title: RAPD Analysis of East Antarctic Pottia heimii Populations

authors: Dale, Tracy Maree

abstract: Pottia heimii contributes significantly to the sparse terrestrial vegetation in East Antarctica, especially within the Dry Valley region. Using Randomly Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD), levels of genetic variation were investigated in several East Antarctic P. heimii populations. The initial stage of the study optimised the RAPD protocol specifically for antarctic P. heimii. RAPDs gave similar profiles for genetically identical P. heimii tissue (shoots joined at the base) and were able to detect DNA differences between individual shoots within a moss clump, confirming the usefulness of RAPDs for P. heimii population studies. 
Genetic distance matrices calculated from RAPD banding patterns were presented as dendrograms and used in an Analysis of Molecular Variance (AMOV A). Using single moss shoots, a significant level of genetic variation was detected within three 50 metre transects collected in the Miers Valley. The genetic spatial structure within these transects was random indicated by the distribution of genotypes. This suggested wind was the most likely agent for local propagule dispersal. No genetic subdivision existed between the transects, therefore individuals could be considered to be taken from a single population. Comparison of individuals from Miers Valley, East Garwood Valley, Bratina Island and Edmonson Point showed the first three Southern Victoria Land populations could be considered as a single larger population genetically distinct from the more northerly Edmonson Point population. The level of genetic variation within all the East Antarctic P. heimii populations analysed was considered significant.

text: RAPD Analysis of East Antarctic Pottia heimii Populations Pottia heimii contributes significantly to the sparse terrestrial vegetation in East Antarctica, especially within the Dry Valley region. Using Randomly Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD), levels of genetic variation were investigated in several East Antarctic P. heimii populations. The initial stage of the study optimised the RAPD protocol specifically for antarctic P. heimii. RAPDs gave similar profiles for genetically identical P. heimii tissue (shoots joined at the base) and were able to detect DNA differences between individual shoots within a moss clump, confirming the usefulness of RAPDs for P. heimii population studies. 
Genetic distance matrices calculated from RAPD banding patterns were presented as dendrograms and used in an Analysis of Molecular Variance (AMOV A). Using single moss shoots, a significant level of genetic variation was detected within three 50 metre transects collected in the Miers Valley. The genetic spatial structure within these transects was random indicated by the distribution of genotypes. This suggested wind was the most likely agent for local propagule dispersal. No genetic subdivision existed between the transects, therefore individuals could be considered to be taken from a single population. Comparison of individuals from Miers Valley, East Garwood Valley, Bratina Island and Edmonson Point showed the first three Southern Victoria Land populations could be considered as a single larger population genetically distinct from the more northerly Edmonson Point population. The level of genetic variation within all the East Antarctic P. heimii populations analysed was considered significant.

year: 1997

title: [Review of Common ground: Islam, Christianity and religious pluralism by Paul L. Heck]

authors: Pratt, Douglas

subjects: Arts & Humanities

abstract: This article reviews the book, “Common ground: Islam, Christianity, and religious pluralism”, by Paul L. Heck.

text: [Review of Common ground: Islam, Christianity and religious pluralism by Paul L. Heck] This article reviews the book, “Common ground: Islam, Christianity, and religious pluralism”, by Paul L. Heck.

year: 2010

title: Student voice and agency for Indigenous Maori students in higher education transitions

authors: Amundsen, Diana Leigh

subjects: Social Sciences

abstract: This article reveals the complexities of Indigenous students navigating the neoliberal model of education through an examination of Māori transitions into higher education contexts in Aotearoa New Zealand. In a recently completed doctoral study, the lived transition experiences of Indigenous Māori higher education students were critically investigated from a student voice perspective. Data were collected and analysed through repeated semi-structured interviews, focus groups and visual stories in a semi-longitudinal study with 20 Māori students enrolled in a wānanga, a polytechnic and a university. Using a Bourdieuan theoretical framework for analysis, findings revealed that participants experienced their transition as a journey. Students perpetually evolved their identities and agency in relation to the tertiary education environments and social structures they encountered which supported or constrained transition experiences. Within wānanga, participants felt their Māori cultural identity was highly valued; within polytechnics, there was a sense that Māori culture is included but more could be done; within universities, a need for more inclusive practices to support Māori learner requirements was identified. This empirical research outlines learning for Māori students in higher education, and is a timely addition to knowledge revealing the complexities of teaching in the neoliberal model of higher education with Indigenous people.

text: Student voice and agency for Indigenous Maori students in higher education transitions This article reveals the complexities of Indigenous students navigating the neoliberal model of education through an examination of Māori transitions into higher education contexts in Aotearoa New Zealand. In a recently completed doctoral study, the lived transition experiences of Indigenous Māori higher education students were critically investigated from a student voice perspective. Data were collected and analysed through repeated semi-structured interviews, focus groups and visual stories in a semi-longitudinal study with 20 Māori students enrolled in a wānanga, a polytechnic and a university. Using a Bourdieuan theoretical framework for analysis, findings revealed that participants experienced their transition as a journey. Students perpetually evolved their identities and agency in relation to the tertiary education environments and social structures they encountered which supported or constrained transition experiences. Within wānanga, participants felt their Māori cultural identity was highly valued; within polytechnics, there was a sense that Māori culture is included but more could be done; within universities, a need for more inclusive practices to support Māori learner requirements was identified. This empirical research outlines learning for Māori students in higher education, and is a timely addition to knowledge revealing the complexities of teaching in the neoliberal model of higher education with Indigenous people.

year: 2019