After 40 years of disparate terrestrial invertebrate and vegetation monitoring since progressive sheep eradication began aided by modern analytical techniques, it will now be possible to unravel this epic biological story in the face of climatic, biotic, anthropogenic and evolutionary change.

The removal of European mammals, and the subsequent recovery of the sea mammal and seabird populations, allows insight into below-ground ecosystem processes. We will assess changes in nutrient subsidies—from marine through terrestrial—on the Island’s plants and invertebrates, and how it might affect their recovery back to a natural state.

The Campbell Island flora is unique and may include some of the last remaining descendants of a lush Antarctic flora that went extinct during the last Ice Age. However the recent introduction of exotic weeds has had a profound effect on the Island biota. We will use comparative DNA sequencing to investigate the origins and evolutionary relationships of the Island flora.