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This collection contains items published by Lincoln University researchers where we do not have the full text or cannot make it open access. Instead we provide the bibliographic data (title, author, date etc), the abstract, and where relevant a link to the publisher's site.
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Item Restricted Oil volatility, oil and gas firms and portfolio diversification(Elsevier B.V., 2018-02) Antonakakis, N; Cunado, J; Filis, G; Gabauer, David; Perez de Gracia, FThis paper investigates the volatility spillovers and co-movements among oil prices and stock prices of major oil and gas corporations over the period between 18th June 2001 and 1st February 2016. To do so, we use the spillover index approach by Diebold and Yilmaz (2009, 2012, 2014, 2015) and the dynamic correlation coefficient model of Engle (2002) so as to identify the transmission mechanisms of volatility shocks and the contagion of volatility among oil prices and stock prices of oil and gas companies, respectively. Given that volatility transmission across oil and major oil and gas corporations is important for portfolio diversification and risk management, we also examine optimal weights and hedge ratios among the aforementioned series. Our results point to the existence of significant volatility spillover effects among oil and oil and gas companies' stock volatility. However, the spillover is usually unidirectional from oil and gas companies' stock volatility to oil volatility, with BP, CHEVRON, EXXON, SHELL and TOTAL being the major net transmitters of volatility to oil markets. Conditional correlations are positive and time-varying, with those between each of the aforementioned companies and oil being the highest. Finally, the diversification benefits and hedging effectiveness based on our results are discussed.Item Restricted Cryptocurrency market contagion: Market uncertainty, market complexity, and dynamic portfolios(Elsevier B.V., 2019-07) Antonakakis, N; Chatziantoniou, I; Gabauer, DavidIn this study, we employ a TVP-FAVAR connectedness approach in order to investigate the transmission mechanism in the cryptocurrency market. To this end, we concentrate on the top 9 cryptocurrencies by virtue of market capitalization and one market factor – based on 45 additional digital currencies – capturing the co-movements in the cryptocurrency market. The period of study spans between August 7, 2015 and May 31, 2018. We find that the dynamic total connectedness across several cryptocurrencies exhibits large dynamic variability ranging between 25% and 75%. In particular, periods of high (low) market uncertainty correspond to strong (weak) connectedness. We show that these results could be explained on the basis of increased market uncertainty that is associated with periods of highly volatile prices. In addition, despite the fact that Bitcoin still influences the cryptocurrency market substantially, we note that, recently, Ethereum has become the number one net transmitting cryptocurrency. We further note that the market gradually becomes more complex considering our connectedness approach and that this might be attributed to the unique characteristics and possibilities inherent in the technology of each cryptocurrency. A simplified application concentrating on bivariate portfolios is indicative of potential hedging opportunities using dynamic hedge ratios and dynamic portfolio weights.Item Restricted International monetary policy spillovers: Evidence from a time-varying parameter vector autoregression(Elsevier, 2019-10) Antonakakis, N; Gabauer, David; Gupta, RThis study examines the transmission of international monetary policy spillovers across developed economies based on a Bayesian time-varying parameter vector autoregressive (TVP-VAR) connectedness methodology. The analysis is based on daily shadow short rates over the period of January 2, 1995 to December 20, 2018. The empirical findings suggest that the magnitude of international monetary policy spillovers behaves heterogeneously over time, with unprecedented heights reached during the Great Recession of 2009, suggesting potential gains from unconventional monetary policy coordination. In addition, the results indicate that the dominant transmitters of international monetary policy spillovers are the Euro Area and the US, while Japan and the UK are the dominant receivers of spillovers. Our results are robust to alternative experimentations in terms of estimation and prior choices used to estimate the TVP-VAR.Item Restricted Greek economic policy uncertainty: Does it matter for Europe? Evidence from a dynamic connectedness decomposition approach(Elsevier B.V., 2019-12-01) Antonakakis, N; Gabauer, David; Gupta, RThis study examines the propagation mechanism of economic policy uncertainty shocks within Greece and between Greece and Europe over the period of January, 1998 and May, 