title: Invasion, genetic variation and species identity of the calanoid copepod Sinodiaptomus valkanovi

authors: Makino, Wataru

subjects: biological invasion

abstract: 1. Although Sinodiaptomus valkanovi [sensu Ueda & Ohtsuka (Hydrobiologia, 379, 1998, 159)] is one of the most common freshwater calanoid copepods in Japan, it was originally described from specimens collected in Sofia, Bulgaria, as a subspecies of S. sarsi. This original description raises two issues requiring further investigation. One is whether or not S. valkanovi should be differentiated from S. sarsi at a species level, and the other is whether or not records of S. valkanovi from outside of Japan are the result of biological invasions.
2. We examined the gene flow between S. valkanovi and S. sarsi in Japan, using nuclear DNA (the ribosomal internal transcribed spacers 1 and 2 plus the intervening 5.8S ribosomal DNA subunit) sequence to clarify if these two taxa are separable at a species level. We also investigated the population genetic structure of S. valkanovi in Japan, using the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (mtCOI) gene, and subsequently of two recently discovered New Zealand populations, to elucidate the origin and colonisation/invasion history of this taxon.
3. In total, 43 and three Japanese populations of S. valkanovi and S. sarsi, respectively, were analysed. These two taxa did not occur together in any of the localities. Nuclear DNA analysis did not provide any evidence of gene flow between them, and the inter-taxon variability of mtCOI was high, corroborating the conclusion of Ueda & Ohtsuka based on morphological characteristics that S. valkanovi and S. sarsi should be differentiated at the species level.
4. In Japan S. valkanovi populations are segregated into two areas, around the Seto Inland Sea (SIS) and northeastern (NE) area. A distinct contrast in the genetic diversity was observed between the areas; five mtCOI haplotypes were recovered from the NE area while 38 were observed in the SIS area, despite a similar geographical range and number of individuals analysed in both areas. Furthermore, S. valkanovi in the SIS area possessed a mixture of both ancestral and derived haplotypes, while those in the NE area mostly consisted of derived haplotypes. These results suggest that the NE populations were founded recently by a limited numbers of individuals from SIS populations.
5. All specimens of S. valkanovi from New Zealand possessed one specific mtCOI haplotype. In Japan, this haplotype was found only in the NE area, suggesting the origin of New Zealand S. valkanovi. It is likely that this copepod has on several occasions invaded areas outside of Japan, one of which was associated with the original description of this taxon in Bulgaria.

text: Invasion, genetic variation and species identity of the calanoid copepod Sinodiaptomus valkanovi 1. Although Sinodiaptomus valkanovi [sensu Ueda & Ohtsuka (Hydrobiologia, 379, 1998, 159)] is one of the most common freshwater calanoid copepods in Japan, it was originally described from specimens collected in Sofia, Bulgaria, as a subspecies of S. sarsi. This original description raises two issues requiring further investigation. One is whether or not S. valkanovi should be differentiated from S. sarsi at a species level, and the other is whether or not records of S. valkanovi from outside of Japan are the result of biological invasions.
2. We examined the gene flow between S. valkanovi and S. sarsi in Japan, using nuclear DNA (the ribosomal internal transcribed spacers 1 and 2 plus the intervening 5.8S ribosomal DNA subunit) sequence to clarify if these two taxa are separable at a species level. We also investigated the population genetic structure of S. valkanovi in Japan, using the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (mtCOI) gene, and subsequently of two recently discovered New Zealand populations, to elucidate the origin and colonisation/invasion history of this taxon.
3. In total, 43 and three Japanese populations of S. valkanovi and S. sarsi, respectively, were analysed. These two taxa did not occur together in any of the localities. Nuclear DNA analysis did not provide any evidence of gene flow between them, and the inter-taxon variability of mtCOI was high, corroborating the conclusion of Ueda & Ohtsuka based on morphological characteristics that S. valkanovi and S. sarsi should be differentiated at the species level.
4. In Japan S. valkanovi populations are segregated into two areas, around the Seto Inland Sea (SIS) and northeastern (NE) area. A distinct contrast in the genetic diversity was observed between the areas; five mtCOI haplotypes were recovered from the NE area while 38 were observed in the SIS area, despite a similar geographical range and number of individuals analysed in both areas. Furthermore, S. valkanovi in the SIS area possessed a mixture of both ancestral and derived haplotypes, while those in the NE area mostly consisted of derived haplotypes. These results suggest that the NE populations were founded recently by a limited numbers of individuals from SIS populations.
5. All specimens of S. valkanovi from New Zealand possessed one specific mtCOI haplotype. In Japan, this haplotype was found only in the NE area, suggesting the origin of New Zealand S. valkanovi. It is likely that this copepod has on several occasions invaded areas outside of Japan, one of which was associated with the original description of this taxon in Bulgaria.

year: 2010

title: The organisation of supply in a tourism destination : An analysis of a networked community - the Waitomo Caves Village

authors: Pavlovich, Kathryn

abstract: This thesis reconstructs the organisation of supply activities within a tourism destination. It uses a network theory perspective to explore the complex webbed relationships between these suppliers as they become mutually dependent upon resources, activities, markets and reputation. Its focus is on connectivity and fluidity, as it examines how the cooperative fine-grained exchanges become informal coordination mechanisms which act as glue to bind together the webbed patterns of complexity. This narrative explores how these socially complex relationships between organisations act as a source of strategic leverage for the network group.

