Ancient Secrets in the Seaweed: Resources

This seminar links to NCEA Level 3 Achievement Standards:

• AS 90716 Describe animal behaviour and plant responses in relation to environmental factors
• AS 90717 Biology 3.5 Describe processes and patterns of evolution
• AS 90718 Describe applications of biotechnological techniques

A list of objectives from your Year 13 programme that link into the seminar can be found on page 2 of the Pre-seminar Questions and Discussion.

Kelp genetics reveals Ice Age climate clues Reuters Feb 11, 2009

Kelp Hold Clue to Ice Age Pheno, Allan Wilson Centre March 2009

Last Ice Age colder than we though Cosmos Feb 13, 2009

University of Otago biologists track the ocean journey of the giant seaweed and its passengers.Radio NZ National July 20, 2009

Ceridwen Fraser (2009) An Icier Age Australian Science Australasian Science June 2009

Fraser et al (2009) Kelp genes reveal effects of subantarctic sea ice during the Last Glacial Maximum PNAS vol.106 no.9 3249–3253

Rafting Communities in the West Wind Drift: The Importance of Buoyant Kelp University of Otago, New Zealand

Myriad ways to reconstruct past climate 27 April 2001 Vol 292 SCIENCE www.sciencemag.org

Ceridwen Fraser grew up in Canberra, Australia, and early in high school decided she wanted to become a marine biologist. Many tried to discourage her, saying there were few jobs in marine science, so Ceridwen did a university degree in art conservation—but she eventually had to admit that biology was still her dream, jobs or no jobs. She started a degree in Marine Science at James Cook University in tropical northern Australia, finished it off at Macquarie University in Sydney, worked for a year in the marine invertebrate research group at the Australian Museum, and then began a PhD in the Department of Zoology at the University of Otago, New Zealand, which she completed in 2009. Crid is now a postdoctoral research fellow at The Biological control and Spatial Ecology Lab. within the Université Libre de Bruxelles. Since starting her degree in marine biology, she has never looked back, and instead looks forward to an exciting career filled with discovery and adventurous fieldwork.


Jacquie Bay is an experienced secondary school Biology teacher who, prior to joining the Liggins Institute, was Head of Science at Diocesan School for Girls in Auckland. She has a special interest in the role of student led research in science education, completing her Masters in Science Education in this field in 1999. She is well known for work in the integration of ICT tools in teaching and learning. Experienced in curriculum management and national marking panels, she is currently Chair of the New Zealand Biology Educators’ Association. Jacquie is aware of current issues faced by secondary biology educators and the potential positive impact of effective interaction between the secondary and tertiary science sectors.

Hamish Spencer is Principal Investigator with the Allan Wilson Centre for Molecular Ecology and Evolution, and Principal Invesitgator with the National Research Centre for Growth and Development. He is an Honorary Research Fellow with the Liggins Institute, University of Auckland. His research interests include the maintenance of genetic variation in populations, the population genetics of genomic imprinting and population-genetic theory for frequency-dependent selection.