This study investigates the relationship between CEO pay and firm performance, the asymmetric nature of pay-performance sensitivity, and the effect of CEO participation on the pay-setting process, for publicly-listed New Zealand firms during 1997 to 2002. The research is conducted using a unique hand-collected panel data set containing information about executive compensation, firm performance, ownership, firm governance and CEO participation in the pay-setting process. The sample covers the six-year period following the introduction of mandatory disclosure requirements that were imposed on executive and director compensation in 1997. An initial descriptive analysis of the data reveals a large pay difference between worker and CEO pay. In addition, pay-performance indexes for the highest and lowest paid CEOs document differences between the change in pay relative to real shareholder returns. An examination of the sensitivity between growth in CEO pay, and contemporaneous and lagged firm performance using a firm fixed-effects model, shows that not only is pay significantly related to firm size and performance but also board size, compensation risk and director share ownership. Models of the relationship between growth in CEO compensation and firm performance indicate the pay-performance sensitivity generated by cash and the change in the value of stock option holdings is reported to be three-times the magnitude of the sensitivity due to salary and bonus payments alone. In addition, growth in CEO compensation is asymmetrically related to changes in firm performance. CEO cash compensation is positively related to increases in firm value only. Total compensation is related to contemporaneous returns and positive lagged returns. Change in CEO wealth is positively related to contemporaneous returns but is more sensitive to losses. However, change in wealth also increases when lagged returns are positive and negative, implying that CEOs are able to extract pay in excess of that which is optimal under the contracting view of executive compensation. Furthermore, firms in which CEOs demonstrate a low level of participation in the pay-setting process earn higher levels of pay, which also grows at significantly greater rates than their high-participation counterparts. In particular, growth in low-participation wealth is more sensitive to positive and negative contemporaneous returns as well as being negatively related to negative lagged excess returns. This finding is opposite to theoretical predictions and can be explained by the tightly held nature of the high-participation firms which typically have fewer directors, are exposed to higher return volatility and have greater director and CEO beneficial share ownership. Consistent with the trickle-down effect, there is a positive relationship between growth in the non-performance related cash compensation awarded to CEOs and the growth in pay earned by their executive directors and employees. In addition, growth in non-CEO executive pay is not related to firm performance when there is an overpayment effect and CEOs exercise a high level of participation in the pay-setting process. Consistent with the contracting view, growth in non-CEO executive pay is positively related to firm performance with no benefits from CEO overpayments when stock option awards are included in the CEO pay contract.

A prevailing view exists in the literature which suggests that macroalgae growing in slow-flow environments (<4 cm s⁻�) are less productive because of "mass-transfer" limitation compared to fast-flow environments. Macroalgae in slow-flow environments are thought to have thicker diffusion boundary-layers which limit the flux of essential molecules to and from the algal thallus. However nutrient demand of a macroalga can also influence nutrient flux. The main objective of this research was to determine the relative importance of physical (mainstream velocity) and physiological (nutrient demand) factors influencing the growth rate of Adamsiella chauvinii, a small (<20 cm) red algal species, that grows within the benthic boundary-layer in a soft sediment habitat. To establish the influence of water velocity, the growth rate of A. chauvinii was measured in situ each month (March 2003 to March 2004) at three sites with varying degrees of water velocity (slow, intermediate and fast) at which all other environmental parameters (photon flux density, seawater temperature and nutrients) were similar. To determine the metabolic demand and nutrient uptake rate of A. chauvinii, the internal nutrient status (C:N, soluble tissue nitrate, ammonium and phosphate), uptake kinetics (V[max] and K[s]) and nutrient uptake rate at a range of mainstream velocities were also determined on a seasonal basis. The hydrodynamic environment around A. chauvinii canopies was characterised in situ and compared with controlled laboratory experiments. Growth rates of Adamsiella chauvinii thalli at the slow-flow site were significantly lower in winter (June) to summer (February) than the intermediate- and