With this focus on connection, an ethnographic methodology provides a lens to observe these day to day practices of interorganisational activities. The object of study are the phenomena of shared routines, not the actors themselves. The context for this research is the Waitomo Caves tourism destination in New Zealand, with a single case study providing a depth and richness of detail. A middle-range grounded theory approach was enacted, which enabled the research process to begin with a skeletal framework. On-going discovery, illustration and analysis assisted in building an explanation of broad theoretical inter-relationships.

The contribution of this thesis is the development of a process model of network coordination. It attests the flexibility and adaptability of network structures, with their multiple nodal positions supporting an array of informational advantages. The thesis data explained the important role these connections played in sourcing strategic leverage for the network. Absorptive capacity, relational absorptive capacity, relational embeddedness and structural embeddedness were all demonstrated as important attributes of the network organising process. Finally, the data supported the significant role social exchanges play as a structuring mechanism in organisational activities.

text: The organisation of supply in a tourism destination : An analysis of a networked community - the Waitomo Caves Village This thesis reconstructs the organisation of supply activities within a tourism destination. It uses a network theory perspective to explore the complex webbed relationships between these suppliers as they become mutually dependent upon resources, activities, markets and reputation. Its focus is on connectivity and fluidity, as it examines how the cooperative fine-grained exchanges become informal coordination mechanisms which act as glue to bind together the webbed patterns of complexity. This narrative explores how these socially complex relationships between organisations act as a source of strategic leverage for the network group.

With this focus on connection, an ethnographic methodology provides a lens to observe these day to day practices of interorganisational activities. The object of study are the phenomena of shared routines, not the actors themselves. The context for this research is the Waitomo Caves tourism destination in New Zealand, with a single case study providing a depth and richness of detail. A middle-range grounded theory approach was enacted, which enabled the research process to begin with a skeletal framework. On-going discovery, illustration and analysis assisted in building an explanation of broad theoretical inter-relationships.

The contribution of this thesis is the development of a process model of network coordination. It attests the flexibility and adaptability of network structures, with their multiple nodal positions supporting an array of informational advantages. The thesis data explained the important role these connections played in sourcing strategic leverage for the network. Absorptive capacity, relational absorptive capacity, relational embeddedness and structural embeddedness were all demonstrated as important attributes of the network organising process. Finally, the data supported the significant role social exchanges play as a structuring mechanism in organisational activities.

year: 2000

title: Ko au te whenua, te whenua ko au  – I am the land, the land is me: An autoethnographic investigation of a secondary school teacher’s experience seeking to enrich learning in outdoor  education for Māori students.

authors: Townsend, Jane Emma

subjects: place-responsive

abstract: This thesis is my story as an outdoor educator, as a researcher, and a co-participant reflecting on my own actions and experiences as well as those of my students. In this autoethnography I share my revelations and tensions in my role as an outdoor education teacher seeking to enrich the experiences of Māori students.  Māori culture and history have largely been ignored in the outdoor education classrooms and environments of Aotearoa New Zealand. After teaching the subject for ten years I didn’t perceive that I was perpetuating the same invisibility in my own outdoor education course. Over this time a number of questions that had fermented at the back of my mind came to the fore; ‘why are so few Māori students opting to take outdoor education as a senior secondary school subject?’ and ‘how can I make the subject of outdoor education more desirable and appealing to Māori?’ A place-responsive approach incorporates and values traditional ways of learning through the notion of place and the stories attached to them. The cultural context of learning about and through place has the potential to provide learning opportunities that are relevant and meaningful to all learners but particularly Māori. Place-responsive pedagogies allow outdoor educators to create an environment where language, knowledge, culture and values are normal, valid and legitimate – contexts where Māori students can be themselves. Through this research I have found that the implementation of a place responsive approach has had significant implications for Year twelve outdoor education at Mount Maunganui College. The improvement in Māori student achievement and numbers selecting the subject have  been affirming.

Ko au te whenua, te whenua ko au – I am the land, the land is me

text: Ko au te whenua, te whenua ko au  – I am the land, the land is me: An autoethnographic investigation of a secondary school teacher’s experience seeking to enrich learning in outdoor  education for Māori students. This thesis is my story as an outdoor educator, as a researcher, and a co-participant reflecting on my own actions and experiences as well as those of my students. In this autoethnography I share my revelations and tensions in my role as an outdoor education teacher seeking to enrich the experiences of Māori students.  Māori culture and history have largely been ignored in the outdoor education classrooms and environments of Aotearoa New Zealand. After teaching the subject for ten years I didn’t perceive that I was perpetuating the same invisibility in my own outdoor education course. Over this time a number of questions that had fermented at the back of my mind came to the fore; ‘why are so few Māori students opting to take outdoor education as a senior secondary school subject?’ and ‘how can I make the subject of outdoor education more desirable and appealing to Māori?’ A place-responsive approach incorporates and values traditional ways of learning through the notion of place and the stories attached to them. The cultural context of learning about and through place has the potential to provide learning opportunities that are relevant and meaningful to all learners but particularly Māori. Place-responsive pedagogies allow outdoor educators to create an environment where language, knowledge, culture and values are normal, valid and legitimate – contexts where Māori students can be themselves. Through this research I have found that the implementation of a place responsive approach has had significant implications for Year twelve outdoor education at Mount Maunganui College. The improvement in Māori student achievement and numbers selecting the subject have  been affirming.

Ko au te whenua, te whenua ko au – I am the land, the land is me

year: 2014