Southern Cross University Research Articles

Assessment symposium assessment practice in a changing world

The University English Centres of Australia (UECA) 'Assessment Symposium: Assessment Practice in a Changing World' at Southern Cross University in October 2022 highlighted the growing interest in integrated assessment in Australian university direct entry programs (DEPs) for English as Additional Language (EAL) students. In keynote presentations, Professor Antony John Kunnan, Carnegie Mellon University; Professor Guoxing Yu, University of Bristol; and Dr Paul Moore, the University of Queensland, shared an overview of their scholarly work on integrated assessment. The Symposium also included practitioner and student voices from Australia’s English language intensive courses for overseas students (ELICOS) sector in a panel discussion that considered the impacts of integrated and online assessment on assessment practices in their contexts over the previous three years. This paper provides excerpts from these speakers, contextualised with a brief discussion of DEPs globally, and focussing on the Australian university DEP context.

Digital stewardship for river stewardship: creating the Richmond River open access repository

ABSTRACT The catchment of the Richmond River in Lismore, Australia, presents a challenge for record collection and preservation. Firstly, material records belonging to the community are periodically destroyed in flooding. The places where these are physically located as historical archives are often situated in the floodplain. Secondly, relevant records are dispersed across multiple government levels and organizations, posing further threats to their preservation and access. This paper seeks to explore those challenges and describe the development of a river repository at Southern Cross University, funded in part through a grant for flood recovery projects. The repository and our research are motivated by the challenges and considerations surrounding the preservation and management of cultural and scientific materials in the current era, characterized by human impact on the environment and climate change and the integration the Anthropocene heralds between the human and non-human world. Digital stewardship encompasses caring for and managing records and data, goals we extend to the Richmond River and its health.

Reconceptualizing the curation of prescribed learning resources in an immersive block teaching model

The presentation will describe how the curation of prescribed learning resources has been reconceived as an enabler of an immersive block teaching model. Contemporary higher education curriculum relies on high quality learning resources to engage students, to encourage them to adopt deeper learning approaches (Gledhil et al., 2017) and to support students’ academic adjustment to university (Owusu-Ageyman & Mugume, 2023). Little has been written about learning resources and reading lists within the digital transformation of higher education in the post-pandemic environment. The presentation will showcase a new way to position prescribed learning resources accessed as an integral feature of constructively aligned pedagogy within an immersive teaching model. Through the lens of an institutional case study at Southern Cross University, the presentation will show how prescribed learning resources delivered via integrated reading list technology are an enabling element of an innovative, student-centred, university-wide curriculum renewal project. At a time of increasing student expectations of teaching quality, academic, educational design and library staff need to review whether reading lists of learning resources are fit for purpose (Brewerton, 2014) and consider the cognitive load placed on students by reading (Barile et al., 2022). The presentation will outline the evidence-based, policy-led approach adopted by Southern Cross University and will demonstrate how learning resources and reading lists can contribute to student success. Prescribed learning resources and reading lists are now seen as pedagogical tools within the immersive teaching model, providing a variety of media-rich learning resources aligned to unit learning outcomes. Reading list parameters ensure that a manageable volume of learning is implemented, reducing cognitive load and barriers to participation. The approach to reading lists taken by Southern Cross University to empower immersive teaching practices provides a refreshed model for the use of prescribed learning resources in unit and curriculum design, development, and delivery.

Abstracts Teaching Kitchen Research Conference Los Angeles, California October 18–19, 2022

Abstracts Teaching Kitchen Research Conference Los Angeles, California <i>October 18–19, 2022</i>

Speaking with the river: Confluence and interdisciplinarity in rivers and river systems

