Andrew James Veale

Introduced mammalian species in Aotearoa New Zealand pose significant ecological risks and may serve as reservoirs for novel or emerging infectious diseases. In this study, we present the first metatranscriptomic survey of viruses in five introduced mammals: ferrets ( Mustela furo ), stoats ( Mustela erminea ), weasels ( Mustela nivalis ), brushtail possums ( Trichosurus vulpecula ), and European hedgehogs ( Erinaceus europaeus ), sampled across both the North and South Islands. Through total RNA sequencing, we identified 11 mammalian-infecting viruses spanning eight viral families, including four novel virus species: Ferret mastadenovirus, Possum astrovirus, Ferret pestivirus, and Weasel jeilongvirus . Whole genomes were recovered for six of these viruses, enabling detailed phylogenetic analysis. Notably, we observed strong global geographic clustering in both Wobbly possum disease virus and Ferret hepatitis E virus , suggesting localized viral evolution following the introduction of their hosts into New Zealand. In addition, the detection of Human rotavirus A in hedgehogs highlights the possibility of reverse zoonotic transmission. Together, these findings broaden our understanding of the viral diversity harbored by New Zealand’s introduced mammals and provide a critical foundation for future biocontrol and disease surveillance efforts. IMPORTANCE: Introduced mammals in Aotearoa New Zealand not only threaten native biodiversity through predation and competition, but also represent a largely overlooked source of infectious disease risk. Viruses circulating in these species may spill over into native wildlife, livestock, or even humans, while human viruses can also establish in introduced animals and create new reservoirs. Understanding which viruses are present, and how they evolve in isolated host populations, is critical for anticipating future disease outbreaks, improving biosecurity, and guiding wildlife management strategies. This work provides foundational knowledge that links ecology, conservation, and health, highlighting the need to consider pathogens as part of the broader impact of invasive species.

Introduced mammalian species in Aotearoa New Zealand pose significant ecological risks and may serve as reservoirs for novel or emerging infectious diseases. In this study, we present the first metatranscriptomic survey of viruses in five introduced mammals: ferrets ( Mustela furo ), stoats ( Mustela erminea ), weasels ( Mustela nivalis ), brushtail possums ( Trichosurus vulpecula ), and European hedgehogs ( Erinaceus europaeus ), sampled across both the North and South Islands. Through total RNA sequencing, we identified 11 mammalian-infecting viruses spanning eight viral families, including four novel virus species: Ferret mastadenovirus, Possum astrovirus, Ferret pestivirus, and Weasel jeilongvirus . Whole genomes were recovered for six of these viruses, enabling detailed phylogenetic analysis. Notably, we observed strong global geographic clustering in both Wobbly possum disease virus and Ferret hepatitis E virus , suggesting localized viral evolution following the introduction of their hosts into New Zealand. In addition, the detection of Human rotavirus A in hedgehogs highlights the possibility of reverse zoonotic transmission. Together, these findings broaden our understanding of the viral diversity harboured by New Zealand’s introduced mammals and provide a critical foundation for future biocontrol and disease surveillance ehorts. IMPORTANCE: Introduced mammals in Aotearoa New Zealand not only threaten native biodiversity through predation and competition, but also represent a largely overlooked source of infectious disease risk. Viruses circulating in these species may spill over into native wildlife, livestock, or even humans, while human viruses can also establish in introduced animals and create new reservoirs. Understanding which viruses are present, and how they evolve in isolated host populations, is critical for anticipating future disease outbreaks, improving biosecurity, and guiding wildlife management strategies. This work provides foundational knowledge that links ecology, conservation, and health, highlighting the need to consider pathogens as part of the broader impact of invasive species.

The Haast tokoeka (Apteryx australis ‘Haast’) is a threatened evolutionarily significant unit (ESU) of tokoeka or southern brown kiwi in Aotearoa New Zealand. In this study, we investigated the genetic relationships of a small newly discovered population of tokoeka located at Junction Hill near Haast, which is geographically isolated from other tokoeka populations. Using pin feathers collected from five individuals at Junction Hill, we analysed 15 microsatellite loci and 1283 base pairs from two mitochondrial DNA loci (control region and cytochrome b (Cytb)) to compare our results with those previously generated for Haast (n = 49), northern Fiordland (n = 7), southern Fiordland (n = 4), and Rakiura (n = 12) tokoeka. Our results show that the Junction Hill individuals are Haast tokoeka, but display genetic differentiation in Principle Component Analysis (PCA) and genetic assignment plots from the nearest Haast tokoeka population 18 km away in the Upper Arawhata Valley. The five Junction Hill individuals all possess a unique mitochondrial DNA haplotype that has not been observed previously. The mean allelic richness of the Junction Hill population (1.82) was slightly lower compared to the main Haast population (2.13). The presence of the Junction Hill population provides both numerical and range increases for the Haast tokoeka, and potentially contributes valuable new genetic diversity to the taxon. Further monitoring and conservation actions, such as increased pest control and translocations, may be necessary to ensure the preservation of this population and its unique genetic traits.

