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"Wright, Michael"
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Watered-down biodiversity? A comparison of metabarcoding results from DNA extracted from matched water and bulk tissue biomonitoring samples
Biomonitoring programs have evolved beyond the sole use of morphological identification to determine the composition of invertebrate species assemblages in an array of ecosystems. The application of DNA metabarcoding in freshwater systems for assessing benthic invertebrate communities is now being employed to generate biological information for environmental monitoring and assessment. A possible shift from the extraction of DNA from net-collected bulk benthic samples to its extraction directly from water samples for metabarcoding has generated considerable interest based on the assumption that taxon detectability is comparable when using either method. To test this, we studied paired water and benthos samples from a taxon-rich wetland complex, to investigate differences in the detection of arthropod taxa from each sample type. We demonstrate that metabarcoding of DNA extracted directly from water samples is a poor surrogate for DNA extracted from bulk benthic samples, focusing on key bioindicator groups. Our results continue to support the use of bulk benthic samples as a basis for metabarcoding-based biomonitoring, with nearly three times greater total richness in benthic samples compared to water samples. We also demonstrated that few arthropod taxa are shared between collection methods, with a notable lack of key bioindicator EPTO taxa in the water samples. Although species coverage in water could likely be improved through increased sample replication and/or increased sequencing depth, benthic samples remain the most representative, cost-effective method of generating aquatic compositional information via metabarcoding.
Journal Article
Getting started with web3 and NFTs : an introduction to virtual goods and tokenisation
This text addresses the challenge of navigating the rapidly emerging and evolving landscape of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and their impact on brands, consumers and society at large. In recent years, the rise of NFTs has disrupted traditional notions of ownership and value, presenting both opportunities and challenges.
BOOK
Virtual Reality Job Interview Training in Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder
The feasibility and efficacy of virtual reality job interview training (VR-JIT) was assessed in a single-blinded randomized controlled trial. Adults with autism spectrum disorder were randomized to VR-JIT (
n
= 16) or treatment-as-usual (TAU) (
n
= 10) groups. VR-JIT consisted of simulated job interviews with a virtual character and didactic training. Participants attended 90 % of laboratory-based training sessions, found VR-JIT easy to use and enjoyable, and they felt prepared for future interviews. VR-JIT participants had greater improvement during live standardized job interview role-play performances than TAU participants (
p
= 0.046). A similar pattern was observed for self-reported self-confidence at a trend level (
p
= 0.060). VR-JIT simulation performance scores increased over time (
R
2
= 0.83). Results indicate preliminary support for the feasibility and efficacy of VR-JIT, which can be administered using computer software or via the internet.
Journal Article
Experiences of second language teacher education
\"Experiences of Second Language Teacher Education brings together the voices of teacher educators working in different national and educational settings to illuminate our understanding of the processes and contexts in which second language teachers are trained and continue developing. Based on their personal experiences in the field, the authors address the themes of change in teacher education, the influence of local context on practice, the issue of interculturality and the actual process of engaging with teachers and teacher educators. The volume features dialogues between the authors, and aims to initiate further conversations among second language teacher educators. The chapters open a window into second language teacher education which will resonate with practitioners and postgraduate students alike, as well as providing a snapshot of practice in the early 21st century\"-- Provided by publisher.
Book
DNA metabarcoding reveals metacommunity dynamics in a threatened boreal wetland wilderness
The complexity and natural variability of ecosystems present a challenge for reliable detection of change due to anthropogenic influences. This issue is exacerbated by necessary trade-offs that reduce the quality and resolution of survey data for assessments at large scales. The Peace–Athabasca Delta (PAD) is a large inland wetland complex in northern Alberta, Canada. Despite its geographic isolation, the PAD is threatened by encroachment of oil sands mining in the Athabasca watershed and hydroelectric dams in the Peace watershed. Methods capable of reliably detecting changes in ecosystem health are needed to evaluate and manage risks. Between 2011 and 2016, aquatic macroinvertebrates were sampled across a gradient of wetland flood frequency, applying both microscope-based morphological identification and DNA metabarcoding. By using multispecies occupancy models, we demonstrate that DNA metabarcoding detected a much broader range of taxa and more taxa per sample compared to traditional morphological identification and was essential to identifying significant responses to flood and thermal regimes. We show that family-level occupancy masks high variation among genera and quantify the bias of barcoding primers on the probability of detection in a natural community. Interestingly, patterns of community assembly were nearly random, suggesting a strong role of stochasticity in the dynamics of the metacommunity. This variability seriously compromises effective monitoring at local scales but also reflects resilience to hydrological and thermal variability. Nevertheless, simulations showed the greater efficiency of metabarcoding, particularly at a finer taxonomic resolution, provided the statistical power needed to detect change at the landscape scale.
Journal Article