fast-flow sites, while in autumn growth rates were similar between sites. However, A. chauvinii at the slow-flow site had similar or higher tissue N content compared to thalli at the other two sites during winter, spring and summer suggesting that growth rates of A. chauvinii were not mass-transfer limited. Nitrogen uptake rates of A. chauvinii were similar between sites in summer and winter, however uptake rates were lower in summer compared to winter even though thalli were nitrogen limited in summer. Water velocity had no effect on nitrate uptake in either summer or winter and uptake of ammonium increased with increasing water velocity during summer only. Two hydrodynamically different environments were distinguished over a canopy of A. chauvinii, with both the laboratory and field velocity profiles in good agreement with each other. In the top half of the canopy, the Turbulent Kinetic Energy (TKE) and Reynolds stresses were greatest while in the bottom half of the canopy flow rates were less than 90 % of mainstream velocity (< 1 cm s⁻�). When considered together, the influence of water velocity on the growth rates of A. chauvinii was not completely clear. Results suggest that mainstream velocity had little influence on nutrient availability to A. chauvinii because of the unique hydrodynamic environment created by the canopy. Nutrients, especially ammonium and phosphate, derived from the sediment and invertebrates, may provide enough nitrogen and phosphate to saturate the metabolic demand of Adamsiella chauvinii, consequently, A. chauvinii is well adapted to this soft-sediment environment.

World-wide, working life is undergoing major changes. Established market economies are increasingly characterised by demands for vastly greater market flexibility. New Zealand (NZ) has been no different with rapid changes occurring over the last 2 decades in the organisation of labour, of work and of the work environment. Recent international research suggests that work change significantly impacts upon worker health and safety. Many OECD nations undertake routine cross-sectional surveys to monitor changes in working conditions and environments, assessing the health and safety impact of these changes. Similar monitoring is not undertaken in NZ, with the impact of the work environment on health and injury outcomes poorly understood. This lack of knowledge (monitoring) is considered to be a significant impediment to the progression of health and safety initiatives in NZ. The aim of this thesis was to develop a tool (questionnaire) and methodology suitable for use in the surveillance of working conditions, work environments and health and injury outcomes using workers� surveys. The survey development was undertaken in 3 phases: i) development of tool through critical review; ii) empirical methodological testing and iii) an empirical validation study. Questionnaire development was a stepwise process of content selection. Firstly key dimensional themes were identified via critical review of literature and existing international surveys leading to the establishment of a dimensional framework. Secondly a critical review of questions to measure key dimensions based upon selection criteria occurred. Finally the selected questions and design were pre-tested before piloting. A similar development process was undertaken for the development of a calendar collecting occupational histories. A methodological study was undertaken piloting the questionnaire. Two methods of data collection were evaluated: face-to-face and telephone interviews, and two methods of occupational history collection: calendar and question set. Telephone interviewing was found to be the more efficient and effective data collection method while occupational history collection was found to be less time consuming by question set. Focus groups indicated questions were acceptable and suitable to NZ workers. A validation study was undertaken with a cross-sectional study in distinctly different occupational groups: cleaners and clerical workers. Comparisons were made between the groups with cleaners expected to be identified as employed under more hazardous working conditions and be exposed to more hazards of a physical nature, while clerical workers were expected to be exposed to more psychological hazards of a psychological nature. Results indicated the questionnaire provides data capable of making valid comparisons, identifying work patterns of high risk and provides good predictive validity. The final survey has the potential to generate population data on a wide range of work-related exposure and health variables relevant to contemporary working life. The survey results will contribute to understanding the range of working conditions and work environments NZ workers are currently exposed to and to assessing the health and safety impact of these exposures. Therefore it is recommended this tool initially be used in a national workforce survey to establish baseline surveillance data of working conditions, work environments and health and safety outcomes in NZ.

