Search Marsden awards 2008–2017

Recipient(s): Dr JR Lane | PI | University of Waikato
Prof SH Kable | AI | The University of Sydney

Public Summary: Nitrous oxide (N2O) is now the dominant stratospheric ozone-depleting substance and the third most significant greenhouse gas. The concentration of N2O in Earth’s atmosphere is steadily increasing, primarily due to increased agricultural activity. In New Zealand, 95% of N2O emissions are from agricultural soils and hence understanding the fate of N2O in the atmosphere is of critical importance to our economy. N2O is a relatively unreactive molecule that only breaks down in the atmosphere by absorbing solar radiation in the ultraviolet region (a process termed photodissociation). At the low temperatures of the upper atmosphere where this process occurs, individual molecules aggregate together to form weakly bound complexes. We propose that when N2O forms complexes with the other molecules in the atmosphere, it more strongly absorbs solar radiation resulting in a faster rate of photodissociation. Furthermore, entirely new products become available as compared to photodissociation of isolated N2O molecules. We will investigate the atmospheric implications of these previously unconsidered N2O complexes using a combined theoretical and experimental approach. Our findings will redefine the present understanding of atmospheric N2O chemistry and will ultimately lead to improved atmospheric models, which are vital for quantifying the environmental effects of anthropogenic N2O emissions.

Recipient(s): Assoc Prof M Morgan-Richards | PI | Massey University
Dr AG Beu | AI | GNS Science
Dr JS Crampton | AI | GNS Science
Assoc Prof SA Trewick | AI | Massey University

Public Summary: The study of fossils provides an impression of morphological evolution made up of long periods of constrained evolution when nothing changes interspersed with geologically sudden leaps in form. Many interpret these abrupt changes in morphology as being the result of speciation (punctuated equilibrium). Other explanations for this pattern are possible and include rapid adaptation without speciation, the invasion of species from elsewhere, or hybridisation. New Zealand has one of the world’s best fossil records for marine snails and many lineages in the rocks have relatives alive today. For the first time we can study the morphology and the molecular evolution of the same snail lineages united to produce a time-space integrated view of phenotypic divergence. This project brings together a unique combination of paleontologists, molecular geneticists and phylogeographers to study speciation in the past and present. Using mathematical analysis of shell shape changes and the latest DNA sequencing tools we will determine whether the timing of morphological change coincides with speciation inferred from molecular phylogenetics. By answering the fundamental question “Is morphological change the result of species formation?” we will place New Zealand at the forefront of speciation research internationally.

Recipient(s): Dr CMO Macinnis-Ng | PI | The University of Auckland
Prof D Eamus | AI | University of Technology Sydney
Prof M Williams | AI | University of Edinburgh

Public Summary: Kauri (Agathis australis) forests are a unique and iconic natural feature of NZ. Dendrochronology studies tell us that kauri growth responds to climate yet the ecophysiological impact of climate change on kauri is uncertain. Kauri is associated with abundant rainfall and is prone to water stress so may be particularly threatened by increasingly frequent summer droughts. We will use measurement and modelling approaches to quantify physiological responses to soil moisture, solar radiation, vapour pressure deficit and rainfall and determine the impact of drought on function and survival of kauri and the associated podocarps tanekaha (Phylocladus trichmanoides) and totara, (Podocarpus totara). We will explore variation in productivity of kauri forests across a rainfall gradient to explore the role of water availability in forest carbon fluxes. Finally, we will use isotopic analysis of leaves and wood to explore changes in water-use-efficency over time and space to understand kauri responses to present and recent past climatic conditions.

Recipient(s): Dr MS Russell | PI | The University of Auckland

Public Summary: There are few more powerful drivers of human action than the desire for recognition—the longing to be understood, accepted, respected and esteemed. Not only is life more enjoyable when we experience relationships of care, dignity and affirmation, the evidence suggests our human flourishing depends upon it. This raises social and political questions: what would it look like for a modern democratic society to embody in its institutions and laws appropriate recognition for all, including marginalised groups such as indigenous communities, religious and ethnic minorities, the disabled, and the poor? Over the past twenty years “recognition theory” has emerged as a new field in social and political philosophy, and today it is establishing itself as an exciting and vibrant field of interdisciplinary research. This research project aims to broaden the horizons of recognition theory by considering for the first time how the connection between recognition and justice has been given literary and theological expression in the Christian tradition. The research will suggest new ways to integrate recognition theory into a theory of justice, and will help us imagine what it might look like for contemporary societies to embody appropriate forms of recognition in institutions and laws.

