Auckland Adventure

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Steve Stephenson, research professor in biological sciences

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — For two weeks, a University of Arkansas researcher and his colleagues braved rough seas, ran from aggressive seals and visited some of the most pristine and isolated islands on Earth, all in the name of science. They returned from the islands with more than 1,600 specimens of beetles, fungi and slime molds and have begun the painstaking process of characterizing their finds and determining whether or not they have found new species.

Steve Stephenson, research professor in biological sciences; Gary Laursen from the University of Alaska, Fairbanks; Peter Johnston and Rich Leschen from Landcare Research New Zealand; and Eric Edwards from the Department of Conservation, New Zealand, spent two weeks on the vessel Tiama in the subantarctic, visiting four of the Auckland Islands south of New Zealand. While there, they made 14 landings and collected 1,000 beetles, 500 fungi and at least 125 slime molds — a resounding success in the eyes of the researchers.

“There were no records of these species from the Aucklands before six years ago,” Stephenson said. At that time, Stephenson stopped briefly on the main island and picked up some specimens. “We already know there are new species of beetles, and possibly new species of fungi that we picked up.”

The researchers got permission to visit Adams Island, an island thought to be pristine in the sense that no invasive species have been introduced to its shores. They had to get permission from the New Zealand Department of Conservation to make two landings on the island, and they had to swab their boots with alcohol before each landing.

The seas leading from New Zealand to the Auckland Islands were rough on the trip down — and worse on the return trip, Stephenson said.

“You weren’t on your feet very much,” he said as he pointed out a photo taken from the boat, which appears to be almost on its side as a swell threatens to overwhelm the vessel.

Yet despite the rough seas and despite being chased by seals, Stephenson said, the hardest work is just beginning.

“When you get back is when most of the work takes place,” he said. It can take years of painstaking research to characterize all of the species and analyze all of the collected data. Novel finds present a particular challenge: A scientist must sift through the literature to compare the find to descriptions in already published reports. If not found, the researcher would send some of the material, in the case of slime molds, to other mycologists, using their expertise in addition to his or hers.

If the species appears to be unknown, the next step is a very detailed study, which includes measurements, illustrations and descriptions of critical features, then publication as a new species. Even then, a “new” species is sometimes found to be a form of an already-known species.

“The process can take a couple of years, unless you find something so different and distinct that it is obviously new,” a rare occurrence, Stephenson said.

To see more photos of the expedition, please visit http://slimemold.uark.edu/