A Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Science in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree: Master of Science In School of Animal, Plants and Environmental Sciences, University of Witwatersrand Johannesburg 2015 / This study aimed to determine the role and relative importance of predator avoidance and nutrition as processes influencing herbivore utilisation of burnt areas, at Satara, Kruger National Park by using variation in fire size and fire season. The driving factors investigated included forage quality, forage quantity, vegetation structure and predation risk. The effect of fire size and season on the landscape was tested by recording grass height, greenness, grass nutrient sampling and visibility. Results showed that fire size and season had a significant impact on the physical environment by decreasing grass/forage quantity post-fire but increasing grass/forage quality. Over time the plots returned to near pre-fire conditions, with forage quantity increasing (grass height and biomass) and forage quality decreasing (nitrogen availability). Visibility increased immediately post-fire, more significantly in regards to herbivores with their heads in a “head-down/grazing” position than in a “head raised/vigilant” position. As with forage quantity and quality, visibility returned to near pre-fire conditions at the end of the study sampling period. The response of animals to these changes in the environment was recorded through dung counts, camera traps and behavioural observations. I found that there was increased use of burnt plots post-fire through comparing herbivore presence on plots burned in different sizes and seasons, day/night utilisation of plots, and using behaviour data I could determine to what extent forage and predation risk were driving the use of burnt areas. I focused on three herbivore species (Aepyceros melampus, Connochaetes taurinus and Equus quagga) which varied in terms of body size digestive systems, forage type, and social behaviour. As expected, I found that predation risk did appear to be more important in driving the behaviour of the smaller-bodied herbivores but both nutrient requirements and susceptibility to predation were shown to play a role in explaining the use of burnt areas for all three herbivore species. Variation between plots in environmental factors such as tree density, forb percentage and distance to water, were found to be not significant and thus did not confound our results

Cette recherche questionne les stratégies d’acteurs publics-privés et les morphologies architecturales dans les projets de renouvellement des zones d’activités commerciales d’entrée de ville. L’analyse tente de révéler les freins au renouvellement urbain et s’appuie sur l’observation participante dans la Société d’Aménagement de l’Agglomération de Montpellier (SAAM) ainsi que des entretiens sur deux autres projets : «Pont de l’âne Monthieu » à St Etienne et « Château-Redon » à La Valette du Var. Ces cas français sont intéressants car rares à leur échelle d’intervention. Ils sont pilotés par des aménageurs publics (Société Publique Locale ou Etablissement Public d’Aménagement) associés à des promoteurs-investisseurs pour la création d’un nouveau site commercial.Le corpus de données permet de comprendre l’organisation des acteurs au sein des projets urbains : coalitions et oppositions entre les collectivités publiques, les commerçants d’hypermarchés ou de grandes surfaces spécialisées, les promoteurs, les propriétaires, et les associations. Les stratégies des acteurs publics et des promoteurs s’appuient sur des représentations différenciées de l’urbanité qui impactent la programmation et la conception architecturale.L’évolution morphologique des pôles commerciaux est complétée par d’autres cas en France et à l’étranger et montre l’hybridation des nouvelles centralités vers plus de mixité fonctionnelle.Les cas étudiés innovent parmi les projets de renouvellement en zone d’activités commerciales, mais leur spécificité questionne leur reproductibilité dans d’autres villes moyennes françaises. / This research will cross-examine strategies used by private and public sector identities in addition to architectural morphologies of town entrance business activity areas' rehabilitation projects. Our analysis will aim to reveal current obstacles to urban rehabilitation and will be relying on the participant observation method inside the structure of the Society d'Amenagement de Montpellier (SAAM) - Building Society of the Urban Agglomeration of Montpellier - as well as interviews relating to two other projects: "Pont de l'âne Monthieu" in St Etienne and "Château-Redon" in La Valette du Var. These French examples are as interesting as they are rare, considering the intervention scale. They are managed by public project managers (Local public companies or Public development agencies) and rely on promoter-investors to create a new commercial site.The data corpus allows us to understand how the main stakeholders interact and manage urban projects: coalitions and oppositions between public bodies, supermarkets or specialized retailers, sponsors, store owners and city-scale community groups.The basis of public sector leads and promoters' strategies take its roots in the discrepancy of representations of urbanism, impacting directly on how the architecture is scheduled and designed.Our analysis of the morphological evolution of commercial centres will be complemented by other case studies in France and abroad and will show the hybrid trends of new suburban commercial centres towards a more dense and functional diversity.Urban projects in our research will show a drift towards more innovation in the sector, however it is difficult to foresee whether their specificities could be recreated in other middle size French cities.

