Forest canopy diversity on the northern West Coast of New Zealand

Epiphytes, invertebrates and the diversity of forest canopies on the northern West Coast of New Zealand

Rain forest canopies are renowned for their very high biodiversity and the critical role they play in key ecological processes and their influence on global climate. Despite that New Zealand supports one of the most diverse and extensive epiphyte flora of any temperate forest system, few studies have investigated epiphyte communities and their invertebrate fauna along with factors that influence their distribution and composition. The aim of this study was to determine spatial patterns of epiphyte and invertebrate species richness, abundance and community composition in relation to abiotic variables, and in particular, the responses of these communities to elevated temperature and rainfall.

This study was carried out in coastal lowland podocarp-broadleaved forests at two sites on the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand.

The images in this collection illustrate the invertebrate species identified in the thesis, Spatial complexity and microclimatic responses of epiphyte communities and their invertebrate fauna in the canopy of northern rata (Metrosideros robusta A. Cunn.: Myrtaceae) on the West Coast of the South Island, New Zealand, which represents the first comprehensive study of entire epiphyte communities and their resident invertebrate fauna in the canopy of New Zealand’s indigenous forests.