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Novel audio lures to improve interaction and encounter rates of possums (Trichosurus vulpecula) with control methods in New Zealand
Get PDFThe brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula), a marsupial native to Australia, was widely introduced in both the North and South Islands of New Zealand between 1890 and 1930 to support the fur industry that was booming in Australia at the time. Possums were one of the many mammalian species that humans introduced when they discovered and settled in New Zealand. Before the settlement of humans in New Zealand, there were no terrestrial mammals; therefore, the local species evolved in the absence of mammalian predators. This resulted in native species populations falling at alarming rates and possibly facing extinction due to numerous predators and species that had not been intended to coexist alongside one another.
The government's initiative to reduce New Zealand's predators (possums, rats, and stoats) by 2050 has significantly expanded efforts to eliminate these pest mammals in recent years. Managing these pest mammal populations is crucial to protect the native bird, reptile, and invertebrate species.
In New Zealand, predator control has been practiced for a long time, but what started with simple trapping has since developed into a thriving industry full of expertise to boost the efficiency of trapping and toxins, including species-specific attractants. The number of traps and bait stations needed to be set up and the associated labour and expense would be significantly reduced if animals could be reliably drawn from a distance to a bait station or trap. Any sound played to encourage or discourage interaction with a control tool/area is known as an audio lure.
This research aims to identify if audio lures can significantly increase possum encounter and interaction rates of control devices and establish an audio lure tool that is durable, easy to use, and cost-effective for the wider public to use.
Preliminary captive trials found that an aggressive possum sound is significantly more attractive to possums than an alarmed possum sound, a beeping sound, or a control (no sound).
Preliminary field trials have found that the audio lure being developed performs similarly to an already established audio lure included as part of the Cacophony Project Thermal Camera. The price point of the audio lure being developed is around $250 (NZD) and should last 30 days in the field.
At the conference, I will present the final captive trial results and more field trial research. The field trial research will investigate encounter and interaction rates of possums feeding in live-capture traps with and without audio lures. I will also, report the final audio lure costings and field life before servicing is required
Mt Grand Station – Wildlife Conservation
Get PDFThis document is a collection of reports from students of ECOL609 Conservation Biology (Semester 1, 2023). The aim of this course is to investigate the challenges and future options for nature conservation management within the agricultural and policy framework and the landscape mosaic of the New Zealand High Country. The focus of the course this year was a case study of the Lincoln University’s High Country Station in Hawea, Central Otago. A 4-day residential field course was attended by more than 30 students with the support of five academic staff from the Faculty of Agriculture and Life Sciences and the Farm Manager.
This paper typically attracts students from several different disciplines and postgraduate study programmes, mostly Masters programmes. Overseas students accounted for a large proportion of the group, particularly from our Master of International Nature Conservation (MINC) joint programme with University of Gottingen in Germany, together with a good number of New Zealand students from various postgraduate study programmes including MINC. Overseas visitors were from a diverse range of countries including USA, Sweden and Kazakhstan.
Each student identified and developed their own research project that formed the practical component of the course. Although these were individual research projects, much value was placed on broader learning, sharing of knowledge, discussion, debate and teamwork. The breadth of research topics reflects the varied interests of the students, but all projects have a primary focus on some aspect of Conservation Biology at Mt Grand. These reports provide an original and unique contribution to knowledge of the agroecology of this beautiful landscape and, in our view, fully justify their collation
Unveiling employment transition and economic performance: A case study of post-disaster recovery in Canterbury, New Zealand
No full textLarge-scale events such as disasters, wars and pandemics disrupt the economy by diverging resource allocation, which could alter employment growth within the economy during recovery. Disasters are often followed by a large-scale stimulus to support the economy through the built environment, which can last years. The literature on the disaster–economic nexus predominantly considers the economy's aggregate performance, including the stimulus injection. Few studies have so far aimed to quantify the performance of the underlying economy. This research assesses the employment transition following a disaster by removing this stimulus injection and evaluating the economy's performance during recovery. Canterbury in New Zealand provides a case study of economic transition after an earthquake. Applying the historical construction– economic relationship, a counterfactual level of economic activity is quantified and compared with official results. Using a regional Input–Output model to remove the economy-wide impact from the elevated activity reveals the performance of the underlying economy. The results reveal a strong growing underlying economy, and while convergence was expected as the stimulus slowed down, the results found that growth had already crossed over for some time. Building activity return to a demand-driven level 10 years after the disaster. Employment transition is characterised by two distinct periods. The first five years are stimulus-driven, while the following five are demand-driven. After the initial period of elevated building activity, construction re positioned to its long-term level near 5% of value add. Furthermore, the investment stimulus provides an initial growth buffer from the underlying economy before the growth rates cross over.
