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Pollen thieves: Reproductive interference in Australian alpine angiosperm communities by invasive Taraxacum officinale
Get PDFFlowering plants must vie with their peers to attract and reward animal pollinators in order to maximise the amount of conspecific pollen transferred to their ovules, and thus the number of their future offspring. When a flowering plant is introduced into a stable community, it can engage in reproductive interference by limiting the amount of conspecific pollen received by native plants, leading to potential shifts in native plant abundance and diversity. In the Australian Snowy Mountains, invasive Taraxacum officinale (L.) Weber ex F.H. Wigg has been found to be limiting pollen transferred to native species by competing for pollinators and creating a potential pollen cross-contamination risk. T. officinale pollen was found on 31% of pollinators carrying native pollen, and on a further 12% of pollinators exclusively. It was particularly attractive to Coleoptera, 75% of which were found to be carrying T. officinale pollen, putting native plants that rely on the order’s services at risk of pollen limitation. Furthermore, T. officinale produced proportionally more florets than any other native or invasive plant species across four transects. With climate change likely to boost abundance of the already formidable weed, more research into the scale of its impact on the vulnerable Australian alpine flora communities is needed
A preliminary investigation into the relationship between petiole and water-related traits in tropical flowering trees
Get PDFWater deficit impacts photosynthetic productivity and whole plant energy budgets, and generally leads to stress and decreased growth. The petiole plays a key role in mitigating against water stress, as the petiole is the terminal region of water transport before the leaf. This study investigated the relationship between petiole traits, leaf traits and plant lifespan. We studied petiole and petiole xylem dimensions in 10 species of tropical rainforest tree species, and compared this to the relative growth rates (RGR) and leaf areas (LA) of those same species. First, we found that petiole volume accurately predicts potential petiole conduit hydraulic conductance (R2= 0.992; n= 7). Second, we found petiole volume and LA to be correlated across families (R2=0.859; n=48). Lastly, we found weak intra-family correlation between petiole volume and RGR, but this did not hold across families. Improved knowledge about the role of the petiole in water relations will inform future study into physiological responses to water stress. This is especially pertinent given the concerns about increasing drought conditions in the tropics under predicted climate change scenarios
The effects of environmental filtering on Kuhlia rupestris distribution in the Daintree rainforest region of the Australian Wet Tropics
Get PDFThe effects of flow velocity in freshwater streams on biodiversity are well documented and reveal a role as a potential environmental filter. For the Kuhlia rupestris, one of the most abundant fish in the Australian Wet Tropics Bioregion, understanding distribution is integral to anticipating the impacts that any change to the environment may have on the species’ diversity. Due to the linear relation between body size and top speed we expect to see high flow rates restricting the habitat of smaller K. rupestris. Through underwater visual censuses and flow rate measurements in two coastal streams it was found that smaller fish comprise a lesser proportion of the population in pools preceded by higher flow velocity. Similarly, smaller K. rupestris are restricted from the high flow microhabitats farther from the streambed. Changes to these aquatic environments may affect the distribution of K. rupestris and the resulting impact they have on the surrounding biome
Children in out-of-home care in the East Kimberley: How the child protection system is failing Aboriginal communities
Get PDFSince the introduction of child welfare legislation in Australia in the early colonial era, the separation of Aboriginal children from their parents has extended over several generations leading to significant displacement and intergenerational trauma. Today, there continues to be a significant overrepresentation of Aboriginal children in the welfare system, and Western Australia has the highest rate of Aboriginal children in out-of-home care nationally. This paper will discuss the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Placement Principle and the difficulties associated with its implementation, particularly in the East Kimberley. The main conclusion drawn from this paper is that there is a need to rethink the interaction between child protection services and Aboriginal children, families, and communities. There is a need for culturally appropriate practices and consultation with communities to address systemic problems and disadvantages. Increased funding for Aboriginal-controlled organisations and a focus on strength-based rather than deficit-driven systems would go a long way towards addressing the over-representation of Aboriginal children in out-of-home care
The Middle East and North Africa’s natural resource curse: A causal nexus between oil and conflict
Get PDFThe effects of natural resource wealth on conflict in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is explained through resource curse theory. The resource curse theory posits a relationship between non-renewable natural resource wealth and multiple issues, including conflict, authoritarianism, decreased economic stability, and economic growth. The aim of this paper is to test a specific part of the resource curse theory, the relationship between hydrocarbon wealth and conflict. The validity of this theory is tested through the use of a framework of causal analysis proposed by Kellstedt and Whitten. Using the case studies of Khuzestan, the Iran–Iraq War, Libya, Tunisia, Norway, and Qatar, each hurdle within the framework of causal analysis puts the resource curse theory through a rigorous test. The use of Kellstedt and Whitten’s framework will allow for a qualitative analysis of the resource curse theory, revealing a causal relationship between hydrocarbon wealth and conflict. Establishing this causality will be paramount in the discussion of relevant reforms in the region to prevent the onset of future conflict. The crux of this paper is that if confounding variables like pre-existing strong governing institutions and equitable resource rent distribution are controlled, there exists a causal relationship between hydrocarbon wealth and violent conflict. The effect of the aforementioned confounding variables on the causal relationship between hydrocarbon wealth and conflict was identified during the examination of oil-exporting countries such as Norway and Qatar
Law, art, and time in the architecture of the High Court: A chronotopic analysis
Get PDFLaw does not exist in the abstract. Rather, it is performed and experienced within spaces: for example, in parliaments, courthouses, and prisons. Each of these spaces tell a story. How high a judge sits in a courtroom, which flags are flown above the parliament, and the thickness of bars on a prison cell all contribute to shaping a certain narrative. In buildings of national significance, the story told is that of a nation: its values, ideals, and history. Analysis of these narratives can provide deeper understanding of what a nation deems important and how the law treats its legal subjects.
