Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'South Pacific'
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1
Goodwillie, Andrew Michael. "Tectonics of the south central Pacific." Thesis, University of Oxford, 1993. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.334191.
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Martinson, Jeremy James. "Genetic variation in South Pacific Islanders." Thesis, University of Oxford, 1991. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.293422.
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Subramani. "South Pacific literature : from myth to fabulation /." Suva : University of the South Pacific, 1985. http://catalogue.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/cb35508666f.
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Faure, Vincent. "Deep circulation in the Eastern South Pacific." Tallahassee, Florida : Florida State University, 2009. http://etd.lib.fsu.edu/theses/available/etd-07102009-110119/.
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Thesis (Ph. D.)--Florida State University, 2009.Advisor: Kevin Speer, Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Dept. of Oceanography. Title and description from dissertation home page (viewed on Nov. 18, 2009). Document formatted into pages; contains ix, 97 pages. Includes bibliographical references.
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Herrmann, John. "Japan's economic relations with the South Pacific." Thesis, Canberra, ACT : The Australian National University, 1990. http://hdl.handle.net/1885/129551.
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The post-World War II decades witnessed one of the most important economic
achievements in recent world history: the rise of Japan as a global economic
power. This served notice of Japan's new status as an actor on the world stage
and ultimately, of its potential to influence developments around the world. In
the South Pacific, Japan's drive to globalise its giant economy over a period of
four decades generated a considerable impact on the economies of Pacific
Islands countries (PICs). In the period leading up to the mid-1970s, relations
between Japan and the South Pacific developed gradually with a continuing
emphasis on economic involvement initially through trade and investment.
That economic relationship expanded rapidly during the 1980s. Japan's intent
for a role beyond a continuing 'economic' emphasis became increasingly
apparent during this period with Overseas Development Assistance (ODA),
because of its strategic value, becoming a significant component in Japanese
involvement. It was the declaration of the Kuranari Doctrine in 1987 that
made clear Japan's motivation for a greater political role. Thus, from an initial
focus on economic activities in the South Pacific, strategic and political
objectives became important considerations for Japan in the growing economic
relationship.
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McCallum, W. S. "French South Pacific policy under Mitterrand (1981-1993)." Thesis, University of Canterbury. French, 1994. http://hdl.handle.net/10092/4599.
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The French presence in the South Pacific since 1981 is a topic which has been unevenly treated by accounts both in English and in French. Coverage has been skewed by selective interest in certain controversial issues such as nuclear testing in French Polynesia, the question of whether or not New Caledonia might attain independence, and the Rainbow Warrior bombing. French South Pacific Policy under Mitterrand (1981-1993) offers more dispassionate coverage of the character and implications of the French presence in the region, placing the aforementioned issues within the context of French Government policy.
Part 1 examines the administration of the French Pacific Territories since 1981. Similarities and contrasts in the economic, social and political problems confronting New Caledonia, Wallis and Futuna and French Polynesia are outlined. Particular reference is made to the influence of French party policy on the statute reforms undertaken in these territories, namely the succession of laws which were introduced in New Caledonia, culminating with the promulgation of the Matignon Accords in 1988, and the French Polynesian Internal Autonomy Statute of 1984. Statute reforms were not undertaken in Wallis and Futuna, although party political life was transformed at territorial level. Discussion of the varying fortunes of the three French Pacific Territories is concluded with an overview of their situations in the early 1990s: the prospects for continued peace and cooperation in New Caledonia, the constraints imposed on Wallis and Futuna by its isolation, lack of resources and small size, and the troubles French Polynesia has experienced because of local political instability and the suspension of nuclear testing.
Part 2 considers French foreign policy in the South Pacific since 1981. French views on the role the South Pacific plays in the geostrategy of the Fifth Republic are scrutinised to ascertain the motives behind French diplomatic efforts in the zone. This examination leads to coverage of the implications for French diplomacy of nuclear testing in French Polynesia. The challenge to France's sovereignty over its Pacific territories posed by South Pacific Forum campaigning for decolonisation is assessed. So too are French aid and cooperative efforts with regional states, activity which suggests that controversy and confrontation were not all invariably evident in the period under consideration.
The work concludes with a view of the interplay between domestic issues in the French Pacific Territories and French regional diplomacy. While much remains to be done, Paris has to an extent succeeded in promoting the integration of the French Pacific, and in improving the Fifth Republic's standing in the region.
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Gyurnek, Michael Anthony. "Peopling of the Americas : the South Pacific route." Honors in the Major Thesis, University of Central Florida, 2010. http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/ref/collection/ETH/id/1411.
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This item is only available in print in the UCF Libraries. If this is your Honors Thesis, you can help us make it available online for use by researchers around the world by following the instructions on the distribution consent form at http://library.ucf.edu/Systems/DigitalInitiatives/DigitalCollections/InternetDistributionConsentAgreementForm.pdf You may also contact the project coordinator, Kerri Bottorff, at kerri.bottorff@ucf.edu for more information.Bachelors
Sciences
Anthropology
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Tongamoa, Siupeli Taiamoni. "Aid, planning and development in the South Pacific." Thesis, University of Southampton, 1993. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.357779.
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Naidu, Vijay. "State class and politics in the South Pacific." Thesis, University of Sussex, 1988. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.303259.
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McLachlan, Campbell Alan. "State recognition of customary law in the South Pacific." Thesis, University College London (University of London), 1988. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.285211.
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Currie, Caroline G. "Microcredit in the South Pacific : VANWODS - a case study." Thesis, University of Strathclyde, 2004. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.401769.
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Jordahl, Kelsey Allyn 1970. "Tectonic evolution and midplate volcanism in the South Pacific." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1999. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/9681.
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Thesis (Ph.D.)--Joint Program in Oceanography, Massachusetts Institute of Technology/Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 1999.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 131-139).
by Kelsey Allyn Jordahl.
Ph.D.
13
McMenamin, Dorothy. "Leprosy and Stigma in the South Pacific: Camaraderie in Isolation." Thesis, University of Canterbury. School of Humanities, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/10092/2913.
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The oral histories utilized by this research reveal the experiences of those
who suffered leprosy in five South Pacific nations, Fiji, New Caledonia,
Samoa, Tonga and Vanuatu. This thesis explores how leprosy and its stigma
impacted on the lives of these people, some of whom suffered decades of
isolation at various leprosaria including the case of one New Caledonian
resident for nearly seventy years.
