Botany
Recent Deposits
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Water level fluctuation and vegetation patterns within an alpine wetland complex
Alpine wetlands are one of the most at-risk ecosystems under future climate change scenarios; how these systems function and their biodiversity values have received little research attention in the temperate southern ... -
Thesis supplementary files Laura van Galen
This deposit contains supplementary files that support my PhD thesis, titled "Nothofagus restoration and mycorrhizal ecology". -
Can mānuka mycorrhizal fungi facilitate southern beech establishment?
Southern beech (Nothofagus, Nothofagaceae) trees are an iconic Southern Hemisphere canopy species and are of particular interest for restoration in New Zealand. One poorly understood aspect of beech ecology that can limit ... -
The potential impacts of microplastic contamination of lettuce plants on human health
Plastic is a persistent pollutant. When plastic “breaks down”, its structure fragments until the plastic particles are eventually no longer visible to the naked eye. Plastic particles < 5 mm are known as microplastics. ... -
Phylogenetics of the D1 protein family in Cyanobacteria and the characterisation of novel D1 variants
Cyanobacteria perform oxygenic photosynthesis using the water:plastoquinone oxidoreductase Photosystem II (PS II), a catalyst responsible for water splitting. A core protein of PS II is D1 which provides the majority of ... -
Investigating the roles of the sll1392 and slr1501 genes in response to high pH and environmental stress factors in the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803
The way cyanobacteria can adapt to the most seemingly challenging environments provides an opportunity to understand how molecular mechanisms to aid in cyanobacterial survival. Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 is a cyanobacterium ... -
Characterising spontaneous revertants in the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803
The cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 (hereafter Synechocystis 6803) is a model organism used extensively to study photosynthesis and environmental stress responses. Its ability to integrate foreign DNA into its ... -
Investigating the decline and future of the threatened bladderwort Utricularia australis in New Zealand
Around the globe biodiversity has been at threat due to changes in ecosystems, of which most are anthropogenic in origin. One area of biodiversity that has been impacted gravely is the flora and fauna of small lakes and ... -
Soil microbiome dynamics and responses to climatic changes in isolated New Zealand soils
The soil microbiome provides large amounts of taxonomic and functional diversity to ecosystems and is considered one of the most diverse natural environments on earth. The functions associated with the soil microbiome are ... -
Sticky business: Adhesion of Microplastics to Common New Zealand Macroalgae and Implications for Phenanthrene Toxicity
Marine microplastic pollution presents a significant threat to coastal systems, where anthropogenic activities have resulted in the accumulation and abundance of pollutants in this environment. Although a number of studies ... -
Establishment of woody species in the gorse-forest succession
An understanding of underlying causes assists in the prediction of outcomes and management of plant successions. The purpose of this study was to investigate the causes of the succession from gorse to broad-leaved forest ... -
Systematics of selected species in the mycorrhizal genus Cortinarius and the utility of whole chloroplast genomes in the population genetics of the mycorrhizal host species Nothofagus menziesii
New Zealand has an interesting history that has shaped its biota through its isolation, almost total absence of terrestrial mammals and climate history. This history is thought to have influenced, for instance, the evolution ... -
Taxonomy of the Celmisia group (Asteraceae: Astereae)
The Celmisia group (i.e. an informal taxonomic proposal) belongs to the tribe Astereae of the Asteraceae family. Prior to the work presented in this dissertation, the delimitation of the Celmisia group, based on insights ... -
Endophytic phaeophyceae from New Zealand
The aims of this study were to find endophytic brown algae in marine macroalgae from New Zealand, isolate them into culture and identify them using morphological as well as molecular markers, to study the prevalence of ... -
Aspects of the ecology of Tupeia antarctica and its conservation management
Mistletoes, a functional group of aerial stem hemiparasites, are considered to be keystone species in many ecosystems worldwide. Unfortunately, they have received little attention relative to their diversity, distribution ... -
Investigation of the Genes sll1354, sll1165, and sll1520 in Genomic Instability in Cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803
The model cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 is used extensively in the studies of oxygenic photosynthesis as well as genetic engineering. The ability to incorporate exogenous DNA into its genome through homologous ... -
Arachnid ecology in New Zealand, exploring unknown and poorly understood factors.
Spiders (Araneae) are an important ecological component of most terrestrial ecosystems. Comparatively, New Zealand spider ecology is poorly understood, particularly with regards to how spiders have been affected by the ... -
New Zealand marine zooplankton dynamics through the lens of climate change
Marine mesozooplankton (zooplankton >0.2 mm in size) play critical roles in ocean food webs and biogeochemical cycles. Because mesozooplankton are taxonomically and functionally diverse, community composition is an important ... -
The Trees’ Influence on Soil Development. Nutrient Cycling Strategies of Trees. Fundamental Knowledge for synecological Forest Ecosystem Management.
The influence of various tree species and -genera on an initially homogenous soil substrate has been analysed and compared. The homogeneity of the site is due to a common loessial soil substrate, a narrow topographical ...