While conducting a landscape genomics study of invasive tammar wallabies (Notamacropus eugenii) in Aotearoa New Zealand we discovered that parma wallabies (N. parma) are also present in the North Island. This population has gone undetected for at least 30 years (and potentially for over a century), hidden amongst the morphologically similar tammar wallabies. The fact that an invasive wallaby species could remain undetected for so long, highlights the need for greater monitoring efforts for invasive species including genomic species identification.

Urban reserves have the potential to retain relatively high biodiversity. However, populations of the taxa within them can have reduced genetic diversity and, if gene flow between populations is inhibited by urbanised surroundings, can become genetically differentiated. Here we determine whether differences in population genetic differentiation and diversity can be observed in the leaf litter inhabiting weevil Geochus politus along the urban-rural gradient spanning Waitākere Ranges Regional Parkland and suburbs of west Auckland, New Zealand.

The present genetic diversity of commensal rodent populations is often used to inform the invasion histories of these species, and as a proxy for historical events relating to the movement of people and goods. These studies assume that modern genetic diversity generally reflects early colonising events. We investigate this idea by sequencing the mitochondrial DNA of rodent bones found in a 19^th-century archaeological site in The Rocks area of Sydney, Australia, the location of the first historical European port. We identified 19^th-century bones from two species, Rattus norvegicus and Mus musculus domesticus. We found six genetic haplotypes in the 39 Norway rats, showing either multiple early introductions or a diverse initial founding population. One of them was identical with Norhap01 common in the North Island of New Zealand, but none was like the haplotype Norhap02 found throughout the South Island. We found three haplotypes in seven house mice, all belonging to the dominant subspecies established in Australia, M.m. domesticus. There was no evidence for M. m. castaneus or M. m. musculus having established there. We had few modern R. norvegicus and M. musculus DNA sequences from Sydney, but those we had did tentatively support the hypotheses that (1) modern samples can represent at least a preliminary estimate of historical diversities and origins, and (2) Asian haplotypes of both Norway rats and of house mice reached the South Island of New Zealand early in colonial times direct from China rather than through Port Jackson.

Ko ngā ingoa Linnaean ka noho hei pou mō te pārongo e pā ana ki ngā momo koiora. He mea nui rawa kia mārama, kia ahurei hoki ngā ingoa pūnaha whakarōpū. Me pēnei kia taea ai te whakawhitiwhiti kōrero ā-pūtaiao nei. Nā tēnā kua āta whakatakotohia ētahi ture, tohu ārahi hoki hei whakahaere i ngā whakamārama pūnaha whakarōpū. Kua whakamanahia ēnei kia noho hei tikanga mō te ao pūnaha whakarōpū. Heoi, arā noa atu ngā hua o te tukanga waihanga ingoa Linnaean mō ngā momo koiora i tua atu i te tautohu noa i ngā momo koiora.

The Southern Ocean represents a continuous stretch of circumpolar marine habitat, but the potential physical and ecological drivers of evolutionary genetic differentiation across this vast ecosystem remain unclear. We tested for genetic structure across the full circumpolar range of the white‐chinned petrel (Procellaria aequinoctialis) to unravel the potential drivers of population differentiation and test alternative population differentiation hypotheses. Following range‐wide comprehensive sampling, we applied genomic (genotyping‐by‐sequencing or GBS; 60,709 loci) and standard mitochondrial‐marker approaches (cytochrome b and first domain of control region) to quantify genetic diversity within and among island populations, test for isolation by distance, and quantify the number of genetic clusters using neutral and outlier (non‐neutral) loci. Our results supported the multi‐region hypothesis, with a range of analyses showing clear three‐region genetic population structure, split by ocean basin, within two evolutionary units. The most significant differentiation between these regions confirmed previous work distinguishing New Zealand and nominate subspecies. Although there was little evidence of structure within the island groups of the Indian or Atlantic oceans, a small set of highly‐discriminatory outlier loci could assign petrels to ocean basin and potentially to island group, though the latter needs further verification. Genomic data hold the key to revealing substantial regional genetic structure within wide‐ranging circumpolar species previously assumed to be panmictic.

Alpine ecosystems are frequently characterized by an abundance of wing‐reduced insect species, but the drivers of this biodiversity remain poorly understood. Insect wing reduction in these environments has variously been attributed to altitude, temperature, isolation, habitat stability or decreased habitat size. We used fine‐scale ecotypic and genomic analyses, along with broad‐scale distributional analyses of ecotypes, to unravel the ecological drivers of wing reduction in the wing‐dimorphic stonefly Zelandoperla fenestrata complex. Altitudinal transects within populations revealed dramatic wing reduction over very fine spatial scales, tightly linked to the alpine treeline. Broad biogeographical analyses confirm that the treeline has a much stronger effect on these ecotype distributions than altitude per se. Molecular analyses revealed parallel genomic divergence between vestigial‐winged (high altitude) and full‐winged (low altitude) ecotypes across distinct streams. These data thus highlight the role of the alpine treeline as a key driver of rapid speciation, providing a new model for ecological diversification along exposure gradients.