L’étude de la plasticité comportementale s’attarde aux réponses physiologiques et comportementales des individus face aux contraintes de leur environnement. Les changements climatiques modifient les conditions du milieu et ont le potentiel d’influencer les composantes biodémographiques des individus. L’étude des liens mécanistiques entre le comportement animal et les conditions du milieu est donc utile à la compréhension des impacts potentiels des changements climatiques sur les individus. Le premier volet de ma thèse s’attarde aux liens entre les conditions du milieu, le comportement d’hibernation et la sélection de tanière de l’ours grizzli, une espèce menacée en Alberta. Ce volet révèle que l’abondance de nourriture à l’automne ainsi que le statut reproducteur des individus sont liés aux variations observées dans les dates d’entrée en tanière tandis que les conditions météorologiques à large échelle et le statut reproducteur des individus expliquent bien les dates de sorties de tanières. Ce volet démontre aussi que les caractéristiques physiques des tanières ne diffèrent pas entre les sexes et que pour creuser leurs tanières, les mâles et les femelles sélectionnent des attributs du paysage similaire. À large échelle, l’ours grizzli évite les zones humides et choisi des peuplements de conifères en haute altitude associés à une grande disponibilité de nourriture de haute qualité au printemps. À l’échelle du domaine vital et à l’échelle locale, l’ours grizzli choisi des peuplements de conifères associés à un fort couvert latéral et vertical, à une faible disponibilité de nourriture de haute qualité à l’automne, à une forte abondance d’Hedysarum spp. ainsi qu’à une faible densité de routes. Le second volet s’attarde à la sélection de l’habitat et à la thermorégulation durant la période active et mets en évidence les contraintes thermiques associées à une augmentation de la température ambiante sur les patrons de sélection de l’habitat. La sélection de l’habitat de l’ours grizzli selon les saisons et durant la journée dépendait de la température ambiante et ce, davantage pour les mâles que pour les femelles. Plus la température ambiante était élevée, plus la sélection de peuplements ouverts qui abondent en nourriture de haute qualité augmentait durant les périodes les plus fraîches de la journée et plus la sélection de ces mêmes peuplements diminuait durant les périodes les plus chaudes de la journée. Ma thèse approfondie les connaissances concernant les facteurs intrinsèques et extrinsèques influençant le comportement d’hibernation et met en évidence l’influence de la thermorégulation sur la sélection de l’habitat chez l’ours. Mes résultats contribuent à une meilleure compréhension des facteurs déterminant la distribution des individus et améliore notre capacité à prédire l’effet des changements climatiques globaux sur les grands mammifères. / The study of behavioural plasticity aims at understanding the physiological and behavioural responses of individuals to limiting factors. Climate change has the potential to influence the life history of individuals by altering environmental conditions. Thus, studying the mechanistic links between animal behaviour and environmental conditions is necessary to understand the potential impacts of climate change on individuals. The first part of my thesis focuses on the links between environmental conditions, hibernation behaviour, and habitat selection of grizzly bears, a threatened species in Alberta, Canada. The phenology of den entry and exit was driven by sex and reproductive status, food availability in autumn, winter precipitation, and spring temperature. There was no difference in the dimensions and characteristics of dens excavated by male and female grizzly bears, and males and females selected similar landscape attributes to dig their dens. At the broadest scale investigated, grizzly bears avoided wetlands and selected high-elevation dry conifer stands with abundant high-quality spring foods. At the home-range scale and within the den vicinity, grizzly bears selected dense conifer stands associated with little high-quality autumn food and abundant Hedysarum spp. in areas with low road densities. The second part of my thesis focuses on the links between habitat selection and thermoregulation during the active season, and highlights the thermal constraints associated with increasing ambient temperatures on habitat selection patterns. Grizzly bear habitat selection followed a daily and seasonal pattern that was influenced by ambient temperature, with adult males showing a stronger response than females to warm temperatures. With increasing ambient temperatures, male and female grizzly bears increased their selection for open stands with abundant food resources during the coolest periods of the day, and concurrently decreased their selection for these open stands during the warmest periods of the day. My thesis increases our understanding of the role of intrinsic and extrinsic factors on hibernation behaviour, habitat selection, and thermoregulation constraints of grizzly bears. Ultimately, my results enhance our understanding of the factors regulating the distribution of individuals in time and space; improving our ability to predict the potential impacts of climate change on large mammals.