The testimonies of their experiences of diagnosis, removal into isolation,
medical treatment and eventual discharge back to their homes implicitly
contain descriptions of attitudes of stigma in their communities. This
research reveals that where there is openness and knowledge about the
minimal risk of leprosy contagion, as occurred in Fiji and Vanuatu from the
1950s, less stigma is attached to the disease. Nevertheless even in these
countries, prior to the 1950s and availability of any effective medication, the
fear and horror of the physical effects of leprosy was such that the victims
were either cast out or chose to move away from their homes. This
segregation led to groups of leprosy sufferers banding together to help care
for each other. Once the policy of isolation in leprosaria was implemented,
advanced cases of leprosy benefited from the better medical facilities and
found opportunities for friendships and camaraderie. However, where the
conditions at leprosaria were miserable and movements of the residents
visibly restricted by fences, as occurred in Samoa and Tonga, there was
heightened leprosy stigma.
Perceptions of stigma varied from person to person and region to region.
Higher levels of stigma were evident in New Caledonia, where leprosaria
had been situated at former prison sites and strict isolation enforced, and in
Tonga, where the removal of all leprosy sufferers had from the earliest days
been associated with biblical strictures asserting that leprosy was a curse and
the sufferers unclean. Following the availability of sulphone treatment in
the South Pacific in the1950s and the improved medication in the 1980s,
leprosy need no longer be physically disfiguring or disabling. Assisted by
the generous donations gathered by the Pacific Leprosy Foundation in New
Zealand to the medical services at the central leprosy hospital in Fiji, and by
direct assistance to leprosy sufferers in the Pacific, the disadvantages that
were imposed by leprosy in the past are disappearing and as one contributor
to the project said ‘the time of darkness’ is ending.
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Serrano, Katharina Anna. "EU-South Pacific : trade-developments nexus in Economic Partnership Agreements." Thesis, University of Central Lancashire, 2009. http://clok.uclan.ac.uk/20210/.
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The purpose of this study was to examine the nature of the trade-development nexus in economic relations between the European Union and Pacific island states. Two interrelated but competing International Relations theories are utilised as tools for analysis: the dependency theory and realist theory. The research consists of analysis of the approaches, assumptions and applicability of both theories in the wider context of North-South relations, with a focus on recent changes in the relationship between the European Union and Pacific island states. The thesis revealed that the lack of success in reaching policy objectives throughout a long-lasting relationship was a key driving force for several policy shifts; these resulted in the implementation of the trade-development nexus into new foreign policy instruments, the Economic Partnership Agreements. Research demonstrated that new dependency theory forecasts more emphasis on the internal development dimension and a development-friendly trade-development nexus. Realist theory however estimates that, depending on power projections and self-interests involved, the trade-development nexus may lead to either more co-operation or more conflict in relations between the European Union and Pacific island states. In order to test the theoretical propositions, the thesis turned to the analysis of two case studies. It looked at the sugar sector in Fiji and the fisheries sector in the South Pacific. Both case studies demonstrated how the trade-development nexus selfadjusts to a given situation or changes through a set of conditions present at any given point in time— a phenomenon that is a defining feature, and possibly the actual essence of the nexus. This flexibility may positively contribute to the European Union's aspirations of becoming an influential global actor through trade and development policies. However, flexibility renders the trade-development nexus unpredictable as policy instrument and therefore less desirable from the perspective of Pacific island countries than it would appear in light of the case-studies.
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Lovensheimer, James A. "The Musico-Dramatic Evolution of Rodgers and Hammerstein's South Pacific." The Ohio State University, 2003. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1048623444.
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Lovensheimer, James A. Hammerstein Oscar Rodgers Richard. "The musico-dramatic evolution of Rodgers and Hammerstein's South Pacific." Columbus, OH : Ohio State University, 2003. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc%5Fnum=osu1048623444.
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Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2003.Title from first page of PDF file. Document formatted into pages; contains ix, 283 p. Includes abstract and vita. Advisor: Arved Ashby, School of Music. Includes bibliographical references (p. 276-283).
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Schroeder, Robert E. "The ecology of patch reef fishes in a subtropical Pacific atoll: recruitment variability, community structure and effects of fishing predators." Thesis, University of Hawaii at Manoa, 1989. http://hdl.handle.net/10125/18158.
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The ecology of patch reef fishes was studied to quantify the main
factors that affect the natural variability of the fish community and
to determine the effects produced on the community by experimental
removal of predators. Initially, a year-long baseline description was
completed of the physical, biological and ecological characteristics of
8 pristine patch reefs at Midway lagoon. For over 3 subsequent years,
piscivorous predators were spearfished at least monthly, often for days
at a time, on 4 of the 8 reefs. Fish populations were visually
censused throughout the experiment. In all seasons and years of the
project, daily recruitment rate of postlarval fishes to natural patch
reefs was compared to that measured on standardized, artificial reefs
of various sizes and degrees of inter-reef isolation. Finally, all
baseline measurements were replicated and complete collections were
made of all fishes, to validate the visual census method.
Visual censusing was found to be of adequate precision and accuracy
for most resident, non-cryptic species (highest for small patch reefs).
Fishes could be assigned to size classes underwater by visual estimate
with high accuracy. Rotenone collections were highly effective in
quantifying many species commonly missed or underestimated in visual
censuses.
Only a few species composed the bulk of all recruits, while most
species were rare or not seen at all. Variation between species was
related to life history strategies or behavioral requirements. High temporal variability was found at the following scales: 1) Annuallywhere
variability increased with the magnitude of recruitment, and
different species recruited heavily in different years, suggesting that
species specific factors in the plankton are more important than
general oceanographic conditions; 2) Seasonally- pulsing strongly in
summer, and occasionally late fall, when favorable environmental
conditions may maximize growth and survival; and 3) Daily- with 1 or 2
strong peaks (each only a few days long) over a period of several weeks
of low, variable recruitment.
Small-scale spatial variability between replicate attractors
(standardized artificial reefs) and between attractor types (coral and
wire) were both high for a few species recruiting abundantly, although
most recruits are probably substrate generalists. Rigorous visual fish
censuses can adequately document moderate- to long-term temporal
variation in the abundances of recently recruited juveniles on patch
reefs (i.e., based on similar temporal patterns assessed by daily
attractors). Daily total recruitment rate increased, although at
diminishing densities, with (attractor) reef size, and with degree of
inter-reef isolation. Abundances of recently recruited fish censused
on neighboring, natural patch reefs (much larger than attractors)
increased with reef size. The effect of isolation on these natural
reefs was confounded by the stronger effect of reef size. These
results suggest that if optimum size and spacing of reefs is provided,
either by proper design of artificial reefs or selection of marine reserves, managers may enhance fish recruitment and ultimately improve
local fisheries:
Of the 135 fishes censused on the patch reefs studied, only 6
species together accounted for 70% of the total number of all fish,
mainly due to heavy seasonal recruitment pulses. Strong seasonal and
annual variability in recruitment was responsible for most of the
temporal variation in fish abundance. The structure of patch reef fish
communities at Midway was characterized by high unpredictability (e.g.,
great seasonal and/or annual variability in recruitment by common
species, recruitment limitation for most species, and a high turnover
rate detected by frequent sampling). Some predictions of the theory of
island biogeography were also met by these fish communities (e.g.,
species richness correlated strongly with patch reef area, volume and
relief). and total fish abundance. Some populations also exhibited a
degree of long-term stability. Species diversity [H'] was similar
among different size reefs.
