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
Memory retention of conditioned aversion training in New Zealand's alpine parrot, the kea
(Wiley, 2022) McLean LRW; Nichols MM; Taylor AH; Nelson, Ximena
New Zealand pest control operations commonly deploy toxic sodium fluoroacetate (1080) baits to control introduced mammalian predators and protect vulnerable native fauna, yet the highly intelligent kea (Nestor notabilis) is at risk of mortality following ingestion of toxic baits intended for their protection. We tested the retention of conditioned aversion in 11 captive kea that had learned to avoid baits containing the bird repellent anthraquinone alongside color, olfactory, and taste cues. We revisited kea over increasing time intervals (3 days, 5 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, and 1 yr) offering them otherwise identical non-repellent baits. Kea retained their aversion until the final session, 1 year after previous exposure to reinforcement, and almost 2 years since previous exposure to repellent. Whether the kea forgot their aversion or the repeated exposures to non-repellent baits resulted in extinction of the aversion, our results indicate that kea are capable of remembering an aversion for long enough to be of practical use to conservation managers in reducing kea mortality through 1080 operations.
The effect of HCl on the α-Ga2O3 thin films fabricated by third generation mist chemical vapor deposition
(AIP Publishing, 2021) Yasuoka T; Liu L; Ozaki T; Asako K; Ishikawa Y; Fukue M; Dang, Giang; Kawaharamura T
α-Ga2O3 thin films were grown on a c-plane sapphire substrate by a third generation mist chemical vapor deposition system. The surface roughness was measured by atomic force microscopy, and the composition of Ga2O3 was measured by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. It was found that HCl affects the growth rate, purity, and surface roughness of α-Ga2O3 films. The growth rate increased with the HCl supply. The thickness, surface roughness, and chemical state analyses indicate that three growth modes occurred depending on the Ga supply rate and HCl/Ga supply ratio and the purity was improved by optimizing the HCl/Ga supply ratio and Ga supply rate.
Constructing random matrices to represent real ecosystems
(UNIV CHICAGO PRESS, 2015) James, Alex; Plank, Michael; Rossberg AG; Beecham J; Emmerson M; Pitchford JW
Models of complex systems with n components typically have order n2 parameters because each component can potentially interact with every other. When it is impractical to measure these parameters, one may choose random parameter values and study the emergent statistical properties at the system level. Many influential results in theoretical ecology have been derived from two key assumptions: that species interact with random partners at random intensities and that intraspecific competition is comparable between species. Under these assumptions, community dynamics can be described by a community matrix that is often amenable to mathematical analysis. We combine empirical data with mathematical theory to show that both of these assumptions lead to results that must be interpreted with caution. We examine 21 empirically derived community matrices constructed using three established, independent methods. The empirically derived systems are more stable by orders of magnitude than results from random matrices. This consistent disparity is not explained by existing results on predator-prey interactions. We investigate the key properties of empirical community matrices that distinguish them from random matrices. We show that network topology is less important than the relationship between a species’ trophic position within the food web and its interaction strengths. We identify key features of empirical networks that must be preserved if random matrix models are to capture the features of real ecosystems.
Anterior thalamic nuclei: a critical substrate for non-spatial paired-associate memory in rats
(Wiley, 2022) Hamilton, Jenny J; Dalrymple-Alford, John
Injury or dysfunction in the anterior thalamic nuclei (ATN) may be the key contributory factor in many instances of diencephalic amnesia. Experimental ATN lesions impair spatial memory and temporal discriminations, but there is only limited support for a more general role in non-spatial memory. To extend evidence on the effects of ATN lesions, we examined the acquisition of biconditional associations between odour and object pairings presented in a runway, either with or without a temporal gap between these items. Intact adult male rats acquired both the no-trace and 10-s trace versions of this non-spatial task. Intact rats trained in the trace version showed elevated Zif268 activation in the dorsal CA1 of the hippocampus, suggesting that the temporal component recruited additional neural processing. ATN lesions completely blocked acquisition on both versions of this association-memory task. This deficit was not due to poor inhibition to non-rewarded cues or impaired sensory processing, because rats with ATN lesions were unimpaired in the acquisition of simple odour discriminations and simple object discriminations using similar task demands in the same apparatus. This evidence challenges the view that impairments in arbitrary paired-associate learning after ATN lesions require the use of multimodal spatial stimuli. It suggests that diencephalic amnesia associated with the ATN stems from degraded attention to stimulus–stimulus associations and their representation across a distributed memory system.
Observation and modeling of platelet ice fabric in McMurdo Sound, Antarctica
(American Geophysical Union (AGU), 2010) Dempsey, David; Langhorne PJ; Robinson NJ; Williams MJM; Haskell TG; Frew RD
During the annual growth of landfast ice in McMurdo Sound, Antarctica, an episodic flux of platelet ice crystals from the ocean contributes to the build up of a porous subice platelet layer, which is steadily incorporated into the sea ice cover as it thickens over winter. In November 2007, we examined the spatial variability of these processes by collecting sea ice cores, with simultaneous oceanographic observations, along an east-west transect in the sound. Previously identified draped and bladed platelet ice types were observed. In addition, we identify resumed columnar growth which appears to be a result of geometric selection from the subice platelet layer after the arrival of new platelet crystals from the ocean has ceased. A numerical model of mechanical platelet ice processes is developed that predicts crystal texture and c axis distributions, producing virtual incorporated platelet ice with known growth history. This model demonstrates how a disordered subice platelet layer arises from an initially flat interface and suggests that such a layer is more likely to form later in the growth season. The model also suggests how the grain boundary density in incorporated platelet ice responds to changes in the flux of loose platelet crystals from the ocean. Application of this result to our 2007 platelet ice observations indicates that sea ice in western McMurdo Sound is subject to larger and more persistent platelet fluxes than the ice in the east. This is consistent with the pattern of in situ supercooling just beneath the ocean surface. © 2010 by the American Geophysical Union.