Biology

Latest news

Queen of the critters

Feature story

11 February 2021

Sadie Mills has come a long way from scaring the inhabitants of Scottish rock pools. Sarah Fraser explains.

Chance find leads to first look at coral larvae

Media Release

12 November 2020

Small orange flecks spotted floating around in a respiration chamber at a NIWA laboratory have led to a discovery about the spawning habits of a deep-sea stony coral in New Zealand waters.

The frozen menagerie

Feature story

23 December 2019

Just past the locks, alarms and big heavy doors is a rather macabre sight.

New hi-tech tool helps identify what’s in your stream

Media Release

3 August 2015

Identifying creepy crawlies in your local stream just got a whole lot easier and faster, thanks to a new 3D identification system developed by a NIWA researcher.

Our work

Changes in juvenile fish habitats

NIWA is looking for people who have had a long association with the Hauraki Gulf or Marlborough Sounds to help them with a research project on juvenile fish habitats.

Plankton biodiversity in the Southern Ocean

NIWA is conducting a five–year study to map changes in the distribution of plankton species in surface waters between New Zealand and the Ross Sea.

Effects of ocean acidification on plankton in New Zealand waters

Our oceans are expected to become more acidic as carbon dioxide concentrations rise. This will likely have impacts on the plankton, which play a major role in ocean ecosystems and processes.

Kaikoura Canyon survey

New Zealand's Kaikoura Canyon is a 'biodiversity hotspot', containing far more life than seen before at such depths.

Latest videos

The Microbial Loop

The microbial loop refers to the small microscopic organisms in the ocean – viruses, bacteria, the small phytoplankton and microzooplankton – and the relationships between them.

NIWA biological oceanographer Dr Matt Pinkerton discusses the complexities of Antarctic marine food webs, the uniqueness of many of Antarctica's marine animals and the extreme adaptations they display.

Queen of the critters

Feature story

11 February 2021

Sadie Mills has come a long way from scaring the inhabitants of Scottish rock pools. Sarah Fraser explains.

Chance find leads to first look at coral larvae

Media Release

12 November 2020

Small orange flecks spotted floating around in a respiration chamber at a NIWA laboratory have led to a discovery about the spawning habits of a deep-sea stony coral in New Zealand waters.

The frozen menagerie

Feature story

23 December 2019

Just past the locks, alarms and big heavy doors is a rather macabre sight.

2017 - Kermadec trench biology

This voyage is the first of a series of expeditions exploring selected trenches of the Pacific Ocean, starting with the Kermadec trench. It will investigate carbon and nutrient cycling by microbial communities in trenches exposed to different rates of organic carbon supply.

Changes in juvenile fish habitats

NIWA is looking for people who have had a long association with the Hauraki Gulf or Marlborough Sounds to help them with a research project on juvenile fish habitats.

New hi-tech tool helps identify what’s in your stream

Media Release

3 August 2015

Identifying creepy crawlies in your local stream just got a whole lot easier and faster, thanks to a new 3D identification system developed by a NIWA researcher.

13th International Deep-Sea Biology Symposium

3 December 2012 to 7 December 2012

NIWA is the host institute of the 13th International Deep-sea Biology Symposium being held in Wellington from the 3rd to 7th December.

The symposium provides the opportunity for members of the international deep-sea science community to discuss and present their latest research results.

The Microbial Loop

The microbial loop refers to the small microscopic organisms in the ocean – viruses, bacteria, the small phytoplankton and microzooplankton – and the relationships between them.

Antarctic Marine Food Webs

Association of Women in the Sciences

28 July 2011 to 29 July 2011

NIWA is sponsoring the Association of Women in the Sciences (AWIS) conference being held in Auckland.

For more information about the conference see AWIS conference website

Kaikoura Canyon survey

New Zealand's Kaikoura Canyon is a 'biodiversity hotspot', containing far more life than seen before at such depths.

Upgraded research vessel

12 December 2010

The return of the upgraded RV Tangaroa represents a huge advancement for New Zealand science and exploration

NIWA today welcomed home RV Tangaroa, New Zealand’s only deepwater research vessel, after a $20 million dollar upgrade to enhance its ocean science and survey capabilities.

Plant Controls: Mangroves

In the past half century, mangroves have increased in extent in estuaries and tidal creeks throughout the upper half of the North Island.

Summer Series 11: The little blue penguin – our very own ‘Happy Feet’

29 April 2010

They are tiny, burrow under the boards of your seaside bach, and make a heck of a lot of noise in the dead of night. They think night-time is the right time for … calling loudly in a raspy voice!

Summer Series 10: Super snapper! Delicious!

29 April 2010

Snapper are New Zealand’s most prized fish; they are the fish fishermen love-to-love. They live in a wide range of habitats in New Zealand’s warmer coastal waters, around the North Island and the top of the South, and prefer depths of 5–60 metres. They grow to a decent size: up to 105 cm in length.

Summer Series 9: Surf beach burrowers

29 April 2010

Think you’ve got your favourite surf beach to yourself? Think again! There’s life hidden beneath those waves.

“It may look barren, but the high-energy surf zone of exposed beaches is a very productive place, second only to coastal upwellings,” says Keith Michael, a fisheries scientist at the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA). “It’s rich in phytoplankton [microscopic plants], such as diatoms, that provide a constant ‘soup’ for animals tough enough to survive the waves.”