The experimental fishing on piscivores produced a catch composed
mainly of lizardfish, due largely to immigration following the removal
of other, competitively superior, highly resident piscivores.
Scorpionfish and moray eels were also dominant predators. The expected
decreases in catch-per-unit-effort were not realized, except for a
quantitatively insignificant family (hawkfish). Conversely, the catch
of the highly migratory lizardfish actually increased as fishing
progressed. Changes in the catch composition for other piscivores related mainly to major changes in reef size or to patterns of large,
inter-year recruitment fluctuations. Census data confirmed the major
trends indicted by catch results. Sharks and jacks were attracted to
the experimental reefs by spearfishing; the study was unable to
determine whether their piscivorous effect was different between reef
treatments.
Patch reef fish communities at Midway were relatively resilient to
long-term, intense fishing pressure on piscivores. However, enhanced
survival of a large, annual, summer recruitment pulse of a common
cardinalfish, synchronized with a temporary but significant reduction
of lizardfish (the most prevalent piscivore) by fishing, suggested that
an effect of predation on reef fish populations is experimentally
detectable and considerable. However, temporal and spatial variability
in recruitment, and reef size differences and changes in size were the
primary factors responsible for the observed temporal patterns in fish
abundance. COlnmunity analysis involves numerous confounding effects
and requires the most careful interpretation for valid conclusions.xvi, 321 leaves, bound : ill. ; 29 cm.
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Pascal, Nicolas. "Coral reef ecosystem services economic valuation experiences from the South Pacific." Doctoral thesis, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/10803/134735.
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Economic approaches through ecosystem services (ES) valuation are increasingly recommended by conservation organisations to face main market externalities affecting biodiversity in general and coral reef ecosystems. In this dissertation, we will analyse the experience of two economic valuations of coral reef ecosystems in the Pacific focusing on two aspects. The first is to evaluate if current methods of Coral Reef Ecosystem Services Valuation (CRESV) permits to transmit a correct signal about ES and the second is to assess the impacts of results on policy-making and market externalities.
The first study is the economic valuation of the coral reef ecosystems of New Caledonia. Financed by French Ministries of Environment and Oversea Territories, the main objective was to make visible the value of this ecosystem in the economy of the territory. The second one is a cost-benefit analysis of Marine Protected Areas in Vanuatu. Required by the French Development Bank, the aim was to realize an ex-post valuation of the impacts of marine biodiversity conservation on the economic development of the implicated villages and other stakeholders. More precisely, MPA impacts on the ES were quantified, total costs linked to each MPA were calculated and the C-B (Cost-Benefit) ratio and RoI (Return-on-Investment) were computed.
More than 10 ecosystem services have been analysed with methods mainly based on financial values through producer surplus and avoided damage costs. Applied methods are classic ones with some improvements and originality such as the use of protein content equivalent for subsistence fishery, the larval stomach content to quantify links between reef ecosystem and pelagic fisheries, the application of the Advertising Image Analysis to tune the role of CR in the tourism motivation, the setup of experimental fishery to determine precise improvements in fishery productivity and the adaptation of a bio-physical model for coastal protection ES.
Results in New Caledonia have permitted to make visible a contribution comprised between 195 and 330 M!.y-1 highlighting the importance of the coastal protection, the noncommercial fishery and the underwater tourism.
In Vanuatu, for donors and local policymakers, we demonstrated that, after at least 6 years of MPA implementation, all RoI except one were above 0, implying that financial benefits exceed costs. Based on a 25-year project life, the average expected C-B ratios was 4.1. We estimate the mean aggregate economic value of MPA impacts to be approximately US$ 44,000 per year per km2. Tourism ES were the largest estimated effect for all MPAs, despite stark differences in tourism development across sites. Impacts on tourism were followed by impacts on fish productivity.
CRESV in the South Pacific context are complex exercises, which face a series of specific challenges to transmit a "right" signal about their importance. Some solutions have been proposed and discussed. The results of the 2 reports have mostly been used for "informative" purposes by public organisations and support in an ex-ante decision has been scarce. Different reasons are advanced to explain this lower than expected impact such as the lack of precise definition of the decision making question and the absence of a clear strategy of communication to different audiences.
The next step to improve the application of information produced by CRESVs is to directly inform public decisions, play a role in designing instruments such as PES, and be utilised in local development planning. In parallel, the financial approach of ESV can bring concrete information about potential returns for private sources of financing for conservation. Funds such as impact investment may be attracted by the MPA¿s financial ratios as the business case for Vanuatu was convincingly made.
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Zielske, Susan [Verfasser]. "The radiation of truncatelloidean gastropods across the South Pacific / Susan Zielske." Greifswald : Universitätsbibliothek Greifswald, 2016. http://d-nb.info/1121946674/34.
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Maitland, Kathryn. "The epidemiology of malaria on Espiritu Santo, Vanuatu, South West Pacific." Thesis, University of London, 2000. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.393891.
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Baker, Daniel Alexander. "Technologies of encounter : exhibition-making and the 18th century South Pacific." Thesis, University of the Arts London, 2018. http://ualresearchonline.arts.ac.uk/13703/.
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Between 1768 and 1780 Captain James Cook led three epic voyages from Britain into the Pacific Ocean, where he and his fellow explorers- artists, naturalists, philosophers and sailors, were to encounter societies and cultures of extraordinary diversity. These 18th Century South Pacific encounters were rich with performance, trade and exchange; but they would lead to the dramatic and violent transformation of the region through colonisation, settlement, exploitation and disease. Since those initial encounters, museums in Britain have become home to the images and artefacts produced and collected in the South Pacific; and they are now primary sites for the representation of the original voyages and their legacies. This representation most often takes the form of exhibitions and displays that in turn choreograph and produce new encounters with the past, in the present. Drawing on Alfred Gell's term 'technologies of enchantment' my practice reconceives the structures of exhibitions as 'technologies of encounter': exploring how they might be reconfigured to produce new kinds of encounter. Through reflexive practice I critically engage with museums as sites of encounters, whilst re-imagining the exhibition as a creative form. The research submission takes the form of an exhibition: an archive of materials from the practice, interwoven with a reflective dialogue in text. The thesis progresses through a series of exhibition encounters, each of which explores a different approach to technologies of encounter, from surrealist collage (Cannibal Dog Museum) and critical reflexivity (The Hidden Hand), to a conversational mode (Modernity's Candle and the Ways of the Pathless Deep).