This article is underpinned by the hypothesis that if Australia is to reassess and improve its relationship to and use of rivers and river systems, then more holistic ways of understanding rivers, and strategies for representing and communicating this understanding, must be developed and brought together. Held over two days in August 2019 at the Lismore campus of Southern Cross University, ‘Speaking With the River’ was an interdisciplinary symposium exploring the capacities of creative research practice to develop new understandings of rivers and river systems as simultaneously environmental, cultural, historical and economic phenomena. In this article, we bring together the voices and disciplinary insights from the symposium and the rivers of Northern New South Wales, and we reflect on the way that riverine language ran throughout our discussions and ideas, providing a connective model of confluences and conjunctions for the interdisciplinary enterprise we were engaged in. This article presents perspectives on rivers and river systems from law, history, art and science, exploring common ground and common purposes. Developing a legal framework for recognising the rights and ‘voices’ of rivers, that is informed by Indigenous knowledges, historical contexts, and scientific understanding, and that employs artistic innovation in representation and translation, is to us the ultimate goal of such an enquiry. While this paper does not undertake the formal steps of developing this framework, it provides the necessary background and instantiates its elements and working methods within the context of the Richmond River in Northern New South Wales.

A Brief Discussion of Asian Women in Leadership

As never before, women are rightfully in positions of political power, and into the maelstrom of mass media challenges to their fashions and their right to govern. Fraught narratives surround the clothing of women in leadership in Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, the United States, Hong Kong, Taiwan, India, and Indonesia. There is an enduring relationship between women and dress which needs to be examined in regard to how clothing choices inform and articulate the ways in which women remain represented as either suitable or not for public office, how they may be lauded or damned when they are in power. In Women and Power: The Politics of Dress it is argued by several authors that political dress for women in the Asia-Pacific expresses a complex set of political and cultural legacies as it impacts their style of government and appearance. Cultural legacies are, in some cases, determined by choice or rejection of ethnic clothing of the past. When Myanmar leader Aung San Sui-Kyi chose to wear versions of her native costume, she offered the physical appearance of her commitment to government by the people, rather than the military (124). She was deposed from office and imprisoned after a military coup in 2021, and Myanmar currently remains under military rule. Interesting examples of ‘native costume’ in politics include: the former ‘first lady’ of the Philippines, Imelda Marcos, and her use of the classic Filipina ‘butterfly dress’ (122), and former Chief Executive of Hong Kong Carrie Lam’s adoption of the ancient Chinese ‘qipao’ or ‘cheong sam’ (129). Other legacies include the very strict set of attire worn by brides entering the Japanese royal family, and further honorifics as exemplified by the wedding clothes of Princess-by-marriage Masako and her subsequent rise to Empress of Japan (63-72). Contrary to country- and cultural-specific clothing for much of Asia, political dress for women includes the overwhelming impact of western culture on garments through mass media, such as television and films, and more recently, the socials. (130). Theories regarding political attire of non-Western women in leadership risk the notion of ‘stereotyping’ through the Western view of the ‘exoticism’ of women through ‘Oriental costuming’ (121). As noted above, there is a legitimate option for Asian women to select their garments to express both cultural traditions alongside their employment of Westernised or popular fashion, or even haute couture. For instance, more Avant Garde designer clothing was important to former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and others (128). Further, clothing worn by women in politics offers the opportunity to express not only the political aspirations of their country and its role in global negotiations. Women politicians' use of distinctive country-based designers in India, Pakistan, Japan, Indonesia, and China (PRC) when on the global stage has been defined as ‘sartorial diplomacy’ (13). Promoting the fashion of one’s native country has also been defined as ‘soft power’ (13). Likewise, the use of ‘native’ or country-centric costume has offered women in leadership to mix a national form of identify politics as befits their nation’s goals (13). Finally, meeting nationalistic goals within the bounds of a culturally-based sense of women’s proper roles in society, i.e. placing family and children first can be challenging, if not impossible, with their own wishes to display their own identity through the adoption of contemporary fashion. Finally, how women leaders dress is subject to critical commentary through mass media and the socials, where appearance takes on a disproportionate level of importance (16). Women who rise to political prominence will need to continue to ‘call out’ inappropriate commentary on their attire that undermines their authority to govern their countries as men have done without question. Excerpted from the following: Denise N. Rall (ed.). Fashion, Women and Power: The Politics of Dress. Bristol: Intellect / Chicago: U of Chicago P, 2022. Author Biography Denise N. Rall, Adjunct Fellow – Research [pending], in Humanities &amp; Social Sciences, Southern Cross University, Lismore NSW, was awarded her PhD in 2007. Since 2008, Denise relocated her academic and artistic interests to fashion and textiles through a critical lens to view the sociology of clothing and its role in society. Latest book: Fashion, Women &amp; Power: The Politics of Dress published in 2022.

