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Yeah i'm not sure why my report is showing up with some random errors; like font and boldness changes. When I look at it under 'edit' it all looks in order to me. How strange.

Working with Nick Porch

After arriving and finding out that 1 of the modules I had chosen was full I had a lot of drama trying to select another module. It seemed like every one I wanted to do was full and had no way of squeezing me in, despite coming from the opposite side of the planet and all the modules I could do were of absolutely no relevance or interest to me. After a lot of faffing around and meetings, Deakin agreed to let me take the Research module. The reason they weren’t keen originally was because the module is run all year so that students have time to conduct their research before writing it up. It was basically like a mini dissertation, and obviously with only 4months to do it, they were sceptical. We agreed however that I would assist a staff member with their research and then do the write up as normal to save time and ensure I left Deakin with the right amount of credits.

I contacted a few staff members to see if they had room for me on their research teams and eventually I ended up speaking to Dr Nicholas Porch. He had been to an island called Raivavae in The Australs. He’d taken core samples in an attempt to map out insects in 3 time periods; Pre-human, Polynesian and European. He kindly agreed to let me sort one of his core samples, separating out the different species in each time period. With no previous experience in this area, he showed me what flies or ‘crinoids’ looked like under a microscope, and also mites and beetles. Nick had a particular interest in the beetles as this is his specialty.

I was based in the Palaeontology department and even had my own desk. I had my own microscope set up and space to store the samples I was working on. I loved the time I spent there as all of the paleo guys were beyond lovely. It did take me a while to be able to tell the different part of the beetles apart, as beetles don’t preserve in one piece but I got there in the end!

At the end of my 4months, Nick made me a graph displaying the data I had collected. The graphs clearly showed how the species richness and abundance had changed throughout the different time periods, and this also reflected the human state at the time. Showing how the insects had to adapt to the changes humans made on the island; like the construction of rice paddies and the introduction of new species due to the introduction of trade.

To complete the assessment part of the module I had to write a 1500 word scientific report [95%] and then present it [5%]. The presentation was extremely nerve racking considering that there were 5 or 6 other people speaking, and I was the only speaker not presenting their PhD! The room was filled with lecturers and other professionals, there to mark the people studying under them or just there out of interest. I was heckled a bit during the question portion of my presentation but I felt I held my own and answered adequately.

I received 97% overall and a high distinction! It was a great way to round off the end of my trip!


My Report:

Prehistoric to Modern Human Impact on the Insect Diversity of Raivavae (Austral Islands)

 

By Rebecca Dale

INTRODUCTION

The purpose of this research project was to determine whether there is a change in the species type and abundance of the insect fossils found on the island of Raivavae. We can compare this data to what we already know about prehistoric human colonisation to see if any patterns are present.

The native flora and fauna found on the Pacific islands were isolated and their evolution reflects this (Kirsch, 2003). Due to the lack of natural predators on the islands, the species present were able to take advantage of the resources available and fill numerous ecological niches.

Humans are said to have begun settlement on Raivavae around 1,000 years ago (Figure 1). With the arrival of the Polynesians came change to both the habitat and species present. This was due to ecological degradation caused by the establishment of agricultural practices and a number of foreign species that were accidentally introduced (Anderson, 2008).

 

Figure1. Map showing human colonisation of remote islands. Ka represents a thousand years 

METHODOLOGY

Sampling and sorting

The location that was used to conduct this study was the island of Raivavae, which is located in the Australs, French Polynesia. This project focuses on the analysis of a core sample that was collected by Dr Nicholas Porch (Deakin University) using a 2.7 metre corer. The core sample was separated into depth samples ranging from 0-5cm to 240-245cm. After being returned to Deakin University, Melbourne, Australia the samples went through the initial sorting process which included sieving the material, sorting it into different categories including insects, seeds and miscellaneous and storing them in ethanol. 

Identification

The insect includes beetles, mites, chironomids and moth larvae. All of these specimens tend to be well preserved, even if just in fragments making them clearly identifiable. The chironomids and the moth larvae are predominantly represented by the hypostromal structure of the head capsule. Typically mites preserve whole whereas beetles tend to be represented by a number of fragments. The most commonly seen beetle fragments include the head, thorax and elytra. All of these body fragments are useful in identification and can be used to determine the genus, and frequently the species.