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Toomey, Michael R., Jeffrey P. Donnelly, and Jessica E. Tierney. "South Pacific hydrologic and cyclone variability during the last 3000 years." AMER GEOPHYSICAL UNION, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/614773.
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Major excursions in the position of the South Pacific Convergence Zone (SPCZ) and/or changes in its intensity are thought to drive tropical cyclone (TC) and precipitation variability across much of the central South Pacific. A lack of conventional sites typically used for multimillennial proxy reconstructions has limited efforts to extend observational rainfall/TC data sets and our ability to fully assess the risks posed to central Pacific islands by future changes in fresh water availability or the frequency of storm landfalls. Here we use the sedimentary record of Apu Bay, offshore the island of Tahaa, French Polynesia, to explore the relationship between SPCZ position/intensity and tropical cyclone overwash, resolved at decadal time scales, since 3200years B.P. Changes in orbital precession and Pacific sea surface temperatures best explain evidence for a coordinated pattern of rainfall variability at Tahaa and across the Pacific over the late Holocene. Our companion record of tropical cyclone activity from Tahaa suggests major storm activity was higher between 2600-1500years B.P., when decadal scale SPCZ variability may also have been stronger. A transition to lower storm frequency and a shift or expansion of the SPCZ toward French Polynesia around 1000years B.P. may have prompted Polynesian migration into the central Pacific.
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Folkersen, Maja. "Ecosystem Valuation of Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems in the South Pacific Islands." Thesis, Griffith University, 2018. http://hdl.handle.net/10072/385544.
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One of the greatest challenges for sustaining the ecosystem services that we, as a society, derive from marine ecosystems is to minimize the knowledge gap relating to marine ecosystem values. That is, identifying, eliciting and understanding the economic value of the ecosystem services that marine systems provide for societies world-wide is key to ensuring sustainable resource use and environmental management of these ecosystems. This is particularly problematic for the ecosystem services derived from the deep sea as a tremendous knowledge gap exists for the many marine ecosystems that comprise the deep sea. Addressing this gap in knowledge may, directly and indirectly, facilitate actionable strategies for successful climate change adaptation and reduce the degradation of these important marine ecosystems.
Estimating values for certain types of marine ecosystem services in particular the deep sea is imperative for understanding the economic trade-offs associated with human actions and resource use of marine resources. Identifying, exploring and understanding the economic benefits and costs associated with the human resource use of marine systems is also crucial for circumventing irreversible damage to ecosystems, and for addressing the growing problem of ecosystem degradation of marine ecosystems. However, a knowledge gap remains in terms of eliciting and understanding how vulnerable marine ecosystems, such as coral reefs and the deep-sea, generate economic value to local economies, and for societies on a global scale.
By employing a variety of quantitative and qualitative methodologies, this thesis explores the economic value of the ecosystems of coral reefs and the deep-sea, respectively. The thesis investigates various aspects of the economic contribution of these ecosystems, namely: (i) the local economic contribution of ) Fiji's coral reefs to tourism; and ii) the economic value of the deep- sea's ecosystems to human societies, globally. Moreover, it discusses the importance of exploring the social and non-monetary value of coral reefs to human well-being in the South Pacific Island Countries (SPICs). The research of this thesis therefore constitutes a genuine contribution to understanding how changes in these marine ecosystems impact on economies and human well-being, now and in the future. Although the full extent to which ecosystem degradation of marine ecosystems will impact economies and societies globally remains uncertain, its impacts are already being witnessed, e.g. through ocean acidification, sea-level rise, reduced fish stocks and changing environmental conditions. In turn, these impacts affect human survival and well-being by negatively impacting fishery incomes, food security and coastal protection in many countries around the world. Action and investment plans for reducing the ecosystem degradation of marine systems are urgently needed to protect the value of those ecosystem services to human societies. Deepening our understanding of marine ecosystems' economic contributions constitutes a crucial component of facilitating action plans and investments for sustainable resource use and development.
Valuation of vulnerable marine ecosystems is important for several reasons. First, valuation of an ecosystem's contribution to society demonstrates the importance of that ecosystem for social stability, economic growth and human well-being, thereby
improving public awareness of that ecosystem's significance. Second, ecosystem valuation can inform policy and decision-making for future conservation programs and legislation pertaining to the human use of marine resources. Third, ecosystem valuation
creates important incentives to invest in the protection of marine systems as it outlines the connection between the ecological functioning of marine systems on the one hand, and economic output and stability on the other hand. Fourth, ecosystem valuation can also raise awareness about the importance of protecting biodiversity. Finally, ecosystem valuation of marine ecosystems is especially important for supporting decision-making related to the resource-use of marine ecosystems for which very limited information exists on their economic contribution.
The thesis starts with an introduction and a literature review of the main themes and concepts along with the problems, challenges and opportunities associated with the ecosystem valuation of coral reefs and the deep-sea. Subsequently, the research studies of this thesis, which constitutes chapters 2, 3, 4 and 5 are presented. Specifically, chapter 2 explores the economic impacts of future (hypothetical) deep-sea mining activities on Fiji's tourism industry, through a contingent behaviour study; chapter 3 discusses the need for developing non-monetary and social ecosystem valuation methodology in order to elicit marine ecosystems' importance for human well-being in the SPICs; chapter 4 explores current knowledge about the deep-sea's economic value through a systematic review and meta-analysis; and chapter 5 identifies the four main priorities for future
ecosystem valuation, policy-making and research pertaining to the deep-sea.
This thesis makes a small but significant contribution to the knowledge base of the economic value of the ecosystems of coral reefs and the deep-sea, respectively, and to developing future ecosystem valuation by means of introducing the social willingness-to commit (Social WTCommit) technique. Finally, this thesis can contribute to policy-making, decision-making and legislation pertaining to the deep-sea and coral reefs, locally and globally.Thesis (PhD Doctorate)
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Dept Account,Finance & Econ
Griffith Business School
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Henry, David, and n/a. "A poverty focus for aid to basic education in the South Pacific." University of Canberra. Education, 1991. http://erl.canberra.edu.au./public/adt-AUC20060720.155223.
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The aim of this thesis is to develop approaches that aid agencies could
use in the appraisal and/or development of basic education programs
in South Pacific countries which address aspects of poverty. It is set
in the context of wider international concern that aid programs need to
have a more direct impact on the conditions of the poor than they have
had in the recent past.
Concepts of poverty, basic education and literacy appropriate to South
Pacific countries are developed and relationships among them are
examined as preliminary steps to data collection and analysis. The
data for the thesis comes from programs of aid to basic education that
were running in or have commenced since 1985 and consists of
formal evaluations and reviews, the opinion of expert panels and
anecdotal evidence from individuals. Analysis of the data is
conducted in two stages; first, criteria by which to judge the success
of programs are developed and applied to the data, and second, the
common components of successful programs are identified.