This study contributes to a growing stream of regional disaster economics research that uses a single case study to assess the economic effect
Evaluating the diffusive gradients in thin-films technique for measurement of plant available nitrogen in soils
No full textAccurate measurement of nitrogen (N) as nitrate and as ammonium in soils is crucial for effective agricultural management, as it allows farmers to optimize fertilizer application and prevent nutrient imbalances, thereby maximizing crop productivity while minimizing environmental impact. Here we report the findings from a series of laboratory and greenhouse experiments that aimed to evaluate the ability of the DGT technique to measure N as nitrate (NO3-DGT) and as ammonium (NH4-DGT) in soils, using binding layers containing A520E anion exchange resin and Microlite® PrCH cation exchange resin, respectively. The DGTs were deployed in a series of laboratory experiments using ten soils ranging in chemical and physical properties, amended with different concentrations of NO3-N and NH4-N (equivalent to 75 – 450 kg N/ha). The DGT technique was compared to the more commonly used 2 M KCl extraction for measuring these N species. A subsequent greenhouse experiment sought to examine the ability of NO3-DGT and NH4-DGT to predict yield and N uptake by wheat. Here, four contrasting soil types, each amended with four different rates of N (0 – 375 kg N/ha) were used to examine the response of the wheat plants to different N levels in the soils. Soil concentrations of NO3-N and NH4- N were measured using DGT and 2 M KCl extractions at sowing, and the results were compared against the relative yield and N uptake by the wheat plants at the late flowering stage.
The NO3-DGT and NH4-DGT achieved superior detection limits for NO3-N (6.90 µg/L) and NH4-N (6.23 µg/L) when compared to the KCl extraction in unfertilised soils. The N accumulation by the resin gel over 24 h deployments was linear across the N amended soils. The concentrations measured by DGT, and KCl extraction correlated with each other for both species, but the correlation for NO3-N (R² = 0.53; p 0.81, p < 0.001; n = 64). The A520E and PrCH binding layers can provide robust measurements of soil mineral N species across a range of soils and N concentrations. However, some of the challenges posed by changes in N species during soil sample preparation and subsequent deployment (e.g., mineralization of organic N and nitrification) need to be overcome before DGT can be used for predicting N uptake by wheat
Enhancing nourishment of land and livestock in agricultural landscapes with edible woody vegetation
No full textIntegrating edible woody vegetation within agricultural landscapes creates a diverse diet for livestock by increasing nutrients, prophylactics, and pharmaceutical properties and enhancing overall ecosystem services. This study aimed to create a methodology to select plants native to Aotearoa New Zealand and propose their spatial integration within a place-based case study, to enhance the nourishment of livestock, while also providing vital shade and shelter, and native bird habitat.
The methodology developed resulted in the selection of 68 suitable native species of edible woody vegetation. Each species was then assigned a series of scores based on reported levels of palatability to livestock, tolerance to defoliation, growth rates and toxic elements within the plant. The species were then ranked to find the most suitable plants for inclusion within the farm. These plants were then distributed spatially, through corridor and in-field patch strategies on the case study site. Spatially determined by the farm’s environmental and functional opportunities and constraints, woody vegetation was integrated across the farm with the goal of providing optimal livestock nourishment.