Facial eczema disease (FE) is a secondary photosensitisation disease of ruminants caused by exposure to the mycotoxin sporidesmin. Resistance to FE has a significant genetic component and previous research has included a whole genome scan and investigation of candidate genes. The aim of this study was to use multiple approaches to identify genes associated with resistance to FE. ABC transporters have been considered as putative candidate genes for FE since the yeast ABC transporter, PDR5, was found to modulate sensitivity to sporidesmin in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. A previous study had shown that hepatic expression of the ovine ABC transporter, ABCB1, was induced following exposure to sporidesmin but only in resistant animals (Longley (1998) PhD Thesis, University of Otago). In the present study, using qRT-PCR, a difference in the expression of ABCB1 between resistant and susceptible animals was not confirmed. It is concluded that ABCB1 is not likely to be a candidate gene for FE. As the full genome sequences for several mammalian species are now available, phylogenetic analyses were used to identify the most likely mammalian ortholog of the yeast PDR5 protein. This analysis found that the yeast PDR5 protein was most closely related to the mammalian ABCG sub-family. The human ABCG sub-family has five members one of which, ABCG2, is a known xenobiotic transporter. Comparative mapping of ABCG2 indicated that it co-localised to a region of the sheep genome weakly associated with resistance to FE. The full-length sequence of ovine ABCG2 was determined and two synonymous polymorphisms were found. These two polymorphisms, together with an intronic SNP were genotyped across a panel of selection-line animals. The allele frequencies of the intronic SNP were found to be significantly different between the selection lines, providing evidence for the association of ABCG2 with resistance to FE. The hepatic expression of ABCG2 was examined but no differential expression between the selection-lines was observed. Global gene expression profiling via microarray analysis was undertaken as a novel approach to identify candidate genes. Differences in gene expression were examined between naïve and sporidesmin-dosed resistant and susceptible animals using a bovine cDNA microarray. A small number of differentially expressed genes were identified. Follow-up studies found that there were a relatively high number of errors in EST identity. Eight differentially expressed genes were selected for confirmation by Northern analysis. Six of these genes were shown to be differentially expressed, but neither the patterns nor the magnitude of the differential expression reflected that observed on the microarray. One of the six genes identified as differentially expressed was catalase, which has previously been implicated in resistance to FE. This finding validates the approach taken using gene expression profiling to identify candidate genes. The final approach used in this study necessitated the development and characterisation of an in vitro system for studying sporidesmin toxicity. The system chosen was a human hepatoma cell line, HepG2. To date the only effective treatment for FE is the prophylactic administration of high levels of zinc sulphate. The mechanism of protection by zinc is unknown, but zinc is known to be a potent modulator of gene expression. Conceptually, any genes modulated by zinc are possible candidates for resistance to FE. It was shown that zinc pre-treatment could protect HepG2 cells against sporidesmin-induced cytotoxicity. Equivalent protection was provided by the addition of zinc in the presence of the transcriptional inhibitor actinomycin D, suggesting that the mechanism of zinc protection is independent of de novo gene transcription. Overall, the goal of this project was to find genes to assist selection of sheep resistant to FE. Toward this goal, this research has identified several new candidate genes and avenues for investigation.