The 'components of success' are then used to develop approaches that
aid agencies could employ in analysing program proposals and/or in
developing programs in basic education that have a poverty focus.
Examples of how these approaches could be applied to particular
programs are given.
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Ashburner, Geoffrey Roger. "Characterisation, collection and conservation of Cocos nucifera L. in the South Pacific /." Connect to thesis, 1994. http://eprints.unimelb.edu.au/archive/00000683.
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Chowra, Isabella. "The Ecological Impacts of Marine Plastic Debris in the South Pacific Region." Thesis, KTH, Industriell ekologi, 2013. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-139393.
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The population in the Pacific Islands region is vastly dependant on their oceanic resources, for food, protection and economic income. Today the Pacific Ocean faces many threats that could risk the living hood of its population. This study aims to map the extent of plastic pollution in the South Pacific and possible measurements against it. The study will also be focused on plastic shopping bags and try to assess the most environmentally friendly option. This will be achieved by literature reviews, personal interviews and experimental studies. The results showed that the pollution is of the same magnitude that in the more commonly known North Pacific Garbage Patch and may affect the ecosystems by killing animals as well as transporting environmental pollutants through the food web and invasive species through oceans. Much is still unknown about the affects of microplastics and further studies are needed. Main focus should be to stop the plastic pollution at the source, for example by levying plastic bags and only allowing completely compostable bags.
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Verlaan, Philomène Antoinette. "Environmental controls on marine ferromanganese oxide behaviour in the central south Pacific." Thesis, Imperial College London, 2003. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.408725.
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Nichols, Matthew David. "The impact of France on conflict and stability in the South Pacific." Thesis, University of Canterbury. Political Science and Communication, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/10092/993.
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This thesis investigates the impact of France on conflict and stability in the South Pacific from 1985-2006, with a primary focus on France's two largest regional dependencies: New Caledonia and French Polynesia. It is demonstrated that France had a largely destabilising influence prior to 1988, due to its controversial nuclear testing programme in French Polynesia, its repression of the independence movement in New Caledonia, and its failure to act on the pronounced social and economic imbalances between the local indigenous populations and the settler communities. However, France has played a more positive stabilising role since 1988, by factoring local and indigenous concerns into peace agreements in New Caledonia, disestablishing the French Polynesian nuclear testing programme in 1996, and allowing for greater integration of its dependencies into the region by granting increased autonomy to the territorial governments. Nonetheless, France's determination to retain sovereignty of its South Pacific dependencies continues to pose a latent threat to stability. The negotiated peace achieved in New Caledonia through the Noumea Accord's deferred referendum on self-determination contrasts starkly with current political instability in French Polynesia, where the power struggle between Independentist and Loyalist parties has again brought into question the impartiality of the French State. While not a theoretical study, the developed hierarchy of variables helps explain France's reluctance to grant sovereignty to its dependencies, and emphasises the importance of 'emotional interest' in the French approach. It is concluded that France's trend towards playing an increasingly stabilising role in its dependencies will be sustained only through an enduring commitment to rebalance territorial inequalities, tolerate pro-independence sentiment, and mediate impartially in local political disputes. Under these circumstances, the stability provided by France and its dependencies in the region would be preferable to the resource and funding vacuums that would be generated by a French withdrawal.
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Evans, Susan Aileen. "Constraints on the viscosity of the Earth's mantle beneath the South Pacific." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1994. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/52998.
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Thesis (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, 1994.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 69-70).
by Susan Aileen Evans.
M.S.
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Hassall, Jonathan David. "Static or dynamic : reconstructing past movement of the South Pacific Convergence Zone." Thesis, University of Southampton, 2017. https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/415345/.
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The largest climate system in the world exists over the Pacific Ocean. The behaviour of this system, which comprises El Nino/La Nina events and the South Pacific Convergence Zone (SPCZ), influences climate across the globe. Despite its importance, and because the region comprises archipelagos of sparsely populated islands, our understanding of the movement of the SPCZ is limited over the Holocene. This study addresses the lack of long, continuous records from this region to reconstruct movement of the SPCZ over millennial timescales. Using a variety of geochemical proxies (compound-specific δ13C and δ2H analyses on nalkanoic acids, total organic carbon δ13C, C/N, Itrax and magnetic susceptibility) from two sites (Lake Teroto, Atiu, Cook Islands, and Lake Lanoto’o, Samoa) this study has developed two palaeoclimatic reconstructions from which clear changes in SPCZ movement have been identified. A clear expansion and/or migration southeast is determined in the mid-Holocene (ca. 5,600-2,700 cal yr BP). Using the known relationship between SPCZ movement and prevailing climate states in the Pacific, specifically ENSO and IPO, inferences have been made on changes in these climate phenomena over the Holocene. When using a network of ENSO records from the tropical Pacific it is apparent that there are three distinct periods where a flavour of El Niño dominates: an early Holocene (ca. 9,500-6,800 cal yr BP) dominated by east Pacific El Niños; a transition period from ca. 6,800-5,600 cal yr BP before central Pacific El Niños dominate from ca. 5,600-2,700 cal yr BP; and a dominance of east Pacific El Niños from 2,700 cal yr BP to present. The first evidence for the 8.2 ka event is presented from the southwest tropical Pacific.
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Stark, Florian. "Secular variation of the Earth's magnetic field in the South West Pacific." Thesis, University of Liverpool, 2011. http://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/5013/.
