New Zealand Scholarship Biology case studies
New Zealand Scholarship Biology · Put your knowledge to work in context.
New Zealand Scholarship is an award that recognises top secondary school students, administered by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority. Students in each subject are given the opportunity to sit NZ Scholarship assessments in order to achieve the award, and it carries a monetary award for those who reach the required standard. The New Zealand Scholarship Biology case studies are 5 cases and about 3,509 words.
1Wētā on a Warming Mountain: Acclimation or Local Adaptation?
A rock wētā population on a New Zealand schist field occupies a continuous altitudinal gradient from 900 m to 1400 m. Field-collected adults have critical thermal maxima (CTmax, ramping rate 0.25 °C min⁻¹) of 38.2 ± 0.4 °C at 900 m and 36.9 ± 0.3 °C at 1400 m, but animals were measured within 2 h of collection.
736 words, about 4 min2A Neonatal Unit, a Plasmid and a Cycling Proposal
An outbreak of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacter in a 24-bed neonatal unit involves a strain carrying a ~120 kb IncF plasmid with blaCTX-M-15 and a toxin–antitoxin pair. In drug-free chemostats the plasmid-bearing strain doubles every 42 min while its plasmid-cured isogenic parent doubles every 34 min; in 4 mg/L meropenem the cured strain washes out within 48 h.
703 words, about 4 min3Swan Lagoon: Internal Loading and a Single Funded Intervention
Swan Lagoon is a 42 ha shallow coastal lake (mean depth 1.4 m, hydraulic residence time 1.2 yr). Total phosphorus (TP) averages 85 µg/L, chlorophyll a 38 µg/L, Secchi depth 0.6 m, and summer phytoplankton is 80% cyanobacteria.
701 words, about 4 min4Tuatara Translocation: Temperature-Dependent Sex Determination
A translocation of tuatara from a predator-free island to a mainland fenced sanctuary is being planned. Source nests average 21.3 °C and produce 60% males.
676 words, about 3 min5Two Galaxias Morphs and a Removed Culvert
Two morphs of Galaxias in a coastal lake differ in gill raker number (mean 9.2 versus 13.8), body depth, and spawning depth (littoral versus 6 m). They spawn at the same time, and 8% of nests contain mixed parentage.
693 words, about 3 min