Jacqueline Rae Beggs (born 1962) is a New Zealand entomologist and ecologist specialising in biodiversity and biosecurity.
Beggs is a professor at the University of Auckland. Her research includes managing the impact of invasive invertebrates on the biosystem. She has also researched the identification of drivers of pollination and evaluated the use of the molecular approach (DNA barcoding) to identify possible causes of detrimental changes in the environment. Beggs is associated with organisations focused on raising awareness of a wide range of issues relevant to biosecurity and advises New Zealand government agencies.
Beggs has also written on the value of recognising the importance of mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge) in ecological research.
Beggs was born in Palmerston North and educated at Waiouru Primary School, Linden Primary School, Tawa College and Rangitoto College. [1] She is of English, Scottish, Irish and Ngāti Awa ancestry. [2]
Following an undergraduate and master's degree at the University of Auckland, Beggs completed a PhD part-time at the University of Otago in 1999. [3]
From 1992 to 2003 Beggs was employed by Landcare Research in Nelson, [4] and since then has been a professor based at the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Auckland. She is currently the academic leader of the Ecology, Evolution and Behaviour group, and director of the Centre for Biodiversity and Biosecurity, a joint research centre between Landcare Research and the University of Auckland. [5] [6] [7]
Research by Beggs has largely focussed on the impact of invasive species of wasps on the New Zealand ecosystem, particularly around the beech ( Nothofagus spp.) forests in New Zealand's upper South Island, where scale insects ( Ultracoelostoma assimile ) produce honeydew that both native birds and invasive Vespula wasps feed on. [8] [9] [10]
In an interview on 95bFM, Beggs explained that invasive wasps became a problem in New Zealand because there were no native predators, the climate was suitable and good quantities of sugary food, such as honeydew produced by native species on beech trees, were available. She noted that the impact of the wasps on the ecosystem was on many levels, including feeding on native invertebrates such as spiders and caterpillars, robbing native birds of food and attacking nestling birds. [11] This confirmed previous research in which Beggs had been involved, which explored the impact of wasps on invertebrate abundance and the reduction of food that would otherwise be eaten by the South Island robin (Petroica australis australis), [12] and, along with stoats, in a decline of South Island kākā. [13]
In 2011, Beggs co-authored a review that assessed the "distribution, abundance, impact and management of the invasive Vespidae worldwide", noting that the problem had become greater due to increased global trade. [14] : p 506 The review highlighted the challenges of preventing invasions "[because] the very characteristics that help to make them invasive, i.e. the social structure of colonies and their high reproductive efficiency, also means management at the population level will be difficult." [14] : p 520 When the Environmental Protection Society gave approval for two foreign organisms to be imported into New Zealand in February 2021 to help combat the problem of invasive wasp species, Beggs said that these introduced species would result in a significant reduction in numbers with relatively small risks to the ecosystem. [11] She told Kathryn Ryan on RNZ in 2019 that there had been some progress made in reducing the number of invasive wasps in New Zealand by the effective use of poison baiting. [15] She explained that other management alternatives were being explored in the National Science Challenge, [16] and from work on offshore islands [17] that had indicated wasp density reduced in an area with less human modification of the environment and a higher amount of tree cover. [18] [19]
A 2021 study co-authored by Beggs mapped and collected 64 active wasp nests from the Great Mercury Island (Ahuahu) extracting DNA from faecal material to identify what the wasps were preying on. Using DNA bar-coding, samples were compared to the Barcode of Life Database (BOLD) to match the codes to species in New Zealand. The wasps were found to be preying on many native animals having an ecological impact on the island. Beggs said: "This study has real implications for our understanding of how invasive species interact as well as for invasive wasp control in New Zealand...[and]...by understanding their combined ecological impact, at least we have a better chance of developing strategies to better protect our valuable native species." [20]
In 2016, Beggs took part in research looking at animal-mediated pollination, in particular how the hairiness of the pollinator can predict the effectiveness of the process. The report, co-authored by Beggs, suggested that "the match between pollinator body region hairiness and plant reproductive structure morphology is a powerful predictor of pollinator effectiveness...[which is important because]...identifying and accurately measuring key traits that drive ecosystem processes is critical as global change increasingly alters ecological communities, and subsequently, ecosystem functions worldwide." [21] Later research in which she participated investigated the degree to which changes of natural habitats to agricultural land can contribute to a decline in effective pollination rates. The report noted that while pollination rates increased as there was more conversion to agricultural land, "pollination service delivery became increasingly dominated by a few exotic fly species that were active throughout the day, compared to native species, which had more constrained activity patterns." It was suggested that it was important to restore and manage diverse natural habitats but that in cases where pollination has been disturbed by human intervention, exotic pollinators can be effective, and careful decisions need to be made about the use of pesticides to maintain pollinator communities whether they are native or exotic. [22]