On Valentine’s Day, 1933 the citizens of Blairmore, Alberta elected a Communist town council and school board. “Alberta’s Red Democrats: the Challenges and Legacy of Blairmore Communism, 1921-1936” seeks not only to understand the Red administration that governed here during the mid-thirties, but also the community that elected it. It will be shown that the election of Mayor Bill Knight and his colleagues was neither a knee-jerk reaction to the protracted poverty of the Great Depression nor an alignment with the Communist Party of Canada as an act of desperation. The Red movement at Blairmore was deeply rooted in past experience, and as it came to fruition challenged what it meant to be a Communist in Canada. / Thesis (Ph.D, History) -- Queen's University, 2013-08-29 17:24:15.163

In Alberta, Canada, amongst its mixture of sand, clay, water and other minerals, the tar sand’s heavy and viscous component bitumen, a thick, sticky form of crude oil is extracted through two methods; open-pit mining for shallower deposits (<75 m), and in situ for deeper deposits (>75 m). This degree project consists of a comparison between these two extraction methods impact on air, nature and water, which all have been evaluated by reviewing and analyzing literature. Studies showed that in situ methods cause a higher impact on air than open-pit mining, through higher emissions of greenhouse gases and sulfur dioxide (SO2), and will surpass the carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions caused by the open-pit mines when the shallower, more accessible tar sands dwindle. Open-pit mining causes a higher impact on water due to its large tailing ponds that causes leakage of processing water and fine tailings, polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAH: s) and these 13 following elements considered priority pollutants (PPE) by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); antimony (Sb), arsenic (As), beryllium (Be), lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), chromium (Cr), mercury (Hg), nickel (Ni), selenium (Se), silver (Ag), thallium (Tl) and zinc (Zn). However studies remain unclear whether or not in situ methods are worse due to underground tailing ponds. Finally, when it comes to nature, open-pit mining causes a more direct environmental impact through deforestation, drainage of peat and wetland, and blasting of rock. In situ methods however, seem to cause more of a long term environmental impact through fragmentation. Dividing the landscape into smaller units through roads, wells, pipelines and seismic lines, leads to domestic biodiversity and homogenization of flora and fauna as unfavorable conditions is created for the nature’s wildlife. In conclusion, in situ methods causes a bigger impact on air than open-pit mining, while open-pit mining causes a bigger impact on water. Due to lack of time and resources, more research about the direct impact on nature is needed to fully evaluate which of the two extraction methods causes the least environmental impact.

This thesis is an ethnographic account of how people in a particular situation of bureaucratic domination developed tactics and adopted discourses to present themselves as active agents capable of mobilizing resources, individually and at a collective level. Specifically, it involves a description and analysis of power dynamics, experienced efficacy, and associated processes of defining self and others in the context of a newly forming injured workers support group in their relations with a Workers' Compensation Board. Appropriate to the study of an injured workers group, the thesis draws upon a body of literature which focuses on the everyday practices of people in concrete social contexts. James C. Scott's work on domination and resistance privides a primary framework for the study, elaborated by Michel De Certeau's concepts of 'strategy' and 'tactic' as well as Foucault's notion of 'carceral' networks. Among the main findings was the recognition of the extent to which individual group members engaged in creative, and often effective tactical acts of resistance against the WCB and yet also against their own formal association. Moreover, as the group appropriated elements of bureaucratic and trade union discourses it shifted toward also engaging in strategic social action. The thesis concludes with practical recommendations concerning the ways such associations are formed and operate, as well as policy options for workers' compensation boards in general. / ix, 215 leaves : ill. ; 28 cm.

