> Species of moth

Ichneutica cuneata is a moth in the family Noctuidae. It is endemic to New Zealand. I. cuneata is found in and around the Tongariro National Park in the North Island and throughout the South Island. Specimens found in Tongariro National Park tend to be darker in appearance than South Island specimens but as their colour is variable, and antennae and genitalia of both species are consistent, they are not now regarded as a separate species. I. cuneata inhabits tussock grasslands and shrublands in alpine and subalpine zones. The adults are on the wing from December to April and can be found flying during the day. The life history of I. cuneata is unknown as are the specific host species of its larvae. However larvae of I. cuneata are said to feed on herbaceous plants. The adults of this species also pollinate native species such as Myosotis macrantha.

Ahi Pepe MothNet is a citizen science initiative based in Otago, New Zealand that aims to raise the awareness of moths among teachers and students.

Poia Rewi is a professor and the head of Te Tumu: School of Maori, Pacific, and Indigenous Studies at the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand. He is known for his work in the areas of the revitalisation of the Māori language and whaikorero. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society Te Apārangi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atholl Anderson</span> New Zealand archaeologist

Atholl John Anderson is a New Zealand archaeologist who has worked extensively in New Zealand and the Pacific. His work is notable for its syntheses of history, biology, ethnography and archaeological evidence. He made a major contribution to the evidence given by the iwi (tribe) Ngāi Tahu to the Waitangi Tribunal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lisa Warrington</span> Academic, director, author in New Zealand, b. 1952

Lisa Jadwiga Valentina Warrington is a New Zealand theatre studies academic, director, actor and author. She has directed more than 130 productions, and established the Theatre Aotearoa database. In 2014 she was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award in the Dunedin Theatre Awards, and was three times winner of a New Zealand Listener Best Director award, including one for Tom Scott's The Daylight Atheist.

Ichneutica schistella is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is endemic to New Zealand.

<i>Ichneutica nobilia</i> Species of moth

Ichneutica nobilia is a moth of the family Noctuidae. This species is endemic to New Zealand and can be found in the South Island, although not in the Nelson, Dunedin or Southland regions. This species prefers rocky habitats in alpine zones and the blueish-grey sheen on the species' forewings help camouflage it. Adults of I. nobilia are on the wing from December to February and are attracted to light. The life history of this species is unknown as are the host species of its larvae.

<i>Ichneutica fenwicki</i> Species of moth

Ichneutica fenwicki is a moth of the family Noctuidae. This species is endemic to New Zealand and is found in the southern parts of the South Island and on Stewart Island. It is a distinctively coloured moth that is unlikely to be confused with closely related species. It is a spring flying moth being on the wing from September to November. The life history and host species of the larvae of I. fenwicki are unknown.

<i>Ichneutica barbara</i> Species of moth

Ichneutica barbara is a moth of the family Noctuidae. This species is endemic to New Zealand and is only found in the South Island, more commonly on the eastern side of the South Island. This species has a grey forewing and is visually very similar in appearance to its close relative I. omicron. However the adult male of I. barbara has a yellow anal tuft in comparison to the grey tuft of I. omicron. In collections I. barbara has sometimes been confused with I. sistens. I. barbara appears to inhabit shrubland localities. The life history of this species is unknown as are the host species of the larvae but adults are on the wing from October to December.

<i>Ichneutica virescens</i> Species of moth, also known as owlet moth

Ichneutica virescens is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is endemic to New Zealand, and is found in the southern North Island and throughout the South Island. The species is found in alpine, sub-alpine, and down to sea-level in grassland habitats. Adults are on the wing from November through to April. The likely larval host may be grasses, but larvae have been reared on a range of plants. The adults are similar to I. panda, I. falsidica and I. nobilia, but is distinguished by size, wing colouration, and antennae formation.

Ichneutica prismatica is a moth of the family Noctuidae. This species is endemic to New Zealand. The species is ochreous coloured with distinctive pale streaks on its forewings and a white fringe on its hindwings. It is similar in appearance to I. paraxysta but I. prismatica is smaller, lighter bodied and has narrower wings. Also I. prismatica can only be found in the South Island where as I. paraxysta is only known from the North Island. I. prismatica has mainly be collected in the Central Otago region but has also been recorded in the Otago Lakes and the wider Dunedin regions. It inhabits tussock grasslands and wetlands. The life history of this species is unknown but the larval host species are found in the genus Chionochloa. Adults are on the wing in December and January and have been recorded as flying during the day.

Angela Cheryl Wanhalla is a professor of history at the University of Otago in New Zealand. Her book about interracial marriage in New Zealand won the 2014 Ernest Scott Prize. Wanhalla was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society Te Apārangi in 2022.

References

  1. "Tea bag research brewing". Otago Daily Times Online News. 4 February 2015. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
  2. "Moths maligned and misunderstood". Stuff. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
  3. Anderson, Barbara Jane (2004). Something to do with community structure: the influence of sampling and analysis on measures of community structure : a thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at the University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand (Thesis). OCLC   156744054.
  4. "Barbara Anderson: moths and citizen science". Radio New Zealand. 29 October 2016. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
  5. "New moth resource merges science and a Māori worldview". Māori Television. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
  6. "Meet the team". Manaaki Whenua - Landcare Research. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
  7. "Students to spread wings on trip of a lifetime, leaving Dunedin for Canada for moth presentation". TVNZ. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
  8. "2021 Council". otago-institute.org. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
  9. "A Moth Named Barbara". Otago Museum. Retrieved 6 March 2021.
  10. Robert J. B. Hoare (9 December 2019). Illustrator: Birgit E. Rhode. "Noctuinae (Insecta: Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) part 2: Nivetica, Ichneutica" (PDF). Fauna of New Zealand. 80: 1–455. doi:10.7931/J2/FNZ.80. ISSN   0111-5383. Wikidata   Q94481265. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 April 2021.
  11. Lewis, John (17 December 2019). "New species named for Dunedin woman". Otago Daily Times Online News. Retrieved 15 December 2020.