Using novel metrics to assess biogeographic patterns of abrupt treelines in relation to abiotic influences

2015 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
pp. 310-336 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bradley S. Case ◽  
Roddy J. Hale
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Environmental Gradients ◽  
Variance Partitioning ◽  
Landscape Scale ◽  
Biogeographic Patterns ◽  
Alpine Treeline ◽  
Comprehensive Picture ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Abiotic Influences ◽  
Scale Variation

Alpine treeline ecotones display spatial variability in a range of features that often reflect underlying abiotic variation and its control on the processes that form and maintain treelines. In this study, we explore treeline pattern–environment relationships for continuous, abrupt Nothofagus treelines in New Zealand across a seven degree latitudinal gradient (circa 39–46° S). Our main aims were: 1) to develop a set of metrics for characterising spatial variation in abrupt treelines at a landscape scale; 2) to relate these metrics to underlying abiotic variation in order to determine the relative roles of climate, substrate, topography and disturbance in structuring Nothofagus treeline patterns; and 3) to develop a possible biogeographic typology of Nothofagus treelines. A GIS-based approach was used to develop seven metrics describing different facets of landscape-scale treeline pattern. Regression modelling and variance partitioning were used to explore relationships among treeline pattern metrics and abiotic variation. Cluster analysis was used to characterise emergent treeline types and GIS was used to map their biogeographic distributions. The individual treeline metrics characterised unique patterns of treeline variation across New Zealand and, upon clustering, resulted in seven distinctive treeline types. Nothofagus treeline patterns in New Zealand are strongly structured by environmental gradients, with about half the landscape-scale variation in treelines being structured by patterns of abiotic variation. Gradients of climatic and disturbance were most influential in explaining landscape-scale variation of individual treeline metrics and of multivariate treeline patterns. The presented, metric-based approach offers a means to develop a comprehensive picture of continuous, landscape-scale treeline variation, bridging an existing research gap between studies at site and global scales. Our approach can enable the development biogeographic treeline typologies that could facilitate the comparison of treeline patterns across large areas and provide a basis for the generation of new hypotheses regarding treeline formation and dynamics.

The testate amoebae of New Zealand: a checklist, identification key and assessment of biogeographic patterns

2021 ◽  
pp. 125789
Author(s):  
Michelle M McKeown ◽  
Edward A D Mitchell ◽  
Matthew J Amesbury ◽  
Quentin Blandenier ◽  
Dan Charman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Testate Amoebae ◽  
Identification Key ◽  
Biogeographic Patterns

scholarly journals On some continuous observations of the rate of dissipation of electric charges in the open air

1905 ◽  
Vol 76 (508) ◽  
pp. 152-159 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Individual Values ◽  
Similar Work ◽  
Maximum Value ◽  
Variable Quantity ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Atmospheric Conductivity ◽  
Rate Of Dissipation ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Sea Coast

During the latter part of 1902 and the early months of 1903 I resolved to take as many observations of the rates of dissipation of positive and negative electric charges as possible, and to continue them over the whole 24 hours of the day, and, when opportunity offered, over longer periods. There appeared to be little information regarding the rate of dispersion during the night hours. At about the same time that these observations were being made, Nilsson was doing similar work at Upsala, and found a noticeable maximum value for atmospheric conductivity at about midnight. The observations were made on the Canterbury Plains of New Zealand, at a station about 20 feet above sea-level and about five miles due west from the sea coast. The apparatus used was Elster and Geitel’s Zerstreuungs- apparat , and the formula of reduction used was that given by them, viz:- E = 1/ t log V 0 /V- n / t ' log V' 0 /V' . In this formula E is proportional to the conductivity of the gas surrounding the instrument—for positive or negative charges, as the case may be. The constant “ n ” = ratio of capacity without cylinder ____________________________________ capacity with cylinder was determined by me to be 0·47, as the instrument was always used, with the protecting cover. The cover was always at one height above the base of the instrument, and was set so as to be as nearly co-axial with the discharging cylinder as could be judged by eye. No attempt was made to determine the actual capacity of the condenser cylinder and protecting cover, which would be a somewhat variable quantity owing- (1) to the differences on different days in attempting to cause the two to be co-axial; (2) to a certain amount of looseness in the fit of the shank of the cylinder on to its hole. The value above given for “ n "is the mean of several deter­minations made with different settings of the cover and cylinder. The individual values of “ n ” varied over about 0.03.