2018. Further insights about the Greek-internal and external dynamics of economic policy uncertainty are provided by employing the recently developed dynamic connectedness decomposition approach of Gabauer and Gupta (2018). Our analysis reveals that Greek economic policy uncertainty is dominating the European economic policy uncertainty nearly permanently throughout the period of analysis. In particular, the Greek banking policy uncertainty (capital controls) and Greek currency policy uncertainty (Grexit rumors) have been significant net pairwise transmitters with respect to the European economic policy uncertainty. In addition, the Greek-internal transmission mechanism indicates that, Greek fiscal policy uncertainty indices are driven by Greek related monetary policy indices. Finally, our impulse response analysis suggests that the persistence of monetary policy related shocks is varying over time and increased after the Global Financial Crisis of 2007–2009. This magnifying effect explains partially the prolonged recovery of the European economy.Item Restricted Spillovers across macroeconomic, financial and real estate uncertainties: A time-varying approach(Elsevier B.V., 2020-03) Gabauer, David; Gupta, RWe investigate the spillover across real estate (REU), macroeconomic (MU) and financial uncertainties (FU) in the United States based on monthly data covering the period of July, 1970 to December, 2017. To estimate the propagation of uncertainties across the sectors, a time-varying parameter vector autoregression (TVP-VAR)-based connectedness procedure has been applied. In sum, we show that that since the 1970s, FU has been the main transmitter of shocks driving both, MU and REU, with MU dominating the REU. Our results support the need for better macroprudential policy decisions.Item Restricted Time-varying impact of uncertainty shocks on macroeconomic variables of the United Kingdom: Evidence from over 150 years of monthly data(Elsevier, 2020-11) Christou, C; Gabauer, David; Gupta, RIn this paper, we analyse the impact of uncertainty (corporate bond spread) shock on inflation rate, unemployment rate, monetary policy rate, and nominal exchange rate returns of the United Kingdom over the monthly period of 1855:01 to 2016:12. Given that we use data spanning over one and a half century, we use a time-varying parameter vector autoregressive (TVP-VAR) model. We find that a positive uncertainty shock reflects a negative demand shock as suggested by theory, and results in declines in the inflation, interest rate and dollar-pound exchange rate returns, and an increase in the unemployment rate. However, this impact varies over time, with the strongest effect observed for the period after World War II until the start of the Great Moderation, and during the recent global crisis. Our results are in general robust to an alternative econometric framework (breaks-based VAR) and a metric of uncertainty (stock market volatility).Item Restricted Return connectedness across asset classes around the COVID-19 outbreak(Elsevier, 2021-01) Bouri, E; Cepni, O; Gabauer, David; Gupta, RIn this paper, we show evidence of a dramatic change in the structure and time-varying patterns of return connectedness across various assets (gold, crude oil, world equities, currencies, and bonds) around the COVID-19 outbreak. Using the TVP-VAR connectedness approach, the results show that the dynamic total connectedness across the five assets was moderate and quite stable until early 2020. After that, the total connectedness spikes and the structure of the network of connectedness alters, which concurs with the COVID-19 outbreak. The equity and USD indices are the primary transmitters of shocks before the outbreak, whereas the bond index becomes the main transmitters of shocks during the COVID-19 outbreak. However, the USD index is a net receiver of shocks to other assets during the outbreak period. Furthermore, using a recently developed newspaper-based index of uncertainty in financial markets due to infectious diseases to capture the recent impact of COVID-19, we find that connectedness is positively related to this index, and increases at higher levels (conditional quantiles) of connectedness. Overall, our results reflect the speedy disturbing effects of the COVID-19 outbreak, which matters to the formulations of policies seeking to achieve financial stability. The results also indicate a possibility to threaten investors’ portfolios and fade the benefits of diversification.Item Restricted Coloniality and racialization of informality(SAGE, 2023-11-29) Olajide, OluwafemiThis article is inspired by Finn's work which historizes the structure of formal–informal dialectic in Africa, arguing that the origin dates to the colonial era. I extend Finn's argument through the prism of formal–informal as a racialized binary embedded in the coloniality of Africa's socio-spatial policies. Drawing insights from African cities generally