Another way: The intersection between First Nations peoples' ways of thinking and governance, accounting and accountability

First Nations peoples' idea of Land custodianship implies that Land cannot be offered, taken, sold, lost or abandoned. This concept does not align with the Anglo-Saxon view of land as an asset which can be owned, sold or transferred between people. A team of researchers from Macquarie University, Southern Cross University and CQ University explore the differences between Indigenous and Western thinking and reflect on future opportunities for research, reconciliation and change.

Call for Special Issue Papers: Global Public Health - Contributions of Traditional, Complementary, and Integrative Medicine in Primary Care.

Call for Special Issue Papers: Global Public Health - Contributions of Traditional, Complementary, and Integrative Medicine in Primary Care.

Just when I needed you most: Establishing on-demand learning support in a regional university

This article discusses the experiences and challenges of introducing a third-party learning support provider into the teaching and learning culture at Southern Cross University (SCU), a regional university with campus locations in New South Wales and Queensland. The provider was engaged to extend online study support after-hours to first year students to complement the on-campus and online academic skills consultations available during business hours. The case study covers a 2015 pilot, a wider roll-out in 2016, and finally, a 2017 university-wide access via the intranet as well as through nominated units. The project team collaborated, planned, and prepared for adding third-party student support with specific strategies used to implement institutional cultural change. The case study offers implications for practice and policy across the higher education sector through the lessons learned, including the need for a complementarity of services approach with existing student services, a team-based strategic approach with a provider representative, and the benefits from open and positive communication. The partnership between SCU and the third-party provider evolved to the mutual benefit of both organisations. Students received support and feedback when they needed it most, academic staff revitalised coursework, and the third-party provider fine-tuned a targeted service for the institution.&#x0D; Implications for practice or policy:&#x0D; &#x0D; Situate the academic skills support services provided in-house and the service provided by the third-party provider as complementary to each other.&#x0D; Re-enforce this complementarity in all communication with students and academic staff.&#x0D; Adopt a team-based approach to planning the introduction and implementation of a third-party provider’s services.&#x0D; Utilise the provider’s strengths, such as data generation and reporting, that enable student usage information about the after-hours service to be disseminated across the university.&#x0D;

Student evaluations: Pedagogical tools, or weapons of choice?

In this paper, we survey the recent literature of student evaluation surveys (‘SETs’) in the university sector, in so doing identifying a number of diverse issues that this literature reveals, and contextualising its general findings to the teaching practices of a regional Australian law school. This article argues that, contrary to their original intention, SETs are more often used as blunt instruments than nuanced pedagogical tools. Case studies drawn from Southern Cross University’s School of Law and Justice corroborate the general tenor of the literature, namely that there is ‘little evidence that study findings are being used to change or improve the student learning experience.’ Rather, these increasingly streamlined surveys provide online opportunities to take the subjective ‘pulse’ of student satisfaction, momentary snapshots that often generate instant heat, but shed little light. We argue that SETs need to be seen in context, as part of a wider and more pedagogically informed measure of good teaching. While it seems unlikely that SETs in their present form will disappear overnight, their continuing validity requires current teaching evaluation to be itself evaluated, the first priority being the paring back of survey questions to only those factors capable of objective and verifiable measurement.