The vegetation of roadside verges with respect to environmental gradients in southern New Zealand

1995 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 131-142 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isolde Ullmann ◽  
Peter Bannister ◽  
J. Bastow Wilson
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Environmental Gradients ◽  
Roadside Verges

scholarly journals Seasonal quantitative dynamics and ecology of pelagic rotifers in an acidified boreal lake

2017 ◽  
Vol 77 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Svein Birger Wærvågen ◽  
Tom Andersen
Keyword(s):  
Community Structure ◽  
Environmental Gradients ◽  
Seasonal Succession ◽  
Biotic Interactions ◽  
Resource Limitation ◽  
Local Environment ◽  
Food Competition ◽  
Variance Partitioning ◽  
Boreal Lake ◽  
Rotifer Community

Lake Gjerstadvann is a dimictic, oligotrophic, slightly acidified boreal lake in southern Norway (northwest Europe). The planktonic rotifer community of this lake was studied quantitatively during one year in order to investigate the impacts of the local environment and biotic interactions on seasonal succession and habitat selection. Pure suspension feeders (mainly Keratella spp., Conochilus spp., and Kellicottia longispina) together with raptorial graspers or specialised feeders (mainly Polyarthra spp. and Collotheca spp.) dominated the rotifer community over prolonged periods, whereas carnivorous/omnivorous species (mainly Asplanchna priodonta) were extremely uncommon. Low bicarbonate buffering capacity resulted in a distinctive seasonal oscillating pH between 5.0 and 5.6, defining a special acid-transition lake category. The pH values were highest in the productive period during summer, and lowest during ice break-up coinciding with the peak reactive aluminium concentrations of 250-300 mg L-1. As in typical Norwegian boreal perch lakes, the most abundant cladoceran was Bosmina longispina due to perch predation on the genus Daphnia. Rotifer community structure was significantly related to temperature and oxygen (P=0.001 and P=0.022), illustrating the important effects of the seasonal cycle and vertical density stratification. The most significant competition indicator species were B. longispina and Eudiaptomus gracilis (both with P=0.001). A variance partitioning indicated that 14% of the total community composition variance could only be explained by biotic interactions, while 19% of the variance could be attributed to environmental gradients. Of the variance, 23% could not be resolved between biotic interactions and environmental gradients, while a residual of 44% was not explainable by any of the variables. Acid conditions alone cannot account for all the observed changes in the rotifer community of this lake with low humic content, since resource limitation and food competition are also important factors shaping rotifer population dynamics and the community structure.

Landscape-scale variation in the seed banks of floodplain wetlands with contrasting hydrology in China

2006 ◽  
Vol 51 (10) ◽  
pp. 1862-1878 ◽  
Author(s):  
GUI H. LIU ◽  
WEI LI ◽  
EN H. LI ◽  
LONG Y. YUAN ◽  
ANTHONY J. DAVY
Keyword(s):  
Seed Banks ◽  
Landscape Scale ◽  
Floodplain Wetlands ◽  
Scale Variation

Synthetic Transfer Zone Characterization Using Seismic Attributes: An Example from the Parihaka Fault System in the Taranaki Basin, New Zealand.

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-73
Author(s):  
Pierre Karam ◽  
Shankar Mitra ◽  
Kurt Marfurt ◽  
Brett M. Carpenter
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Structural Characteristics ◽  
Structural Parameters ◽  
Seismic Attributes ◽  
Fault System ◽  
Structural Interpretation ◽  
Transfer Zones ◽  
Seismic Characterization ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Transfer Zone