Changes in vegetation may influence the quality and quantity of the underlying organic peat soils and have impacts on faunal populations. My goal was to determine whether shifts from native slough communities to invasive cattail in the Florida Everglades could affect peat characteristics that could cascade to impact the dry season survival of crayfish (Procambarus fallax). I contrasted peat soils from native slough and cattail-invaded sites as alternative dry-season burrowing substrates for crayfish. Cattail peat had higher average bulk density and inorganic content within the first ten centimeters of the soil profile. Crayfish showed marginally greater initial burrowing success in slough peat than in cattail peat but survival was equivalent in both peat soils and high overall. Understanding these indirect linkages between vegetation and crayfish populations in the Everglades can provide insight on the consequences of plant invasion on ecosystem trophic dynamics. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2014. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

Cercopithecus monkeys are a species-rich radiation where interspecific mating leads to novel phenotypes due to pelage color and pattern diversity within the genus. The goals of this thesis were to (1) test a new method for studying color objectively in wild arboreal primates, and (2) apply a phenotypic hybrid index (PHI) to known individuals of a hybrid zone between C. ascanius and C. mitis in Gombe National Park, Tanzania through the use of digital photography. I scored seven pelage character states as 0 (C. mitis), 0.25 (mitis-like), 0.50 (intermediate), 0.75 (ascanius-like), or 1 (C. ascanius). Photos indicate most phenotypic hybrids express a white nose spot, but all other regions of pelage color and pattern are variable, and an assortment of hybrid phenotypes are seen at Gombe. Results indicate it is currently not possible to extend parameters for assessing color objectively with RGB values, but numerical non-RGB methods show promise. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2016. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

A dissertação tem como objetivo a análise das viagens e das características dos usuários que dirigem automóvel até as estações do sistema de transporte coletivo de alta capacidade, na qual embarcam e prosseguem viagem por motivo trabalho de metrô ou trem. Estuda-se a relação deste tipo de viagem com a acessibilidade ao centro das cidades e com a política e a qualidade de estacionamento para os automóveis junto às estações e no local de trabalho. Através de pesquisas sobre viagens da Região Metropolitana de São Paulo obteve-se dados sobre estas viagens, conhecidas como park and ride, no metrô e nos trens metropolitanos. Foram levantadas as principais zonas de origem e destinos das viagens park and ride, e as estações de trem e metrô com transferências significativas destas viagens, bem como analisados estudos e informações sobre características de estacionamento em estações, padrão das viagens e o perfil do usuário que faz esta troca modal. Analisa-se o comportamento do usuário como objeto de modelagem na sua escolha entre ir direto de automóvel ao trabalho ou ir até a estação dirigindo automóvel e completar a viagem ao trabalho de metrô. Investigam-se estas viagens através da construção de um modelo de escolha discreta baseado na teoria da utilidade aleatória, cujas variáveis são a diferença de tempo de viagem, a diferença de preço de estacionamento e a qualidade do estacionamento junto à estação. Propõe-se um modelo logit binomial e realiza-se um uma pesquisa com usuários do metrô, em um estacionamento de automóveis junto à Estação Tietê, que inclui questões sobre preferência declarada. Com os resultados das entrevistas se faz a calibração e análise comparativa de modelos para simulação da escolha da viagem. Verifica-se que a influência da diferença de tempo entre as viagens tem mais influência que a diferença de preço entre os estacionamentos no centro e junto a estação, na escolha do modo de transporte pelos entrevistados. Nota-se que a qualidade de estacionamento entendida como maior quando localizado dentro da estação e menor quando fora é significativa, provavelmente por proporcionar ao usuário além de economia de tempo, mais comodidade e segurança. / The objective of this dissertation is the analysis of characteristics of trips and users, who drive a car to the stations of the high capacity passenger transport system, in which they embark and continue the trip to their work place. It studies this type of trip related to the accessibility to downtown and to the quality of car parking facilities next to the stations and at the work place. The survey transport data within the Metropolitan Region of San Paulo presents information about these trips, known as Park and Ride, in the subway lines and in the commuter train lines. The main zones of origin and destination of the Park and Ride trips were identified and the stations of train and subway with significant transferences too. The characteristics of parking in stations and the trips patterns of users making this modal transfer were studied. The user\'s behavior was analyzed in order to modeling his choice between going direct by car to the work place or going by car to the station and take the subway to the work place. A discrete choice model was proposed based in the random utility theory. The variables considered are the difference in trip time, the difference of parking price and the quality of the parking next to the station. A Binomial Logit Model was considered and a stated preference survey was conceived. A case study was conducted with the interview of users at a car parking lot next to the subway Tiete Station. The results of the interviews were used to calibrate and compare the discrete choice models tested. It was verified that the difference of time between the alternatives is more important than the difference of parking price in the transport choice. It was also verified that quality is significant to users, and it is seen higher when the parking is in the station. This is due, probably, to time savings and both comfort and safety.

