Background: Osteoporosis is a major public health problem through its association with fragility fracture. Peak bone mass is attained in the second or third decade and has been shown to be a major determinant of later ...

The use of delta15N and delta13C signatures to infer sources of enrichment in ecological systems relies on predictability in the transfer of delta15N and delta13C ratios. This thesis examines patterns of delta15N and ...

In the sheep ovary, primordial follicles are formed as an oocyte surrounded by either a single layer of flattened granulosa cells (type 1) or a mixture of flattened and cuboidal granulosa cells (type 1a). Booroola sheep ...

The recovery processes of subtidal benthic macroinvertebrate communities following large-scale natural and meso-scale experimental disturbances were studied in Wellington Harbour, New Zealand, a temperate semi-enclosed ...

Serpulids are a globally represented group of polychaetes and can be found in many habitats from the intertidal fringe to the subtidal environment and even in deep-sea ecosystems. These tube-dwelling worms are often described ...

Cannabis is the most widely used illicit drug. Adolescents may be especially vulnerable to the effects of cannabis, and alarmingly, adolescence is also a period of heavy cannabis use. However, few studies have investigated ...

For reasons not fully understood, animals often evolve predictably on islands. For example, radiations of large, flightless birds are a common element of many island biotas. However, our understanding of how plants evolve ...

The reproductive biology of thirteen poorly studied deep-sea elasmobranch species, on Chatham Rise and the Sub-Antarctic region of New Zealand, was assessed. The study species are all commonly caught as bycatch in commercial ...

Life-history theory suggests that an organism must balance its available energy between two competing physiological processes to maximize fitness: reproduction and somatic growth. Energetic trade-offs are a fundamental ...

In this thesis, the role of platelets as potential drivers of both thrombotic and bleeding risk in patients with atherosclerosis and the influence of platelets on the immune system were investigated. The prevalence of high ...