Mucidosphaerium sphagnale , a new record for New Zealand, is reported from Awarua Wetland. The genus Mucidosphaerium has recently been separated from the well‐known Dictyosphaerium , a colonial green alga with cells connected by thin, branching stalks, to encompass those forms with near‐spherical adult cells. The previous name for this taxon, Dictyosphaerium sphagnale , is not recorded from New Zealand; however, Mucidosphaeriu...

Conventional microbial fuel cells (MFCs) consist of biological anodes and abiotic cathodes separated by a proton‐exchange membrane. The abiotic cathode usually catalyses the reduction of oxygen to produce water by means of expensive catalysts such as platinum. 1 The cathodic reaction is often limiting in MFCs and researchers are now focusing on efficient, low‐cost catalysts to improve oxygen reduction at the cathode. This pape...

Summary The extremely cold and arid Antarctic dry valleys are one of the most environmentally harsh terrestrial ecosystems supporting organisms in which the biogeochemical transformations of carbon are exclusively driven by microorganisms. The natural abundance of 13 C and 15 N in source organic materials and soils have been examined to obtain evidence for the provenance of the soil organic matter and the C loss as CO 2 during...