Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Pasture research – South Australia'
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1
Maddern, Rowan John. "Low water-soluble superphosphate fertiliser for pasture production in south-western Australia." Thesis, Curtin University, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/2242.
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Single superphosphate is derived from chemically treating rock phosphate into relative proportions of monobasic, dibasic and tribasic calcium phosphate to produce a commonly used source of phosphorus fertiliser for pasture systems. The leaching of phosphorus on susceptible soil types contributes to eutrophication and environmental damage. By modifying the chemistry of single superphosphate to match a soils phosphorus binding index and rainfall conditions, pasture dry matter yield can be maintained and leaching of phosphorus significantly reduced.
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Sounness, Marcus Neil. "Alternative grazing systems and pasture types for the South West of Western Australia : a bio-economic analysis." University of Western Australia. School of Agricultural and Resource Economics, 2005. http://theses.library.uwa.edu.au/adt-WU2005.0054.
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Alternative grazing systems and pasture types for wool production in the south west of Western Australia were analysed using bio-economic modelling techniques in order to determine their relative productivity and profitability. After reviewing the experimental and modelling literature on perennial pastures and grazing systems, seven case studies of farmers were conducted in order to investigate the practical application of innovative grazing systems and use of perennial pastures. Together these case studies provided information for identifying relevant variables and for calibrating the modelling work which followed. The core of the work lies in a bio-economic model for investigating the comparative value of the three grazing systems and two pasture families mentioned above. A baseline scenario using currently available and reliable scientific data provides baseline results, after which a number of sensitivity analyses provide further insights using variations of four key parameters: persistence, heterogeneity, water soluble carbohydrates, and increased losses. Results show that perennial pastures are in the studied region more profitable than annual pastures. Under current baseline conditions, continuous grazing with perennial pastures is the most profitable enterprise, but this superiority is not robust under parameter variations defined by other scenarios. The more robust solution in terms of enterprise profitability is cell grazing with perennial pastures. The results indicate that intensive grazing systems such as cell grazing have the potential to substantially increase the profitability of grazing operations on perennial pasture. This result is an encouraging one in light of its implications for water uptake and salinity control. It means that economics and land care can go hand in hand, rather than be competitive. It is to be noted that it is the choice of the grazing system in combination with the pasture species, rather then the pasture species itself, that allows for such complementarity between economics and sustainable land use. This research shows that if farmers adopt practices such as cell grazing they may be able to increase the area that they can profitably plant to perennial pasture thus reducing the impacts of dryland salinity. This finding is consistent with the findings of the case studies where the farmers perceived that, provided grazing was planned, increasing the intensity of their grazing management and the perenniallity of their pastures would result in an increase in the profitability of their grazing operation. As a result this research helps to bridge a gap which has existed in this area of research, between the results of scientific research and those reported in practice.
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Frost, William E. "The ecology of cereal rust mite Abacarus hystrix (Nalepa) in irrigated perennial dairy pastures in South Australia /." Title page, contents and summary only, 1995. http://web4.library.adelaide.edu.au/theses/09PH/09phf9398.pdf.
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Crawford, Michael Cameron. "Quantification of the belowground inputs of organic carbon by the annual pasture legume barrel medic (Medicago truncatula Gaertn.)." Title page, contents and abstract only, 1997. http://web4.library.adelaide.edu.au/theses/09PH/09phc8988.pdf.
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Bibliography: leaves 164-193. This study aims to quantify the belowground input of organic carbon by barrel medic using techniques that account for root death and decomposition as well as root secretion and exudation. It also investigates the effect of defoliation on carbon allocation within the plant so as to determine the potential for optimising carbon input to the soil through grazing management.
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McLaughlin, Michael John. "Phosphorus cycling in soil under wheat-pasture rotations /." Title page, contents and summary only, 1986. http://web4.library.adelaide.edu.au/theses/09PH/09phm1615.pdf.
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Dalby, Paul Reginald. "Competition between earthworms in high rainfall pastures in the Mt. Lofty Ranges, South Australia." Title page, contents and summary only, 1996. http://web4.library.adelaide.edu.au/theses/09PH/09phd137.pdf.
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Copy of author's previously published work inserted. Bibliography: leaves 261-306. The objectives of the project were: i. to determine whether there are competitive interactions between Aporrectodea trapezoides and A. caliginosa and A. rosea.--ii. to investigate compeditive interactions between A. calignosa, Microscolex dubius and A. trapezoides.--iii . to determine the likely impact of A. longa on soil fauna, especially the native earthworm, Gemascolex lateralis, in native ecosystems.
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Bates, Ian George Bindon. ""Necessity's inventions" : a research project into South Australian inventors and their inventions from 1836 to 1886." Title page, contents and abstract only, 2000. http://web4.library.adelaide.edu.au/theses/09ARM/09armb3924.pdf.
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"August 2000" Includes bibliographical references (leaves 115-118) and index of inventors 1. Introduction, overview of years 1836-1886 -- 2. The Patent Act, no. 18, of 1859 -- 3. The Provisional Registration of Patents Act, no. 3, of 1875 -- 4. The Patent Act, no. 78, of 1877 -- 5. Numerical list of inventions
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Brownlow, Marcus D. "Water regime and the aquatic vegetation of Bool Lagoon, South Australia /." Title page, table of contents and summary only, 1997. http://web4.library.adelaide.edu.au/theses/09PH/09phb8852.pdf.
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Mullett, Trudi, and mikewood@deakin edu au. "The ecology of Pittosporum undulatum Vent. (Puttosporaceae) an environmental weed in south east Australia." Deakin University. School of Ecology, 1999. http://tux.lib.deakin.edu.au./adt-VDU/public/adt-VDU20050615.150347.
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Pittosporum undulatum Vent. (Sweet Pittosporum) is a densely foliaged tall shrub or small tree, native to the wet forests of south east Australia, This species now functions as a serious environmental weed in a range of habitats in Australia and on other continents and islands throughout the temperate, sub-tropical and tropical zones. This study investigated some of the ecological causes and consequences of P. undulatum invasion across a range of habitat types in south east Australia.
Key aspects of P. undulatum biology and ecology investigated in the current study include; patterns of morphological variation across the range of habitats occupied (as a measure of the species plasticity), dispersal ecology and seed germinability, population structure and spatial pattern, community relationships and the ecological impacts of invasion.
Phenotypic plasticity is considerable in P. undulatum. No clear patterns of geographic variation emerged from a study of leaf morphological attributes across the current range of this species on mainland south east Australia. The pattern of morphological variation is particularly complex in Victoria, where the invasion of this species is most advanced. The species adaptability to a range of environments and environmental conditions will likely promote further range expansion.
