title: Changes in carbon and nitrogen stocks following conversion of plantation forest to dairy pasture on Vitrands (Pumice Soils), New Zealand

authors: Lewis, Riki Windsor

abstract: Between 1990 and 2010 some New Zealand plantation forests underwent deforestation to establish dairy farms. The main area of land-use conversion to pasture is to the north of Lake Taupo in the Central North Island (Figures 1 and 2). Pinus radiata (radiata pine) plantations were established in the late 1920s-early 1930s because the Vitrands (Pumice Soils) predominant in the Central North Island were deficient in Co and other trace elements, causing a fatal stock disease in sheep and cattle known as ‘bush sickness’. Bush sickness was subsequently rectified in the mid-1930s with the regular addition of Co, so pastoral farming became viable. The high price of milk solids has recently led to renewed interest in dairying. Recent studies have shown carbon can accumulate following deforestation and establishment of pasture (Fearnside and Barbosa, 1998; Murty et al. 2002; Hedley et al. 2009). However, more information on the rate of accumulation of carbon after deforestation is needed. Increases in soil carbon can improve physical and chemical soil properties, and is an important store of global carbon.

text: Changes in carbon and nitrogen stocks following conversion of plantation forest to dairy pasture on Vitrands (Pumice Soils), New Zealand Between 1990 and 2010 some New Zealand plantation forests underwent deforestation to establish dairy farms. The main area of land-use conversion to pasture is to the north of Lake Taupo in the Central North Island (Figures 1 and 2). Pinus radiata (radiata pine) plantations were established in the late 1920s-early 1930s because the Vitrands (Pumice Soils) predominant in the Central North Island were deficient in Co and other trace elements, causing a fatal stock disease in sheep and cattle known as ‘bush sickness’. Bush sickness was subsequently rectified in the mid-1930s with the regular addition of Co, so pastoral farming became viable. The high price of milk solids has recently led to renewed interest in dairying. Recent studies have shown carbon can accumulate following deforestation and establishment of pasture (Fearnside and Barbosa, 1998; Murty et al. 2002; Hedley et al. 2009). However, more information on the rate of accumulation of carbon after deforestation is needed. Increases in soil carbon can improve physical and chemical soil properties, and is an important store of global carbon.

year: 2010

title: Diverse and highly active diazotrophic assemblages inhabit ephemerally wetted soils of the Antarctic Dry Valleys

authors: Niederberger, Thomas D.

subjects: diazotrophs

abstract: Eolian transport of biomass from ephemerally wetted soils, associated with summer glacial meltwater runoffs and lake edges, to low-productivity areas of the Antarctic Dry Valleys (DV) has been postulated to be an important source of organic matter (fixed nitrogen and fixed carbon) to the entire DV ecosystem. However, descriptions and identification of the microbial members responsible for N₂ fixation within these wetted sites are limited. In this study, N₂ fixers from wetted soils were identified by direct nifH gene sequencing and their in situ N₂ fixation activities documented via acetylene reduction and RNA-based quantitative PCR assays. Shannon-index nifH diversity levels ranged between 1.8 and 2.6 and included the expected cyanobacterial signatures and a large number of phylotypes related to the gamma-, beta-, alpha-, and delta-proteobacteria. N₂ fixation rates ranged between approximately 0.5 and 6 nmol N cm⁻³ h⁻¹ with measurements indicating that approximately 50% of this activity was linked with sulfate reduction at some sites. Comparisons with proximal dry soils also suggested that these communities are not ubiquitously distributed, and conditions unrelated to moisture content may define the composition, diversity, or habitat suitability of the microbial communities within wetted soils of the DVs.

text: Diverse and highly active diazotrophic assemblages inhabit ephemerally wetted soils of the Antarctic Dry Valleys Eolian transport of biomass from ephemerally wetted soils, associated with summer glacial meltwater runoffs and lake edges, to low-productivity areas of the Antarctic Dry Valleys (DV) has been postulated to be an important source of organic matter (fixed nitrogen and fixed carbon) to the entire DV ecosystem. However, descriptions and identification of the microbial members responsible for N₂ fixation within these wetted sites are limited. In this study, N₂ fixers from wetted soils were identified by direct nifH gene sequencing and their in situ N₂ fixation activities documented via acetylene reduction and RNA-based quantitative PCR assays. Shannon-index nifH diversity levels ranged between 1.8 and 2.6 and included the expected cyanobacterial signatures and a large number of phylotypes related to the gamma-, beta-, alpha-, and delta-proteobacteria. N₂ fixation rates ranged between approximately 0.5 and 6 nmol N cm⁻³ h⁻¹ with measurements indicating that approximately 50% of this activity was linked with sulfate reduction at some sites. Comparisons with proximal dry soils also suggested that these communities are not ubiquitously distributed, and conditions unrelated to moisture content may define the composition, diversity, or habitat suitability of the microbial communities within wetted soils of the DVs.

year: 2012

title: Typographic design in Māori-English bilingual picturebooks: some educational implications

authors: Vanderschantz, Nicholas

subjects: Te Reo Māori

abstract: The role of bilingual picturebooks in language learning has been explored recently by a number of authors who show their potential in normalising multilingualism (Naqvi, Thorne, Pfitscher, Nordstokke & McKeough, 2013; Zaidi, 2020), raising metalinguistic awareness and engaging parents (Sneddon, 2009), as well as raising language awareness (Kleker, Short & Daly, 2021). Hadaway and Young (2013) suggest bilingual picturebooks have a particular role to play in supporting the revitalisation of Indigenous languages. In New Zealand, the number of MāoriEnglish bilingual picturebooks is increasing, but there is very little, if any, research concerning their design or their use in educational settings. The design of bilingual picturebooks, as reflected in their linguistic landscape, has an important role to play in their pedagogical use (Daly, 2016; 2017), and in this article, we explore the typographic design of five bilingual Māori-English picturebooks with respect to the elements of typeface, type size, type colour and page layout. We discuss the design and audience implications of these factors for educational settings.

text: Typographic design in Māori-English bilingual picturebooks: some educational implications The role of bilingual picturebooks in language learning has been explored recently by a number of authors who show their potential in normalising multilingualism (Naqvi, Thorne, Pfitscher, Nordstokke & McKeough, 2013; Zaidi, 2020), raising metalinguistic awareness and engaging parents (Sneddon, 2009), as well as raising language awareness (Kleker, Short & Daly, 2021). Hadaway and Young (2013) suggest bilingual picturebooks have a particular role to play in supporting the revitalisation of Indigenous languages. In New Zealand, the number of MāoriEnglish bilingual picturebooks is increasing, but there is very little, if any, research concerning their design or their use in educational settings. The design of bilingual picturebooks, as reflected in their linguistic landscape, has an important role to play in their pedagogical use (Daly, 2016; 2017), and in this article, we explore the typographic design of five bilingual Māori-English picturebooks with respect to the elements of typeface, type size, type colour and page layout. We discuss the design and audience implications of these factors for educational settings.

year: 2022