and Lagos in particular, I argue that the formal–informal binary has always been a tool of colonial domination, which (re)produces and maintains racial hierarchies and racialized displacement in contemporary times. This provides a useful frame to understand and challenge the hierarchical positioning of informality relative to formality.Item Restricted Local climate modulates the development of soil nematode communities after glacier retreat(Wiley, 2024-01) Guerrieri, Alessia; Cantera, Isabel; Marta, Silvio; Bonin, Aurélie; Carteron, Alexis; Ambrosini, Roberto; Caccianiga, Marco; Anthelme, Fabien; Azzoni, Roberto Sergio; Almond, Peter; Alviz Gazitúa, Pablo; Cauvy‐Fraunié, Sophie; Ceballos Lievano, Jorge Luis; Chand, Pritam; Chand Sharma, Milap; Clague, John; Cochachín Rapre, Justiniano Alejo; Compostella, Chiara; Cruz Encarnación, Rolando; Dangles, Olivier; Deline, Philip; Eger, Andre; Erokhin, Sergey; Franzetti, Andrea; Gielly, Ludovic; Gili, Fabrizio; Gobbi, Mauro; Hågvar, Sigmund; Khedim, Norine; Meneses, Rosa Isela; Peyre, Gwendolyn; Pittino, Francesca; Proietto, Angela; Rabatel, Antoine; Urseitova, Nurai; Yang, Yan; Zaginaev, Vitalii; Zerboni, Andrea; Zimmer, Anaïs; Taberlet, Pierre; Diolaiuti, Guglielmina Adele; Poulenard, Jerome; Fontaneto, Diego; Thuiller, Wilfried; Ficetola, Gentile FrancescoThe worldwide retreat of glaciers is causing a faster than ever increase in ice‐free areas that are leading to the emergence of new ecosystems. Understanding the dynamics of these environments is critical to predicting the consequences of climate change on mountains and at high latitudes. Climatic differences between regions of the world could modulate the emergence of biodiversity and functionality after glacier retreat, yet global tests of this hypothesis are lacking. Nematodes are the most abundant soil animals, with keystone roles in ecosystem functioning, but the lack of global‐scale studies limits our understanding of how the taxonomic and functional diversity of nematodes changes during the colonization of proglacial landscapes. We used environmental DNA metabarcoding to characterize nematode communities of 48 glacier forelands from five continents. We assessed how different facets of biodiversity change with the age of deglaciated terrains and tested the hypothesis that colonization patterns are different across forelands with different climatic conditions. Nematodes colonized ice‐free areas almost immediately. Both taxonomic and functional richness quickly increased over time, but the increase in nematode diversity was modulated by climate, so that colonization started earlier in forelands with mild summer temperatures. Colder forelands initially hosted poor communities, but the colonization rate then accelerated, eventually leveling biodiversity differences between climatic regimes in the long term. Immediately after glacier retreat, communities were dominated by colonizer taxa with short generation time and r‐ecological strategy but community composition shifted through time, with increased frequency of more persister taxa with K‐ecological strategy. These changes mostly occurred through the addition of new traits instead of their replacement during succession. The effects of local climate on nematode colonization led to heterogeneous but predictable patterns around the world that likely affect soil communities and overall ecosystem development.Item Restricted Identification, mapping, and characterisation of a mature artificial mole channel network using ground-penetrating radar(Elsevier, 2023-10-01) Deuss, KE; Almond, Peter; Carrick, S; Kees, LJMole channel drainage is a cost-effective and efficient way to drain slowly permeable agricultural soils. Artificial drainage has the potential to significantly influence catchment hydrology and contaminant source areas, but there is little information available about the extent, connectivity, layout, density or longevity of mole channel networks, which are commonly estimated to deteriorate within 5–20 years. Such information is important for understanding landscape hydrodynamics but, currently, there are no established techniques for calibrating estimates of mole network characteristics at the paddock or larger scale. This study characterised a 30-plus-year-old mole channel network in a small agricultural basin in Southland, New Zealand, and tested the utility of ground-penetrating radar (GPR) for identifying, mapping, and characterising mole channel drainage. A dual frequency GPR antenna (700 and 250 MHz), connected to a high-precision, real-time kinematic global positioning system, was tested and proved effective at locating mole channels and a tile drain with high lateral precision and accuracy. Surveying of six plots demonstrated that the mole network was complex in design and had a high density (1.6 m m−2) of interconnected, multidirectional mole channels. Significantly, the mole channels were predominantly in good condition and