Synthetic transfer zones develop between fault segments which dip in the same direction, with relay ramps connecting the fault blocks separated by the different fault segments. The characteristics of the transfer zones are controlled by the lithology, deformation conditions, and strain magnitude. The Parihaka fault is a NE-SW trending set of three major en-echelon faults connected by relay ramps in the Taranaki Basin, New Zealand. The structure in the basin is defined by extension during two episodes of deformation between the late Cretaceous and Paleocene and between the Late Miocene and recent. To better understand the evolution of a synthetic transfer zone, we study the geometry and secondary faulting between the individual fault segments in the Parihaka fault system using structural interpretation of 3D seismic data and seismic attributes. This interpretation allows for a unique application of seismic attributes to better study transfer zones. Seismic attributes, including coherence, dip, and curvature are effective tools to understand the detailed geometry and variation in displacement on the individual faults, the nature of secondary faulting along the transfer zones, and the relationship between the faults and drape folds. Seismic characterization of the fault system of Miocene to Pliocene age horizons highlights variations in the degree of faulting, deformation, and growth mechanism associated with different stages of transfer zone development. Coherence, dip, and curvature attributes show a direct correlation with structural parameters such as deformation, folding, and breaching of relay ramps.. All three attributes enhance the visualization of the major and associated secondary faults and better constrain their tectonic history. The observed correlation between seismic attributes and structural characteristics of transfer zones can significantly improve structural interpretation and exploration workflow.

scholarly journals Multicriterial analysis of the accessibility of public transport stops in Cracow

2020 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 32-41
Author(s):  
Martin Bárta ◽  
Tomas Masopust
Keyword(s):  
Public Transport ◽  
Multicriteria Analysis ◽  
Buffer Zone ◽  
Research Area ◽  
Transport Accessibility ◽  
Synthetic Accessibility ◽  
Comprehensive Picture ◽  
The Mean ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The City

This study deals with the synthesis of selected attributes of public transport accessibility. The aim is to present a new method of multi-criteria analysis. As the research area, the city of Cracow has been chosen. The GTFS (General Transit Feed Specification) system has been used to obtain traffic data for buses and trams within the city‘s transport company (MPK Krakow). The analysis itself consists of 4 main accessibility indicators (walking time to each stop, number of lines, directions, and connections from each stop). The problem of exceeding the stops accessibility beyond the administrative border of Cracow has been solved by using a 500 m wide buffer zone around the city. To connect the individual layers of indicators into a multicriteria analysis, the Voronoi diagram function has been applied. The results of the method are presented in the form of synthetic maps of transport accessibility for each bus and tram stop in Cracow. Together with the synthetic accessibility maps, an index of a stop importance has been created as well, which consists of the sum of the mean percentages from 3 indicators (number of lines, directions, connections). The synthetic method used and acquired detailed values not only for the city of Cracow as a whole, but also its individual parts make it possible to provide a comprehensive picture of accessibility by public transport. This multicriteria analysis can also be extended for a comparative study of selected cities.

scholarly journals Giving and Receiving: A Case Study of the Stowaways Exhibit in Blood, Earth Fire - Whāngai, Whenua Ahi Kā at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Lynne Carmichael Allan
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Physical Environment ◽  
Development Process ◽  
Meaning Making ◽  
Museum Studies ◽  
Visitor Experience ◽  
Visitor Studies ◽  
Museum Exhibit ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Individual

<p>The role that the physical environment of an exhibition plays in the visitor's experience of a museum is a topic that, though increasingly acknowledged in museum studies, has not yet received detailed attention from researchers. The interaction of exhibitor and visitor, in and through exhibitions, can be situated in the wider context of the recent paradigm shirt within museum practice, towards communication with the public and developments in museum theory, which consider the qualitative aspects of the visitor experience as an active dialogue, conversation or a process of meaning-making. This dissertation examines the interactive exhibit Stowaways in the permanent exhibition, Blood, Earth, Fire - Whāngai, Whenua, Ahi Kā, at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. It considers the question 'How does the physical environment affect the meanings that the visitor makes in and after visiting the exhibition?' The study builds on existing New Zealand research, which questioned the gap between exhibition creation and visitor reception. A theoretical framework was constructed from relevant strands of the literature of museum studies, visitor studies and exhibition design. A qualitative approach was employed, in order to examine in detail both the exhibition development process and then how the visitor responded to the exhibition. Several methods were used to conduct the research, such as archival research and interviews with both the museum staff and seven visitors, who came with their families to the exhibit. The findings provide interesting evidence of the complex and deep affect that the built exhibition space can have on the visitor, not just at the time of the visit but long afterwards. This was an affect that rippled out from the individual to their family group and everyday life. This dissertation makes a small but significant contribution to museum studies in New Zealand, through an integrated examination of the production and reception of a museum exhibit, from the perspective of both the visitor and the museum. One of the main conclusions was to re-iterate the important role of exhibition evaluation in facilitating a more complete communication between museum and visitor, by allowing museum professionals to build on the experience of the development process in a way that can inform future practice.</p>

scholarly journals Thinopyrum intermedium (Host) Barkw. & Dewey - a review, and evaluation of intermediate and pubescent wheatgrass for dryland agriculture in New Zealand