A Phase 2 Randomised, Double Blind Clinical Trial Assessing the Tolerability of Two Different Ratios of Medicinal Cannabis in Patients with Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM)

Background: Glioblastoma (GBM) remains incurable. Patients seek complementary treatments when standard treatments are ineffective, or when cancer symptoms are uncontrolled. Cannabis has intense interest as both therapy and palliation for GBM, but little prospective controlled data exists. We studied the safety and tolerability of two different quality-assured medicinal cannabis preparations in patients with GBM, taking standard treatments. Patients and Methods: Patients with recurrent high-grade glioma (anaplastic astrocytoma or GBM) with no history of substance abuse enrolled in a single-centre phase II double-blind randomized clinical trial comparing two preparations of medicinal cannabis (tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) to cannabidiol (CBD), THC 1:1 CBD and THC 4:1 CBD) taken once daily at night. Retrospective historically matched controls were audited from clinical records as comparators. Results: Patient self-referral for screening was overwhelming (n=921). Both preparations were well tolerated. Side effects included dry mouth, tiredness at night, dizziness, drowsiness, and impaired motor coordination, but no serious adverse events were attributable to the intervention. Sleep was reported as improved from baseline in both groups (95% CI 2.4-2.77; p=0.009). Overall quality of life (FACT-Br) was improved from baseline in both groups with the 1:1 preparation favouring both physical (95% CI 6.49-7.92; p=0.025) and functional (95% CI 15-16.9; p=0.014) capacity. Disease control appeared no worse than historical controls; only 10% of patients experienced progressive disease during the study period, and median overall survival was 11 months. Conclusion: A single nightly dose of medicinal cannabis was safe, well tolerated and appeared to improve sleep, functional wellbeing and quality of life (QOL) compared to baseline, with no negative impact on disease control. The 1:1 preparation is favoured for future studies in people with high-grade brain cancer. Trial Registration: The trial protocol was registered with the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trial Registry (ANZCTR): ACTRN12617001287325. Funding Statement: The funding body, Bioceuticals Pty Ltd, had no involvement with the protocol development, implementation of the trial, collection nor analysis of the trial. The trial was conducted by an independent research institution, Endeavour College of Natural Health which was the initial sponsor for the trial which has now been transferred to Southern Cross University (SCU) due to the lead researcher transferring universities. The funding body paid fees directly to Endeavour and SCU for the trial and supplied the investigational products for the trial in kind Declaration of Interests: All investigators declare no conflict of interest with this study. Prof Charlie Teo and Dr Mike Sughrue are shareholders and founders of Omniscient neurotechnologies for brain tumours but does not conflict with this study. Ethics Approval Statement: The trial was approved by human research ethical committees (HREC), South Eastern Sydney Local Health District HREC: 18/028, University of Technology Sydney HREC: ETH 18-2761 and Endeavour College of Natural Medicine HREC: 20180821.

Interview with A/Professor Matthew Leach, Deputy Director of Education, National Centre of Naturopathic Medicine, Southern Cross University: 8 April 2020

These abstracts are brief summaries of articles in recent issues of medical journals. Articles selected are of a general nature for the information of practitioners of naturopathy and herbal medicine. A dominant theme is often present throughout the journals which will be reflected in the reviews.

Investigating synchronous and asynchronous class attendance as predictors of academic success in online education

Learning is facilitated by participation and interaction and can be synchronously or asynchronously in online education. This study investigated the relationship between students’ academic success and online interaction and participation and explored their class attendance (synchronous virtual classes and/or watching the recorded virtual classes) in the online study mode of an enabling program at Southern Cross University in Australia. The Preparing for Success at SCU Program equips students with study skills for success at university. The data were retrieved from usage information data provided by the Blackboard Learn learning management system. The results show that it is important for students to attend class, but it does not necessarily make a difference whether students attend synchronous virtual classes or watch the recordings of the virtual classes. A significant relationship was found between academic success and the number of hours students participated in and interacted with the online learning system. Academic success may be increased by providing various options for students to participate and interact online, and to attend classes synchronously or asynchronously. The flexibility of online education can enable students to be successful in their studies. The inclusion of varied activities is therefore recommended to increase academic success in online education.