The individual specimen fragments were identified using two primary sources: 

1. Porch, N. (2009) Insect Identification Guide. Raivavae, Austral Islands.

2. Dr Nicholas Porch’s personal experience and knowledge of the fauna present in French Polynesia.

The mite, chironomids and the moth larvae were not taken down to the species level due to a lack of knowledge in the area. The specimens were however counted in each sample to determine their abundance.

Data analysis

The dataset used for the analysis was the level of abundance of the specimens present at each depth level, along with the identified beetle species. As the project focus was on identifying species changes and levels of abundance over time in relation to human colonisation, we have compared three time periods:

1. The Pre-human period: Only indigenous and endemic Raivavae species present

2. The Polynesian period: Represented by a range of species present that are known to be Polynesian introductions.

3. The European period: Indicated by the occurrence of species known to be European introductions.

RESULTS

I sorted a total of 10 samples ranging in depth from 0 cm to 185 cm. The fragment sorting resulted in the documentation of 38 moth larvae, 159 mites and 252 chironomids. Collectively there were nearly 80 arthropod species identified.

Key Features of the Fossil Sequence

The fossil sequence of the sample collected displays major composition change at around 1250 Cal BP (Figure 3). This change in the species present and their abundance signals a change from indigenous taxa to one that is largely dominated by introduced species. Many native species disappear due to an inability to adapt to the changes to their environment and competition from the exotic species. These non-indigenous species are consistent with the arrival of Polynesians. At 1800 Cal BP (Figure 3) there is another key change in the composition, with virtually no native species being seen, a reduction in the amount of introduced Polynesian species and the introduction of an even newer set of species. These new species are reflective of the time, as there would have been a drastic increase in the number of visitors to the area due to human developments such as trade and slavery. These species are classified as European introductions.

 

Figure2. Summary diagram showing the change in indigenous, Polynesian and European species composition and abundance

Figure3. Diagram showing the complete record of arthropods identified and counted from the core sample. This diagram also displays the transitions between the pre-human, Polynesian and European periods


DISCUSSION

As aforementioned, Raivavae displays similar composition and transition to that of other records from the region. The observed periods (pre-human, Polynesian and European) can also be seen at around the same time as Tubuai, Rapa and Rimatara in the Australs and from Atiu in the Cooks (Pratt, 2011). Due to the habitat changes made by the arrival of humans, it is not surprising that some of the native species disappeared from the record.

Species dependant on aquatic habitats such as the chironomids responded positively to the habitat modifications brought about by the Polynesians. Whilst their abundance is quite limited throughout the record, their numbers reach a peak in the 80-85 cm depth sample. This depth is consistent with the Polynesian period and so their sudden influx can be understood.

Other species such as the moth larvae remain reasonably constant throughout the record with little changes to their abundance. This could indicate that the species of moth larvae present were not greatly affected by the habitat changes that occurred. Further research could be done in this area to determine whether this is the case however the first step would be to identify all of the individuals down to the species level to see which ones are present.

The mites found in the record show no clear correlation between their abundance and the habitat changes. The frequency in which they appear in the record fluctuates up and down between 5 and 38. Further research could be done in this area to see if there are any changes to the abundance of particular species however these would need to be identified initially.

The most species richness and abundance is evidently displayed by the beetles in the record (figure 3). As the beetles have been identified down to the species level, a clear image of the variations throughout the record can be seen. Certain species such as Pheidole umbonata are present in the pre-human period and manage to withstand some of the environmental changes that came about with the arrival of humans, as they are also present in the Polynesian period. However they then disappear once we reach the European period. Whilst there are some species that remain constant throughout all of the periods, including Hemi veliid and Hydro enochrus, most commonly, the pre-human species have a reduced abundance in the Polynesian period and then they become extinct by the time you get to the European period. This could be due to competition from species introduced by the Europeans but further research would need to be conducted to determine if this was the case.

CONCLUSION 

This project has provided insight into the colonisation of Raivavae and the composition of the species richness and abundance present. It has validated that arthropod records can be an extremely useful too in determining when humans colonised remote islands in the Australs. The record undisputedly shows the transition from the pre-human period to the Polynesian period on Raivavae. This transition was comprised of the native species becoming less frequent of extinct due to major ecological modifications. In addition, there is also a clear transition that can be seen from the Polynesian to the European periods. This change over time was characterised by the pre-human species being virtually non-existent, a steady influx of Polynesian species present but also the introduction of a number of foreign species. 

