UC Research Repository
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The UC Research Repository collects, stores and makes available original research from postgraduate students, researchers and academics based at the University of Canterbury.
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Recent Submissions
The Fragile State of Industrial Agriculture: Estimating Crop Yield Reductions in a Global Catastrophic Infrastructure Loss Scenario
(Wiley, 2024) Moersdorf J; Rivers M; Denkenberger, David; Breuer L; Jehn FU
Modern civilization relies on a complex, globally interconnected industrial agriculture system to produce food. Its unprecedented yields hinge on external inputs like machinery, fertilizers, and pesticides, rendering it vulnerable to disruptions in production and international trade. Such a disruption could be caused by large-scale damage to the electrical grid. Solar storms, nuclear detonations in the upper atmosphere, pandemics, or cyber-attacks, could cause this severe damage to electrical infrastructure. To assess the impact of such a global catastrophic infrastructure loss on major food crops (corn, rice, soybean, wheat), we employ a generalized linear model. The predictions show a crop-specific yield reduction between 15% and 37% in phase 1, the year after the catastrophe, assuming rationed use of fertilizers, pesticides, and fuel stocks. In phase 2, when all stocks are depleted, yields decrease by 35%–48%. Soybean is less affected in phase 1, while all crops experience strong declines in phase 2. Europe, North and South America, and parts of India, China, and Indonesia face major yield reductions, potentially up to 75%, while most African countries are less affected. These findings underscore the necessity for preparation by highlighting the vulnerability of the food system.
The roles of sexual selection and sexual conflict in shaping patterns of genome and transcriptome variation
(Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 2023) Tosto, Nicole; Beasley, Emily R.; Wong, Bob; Mank, Judith; Flanagan, Sarah
Sexual dimorphism is one of the most prevalent, and often the most extreme, examples of phenotypic variation within species, and arises primarily from genomic variation that is shared between females and males. Many sexual dimorphisms arise through sex differences in gene expression, and sex-biased expression is one way that a single, shared genome can generate multiple, distinct phenotypes. Although many sexual dimorphisms are expected to result from sexual selection, and many studies have invoked the possible role of sexual selection to explain sex-specific traits, the role of sexual selection in the evolution of sexually dimorphic gene expression remains difficult to differentiate from other forms of sex-specific selection. In this Review, we propose a holistic framework for the study of sex-specific selection and transcriptome evolution. We advocate for a comparative approach, across tissues, developmental stages and species, which incorporates an understanding of the molecular mechanisms, including genomic variation and structure, governing gene expression. Such an approach is expected to yield substantial insights into the evolution of genetic variation and have important applications in a variety of fields, including ecology, evolution and behaviour.
Evaluating the barriers of blockchain adoption in the Australian logistics industry
(Informa UK Limited, online-publication-date) Chen, F.; Vandchali , H. R.; Shi , W.; Koushan, Mona; Jain , V
Blockchain technology is widely concerned with the potential to revolutionize the logistics industry by sharing tamper proof information in a decentralized manner, facilitating building trust among parties. However, the adoption rate in the Australia logistics industry has lagged behind other industries. To address this issue, this study utilizes a fuzzy DEMATEL method to investigate the barriers of blockchain technology adoption in the logistics industry. Thirteen key barriers are identified and categorized based on the technology- organization- environment (TOE) framework. By comparing the individual fuzzy DEMATEL results based on interviews with experts for the Australian logistics industry, the cost of investment and integrating difficulties among logistics network partners are identified as the most prominent barriers, while the cost of investment, incapability of human resources, and lack of management support are the key cause barriers. Also, the top-ranked barriers mainly belong to the organizational contexts under the TOE framework. The paper provides a critical theory foundation for successful implementation of blockchain in the logistics industry. Besides, it can provide practical insights for practitioners to balance their resources in addressing the barriers in BCT application.
Research articles in the GPT era
(Journal of Spatial Information Science, online-publication-date) Adams, Benjamin; Dodge , Somayeh; Purves , Ross
For JOSIS, the potential benefits of publishing work that has involved the use of generative language tools in their writing, do not outweigh the risks at this stage. Therefore,
in line with publications such as Science, we are instituting a policy that submissions must
be written entirely by the authors without the help of AI writing tools, except for minor
improvement of grammar [3]. On submitting, we will ask authors to confirm this, and we trust that they will do so.
Heterogeneity in flow disturbance around river confluences influences spatial patterns in native and non-native species co-occurrence
(Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 2020) Boddy , Nixie; Booker , Doug; McIntosh, Angus
Given the prevalence of invasive species and high rates of habitat homogenisation across the globe, understanding how these drivers interact to influence native species assemblages is crucial. In river networks, confluences create discontinuities in physical conditions, likely creating hotspots of heterogeneity that influence interactions between native and invasive fish. We examined how spatial configuration of confluences affected the outcome of interactions between native galaxiids and non-native salmonids in New Zealand alpine rivers. Electrofishing in mainstem and tributary branches of twelve replicate confluences revealed highly context-dependent distributions, contingent upon interactions between: (a) the combination of flood disturbance history in confluence branches; (b) distance to the confluence; and (c) the direction of flow, either upstream or downstream, of the confluence. Shifts in native–invasive species relative abundance were determined by the preference of large predatory salmonids for more hydrologically stable conditions, which subsequently limited the abundance of young-of-year galaxiids, and meant galaxiids were more abundant in flood-prone conditions. Distance-from-confluence effects were stronger upstream than downstream, suggesting that flow direction had an important influence on dispersal. Tributary flow regimes also predictably influenced downstream physical conditions, thereby affecting predatory salmonid distribution which likely controlled galaxiid distributions. Overall, our results reveal strong spatial context-dependency in fish assemblages in river networks, and demonstrate how flow regime influences are spatially transferred at confluences, thereby creating areas of influential riverscape heterogeneity. Understanding the influence of such heterogeneity enables ecologically significant locations to be identified, particularly for management of native species vulnerable to invaders.