Beggs has been involved in research that showed the effectiveness of DNA metabarcoding of larval faeces to gather data on the interactions between different invasive species and what they fed on. One study, using this methodology obtained high-resolution diet inventories that showed invasion by wasps had a considerable effect on the ecology, with evidence that they ate native and endemic invertebrates. It concluded that information gathered in this way was valuable in assessing the "cumulative effects of multiple invaders on the recipient community." [23] Earlier research had shown how the use of high-throughput DNA sequencing to analyse stomach content of faeces of Hymenoptera, was able to provide evidence that Polistes wasps fed on agricultural pests. The study concluded that this methodology is "readily applicable to other nest-building Hymenoptera and has the potential to provide comprehensive knowledge about their diet with minimum sampling effort...[and]...such knowledge is essential to measure the ecological impact of invasive Vespidae and support the conservation of native invertebrate biodiversity." [24]
In 2005, the Ministry of Research, Science and Technology (New Zealand) released Vision Mātauranga, a policy paper to "provide strategic direction for research of relevance to Māori...with a mission to 'unlock the innovation potential of Mäori knowledge, resources and people to assist New Zealanders to create a better future'." [25] Beggs was one academic who challenged the premise in the document that Performance Based Research Funding (PBRF) would provide good returns for Māori and in a paper she co-authored, identified problems resulting from this that "[would create] significant barriers to increasing the volume, scope and quality of environmental research for Māori." [26] In 2019, Beggs collaborated with two other academics to review the level of leadership and diversity in the New Zealand Ecology Society through tracking how often the Society's journal publications used terms such as 'Māori', 'culture' and 'mātauranga' to track the incorporation of indigenous views and mātauranga Māori into New Zealand ecological research. The conclusion was that at the time there were very few articles published by the organisation that reflected these aspects of research into biodiversity. [27] The subsequent volume of this Journal became a 'Mātauranga Māori special issue' with articles that acknowledged the importance of mātauranga Māori and kaupapa Māori in ecological research. [28]
For this edition, Beggs contributed to editorials that stressed the importance of the inclusion of mātauranga Māori in New Zealand ecological research while noting that there needed to be institutional and systemic support for scientific researchers to change practices and recognise the contribution it could make. [29] [30] She co-authored a further study for the issue that used narratives to explore how kaitiakitanga, as an example of managing the natural environment, could inform urban restoration projects by recognising and harnessing indigenous knowledge and values into New Zealand research policy. [31]
In 2015, Beggs was awarded the Te Tohu Taiao award for ecological excellence from the New Zealand Ecological Society. [37]
An invasive species is an introduced species that harms its new environment. Invasive species adversely affect habitats and bioregions, causing ecological, environmental, and/or economic damage. The term can also be used for native species that become harmful to their native environment after human alterations to its food web. Since the 20th century, invasive species have become serious economic, social, and environmental threats worldwide.
The Vespidae are a large, diverse, cosmopolitan family of wasps, including nearly all the known eusocial wasps and many solitary wasps. Each social wasp colony includes a queen and a number of female workers with varying degrees of sterility relative to the queen. In temperate social species, colonies usually last only one year, dying at the onset of winter. New queens and males (drones) are produced towards the end of the summer, and after mating, the queens hibernate over winter in cracks or other sheltered locations. The nests of most species are constructed out of mud, but polistines and vespines use plant fibers, chewed to form a sort of paper. Many species are pollen vectors contributing to the pollination of several plants, being potential or even effective pollinators, while others are notable predators of pest insect species, and a few species are invasive pests.
A number of introduced species, some of which have become invasive species, have been added to New Zealand's native flora and fauna. Both deliberate and accidental introductions have been made from the time of the first human settlement, with several waves of Polynesian people at some time before the year 1300, followed by Europeans after 1769.
Little Barrier Island, or Hauturu in Māori, lies off the northeastern coast of New Zealand's North Island. Located 80 kilometres (50 mi) to the north of Auckland, the island is separated from the mainland to the west by the Jellicoe Channel, and from the larger Great Barrier Island to the east by the Cradock Channel. The two aptly named islands shelter the Hauraki Gulf from many of the storms of the Pacific Ocean.
The New Zealand bellbird, also known by its te reo Māori names korimako, makomako and kōmako, is a medium-sized species of honeyeater endemic to New Zealand. It has been the only living member of the genus Anthornis since the Chatham bellbird went extinct in the early 20th century. The bellbird's closest living relative is the only other New Zealand honeyeater, the tūī. The bellbird forms a significant component of the famed New Zealand dawn chorus of birdsong, which was much noted by early European settlers. Exceptional singing abilities were already observed by Captain James Cook, who described its song as "like small bells most exquisitely tuned".
Landcare Research is a New Zealand Crown Research Institute whose focus of research is the environment, biodiversity, and sustainability.