The abundant winter fruit crop produced by functionally female P. undulatum plants attracts a suite of generalist opportunistic frugivores, which feed on P. undulatum fruits and seeds at various stages of fruit dehiscence, thereby enhancing dispersal opportunities for this species. P. undulatum seed collected from natural and invasive populations, at two stages of fruit maturity and from the scats and pellets of dispersal agents, displayed high germinability. European Blackbirds and Pied Currawongs are implicated as the main avian dispersal agents of P undulatum in south east Australia. The broader ecological implications of developing relationships between invasive fleshy-fruited bird-dispersed plant species and adaptive frugivores are likely to be considerable.
The distribution of P. undulatutn seedlings was significantly negatively correlated with adult conspecifics and significantly positively correlated with trees and shrubs of other genera. This pattern reflects the importance of both firugivorous dispersal agents and the species germination and establishment requirements, in shaping the contagious distribution pattern typical of this species. These analyses suggest that recruitment opportunities for conspecific seedlings are limited beneath the canopy of adult conspecifics. Densities of P. undulatum were on average, 2.7 times higher in invaded populations, compared to the natural populations sampled. A male-bias was evident in all populations and no relationships between reproductive activity and the density of seedlings and juveniles were evident.
Invading populations of P. undulatum impose substantial changes on ecosystem-level properties and functions. Mean species richness and cover-abundance declined notably once P. undulatum cover-abundance exceeded 20% at the invaded sites and 60% at the natural sites sampled. The natural communities sampled displayed comparatively greater resilience to the competitive effects of P. undulatum, but community attributes were affected at high densities and cover-abundance of this species. The cover-abundance of herbs and grasses declined most substantially with increasing P. undulatum at invaded sites, whereas, at the natural sites sampled, the species structural analogues appeared to be most affected by increasing P. undulatum cover-abundance.
This study has demonstrated that the ecological consequences of P. undulatum population expansion are substantial and contribute to changes in the composition and successional trajectory of affected communities. These processes ultimately lead to the loss and simplification of biodiversity values and the homogenisation of affected habitats. P. undulatum has the potential to emerge as one of south east Australia's most serious environmental weed species.
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Wacey, David. "Microbial mediation of dolomite formation : geochemical and microbial investigations in the Coorong region of South Australia." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2002. http://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:cf6d606d-7304-4610-80db-a362745bc1f9.
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Dolomite is shown to precipitate in laboratory experiments that simulate the microbiogeochemical conditions prevailing during the later stages of evaporation in the ephemeral, hypersaline, dolomitic lakes of the Coorong region, South Australia, where microbially-dominated ecosystems support intensive bacterial sulphate reduction. Analyses of numerous lake- and pore-water samples from Coorong lakes document rapid geochemical changes with depth and time. Extremely high sulphate and magnesium ion concentrations occur in lake waters and decline rapidly with depth in pore waters through the sulphate reduction zone. Ultimately sulphate ions are totally consumed but magnesium ions are replenished, presumably from desiccated cyanobacterial sheaths. Carbonate concentrations in pore waters reach levels up to 100 times those of normal seawater. Most-probable-number counts show that large populations of sulphate-reducing bacteria are present in sediment cores, while sulphur isotope analysis of residual lakewater sulphate indicates that microbial fractionation takes place in all the study lakes. Microbes from the lakes were cultured in the laboratory under anoxic conditions and viable populations were injected into vials containing a sterilised granular substrate immersed in a simulated lakewater solution. Falls in the levels of sulphate ion concentration and rising pH in selected vials were interpreted as due to active bacterial sulphate reduction accompanied by increased concentrations of carbonate. After 1 month, subspherical nano-grains of dolomite were precipitated. This study proposes that bacterial sulphate reduction overcomes kinetic constraints on dolomite formation by removing the sulphate ions and releasing magnesium and calcium ions from neutral ion pairs, and by generating elevated carbonate concentrations in a hypersaline and strongly electrolytic solution. Microbiogeochemical and isotopic data therefore demonstrates that bacterial sulphate reduction controls dolomite precipitation in both the laboratory experiments and the lake sediments. It is proposed that dolomite formation through bacterial sulphate reduction provides a process analogue that is applicable to thick platformal dolostones of the past, where benthic microbial communities were the dominant colonisers of the shallow marine environment.
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au, j. morrison@murdoch edu, and Judith Ellen Morrison. "Independent scholarly reporting about conflict interventions: negotiating aboriginal native title in south Australia." Murdoch University, 2007. http://wwwlib.murdoch.edu.au/adt/browse/view/adt-MU20080904.141252.
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This thesis uses an action research methodology to develop a framework for improving independent scholarly reporting about interventions addressing social or environmental conflict. As there are often contradictory interpretations about the causes and strategic responses to conflict, the problem confronting scholar-reporters is how to address perceptions of bias and reflexively specify the purpose of reporting. It is proposed that scholar-reporters require grounding in conventional realist-based social theory but equally ability to incorporate theoretical ideas generated in more idealist-based peace research and applied conflict resolution studies. To do this scholar-reporters can take a comparative approach systematically developed through an integrated framework as described in this thesis.
Conceptual and theoretical considerations that support both conventional and more radical constructions are comparatively analysed and then tested in relation to a case study. In 2000 Aboriginal people throughout South Australia deliberated whether their native title claims could be better accorded recognition through conservative court processes or a negotiation process to allay deep-seated conflict. The author, in a scholar-reporter capacity, formulated a report attributing meaning to this consultative process.
As such a report could have been formulated according to alternative paradigms, methodological approaches and theoretical frameworks, the analysis of the adopted framework highlights how different approaches can bias the interpretation of the process and prospects for change. Realist-based conservative interpretations emphasise 'official' decision-making processes where legitimacy is expressed through political and legal frameworks based on precedent. Idealist-based interpretations emphasise that circumstances entailing significant conflict warrant equal consideration being given to 'non-official' 'resolutionary' problem-solving processes where conflict is treated as a catalyst for learning and outcomes are articulated as understanding generated about conflict and how different strategies can transform it.
The developed integrated framework approach establishes the independence of scholarly reporting. Its purpose goes beyond perpetuating scholarly debate about alternative 'objective' understandings of conflict; it focuses primarily on communicating a more inclusive understanding of the contradictions inherent in a particular conflict. It increases the capacity to understand when, where, why and how conflict precipitates social change, and articulates possibilities for reconceptualising what might be the more sustainable direction of change.
