Dr. David Taylor

Now at Cawthron in Nelson

My Ph.D. thesis was titled "The relative importance of physical and biological factors in determining the distribution and abundance of low-shore perennial algae across exposures." More specifically I am investigating the effects of biological and physical variables on the demography and growth of different life stages of low-shore habitat-forming algae Hormosira banksii, Durvillaea antarctica, and Cystophora torulosa, with particular reference to their differential abilities to attach and grow in different wave climates.

EPFS Report

Dr. David Taylor
Post-doc. Researcher
Marine Ecology Research Group
School of Biological Sciences

Our current research group of physical modelers, fluid dynamists and ecologists is using a combination of flume- and field-based Lagrangian (following parcels of water) and Eulerian (fixed space) experiments to track particles and test the space and time envelope for dispersal of algal propagules in turbulent nearshore waters. This builds on our previous research that showed that biogenic algal glues and propagule characteristics interact with turbulence at the sub-mm scale within the viscous boundary layer and dictate successful attachment. Initial experiments, done with Dr Craig Stevens (NIWA), have used a combination of nearshore GPS drogue tracking (Fig. 1 and 2) and ADV (Acoustic Doppler Velocimetry) to track water movement off Kaikoura.

Figure 1. Dr Craig Stevens NIWA holding a GPS drogue.

Figure 2. GPS drogues deployed off Wairepo, Kaikoura.

Dispersal of microscopic propagules from reproductive adults is a crucial process in the completion of life histories of marine organisms and in the colonisation and replenishment of populations, but it is little understood for most species, especially in wave-driven coastal waters. For propagules of large seaweeds that provide the dominant biological habitats on coastal reefs, the interaction of complex biological, ecological and physical processes determine the likelihood of reaching suitable rocky surfaces before successful settlement can take place. In this project, we are using NZ native seaweeds to test hypotheses relating to properties of propagule buoyancy, mucilage coatings, release height, age and settlement competency, and their interactions with the hydrodynamically complex waters around rocky shores. This research will provide a deeper understanding of the timing and interaction of the scale-dependent processes and properties that determine algal propagule transport and underlay population maintenance and recovery from disturbance. The Edward Percival Field Station at Kaikoura has been utilized as a research base and for collection of study material.  

MERG Publications

Taylor, D. I., Schiel, D. R., 2003. Wave-related mortality in zygotes of habitat-forming algae from different exposures in southern New Zealand: the importance of “stickability”. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 290(2): 229 - 245.

Papers in Review:
Taylor, D. I., Schiel, D. R., 2005. Self replacement and community modification by the southern bull kelp Durvillaea antarctica (Chamisso) Hariot. Marine Ecology Progress Series 288: 87-102.

MERG Presentations

2003 D. Taylor, R. Dunmore, D. Schiel. The Ecological Society of America 88th Annual Meeting, Savannah, USA. Title of talk: Hemispheric comparisons of grazing and growth of habitat-forming algae across exposure gradients.

2003 D. Taylor. New Zealand Marine Sciences Society Annual Meeting, Auckland, New Zealand Title of talk: Large-scale community effects of intertidal fish grazing on Durvillaea antarctica.

2003 D. Taylor, R. Dunmore, D. Schiel. 6th International Temperate Reef Symposium, Christchurch, New Zealand. Title of talk: A hemispheric comparison of grazing and growth of habitat-forming algae across exposure gradients.

2002 D. Taylor, D.Schiel. New Zealand Marine Sciences Society Annual Meeting, Nelson, New Zealand Durvillaea antarctica- From filaments to fish food for an ‘ecosystem engineer’.