Made available in DSpace on 2016-05-17T16:51:36Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2015-10-05. Added 1 bitstream(s) on 2016-05-17T16:55:21Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 000863211_20161205.pdf: 779252 bytes, checksum: 430e770037e5a222954fa9f67061dc46 (MD5) Bitstreams deleted on 2016-12-06T15:11:21Z: 000863211_20161205.pdf,. Added 1 bitstream(s) on 2016-12-06T15:12:04Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 000863211.pdf: 2292442 bytes, checksum: 6a1045509456fd71b5132dcc8106f4bd (MD5) / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / A predação é uma interação entre espécies com forte impacto na estrutura e dinâmica dos ecossistemas, não só em ambientes aquáticos e terrestres, mas também de forma conectiva em ecótonos onde a fronteira entre eles é tênue. O microcosmo natural misto contido em bromélias tanque, ou seja, formado por componentes terrestres e aquáticos, é um sistema favorável para estudos sobre os efeitos interecossistêmicos da predação e seus reflexos sobre os processos ecossistêmicos bromelícolas. Nesta Tese busquei por meio de observações e experimentos em campo elucidar questões comportamentais e ecológicas de um predador terrestre, a aranha Corinna demersa (Corinnidae) e sua relação com os organismos aquáticos e processos ecossistêmicos contido nos fitotelmatas de bromélias tanque em uma área de Mata Atlântica no litoral sudeste brasileiro. No primeiro capítulo, reconheci a interação exclusiva deste predador com bromélias tanque, habitat o qual ele utiliza durante todo seu ciclo de vida com comportamentos adaptados a este ambiente. No segundo capítulo, identifiquei os efeitos diretos e indiretos deste predador terrestre em uma comunidade aquática simplificada e comparei a intensidade da cascata trófica causada por ele, pelo predador aquático e por ambos. Os principais resultados foram os efeitos letais diferenciados do predador terrestre e aquático entre os grupos de detritívoros e a interação antagonística entre eles refletida na sobrevivência total das presas aquáticas. Reconheci a influência da qualidade dos detritos sobre a intensidade das cascatas tróficas desencadeadas pelos predadores sobre a fragmentação de detritos. A cascata ocasionada pelo predador aquático pode ser mais intensa que a ocasionada pelo predador terrestre em determinado tipo de detrito, porém também é amortecida ou intensificada pelo efeito interativo dos predadores sobre os detritívoros. No último capítulo, testei o efeito... / Predation is a kind of ecological interaction that strongly influences the structure and dynamic of not only terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, but also in a connective way in the ecotones where the borders lines are thin. Tank bromeliads provide a naturally mixed microcosm, composed by both terrestrial and aquatic elements, being suitable for the study of across-ecosystems predation effects, and the consequences in the bromeliad ecosystem effects. In our study we aimed to elucidated behavioral and ecological issues of the terrestrial predator, the spider Corinna demersa (Corinnidae), and its relationship with aquatic organisms and the ecosystem processes present in the tank bromeliads of the Atlantic Rainforest in the southeastern coast of Brazil. In the first chapter we identify the exclusive interaction between this predator and tank bromeliads, being the habitat where the spider spends its whole life, showing particular behaviors adapted to this environment. In the second chapter the direct and indirect effects of this predator in an aquatic and simplified community were identified, being the intensity of the trophic cascade compared when initiated by the terrestrial predator, by the aquatic and both. The main results point out the distinct lethal effects between terrestrial and aquatic predators and their antagonistic interaction, which results in the total survivor of aquatic preys. We documented the influence of the quality of detritus on the intensity of trophic cascades triggered by predators over the fragmentation rate of detritus. A cascade generated by the aquatic predator may be more intense than that generated by the terrestrial predator in a specific type of detritus, although it could be either diminished or enhanced due to the interactive effect of predators over detritivorous. In the last part, we verified the effect of the food availability by the presence of a terrestrial prey, on the interaction between C. demersa ...