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Stocks, Nigel. "Trachoma and visual impairment in the Anangu Pitjantjatjara of South Australia /." Title page, contents and abstract only, 1992. http://web4.library.adelaide.edu.au/theses/09MD/09mds865.pdf.
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Weaver, Paul R. "Maritime resource exploitation in southwest Australia prior to 1901." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 1997. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/915.
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This ethnohistorical study identifies maritime resources of southwest Australia which were subject to human exploitation prior to 1901 and provides an overview of how, when and why this took. place by integrating historical, archaeological, ethnographic, and natural-science information. The resources included for discussion arc whales, seals, seabirds, guano, oysters and pearls, and fish. An argument is developed that the socio-spatial relationship which existed between peoples and marine• estuarine species in the region was determined by the physiography and climate. This relationship has always been imperfect, if not chaotic because of the unpredictability of the resources through long and short term cyclic phenomena. Control of access was the key to furthering economic and social advantage for all peoples, and this control could be sustained by a complex matrix of customary beliefs and/or law. An abundant resource could occasionally engender friendly interaction, however ruthless competition, and resource over-exploitation emerged as predominant themes. The study proposes that regardless of cultural origins, the finite nature of southwest Australian maritime and estuarine resources has long been recognised, and the resultant priority of people was to maximise effort at the most opportune times in order to augment socioeconomic advantage.
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Kassebaum, B. J. "Susceptibility of the black Portuguese millipede, "Ommatoiulus moreletti" Lucas (Diplopoda : iulidae) to insecticides." Title page, contents and summary only, 1985. http://web4.library.adelaide.edu.au/theses/09A/09ak19.pdf.
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Geyer, Tracy Colleen. "The occupational aspirations and gender stereotypes of South African and Australian senior primary school learners." Thesis, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1239.
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Increasingly, developmental psychology has emphasized that childhood career development should be viewed as holistic and comprise all aspects of a child’s maturation. This would include an emphasis on the career development of children which is considered vital to the complete education of the child (Brown, 2002). Career development refers to the process of developing beliefs, values, skills, aptitudes, interests, personality characteristics and knowledge of work (Zunker, 2006). Research has indicated that early societal factors and personal preferences associated with gender influence the child’s later occupational aspirations (Stockard & McGee, 1990). There are many ways in which individuals learn about gender roles and acquire “gender-appropriate” behaviour during childhood, some of which manifest in the occupational aspirations of children. As children grow up they learn, through reinforcement and modeling, that society has different expectations and standards for the behaviour of males and females. While family and friends are often the most important agents of socialization in young children, television and other popular media have also played a vital role in gender stereotyping, resulting in children forming perceptions regarding which occupations “belong” to which gender (Taylor, Peplau, & Sears, 2006). The present research aims to explore, describe and compare the occupational aspirations and the occupational gender stereotyping of male and female South African and Australian senior primary school learners. The research approach for the study was descriptive and exploratory in nature and was conducted within a quantitative framework. A survey-type questionnaire, the Career Awareness Survey xiii (McMahon & Watson, 2001), was used as the data collection measure as part of a larger international study. The sample comprised of 511 South African and 372 Australian participants from Grades 6 and 7. Responses to the occupational aspirations questions were coded according to Holland’s (1985) interest typology and status level coding for occupations. For descriptive purposes, frequency counts were computed for the coded typology, status level and occupational gender stereotyping data. The z-test and chi-square test for independence were computed in order to test whether gender groups differed in terms of their occupational aspirations and occupational stereotyping. The chi-square test was also used to compare the occupational aspirations and gender stereotyping of South African and Australian senior primary school learners. The results of the present research indicate that male and female South African and Australian female children tend to aspire towards more Investigative and Social type occupations in the high status level category. The Australian male children, however, tend to aspire towards more Social and Realistic type occupations in the high status level category. Across nation and gender, the majority of the children believed that both males and females could perform certain occupations, with senior primary school children tending to limit the range of occupations which they believe to be predominantly suited to either male or female. Cross-national comparative results yielded interesting findings with few significant differences emerging on occupational aspiration typology, status level and the occupational gender stereotyping of occupations. The results of the present research emphasise the need for further cross-national comparative studies on the occupational aspirations and occupational gender stereotyping of senior primary school children.
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Sefer, Ibrahim. "Newly arrived children's art / story book 2004." [Adelaide]: Migrant Health Service, 2004. http://www.health.sa.gov.au/library/Portals/0/drawings-and-dreams-newly-arrived-childrens-art-story-book.pdf.
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This project was funded by the Department for Families and Communities A collaboration between Ibrahim Sefer, newly arrived boys and girls aged between 4 and 14 years from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Backgrounds and the Migrant Health Service (Adelaide Central Community Health Service).
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Hails, Euan. "Development and delivery of cognitive behavioural therapy training in New South Wales, Australia : project undertaken in the spirit of action research." Thesis, Cardiff University, 2012. http://orca.cf.ac.uk/37090/.
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This study set out to investigate the understanding of psychological interventions and their place in practice (psychological mindedness) at an Australian mental health service and whether or not it was possible to train clinicians to introduce cognitive behavioural therapy to practice. The study investigated if, after training, clinicians' self-efficacy and readiness to use learnt skills is increased as they begin to deliver cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) to patients. To do this a methodological approach was adopted, developed and delivered in the spirit of action research and conducted utilising a practice development model, that employed skills based education and experiential learning methods. A staff scoping survey was conducted to ascertain the psychological mindedness of clinical staff and to gain a picture of the availability of talking therapies across the health service. Following this survey an eight-day CBT training course was developed and delivered. A pre- and post- course questionnaire was applied to gain data on participant’s readiness to use skills and an increase in their self-efficacy pertinent to CBT that they learnt during the course. The results of the scoping survey showed that there was use of talking therapies by clinicians and that these clinicians desired training in CBT. The results of the CBT course questionnaire showed that it is possible to increase clinician’s self-efficacy and readiness to introduce skills to practice post attendance on an eight-day CBT training course. The delivery of focused talking therapy training across a mental health service can over time and with adequate levels of support and supervision, enable the delivery of CBT to service users. Principles of action research, practice development and the use of skills based education and experiential learning methods if implemented and supported actively can increase patient’s access to psychological therapies and train staff in the application of the same.
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Rea, Naomi. "The influence of water regime on the population ecology of two emergent macrophytes in South Australia /." Title page, contents and summary only, 1993. http://web4.library.adelaide.edu.au/theses/09PH/09phr281.pdf.
