Thomas E. SaundersUniversity of Auckland · Centre for eResearch
Thomas E. Saunders
Doctor of Philosophy
About
12
Publications
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Introduction
I have a background in entomology, biological control, and chemical ecology, but since 2022 I've been based in the Centre for eResearch at The University of Auckland. I organise and teach a variety of digital research skills workshops including The Carpentries and Research Bazaar Aotearoa. I consult with researchers on managing research data and make sure they are aware of the digital platforms and services offered by the University.
Skills and Expertise
Publications
Publications (12)
Lusius malfoyi n. sp. (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) is described. It is an endemic New Zealand species and the first species of the genus to be described from the Australasian region.
Zoobank.org:pub:21DCEA3E-C32B-4915-A02B-0212A35E496D
Parasitoid wasps are a mega-diverse, ecologically dominant, but poorly studied component of global biodiversity. In order to maximise the efficiency and reduce the cost of their collection, the application of optimal sampling techniques is necessary. Two sites in Auckland, New Zealand were sampled intensively to determine the relationship between s...
I believe the top three questions facing taxonomy today all relate to the health and future of the discipline itself. 1. How do we ensure taxonomy is valued? 2. How do we build and maintain taxonomic capability? 3. How do we ensure taxonomy benefits from emerging opportunities?
The study of animal diets has benefited from the rise of high-throughput DNA sequencing applied to stomach content or faecal samples. The latter can be fresh samples used to describe recent meals or older samples, which can provide information about past feeding activities. For most invertebrates, however, it is difficult to access ‘historical’ sam...
Brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB), Halyomorpha halys (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), is a serious horticultural pest causing considerable damage to local production and international supply chains as it spreads around the world. The samurai wasp, Trissolcus japonicus (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae), is well recognised as the most promising classical biologic...
Parasitoid biological control agents rely heavily on olfaction to locate their hosts. Chemical cues associated with hosts and non-hosts are known to influence the expression of host preferences and host-specificity. A better understanding of how and why parasitoids attack some species and not others, based on volatile organic compounds associated w...
Many animals lay their eggs in clusters. Eggs on the periphery of clusters can be at higher risk of
mortality. We asked whether the most commonly occurring clutch sizes in pentatomid bugs could
result from geometrical arrangements that maximize the proportion of eggs in the cluster’s interior.
Although the most common clutch sizes do not correspond...
Many animals lay their eggs in clusters. Eggs on the periphery of clusters can be at higher risk of mortality. We asked whether the most commonly occurring clutch sizes in pentatomid bugs could result from geometrical arrangements that maximize the proportion of eggs in the cluster's interior. Although the most common clutch sizes do not correspond...
Retrospective host range testing is essential for understanding the physiological host range of introduced biological control agents (BCAs) and updating forecasts of non-target risks. It is especially important to conduct this work if there was no host range testing prior to release of the agent. Trissolcus basalis Wollaston was released in New Zea...
The study of animal diets has benefited from the rise of high-throughput DNA sequencing applied to stomach content or faecal samples. The latter can be fresh samples used to describe recent meals, or older samples, which can inform about past feeding activities. For most invertebrates, however, it is difficult to access ‘historical’ samples, due to...
Parasitoid species and their abundance across site, sampling period, and trap number.