The principal use of sodium monofluoroacetate (1080) in New Zealand is to control brushtail possums (Trichosurus vulpecula). Aerial application of baits containing 1080 is the most common method used for large-scale control of possums. The use of 1080 attracts a great deal of controversy, in particular the effects on the environmental, non-target species, and the potential chronic effects in humans associated with environmental exposures. Although the nature of the acute toxicity of 1080 has been known for more than fifty years, little is known of its effects on humans, in particular its chronic effects to environmental exposures. A benchmark dose (BMD) as an alternative to a no-observed-adverse-effect-level (NOAEL) approach was investigated as a means to improve current health risk assessment values of 1080. Both approaches were investigated for three critical toxicological end points, namely cardiomyopathy, testicular toxicity and teratogenic effects identified from the few available critical studies. The calculated BMDs and lower-bound confidence limits (BMDLs) for the three end points were estimated using the Weibull, probit and quanntal linear models. A benchmark response (BMR) of 10% (extra risk) was chosen and the Akaike�s information criterion (AIC) was used in selecting the appropriate model. The BMDL estimates derived were generally slightly higher but comparable to the corresponding NOAEL for those same endpoints. The computed BMD₁₀ and BMDL₁₀ for cardiomyopathy and testicular effects were 0.21 mg kg⁻�bw⁻� and 0.10 mg kg⁻�bw⁻�, respectively. Tolerable Daily Intakes (TDIs) were derived using the NOAEL approach and the BMD methodology and applying an uncertainty factor of 3000. The resulting TDI using the BMDL were generally consistently slightly higher than those derived using the NOAEL approach. Based on the best fit of modelled dose-response data, a TDI of 0.03 [mu]g kg⁻�bw⁻�day⁻� is proposed for human health risk assessment. Two sets of Provisional Maximum Acceptable Values (PMAV) were derived using the highest concentration of 4.0 [mu]g L⁻� 1080 found in water (N=1450), and using the maximum allowable concentration of 2.0 [mu]g L⁻� of 1080 in water for adults (0.58 [mu]g L⁻� and 0.94 [mu]g L⁻�, respectively) and children (0.23 [mu]g L⁻� and 0.4 [mu]g L⁻�, respectively). Parameters used in the derivation of PMAVs were average weight, average quantity of water consumed, and proportion of total intake allocated to drinking water. The derived adult PMAV of 0.60 [mu]g L⁻� is proposed in revising the PMAV for 1080 in the Drinking Water Standards New Zealand. This value is 6-fold lower than the current PMAV of 3.5 [mu]g L⁻�. Additional toxicology studies are recommended to meet the definition of a "complete database" and therefore estimating a more defensible TDI, and consequently a PMAV for 1080. Risk management approaches are consistent with the Ministry of Health�s current precautionary approach. A PMAV of 0.60 [mu]gL⁻� in drinking water is recommended to consider it suitable for human consumption and that continuous monitoring be carried if the level of 1080 exceeds 50% of the proposed PMAV as a requirement for Priority 2 determinands in the Drinking Water Standards. Precautionary approach appears to be warranted and this was supported by information provided by the Public Health Units (PHU) where 1080 was permitted to be dropped onto drinking water catchments. The PHUs exercised precautionary measures by imposing appropriate conditions to suit local circumstances. As 1080 may likely remain an essential tool to contain tuberculosis spread by possums and to reduce possum damage to forests and crops until better methods of control are developed, a number of recommendations were proposed to protect public health.

New Zealand�s lignicolous pyrenomycete flora has been little studied. The cosmopolitan Lasiosphaeriaceae, largest and least studied family in the Sordariales, has long been noted for its morphological diversity and the artificiality of its grouping. This first systematic study of lignicolous Lasiosphaeriaceae in New Zealand uses morphology and phylogenetics to elucidate relationships within the New Zealand mycota and facilitate comparisons with relatives worldwide. Collection areas spanned New Zealand�s 13 degrees of latitude and included a range of native forest types. The novel application of recently-available molecular biology techniques allowed sequencing from single pyrenomycete fruitbodies. Two new genera and 15 new species or species complexes are proposed in total. A new genus is proposed within the Lasiosphaeriaceae to accommodate an interesting new collection. Seven new species are described in the known genera Lasiosphacria and Lasiosphaeris and the polyphyly of certain Lasiosphacria taxa is discussed. Five new taxa are described within the Chaetosphaeriaceae, including a pair with surprisingly unique morphology. All are currently placed within Chaetosphaeria, but comprise part of a recently recognised long-spored clade that is sister to that which includes the type genus. Within the Helminthosphaeriaceae one new genus is proposed to accommodate an unusual new collection; and a new species described within Hilberina, but its transference to a new genus predicted as knowledge of this recent family grows. Phylogenetic results support the separation of the Chaetosphaeriaceae and Helminthosphaeriaceae from the Lasiosphaeriaceae where many of these taxa were previously. The traditional morphological character of ascospore shape is shown to have little use in the delimitation of genera. More recently emphasised characters such as peridial wall structure may have more value, however the fruitbody wall of some New Zealand taxa could not be more different from their phylogenetic relatives. New Zealand taxa are noted for their frequently unprecedented morphology and/or unique genetics in comparison with other known taxa, which are predominantly from the northern hemisphere. The high levels of morphological and genetic divergence among New Zealand taxa appear to reflect extensive microfungal endemism on these relatively isolated islands; but surveys of diversity in other parts of Gondwana are desperately needed. A Key to New Zealand taxa within the Lasiosphaeriaceae, Helminthosphaeriaceae and long-spored Chaetosphaeriaceae is provided.