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Truscott, Keith. "Research problem: What are the differences between Wadjela and Nyungar criteria when assessing organisational effectiveness of non-government human service organisations?" Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 2000. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/1368.
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Wadjela and Nyungar experts (of managerial, administrative, service staff), from the same South-West city location in Western Australia were randomly chosen from the non-government human service field for separate workshops and asked the question “what makes a non-government human service organisation effective?" The purpose was to compare the group consensus answer between the two separate workshop groups. The Nyungars are the Indigenous people in the South-West of Western Australia and the Wadjelas are the Non-Indigenous people living in the same area. The results listed five criteria, in order of priority that made non-government human service organisations effective. For the Wadjela community these were: I. A clear and shared vision of its task 2. Clear organisational structure which promotes strategic thinking and practice 3. Experienced and dedicated staff 4. Clear and client-based focus and strategies 5, Clarity of and relevant mission or goals. For the Nyungar community the results were: 1. A vision shared of Aboriginal culture and values 2. Appropriate management and finance incorporating Aboriginal culture and values 3. Recognition and identification of need 4. Diverse representation on Committee 5. Community involvement. Analysis and discussion of the findings were attempted from an Australian Indigenous perspective of people, place and parable. The conclusion is that the difference between Wadjela and Nyungar criteria in assessing organisational effectiveness in non-government organisations is that the former utilise a mechanical efficiency model and the latter a commitment to the whole community model. These differences were seen to be a contest between two world-views, that of a continuity of pragmatic relationships versus that of continuity of stewardship relationships.
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Ates, Serkan. "Grazing management of subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum L.) in South Island (New Zealand)." Diss., Lincoln University, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/10182/1338.
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This study consisted of two sheep grazed dryland pasture experiments. Experiment l compared sheep production from 3-year-old cocksfoot based pastures grown in combination with white, Caucasian, subterranean or balansa clover with a ryegrass-white clover pasture and a pure lucerne forage. Sheep liveweight gain per head from each pasture treatment and the pure lucerne stand was recorded in the 2006/07 and 2007/08 seasons. The cocksfoot-subterranean clover pasture provided equal (381 kg LW/ha in 2006) or higher (476 kg LW/ha in 2007) animal production in spring and gave the highest total animal production (646 kg LW/ha) averaged across years of the five grass based pastures. However, total annual liveweight production from lucerne was higher than any grass based pasture mainly due to superior animal production during summer when lucerne provided 42-85% higher animal production than any of the grass based pastures. In Experiment 2, the effect of stocking rate (8.3 (low) and 13.9 (high) ewes + twin lambs/ha) and time of closing in spring on lamb liveweight gain, pasture production and subterranean clover seedling populations was monitored over 2 years for a dryland cocksfoot-subterranean clover and ryegrass-subterranean clover pasture in Canterbury. In both years, twin lambs grew faster (g/head/d) in spring at low (327; 385) than high (253; 285) stocking rate but total liveweight gain/ha (kg/ha/d) was greater at high (7.26; 7.91) than low (5.43; 6.38) stocking rate. Ewes also gained 0.5 and 1.5 kg/head at the low stocking rate in 2006 and 2007 respectively but lost 0.2 kg/head in 2006 and gained 0.3 kg/head at high stocking rate in 2007. Mean subterranean clover seedling populations (per m²) measured in autumn after grazing treatments in the first spring were similar at both low (2850) and high (2500) stocking rate but declined with later closing dates in spring (3850, 2950, 2100 and 1700 at 2, 4, 6, 8 weeks after first visible flower). Seedling populations measured in autumn after grazing treatments in the second spring were also unaffected by stocking rate (low 1290, high 1190) but declined with later closing dates in spring (1470, 1320 and 940 at 3, 5 and 8 weeks after first flowering, respectively). The effect of stocking rate and closing dates in spring on pasture and clover production in the following autumn was similar to the effects on seedling numbers in both years. However, clover production in the following spring was unaffected by stocking rate or closing date in the previous year at the relatively high seedling populations generated by the treatments. This was presumably due to runner growth compensating for lower plant populations in pastures that were closed later in spring. Subterranean clover runner growth in spring may not compensate in a similar manner if seedling numbers in autumn fall below 500/m². Mean annual dry matter production from cocksfoot and ryegrass pastures grown with and without annual clovers pasture production ranged from 6.4 to 12.4 t DM/ha/y but stocking rate (8.3 vs. 13.9 ewes/ha) during spring did not affect annual pasture production. Pastures overdrilled with annual clovers yielded 23-45% more dry matter production than pastures grown without annual clovers. The study confirms the important role of subterranean clover in improving pasture production and liveweight gains of sheep in dryland cocksfoot and ryegrass pastures. Lowering stocking rate from 13.9 to 8.3 ewes/ha was a less effective method of increasing seed production of subterranean clover in dryland pastures although it did lead to increased liveweight gain per head.
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Steley, Dennis. "Unfinished: The Seventh-day Adventist mission in the South Pacific, excluding Papua New Guinea, 1886-1986. (Volumes I and II)." Thesis, University of Auckland, 1990. http://wwwlib.umi.com/dissertations/fullcit/9100749.
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The Seventh-day Adventist Church, incorporated in the United States in 1863, was driven by the belief that it was God's 'remnant church' with the work of warning the world of the imminent return of Christ. When that mission was finished the second coming would occur. In 1886 following a visit by an elderly layman, John I Tay, the whole population of Pitcairn Island desired to join the SDA church. As a result in 1890 Adventist mission work began in the South Pacific Islands. By 1895 missions had been founded in six island groups. However difficulties, both within and without the mission's control, ensured that membership gains were painfully slow in the first decades of Adventist mission in Polynesia. However before World War II the Solomons became one of the most successful Adventist mission areas in the world. After 1945 Adventism also prospered in such places as Fiji, Samoa and Tonga. Education provided the key to the gaining of accessions in a number of countries, while in others a health-medical emphasis proved important in attracting converts. Since World War II public evangelism and the use of various programmes such as welfare, radio evangelism, and the efforts of lay members contributed to sharp membership gains in most countries of the region. Of no small consequence in hindering Adventist growth was the opposition of other churches who regarded them as pariahs because of their theology and 'proselytizing'. Adventist communities tended to be introverted, esoteric and isolationist. Nevertheless Pacific islanders adapted aspects of the usually uncompromising Adventist culture. Unity of faith, practice and procedure was a valuable Adventist asset which was promoted by a centralized administration. After a century in the Pacific region its membership there has a reputation among other Adventists for its continued numeric growth and for the ferver its committment to Adventism. Nevertheless Adventism in the region faces a number of problems and its aim of finishing the Lord's work remains unfinished.Subscription resource available via Digital Dissertations
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Siddiqi, Muhammad Junaid. "Remote sensing and GIS techniques for monitoring and predicting land degradation and impacts of engineering solutions in an area." Thesis, Curtin University, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/2427.