This essay analyses the narrative produced by the art and architecture of Australia’s High Court. It applies chronotopic theory to examine the spatial and temporal features of the Court and its effect on Australia’s constitutional narrative. In literary scholarship, a chronotope refers to the forms of time and space that characterise particular genres: the ‘distant future’, for example, is definitive of the sci-fi genre. Chronotopic theory more broadly conceives these feelings of time and space to be interconnected and influential upon the overall tone of a narrative. This essay uses chronotopic analysis to explore the tension between past, present, and future within the High Court. It argues that the Court’s art and architecture convey a story of Australia’s colonial past as ‘finished’, erasing the past injustices of the law. The remedy, this paper suggests, is a larger and more critical body of artwork in the High Court, specifically works that reflect on the law’s treatment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
The seen and unseen: How the image of Medusa in art reflects women in law and society
Get PDFThis essay explores the importance of image and visibility within society, and how this equates to representation in the law, by exploring who is visible in art and the evolution of how they are represented. Representation in art is a reflection of representation in society—politically, socially, and legally—and thus representation, being seen, is ultimately linked with having a voice in society. This way of looking at art, and who is seen in art, can be used to trace the evolution of the representation of women and victims of sexual violence throughout history. Through a close study of the image of Medusa and the law during the period in which each image was produced, this essay explores how art reflects changes in our justice and legal systems and addresses women’s justice, primarily in relation to sexual assault. The development of Medusa’s story in art from Ancient Greece to #MeToo aids in tracking the development of the ‘rape narrative’ in the legal system. The exploration of this evolution highlights the link between image—the act of being seen by society—and law, and how those who are not given proper representation in art are often not given equal representation before the law
Thermostability of Rubisco and Rubisco activase in five tropical plant species
Get PDFRubisco activase (RCA) plays a regulatory role in photosynthetic function, by facilitating removal of inhibitors from the Rubisco active site. The RCA variants in most plant species thus far surveyed lose function between 35°C and 40°C, which is significantly lower than the putative thermostability of Rubisco itself. As such, RCA may be a ‘weak link’ in photosynthesis at moderate temperatures, and so may prove a fruitful target for crop fortification to improve crop yields. This study surveyed five tropical species chosen for their potential to possess highly thermostable RCA variants. We found one unusually thermostable RCA variant in the South American native Caesalpinia pulcherrima, and found two distinct RCA isoforms which exhibited differing thermostabilities. We also found that Rubisco was much less thermostable than previous literature suggests, becoming decreasingly functional in three of the five species studied between 25°C and 50°C. We suggest that these findings 1) provide support for RCA as a potential crop improvement target in a warming world, 2) suggest thermostable RCA variants may occur in a wide variety of locations and taxonomic groups, and 3) may have important implications for our understanding of temperature limitations to photosynthesis
The 1960s–1970s mining boom in Australia: A missed opportunity for socio-economic gain
Get PDFThe 1960s–1970s mining boom was of great importance to Australia for various reasons, including the resulting shift of Australia’s trade focus from Britain to Asia. However, as this essay highlights, many opportunities presented by Australia’s great mineral wealth were not fully capitalised upon during this boom. The essay draws upon two existing arguments to illustrate this. Firstly, despite reforms towards the end of the boom, Australia’s taxation and foreign ownership laws lead to the economic gains being realised largely offshore. Secondly, Indigenous Australians were often excluded from the benefits of mining activity on their country. The essay does not dispute these arguments; however, it also contends that the mining boom played a role in fuelling the land rights movement, which has seen approximately one third of Australian land recognised as subject to native title. While this boom occurred roughly 50 years ago, it is important to reflect on such missed opportunities in order to better manage the approach to new economic prospects presented by Australia’s natural resources, such as the growing renewable energy sector. This essay surveys and builds upon existing scholarship on these subjects to highlight crucial lessons from the mining boom, some of which remain applicable to Australia today
Perceptions of, factors underlying, and reasons for e-cigarette use among Australia’s young adults
Get PDFRecent studies have found that the use of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) is on the rise among nonsmokers and that vaping may potentially be a gateway to smoking (Romijnders et al. 2018). In order to combat rates of e-cigarette initiation and use among young adults, the aim of this paper is to understand how young adults view e-cigarettes and the reasons behind their use. A systematic review of the Australian literature on adolescent e-cigarette use was conducted. It was found that this demographic of individuals was unsure of how they felt regarding legislation of e-cigarettes but were against restrictive regulation. Australian young adults were found to be largely misinformed regarding the efficacy of e-cigarettes as smoking cessation devices. A considerable number were unaware of the health risks associated with e-cigarette use. Factors associated with use included being male, alcohol and cigarette use, financial instability, and younger age. Furthermore, evidence was found against the use of e-cigarettes in smoking cessation and it was discovered that a large reason for usage is enjoyment. It is believed that this review will identify key areas for scientists, public health professionals, and regulators to develop effective interventions against e-cigarette use among young Australian adults