title: Resolving environmental drivers of microbial community structure in Antarctic soils

authors: Smith, Julie L.

subjects: abiotic controls

abstract: Antarctic soils are extremely cold, dry, and oligotrophic, yet harbour surprisingly high bacterial diversity. The severity of environmental conditions has constrained the development of multi-trophic communities, and species richness and distribution is thought to be driven primarily by abiotic factors. Sites in northern and southern Victoria Land were sampled for bacterial community structure and soil physicochemical properties in conjunction with the US and New Zealand Latitudinal Gradient Project. Bacterial community structure was determined using a high-resolution molecular fingerprinting method for 80 soil samples from Taylor Valley and Cape Hallett sites which are separated by five degrees of latitude and have distinct soil chemistry. Taylor Valley is part of the McMurdo Dry Valleys, while Cape Hallett is the site of a penguin rookery and contains ornithogenic soils. The influence of soil moisture, pH, conductivity, ammonia, nitrate, total nitrogen and organic carbon on community structure was revealed using Spearman rank correlation, Mantel test, and principal components analysis. High spatial variability was detected in bacterial communities and community structure was correlated with soil moisture and pH. Both unique and shared bacterial community members were detected at Taylor Valley and Cape Hallett despite the considerable distance between the sites.

text: Resolving environmental drivers of microbial community structure in Antarctic soils Antarctic soils are extremely cold, dry, and oligotrophic, yet harbour surprisingly high bacterial diversity. The severity of environmental conditions has constrained the development of multi-trophic communities, and species richness and distribution is thought to be driven primarily by abiotic factors. Sites in northern and southern Victoria Land were sampled for bacterial community structure and soil physicochemical properties in conjunction with the US and New Zealand Latitudinal Gradient Project. Bacterial community structure was determined using a high-resolution molecular fingerprinting method for 80 soil samples from Taylor Valley and Cape Hallett sites which are separated by five degrees of latitude and have distinct soil chemistry. Taylor Valley is part of the McMurdo Dry Valleys, while Cape Hallett is the site of a penguin rookery and contains ornithogenic soils. The influence of soil moisture, pH, conductivity, ammonia, nitrate, total nitrogen and organic carbon on community structure was revealed using Spearman rank correlation, Mantel test, and principal components analysis. High spatial variability was detected in bacterial communities and community structure was correlated with soil moisture and pH. Both unique and shared bacterial community members were detected at Taylor Valley and Cape Hallett despite the considerable distance between the sites.

year: 2009

title: The power of stereotypes: Anchoring images through language in live sports broadcasts

authors: Desmarais, Fabrice

subjects: television

abstract: Televised sport offers a rich context for investigating the processes that influence particular uses of language. Here, the authors consider how pressure on sport commentators to connect with audiences results in reliance on preestablished narratives that draw heavily on stereotypes. They investigate how television sport commentators negotiate tensions between stereotypes of a particular country’s playing style and on-field action that challenges those stereotypes. Their interdisciplinary approach—drawing from social psychology, communication, media studies, sport studies, and cultural studies—provides a textual analysis of New Zealand commentary in a pivotal Rugby World Cup game between France and New Zealand. The authors identify three different ways in which national stereotypes lead commentators to produce interpretations that do not always accurately represent the action on the field. They conclude that sport commentary in an international context operates to create and reinscribe symbolic differences between nations, even in the face of visual evidence that is ambiguous or actively contradicts the words used to describe it. The analysis demonstrates how powerfully national stereotypes influence commentators’ representational choices.

text: The power of stereotypes: Anchoring images through language in live sports broadcasts Televised sport offers a rich context for investigating the processes that influence particular uses of language. Here, the authors consider how pressure on sport commentators to connect with audiences results in reliance on preestablished narratives that draw heavily on stereotypes. They investigate how television sport commentators negotiate tensions between stereotypes of a particular country’s playing style and on-field action that challenges those stereotypes. Their interdisciplinary approach—drawing from social psychology, communication, media studies, sport studies, and cultural studies—provides a textual analysis of New Zealand commentary in a pivotal Rugby World Cup game between France and New Zealand. The authors identify three different ways in which national stereotypes lead commentators to produce interpretations that do not always accurately represent the action on the field. They conclude that sport commentary in an international context operates to create and reinscribe symbolic differences between nations, even in the face of visual evidence that is ambiguous or actively contradicts the words used to describe it. The analysis demonstrates how powerfully national stereotypes influence commentators’ representational choices.

year: 2010

title: A history of Māori literacy success

authors: Derby, Melissa

abstract: This article explores literacy in 19th century Māori society, and in particular, this work considers the initial interactions Māori tribal groups had with literacy following contact with British settlers. The overarching purpose of this article is to respond to the increasingly prevalent suggestion that literacy is a Western competency, and that to be concerned with ensuring Māori children are achieving well in reading and writing is an act of colonisation. This work illustrates that these narratives run counter to the history, behaviour, and values of many tribal groups in New Zealand. More specifically, the historical interactions Māori had with literacy illustrate that both the ability and the desire to succeed in reading and writing was a feature of Māori historical practices. Therefore, to ensure high levels of literacy achievement in contemporary times is not a colonising act but rather aligns with Māori history, behaviour, and values.

text: A history of Māori literacy success This article explores literacy in 19th century Māori society, and in particular, this work considers the initial interactions Māori tribal groups had with literacy following contact with British settlers. The overarching purpose of this article is to respond to the increasingly prevalent suggestion that literacy is a Western competency, and that to be concerned with ensuring Māori children are achieving well in reading and writing is an act of colonisation. This work illustrates that these narratives run counter to the history, behaviour, and values of many tribal groups in New Zealand. More specifically, the historical interactions Māori had with literacy illustrate that both the ability and the desire to succeed in reading and writing was a feature of Māori historical practices. Therefore, to ensure high levels of literacy achievement in contemporary times is not a colonising act but rather aligns with Māori history, behaviour, and values.

year: 2021