title: Parasites and pathogens at honey bee mating sites, and the implications for monitoring colony health

authors: Steed, Erin Joy

abstract: Western honey bees (Apis mellifera) are an insect species of high environmental,  economic, and cultural importance due to their provision of pollination services to  cultivated and native plants and production of honey. Rapid, international dispersal of  the parasitic mite, Varroa destructor, has played a central role on colony health. The  host-parasite relationship between V. destructor and immature (brood) and adult worker honey bees has been researched extensively. However adult drone (male) honey bees  and their relationship with V. destructor has been underexplored. I used a choice test to  investigate V. destructor host preference between nurses, foragers, and drones. I  investigated the prevalence and abundance of V. destructor and pathogens at drone  congregation areas compared to apiaries to explore the role of drones and drone  congregation areas in monitoring of pests and pathogens. Varroa destructor selected  drones as hosts in equal proportion to foragers, suggesting that drones are important  phoretic hosts for the dispersal of V. destructor. I found that there was a significant  positive relationship between the V. destructor abundance at DCAs and the V.  destructor abundance at the nearest apiary. There was also a significant positive  relationship between the abundance of DWV in drones and the abundance of DWV in  colonies the nearest apiary. The abundance of DWV was found to be correlated with the  abundance of V. destructor, with more viral copies of DWV found in drones and colony  bees that had higher infestations of V. destructor. These results support the potential of  drones as agents of dispersal for V. destructor and highlights the opportunity that drone  congregation areas present for population-scale monitoring of honey bee pests and  pathogens.

text: Parasites and pathogens at honey bee mating sites, and the implications for monitoring colony health Western honey bees (Apis mellifera) are an insect species of high environmental,  economic, and cultural importance due to their provision of pollination services to  cultivated and native plants and production of honey. Rapid, international dispersal of  the parasitic mite, Varroa destructor, has played a central role on colony health. The  host-parasite relationship between V. destructor and immature (brood) and adult worker honey bees has been researched extensively. However adult drone (male) honey bees  and their relationship with V. destructor has been underexplored. I used a choice test to  investigate V. destructor host preference between nurses, foragers, and drones. I  investigated the prevalence and abundance of V. destructor and pathogens at drone  congregation areas compared to apiaries to explore the role of drones and drone  congregation areas in monitoring of pests and pathogens. Varroa destructor selected  drones as hosts in equal proportion to foragers, suggesting that drones are important  phoretic hosts for the dispersal of V. destructor. I found that there was a significant  positive relationship between the V. destructor abundance at DCAs and the V.  destructor abundance at the nearest apiary. There was also a significant positive  relationship between the abundance of DWV in drones and the abundance of DWV in  colonies the nearest apiary. The abundance of DWV was found to be correlated with the  abundance of V. destructor, with more viral copies of DWV found in drones and colony  bees that had higher infestations of V. destructor. These results support the potential of  drones as agents of dispersal for V. destructor and highlights the opportunity that drone  congregation areas present for population-scale monitoring of honey bee pests and  pathogens.

year: 2023

title: A study of short-term remembering in the possum: Using a Delayed-Matching-To-Sample procedure

authors: Hardaker, Bethany Jane

subjects: possums

abstract: In Experiment one 7 Brushtail possums were trained, using food, to perform a Delayed-Matching-To-Sample procedure using still and flickering light stimuli, over a 0, 1 and 2 second delay.  A criterion of 80 percent correct for 5 consecutive days was set for the requirement to probe test.  Probe session delays were 0, 0.5, 1, 2, 4, and 8 seconds.  Performance was analysed using the measure of discrimination log d.  Log d = 1 at the possums training delay and dropped back to log d = 0 at the longer inexperienced delays.  The possums performance at this task was only adequate, so in case the stimuli were causing discrimination difficulties they were changed for the following experiment to horizontal and vertical light stimuli.  Experiment two used the horizontal and vertical light stimuli to further test DMTS in possums.  The possum's responding stayed at 50 percent correct, or chance, so the task was changed to a Simultaneous-Choice procedure.  However, this did not have any effect on improving their results with responding accuracy remaining at 50 percent correct.  Experiment three involved a conditional discrimination procedure, which was implemented to find out whether the possums could in fact discriminate between a horizontal and vertical light.  All the possums in this experiment reached 80 percent correct overall and at responding to either a horizontal or vertical light.  These results are enough to conclude that it was not the stimuli used in the previous two experiments which that had been causing the difficulties but the task itself.  It is not known exactly why the possums were so unsuccessful in performing a DMTS or MTS task.  More research into DMTS in possums in greatly needed and would offer a better understanding of the results of this study.

