Defending our borders

Biosecurity experts at Lincoln University, AgResearch and Landcare Research are using KAREN to keep New Zealand free from foreign pests and diseases.

New Zealand under threat

New Zealand is under constant threat from invasive pests and diseases. When a suspicious bug is intercepted with imports or in a surveillance trap, accurate identification is critical to determine if it is new to New Zealand and, if so, whether it is a risk to New Zealand’s flora and fauna.

KAREN delivers real-time, expert diagnostics

A rapid decision must be made for treatment of infested imported items, or eradication – delays can be expensive. New Zealand has limited taxonomic expertise, and the few specialists we have are scattered throughout the country, or even overseas. To overcome this problem, virtual identification tools and collaboration software (EVO available through BeSTGRID) are used through KAREN where the taxonomist can remotely identify the pest or disease using an on-line microscopy system.

“Using an online remote microscopy system on the KAREN network, I’ve been able to share real-time images with overseas colleagues. This saves time in sending specimens and recently enabled me to identify an Australian species that was intercepted at the border,” says Dr Cor Vink, Spider specialist, AgResearch.

Preserving valuable specimens

Biosecurity threats are not the only use of on-line microscopy through KAREN, John Marris, a beetle expert at Lincoln University, is set to use the system to study important insect specimens, called holotypes, in other parts of the world.

“When you describe a species you have to designate a holotype, which functions as the definitive example of the species. This is particularly important with insects as they are often tiny and can look very much like one another. So if you are ever in doubt what a particular species is the holotype is essential for identification.

“The trouble is you might be in New Zealand wanting to identify something but the holotype for the species might be at the Natural History Museum in London, which for beetles is often the case. Traditionally we have had to post specimens back and forth, risking loss and damage, not to mention the cost and time taken with this process. Now, with on-line microscopy through KAREN you can examine a specimen on the other side of the world just by looking at your computer monitor. You can also confer live with colleagues in other places who are actually with the specimen.

“I can’t stress enough how valuable some of these specimens are, some of these things might have been collected a hundred or even two hundred years ago. They have high scientific and even historical value, for example, there are holotypes collected on Cook’s first expedition to New Zealand which are now in London, and if you can examine them without sticking them in the post, you greatly limit any potential damage,” says John.

More information

EVO video collaboration tool at BeSTGRID

[Image: Paul Brentnall / FreeDigitalPhotos.net]