One of the longest-standing questions in ecology is how the multitude of species we see in many ecosystems persist alongside one another. A multitude of theories have been developed to explore this question. Our research in this broad area has focused on the dynamics of temperate forests in Aotearoa-New Zealand (Nothofagus (southern beech) forests in the South Island and kauri-podocarp-hardwood forests in the north) and on the fine-scale dynamics of hyper-diverse Mediterranean-type shrublands in Western Australia. In Aotearoa, we have used computational approaches to explore long-standing palaeoecological questions. We have evaluated fine-grain spatial patterns, dabbled with neutral and stochastic dilution theory in shrublands, and examined the role of tree ferns in forest regeneration dynamics in the North Island.
Recent representative publications
- Perry, G.L.W., Brock, J.M.R., & Veblen, T.T. 2025. A systematic review of 65 years of research on Nothofagus: an iconic Southern Hemisphere genus. Austral Ecology 50: e70130. Open access.
- Vanderhoorn, J.M.M., Wilmshurst, J.M., Richardson, S.J., Etherington, T.R., & Perry, G.L.W. 2024. Revealing the palaeoecology of silent taxa: selecting proxy species from associations in modern vegetation data. Journal of Biogeography 51, 1299-1314. Journal.
- McGlone, M.S., Heenan, P.B. & Perry, G.L.W. 2024. Eco-evolutionary priority and the assembly of the New Zealand flora. Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand 54: 124-143. Journal.
A full post-2021 publication list for the P-Lab is here.