Oyster larvae as a potential first feed for small-mouthed ornamental larval fish

AEI Aquaculture Environment Interactions Contact the journal Facebook Twitter RSS Mailing List Subscribe to our mailing list via Mailchimp HomeLatest VolumeAbout the JournalEditorsTheme Sections AEI 11:657-669 (2019) - DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/aei00338 Oyster larvae as a potential first feed for small-mouthed ornamental larval fish Alexander J. Basford*, Benjamin Mos, Tomoki Mishina, Symon A. Dworjanyn National Marine Science Centre, Southern Cross University, Coffs Harbour, NSW 2450, Australia *Corresponding author: alex.basford@scu.edu.au ABSTRACT: Aquaculture of ornamental marine fish for the aquarium trade is a possible solution to the negative environmental impacts of wild collection. An impasse to the culture of many marine fish species is high larval mortality due to unsuitable live feeds. Common live feeds can be too large for ornamental species, which often have larvae with small mouths. We tested wild oyster larvae as an alternative live feed for first-feeding blue tang Paracanthurus hepatus. P. hepatus readily consumed oyster larvae but did not consume rotifers. Survival and growth of P. hepatus fed oyster larvae was similar to unfed controls, likely due to the oyster trochophores developing into indigestible veligers. Restricting the diet of P. hepatus to only oyster trochophores improved survival and eye development, but survival rates remained low. Oyster trochophores were conditioned in pH 4.8 seawater to compromise their aragonite shells, and P. hepatus fed these had higher survival at 5 d post-hatch (dph) compared to those fed untreated trochophores and were the only fish surviving to 10 dph. The high consumption rates of oyster larvae by P. hepatus highlight the potential for bivalve larvae to be used as live feeds for first-feeding larval fish. Further research into improving the nutritional value of oyster larvae for larval fish may improve their viability as first feeds. KEY WORDS: Acidification · Blue tang · Paracanthurus hepatus · Fatty acids · Live feeds · Larval rearing Full text in pdf format Supplementary material Corrections to supplement PreviousNextCite this article as: Basford AJ, Mos B, Mishina T, Dworjanyn SA (2019) Oyster larvae as a potential first feed for small-mouthed ornamental larval fish. Aquacult Environ Interact 11:657-669. https://doi.org/10.3354/aei00338 Export citation RSS - Facebook - Tweet - linkedIn Cited by Published in AEI Vol. 11. Online publication date: December 05, 2019 Print ISSN: 1869-215X; Online ISSN: 1869-7534 Copyright © 2019 Inter-Research.

Pre-professional reflective practice: Strategies, perspectives and experiences

IntroductionReflective practice (RP) is a crucial component of health professions' practice. For students, RP is a way to increase their professional competence and improve patient care. To facilitate RP in students and meet their learning needs, educators need an understanding of their students' knowledge and experiences of RP. The aims of this research were to explore senior student osteopaths’ experiences of RP and develop recommendations for improving student engagement with RP. MethodThis research used a descriptive survey method. All students enrolled in the Master of Osteopathic Medicine at Southern Cross University during 2016 were invited to complete an anonymous online survey. ResultsStudents perceived RP as an important catalyst for personal and professional development. They reported using reflection to reconsider clinical decisions, identify gaps in their knowledge and skills, and enhance patient-centred care. Students felt there was a need for RP to be introduced earlier in the course (Year 1) and that greater focus be given to RP during workplace learning including allocation of time for reflective discussion with clinical educators. The data revealed that students who had completed a previous postgraduate qualification were more likely to use reflection frequently, especially after patient consultations. ConclusionThis research supports the important role that RP can play in developing professional competence in student osteopaths and identifies curricula approaches that have the potential to improve student engagement.