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Salinity, waterlogging and drought are major causes of land degradation and serious threats to sustainable agricultural productivity in the south-west agricultural region of Western Australia (WA). The spectral signatures of pasture plants under drought, waterlogging and nutrient deficiency were examined in a greenhouse study using both a field and an analytical laboratory spectrometer (400 to 2,500 nm wavelength). Drought stress group (RWC, 39.9%) has the highest reflectance of 48.2%, waterlogging group (RWC, 49.7%) with a magnitude of 43.1% reflectance and control group (RWC, 61.5%) has the lowest of 41.9%. The highest separability based on magnitude among control, waterlogging and drought stress groups is located at reflection band at 1,666 nm, 1,818 nm and 2,216 nm and at 1,450 nm absorption bands. Remote sensing and GIS techniques were used to predict risks of soil salinity and waterlogging in the study area. Time-sequenced Landsat TM satellite data and groundwater data were analysed to delineate areas where major changes in soil salinity, waterlogging have taken place before and after engineering interventions of deep drains.The rainfall data analysis of all cities in the south-west of Western Australia indicate that annual rainfall has been decreasing since 1969 for some cities in the region and rainfall is decreasing in some cities since 1975. The winter season rainfall shows a downward trend and summer season rainfall shows an upward trend linked to an increase in the frequency of summer storm events in the south-west, in the Wheatbelt and in the east of Western Australia. The annual rainfall and summer season rainfalls have been increasing in the north of Western Australia and both annual rainfall and summer season rainfalls show an increasing trend. Climate change was studied for northern, eastern, Wheatbelt and south-west of WA and its impacts of on surface runoff, groundwater recharge, and land degradation were studied.Deep open drains were monitored in the two major drainage districts of Narembeen and Dumbleyung in Wheatbelt of Western Australia. The efficacy of drains in mitigating the problems of waterlogging and salinity in the area was studied. Information on monitoring of drains in six coastal districts in Western Australia, from Australia and other countries was collated and a coastal drainage best management practices ‘BMP Toolbox’ has been developed.
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Proust, Katrina Margaret, and kproust@cres10 anu edu au. "Learning from the past for sustainability: towards an integrated approach." The Australian National University. Centre for Resource and Environmental Studies, 2004. http://thesis.anu.edu.au./public/adt-ANU20050706.140605.
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The task of producing policies for the management of Earth’s natural resources is a problem of the gravest concern worldwide. Such policies must address both responsible use in the present and the sustainability of those finite resources in the future. Resources are showing the adverse results of generations of exploitation, and communities fail to see the outcomes of past policies that have produced, and continue to produce, these results. They have not learned from past policy failures, and consequently fail to produce natural resource management (NRM) policies that support sustainable development.¶
It will be argued that NRM policy makers fail to learn from the past because they do not have a good historical perspective and a clear understanding of the dynamics of the complex human-environment system that they manage. It will also be argued that historians have not shown an interest in collaborating with policy makers on these issues, even though they have much to offer. Therefore, a new approach is proposed, which brings the skills and understanding of the trained historian directly into the policy arena.¶
This approach is called Applied Environmental History (AEH). Its aims are to help establish an area of common conceptual ground between NRM practitioners, policy makers, historians and dynamicists; to provide a framework that can help NRM practitioners and policy makers to take account of the historical and dynamical issues that characterise human-environment relationships; and to help NRM practitioners and policy makers improve their capacity to learn from the past.
Applied Environmental History captures the characteristics of public and applied history and environmental history. In order to include an understanding of feedback dynamics in human-environment systems, it draws on concepts from dynamical systems theory. Because learning from the past is a particular form of learning from experience, AEH also draws on theories of cognitive adaptation.¶
Principles for the application of AEH are developed and then tested in an exploratory study of irrigation development that is focused on the NRM issue of salinity. Since irrigation salinity has existed for centuries, and is a serious environmental problem in many parts of the world, it is a suitable NRM context in which to explore policy makers' failure to learn from the past. AEH principles guide this study, and are used, together with insights generated from the study, as the basis for the design of AEH Guidelines.
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Frost, William E. "The ecology of cereal rust mite Abacarus hystrix (Nalepa) in irrigated perennial dairy pastures in South Australia / by William E. Frost." Thesis, 1995. http://hdl.handle.net/2440/18667.
Full text
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Munn, Peter. "Service coordination in rural South Australia." 2005. http://arrow.unisa.edu.au:8081/1959.8/46693.
Full textAbstract:
This study identifies informal networks as the most accepted method of sharing information. Enhancing service delivery is shown as being a key trigger of coordination while rigid funding approaches are perceived to be a major inhibitor. Organisational type, position, practice approaches and location are shown to influence people's perception of coordination.
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Dalby, Paul Reginald. "Competition between earthworms in high rainfall pastures in the Mt. Lofty Ranges, South Australia / Paul Reginald Dalby." Thesis, 1996. http://hdl.handle.net/2440/18758.
Full textAbstract:
Copy of author's previously published work inserted.Bibliography: leaves 261-306.
xxix, 308 leaves : ill. (some col.), maps ; 30 cm.
The objectives of the project were: i. to determine whether there are competitive interactions between Aporrectodea trapezoides and A. caliginosa and A. rosea.--ii. to investigate compeditive interactions between A. calignosa, Microscolex dubius and A. trapezoides.--iii . to determine the likely impact of A. longa on soil fauna, especially the native earthworm, Gemascolex lateralis, in native ecosystems.
Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Soil Science, 1996
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Brownlow, Marcus D. "Water regime and the aquatic vegetation of Bool Lagoon, South Australia / by Marcus David Brownlow." Thesis, 1997. http://hdl.handle.net/2440/19073.
Full textAbstract:
Includes bibliography.2 v. : ill., maps ; 30 cm.
This thesis analyses the aquatic macrophyte vegetation of remnant wetlands in the South East of South Australia and of Bool Lagoon in particular. The study describes the diversity of aquatic vegetation in 11 remnant and ephemeral wetlands in the South East using a multivariate approach of classification and ordination of vegetation quadrats. The second section of the study characterises the seasonal pattern of fluctuation through a numerical description of water regime. The third section is a consideration of the population demography of Typha domingensis and Phragmites australis in relation to flooding frequency at Bool Lagoon. The final section of the study considers the influence of flooding frequency on the distribution of some important components of the vegetation of Bool Lagoon.
Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Botany, 1997
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Hogbin, Patricia May. "Conservation outcomes arising from research into the population genetics, taxonomy and reproductive ecology of the endangered plant Zieria prostrata." Phd thesis, 2001. http://hdl.handle.net/1885/146021.
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Hwang, Shao-Wen, and 黃少文. "The Research Of Rugby Game Scoring Within Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa In 2003." Thesis, 2004. http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/79728100362802769570.
Full textAbstract:
碩士國立臺灣體育學院
體育研究所
92
ABSTRACT This research focused on the 2003 Three Nations Rugby Match, including six matches. Correlating the results to obtained scoring by different positions, different time period, different sections, different ways , different resources , and finally to dominate the ball of different group before to get points. This research used “one-way ANOVA” and “α=.05” to operate. The results obtained as follows: 1.A notable difference was observed for scoring in different positions, the points which stand-off got were more than others. 2.About getting points at different time will not notable in the results of the games obviously. 3.Getting points on different sections was not notable . (Compared with Try, Conversion Goal, Penalty Goal, and Drop Goal to get points)It was easy for us to find out the times of try on the right, the middle, and the left, are fourteen, nine, and seven; nine try on the middle and eight successful conversion goals are not only superior to seven try on the right and four successful conversion goals but also fourteen try on the left and successful conversion goals; Additionally the successful penalty goals on the middle are more than the right and the left. 4.To compare with different ways to get points; the discrimination between try and drop goal was notable, and the differences among penalty goal ,conversion goal, and drop goal were also notable ;between penalty goal and try scoring was not notable . 5.About the resources of getting points was not notable . 6.After comparing , we find out within Ruck, Maul, Scrum, and Line Out those ways to dominate the ball were notable in the game, but among Mual, Scrum, and LineOut were not notable .
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Rea, Naomi. "The influence of water regime on the population ecology of two emergent macrophytes in South Australia / by Naomi Rea." Thesis, 1993. http://hdl.handle.net/2440/20591.
Full textAbstract:
Bibliography: leaves 103-120.1 v. (various pagings) : ill. (some col.), maps ; 30 cm.
Species interactions are dependent on the water regime, which affects the relative allocation to below (sediment resource acquisition) and above ground (C acquisition) parts. At shallow and regularily exposed sites, Baumea is the superior competitor. In Hacks and Bool Lagoon, South Australia, changing distribution patterns occur in deep and permanently flooded conditions, where Baumea dies back, paving the way for Triglochin to passively take it's place.
Thesis (Ph.D.)--Dept. of Botany, University of Adelaide, 1993
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Counts, John Waldon. "Sedimentology, provenance, and salt-sediment interaction in the Ediacaran Pound subgroup, Flinders Ranges, South Australia." Thesis, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/2440/105869.
Full textAbstract:
Much of our understanding of the sedimentary character and stratigraphic
architecture of subsurface sedimentary deposits is derived from field-based studies
of similar depositional systems exposed in outcrop. In South Australia, excellent
surface exposures in the Neoproterozoic-Cambrian Adelaide Rift Complex provide a
unique opportunity to examine a series of clastic sediments deposited in an ancient
fluvial-deltaic to deep marine setting. Through extensive field and laboratory work,
this study documents the sedimentology, stratigraphy, provenance, facies
distribution and salt-sediment interaction of the upper Bonney Sandstone and Billy
Springs Formation. These sediments formed part of the margin of the Australian
subcontinent during the Ediacaran, a key time in Earth history just prior to the
development of multicellular life. Field investigations reveal that the Bonney
Sandstone is primarily comprised of sands and shales, often in progradational
parasequences that become progressively sand-dominated upward. The formation
thickens significantly to the north through the preservation of additional sediments
that contain abundant fluvial features, suggesting a northern depocentre in the
basin. Zircon data indicate that sediments may be sourced from the distant
Musgrave Province and enter the basin from a large deltaic system in the northwest.
These results provide substantial new information as to the palaeogeography of
South Australia during this time, and are the product of interpretation using multiple
lines of evidence and the study of numerous localities.
Throughout the Adelaide Rift Complex, salt diapirs penetrated the basin fill
and formed adjacent rim synclines (minibasins) due to withdrawal of underlying salt.
Salt-tectonized, passive-margin settings are significant components of hydrocarbon systems in some of the world’s most productive regions, yet these features are
rarely exposed in outcrop as they are here. In the far northern Flinders Ranges, the
Umberatana Syncline is interpreted as a salt-withdrawal minibasin that formed in a
deeper-water setting. The map-view exposure of the structure allows the
depositional processes and products in the minibasin interior to be studied in a way
not possible elsewhere; deepwater minibasins are very rarely exposed at the
surface. Field and petrographic work reveals a mud-dominated minibasin fill
containing mass-flow deposits of varying stages of maturity, ranging from clastbearing
convolute-laminated slumps to sandy turbidites. In a more proximal setting,
numerous measured sections along the margin of the Mt Frome minibasin clearly
show that sediment character is influenced by diapir activity and the shedding of
diapir-derived clasts. Lateral facies variability is controlled by growth faulting and
diapir topography, with increased abundance of diapiric material near faults and
highs, as well as thinning, onlap, and rotation of sediment blocks. These results, as
well as those from elsewhere in the basin, are highly applicable to the prediction of
reservoir, source, and seal quality in similar geologic settings in the subsurface.Thesis (Ph.D.) (Research by Publication) -- University of Adelaide, Australian School of Petroleum, 2016
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Murney, Anthony P. "Place in social process : an exploratory data analysis of outcomes from localised labour exchange." Phd thesis, 1986. http://hdl.handle.net/1885/131620.
Full textAbstract:
The principle tenet of this Study is that place and its role in social process is
poorly understood. This is a serious problem in human geography where one of the
major tasks is to elucidate the spatial elements in social process. The resulting
difficulties are compounded in empirical analysis where the spatial and social are
highly disaggregated. Any response must, therefore, address these features of the
problem if the situation is to be redressed. A twofold response was formulated.