spatially well connected. Visual observations found no evidence that the blade slot and secondary soil fractures, formed by the mole plough during installation, persisted after 30 years. However, root growth and worm burrowing into the mole channels suggest they are hydraulically connected to the surrounding soil through natural macropores. Our results provide the first attempt at mapping and characterising mature, multi-generational mole channel networks in slowly permeable loess soils. The results have significance for understanding catchment-scale hydrodynamics in mole-drained landscapes, especially considering that the life span of these artificial drainage networks is shown to be considerably longer than previous estimates for loess-derived, silt loam soils.Item Restricted Potential effects of climate change on cyanobacterial toxin production(Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG, 2020-12-16) Kelly, LT; Puddick, J; Borges, H; Dietrich, DR; Hamilton, DP; Wood, Susanna; Botana, LM; Louzao, MC; Vilarino, NThe increasingly widespread production of toxins by marine and freshwater microalgae raises serious concerns regarding seafood and drinking water safety. This book compiles studies on the influence of climate change on the spreading of toxin-producing species in aquatic systems. The chemistry and biology of toxin production is revised and an outlook on control and prevention of the toxins' impact on human and animal health is given. Unique compilation on the impact of climate change on marine and freshwater toxins. Explores the implications for drinking water, (sea)food and feed safety. New in the 2nd Edition: additional chapters on cyanobacteria and dinoflagellates.Item Restricted Sustainable transitions in agrifood systems: A bibliographic analysis of the role of firms and industries(2024-06-17) Lees, Nicholas; Sivakumar, Sivashankar; Lucock, XiaomengThere is a growing consensus that the modern food system lies at the center of the grand challenges facing humanity and requires urgent and profound changes in the way that food is produced, processed, distributed and consumed. This systematic review analyses the sustainability transitions literature within agrifood systems, focusing on the role of firms and industries in transitions as defined by the Sustainable Transitions Research Network (STRN). The only previous systematic review on agrifood sustainability transitions identified this STRN research theme as a marginal topic in the agrifood transitions literature. This paper conducts a systematic literature review using bibliometric analysis and visualization tools to assess the current state of research on the role of firms and industries in agrifood sustainability. The findings reveal a significant increase in publications related to firms and industries within agrifood sustainability transitions, constituting 20% of the overall literature by 2023. However, this research is geographically concentrated in the European Union, particularly the Netherlands and Germany and based at two key institutions. This Eurocentric orientation emphasizes mostly issues within European agrifood firms and industries. The study identifies two primary theoretical clusters through co-citation: one aligns with general sustainability discourse, and the other focuses more specifically on agriculture, ecology, and rural studies. Three thematic clusters emerge from bibliographic coupling analysis, emphasizing innovation, ecological aspects, and targeted interventions in agrifood sustainability transitions. This study confirms that there is an increased focus on "industries and firms" in agrifood sustainability transitions, offering insights into geographical and thematic patterns, journal preferences, and theoretical frameworks. These findings provide a greater understanding of the current literature landscape, laying a foundation for future research directions in sustainable agrifood transitions within the theme of firms and industries.Item Restricted Research on university agribusiness education: A systematic review of research themes and an analysis of research gaps(2024-06-17) Lees, Nicholas; Lucock, XiaomengUniversity agribusiness graduates confront significant challenges in a rapidly evolving agrifood sector with major technological changes combined with global issues like environmental sustainability and the impacts of climate change. At the same time, there are further challenges for the agrifood sector from increasing food demand due to projected population growth and dietary shifts that include more animal protein. Furthermore, university agribusiness education faces challenges where the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the shift to digital learning, prompting a reassessment of teaching methods. This study aims to evaluate existing literature on agribusiness education, identifying key themes and topics for future research. It marks the first systematic review