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The dearth of archaeomagnetic intensity data from the southern hemisphere is a limiting factor in evaluating models of global geomagnetic field evolution during the Holocene. High quality microwave archaeointensity data were obtained from 106 individual ceramic fragments (33 archaeological contexts) from Fiji, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, Bismarck Archipelago and Solomon Islands in the SW Pacific. Complementary Thelliertype experiments, corrected for anisotropy give good agreement with the microwave results. Magnetic mineralogical investigations were performed using a Variable Field Translation Balance (VFTB). Single Curie temperatures between 460°C to 580°C were typically found for most of the island regions indicating an impure to pure magnetite phase. The remaining samples revealed a second TC around 350°C, which was primarily found in samples from the Island of Efate. SEM and EDX investigations have been carried out on selected samples and identified some large titanomagnetite grains (> 50 µm) which were probably introduced by adding beach or river sand to the clay matrix during the manufacturing of the pottery. The newly established archaeointensity curve covers a time interval from 1000 BC to 1750 AD and suggests a more distinctive geomagnetic field strength variation during the last three millennia than those predicted by current global models. The majority of the new data prior to 250 AD exhibit significantly lower intensity than predicted by current global field models (CALS3k.3 and ARCH3k) for the region, with an apparent intensity minimum at 250 BC reaching as low as 50% of the present-day field strength. Between 400 AD and 1500 AD, the data are broadly consistent with the global field models but with a 20% higher field between 1200 and 1400 AD. Two significant increases of the geomagnetic field strength between 200 AD and 400 AD as well as 1200 AD and 1400 AD correlate with intensity peaks found in French data sets and hint at an occurrence of archaeomagnetic jerks in the SW Pacific. Strong climatic variations around 1300 AD in the SW Pacific seem to fit to the second intensity peak and could support the hypothesis that archaeomagnetic jerks influence the climate. Nevertheless more data are needed for an unambiguous identification of such geomagnetic events and their correlation with the climate. For the first time in the SW Pacific this study has attempted to provide chronological information using archaeomagnetic dating. Three poorly dated archaeological sites on the Santa Cruz Islands, which are an important link between Near and Remote Oceania, were investigated. Similar archaeointensity results found from sites RF-2 and RF-6 on Reef Island contrast with a significantly higher value obtained from Nendö (SZ-8) potsherds suggesting a different age for this site. The SW Pacific archaeointensity results highlighted the potential of a new and independent dating tool that can be used by archaeologists to solve problems that cannot be addressed using conventional dating methods, such as the timing of the advance of the Lapita peoples across Oceania.
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King, Nicholas James. "Investigating passive cloud retrievals of marine stratocumulus over the South East Pacific." Thesis, University of Manchester, 2013. https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/investigating-passive-cloud-retrievals-of-marine-stratocumulus-over-the-south-east-pacific(c15451c2-84aa-458a-be93-5c4591e416e6).html.
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Clouds are an important modulator of the global radiation budget and yet representing their formation, evolution and interaction with aerosols still remains as one of the largest uncertainties in modelling future climate. An important requirement to understanding the processes which govern clouds is accurate measurement of their global distribution and microphysical properties over a wide range of spatial and temporal scales which can only be satisfied by passive remote sensing measurements from satellite platforms. As such the development and validation of cloud remote sensing techniques is an important ongoing task. Of particular radiative importance are marine stratocumulus clouds, due to their large global extent and high solar reflectance. This thesis uses a range of in situ and remote sensing observations of marine stratocumulus over the South East Pacific taken during the Variability of the American Monsoon Systems (VAMOS) Ocean-Cloud-Atmosphere-Land Study Regional Experiment (VOCALS-REx) to investigate some outstanding issues relating to passive remote sensing. In particular answers to two questions are sought: 1) Do measurements of solar reflectance at multiple wavelengths with different absorption properties allow information about the vertical structure of the cloud to be derived? 2) Is there a high bias in passive retrievals of droplet effective radius? A unique airborne hyperspectral data set is evaluated for its potential to provide insight into these problems but through extensive comparison to collocated in situ and satellite observations along with an analysis of historical calibrations, it is concluded that the calibration quality of this dataset is not sufficient to meet its scientific objectives. A theoretical study into the information content of multi-wavelength measurements to retrieve the vertical variation of droplet size is presented. Measurements from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) satellite instrument are shown to contain little information related to the vertical structure of typical marine stratocumulus. The information content of hyperspectral measurements is shown to be significantly larger, indicating the potential to perform profile retrievals from future measurements. A comparison of in situ profile measurements to collocated MODIS cloud retrievals adds to the existing body of evidence that passive retrievals of the droplet effective radius of marine stratocumulus are high biased when compared to other measurement sources.Potential sources of this bias are investigated and many of the previously postulated reasons behind the bias are ruled out. It is also shown that the differences between MODIS retrievals of effective radius performed at different wavelengths bear no relation to the in situ observed vertical structure of the cloud.
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Waldroup, Heather Leigh. "Traveling images : representations of the south pacific from colonial and postcolonial worlds /." Diss., Digital Dissertations Database. Restricted to UC campuses, 2004. http://uclibs.org/PID/11984.
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Sukal, Amit Chand. "Molecular characterisation and diagnosis of badnaviruses infecting yams in the South Pacific." Thesis, Queensland University of Technology, 2018. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/122927/1/Amit%20Chand_Sukal_Thesis.pdf.
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Yams are an important food source grown throughout the Pacific but the international movement of the crop is restricted due to a lack of understanding of the viruses infecting these plants. This study focused on identifying and characterising badnaviruses infecting yams and the subsequent development of sensitive and reliable diagnostic tests. These tests can be used in virus-screening programs to enable the safe international movement of virus-free yam germplasm thus contributing to food and nutritional security of Pacific Island Countries.
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Harrison, Gabrielle Louise. "The molecular epidemiology and evolution of Hepatitis B virus in the South Pacific." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2007. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.491526.
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Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is of universal concern: currently, around one-third of the global population (ca. 2 billion people) is, or has been, infected by HBY, it is estimated that there are 350-400 million chronic carriers and that half a million people die from HBV associated disease a year. This thesis investigates Hepatitis B Virus evolutionary dynamics, molecular epidemiology and molecular variants. First, Hepatitis B virus has presented a considerable challenge for evolutionary rate estimation. Here, this challenge is re-addressed using a novel analysis of newly acquired serial samples from the indigenous peoples of the South Pacific, in combination with previously published data. Second, using probabilistic Bayesian models to estimate evolutionary rates from noncontemporaneous sequences, as well as, phylogenetic methods for detecting recombination, the evolutionary history of hepatitis B virus was examined in the geographical region of Oceania; evolutionary rates, dates of divergence, as well as, genotype distributions are investigated. Finally, to investigate if Hepatitis B virus is a reemerging disease in the developing nations of the South Pacific the epidemiological status in the region was examined in two overlapping surveys. In the first survey the efficacy of the Hepatitis B virus vaccination programme was examined in three Pacific Island Countries: Papua New Guinea, the Republic of Fiji Islands and the Republic of Kiribati. e In the second survey 562 randomly selected human serum samples from Madagascar, Indonesia and Oceania are screened for naturally occurring surface gene variants of Hepatitis B virus. A combination of serological and nucleic acid testing techniques are used to determine both the apparent and hidden, historical as well as contemporary, incidence of HBV in the region.
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Thompson, Gary M. "The geochemistry and petrogenesis of Rarotonga, an ocean island in the South Pacific." Thesis, National Library of Canada = Bibliothèque nationale du Canada, 1998. http://www.collectionscanada.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk2/tape17/PQDD_0004/NQ36213.pdf.
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Mooney, Joanne. "An examination of the influences on Australian foreign policy in the South Pacific /." Title page, contents and introduction only, 1989. http://web4.library.adelaide.edu.au/theses/09AR/09arm818.pdf.