The first, concentrates attention on labour exchange as a key element of social
process and investigates spatial differences from the highly disaggregated local
perspective. The second involves transferring Tukey's philosophy of
EXPLORATORY DATA ANALYSIS to geographical research. This has been done
to overcome analytical rigidities which impede progress where theory concept or dat a
are sufficiently suspect as to cause uncertainty. Implementation of this strategy
progresses from comparatively simple and conventional treatments of place in labour
exchange to more sophisticated examinations which explore spatial aspects of
differentiation in controlled analytical environments. Substantive investigation of labour exchange, from an exploratory point of
view, provides powerful insights into the role of place in labour exchange because it
is less constrained than conventional treatments. These insights are manifest
through analyses of extent and nature in differentiation between places. Results are
of three types: structure in place and social process which establish a prima facie
case for more general analysis; structure of place in a widely defined social
environment; structure in social process which is sufficiently general as to sustain
hypotheses of ubiquitous spatial structure. These interim findings, of merit in their
own right, combine to provide a sound foundation for proposition of a model
relating place to social process. This model is significant because it reverses the
principal tenet of traditional empirical models, which reduce place to the status of
an analytical convenience, and argues that it is inherent in considerations of social
process.
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Hill, Jane Adair. "Phenotypic and genetic parameters for the S.A. Strongwool merino strain with an emphasis on skin characters as early indicators of wool productivity." 2001. http://web4.library.adelaide.edu.au/theses/09PH/09phh6463.pdf.
Full textAbstract:
Bibliography: leaves 325-341. Skin and fleece measurements were recorded at different ages for both male and female sheep from the Turretfield Merino Resource Flock and used to estimate the heritability of each trait and the phenotypic and genetic correlations among and between the skin and fleece traits. Generally, the heritability of each trait was high, which indicates that both the fleece and skin traits should respond well to selection.
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Holmes, James Dougal. "Biogeographic and biological comparisons between the Emu Bay Shale (Kangaroo Island, South Australia) and other Cambrian Burgess Shale-type biotas." Thesis, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/2440/107383.
Full textAbstract:
Konservat-Lagerstätten, or fossil deposits exhibiting exceptional preservation of non-biomineralised material, are particularly prevalent in the Cambrian, and offer us great insight into the evolution and ecology of early animals and communities. The Emu Bay Shale (EBS) from the north coast of Kangaroo Island, South Australia, houses an early Cambrian (Series 3 – c. 514 Ma) Lagerstätte that contains over 50 species, including sponges, brachiopods, molluscs, annelids, priapulids, lobopodians, arthropods, vetulicolians, and several problematic taxa, making it the most diverse Burgess Shale-type (BST) biota in the southern hemisphere. While considerable work in describing taxa from the EBS Lagerstätte has been completed, less has been undertaken that focuses on the relationships between this and other Cambrian BST biotas. This project aims to examine some of the links between the EBS Lagerstätte and similar deposits from around the world, including the Burgess Shale (Canada), Chengjiang (China) and Sirius Passet (Greenland) biotas, amongst others. To this end, the project has two major parts. The first section aims to examine the biogeographic relationships between major Cambrian BST biotas from a global perspective. A substantial database of generic occurrence was constructed from the published literature, and analysed using various multivariate techniques in order to examine the relationships between these exceptionally preserved assemblages. Results suggest that both geographic distance and differences in age have an effect on the composition of BST biotas, and that assemblage similarity appears to increase through the Cambrian. The EBS biota is most closely related to other Gondwanan sites in South China, most likely reflecting a regional relationship. The second section involves a more focused description and interpretation of a single element of the EBS biota, namely an examination of the moulting habits of two common trilobite species from the Emu Bay Shale, Estaingia bilobata Pocock, 1964 and Redlichia takooensis Lu, 1950, and how this compares with other BST assemblages. Specimens from the EBS were examined and arrangements of exoskeletal elements likely representing moult ensembles identified, from which moulting behaviour was then inferred and compared. Analysis reveals that the EBS preserves a record of trilobite moulting unparalleled within other exceptionally preserved assemblages, representing a range of trilobite moulting behaviours, likely due to minimal water movement and relatively rapid burial within the biota’s unique inshore depositional setting. The unusual depositional setting of the EBS Lagerstätte seems to have had a minimal effect on the types of organisms present with the assemblage compared to other BST biotas. In contrast, this setting seems to have facilitated the preservation of an exceptional moulting record not found at other sites, including BST deposits. This, coupled with the unique preservation of certain structures such as eyes, confirms that the EBS is of great importance in elucidating the evolution of early animals and communities.Thesis (M.Phil.) (Research by Publication) -- University of Adelaide, School of Biological Sciences, 2016.
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McLean, Michael John. "What do people think about GM pasture grasses? : an assessment of public attitudes to a new technology developed by the Molecular Plant Breeding CRC." Master's thesis, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/1885/151610.
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Morris, Anne. "Optimising the "spaces in-between" : the maternal alienation project and the politics of gender in macro and micro contexts." 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/2440/49674.
Full textAbstract:
The centrepoint of this thesis is an action research project, the Maternal Alienation Project (MAP), implemented during 2002 and 2003 in Adelaide, South Australia. Resourced by two government-funded community health services, it was established to improve organisations’ (health, welfare and legal) and systems’ responses to the newly termed ‘maternal alienation’. MAP was situated within a tradition of feminist participatory and action research. It was designed to work on three levels: practice, systems and policy-making, and research. The outcomes, processes and events of MAP at the different levels of its operation are examined in the thesis through the employment of a gendered analysis drawn mainly from materialist feminism and standpoint theories. Post-project interviews and focus groups provided further data to the fieldnotes written throughout MAP, and the project’s formal and informal documents. A recent example of a contested gendered concept, “maternal alienation” was first identified and named in 1999 as a component of gender violence (Morris 1999). It forms part of a spectrum of violence perpetrated in households, and had been identified within domestic violence and child sexual abuse. It is a term for the range of tactics used by mainly male perpetrators, predominantly the mothers’ intimate partners and the children’s fathers or step-fathers, to deliberately undermine the relationship between mothers and their children. The mother-blaming discourses and degrading constructions of mothers conveyed to children and those in the family’s orbit are strongly related to wider socio-cultural constructions of women and mothers. The thesis examines theories of gender, gendered organisations and gender violence. It develops the concept of an abusive household gender regime, characterised by perpetrators’ imposition of a coercive and abusive regime on household members, and particular patternings of gendered relations. Comparisons are made between household and organisational gender regimes, which are also viewed in relation to the local gender order at the time of MAP. It was found that services that lack an analysis of gender are likely to re-inscribe the dynamics of maternal alienation in their responses to families. Language was found to play a significant part in addressing maternal alienation, particularly in developing congruence between language and women’s and children’s “lived” experiences. The principles that were developed were founded on supporting mothers and rebuilding their relationships with children, and making visible the tactics employed by perpetrators, thereby reducing their power to coerce and increasing their accountability. The concept of maternal alienation and MAP itself were attacked by a coalition of men’s rights and Christian Right lobbyists. This compromised the operations of MAP, and of its key supporters, managers of feminist and gender-aware organisations. In many ways these attacks, played out at a macro level, reflected the techniques and dynamics of maternal alienation at a micro level. This thesis raises questions about the strategies that feminist organisations need to develop to more effectively pursue feminist agendas, and to re-invigorate a women’s movement.Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, School of Social Sciences, 2008
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Hill, Jane Adair. "Phenotypic and genetic parameters for the S.A. strongwool merino strain with an emphasis on skin characters as early indicators of wool productivity / by Jane Adair Hill." Thesis, 2001. http://hdl.handle.net/2440/21721.