Ecological restoration, or ecosystem restoration, is the process of assisting the recovery of an ecosystem that has been degraded, damaged, destroyed or transformed. It is distinct from conservation in that it attempts to retroactively repair already damaged ecosystems rather than take preventative measures. Ecological restoration can reverse biodiversity loss, combat climate change, support the provision of ecosystem services and support local economies. The United Nations has named 2021-2030 the Decade on Ecosystem Restoration.
The Royal Society Te Apārangi is a not-for-profit body in New Zealand providing funding and policy advice in the fields of sciences and the humanities. These fundings are provided on behalf of the New Zealand Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment.
Cross-boundary subsidies are caused by organisms or materials that cross or traverse habitat patch boundaries, subsidizing the resident populations. The transferred organisms and materials may provide additional predators, prey, or nutrients to resident species, which can affect community and food web structure. Cross-boundary subsidies of materials and organisms occur in landscapes composed of different habitat patch types, and so depend on characteristics of those patches and on the boundaries in between them. Human alteration of the landscape, primarily through fragmentation, has the potential to alter important cross-boundary subsidies to increasingly isolated habitat patches. Understanding how processes that occur outside of habitat patches can affect populations within them may be important to habitat management.
Conservation grazing or targeted grazing is the use of semi-feral or domesticated grazing livestock to maintain and increase the biodiversity of natural or semi-natural grasslands, heathlands, wood pasture, wetlands and many other habitats. Conservation grazing is generally less intensive than practices such as prescribed burning, but still needs to be managed to ensure that overgrazing does not occur. The practice has proven to be beneficial in moderation in restoring and maintaining grassland and heathland ecosystems. Conservation or monitored grazing has been implemented into regenerative agriculture programs to restore soil and overall ecosystem health of current working landscapes. The optimal level of grazing and grazing animal will depend on the goal of conservation. Different levels of grazing, alongside other conservation practices, can be used to induce desired results.
Beekeeping in New Zealand is reported to have commenced in 1839 with the importing of two skep hives by Mary Bumby, a missionary. It has since become an established industry as well a hobby activity.
Dana Michelle Bergstrom is a senior researcher at the Australian Antarctic Division most notable for her work on identifying and mitigating risks against Antarctic and Sub Antarctic Ecosystems.
Anna Traveset is a Spanish ecologist, particularly known for her work on ecological interactions between plants and animals, especially on islands.
Susanna Wood is a New Zealand scientist whose research focuses on understanding, protecting and restoring New Zealand's freshwater environments. One of her particular areas of expertise is the ecology, toxin production, and impacts of toxic freshwater cyanobacteria in lakes and rivers. Wood is active in advocating for the incorporation of DNA-based tools such as metabarcoding, genomics and metagenomics for characterising and understanding aquatic ecosystems and investigating the climate and anthropogenic drivers of water quality change in New Zealand lakes. She has consulted for government departments and regional authorities and co-leads a nationwide programme Lakes380 that aims to obtain an overview of the health of New Zealand's lakes using paleoenvironmental reconstructions. Wood is a senior scientist at the Cawthron Institute. She has represented New Zealand internationally in cycling.
Mātauranga is a modern term for the traditional knowledge of the Māori people of New Zealand. Māori traditional knowledge is multi-disciplinary and holistic, and there is considerable overlap between concepts. It includes environmental stewardship and economic development, with the purpose of preserving Māori culture and improving the quality of life of the Māori people over time.
Tara G McAllister is a New Zealand freshwater ecology academic and is associated with Te Pūnaha Matatini at the University of Auckland. She is a Māori of Te Aitanga ā Māhaki, Ngāti Porou, and European descent.
Michael John Plank is an English-born professor in mathematics and statistics at the University of Canterbury, and a principal investigator at Te Pūnaha Matatini. Plank's research has focused on mechanistic mathematical and stochastic models and areas of expertise include ecological and social networks, population dynamics, epidemiological models and marine ecosystems. His work has included developing and applying models to the balanced managing of fishing sites, revitalisation of endangered languages and invasive plant and weed impact. As a Co-Lead for Covid-19 Modelling Aotearoa, a research programme established initially under Te Pūnaha Matatini but independent since 2021, he came to prominence as a COVID-19 modeller and frequent commentator in the media during the COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand. Plank has received several awards in recognition of contributions to the field of applied mathematics, particularly for his explanations of how mathematical modelling can benefit social and ecological environments and concerns.
Amanda Black is a New Zealand soil chemist who as of 2023 is a full professor at Lincoln University, specialising in soil health and biosecurity. She has worked on kauri dieback and integration of matauranga Māori into science.
Margaret Christine Stanley is a New Zealand ecologist, and is a full professor at the University of Auckland, specialising in understanding and mitigating human environmental impacts, including the impacts of urban intensification and of introduced pests and weeds.
Roma Mere Roberts is a New Zealand biologist who is interested in cross-cultural understanding and the interface between mātauranga Māori and other knowledge systems. In 2003 Roberts was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to Māori and science.
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