radiocarbon dating

Growth rates and ages of some key tree species from subantarctic Auckland and Campbell Islands

Interspecific variation in tree growth rate and maximum age is central to understanding and predicting the dynamics of forest ecosystems. While there are abundant sources of this information for economically important New Zealand timber species and other common tree species, data for trees from subantarctic environments are almost entirely lacking. Here we present measurements of growth from Auckland and Campbell Islands for three species: Metrosideros umbellata (southern rātā; Myrtaceae, n = 1 site), a canopy dominant; Dracophyllum sp.

A partial skeleton provides evidence for the former occurrence of moa populations on Rakiura Stewart Island

The pre-human moa fauna of Rakiura Stewart Island is poorly known, and although there is little clear evidence that moa occurred naturally on the island, isolated moa bones are often found associated with archaeological middens. Here we report the discovery and collection of what is likely a naturally deposited partial South Island giant moa (Dinornis robustus) skeleton from West Ruggedy Beach, Rakiura, radiocarbon dated to 1297–1395 CE (95.4% CI). The time of death of this moa overlaps with the early occupation of the island by Māori.