Full textAbstract:
Includes bibliographical references (leaves 325-341).xxvii, 341 leaves : ill. ; 30 cm.
Skin and fleece measurements were recorded at different ages for both male and female sheep from the Turretfield Merino Resource Flock and used to estimate the heritability of each trait and the phenotypic and genetic correlations among and between the skin and fleece traits. Generally, the heritability of each trait was high, which indicates that both the fleece and skin traits should respond well to selection.
Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Animal Science, 2001
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Van, der Hoeven Sieta. "Rhetoric of adolescent fiction the pedagogy of reading practices in South Australian secondary English classes." 2002. http://arrow.unisa.edu.au:8081/1959.8/24936.
Full textAbstract:
This study examines the experiences of teachers and students in secondary English classes, as they engage in the reading of contemporary adolescent fiction, when such fiction is set as a class text. This study also includes an examination of students' perceptions of such reading, and of reading in general. The aim of the study is to add to the knowledge about what actually goes on inside English classrooms during the teaching of literature, and within that field, to specify how teacher-student interaction in the classroom defines and positions the kinds of meanings that are made of literary texts. Therefore, this study focuses on the teaching of units of work related to the reading of adolescent fiction novels by three South Australian English teachers, based in three different metropolitan schools.The central focus is on the teachers? plans for these units of work, and on the outcomes: that is, on teacher-student interactions during the time spent in class on the novel, and on students? written and oral responses. Thus this study also focuses on the learning that took place in these classrooms, as students made meaning from their reading.In the review of the literature, the role of the literary novel as the class ?set text? in its several historical contexts is examined, as well as current theories of reading, of pedagogy, and of literary criticism. Finally this study is placed in the context of other related studies and its contribution to the field explained.An interpretive approach is employed and methods of educational ethnography are used to what was visualised from the outset would be qualitative research in the form of case studies. Some quantification is used in this research to report on a small-scale survey, using a questionnaire to create a ?readers? profile of the cohort of student-informants as a whole. Metaphors were used to encapsulate the teachers? teaching styles, and their intentions and practices analysed to uncover the underlying theories on which these intentions and practices were based. Throughout, but especially in the final chapter, the related notions of ?enjoyment? and ?the teaching of reading? at secondary school levels, as well as the concept of reflectivity, are examined for their impact on reading pedagogy. Finally, some suggestions are made for possible and desirable future research and teacher professional development.thesis (PhD)--University of South Australia, 2002.
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Fung, Elisabeth. "RNA viruses in Australian bees." Thesis, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/2440/111954.
Full textAbstract:
Bees play an important role as pollinators of angiosperms in most terrestrial ecosystems and they are exposed to numerous threats. In many regions in the world, bee abundance and species richness are in decline due to the combined effects of habitat loss, pesticide use, and parasites and disease. Worldwide, diseases caused by RNA viruses are among the greatest threats to the health of the European honey bee (Apis mellifera) predominantly when the parasitic Varroa mite (Varroa destructor) functions as a vector and incubator of these viruses. While research on RNA viruses in bees has been intensifying around the world, in Australia, information about RNA viruses is limited to managed hives of A. mellifera, but no information is available for unmanaged, wild colonies of A. mellifera, introduced bumble bees (Bombus terrestris) or solitary bees. While knowledge of the distribution of RNA viruses is important in the context of managing and understanding bee declines, it is also important to have baseline data of prevalence and distributions of RNA viruses prior to an incursion of the Varroa mite. The mite is known to influence the infectivity and virulence of different viruses, but so far, baseline data that allow proper monitoring of this process have been scant. Hence, a survey of the RNA viruses carried by Australian bees is timely and necessary. For many decades, A. mellifera has been perceived as the original and only host of a range of RNA viruses. However, recently “honey bee” RNA viruses have been detected in different species of non-Apis bees. This raises questions regarding the original hosts and the direction of transmission of these RNA viruses. Our study confirms the association of some RNA viruses with native bees and show that the probability of South Australian native bees carrying Black queen cell virus (BQCV) and Sacbrood virus (SBV) is higher in non-arid areas with abundant managed and feral A. mellifera. Furthermore, the results indicate that BQCV and SBV were introduced into Australia with A. mellifera. Since the introduction of B. terrestris onto the Australian island of Tasmania in 1992 from New Zealand, no research has been undertaken to determine whether these bees had brought new viruses to the island. Australia is free of a number of RNA viruses including the epidemic Deformed wing virus (DWV), which is present in New Zealand. Using RT-PCR, we found that Kashmir bee virus (KBV) and SBV are present and shared between Tasmanian B. terrestris and A. mellifera, while BQCV was detected only in A. mellifera. Because we did not find DWV in either A. mellifera or B. terrestris, we conclude that introduction of the latter species did not coincide with introduction of this virus. While this is the first report of KBV in Tasmania, we believe it may have been previously detected but misclassified. Recent studies have reported RNA interference (RNAi) as an immune response of A. mellifera to different RNA viruses. The RNAi pathway is activated by presence of doublestranded RNA and degrades the viral genome in 21-22 nucleotides-long small interfering RNAs (siRNAs). siRNAs matching different RNA viruses have been reported in A. mellifera, but generation of a complete viral genome using assembly of siRNAs has not been achieved. Our results show that A. mellifera larvae activate the RNA interference (RNAi) immune response in the presence of SBV. We generate three complete SBV genomes from three individual larvae from different hives in a single apiary, and demonstrated the presence of different SBV quasispecies within the country. In summary, this study provides new insights into the epidemiology and ecology of bee RNA viruses. This information is important for understanding the impact of RNA viruses in bee health and for elaboration of mitigation or control strategies.Thesis (Ph.D.) (Research by Publication) -- University of Adelaide, School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, 2017.