Cheng Tsz Yin, Jerry. / "Architecture Department, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Master of Architecture Programme 2009-2010, design report." / "May 2010." / Includes bibliographical references (p. 183). / Text in English with some Chinese. / Abstract --- p.ii / essay reference / Introduction --- p.10 / scenario / density comparison / statement / Background of Pearl River Delta (PRD) --- p.18 / urban form with water / prd economic mode / Ecotourism --- p.28 / principle / tourism in china / Site Feasibility Study in SanShan --- p.44 / Urban Strategy --- p.53 / urban modification / Community Strategy --- p.57 / land use change / migration reason / nature of tourism / Program Strategy --- p.67 / host activity / changing activity / program for ecotourism / Building (sustainability) Strategy --- p.81 / self-sustained community formulation / resources / discharge / Case Reference of Ecotourism --- p.91 / purpose of ecotourism / "serr, costa-rica" / "central park, manhattan" / "farming pleasure practice, china" / "wetland park, hong kong" / Site Design --- p.117 / concept / program layout / site reshaped / building design

A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, in fulfilment of the academic requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. August 2016, Johannesburg / Termites are widely distributed in tropical and subtropical savanna. They are recognised as major ecosystem engineers through their role in nutrient cycling, decomposition, hydrology and alteration of landscape topography with cascading effects manifesting in ecosystem heterogeneity and productivity up the food chains. In this thesis I addressed the effect of geology on termite species diversity, followed by questioning how the different geologies influence the size and spatial distribution of Macrotermes mounds. Furthermore, I explored the effect of termite mounds emanating from different geologies on herbaceous vegetation heterogeneity and finally the effect this heterogeneity has on grazing intensity. Although the diversity of termites has been explored across different environmental gradients such as rainfall, altitude and disturbance, little is known regarding variation in their diversity across landscapes of varying geology. In my quest to understand how varying geology influences the ecology of termites and their functional importance, I sampled granite and basalt for termite diversity using standard transects (100 m x 2 m). I predicted that termite diversity is higher on nutrient-rich geology following the productivity diversity hypothesis. However, both functional and taxonomic diversity were higher on nutrient-poor granite. Twelve species from three subfamilies representing two feeding groups were recorded on granite whereas on basalt only five species from two subfamilies consisting of one feeding group were recorded. Although the influence of Macrotermes mounds on ecosystem heterogeneity has been well studied, little is known on how the environment (geology) and other termite colonies influence size and distribution pattern, despite how these interactions could influence ecosystem functioning. Termite mounds were sampled in 1 km2 plots, four in each geology. Each mound location was recorded using a hand held GPS and structural variables (height and diameter) measured. The data were analysed for spatial distribution of termite mounds using the software Programita. The general distribution pattern of termite mounds (active and inactive mounds combined) was investigated using both the pair correlation function, g(r), and Ripley’s K(r) function. Termite mounds were larger and covered a significant proportion of the landscape on granite compared to basalt. Mounds were generally over-dispersed on granite and randomly distributed on basalt. Mounds covered ~ 6% of the landscape on granite compared with only ~ 0.4% on basalt. These results show that the significance of termites varies across geologies, being more important on nutrient-poor geologies because of their size and a more productive spatial pattern displayed here. The majority of studies testing mound effects on savanna vegetation spatial heterogeneity have been based on single site observations mostly comparing mounds and their paired savanna control plots. Furthermore studies did not consider the spatial effects of mounds with distance into the savanna matrix from mound edge, and this has rarely been tested across landscapes of varying geologies, as well as across mounds of different sizes. Therefore there was a need to explore this in order to broadly understand the functional importance of mounds. I sampled the herbaceous community on and off termite mounds and along distance transects from mounds on nutrient-rich and nutrient-poor geologies. Termite mounds as sources of spatial vegetation heterogeneity was more pronounced on nutrient-poor granite, with larger mounds having greater effect on vegetation composition and diversity than smaller ones. Mounds harboured compositionally different herbaceous plants compared with the savanna matrix on granite whereas there was no difference on basalt. In acknowledging the effect erosion from mounds may have on vegetation heterogeneity, termite mound effect on composition expressed at landscape level based on mound densities recorded in this study was estimated to be 19% of the landscape on granite whereas on basalt, the mounds influenced ~ 0.4% of the landscape. The choice of foraging sites by large herbivores in the landscape is influenced by food quantity, quality, inter and intra-specific competition and predation risk. Termite mounds harbour highly nutritious herbaceous plants compared to the savanna matrix, which makes them preferred foraging sites. Due to very small differences in soil nutrient content between mounds and savanna on basalt, mounds were expected to have little effect on grazing. In line with the set hypothesis termite mounds largely influenced grazing on the nutrient-poor granite and when viewed at landscape scale, based on mound densities and extent of erosion recorded, mounds influenced ~ 28% on granite and only ~ 0.8% on basalt. Overall my study has demonstrated that the significance of termites as ecosystem engineers varies across landscapes of varying geology, being more important on nutrient-poor compared with nutrient-rich geologies. / MT2017

