title: Hongcun, China—Residents' perceptions of the impacts of tourism on a rural community: A mixed methods approach

authors: Gu, Huimin

subjects: China

abstract: There have been some news releases claiming that Professor Henle in Germany has found the chemical identity of UMF, and that in future chemical analysis will be used instead of assays of antibacterial activity to indicate the level of UMF in manuka honey. Both of these claims are misleading. Because the level of active substance in manuka honey is an unreliable indication of the level of antibacterial activity and can be very misleading, it is hard to see any commercial advantage for it to be used to indicate antibacterial activity other than if someone wanted to fool the consumer into thinking that the higher numbers are giving them a level of antibacterial activity that is far higher than they are really getting.

text: Hongcun, China—Residents' perceptions of the impacts of tourism on a rural community: A mixed methods approach There have been some news releases claiming that Professor Henle in Germany has found the chemical identity of UMF, and that in future chemical analysis will be used instead of assays of antibacterial activity to indicate the level of UMF in manuka honey. Both of these claims are misleading. Because the level of active substance in manuka honey is an unreliable indication of the level of antibacterial activity and can be very misleading, it is hard to see any commercial advantage for it to be used to indicate antibacterial activity other than if someone wanted to fool the consumer into thinking that the higher numbers are giving them a level of antibacterial activity that is far higher than they are really getting.

year: 2010

title: The resilience of Polar Collembola to climate change

authors: Beet, Clare Rose

subjects: Resilience

abstract: Polar Collembola have adapted over millions of years to an environment that is changing faster than any other on earth. Globally, Collembola (springtails) are among the most abundant and widely-distributed arthropods and are key components of species-poor polar ecosystems. Understanding the resilience of polar collembola to climate change is therefore an urgent research priority. Here we explore the links between genetic diversity and physiology in shaping the resilience of polar Collembola to climate change. 
	I have reviewed the resilience of polar Collembola considering genetic diversity, behavioural avoidance and physiological tolerances along with an examination of the potential impacts of biotic interactions. I also explored potential recovery dynamics with reference to temperate taxa and colonisation patterns of new habitat exposed by glacial retreat. This review illustrated that polar Collembola exhibit a suite of traits that have enabled their survival in extreme conditions and may serve as pre-adaptations to changing conditions. However, if resistance capacities are insufficient, complete community level recovery following disturbances is exceedingly slow, especially among Collembola that inhabit deeper microhabitats within the soil column (deeper-dwelling). Overall, it appears that deeper-dwelling species that fail to resist climate changes may not recover in ecologically realistic timescales, especially given the projected pace of climate changes.
	The largest spatial scale study and analysis of the genetic diversity of Collembola from the central Canadian High Arctic location of Cambridge Bay (Ikaluktuktiak) was undertaken to refine species identifications, examine levels of population diversity, and explore the role of geological processes and glacial dynamics in shaping the current Arctic collembolan fauna. I identified 68 Barcode Index Numbers (BINs, as a proxy for species diversity) representing an estimated 43 morphological species, with 29 BINs unique to Cambridge Bay. The geographic linkages between populations across the High Arctic supported hypothesised east to west dispersal patterns in accordance with prevailing ocean currents. 
	The physiology of five of the most abundant surface-active species from the Canadian High Arctic was explored to determine how resistant local species are likely to be to rising temperatures and increasing drought pressure. Some individuals were found to exhibit remarkably high heat tolerances (>40 ℃) with only limited cold tolerance capacities (64 % had supercooling points higher than -10 ℃). Survival rates in response to a desiccation stress were also variable among individuals (range: 1.0-13.5 hrs). This indicated that Arctic Collembola may be pre-adapted to a level of climate warming.
	I also explored the specific relationship between two populations of the Antarctic collembolan Gomphiocephalus hodgsoni found in the largest ice-free area in continental Antarctica, McMurdo Dry Valleys. I tested whether the genetic variation found between coastal and inland individuals of G. hodgsoni corresponded with differences in physiological tolerances of hot and cold temperatures was tested. Individuals from the population nearest the warmer coastal site had higher upper thermal limits (mean CTₘₐₓ 31.3 ℃) compared to individuals from the more inland population (mean CTₘₐₓ 27.2 ℃). However, these differences in heat tolerance weren’t significant until  accounting for microhabitat temperature at time of collection (site + microhabitat at time of collection, p=0.0029). Coastal individuals also had higher mean supercooling points (coastal: -14.3 ℃; inland: -22.6 ℃, p=0.011). Under climate change associated warming warm-adapted populations may have a selective advantage relative to more cold adapted individuals, leading to changes in population genetic structure, a decline in genetic diversity, and associated decline in resilience. 
	Collectively my thesis chapters have identified that the biggest threats to the ongoing survival of polar Collembola are sustained heat stress, desiccation stress, changing biotic interactions, and the arrival and spread of invasive species. Despite this, polar Collembola exhibit considerable levels of genetic diversity and physiological tolerances that may make them pre-adapted to climate change induced environmental changes.