of the agribusiness education literature. Using bibliometric and co-occurrence analysis, the study identifies key themes in agribusiness education literature. Initial data from the Web of Science yielded 138 publications; however, further screening identified 17 specifically addressing university agribusiness education. The VOSviewer network visualization software was used to analyse and present results. The findings revealed a significant lack of scholarly output in the area of university agribusiness education, with no significant increase in publications over time. The study evaluates the limited literature on agribusiness education, emphasizing the need for more scholarly attention. Key themes identified in the literature include entrepreneurship, curriculum flexibility, innovative teaching methods, and gender issues. The study’s implications for policymakers, industry stakeholders, and academic institutions highlighted the need to collaborate to reshape agribusiness education. Furthermore, evidence-based approaches to agribusiness education are needed to effectively prepare graduates for the evolving challenges. The study highlights the crucial role of agribusiness education research for guiding curriculum development and ensuring graduates possess technical and soft skills essential for future leadership in the sector.Item Restricted Insights into the use of GRESB as an ESG benchmarking tool(Emerald Publishing Limited, 2025-03-03) Anders, Gregory; Wiejak-Roy, Grazyna Aleksandra; Horry, Rosemary E; Squires, Graham; Booth, Colin APurpose - Sustainability practices and reporting have consistently evolved over the years with trends towards more holistic approaches with respect to environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG). In the real estate sector over the last decade, GRESB (formerly known as Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark) has become the leading global ESG benchmarking tool for real asset investments. However, it has attracted limited research, and this underpins this works’ motivation for the exploration of the perspectives of real estate stakeholders relating to the uptake and use of GRESB. Design/methodology/approach - The approach used in this study is qualitative in nature, adopting a phenomenological research design to capture the essence of the lived experiences of purposely sampled participants. This is done through an interpretative phenomenological analysis of semi-structured interviews. Findings - Legislation, regulation and risk management are the main motivations for engaging with ESG-related issues. The main benefit of GRESB is benchmarking, while the main weaknesses lie in the data collection and the undeveloped social component. Within data, the major challenges are observed for the transparency of performance data and overreliance on policies instead of performance. GRESB would benefit from the inclusion of (1) more detailed sustainability benchmarks relating to social and governance components, and (2) social value metrics in their overall assessment. Practical implications - Policymakers need to develop or support globally recognised reporting standards to increase the quality, accuracy and comparability of ESG information. Originality/value - This is the first study on ESG reporting using a phenomenological research design.Item Restricted Does collaborative governance increase public confidence in water management? Survey evidence from Aotearoa New Zealand(Water Alternatives Association, 2020-06) Tadaki, Marc; Sinner, J; Stahlmann-Brown, P; Greenhalgh, SCollaborative decision-making is widely understood as a democratic corrective to top-down forms of environmental management; it is a way in which citizens can contribute local knowledge to the policy process and have a more direct role in shaping policies and rules that affect them and their environments. However, while the democratic virtues of collaborative governance are often asserted, they are rarely evidenced; this leaves claims of democratic empowerment open to question. This study used a longitudinal survey of three New Zealand regions (n = 1350) to identify whether major multi-year investments in collaborative decision-making (2012-2018) are leading to increased public confidence in the effectiveness, responsiveness and fairness of water management institutions. Residents in collaborative catchments were found to have scores that were statistically indistinguishable from residents of non-collaborative catchments on management effectiveness, perceived agreement about water management, and fairness. Collaborative catchment residents did assign higher scores for water management responsiveness than did other residents, but the size of this difference was small compared to the effects of gender, ethnicity, region and level of individuals' prior engagement in water management. Despite major investments in collaborative community decision-making exercises, community