New Zealand’s unique ecosystems – question bank

Q. How did New Zealand end up with so many species that aren’t found anywhere else in the world?

• New Zealand’s unique ecology

Q. Why do scientists need to collect and preserve insects?

• Landcare Research’s insect collection

Q. How do scientists tell different insects apart?

• Naming species

Q. If a new caterpillar is found, how can we find out what it grows into?

• Fred the Thread

Q. Wasps eat honeydew in the native beech forests. What is the potential impact of this on our native species?

• Honeydew ecosystem
• Honeydew: The Food of the Ngahere

Q. How did Māori use a fungus to make the moko ink black?

• Vegetable caterpillar

Q. Are fungi a plant or an animal? How would you decide?

• Making a case for the 5th kingdom

Q. Should we conserve a native fungus that is causing disease on an endangered plant?

• Conserving New Zealand’s fungi