Ready for work: Educating literary professionals in a region

This paper is a small case study with a brief description and evaluation of regionally based, largely extracurricular professional writing activities by staff, and the opportunities provided to students in the Writing Program, School of Arts and Social Sciences, Southern Cross University. There may be a perception or assumption by some students that creative-writing opportunities are limited in the region, in terms of number and variety, or difficulty of access. This may be due to their own limited experience of the ‘writing world’, which is directly tied to the student cohort demographics. One of our concerns is to prepare students for the rigors of a professional life of writing or other related fields in a literary industry. We provide our students with professional training or work experience opportunities: to read, to write, to publish, to be a publisher/editor, to work in a literary industry context. As well, Hartley (2014: 2) argues ‘for building on regionalism’s concern for place, space, and identity’. Writing and literature are key ways to explore and develop regional specificities. We think that the Northern Rivers is generating a regional literature, a literature of the Northern Rivers Gothic. As teachers, mentors, and residents in a regional area, we recognise that one of our tasks is to help students make connections to existing networks of opportunity, or create them ourselves, through teaching about the literary industry, participating in festivals, holding readings, providing information about publication and competition opportunities, celebrating achievements and engaging in regionally based creative research.

Welcome to the New L&amp;O: Methods Associate Editors!

Welcome to the New <i>L&amp;O</i>: <i>Methods</i> Associate Editors!

No lines: Observations from a pilot project to re-imagine, design and implement a flexible student-centred approach to study mode selection

Upon enrolling in a university course, students typically commit to a predetermined study mode: on-campus, online, or a hybrid/blended study mode. The education provider typically predetermines which study mode/s are available for each course. In this paper, the authors address the challenges of designing and trialling a new “StudyFlex” student-centred study mode at La Trobe University. By re-imagining the concept of flexibility in study mode selection, StudyFlex does away with bright line distinctions between online, blended and on-campus offerings and empowers students to self-select and adjust their preferred study mode pathway within their subject and throughout their course. This paper exposes and acts as a primer for discussing the many challenges of designing, developing, and implementing such student-centred study mode innovations. Specifically, it outlines and expands upon the StudyFlex trial conducted across several subjects, its genesis and justification, with its central tenet of designing subjects which allow students freedom to move between on-campus and online modes of learning within a single offering. Discussion extends to similar trial findings, including the recent pilot by Southern Cross University of a “converged delivery” model which attempted to merge on-campus and online study modes into a single converged mode. Attention then turns to curriculum development and design challenges inherent in the StudyFlex proof of concept. Particular emphasis is placed upon the imperative and significant challenge of ensuring equivalence of learning experience, in terms of learning value and quality, irrespective of the bespoke study mode pathway chosen by students in the StudyFlex trial subjects. The discussion culminates in identifying and highlighting the need for further research to address the challenges posed by innovations like the StudyFlex pilot and its predecessors such as the Southern Cross University converged delivery pilot. These extend to administrative challenges posed for universities seeking to accommodate student-centred study mode flexibility and potential and current practical regulatory constraints affecting such innovations. Fundamental questions emerge concerning the gap between the vision of allowing students to complete self-determination insofar as selection of study mode and the pragmatic realities of the various constraints facing higher education providers in seeking to push the boundaries of curriculum development and design to realise that vision. At a local level, and as the model becomes more widely adopted, La Trobe University teachers will need to be well supported to ensure their practices adapt to a new teaching model, while the model itself will need ongoing concerted design attention to ensure that students experience quality learning regardless of their study mode choices.

All In: The Spread of Gambling in Twentieth-Century United States ed. by Jonathan D. Cohen and David G. Schwartz