Orientador: Dagoberto Martins / Banca: Daniel Antonio Salati Marcondes / Banca: Julio Cezar Durigan / Resumo: O presente projeto teve por objetivo avaliar a eficácia do herbicida fluridone para o controle das plantas aquáticas do gênero Egeria e seu efeito na qualidade da água em caixas d'água e em represa de pequeno porte, sem fluxo de água. No experimento em caixas d'água, foram avaliados os efeitos de doses crescentes de fluridone, nas formulações líquida e granulada, sobre as espécies Egeria densa Planchon e Egeria najas Planchon. Foram testadas as concentrações de 10, 20, 40, 80 e 150 ppb de fluridone na formulação líquida e 20, 40, 80 e 150 ppb na granulada. Utilizou-se 40 caixas d'água de fibra de vidro, com volume de 320 litros e cada uma constituiu uma parcela, com vinte plantas de cada espécie, cultivadas a partir de fragmentos apicais de 0,2 m de comprimento. O delineamento experimental utilizado foi o de blocos ao acaso, com dez tratamentos e quatro repetições. Realizou-se uma única aplicação, avaliando-se os sintomas de intoxicação das plantas aos 8, 15, 29, 35, 51 e 63 dias após a aplicação, realizada em junho de 1.998. Os resultados indicaram que o fluridone, nas concentrações de 80 e 150 ppb, em ambas as formulações, foi eficaz no controle das duas espécies. Nos tratamentos com concentrações de 10, 20 e 40 ppb na formulação líquida e de 20 e 40 ppb na formulação granulada, constatou-se a recuperação das plantas na última avaliação, realizada aos 63 dias após a aplicação do herbicida. Nestes tratamentos e nesta época, os resíduos de fluridone na água eram inferiores a 10 ppb. Nas condições do experimento, Egeria najas mostrou-se mais sensível que Egeria densa na primeira avaliação, porém o resultado final foi similar. No experimento em represa de pequeno porte sem fluxo de água, avaliou-se o efeito da manutenção das concentrações de fluridone no controle de Egeria najas... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo). / Abstract: This project aimed to evaluate the efficacy of the herbicide fluridone to control aquatic plants from the genus Egeria and its effect on water quality in outdoor tanks and a small size pond. The experiment in tanks had the purpose to evaluate the effect of increasing rates of fluridone in two formulations, liquid and pellet, in the control of the species Egeria densa Planchon and Egeria najas Planchon. Concentrations of 10, 20, 40, 80 and 150 ppb of the liquid formulation and 20, 40, 80 and 150 ppb of the pellet were used. Forty fiberglass tanks with 320 liters of volume were used. In each tank, 20 plants of each species were planted using apical cuttings of 0,2 m. The experimental design used was randomized blocks, with 10 treatments and 4 replications. A single application of the herbicide was made in July 1998 and evaluations of symptoms were done at 8, 15, 29, 35, 51 and 63 days after the application. Results showed that fluridone, at 80 and 150 ppb of both liquid and pellet formulations, was efficient to control both species. Concentrations of 10, 20 and 40 ppb of the liquid formulation and 20 and 40 ppb of the pellet allowed the plants to regrowth at the last evaluation. In those treatments, fluridone residues in water, analyzed at 63 days after the herbicide application, were lower than 10 ppb. In the experimental condition of outdoor tanks, Egeria najas showed to be more sensitive to the herbicide in the former evaluation, but the final result was similar to that obtained for Egeria densa. In the experiment at the small size pond, the effect of keeping the fluridone concentration for an extended period of time on the control of Egeria najas was evaluated. One 1,980 square meter pond was treated seven times with fluridone, aiming to keep herbicide concentrations in water between 10 and 20 ppb... (Complete abstract, click electronic address below). / Mestre

The observation was carried out in twenty fishponds in the surrounding of Vodňany and seven fisponds in the surrounding of Třeboň. The aim of the work was to evaluete the quality and quantity of the zooplankton depending on fish production. The samples were obtained and the observations were realized during the 4 years in Vodňany fishponds area and during the 2 years in Třeboň fishponds area. At first the samples were collected and data about the observed localities were organized. These data should explain changes in the aquatic ecosystems of these fishponds areas during the last decades.