Mineral-depositing hydrothermal ecosystems, such as the hot springs in Yellowstone National Park, provide an unparalleled opportunity to document how microbial biosignatures form and contribute to the body of evidence indicative of the microbial inhabitants of active hot springs. Mineralization of microbial communities in silica-depositing hot springs can result in the preservation of microbial biofacies in the geologic record. To determine the effects of prolonged aerial exposure on the preservation potential of mid-to-low temperature cyanobacteria dominated microbial communities that are typically permineralized in the siliceous sinter, modern biofacies samples of such communities were collected from the active and inactive parts of Queen's Laundry hot spring in Yellowstone National Park. The strategy of the research was to: (1) perform qualitative and quantitative characterization of structural and morphometric attributes of subaqueous and aerially exposed Calothrix biofacies samples collected from terraces; and (2) determine whether prolonged subaerial exposure affected the fidelity of morphological biosignatures (i.e., biofabrics and microbial cells) in the aerially exposed samples. To ensure that the permanently subaqueous and aerially exposed samples were comparable, a protocol developed to describe structural and morphological attributes of stromatolites was utilized to characterize the hot spring samples. Morphometric analysis of both types of Calothrix biofacies samples (i.e., partly silicified subaqueous and aerially exposed samples) revealed the presence of: distinct microbially influenced structures; thicker lamina at or near the base of the terraces; the greatest density of microorganisms in microbial structures; and increased microbial structure flatness as height of the microbial structures within the terrace proper increased. These characteristics were also used to provide a means to interpret the environmental conditions within which the terrace structures developed. To determine whether prolonged subaerial exposure affected the morphological fidelity of the biosignatures in the aerially exposed samples, the microstructure of these samples was studied in detail petrographically. A silica layer defined the boundary between laminae and was referred to as the "capping" silica deposit because it was found to "cap" all of the laminae in the Calothrix biofacies samples. The top most capping silica deposit of the aerially exposed Calothrix biofacies samples was found to be distinctly different from the capping silica deposits in the interior of the same sample and in the partly mineralized subaqueous Calothrix biofacies samples. The aerially exposed capping silica deposit was milky and glassy in appearance and contained fine laminations. The fine laminations were not found in any laminae of the biofacies samples. Another key finding of the project is a new evaluation of the preservation potential of the Calothrix terrace samples. Petrographic observations revealed that preservation of the morphological fidelity of the laminae and the microstructures within them was significantly higher within the microbial shrub and domical structures in both the partially silicified subaqueous and aerially exposed Calothrix biofacies samples than other microstructure types observed. In summary, a detailed morphometric characterization protocol confirmed that it is possible to identify similar features in Calothrix biofacies found inside the active