Joanne Clapcott
Freshwater Ecologist – River Health and Ecosystems
Qualifications
- PhD. University of Tasmania, 2007
- MESc. Griffith University, 2001
- BSc. Massey University, 1995
Iwi affiliation
- Ngāti Porou
Role at Cawthron
Joanne is a senior scientist and team leader within the Coastal and Freshwater Group. Her research focuses on quantifying the effects of varying land uses on river health. It requires expertise in both structural and functional indicators of river health (not just what is there, but what it is doing), and a strong conceptual knowledge of lotic ecosystems from small streams to large rivers.
Joanne is interested in how rivers vary in space and time and uses flexible modelling techniques to show this. She has helped develop ecosystem health monitoring programs as well as standardised functional indicators, macroinvertebrate and stream habitat assessment methods for rivers and streams.
Robust indicators mean that we can measure impacts but also measure recovery. Joanne enjoys working with industry, government and iwi/community to maintain and improve environmental outcomes for freshwaters.
Technical skills, experience and interests
- Development of novel techniques for assessing river health
- Effects of land use on in-stream processes
- Metabolism and organic matter dynamics
- Food web ecology
- River restoration
Professional affiliations
- New Zealand Freshwater Sciences Society
- Australian Society for Limnology
- Society for Freshwater Science
View Joanne's ResearchGate profile
Publication links
- Young RG, Wagenhoff A, Holmes R, Newton MJ and Clapcott JE 2018. What is a healthy river?. Cawthron Report No. 3035. Prepared for Cawthron Foundation .
- Wagenhoff A, Liess A, Pastor A, Clapcott JE, Goodwin E and Young RG 2017. Thresholds in ecosystem structural and functional responses to agricultural stressors can inform limit setting in streams. Freshwater Science. Volume 36, Issue 1. Pages 178-194.
- Wagenhoff A, Clapcott JE, Lau KEM, Lewis GD and Young RG 2017. Identifying congruence in stream assemblage thresholds in response to nutrient and sediment gradients for limit setting. Ecological Applications. Volume 27, Issue 2. Pages 469-484.
- Aristi I, Clapcott JE, Acuta V, Elosegi A, Mills H, Wood SA and Young RG 2017. Forestry affects the abundance of Phormidium-dominated biofilms and the functioning of a New Zealand river ecosystem. Marine and Freshwater Research. Volume 68, Issue 9. Pages 1741-1751 .
- Clapcott JE, Goodwin E, Snelder TH, Collier KJ and Neale WN 2016. Finding reference: a comparison of modelling approaches for predicting benchmarks for macroinvertebrate community metrics. New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research. Volume 51, Issue 1. Pages 44-59.
- Clapcott JE, Young RG, Neale MW, Doehring KAM and Barmuta LA 2016. Land use affects temporal variation in stream metabolism. Freshwater Science. Volume 35. Pages 1164-1175.
- Clapcott JE, Goodwin E and Harding J 2016. Identifying catchment-scale predictors of coal mining impacts on New Zealand stream communities. Environmental Management. Volume 57. Pages 711-721.
- Young RG, Clapcott JE and Simon K 2016. Ecosystem functions and stream health. Advances in New Zealand Freshwater Science. NZ Freshwater Sciences Society, NZ Hydrological Society.
- Clapcott JE 2015. Development of management bands for ecosystem metabolism in non-wadeable rivers. Prepared for Waikato Regional Council. 21 pages plus appendix.
- Clapcott JE 2015. National rapid habitat assessment protocol development for streams and rivers. Prepared for Northland Regional Council. 29 pages plus appendices.
- Clapcott JE and Doehring K 2014. Temporal variation in ecosystem metabolism in relation to water quality in the Piako River. Prepared for Waikato Regional Council. 32 pages.
- Young RG and Clapcott JE 2014. Functional indicators of river health.
- Clapcott JE, Goodwin E, Young RG and Kelly D 2014. A multimetric approach for predicting the ecological integrity of New Zealand streams. Aquatic Ecosystems. Volume 415, Issue 3. Page 10.
- Tiegs SD, Clapcott JE, Griffiths NA and Boulton AJ 2013. A standardized cotton-strip assay for measuring organic-matter decomposition in streams. Ecological Indicators 32: 131-139.
- Collier KJ, Clapcott JE, Hamer MP and Young RG 2013. Extent estimates and land cover relationships for functional indicators in non-wadeable rivers. Ecological Indicators. Volume 34. Pages 53-59.
- Clapcott JE, Collier KJ, Death RG, Goodwin E, Harding JS, Kelly D, Leathwick JR and Young RG 2012. Quantifying relationships between land-use gradients and structural and functional indicators of stream ecological integrity. Freshwater Biology 57(1): 74-90.
- Harmsworth GR, Young RG, Walker D, Clapcott JE and James T 2011. Linkages between cultural and scientific indicators of river and stream health. New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research 45(3): 423-436 .
- Clapcott JE, Young RG, Harding JS, Matthaei CD, Quinn JM and Death RG 2011. Sediment assessment methods - protocols and guidelines for assessing the effects of deposited fine sediment on in-stream values. Cawthron Institute, Nelson, New Zealand.
- Clapcott JE, Young RG, Goodwin E and Leathwick JR 2010. Exploring the response of functional indicators of stream ecological integrity to land-use pressure gradients. Freshwater Biology 55 (10): 2181-2199.
View more publications
+64 3 548 2319 ext 260
joanne.clapcott@cawthron.org.nz