This study is an exploratory case study on one middle school's attempt at the alleviation of a number of problem areas through the implementation of the closed campus approach to scheduling. This work outlines a 2 year qualitative and quantitative case study that allowed the researcher a genuine opportunity to examine a radical departure from the normal mode of educational delivery provided to this age group. It was felt that a case study of the well-grounded theory of the closed campus model of scheduling would be beneficial to others interested in possible vehicles for school improvement. A discussion of the condition of the sample school the year prior to the implementation of the closed campus is included as well as an account of both the logistical and physical steps taken by the sample school in implementing the closed campus. The study suggest that the closed campus approach did appear to improve a variety of student and staff factors shown by research to be related to a safe and orderly learning environment and important learning outcomes, as compared to conditions observed during the previous year under the traditional, open campus approach. These variables included incidents of late arrival by students, student suspensions, student behaviour problems, physical altercations, verbal abuse of staff by students, verbal abuse of students by students, subject related behavioural concerns, student absenteeism and staff absenteeism. Although the quantitative comparisons included in this study show directional trends, they do not reflect a casual relationship. It is hoped that readers of this study will be able to generalize its findings to other situations they may find appropriate. / xii, 140 leaves ; 28 cm.

Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.) is a medicinal plant with potential applications in the natural health product industry. In a multi-environmental setting, 10 genotypes were tested across 14 growing environments (using a Randomized Complete Block Design), representing irrigated and rainfed growing conditions in southern Alberta, Canada over two cropping years (2006 and 2007). The objectives of this study were (1) to determine seed yield, plus content and productivity of selected bioactive compounds (galactomannan, diosgenin and 4-hydroxyisoleucine), (2) to assess the impact of growing environment on these variables and (3) to identify promising genotypes for breeding and industrial use. Using principal component and cluster analyses, the study provides insight on the relative influence of growing environments and genes on the biochemical and agronomical traits as well as identifies genotypes based on performance and stability. These are useful as parental materials in cultivar development for the Canadian natural health product industry. / xiii, 154 leaves : ill. (some col.) ; 29 cm

This thesis describes the detection, and characterization of putative extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs) producing Escherichia coli isolated from feedlot cattle in southern Alberta. Cattle either received no antimicrobials or were administered subtherapeutic antimicrobials in feed. In total, 7,184 E. coli isolates were collected, and screened for resistance to either ceftazidime (2μg mL-1 ) or cefpodoxime (2μg mL-1), and from these results 237 E. coli isolates were considered presumptive ESBL producers. Antimicrobial resistant bacteria were isolated throughout the experiment; however, ESBL-producing E. coli were not prevalent throughout the study. In total, only three isolates (B221B1, C152C1, C98A1) exhibited the ESBL phenotype. Molecular subtyping of these isolates revealed no clonality between these strains. Molecular characterization of the 237 isolates investigated in this study revealed blaTEM to be the most prevalent AMR determinant among the ampicillin-resistant isolates with resistance to ceftazidime (2μg mL-1 ) or cefpodoxime (2μg mL-1). These data suggest that ESBLs are not frequent among Canadian feedlot cattle and MDR resistance (55 of 237) was observed but is not prominent among both the subgroup and total isolates collected. It was determined that isolate B221B1 was ESBL-producing, and harboured the blaTEM-1 gene. The genes responsible for ESBL production in isolates C98A1 and C152C1 were not characterized. In order to characterize the antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genes coding for ESBL-production in these 2 isolates, cloning and conjugation experiments were attempted. However, I was unable to resolve the mechanism responsible for ESBL phenotype in these two isolates. The results of this study imply that the development of ESBL-producing E. coli is complex, and is probably affected by both the administration of antimicrobials and numerous other presently undefined environmental factors. / xii, 104 leaves : ill. ; 28 cm

No description available.

No description available.