confidence in the legitimacy, fairness and effectiveness of environmental management has not improved over the four years documented in our surveys. Researchers and practitioners should focus on developing ways to assess-and realise-the democratic benefits of collaborative decision-making for water.Item Restricted Broad and fine scale variability in bacterial diversity and cyanotoxin quotas in benthic cyanobacterial mats(Frontiers Media S.A., 2020-02-06) Thomson-Laing, Georgia; Puddick, Jonathan; Laroche, Olivier; Fulton, Samantha; Steiner, Konstanze; Heath, Mark W; Wood, SusannaBenthic proliferations of Microcoleus autumnalis (basionym Phormidium autumnale) and closely related taxa are being reported with increasing frequency in streams and rivers worldwide. This species commonly produces the potent neurotoxin anatoxin, and exposure to this has resulted in animal fatalities and human health concerns. Bacterial communities within cyanobacterial assemblages can facilitate processes such as nutrient cycling and are posited to influence cyanobacterial growth and function. However, there is limited knowledge on spatial variability of bacterial communities associated with benthic cyanobacteria and anatoxin content and quotas. In this study, M. autumnalis-dominated mat samples were collected from six sites in two New Zealand streams. Associated bacterial communities were characterized using 16S rRNA metabarcoding, anatoxin content by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and anaC copies using droplet digital PCR. Bacterial assemblages differed significantly when amplicon sequence variants were compared between streams and most sites within streams. These differences were associated with conductivity, DRP, DIN, temperature, anatoxin concentration, and quota. Despite the differences in bacterial community composition; at phyla, class and order levels there was high similarity across spatial scales, with Bacteroidetes (ca. 67%) and Proteobacteria (ca. 25%) dominant. There was significant variability in total anatoxin concentrations between sites in both streams (p < 0.001). When the data were converted to anatoxin quotas variability was reduced, suggesting that the relative abundance of toxic genotypes is a key driver of total anatoxin concentrations in mats. This study demonstrates the complexity of microbial communities within M. autumnalis-dominated mats and highlights their likely important role in within-mat nutrient cycling processes.Item Restricted Microcystins in New Zealand: A review of occurrence, congener diversity and cell quotas(Taylor & Francis on behalf of The Royal Society of New Zealand, 2019-04-03) Puddick, Jonathan; Thomson-Laing, Georgia; Wood, SusannaMicrocystin, a common class of cyanobacterial toxin, was first detected in New Zealand in 1997. Subsequent research has demonstrated that microcystins are widely distributed around New Zealand and are commonly detected in planktonic samples from lakes and reservoirs. Microcystis is the predominant microcystin-producing cyanobacteria reported in New Zealand and two different microcystin congener profiles have been detected in the majority of samples tested. Benthic species of Planktothrix and Nostoc have also been confirmed as microcystin producers. Whilst the Planktothrix is infrequently observed, Nostoc is common in lakes, rivers and terrestrial environments. However, there is relatively little information on microcystin congener diversity or the distribution of microcystin-producing Nostoc in New Zealand. To-date, genome sequencing and analysis has only been conducted on one New Zealand cyanobacterium (Planktothrix CAWBG59). Further genome sequencing of New Zealand microcystin-producing cyanobacteria could provide valuable insights into the genetic controls for microcystin production. There was a high level of inter-strain variability in microcystin cell quotas from Microcystis, highlighting the need for regional analyses to be conducted for risk assessments. Research on the ecological impact of microcystins is limited but shows the toxin can accumulate in New Zealand aquatic organisms, and, when microcystin concentrations are sufficiently high, have negative effects on survival and behaviour.Item Restricted Spatial variability and depuration of tetrodotoxin in the bivalve Paphies australis from New Zealand(Elsevier, 2019-04) Biessy, Laura; Smith, Kirsty F; Harwood, D Tim; Boundy, Michael J; Hawes, Ian; Wood, SusannaTetrodotoxin (TTX) is a potent neurotoxin responsible for many human intoxications globally. Despite its potency and widespread occurrence in taxonomically diverse species, the primary source of TTX remains uncertain. Paphies australis, an endemic clam found in New Zealand, has been found to contain TTX in several locations. However, it is unknown if this represents endogenous production or accumulation from an external source. To address this question, the concentrations of TTX in whole