HUMAN INFLUENCE ON THE TERRESTRIAL BIOTA AND BIOTIC COMMUNITIES OF NEW-ZEALAND

Alien plants and animals are of major economic and conservation significance in New Zealand. Plant introductions have averaged 11 species per year since European settlement in 1840, and distinctive landscapes are being increasingly altered by weeds. Many introduced animals act as disease vectors or threaten native biota. Recent studies of introduced wasps show adverse effects on honey-eating and insectivorous birds. Introduced possums are now known to prey on eggs and nestlings of native birds in addition to their impact on native forests and transmittal of bovine tuberculosis. Research is increasingly focused on finding effective methods of biocontrol.