The use of arthropod fossil specimens as a way of determining human colonisation has been successfully demonstrated throughout this project. These transitional fossils have shown how valuable core samples can be in analysing the composition of an island and assessing its changes over time.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Anderson, A. (2008) The Rat And The Octopus Initial Human Colonization And The Prehistoric Introductions of Domestic Animals To Remote Oceania. Biological Invasions, Volume 11, Pages 1503-1519.

Kirsch, P. (2003) Introduction to pacific island archaeology. [Online] Pacific Island Archaeology, Berkeley University. Available from: http://arf.berkeley.edu/projects/oal/background/pacislands.htm [Accessed 15th October 2011].

Porch, N. (2009) Insect Identification Guide. Raivavae, Austral Islands.

Pratt, P. (2011) Prehistoric-Modern Human Impact on the Insect Diversity of Mangaia (Cook Islands). Melbourne, Deakin University.

Last night in Melbourne

So it was my last night in Melbourne and the final of the Rugby World Cup.  As i'd been staying at Sammy's for a few days, Pat came to pick me up. Sadly Sammy couldn't come with us cause she had to work but it was nice to see her for a while :)

Me and Pat ended up going to a bar on Chapel Street to meet a bunch of people from uni. We had some drinks and busted some jokes and met some crazzzzzy Kiwi’s who were celebrating their World Cup win. It was a fun night and it was nice to see them before I had to leave.

[Cameron and Nick]

 

[Tom, Nav and Sam]

 

[Nick]

 

 [Pat and Me]

 

[Me and Cameron]

 

[Pat, Me and Jarryd]

 

[Me and Pat]

 

[Callum]

Tattoo by Mick Squires

I really wanted to get tattooed while I was in Australia and after pinging a few emails back and forth, me and Mick set a date. I told him I wanted a conch on the side of my left hand, and tried to send him as best a reference as I could. This wasn’t a very easy task as most of the images you find of them, is just their shells, after they’ve been killed. I also tried to get my mum to take photos of our conchs…more specifically, Claude, who I wanted to get tattooed. Now as much as I love my mother, taking photos is not one of her strong points. And whilst I understand they aren’t the easiest things to photograph…her pictures were just terrible!

So my time in Australia was coming to an end and only had a few days left. Me and half of International House had been kicked out of our apartments due to miscommunication and a bitch of a manager who fucked up the leasing dates, and everyone had to find other places to stay. Luckily, having the amazing friends I do, Sammy said I could stay with her.
So I have maybe 3 days left? And I decide to look in my diary, I don’t remember why but it was lucky I did, as I realised I had an appointment with Mick the next day! I quickly asked Sammy if she could take me but she had to do something for uni. Luckily Pat said he was free and didn’t mind driving me.

The next day turned into a bit of a rush with us trying to use his satnav to find this street that was in area you couldn’t drive down. We had to park the car and try and find it on foot. We managed to get there pretty much just on time and I looked over the counter and saw Mick was still tattooing someone anyway. I told the receptionist that I was here for my appointment with Mick and she said she’d tell him. I took a seat and waited….and waited…and waited. Pat decided to go and have a look in the shops nearby and still, I waited. I must have been there an hour or so before one of the other artists came and asked me who I was waiting for. I said Mick and she asked if he’d been told. I said the receptionist said she was going to tell him and she said okay. I was then there maybe another 2hours before she looked over and saw me still waiting and went and grabbed him. He said he didn’t know I was here and that he thought I hadn’t showed up :/ He apologised for the misunderstanding and grabbed his sketch book. He started sketching in front of me and with a few minor changes, we were good to go.
Right before we started, he thought it would be a good idea to tell me that he hated hand tattoos and they really hurt….i was just like, thanks then…haha! He did turn out to be kinda right though, they aren’t very pleasant in places, just because it’s so bony but It wasn’t as bad as I was expecting after that comment! He did some beautiful things with the shell and added in little hints of green and purple. He really did a great job and I’d love to get a bigger piece by him sometime in the future.

Hiking with my boy Jarryd

So after promising I could come over and see his extensive reptile collection (and no that’s not a euphemism) our time was running out. It was the exam period and after cancelling on me earlier in the week due to being called into work, I was sceptical that our plans would materialise.

That morning I had an exam. It sucked, as exams usually do. When it was over, we all came out and were talking about…how much it sucked, basically. I then saw Jarryd. We said hi and I asked if it was still good for me to come over today. He said it was fine and that he thought it would be cool if we went to look for some snakes at this National Park. I of course was pretty excited and we headed off.