1998 ◽  
pp. 233-241
Author(s):  
B.J. Wills ◽  
G.B. Douglas ◽  
J. Mckenzie ◽  
K.D. Trainor ◽  
A.G. Foote
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Ground Cover ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Individual Species ◽  
Thinopyrum Intermedium ◽  
Dryland Agriculture ◽  
Alternative Species ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Local Use

Intermediate and pubescent wheatgrasses (Thinopyrum intermedium) are potentially useful as dryland forage grasses in New Zealand. The recent literature on their international and local use in pasture and cropping situations is reviewed. Under semi-arid conditions at Bendigo Station over a 13-year period, cv. Luna wheatgrass has spread several metres from the original drill lines and it provides very high ground cover. In terms of dryland soil resource conservation this contrasts with adjacent cocksfoot and, to a lesser extent, lucerne plots which have wide-spaced plants interspersed with litter and much bare ground. In a mixed drilling containing wheatgrass, hairy dorycnium, birdsfoot trefoil and sheep's burnet, the first two species now dominate. At Takapau, central Hawke's Bay, annual yields from intermediate and pubescent wheatgrasses produced over 80% of the yield of 10 New Zealand cultivars in spring, summer and autumn, and 65% in the winter. Of the wheatgrasses, cv. Topar intermediate wheatgrass and a pubescent wheatgrass (unnamed line) were the lowest yielding, whereas cv. Oahe and cv. Mandan produced the highest yields. Cv. Greenleaf pubescent wheatgrass had higher foliar nitrogen content than all other species, but in vitro organic matter digestibility was less than 700 g OM/kg DM. Although the wheatgrasses had satisfactory herbage yield and nutritional value, better alternative species are available for pastoral farming in central Hawke's Bay. On Belfield in the Hakataramea Valley, cv. Rush has been the most vigorous wheatgrass for establishment and it seems to handle cold winds and frost well. Hay made from a wheatgrass/ lucerne mix is considered better than that from the individual species as this can increase production by 40-50%, depending on soil and climatic conditions. Usually only one cut per year is taken from the mixed pasture. Crop maintenance includes the application of 200 kg/ha of sulphur super extra every 3-4 years and the pH is maintained at about 5.9-6.4 by liming. A significant advantage is that no stock health, pest or plant disease problems have been noted as yet with any of the wheatgrass varieties available in New Zealand. Keywords: dryland agriculture, New Zealand, Thinopyrum, wheatgrass

scholarly journals Judicial Discretion in Sentencing: A Justice System that is No Longer Just?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Sean J. Mallett
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Criminal Justice ◽  
Criminal Justice System ◽  
Criminal Law ◽  
Justice System ◽  
Individual Case ◽  
Regional Disparity ◽  
Judicial Discretion ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Synthesis Approach

<p>One of the fundamental principles of the criminal law is consistency: like offenders must be treated alike. However, research has shown that when it comes to sentencing in New Zealand there is in fact substantial regional disparity in the penalty imposed on similarly situated offenders. The situation is unacceptable, and undermines the integrity of the criminal justice system. This paper will explore three different mechanisms for guiding judicial discretion in the pursuit of sentencing consistency. It will undertake an analysis of mandatory sentences and the ‘instinctive synthesis’ approach, both of which will be shown to be unsatisfactory. Instead, the paper will argue that the establishment of a Sentencing Council with a mandate to draft presumptively binding guidelines is the most appropriate way forward for New Zealand. This option finds the correct equilibrium between giving a judge sufficient discretion to tailor a sentence that is appropriate in the circumstances of the individual case, yet limiting discretion enough to achieve consistency between cases.</p>

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