Over the last decade, film location tourism has been established as a niche segment in the tourism industry. While this niche has attracted attention from both researchers and marketers alike, not much knowledge has been accumulated about the tourist encounter itself. It is the main purpose of this thesis to research on-site behavioural and experiential aspects of the film location encounter. For the overall research design, an inductive, comparative case-study approach was implemented. Three cases were selected for this research: The Lord of the Rings locations in New Zealand, The Sound of Music locations in Austria and Star Wars locations in Tunisia. The applied methods are participant observation, image-based data and semi-structured interviews. The data collection was conducted while participating in organised film location tows in order to secure access to the informants. The first fundamental outcome of this research is that there is no 'film location tourist' as such. People who travel to film locations come from different socio-economic backgrounds, comprise all age groups and possess varying degrees of fandom. The majority of film location tourists, however, have one thing in common, regardless of the underlying movie genre: the longing to connect with the imaginary world of the film by visiting the physical and thus 'real' location places. These places are consumed in two ways: as places of spectacle and as sacred places. The nature of the location consumption is dependent on a number of factors, including the degree of fandom of the consumers, the attractiveness of the encountered locations, the consistency of the interpretive community, the amount and nature of external distortions and, if applicable, the structure of the location tour. Means of consumption of film locations as spectacle are formal posing, sight recordings and shot re-creations. When experiencing film locations as sacred places, shot re-creations, mental simulations and filmic re-enactments occur. The latter form of consumption can result in a symbiosis between the imaginary and the real place component: the gazing subject becomes the previously (photographed) object. Regardless of the degree of experiential satisfaction, film location tourists want to bring some of the magic back home. This is achieved not only via mental pictures and physical photographs, but also through souvenirs. These can be off- or on-site. Regarding the latter, these souvenirs are almost holy relics, brought home from a successful pilgrimage and subsequently framed and displayed in an altar-like fashion. The benefits from this are not only self-pride and satisfaction, but also the distinction to other movie fans who have not been able to do the journey themselves. Thus, the person in possession of such a relic gains privileged status amongst peers which in turn raises the satisfaction with the location encounter. The film location experience cycle comes to a full closure by re-watching the movie. This procedure involves a renewed connection to both the imaginary filmic places as well as the real locations visited. The filmic gaze is extended, as the movie scenes are now seen as part of a real place which extends beyond the filmic sight. Keywords: Film location tourism - multiple, comparative on-site case study inquiry - film locations as spatial and temporal constructs - the film location tourist encounter - behavioural and experiential interactions with place.