text: A study of short-term remembering in the possum: Using a Delayed-Matching-To-Sample procedure In Experiment one 7 Brushtail possums were trained, using food, to perform a Delayed-Matching-To-Sample procedure using still and flickering light stimuli, over a 0, 1 and 2 second delay.  A criterion of 80 percent correct for 5 consecutive days was set for the requirement to probe test.  Probe session delays were 0, 0.5, 1, 2, 4, and 8 seconds.  Performance was analysed using the measure of discrimination log d.  Log d = 1 at the possums training delay and dropped back to log d = 0 at the longer inexperienced delays.  The possums performance at this task was only adequate, so in case the stimuli were causing discrimination difficulties they were changed for the following experiment to horizontal and vertical light stimuli.  Experiment two used the horizontal and vertical light stimuli to further test DMTS in possums.  The possum's responding stayed at 50 percent correct, or chance, so the task was changed to a Simultaneous-Choice procedure.  However, this did not have any effect on improving their results with responding accuracy remaining at 50 percent correct.  Experiment three involved a conditional discrimination procedure, which was implemented to find out whether the possums could in fact discriminate between a horizontal and vertical light.  All the possums in this experiment reached 80 percent correct overall and at responding to either a horizontal or vertical light.  These results are enough to conclude that it was not the stimuli used in the previous two experiments which that had been causing the difficulties but the task itself.  It is not known exactly why the possums were so unsuccessful in performing a DMTS or MTS task.  More research into DMTS in possums in greatly needed and would offer a better understanding of the results of this study.

year: 2006

title: Supervision of Maori doctoral students: A descriptive report

authors: McKinley, Elizabeth

subjects: Maori education

abstract: This report follows up a previous paper that outlined the goals and plans of a research project that focused on both theoretical and cultural questions regarding the supervisory process for Māori doctoral students (McKinley, Grant, Middleton, Irwin, & Williams, 2007). The major goal of the project is to enhance understanding of the teaching and learning process of supervision for students and supervisors, particularly around issues of culture that arise in research methodologies and practices. This paper reports on the completed project by providing further operational background, design features, the nature of the student and supervisor samples and a summary of interview findings. The results show that there are indeed distinctive issues arising within the supervision of Māori doctoral students. Some of these are to do with both pleasures and challenges found in the supervision relationship, while others relate to the kinds of projects the students undertake. Many projects for example, push at the disciplinary boundaries of Western knowledge and are often rooted in a political desire to enhance the everyday lives of Māori. Yet others are connected to identity formation processes that concern many Māori during their years as doctoral students. A central message for supervisors from this work is that the supervision of Māori doctoral students may require unfamiliar forms of engagement but that these are likely to be deeply rewarding in many different ways.

text: Supervision of Maori doctoral students: A descriptive report This report follows up a previous paper that outlined the goals and plans of a research project that focused on both theoretical and cultural questions regarding the supervisory process for Māori doctoral students (McKinley, Grant, Middleton, Irwin, & Williams, 2007). The major goal of the project is to enhance understanding of the teaching and learning process of supervision for students and supervisors, particularly around issues of culture that arise in research methodologies and practices. This paper reports on the completed project by providing further operational background, design features, the nature of the student and supervisor samples and a summary of interview findings. The results show that there are indeed distinctive issues arising within the supervision of Māori doctoral students. Some of these are to do with both pleasures and challenges found in the supervision relationship, while others relate to the kinds of projects the students undertake. Many projects for example, push at the disciplinary boundaries of Western knowledge and are often rooted in a political desire to enhance the everyday lives of Māori. Yet others are connected to identity formation processes that concern many Māori during their years as doctoral students. A central message for supervisors from this work is that the supervision of Māori doctoral students may require unfamiliar forms of engagement but that these are likely to be deeply rewarding in many different ways.

year: 2009