title: Effects of growth form and functional traits on response of woody plants to clearing and fragmentation of subtropical rainforest

authors: Kooyman, R. M.

subjects: dispersal and seed size

abstract: The conservation implications of large-scale rainforest clearing and fragmentation on the persistence of functional and taxonomic diversity remain poorly understood. If traits represent adaptive strategies of plant species to particular circumstances, the expectation is that the effect of forest clearing and fragmentation will be affected by species functional traits, particularly those related to dispersal. We used species occurrence data for woody plants in 46 rainforest patches across 75,000 ha largely cleared of forest by the early 1900s to determine the combined effects of area reduction, fragmentation, and patch size on the taxonomic structure and functional diversity of subtropical rainforest. We compiled species trait values for leaf area, seed dry mass, wood density, and maximum height and calculated species niche breadths. Taxonomic structure, trait values (means, ranges), and the functional diversity of assemblages of climbing and free-standing plants in remnant patches were quantified. Larger rainforest patches had higher species richness. Species in smaller patches were taxonomically less related than species in larger patches. Free-standing plants had a high percentage of frugivore dispersed seeds; climbers had a high proportion of small wind-dispersed seeds. Connections between the patchy spatial distribution of free-standing species, larger seed sizes, and dispersal syndrome were weak. Assemblages of free-standing plants in patches showed more taxonomic and spatial structuring than climbing plants. Smaller isolated patches retained relatively high functional diversity and similar taxonomic structure to larger tracts of forest despite lower species richness. The response of woody plants to clearing and fragmentation of subtropical rainforest differed between climbers and slow-growing mature-phase forest trees but not between climbers and pioneer trees. Quantifying taxonomic structure and functional diversity provides an improved basis for conservation planning and management by elucidating the effects of forest-area reduction and fragmentation.

text: Effects of growth form and functional traits on response of woody plants to clearing and fragmentation of subtropical rainforest The conservation implications of large-scale rainforest clearing and fragmentation on the persistence of functional and taxonomic diversity remain poorly understood. If traits represent adaptive strategies of plant species to particular circumstances, the expectation is that the effect of forest clearing and fragmentation will be affected by species functional traits, particularly those related to dispersal. We used species occurrence data for woody plants in 46 rainforest patches across 75,000 ha largely cleared of forest by the early 1900s to determine the combined effects of area reduction, fragmentation, and patch size on the taxonomic structure and functional diversity of subtropical rainforest. We compiled species trait values for leaf area, seed dry mass, wood density, and maximum height and calculated species niche breadths. Taxonomic structure, trait values (means, ranges), and the functional diversity of assemblages of climbing and free-standing plants in remnant patches were quantified. Larger rainforest patches had higher species richness. Species in smaller patches were taxonomically less related than species in larger patches. Free-standing plants had a high percentage of frugivore dispersed seeds; climbers had a high proportion of small wind-dispersed seeds. Connections between the patchy spatial distribution of free-standing species, larger seed sizes, and dispersal syndrome were weak. Assemblages of free-standing plants in patches showed more taxonomic and spatial structuring than climbing plants. Smaller isolated patches retained relatively high functional diversity and similar taxonomic structure to larger tracts of forest despite lower species richness. The response of woody plants to clearing and fragmentation of subtropical rainforest differed between climbers and slow-growing mature-phase forest trees but not between climbers and pioneer trees. Quantifying taxonomic structure and functional diversity provides an improved basis for conservation planning and management by elucidating the effects of forest-area reduction and fragmentation.

year: 2013

title: Inducing cost-sensitive trees via instance-weighting

authors: Ting, Kai Ming

subjects: Cost-sensitive trees

abstract: We introduce an instance-weighting method to induce cost-sensitive trees in this paper. It is a generalization of the standard tree induction process where only the initial instance weights determine the type of tree (i.e., minimum error trees or minimum cost trees) to be induced. We demonstrate that it can be easily adopted to an existing tree learning algorithm. 
Previous research gave insufficient evidence to support the fact that the greedy divide-and-conquer algorithm can effectively induce a truly cost-sensitive tree directly from the training data. We provide this empirical evidence in this paper. The algorithm employing the instance-weighting method is found to be comparable to or better than both C4.5 and C5 in terms of total misclassification costs, tree size and the number of high cost errors. The instance-weighting method is also simpler and more effective in implementation than a method based on altered priors.

text: Inducing cost-sensitive trees via instance-weighting We introduce an instance-weighting method to induce cost-sensitive trees in this paper. It is a generalization of the standard tree induction process where only the initial instance weights determine the type of tree (i.e., minimum error trees or minimum cost trees) to be induced. We demonstrate that it can be easily adopted to an existing tree learning algorithm. 
Previous research gave insufficient evidence to support the fact that the greedy divide-and-conquer algorithm can effectively induce a truly cost-sensitive tree directly from the training data. We provide this empirical evidence in this paper. The algorithm employing the instance-weighting method is found to be comparable to or better than both C4.5 and C5 in terms of total misclassification costs, tree size and the number of high cost errors. The instance-weighting method is also simpler and more effective in implementation than a method based on altered priors.

year: 1997-09

title: Older adult education in a New Zealand university: Developments and issues

authors: Findsen, Brian

abstract: This article explores a case study of educational provision for older adults in the context of continuing education in one of New Zealand’s universities. It explains how developments in older adult education at the University of Waikato have reflected historical and cultural trends related to the wider field of adult and community education (ACE) inside a higher education setting. It discusses issues of tertiary education policy and funding, what constitutes curriculum and provision for older adults and how university-community partnerships have shaped opportunities for both indigenous Māori and Pakeha (European) seniors. Government removal of funding to all universities in New Zealand for ACE at the end of 2012 ended formal provision but older adult education groups, formerly supported by the Centre for Continuing Education in the University of Waikato, have assumed a more proactive stance in planning and implementing their own programmes.

text: Older adult education in a New Zealand university: Developments and issues This article explores a case study of educational provision for older adults in the context of continuing education in one of New Zealand’s universities. It explains how developments in older adult education at the University of Waikato have reflected historical and cultural trends related to the wider field of adult and community education (ACE) inside a higher education setting. It discusses issues of tertiary education policy and funding, what constitutes curriculum and provision for older adults and how university-community partnerships have shaped opportunities for both indigenous Māori and Pakeha (European) seniors. Government removal of funding to all universities in New Zealand for ACE at the end of 2012 ended formal provision but older adult education groups, formerly supported by the Centre for Continuing Education in the University of Waikato, have assumed a more proactive stance in planning and implementing their own programmes.

year: 2014