New Zealand sea lion (Phocarctos hookeri) is a pinniped endemic to New Zealand and is among the rarest of sea lion species. New Zealand sea lions are incidentally caught in the trawl fishery for squid around the Auckland Islands, and a sea lion catch-limit or Fishing Related Mortality Limit (FRML) is used to manage this interaction. Since 2003 such limits have been calculated using an age-structured Bayesian population model. One problem with this approach is that several key demographic parameters have had to be assumed, or are based on very few data. Archaeological and other historical records demonstrate that New Zealand sea lions were substantially more widespread before the arrival of humans to New Zealand than they are today (Chapter 2 published as Childerhouse & Gales 1998). The present population size is clearly reduced, with subsistence and commercial hunting the most likely cause of historical changes in distribution and abundance. Campbell Island, the only significant breeding site outside the Auckland Islands, was thoroughly surveyed for New Zealand sea lions for the first time in 2003. An estimated 385 pups were born there, comprising 13% of the total pup production for the species for 2003 (Chapter 3 published as Childerhouse et al. 2005). This thesis provides the first robust estimates of several demographic parameters for New Zealand sea lions. These data were gained via the capture, tagging and ageing of 865 individual females, which had come ashore to pup between 1999 and 2001. This research was underpinned by the development of a novel and robust ageing technique for live New Zealand sea lions (Chapter 5 published as Childerhouse et al. 2004). Chapters 6, 7 and 8 used analyses of the age structure of these females, and of subsequent resightings of them, and of known-age females between 1998 and 2005, provided the first estimates of individual growth, mean reproductive rate (0.67, SE = 0.01), mean adult survival (0.81, SE = 0.04), and maximum age (28 years) for females. These data show that New Zealand sea lions are among the slowest growing, slowest reproducing, and longest lived sea lion species. Significant differences in the age structure of the two largest breeding colonies highlight flawed assumptions of the current management approach. The application of this new demographic information has the potential to significantly alter the existing management advice relating to the setting of FRMLs and the impact of the squid fishery on the New Zealand sea lion population. Taken alone, these results suggest a dim outlook for an already threatened species. In the context that pup production is in significant decline (e.g. 32% since 1998 Chilvers et al. 2007), the species� foraging environment is thought to be marginal (Costa & Gales 2000), and that resource competition may also be impacting on the population (Chapter 4 published as Childerhouse et al. 2001a), the picture darkens further. Taken as a whole, these data suggest that current management is insufficient to ensure population stasis, let alone meet the Government�s statutory goal of recovery.

The geologist James Hector (1834-1907) was, by any measure, the most important and influential scientist in nineteenth century New Zealand. In the mid 1860s, he became the first Director of the New Zealand Geological Survey and the Colonial Museum. Thereafter he ran the Colonial Laboratory, set up the Meteorological Service and the Wellington Botanical Gardens and was responsible for the establishment of the New Zealand Institute, acting as its manager and editor of its Transactions and Proceedings for more than 30 years. This work explores the formative years of his career from his early years in Scotland, his experiences with the Palliser Expedition in Canada, and pivotally, his first four years in New Zealand as the first Otago Provincial Geologist. By the time of James Hector�s entry as a medical student to Edinburgh University in 1852, he had already developed a strong interest in natural history, particularly geology. Although he graduated M.D. from Edinburgh in 1856, that course of study served only as a means of access to the natural sciences. Hector�s interest and training in geology developed at an opportune time, when there was increasing demand for geologists to explore the expanding industrial British Empire for coal and other mineral raw materials. Hector�s reputation in geology in Edinburgh brought him to the attention of that most influential British geologist, Sir Roderick Murchison, whose recommendation led to his appointment to the British North American Expedition of 1857 (the Palliser Expedition). Hector was acknowledged, on several counts, as a major contributor to the success of the expedition. When the Otago Provincial Government in New Zealand requested advice on the appointment of a geologist for the province, Murchison predictably proposed Hector. Having reviewed and assessed his work in North America, this thesis deals with the arrival of Hector as Otago Provincial Geologist in Dunedin during the prosperity of the gold rush of the early 1860s. For the first nine months he explored the central and eastern areas of the Province (Chapter 2) and the following year led the exploration of the West Coast, where there was potential for coal, gold and timber-and reputedly copper-and the prospect of providing a commercial route to Melbourne. The two month long expedition up the Matukituki Valley preceded the exploration by ship of the West Coast of the South Island as far north as Martins Bay. The latter became a major triumph on the strength of the contemporary perception of a route between Queenstown and Martins Bay potentially opening up a direct contact between Dunedin and Melbourne. From mid-1864, Hector�s life was governed by the organisation of the International Exhibition, which opened in Dunedin in January 1865. In that context, he travelled to seek support and participation from the other provinces of New Zealand, a political and administrative commission which he combined with geological exploration. After the closure of the successful Exhibition in May 1865 and subsequent to the conclusion of his appointment on 1st April 1865, Hector left Otago in August to take up the newly created post of Director of the New Zealand Geological Survey in Wellington. The parting was not administratively smooth and relations between Hector and the Otago Provincial Government were strained by the lack of a final, definitive, report on the Geology of Otago. An overview of Hector�s geology, specifically his interest in coal and gold, and the evolution of his views on the vexed question of the role of glaciers as geomorphologic agents is provided. James Hector was a man of versatile ability and strong leadership. His scientific skills as a field geologist and the administrative abilities, developed during his explorations in British North America and southern New Zealand, led ultimately to his long and successful career as New Zealand�s chief scientist at a formative time in its history.