part of the hot spring as well as beyond the perimeter (i.e., aerially exposed for ≥ 3 years) at multiple spatial scales; only the top-most capping silica deposit of the aerially exposed samples is altered by subaerial exposure; the preservation potential for Calothrix biofabrics is highest within shrub and domical structures; and morphometric analysis on a variety of Calothrix terraced structures could lend insight into the factor(s) responsible for terrace formation. This research lays the foundation for analyzing similar structures in geologically older rocks and for recognizing how microbial organisms can and likely have influenced terrace formation. The work also suggests that aerial processes can alter such samples and biosignatures within them. It is recommended that additional non-destructive and spatially correlated analytical methods be considered in the search for chemofossils in the sinter surrounding filaments past and present.

With the rapid urbanization, the urban residents' demand for urban public parks is increasing. As a unique and representative age group, older adults put forward new requirements for the evaluation and rational planning of urban parks. Park accessibility is an important index reflecting the rationality of park layout, the accessibility of residents to the park and the social equity of park services. In this paper, buffer analysis and network analysis based on the ArcGIS platform were selected to analyze service accessibility and green transportation accessibility of The Villages metropolitan area of Florida respectively and then make a summary analysis. In particular, this paper chooses service area, common facilities, and recreational amenities as the evaluation factors of service accessibility. Besides, the coverage area of three modes of green transportation, namely walking, public transportation and bicycle, in different periods is selected as the evaluation factor of green transportation accessibility in this paper. The results show that: 1) The accessibility level of the study area is generally low, and more than half of the study area is not within the service scope of the park. 2) The urban parks serving the study area are relatively unevenly distributed; the road network is imperfect, and there are open circuit and blank area. 3) Park accessibility ratio of four modes of transportation in different time levels motor vehicles > bicycles > walking > public transportation. The research results can provide a reference for the optimization of the spatial layout of public parks in age-friendly cities.

This study covers the following aspects of mine water management at the Clarence Colliery, located at the headwaters of the Wollangambe River, N.S.W. The Wollangambe River flows through the World Heritage listed areas of the Blue Mountains and Wollemi National Parks. 1. Quantification of the impact of discharge of treated mine water on the Wollangambe River, through analysis of sediment metal concentrations. 2. Investigation of the possible sources and causes of acid mine drainage within the mine. 3. Review of the current treatment process employed at the mine, as well as a review of other possible treatment options for avoidance or treatment of acid mine drainage. 4. Recommendation of a strategy for improving the process of mine water management at the colliery. The study reveals problems discovered from the investigation and describes the findings and recommendations. / Master of Engineering (Hons.)