La restauration écologique des tourbières se définit comme l’ensemble des procédés permettant d’assister à la régénération d’une tourbière qui a été dégradée, endommagée ou détruite. La gamme des tourbières perturbées qui nécessitent des actions de restauration est très diversifiée. L’étude de la régénération naturelle des écosystèmes perturbés a fréquemment été utilisée pour développer des méthodes de restauration qui sont adaptées aux types spécifiques de ces écosystèmes. Une compréhension plus complète des trajectoires de régénération, des contraintes environnementales et de dispersion, ainsi que des interactions interspécifiques, est directement reliée au développement de méthodes de restauration et à l’amélioration de nos connaissances sur la réponse des espèces et des communautés à des changements environnementaux. Cette thèse étudie la régénération de la végétation, plus spécialement des bryophytes, ainsi que les facteurs influençant leur régénération dans trois cas problématiques de restauration des tourbières perturbées. Premièrement, la régénération des communautés de bryophytes a été étudiée en fonction des conditions environnementales dans 28 tourbières minérotrophes des Territoires du Nord-Ouest et de l’Alberta ayant brûlé il y a un, deux ou cinq ans. Un changement de dominance a été observé entre les bryophytes pionnières (couvert moyen passant de 16 à 11 %) et les bryophytes de succession tardive (3 à 27 %) entre la 2e et la 5e année après le feu. La répartition et l’abondance des espèces de bryophytes semblent être contrôlées par leurs différences de capacité de régénération en lien avec leur stratégie d’histoire de vie, leur niche écologique et l’effet variable de la biomasse carbonisée. L’intégration de la notion de niche écologique chez les bryophytes de succession tardive ainsi que l’utilisation des espèces ayant un fort potentiel de régénération (comme Aulacomnium palustre et Ptychostomum pseudotriquetrum) devraient être considérées lors de l’élaboration des plans de restauration des tourbières minérotrophes. Deuxièmement, la régénération des sphaignes a été étudiée dans 25 sites donneurs (tourbières ombrotrophes où la végétation de surface a été récoltée pour servir de matériel de réintroduction) sur une chronoséquence de 17 ans en fonction des conditions environnementales et des pratiques de récolte. Les sphaignes dans les sites donneurs se régénèrent en moyenne en 10 ans, quoique des différences mineures dans la composition et l’abondance des espèces ont été observées entre les sites donneurs et les tourbières naturelles. Les espèces pionnières (p. ex., Eriophorum vaginatum), compétitives (p. ex., Sphagnum rubellum) et préférentielles des microhabitats plus humides (p. ex., Chamaedaphne calyculata) étaient plus abondantes dans les sites donneurs. Les pratiques de récolte avaient l’effet le plus important sur la régénération de la végétation, suggérant qu’il est possible d’accélérer la reprise des sphaignes en adoptant des pratiques de récolte appropriées. Des pratiques responsables consistent à éviter les sites donneurs très humides et la récolte durant le milieu de l’été lorsque les mousses ont un plus faible potentiel de régénération et lorsque le risque d’enlisement de la machinerie est élevé. Troisièmement, la régénération et le développement de tapis de sphaignes ont été étudiés dans deux types de tourbières restaurées et colonisées par des plantes pionnières de type graminoïde (Cypéracées). Dans le premier cas, le Carex aquatilis dominait un fen modérément riche restauré et formait des communautés denses avec beaucoup de litière. Dans le deuxième cas, l’Eriophorum angustifolium était dominant avec un faible couvert de litière dans une tourbière à sphaignes restaurée où la densité de la plante graminoïde avait été contrôlée par coupe répétée. Il a été démontré que l’effet des plantes graminoïdes sur les tapis de sphaignes était déterminé par leur litière plutôt que par la structure de la plante elle-même. En raison de l’ombre créée par la litière compacte, la présence d’une communauté dense d’une plante graminoïde accumulant beaucoup de litière comme Carex aquatilis ne semble pas être bénéfique pour développer des tapis de sphaignes productifs. La décision de contrôler les plantes graminoïdes pour accroitre le développement des tapis de sphaignes devrait prendre en considération, bien sûr, le couvert de la plante (non requis si le couvert moyen < 30 %), mais aussi sa forme de croissance (moins essentiel lorsque la plante pousse en tige unique), de même que ses potentiels d’accumulation de litière et d’envahissement (p. ex., Phragmites australis, Scirpus cyperinus). En somme, en plus de répondre spécifiquement à trois cas problématiques de restauration de tourbières perturbées, cette thèse fournit une compréhension améliorée des processus de régénération