The secondary productivity of communities is inherently influenced by the availability and quality of food resources. Movement of organic matter (OM) across landscapes can connect adjacent systems by providing subsidies of carbon and nutrients, implying that alterations of environments from their natural state may affect the productivity of neighboring food webs. The intact terrestrial and marine environments of Fiordland provide a setting to study linkages between the land and the sea. The first general objective of this study was to determine if large but nutritionally poor (nitrogen-poor, carbon-rich) inputs of forest litter support marine secondary production, and to identify pathways for incorporation of this material into upper trophic levels. Pools of marine and terrestrial OM had distinct values of [delta]�⁵N, [delta]��C and [delta]�⁴S, providing high power to estimate the relative use of these sources by the food webs of the fjord-head deltas. Deposit feeding invertebrates (e.g. Echinocardium cordatum, Pectinaria australis) directly assimilated plant detritus. Heterotrophic bacteria on the surface of the sediment assimilated forest litter and provided a potential food source for invertebrates. Chemoautotrophic bacteria fix CO₂ that originates from decomposing forest litter, thus providing an indirect pathway for incorporation of forest litter into the food webs. In the deep basins the strength of the flux of uptake by chemoautotrophic bacteria through the benthic food web into the upper trophic levels was demonstrated by hagfish (Eptatretus cirrhatus) obtaining 38-51% of their nutrition from these bacteria. The ability of a community to utilize discrete sources of OM relies on the presence of specific functional feeding guilds. Marine algae provide a highly nutritive (nitrogen-rich) food source for the fjord communities and fluxes of algae into food webs are facilitated by grazing invertebrates and filter feeders. The second general objective of this study was to determine how the effective loss of filter feeders from inner Doubtful Sound would alter the flux of marine-derived OM to the food webs of the delta communities. The low salinity environment imposed by the hydroelectric power station in Doubtful Sound caused a large reduction in the abundance of the infaunal bivalves Austrovenus stutchburyi and Paphies australis from delta habitats. Clams could tolerate periods of freshwater exposure of [less than or equal to]20 days duration, but the constant freshwater conditions in Doubtful Sound decreased survivorship. In 2004/05 the biomass of these species in inner Doubtful Sound (7.28 tonnes) was 29 times smaller than in Bradshaw Sound (214.12 tonnes). The associated loss of biodeposits (~91 tonnes(DW) yr⁻� in Bradshaw Sound vs. 1 tonne(DW) yr⁻� in inner Doubtful Sound) may have also altered the flux of nutritive OM to the infaunal community. The river delta communities in inner Doubtful Sound appear to have a higher reliance on forest litter than those in Bradshaw Sound, which is apparent as low values of [delta]�⁵N and [delta]��C for estuarine fish (Notolabrus celidotus, Hemerocoetes monopterygius), which act as integrators of the benthic community. This study demonstrates important linkages between terrestrial and coastal marine ecosystems and highlights the role of functional diversity in facilitating fluxes of organic material through food webs.