Marine Science
Recent Deposits
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Physical processes in a time-dependent salt wedge estuary with a region of repeated sharp curvature
This thesis presents a comprehensive study of physical processes in the Taieri River of the South Island, New Zealand, a poorly studied time-dependent salt wedge estuary with a region of repeated sharp curvature. A series ... -
Drivers of temperate reef fish community structure and food web architecture
An understanding of the drivers that influence community structure and functioning is essential to predict and manage the impacts of human induced stressors on the marine environment. The current thesis aimed to resolve ... -
Population biology, expansion and harvestability of the invasive Undaria pinnatifida in southern New Zealand
In the marine environment, 84% of eco-regions have been subject to biological invasions. These invasions can be ecologically costly through displacing native species, shifting community structure, altering food webs, and ... -
Foraging ecology of sperm whales at Kaikōura
The submarine canyon of Kaikōura, New Zealand, is a foraging ground for male sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus). The abundance of whales feeding in this area during summer has almost halved over the last three decades, ... -
The ecology and conservation of hotspots for Hector’s dolphin
Many species of marine top-predator have ‘hotspots’ in their distribution. Hotspots can be defined as areas within the distribution of a population that are used disproportionately more than other locations. Usually ... -
Dynamics of faecal contamination in the Waikouaiti estuary and implications for non-commercial harvest
For many New Zealand catchments, rainfall-induced faecal contamination is a primary mechanism for introducing gastro bacterial pathogens into shellfish harvesting environments. Bivalves have the ability to accumulate ... -
Factors affecting recruitment of farmed greenshell mussels, Perna canaliculus (Gmelin) 1791, in Marlborough Sounds
Greenshell mussels, Perna canaliculus, are cultured in New Zealand using wild spat sourced from two areas. One of these is the Marlborough Sounds marine farming area where specially designed spat-catching ropes are provided ... -
Population biology and the effects of tourism on Hector's Dolphins (Cephalorhynchus hectori), in Porpoise Bay, NZ
A small population of Hector's dolphins (Cephalorhynchus hectori) in Porpoise Bay, New Zealand, attracts a single commercial dolphin-watch vessel as well as an increasing number of swimmers who enter the water from the ... -
Social organisation, behaviour and population parameters of Bottlenose Dolphins in Doubtful Sound, Fiordland
Bottlenose dolphins in Doubtful Sound represent a unique opportunity for a relatively longterm study of wild, known individuals near the southern extent of their worldwide range, and unaffected by incidental mortality. In ... -
Responses to climate change of the sea urchin (Pseudechinus sp.) and sea star (Odontaster validus) through hybridisation, local adaptations and transgenerational plasticity
Climate change, through ocean warming and ocean acidification, can affect the life cycles and population dynamics of marine species, which react by developing acclimation mechanisms. Sea urchins (Pseudechinus sp.) may ... -
Bryozoan thickets on Otago shelf, New Zealand
A bryozoan-dominated benthic community on the Otago continental shelf (45° 50’ S, 170° 50’ E) has been the subject of a number of earlier studies. Although previous studies have helped define the nature of benthic communities ... -
Exchange of nutrients from Big Glory Bay, Stewart Island
Big Glory bay is a semi-enclosed bay located in the south-east of Paterson Inlet, Stewart Island. The bay has been used for commercial sea cage rearing of chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha Walbaum) since 1981 and ... -
Characterisation of the sediment budget of Otago Harbour : a geophysical and sedimentological study
Urban tidal inlets often lend themselves to economically important port development. In many cases, such inlets are artificially deepened and maintained for continuous human use. A range of ecological, hydrological, ... -
Growth and condition of the Greenshell mussel, Perna canaliculus, in Big Glory Bay, Stewart Island: relationships with environmental parameters
Intensive aquaculture of the Greenshell™ mussel Perna canaliculus has occurred in Big Glory Bay, Stewart Island since 1987. The objective of this study was to investigate possible reasons for the reduction in mussel growth ... -
Sinks of agriculturally derived nitrogen in estuarine and coastal lagoon ecosystems
Increased nutrient runoff from mismanaged agricultural farming results in excess inputs of nutrients to coastal ecosystems, which can increase primary productivity causing eutrophication. Estuarine sediments provide the ... -
Acclimatisation and adaptive capacity of echinoderms in response to ocean acidification and warming
Future ocean acidification and warming pose a substantial threat to the viability of some marine populations. In order to persist, marine species will need to acclimate or adapt to the forecasted changes. Recent research ... -
Optimising indicators of ecological condition in shallow tidal estuaries as function of nitrogen loading
Developing robust means of identifying anthropogenic stressor levels that degrade aquatic ecosystems represents a global management and conservation challenge. Among the known threats for coastal biodiversity and ecosystem ... -
Behaviour and ecology of bottlenose dolphins in Doubtful Sound, Fiordland, New Zealand
On 353 days during three years of fieldwork from 1994 to 1997 in Doubtful Sound, New Zealand I collected data on abundance, body proportions, seasonal movements, diving behaviour, surface behaviour and association patterns ... -
Changes to Austrovenus stutchburyi growth rate since early human settlement in New Zealand: an indication of the extent of human impact on estuarine health
When humans first arrived in New Zealand around 1250AD they started making changes to the environment to make it more habitable. Coastal marine ecosystems such as estuaries are an important link between the land and the ... -
Does host diet govern the structure and diversity of tapeworm assemblages in sharks? Insights from the literature and a model shark species; Cephaloscyllium isabellum
Previous research has shed some light on what phylogenetic and ecological factors may be important determinants of tapeworm parasite diversity in elasmobranchs (sharks, skates and rays). However, several potentially key ...