Blowflies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) are main colonizers of decomposing remains and any information on the influences of their lifecycle of growth and development are important to forensic entomologists when estimating postmortem interval during a medicolegal death investigation. Pupal survival of blowfly species, Lucilia sericata were studied at different developmental stages following pupation, white (0-12 hrs), young (24 hrs), medium (5 days), old (9 days) were submerged at various immersion intervals ranging from 1 hr to 120 hr (5 days) in different water types (fresh, salt, polluted, and drinking water). Control group (N= 100) were white pupae that were not submerged were also observed in order to compare the survival and eclosion rate. Two trials of the submergence process were conducted to observe the pupae survival. Data were analyzed using multiple logistic regressions in a 3-way interaction to determine if significant differences were seen between the water, time in water, and pupal stage. Dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) of NH4+, NO2-, NO3-, and oP or DIP were analyzed to examine to determine if a correlation between the water types could be seen. DIN analyses exhibited similar NO2- + NO3- and NO3- in polluted and fresh water. The results show that as the pupae developmental age progressed, the pupae generally survived longer immersion intervals. The survival of white pupae decreased with the increase of submergence for all four water types, exhibiting a 100%mortality rate with pupae submerged longer than 24-36 hours. While pupae immersed in polluted water had similar survival rates in the white stage, the survival rate declined as the developmental age increased for pupae immersed in polluted water. Pupae immersed in salt and polluted water had earlier eclosion times when compared to other water groups, emerging at 36 hours from when the control group first emerged at day 12. Understanding the survival rate of submerged Lucilia sericata (Diperta: Calliphoridae) pupae will be potentially useful for criminal investigations by providing a better understanding of the survival of pupae submerged in different aquatic environments.

Heavy metals are of great concern when released into the environment, especially at high concentrations. Because of their persistence and toxicity, they have the ability to impact organisms both directly and indirectly via bioaccumulation in the food chain. In this report the effects on aquatic insect composition and abundance as well as possible effects on metamorphosis from larvae to adults were examined in six lakes – three with elevated Zn and Pb concentrations and three reference lakes - situated in Arjeplog municipality. Aquatic larvae and adult aquatic insects were sampled one year apart, and the number of individuals and community composition of both life stages were compared. Contrary to my hypothesis, the results showed no significant differences in abundance, taxa richness or number of individuals in pollution sensitive taxa (EPT) due to contamination. However, the result showed that the effect of contamination on the number of insects is different at different life stages (larval or adult), with fewer adults than expected emerging from contaminated lakes. This is likely explained by detrimental effects, caused by high metal concentrations, obstructing metamorphosis and decreasing emergence success. In this study, the negative effects on emergence could foremost be observed in chironomids (Chironomidae), which was the most abundant insect taxon in both reference and contaminated sites. This leads to the conclusion that including effects on metamorphosis can provide useful insights when assessing effects of a contaminant on the health of freshwater ecosystems.

The Lusk Creek Watershed, located in Pope County, IL, long has been recognized as a high quality area and as biologically significant. Yet, surveys of the macroinvertebrate fauna have been limited. Thus, a survey of the benthic insect community in the upper portion of Lusk Creek was conducted from May 2003 to April 2005. Eleven sites were selected and characterized by physical properties and water chemistry. Insect distribution patterns, abundance, and diversity (richness, evenness) were examined. A total of 20,888 specimens, mostly immatures, were examined during the study and represented eight orders. The Diptera, by far, was the most common order, with 18,590 specimens, almost all of which were members of the Chironomidae and Simuliidae. The EPT (Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, Trichoptera) combined were common with 1,550 specimens but paled in comparison to the Diptera. The Coleoptera was represented by 647 specimens, almost all of which were members of Stenelmis (n = 612). The Shannon diversity index (H') showed that the H' values for individual sites were similar to those reported for other relatively undisturbed streams. Analyses of richness suggested that as many as 37 taxa were unobserved, indicating the survey was incomplete.

Mute swans (Cygnus olor), an exotic species of waterfowl, have been found to negatively impact native waterbirds and submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) communities in the Chesapeake Bay and lower Great Lakes. Mute swans were first recorded in Illinois in 1971 and their population is small, but growing. In 2008-09, I studied mute swans in central Illinois to investigate whether they negatively impacted waterbirds through aggressive actions and SAV through over-grazing. I also estimated mute swan territory size to estimate potential habitat exclusion and population growth potential. Mute swan territory size averaged 7.0 ha, allowing the current population of approximately 60 breeding pairs to increase to over 125 pairs. I did not find that mute swans reduced above-ground SAV, although I did find that below-ground biomass was reduced where mute swans fed freely. Mute swan aggression was most frequent in early spring and decreasing throughout the breeding season. Most waterbirds were found just as close or closer to mute swans as to control points, although gadwall (Anas strepera) were found farther away perhaps suggesting either avoidance or exclusion. As mute swans become more abundant in Illinois, further monitoring is necessary to prevent significant negative impacts to wetlands and waterbirds.