Recipient(s): Prof AE Herbison | PI | University of Otago
Dr S Constantin | PI | University of Otago

Public Summary: The gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) neurons are the key cells controlling fertility in all
mammalian species. This project aims to characterize the electrical activity of GnRH
neurons in vivo and determine how they generate pulsatile and surge patterns of reproductive
hormone secretion. Using a novel surgical approach, we have recently discovered that GnRH
neurons can be accessed from the base of the brain in anaesthetized GnRH-green fluorescent
protein transgenic mice. This provides the first-ever opportunity to make electrical recordings from GnRH neurons in vivo. Understanding how these cells control fluctuating levels of gonadotropin hormones in the blood will provide long-awaited foundations for developing new strategies for the beneficial regulation of fertility in humans.

Recipient(s): Dr M Barclay | PI | The University of Auckland
Dr D Baddeley | AI | The University of Auckland

Public Summary: Sound information is encoded with high precision at the synapses between the sensory cells and the primary auditory neurons in the cochlea. A heterogeneous population of synapses mediate this efficient neurotransmission, however the molecular make-up and development of this heterogeneity is unknown. We will utilise super resolution imaging technology to resolve the spatial and developmental differences in the nanostructure of these synapses to further understand the mechanisms that mediate this development and how these heterogeneous synapses facilitate high fidelity transmission. These data are essential for our understanding of auditory function and pathophysiology.

Recipient(s): Dr S Ratuva | PI | The University of Auckland

Public Summary: The dominant regional security discourse which forms the basis of the Pacific Islands Forum's security agreements such as the Biketawa Declaration is often framed in relation to Australia’s security interests. This has overshadowed our understanding of the actual security situations in the local Pacific islands communities. The security systems at the local community level and their potential have not been well understood nor deemed important by policy makers. I believe that security must be framed locally to reflect the diverse and distinctive features and needs of individual countries and must not be driven by big power ideology. Using Fiji, Tonga, New Caledonia and Solomon Islands as case studies, this research challenges the dominant regional security discourse and its prescription for neoliberal reform to achieve stability. It argues that instead of using ideologically driven general labels such as 'arc of instability' a more appropriat approach is to study the interface between state-based and community-based security systems and how they can inform alternative security approaches which are culturally relevant, inclusive, gender friendly and people-centered.

Recipient(s): Dr DJ Derrick | PI | University of Canterbury

Public Summary: Speakers sometimes move their tongues in completely different directions for different repetitions of exactly the same phrase. The cause of this variability is examined by comparing speech energy efficiency vs. producing clear speech. The first experiment records audio and tongue motion of New Zealand English (NZE) speakers induced to speak at progressively faster speeds, and the second uses the audio recordings to test whether easier to produce sequences are harder to understand. This is the first articulatory phonetics study of NZE. This study will extend research into categorical shift in skeletal motion (i.e. walking and running in humans) to speech, answer long-standing questions about the role of phrase planning in low-level speech articulation, expand our understanding of speech ecology, and ultimately lead to better speech recognition systems.

Recipient(s): Prof TG Bishop | PI | The University of Auckland

Public Summary: This project examines both the application of theories of play to drama and drama's practical
deployment and analysis of play. The central subject of study is the role in late medieval and early modern English drama, especially Shakespeare, of contemporary ideas and practices of play. Working from accounts of play in philosophy and other disciplines, from records of play, games and playing across the period 1450-1600, and from practical exploration of play in surviving scripts, the project analyses how attention to play as a form of human behaviour organizes works of dramatic art, and how those works in turn reflect on play.

Recipient(s): Prof T Lumley | PI | The University of Auckland
Prof AJ Lee | PI | The University of Auckland
Prof AJ Scott | PI | The University of Auckland
Prof CJ Wild | PI | The University of Auckland

Public Summary: For financial reasons it is often necessary to collect some data only on a small, carefully chosen, subset of people. We are developing methods for analysing these data that require minimal specialist knowledge from the user, but result in estimates that are as precise and reliable as possible. The two main areas of focus are surveys that sample from a whole population, and medical studies that sample from an existing participant panel. We will try to find robust methods that produce efficiency gains that are not too sensitive to model misspecification.