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Snelling, Margaret. "In search of a "noble savage" : imperial representations of the South Pacific Islander /." Title page, contents and abstract only, 1998. http://web4.library.adelaide.edu.au/theses/09AR/09ars671.pdf.
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Johnson, Sarah Agnes. "Views in the South Seas : writing Pacific nature, culture and landscape, 1700-1775." Thesis, University of Cambridge, 2005. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.605656.
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The ‘Views’ of my title signify not only picturesque landscapes, but perspectives and ideas, the viewing of positions in which their culture placed European explorers from Dampier to Cook, and the ‘views’ of exotic nature that their accounts disseminated to readers eager to know the Pacific. The thesis investigates the construction of knowledge, ‘mobilising’ the exotic visual in words. Writers’ creation of landscape by imaginatively applying culture to nature is positioned against a broader backdrop of the shifting and negotiable interactions of nature and culture revealed in their texts. Descriptive discourses discussed include Eden and ideal place tropes; the ‘English georgic’; the new languages of geology and botany; and connoisseurial aesthetics from the realm of landscape gardening. Description of the unknown is always comparative, but this acquires special resonance in an age that expected to draw the whole of nature into one system of knowledge. The chapters on cultivation, taxonomy and connoisseurship show this mindset at work in spheres whose collocation is not coincidental, given the Enlightened gentleman’s triple warrant to be man of science, connoisseur and husbandman. Though my ‘thematic’ treatment may appear synchronic, I wish to emphasis progressive ‘becoming known’. The last two chapters foreground a murky uncertainty in the minds of European voyagers that has been detachable throughout – whether in the discovery of ‘Edenic’ Tahitian infanticide, the jungle’s alarming fecundity or the delusion s inspired by scurvy. Chapter five focuses narrowly on the Easter island statues as objects-in-landscape, exposing an ‘aesthetic crisis’ provoked by indigenous claims on the realm of taste; and chapter six explores the surprising absence of fashionable sublime discourse from Pacific travel-writing, suggesting that its aetheticisation of terror is incompatible with explorers’ very real vulnerability. Cook’s death in Hawaii represented an eruption of all that was dark and uncertain about Pacific exploratory enterprises, but the earlier narratives, which concern me more, show anxiety existing in carefully contained tension with optimism. Explorers and chroniclers must work at ‘preserving themselves in the South Seas’; and this self-preservation extends to the web of cultural associations into which they attempted to draw the strange. The final chapter thus provides a different slant on the project of the whole thesis which is to explore these associations, in terms of their successes and failures as appropriative strategies; and the tentativeness often betrayed between the lines of ostensibly confident reports of a world that, becoming more known, seemed increasingly unknowable.
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Tuivavalagi, Nacanieli Sikinairai. "Liming, potassium reactions and maize production in selected soils of the South Pacific." Thesis, University of Newcastle Upon Tyne, 1995. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.262237.
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Geismar, Haidy Lynne. "Markets, museums and material culture : presentations and prestations in Vanuatu, South-West Pacific." Thesis, University College London (University of London), 2003. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.405271.
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Dearnaley, Michael Paul. "Throughflow from the Pacific to the Indian Ocean through South East Asian waters." Thesis, University of Southampton, 1990. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.292419.
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Medley, Paul Anthony Hassell. "Interaction between longline and purse seine in the south-west Pacific tuna fishery." Thesis, Imperial College London, 1989. http://hdl.handle.net/10044/1/47571.
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Latham, Krista Erin. "Assessing Y-Chromosome Variation in the South Pacific Using Newly Detected NRY Markers." Diss., Temple University Libraries, 2008. http://cdm16002.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p245801coll10/id/5736.
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AnthropologyPh.D.
The South Pacific is a region of incredible biological, cultural and linguistic diversity, reflecting its early settlement by human populations. It has been a region of interest to scholars because of this diversity, as well as its unique geography and settlement history. Current evidence suggests there was an initial settlement of Near Oceania during the Pleistocene by Papuan-speaking foragers, followed by a later Holocene settlement of Remote Oceania by Oceanic-speaking agriculturalists. Previous studies of human biological variation have been used to illuminate the migration history of and population relationships within Oceania. In this study, I analyzed Y-chromosome (NRY) diversity in 842 unrelated males to more fully characterize the phylogeography of paternal genetic lineages in this region, using a large number of regionally informative markers on an intensive sample set from Northern Island Melanesia. This approach facilitated an analysis of NRY haplogroup distributions, an evaluation of the ancestral paternal genetic contribution to the region, and a comparison of regional NRY diversity with that observed at different genetic loci (e.g., mtDNA). This project is part of a collaborative effort by faculty and graduate students from the Temple University Department of Anthropology that focused on characterizing biological variation and genetic structure in Melanesia, and better resolving the phylogeographic specificity of Northern Island Melanesia. Overall, this study generated a higher resolution view of NRY haplogroup variation than detected in previous studies through the use of newly defined and very informative SNP markers. It also showed that there is a very small ancestral East Asian paternal contribution to this area, and a rather large proportion of older Melanesian NRY lineages present there. In addition, this study observed extraordinary NRY diversity within Northern Island Melanesia, as well as genetic structure influenced more by geography than linguistic variation. This structure and diversity was essentially equivalent to that noted for mtDNA data for this region. Finally, this study helped to resolve questions about the placement of the 50f2/c deletion within the larger NRY tree. Overall, this work has refined our understanding of the migration and demographic history of Northern Island Melanesia.
Temple University--Theses
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Thompson, Gary M. "The geochemistry and petrogenesis of Rarotonga, an ccean island in the South Pacific /." Internet access available to MUN users only, 1998. http://collections.mun.ca/u?/theses,49388.
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Hobson, Kate Elizabeth. "The pyroclastic deposits and eruption history of Ascension Island : a palaeomagnetic and volcanological study." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2001. http://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:2607a9e5-8147-402a-adab-bab4bfe8372f.
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In this study, palaeomagnetic methods have been combined with field and volcanological techniques to identify, classify and correlate the pyroclastic deposits found on Ascension Island, South Atlantic, allowing them to be placed into a temporal and geographic framework. Pyroclastic material is abundant on the island and, in general, wellpreserved, making Ascension an ideal site to study the nature and distribution of the pyroclastic products of this type of composite volcano or stratovolcano. A better understanding of the nature and distribution of the products of past pyroclastic eruptions on Ascension should enhance our ability to assess volcanic hazard around stratovolcanoes world-wide. Field mapping and stratigraphic logging have revealed the presence of several major pyroclastic sequences on Ascension. These comprise extensive felsic (pumice) and mafic (scoria) lapilli deposits, two major and several minor exposures of welded material and numerous breccia deposits that exhibit great variation in juvenile/lithic content, matrix type and content and internal structure. Preliminary interpretations of the deposits were made in the field, based on features such as welding, grain shape and internal structures. However many of the deposits - particularly the breccia deposits - display ambiguous field characteristics that could be attributed to pyroclastic or epiclastic processes and their origins could not therefore be determined from field characteristics alone. [See pdf for continuation of abstract].
