Browsing by Supervisor "Pilditch, Conrad A."
Now showing items 1-20 of 42
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Changes in benthic ecosystem properties and functions across sedimentary gradients in estuaries
(University of Waikato, 2014)In estuaries, sediment properties dominate the inhabiting flora and fauna and their role in energy flows and nutrient cycling. Whilst sediment transport is a natural, key process, human intervention in estuaries and their ... -
Changes in flow and sediment trapping caused by bioturbating macrofauna (austrohelice crassa)
(University of Waikato, 2016)Intertidal ecosystems contribute a significant portion of the world’s ecosystem goods and services. Recently, an increasing amount of focus has been generated surrounding the central role of sediment mixing (bioturbation) ... -
The context-specific roles of a bioturbating crab (Austrohelice crassa) on ecosystem functioning
(University of Waikato, 2011)Bioturbating macrofauna can have major effects on their physical, biological and biogeochemical surroundings, altering ecosystem functioning. Austrohelice crassa (herein Austrohelice) is a burrow building estuarine crab ... -
Contribution of seagrass (Zostera muelleri) to estuarine food webs revealed by carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analysis
(The University of Waikato, 2006)Seagrass is a conspicuous marine angiosperm that forms extensive beds in coastal and intertidal estuarine areas. In many regions worldwide seagrass is in decline and there is a pressing need to understand the function and ... -
Cross-boundary detrital subsidies: Detrital export and effects on receiving intertidal soft-sediment ecosystems
(University of Waikato, 2017)Ecosystems are often connected by the transfer of resource ‘subsidies’ across their boundaries. In temperate estuaries, marine macrophyte leaf litter represents an obvious and visible detrital subsidy to nearby intertidal ... -
Denitrification response to nutrient enrichment in New Zealand estuaries
(The University of Waikato, 2018)As coastal catchment land use intensifies, estuaries receive increased nutrient and sediment loads, resulting in habitats dominated by muddy organic-rich sediments. Nutrient processing and denitrification in estuarine ... -
Detecting anthropogenic impacts on estuarine benthic communities
(The University of Waikato, 2021)Our estuaries, and the benefits that we derive from them, are threatened by the cumulative effects of interacting stressors. Separating the impacts of anthropogenic stressors from natural variability in the marine environment ... -
Distribution of nematodes in pasture soil across seasons and in combination with plant species and fertiliser application
(The University of Waikato, 2018)The intensification of pastoral land use has increased with the use of fertilisers and the selection of highly productive pasture plant species to increase pasture production. When choosing a ryegrass cultivar infected ... -
Diversity of New Zealand Deep-sea Amphipoda
(University of Waikato, 2012)Biodiversity and the ecological and evolutionary processes which influence faunal distributions are poorly understood in deep-sea habitats. This thesis assesses diversity of deep-sea amphipod crustaceans at three taxonomic ... -
Do benthic macrofauna functional groups or their key constituent species better predict variation in ecosystem functioning?
(The University of Waikato, 2018)Estuarine ecosystems are important zones for primary productivity and nutrient processing, have rich communities of plants and animals and support important fisheries and are fundamental to food webs. Intertidal habitats ... -
Does seagrass influence the behavioural and physiological response to flow in juvenile snapper (Pagrus auratus)?
(University of Waikato, 2015)Many juvenile fish species are associated with structural habitats, potentially benefiting them from reduced predation and competition as well as enhanced feeding opportunities. It is also possible that structural habitats ... -
Dynamics of internal nutrient loading in a eutrophic, polymictic lake (Lake Rotorua, New Zealand)
(The University of Waikato, 2006)Lake Rotorua is a large (80 krn2), polymictic, eutrophic, shalJow (mean depth 10.8 m) lake in central North Island, New Zealand. Blooms of cyanobacteria and occasional anoxia of bottom waters are characteristic of the ... -
Ecological effects of turbidity variations in and around dredging areas in the Port of Tauranga
(The University of Waikato, 2018)Turbidity is the scattering of light in water bodies and is an important measurement for assessing water quality in coastal systems. Suspended particles in the water column can greatly impact on light penetration and ... -
The ecological role of the suspension feeding bivalve, Austrovenus stutchburyi, in estuarine ecosystems
(University of Waikato, 2011)Suspension feeding bivalves are described as key species in many aquatic ecosystems, where they can influence primary productivity and nutrient dynamics, are food for higher trophic levels, and may be harvested in commercial ... -
Effect of exposure on the erodibility of intertidal mudflats
(The University of Waikato, 2021)Sediments on intertidal flats are exposed during low tides. Under the effect of exposure, the water content of sediments decreases because of the evaporation process, which alters the erosive behaviour of cohesive sediments, ... -
Effects of elevated pore water nutrient concentrations on seagrass meadows (Zostera muelleri) and their associated macrofauna assemblages in relation to sediment chracateristics
(University of Waikato, 2016)While seagrasses and their associated macrofaunal assemblages naturally endure eutrophication events, nutrient enrichment as a result of anthropogenic activities has subjected them to prolonged levels of elevated nutrients. ... -
Effects of macrofauna diversity on porewater nutrient concentrations following enrichment
(University of Waikato, 2015)Macrofauna play a key role in the functioning of soft sediment intertidal ecosystems via bioturbation and feeding habits which modify sediment biogeochemistry and influence nutrient cycling. Eutrophication is a naturally ... -
From ecology to the assessment of multiple ecosystem services; a case study of estuarine bivalves
(The University of Waikato, 2021)Estuarine and coastal environments provide a wide range of societal goods and services that need to be strategically managed to ensure sustainable use of resources. Ecosystem service (ES) assessments are transitioning from ... -
The genetic structure of New Zealand's coastal benthos: using the estuarine clam Austrovenus stutchburyi, to determine rates of gene flow and population connectivity
(University of Waikato, 2011)For many benthic marine taxa, dispersal over large distances is dependent on a pelagic larval phase. It is through the dispersal process that benthic taxa can found new populations, colonise disturbed or degraded habitats ... -
Impact of black swan grazing and anthropogenic contaminants on New Zealand seagrass meadows
(University of Waikato, 2011)Seagrass is the only marine angiosperm (flowering plant) and decline of seagrass meadows has been reported worldwide. The important ecological and economic values of this marine habitat make it essential to preserve. ...