We drove to his house, which was immaculately clean. I mean, to the point of, you don’t want to touch anything in case you make it dirty, kind of clean. It was a lovely house though. I got to meet his mum, who was such a sweetheart. She kept asking me if I wanted anything to drink or eat, and despite saying I was fine, when she heard we were going hiking, she made me a packed lunch! I also met his sister who was really nice too.

After Jarryd had an argument with his mum and it was all quite awkward…especially as they both kept asking me questions and trying to get my opinions on things, which obviously I was more than reluctant to give…we went out to his shed. As aforementioned, his mum is quite OCD when it comes to cleaning, so that’s why Jarryd has his own shed for his reptiles haha!

I must say, his collection didn’t disappoint. He showed me the various individuals and we got a few out. He really does have quite the menagerie; with his bearded dragons, tiger snakes, pythons and the newest addition, who I instantly fell in love with, his baby monitor lizard. It was just so beautiful and tiny!

When we were done, Jarryd grabbed his snake hook and we headed to the National Park. Now being the sweetie that he is, he repeatedly said that he wouldn’t interact with anything we found unless I was okay with it but I was pretty excited at the thought of getting close to some venomous snakes! I’d gone nearly 4months without seeing one, and I know it was the Aussie winter but still, near the end of my time there it had started to get quite warm. And this day was no exception.

As soon as we got out of the car the heat just hit you. We grabbed what we needed and you could tell how serious I was considering I even tied my shoes! Jarryd took this opportunity to try out my camera.

 

We headed off down a path and just started walking really. It was really nice getting to spend time with Jarryd. We’d only met maybe a few weeks prior to this but just hit it off really. We bonded over reptiles and that was just it. Our conversation covered pretty much everything and we got to know each other a lot better.

We didn’t have much luck on the snake front, in fact I think no luck better describes it. We didn’t see a single snake but we came to the conclusion that it was probably due to it being too hot.

 

After a while we came to this look out post. We walked up the steps and took a rest at the top. I found it funny how tired Jarryd was compared to me, considering he spends a lot of time in the gym and I do virtually no exercise. I guess it makes sense though considering he does more weight training than cardio but still, I thought it was pretty funny. Anyway, the view was pretty amazing; you could see the whole park and beyond.

 

It also gave us an idea of which way to walk, as we were pretty much ‘lost’ at this point…well, not lost so much as we weren’t sure which way we wanted to head. So we kept walking and then all of a sudden, we both spotted a lizard ahead on the path. Jarryd being the cream-crackered weight lifter he is lagged behind while I ran up to grab it. It was lucky I did too as I managed to grab it just as it started to go into some bushes. It was a blue tongue! And considering I’ve had a soft spot for blue tongues since I was a kid, I was pretty chuffed we just happened to come across one. It was surprisingly calm and only had the odd burst of being pissy and opened its mouth to us. We decided to put it down so we could take some photos of it. It had clearly had enough though and ran into the bush as soon as it hit the ground. I started pulling back a bit of the undergrowth so we could take a couple but it was hissing and mouthing while I did, so I didn’t get to move very much of it out the way.

 

 

 

 

When we felt we’d bothered it enough, we decided to make our way back in the general direction of the car. It took us quite a while to find our way back but the surroundings were beautiful so I didn’t mind.

We then made the drive back to Burwood and I will never forget Jarryd singing ‘It Girl’ by Jason Derulo in the car haha!

We may not have seen any snakes but it was still a really great day! J

The Royal Botanical Gardens & The Shrine of Remembrance

As I was running out of time in Melbourne, I wanted to cram in as much as humanly possible as there was still things I wanted to see/do. I was so happy when Sammy and Pat agreed to come to the Royal Botanical Gardens with me.

We spent the day in the sun, wandering around looking at the trees and flowers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was a really relaxing day…well apart from the play fighting of course haha!

 

After a fun day at the botanical gardens, we were talking about what else I wanted to do before I left and I mentioned The Shrine of Remembrance. Sammy then told me that we could cross it off the list right now as it was just across the road from The Royal Botanical Gardens. So off we went!

 

 

 

The building was really pretty and I loved reading the inscriptions carved all around it. Then we headed inside to see the rest of the shrine.

 

 

It was such a grand looking building inside; just stone and marble everywhere. All around the outside were flags, including the Union Jack.

 

At the other end of the building was a museum. It featured various war memorabilia including some uniforms.

 

It was a really nice day, and informative too!