The results of the research show that through the strategic spatial integration of edible woody vegetation in agricultural landscapes, diversity in livestock diets can be enhanced, improving the nourishment opportunity for livestock, while also enhancing opportunities for shade and shelter, bird habitat and overall ecosystem health in agricultural landscapes
Incidence and magnitude of head impacts experienced by female adolescent rugby players across a season of rugby participation
No full textIntroduction. There is growing concern regarding the safety of rugby union players and ongoing medical problems following a concussion and/or long term participation in rugby union. However research on females and adolescents is sparse and recent changes to rugby union rules are based off elite or varsity level athletes. Adolescent female rugby players have a different anatomy and game demands, placing them at greater concussion risk compared to male players. Investigation of sex and age-specific impact magnitude and incidence of head impacts is required to help improve the safety of female adolescent rugby players and to increase our understanding of how these impacts affect ongoing brain health. Methods. Across the 2022 rugby season Eighteen U17 female rugby players aged 12-17 years completed pre-season and post-season-assessment including: (i) 3T advanced magnetic resonance imaging, (ii) neurocognitive testing (NIH toolbox), (iii) health history questionaire, (iv) motor control questionnaire. During the season participants wore an instrumented mouthguard (recording linear and angular accelerations above 8g) for all school and club games and contact training sessions which were videoed in order to verify all mouthguard detected impacts. Results. One seasons of female collision magnitude and incidence data will be presented. Average total incidence per team was 23 at training and 75 for games. Average peak linear acceleration (PLA) was 21.1 g at training and 21.6 g at games, the total seasonal average was 21.4 g. The largest impact for the season was 96 g. Conclusions. The study highlights the need for sex and age specific, objective data to measure head impact exposure in rugby union. Monitoring head impact size and seasonal load is important for rugby safety and understanding the impact of concussive and non-concussive impacts in rugby. We provide insight into head load of female adolescent rugby players across a season of club and school rugby game and trainings
Impact of agricultural commercialization on dietary diversity and vulnerability to poverty: Insights from Chinese rural households
Get PDFIn this study, we examine the role of agricultural commercialization in influencing rural households’ dietary diversity and vulnerability to poverty. The instrumental variable (IV)-based approaches, including IV-Poisson and IV-Probit models, are employed to estimate the data collected through the China Land Economic Survey project. The results show that a higher level of agricultural commercialization is positively and significantly associated with higher dietary diversity and lower vulnerability to poverty. The poverty-reduction effect of agricultural commercialization is robust to the adjusted poverty line. Further analysis reveals that increasing the level of agricultural commercialization significantly increases the consumption levels of legumes, fruits, livestock meat, and poultry meat. The findings highlight the importance of linking farmers to markets for commercializing agricultural products, a practical way to improve rural household welfare and reduce the risk of falling into poverty
Quantifying thermal adaptation of soil microbial respiration
Get PDFQuantifying the rate of thermal adaptation of soil microbial respiration is essential in determining potential for carbon cycle feedbacks under a warming climate. Uncertainty surrounding this topic stems in part from persistent methodological issues and difficulties isolating the interacting effects of changes in microbial community responses from changes in soil carbon availability. Here, we constructed a series of temperature response curves of microbial respiration (given unlimited substrate) using soils sampled from around New Zealand, including from a natural geothermal gradient, as a proxy for global warming. We estimated the temperature optima (Topt) and inflection point (Tinf) of each curve and found that adaptation of microbial respiration occurred at a rate of 0.29 °C ± 0.04 1SE for Topt and 0.27 °C ± 0.05 1SE for Tinf per degree of warming. Our results bolster previous findings indicating thermal adaptation is demonstrably offset from warming, and may help quantifying the potential for both limitation and acceleration of soil C losses depending on specific soil temperatures
Capital inflows and domestic credit growth: Empirical evidence from emerging market and developing economies
Get PDFThis study investigates the extent to which capital inflows and their composition affect domestic credit growth in emerging market and developing economies (EMDEs) and the role of institutional quality in mediating the capital inflows and domestic credit growth nexus. Using a sample of 130 EMDEs from 1991-2015, the study uses generalized method of moments to control for endogeneity issues. The study makes notable contributions to literature and policy discourse. First, this is the first empirical study that documents the persistence of domestic credit growth in EMDEs. Second, the study provides a granular analysis of the capital inflows – domestic credit growth nexus. Whereas gross capital inflows significantly exert a positive impact on domestic credit growth, disaggregated-level analyses showed that only foreign direct investment positively affects domestic credit growth whereas portfolio equity has a negative effect; and portfolio debt and other investment do not. Third, the study adds novel evidence that institutional quality plays a crucial role in mediating the capital inflows – domestic credit growth nexus. Fourth, this study crystallises the lens used to investigate the interactions between capital inflows and institutional quality in analysing the capital inflows – domestic credit growth nexus. Finally, the findings are helpful for designing and implementing macro-financial policy and strengthening institutions, especially in managing capital flows and financial sector
Critical coast : A cross-disciplinary reader on the ecologies and spaces of coastal landscapes
No full textCritical Coast is a cross-disciplinary reader that explores the ecologies and spaces of coastal landscapes, the urgencies of contemporary coastlands and diachronic ideas about coastal futures. In continuation of the exhibition Coastal Imaginaries curated by Josephine Michau in the Danish Pavilion at the Biennale Architettura di Venezia 2023, Critical Coast presents a series of artistic representations, essays, poetry, found material, visual suites, fairy tales and empirical conversations with numerous international voices such as Dipesh Chakrabarty, Emanuele Coccia, Rebecca Solnit, Susannah Drake, Inuuteq Storch, Virginia Woolf, Amitav Ghosh, Jane da Mosto, Katherine Richardson, Superflex, Theodor Storm, Julia Watson, Billy Fleming, Bathsheba Demuth, Hans Christian Andersen and many others. Critical Coast comes in the format of a handbook made in a durable hardcover that readers can bring along into the field – into imaginary coastal landscapes as well as those at risk of disappearing today