Reviewed by: All In: The Spread of Gambling in Twentieth-Century United States ed. by Jonathan D. Cohen and David G. Schwartz Helen Breen All In: The Spread of Gambling in Twentieth-Century United States. Edited by Jonathan D. Cohen and David G. Schwartz. Reno: University of Nevada Press, 2018. ix + 276 pp. Contributors, about the editors, index. $34.95 cloth. As the title states, this book is a broad multidisciplinary study of gambling during the twentieth century in the US. At the turn of the twentieth century, commercial gambling had been all but outlawed across the nation. In contrast, by the turn of the twenty-first century, many forms of commercial gambling had been legalized and gambling was widely available in most states. The focus here is an examination of major historical, legal, social, religious, ethical, cultural, literary, and sporting influences on the restrictions and growth of US gambling over a century. In ten chapters, well-informed scholars analyze causes and consequences of this gambling evolution and its legitimizing processes. As background to these evolutionary processes, three factors were from time to time very important: Americans liked to gamble regardless of its legality, criminals and corporations became wealthy because the public liked to gamble, and state governments looking to reduce budget deficits were reluctant to raise taxes. In summary, All In: The Spread of Gambling in Twentieth-Century United States is a valuable reference book for its breadth of topics and depth of investigation by the authors. Relevant especially for Great Plains readers is a chapter that explores the impact of gambling commercialization and casino development on the culture and land of the Ojibwe people in North Dakota. The author, Seema Kurup, uses the insightful writings of novelist Louise Erdrich, an enrolled member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Ojibwe, to examine the dynamics of casinos on tribal reservations and to document concerns about the preservation of tribal culture. From the description of vignettes from Erdrich’s books, a paradox emerges. If reservation casinos have brought economic benefits and opportunities to invigorate dying elements of tribal identity (such as protection of languages), then this development appears to have been at the expense of tribal values and sovereignty. Using Erdrich’s stories, Kurup suggests that some disruption to traditional power structures and commodification of tribal traditions, symbols, and artefacts are closely linked to tribal casino development. While there are some successful casinos, many have not produced the benefits anticipated by the tribal group. The methodology used in Kurup’s chapter is somewhat unusual but demonstrates a range of scholarly approaches useful in the study of gambling. It is very informative and well written, with the main points supported by book extracts and quotations. This chapter challenges everyone to respectfully consider the long-term costs of legalized gambling on tribal values, traditions, and identity. Helen Breen School of Business and Tourism Southern Cross University Lismore, Australia Copyright © 2019 Center for Great Plains Studies

Dinitrogen (N2) fixation rates in a subtropical seagrass meadow measured with a direct 15NN2 tracer method

MEPS Marine Ecology Progress Series Contact the journal Facebook Twitter RSS Mailing List Subscribe to our mailing list via Mailchimp HomeLatest VolumeAbout the JournalEditorsTheme Sections MEPS 605:87-101 (2018) - DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/meps12755 Dinitrogen (N2) fixation rates in a subtropical seagrass meadow measured with a direct 15N-N2 tracer method Natasha L. Carlson-Perret*, Dirk V. Erler, Bradley D. Eyre Centre for Coastal Biogeochemistry, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern Cross University, Lismore, NSW 2480, Australia *Corresponding author: natasha.carlson-perret@scu.edu.au ABSTRACT: This study used a direct 15N stable isotope labelling technique to measure rates of dinitrogen (N2) fixation within above- and belowground loci of a subtropical seagrass meadow (Zostera muelleri). The total rate of N2 fixation (i.e. sum of the above- and belowground rates) was ~38 µmol N2 m-2 h-1, similar to other rates measured in subtropical systems. Rates of N2 fixation were higher when the 15N-N2 label was added to the surface water compared to when it was added to the sediments. Furthermore, the lowest rates of N2 fixation were observed in the root/rhizome material regardless of whether the 15N-N2 label was added directly to the rhizosphere (0.12 µmol N2 m-2 h-1) or the overlying water column (7.3 µmol N2 m-2 h-1). These results suggest that there was active transport of fixed N from the leaves to the roots of the seagrass plants, in contrast to other studies in which N2 fixation was more active in the rhizosphere. Our study demonstrates the utility of the direct 15N-N2 tracer approach for quantifying the spatial heterogeneity of N2 fixation in complex seagrass environments. KEY WORDS: Nitrogen fixation · Stable isotope tracer · Zostera muelleri Full text in pdf format Supplementary material PreviousNextCite this article as: Carlson-Perret NL, Erler DV, Eyre BD (2018) Dinitrogen (N2) fixation rates in a subtropical seagrass meadow measured with a direct 15N-N2 tracer method. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 605:87-101. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps12755 Export citation RSS - Facebook - Tweet - linkedIn Cited by Published in MEPS Vol. 605. Online publication date: October 26, 2018 Print ISSN: 0171-8630; Online ISSN: 1616-1599 Copyright © 2018 Inter-Research.