naturelle des écosystèmes de tourbières et des facteurs qui les influencent. Les résultats ont un lien direct avec le développement d’outils pour la restauration et avec l’approfondissement de nos connaissances sur les réponses des organismes et des communautés végétales aux changements de l’environnement. / The ecological restoration of peatland is defined as all the processes permitting the regeneration of a peatland that has been degraded, damaged or destroyed. The landscape settings and types of peatlands that require restoration actions is very diverse. The study of natural regeneration of disturbed ecosystems has frequently been used to develop restoration methods that are adapted to specific types of ecosystems. A comprehensive assessment of regeneration trajectories and the environmental and dispersal constraints, as well as the interspecific interactions is directly related to the development of restoration methods and the improvement of our knowledge on the response of species and communities to environmental changes. This thesis studies the regeneration of vegetation, especially of bryophytes, and the factors influencing their regeneration in three problematic cases of restoring disturbed peatland. Firstly, the regeneration of bryophyte communities was studied against a range of environmental conditions in 28 minerotrophic peatlands in the Northwest Territories and Alberta that had burned one, two or five years ago. A shift of dominance between pioneer (mean cover from 16 to 11 %) and late successional bryophytes (from 3 to 27 %) was observed between the second and fifth year after the fire. Bryophyte distribution and abundance were controlled by the species difference in terms of regeneration capacity related to their life history strategy, habitat niche, and the variable effect of the burned biomass. The integration of the ecological niche concept for late successional bryophytes and the use of species with a high potential of regeneration (such as Aulacomnium palustre and Ptychostomum pseudotriquetrum) should be considered during the elaboration of restoration plans of minerotrophic peatlands. Secondly, the regeneration of Sphagnum mosses was studied in 25 donor sites (peatlands where surface vegetation was harvested to supply reintroduction material) on a chronosequence of 17 years according to environmental conditions and harvesting practices. It takes on average 10 years for Sphagnum mosses in donor sites to recover, though minor differences in the species composition and abundance was observed between donor sites and natural peatlands. Pioneer species (e.g., Eriophorum vaginatum), competitive species (e.g., Sphagnum rubellum) and preferential species of wet microhabitats (e.g., Chamaedaphne calyculata) were more abundant in donor sites. Harvesting practices had the greatest effect on the regeneration of donor sites, suggesting that it is possible to speed up Sphagnum regeneration by choosing appropriate management practices. Best practices would be avoiding very wet donor sites and harvesting in the midsummer should be avoided when mosses are at their lowest regeneration potential and when the risk of machinery sinking is high. Thirdly, the regeneration and development of the Sphagnum carpets were studied in two experiments conducted in two types of restored peatlands colonized by pioneer graminoid plants (Cyperaceae). In the first experiment, Carex aquatilis dominated a moderately rich restored fen and formed dense communities with a lot of litter. In the second experiment, Eriophorum angustifolium was dominant with a low cover of litter in a restored cutover Sphagnum-dominated bog where the graminoid plant cover was controlled by repeated mowing. It was demonstrated that the effect of graminoid plants on the Sphagnum carpet was determined by the litter rather than by the structure of the plant itself. Because of the shade created by the dense litter, the presence of a community of a graminoid plant that accumulates a lot of litter such as Carex aquatilis is not beneficial for the formation of productive Sphagnum carpets. The decision to control graminoid plants to enhance the growth of Sphagnum carpets should consider the cover of the plant (not necessary when mean cover < 30 %), but also its life form (less necessary when the plant grows in unique stem), its litter accumulation and potential for invasion (e.g. Phragmatis australis, Scirpus cyperinus). In conclusion, this thesis, in addition to specifically address these three problematic cases, provides a more comprehensive assessment of the processes of natural regeneration of peatland ecosystems and of driving factors. The results have a direct link with the development of tools for the restoration of peatlands and with a deeper understanding of the responses of plants and communities to environmental changes.