P. australis and dissected organs (siphons, foot, digestive gland and the ‘rest’) from thirteen sites around New Zealand were determined using liquid chromatography-tandem quadrupole mass spectrometry analysis (LC-MS/MS). Depuration rate of TTX was also investigated by harvesting and measuring concentrations in P. australis maintained in captivity on a toxin-free diet every three to 15 days for 150 days. The LC-MS/MS analyses of the spatial samples showed that TTX was present in P. australis from all regions tested, with significantly (p < 0.001) higher concentrations (15–50 μg kg¯¹) observed at lower latitudes of the North Island compared with trace levels (0.5–3 μg kg¯¹) in the South Island of New Zealand. Tetrodotoxin was detected in all the dissected organs but the siphons contained the highest concentrations of TTX at all sites analysed. A linear model of the depuration data identified a significant (p < 0.001) decline in total TTX concentrations in P. australis over the study period. The siphons maintained the highest amount of TTX across the entire depuration study. The digestive glands contained low concentrations at the start of the experiment, but this depurated rapidly and only traces remained after 21 days. These results provide evidence to suggest that P. australis does not produce TTX endogenously but obtains the neurotoxin from an exogenous source (e.g., diet) with the source more prevalent in warmer northern waters. The association of higher TTX concentrations in shellfish with warmer environments raises concerns that this toxin's distribution and abundance could become an increasing human health issue with global warming.Item Restricted Development of a triplex droplet digital polymerase chain reaction assay for the detection of three New Zealand native freshwater mussels (Echyridella) in environmental samples(Wiley, 2022-09) Steiner, Konstanze; Dyer, Niamh; Lee, Charles K; Vandergoes, Marcus J; Wood, SusannaThe freshwater mussel Echyridella (also known as kākahi) is the only freshwater mussel found in New Zealand's lakes and rivers and is endemic to the country. They play a crucial role in freshwater ecosystems and have high cultural significance. The three putative species of Echyridella are all classified as at risk. Monitoring is required to enhance knowledge on their distribution and to provide management, but conventional approaches (diving, wading, or swimming and visually looking for mussels) are time-consuming, costly, and require good visibility. The use of environmental DNA (eDNA) in combination with PCR techniques offer advantages over conventional methods. In this study, we developed a triplex droplet digital PCR assay, targeting a region of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 gene, that differentiates all three kākahi species. The limits of quantification using gblocks were 0.6 × 10⁻⁰—6 × 10⁻⁰³ fg/µl, yielding 2–8 copies/reaction, and for tissue DNA 10,000–100,000 fg/µl, yielding 9–15 copies/reaction. The method was applied to water samples from 48 lakes, lagoons, or ponds and two samples from streams. A total of 58% of samples from lakes, lagoons, or ponds and all samples from the streams were positive for kākahi. Sediment samples (n = 15) were also tested. Only those collected in close proximity (<1 m) to living kākahi were positive highlighting the patchy distribution of eDNA in sediment. This new assay will assist in determining the current distribution of kākahi at large temporal and spatial scales and has the potential to be used for the assessment of historic distributions as well.Item Restricted Monuments and feminist activism: Queen Isabel la Católica and Virgen Barbie in La Paz(Taylor & Francis on behalf of Landscape Research Group Ltd., 2025-02-18) Walker, Y; Bowring, Jacqueline; Davis, ShannonMonuments are significant sites of contestation where conflicting narratives are expressed through interventions such as graffiti, defacement, and destruction. This study investigates the Isabel la Católica monument and the Virgen (Virgin) Barbie in La Paz, Bolivia, focusing on how the anarcha-feminist collective Mujeres Creando uses creative interventions to challenge patriarchal and colonial narratives. Their actions, including graffiti, statue dressing, and performances, function as counter-memorials that critique European beauty standards and colonial principles while reimagining Indigenous feminine identity. We employed qualitative methods, including social media analysis and archival research, to examine the motivations behind and impacts of these interventions. Our findings reveal that these symbolic acts challenge colonial narratives, reshape public consciousness, and foster social change and healing. By introducing the concepts of resignification and recontextualisation, we offer insights into how such creative actions transform contested landscapes to reflect Indigenous values and contribute to broader social transformations.