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Brown, Samuel David James. "Molecular systematics and colour variation of Carpophilus species (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae) of the South Pacific." Diss., Lincoln University, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/10182/1430.
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The sap beetle genus Carpophilus Stephens (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae) is a large genus consisting of over 200 species and are found worldwide. Several species are important pests of crops and stored products, and are frequently intercepted as part of biosecurity operations. The genus is poorly known taxonomically, and there are several species groups that are challenging to identify by morphological methods. In particular, two species found across the Pacific, C. maculatus Murray and C. oculatus Murray are frequently confused with each other. These two species are similar in size and colour, but differ primarily by the shape of the colour pattern on their elytra. However, this colour pattern is highly variable within both species, leading to ambiguity in the indentification of these species. Within C. oculatus, three subspecies have been described based on differences in the male genitalia and pronotal punctation: C. o. oculatus and C. o. gilloglyi Dobson are distributed widely across the Pacific, while C. o. cheesmani Dobson is known only from Vanuatu. A search of literature records and specimen collections revealed 32 species of Carpophilus recorded from the Pacific region. In addition there remain several unidentified specimens representing at least four species, two of which will be described subsequent to this research. A number of species recorded in the literature may have been misidentified, and these require further field collections and inspection of museum specimens to confirm their presence in the Pacific. To test the validity of the subspecies of C. oculatus, and its distinctiveness from C. maculatus, a phylogeny of available specimens of Carpophilus was inferred from one mitochondrial gene (cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI)), and two nuclear genes (28S ribsomal RNA (28S) and the internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2)). These data show large genetic distances between the three subspecies of C. oculatus of 7-12%. Given these distances are similar to those between other species in the genus, this indicates these subspecies may be elevated to full species. The data also consistently support a monophyletic relationship between C. o. oculatus and C. o. gilloglyi. Nuclear genes also support C. o. cheesmani as part of a clade with the other subspecies, but these relationships are unresolved in COI. Carpophilus maculatus was not supported as being the sister taxon of the C. o. oculatus and C. o. gilloglyi clade. Other relationships within Carpophilus were unresolved, possibly due to a combination of incomplete taxon sampling, and saturation of substitutions within the COI gene. Phylogeographic analysis of specimens collected from several localities within the range of C. oculatus showed that, with only one exception, there were no shared haplotypes between archipelagoes. This result suggests it may be possible to determine the provenence of intercepted specimens, providing further information regarding potential invasion pathways. A degree of geographic structuring was also present within C. o. gilloglyi, being separated into a western clade found in Fiji and Rotuma and an eastern clade distributed from the Kermadec Islands and Tonga to French Polynesia. This separation was most profound in COI data, with a mean pairwise distance between the clades of 7%. ITS2 data also demonstrates a degree of differentiation between the two clades, based on differences in the insertions and deletions between the clades. The variability in the shape and colour of the elytral pattern of C. oculatus was also investigated. Colour was quantified using a method based on Red-Green-Blue (RGB) colour values derived from digital photographs, while an outline analysis of the elytral pattern was conducted using elliptic Fourier analysis (EFA). Principal Components Analysis of the RGB values and EFA coefficients showed no clear separation between subspecies, nor were any trends correlated with host fruit or collection localities. Variation at all levels and all measures studied in this thesis show that this geographic region and this genus of beetles offer intruiging insights into speciation, biogeography and biological invasions. There is much scope for further research on the causes and consequences of this variation and the lives of these interesting insects.
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Zhu, Liwei. "Identification of secondary metabolite gene clusters of bacteria from south pacific gyre subseafloor sediment." Thesis, University of Rhode Island, 2014. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=1555704.
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Secondary metabolites are organic compounds that are not directly involved in the key processes (growth, reproduction and development) of an organism. They are commonly targeted in pharmaceutical science for drug discovery. Secondary metabolites that have been used in drug discovery have been derived from plants, invertebrates and microbes. Microbes, bacteria in particular, have contributed greatly and will continue to play an important role in new drug discovery. Among the bacteria from all environments, marine bacteria are a vast reservoir for many potential useful bioactive compounds. Recent studies using marine bacteria for pharmaceutical use mainly focused on the bacteria collected from near-shore sediments. However, bacteria from deep-sea sediments remain unexplored. The South Pacific Gyre (SPG) is the most oligotrophic region of the world ocean. Due to the low surface productivity and distance from land, sediments below the gyre accumulate very slowly and are characterized by very low organic carbon content and relatively high dissolved oxygen concentrations. Sediments from South Pacific Gyre were found to host a living microbial community that, compared to other marine sediments, contains very low microbial biomass and very low metabolic activity. Thus, the goal of this study is to: (1) document the cultivatable bacterial diversity; and (2) explore the pharmaceutical potential of deep-sea bacteria from South Pacific Gyre sediment. To address this, bacteria were isolated in pure culture from sediments from seven sites of the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Expedition 329 in the South Pacific Gyre. 16S rRNA genes from 81 bacterial isolates throughout six SPG sites (U1366, U1367, U1368, U1369, U1370 and U1371) were sequenced for phylogenetic analysis using the RDP (Ribosomal Database Project). 16S rRNA genes were amplified with bacterial primers that have been proven to amplify bacterial sequences well (27F, 1392R). Whole genomes from nine Rhodococcus isolates (with two duplicates) throughout four SPG sites (U1366, U1367, U1370 and U1371) were sequenced for secondary metabolites gene clusters discovery. By using antiSMASH (antibiotics & Secondary Metabolite Analysis SHell), secondary metabolite biosynthesis gene clusters in the bacterial genome were identified, annotated and analyzed. Of the 81 16S rRNA gene clone libraries constructed, most of the clones (63%) affiliated with the genus Bacillus, 35.8% were affiliated with the genus Rhodococcus and one clone was identified as a Corynebacterium. The phylogenetic tree further indicated that all the Rhodococci were identified as Rhodococcus erythropolis. By using antiSMASH to look for the secondary metabolites gene clusters from the Rhodococcus genomes, many gene clusters, most of which were NPRS and PKS, were found in the genomes. This study suggests that deep-sea sediments harbor bacteria with the potential to produce pharmaceutically important secondary metabolites.
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Hardy, Nicholas C. "A marine geophysical study of the Pacific margins of Colombia and south east Panama." Thesis, University of Birmingham, 1991. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.312976.
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Stickley, Catherine Emma. "The palaeoceanographical significance of diatoms in Late Quaternary sediments from the south-west Pacific." Thesis, University College London (University of London), 1999. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.314373.
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