text: The resilience of Polar Collembola to climate change Polar Collembola have adapted over millions of years to an environment that is changing faster than any other on earth. Globally, Collembola (springtails) are among the most abundant and widely-distributed arthropods and are key components of species-poor polar ecosystems. Understanding the resilience of polar collembola to climate change is therefore an urgent research priority. Here we explore the links between genetic diversity and physiology in shaping the resilience of polar Collembola to climate change. 
	I have reviewed the resilience of polar Collembola considering genetic diversity, behavioural avoidance and physiological tolerances along with an examination of the potential impacts of biotic interactions. I also explored potential recovery dynamics with reference to temperate taxa and colonisation patterns of new habitat exposed by glacial retreat. This review illustrated that polar Collembola exhibit a suite of traits that have enabled their survival in extreme conditions and may serve as pre-adaptations to changing conditions. However, if resistance capacities are insufficient, complete community level recovery following disturbances is exceedingly slow, especially among Collembola that inhabit deeper microhabitats within the soil column (deeper-dwelling). Overall, it appears that deeper-dwelling species that fail to resist climate changes may not recover in ecologically realistic timescales, especially given the projected pace of climate changes.
	The largest spatial scale study and analysis of the genetic diversity of Collembola from the central Canadian High Arctic location of Cambridge Bay (Ikaluktuktiak) was undertaken to refine species identifications, examine levels of population diversity, and explore the role of geological processes and glacial dynamics in shaping the current Arctic collembolan fauna. I identified 68 Barcode Index Numbers (BINs, as a proxy for species diversity) representing an estimated 43 morphological species, with 29 BINs unique to Cambridge Bay. The geographic linkages between populations across the High Arctic supported hypothesised east to west dispersal patterns in accordance with prevailing ocean currents. 
	The physiology of five of the most abundant surface-active species from the Canadian High Arctic was explored to determine how resistant local species are likely to be to rising temperatures and increasing drought pressure. Some individuals were found to exhibit remarkably high heat tolerances (>40 ℃) with only limited cold tolerance capacities (64 % had supercooling points higher than -10 ℃). Survival rates in response to a desiccation stress were also variable among individuals (range: 1.0-13.5 hrs). This indicated that Arctic Collembola may be pre-adapted to a level of climate warming.
	I also explored the specific relationship between two populations of the Antarctic collembolan Gomphiocephalus hodgsoni found in the largest ice-free area in continental Antarctica, McMurdo Dry Valleys. I tested whether the genetic variation found between coastal and inland individuals of G. hodgsoni corresponded with differences in physiological tolerances of hot and cold temperatures was tested. Individuals from the population nearest the warmer coastal site had higher upper thermal limits (mean CTₘₐₓ 31.3 ℃) compared to individuals from the more inland population (mean CTₘₐₓ 27.2 ℃). However, these differences in heat tolerance weren’t significant until  accounting for microhabitat temperature at time of collection (site + microhabitat at time of collection, p=0.0029). Coastal individuals also had higher mean supercooling points (coastal: -14.3 ℃; inland: -22.6 ℃, p=0.011). Under climate change associated warming warm-adapted populations may have a selective advantage relative to more cold adapted individuals, leading to changes in population genetic structure, a decline in genetic diversity, and associated decline in resilience. 
	Collectively my thesis chapters have identified that the biggest threats to the ongoing survival of polar Collembola are sustained heat stress, desiccation stress, changing biotic interactions, and the arrival and spread of invasive species. Despite this, polar Collembola exhibit considerable levels of genetic diversity and physiological tolerances that may make them pre-adapted to climate change induced environmental changes.

year: 2023

title: Spatial and temporal characteristics of the underwater soundscape around the Motiti Protection Area: Ōtaiti/Astrolabe Reef and Motiti Island

authors: Riegel, Maria Sophie

subjects: Underwater Soundscapes

abstract: Marine ecosystems around the world have been impacted by degradation and loss of biodiversity as a result of human impacts and climate change. The monitoring and management of ecologically significant areas is vital in understanding the effects of habitat degradation on marine ecosystems. Traditional monitoring methods are often expensive, time consuming, labour intensive and invasive. Soundscapes offer a unique opportunity for monitoring habitats in a way that is cost effective, minimally invasive and efficient. The aim of this study was to use passive acoustic monitoring to create a baseline data set using ambient sound data to investigate the spatial and temporal changes in ambient sound pressure levels, and to identify biotic, abiotic and anthropogenic sound sources which make up the marine soundscapes at the Motiti Island and Ōtaiti/Astrolabe Reef. Five diverse and ecologically significant sites in the Motiti Protection Area – at Ōtaiti/Astrolabe Reef and Motiti Island, in the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand were selected and monitored over the course of a year. This provided a wide variety of data to show the diel, lunar and seasonal patterns and trends in acoustic biological activity in order to represent the ecosystems accurately. The results showed that all sites showed strong diel patterns, with a sound pressure level increase of ~6-10dB during daylight hours compared to dark hours, and evident peaks during dawn and dusk hours as a result of biological choruses composed largely of sea urchins. There were also strong seasonal trends among the five sites, with Summer having the overall highest sound pressure level compared to Spring, Autumn and Winter, this also had an effect on the peaks in dusk choruses, which were also found to be highest during Summer. Lunar phases were also found to have an impact on the sound pressure levels of all five sites, with increased sound pressure levels during the new moon, compared to sound pressure levels during the full moon. This study created a baseline data set for a culturally, ecologically, and economically valuable area. Passive acoustic monitoring was found to be an incredibly useful tool in understand the ecosystems health and biological condition, and offers an alternative to traditional monitoring which is an effective, minimally invasive, and less labour intensive way of monitoring marine ecosystems.

text: Spatial and temporal characteristics of the underwater soundscape around the Motiti Protection Area: Ōtaiti/Astrolabe Reef and Motiti Island Marine ecosystems around the world have been impacted by degradation and loss of biodiversity as a result of human impacts and climate change. The monitoring and management of ecologically significant areas is vital in understanding the effects of habitat degradation on marine ecosystems. Traditional monitoring methods are often expensive, time consuming, labour intensive and invasive. Soundscapes offer a unique opportunity for monitoring habitats in a way that is cost effective, minimally invasive and efficient. The aim of this study was to use passive acoustic monitoring to create a baseline data set using ambient sound data to investigate the spatial and temporal changes in ambient sound pressure levels, and to identify biotic, abiotic and anthropogenic sound sources which make up the marine soundscapes at the Motiti Island and Ōtaiti/Astrolabe Reef. Five diverse and ecologically significant sites in the Motiti Protection Area – at Ōtaiti/Astrolabe Reef and Motiti Island, in the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand were selected and monitored over the course of a year. This provided a wide variety of data to show the diel, lunar and seasonal patterns and trends in acoustic biological activity in order to represent the ecosystems accurately. The results showed that all sites showed strong diel patterns, with a sound pressure level increase of ~6-10dB during daylight hours compared to dark hours, and evident peaks during dawn and dusk hours as a result of biological choruses composed largely of sea urchins. There were also strong seasonal trends among the five sites, with Summer having the overall highest sound pressure level compared to Spring, Autumn and Winter, this also had an effect on the peaks in dusk choruses, which were also found to be highest during Summer. Lunar phases were also found to have an impact on the sound pressure levels of all five sites, with increased sound pressure levels during the new moon, compared to sound pressure levels during the full moon. This study created a baseline data set for a culturally, ecologically, and economically valuable area. Passive acoustic monitoring was found to be an incredibly useful tool in understand the ecosystems health and biological condition, and offers an alternative to traditional monitoring which is an effective, minimally invasive, and less labour intensive way of monitoring marine ecosystems.

year: 2022