Mammals in freshwater aquatic systems play important roles as ecosystem engineers, trophic transfer agents, and apex predators, thus acting as indicators of freshwater ecosystem function. Watersheds inhabited by semi-aquatic mammals have increased links between adjacent terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems compared to watersheds where they are not present. Semi-aquatic mammals not only exert top-down influences on streams, but are affected by bottom-up forces from the riparian system itself. The goal of this study was to identify variables that correlate with the presence of beaver (Castor canadensis), muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus), mink (Neovison vison), and river otter (Lontra canadensis), including their interactions, resulting in a better understanding of the areas where these semi-aquatic mammals occur and their effects on the riparian system. The objectives of this study were (1) to identify variables related to the probability of detection, initial occupancy, colonization, and extinction of the 4 semi-aquatic mammals in southern Illinois; and (2) to test if the reintroduction of river otter has changed stream food webs. To address my first objective, I sampled 120 bridge sites in 2 periods (winter: Jan-Feb; and spring: Mar-Apr) during 2012–2014 in 11 major watersheds in the southern third of Illinois (44,526 km2) to estimate multi-season occupancy. Each survey unit was a 400-m stream segment visited twice by 2 observers for a total of 4 observations per site per period. Observers recorded all mammal signs found, including sign species and type. Sites were Intensive Basin Survey Sites sampled by Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) and Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA), allowing data collected by the state to be available for explanatory variables for mammal occupancy. Data collected by the Illinois Natural History Survey (INHS) also were available for a subset of sites. I collected local- and landscape-scale habitat and weather variables for each site. I developed hypotheses regarding occupancy of sites based on land-cover, human disturbance, and stream attributes for each species. I developed additional hypotheses regarding prey availability and water quality for river otter and mink. Sites used in each analysis were dependent on data available to address the hypotheses of interest. Beaver and muskrat were present at ≥100 of 103 sites for ≥1 observation. Naïve occupancy was high (≥82%) every year for both species. Detection probabilities for beaver and muskrat were best predicted by survey period. Beaver detection remained fairly constant across survey periods except for a decrease in winter 2014, whereas muskrat detection was generally lower during winter and higher during spring. Beaver were more likely to occupy larger streams than smaller streams during the initial survey period. Sites that lacked a dominant land-cover had a lower probability of beaver colonization than sites dominated by agriculture or woody vegetation at the landscape scale. In addition, the probability that a site would be colonized by beaver during the study increased with availability of water within 1 km of the surveyed segment, increased stream density, sites at larger streams, and river otter presence during the previous period. The probability of site extinction decreased as stream size, stream density within 1 km, and water availability within 500 m of the survey segment increased. Occupancy of muskrat during the initial survey period was negatively predicted by % forest in the 1-km riparian area, channel incision, and amount mercury in the sediment. Colonization by muskrats was lower during the long spring to winter intervals than the short winter to spring intervals, and was positively related to the amount of organic carbon in the sediment. The probability of site extinction by muskrat increased with increasing % forest within the riparian area around the stream segment, decreasing 1-km stream density, and when land-cover within 1 km of sites was dominated by agriculture or woody vegetation. Multi-season occupancy of river otter and mink were assessed in 2 separate analyses that used either land-cover and management variables or prey availability and riparian community composition, respectively. In the first analysis, river otter and mink were present at ≥84 of 103 sites. Naïve occupancy was higher every year for mink (≥88.3%) than for river otter (≥55.3%). Detection of river otter and mink in the first analysis increased as substrate availability increased. Occupancy of river otter during the initial survey period was predicted by large stream size, low % developed area within 250 m of the surveyed segment, and proximity to nearest river otter reintroduction point. Probability of colonization by river otter varied by survey period and was higher at sites with larger streams, higher stream density, lower % developed area, and within a known river otter population area. Site extinction by river otter in the first analysis varied by survey period and was linked to increased organic carbon in the sediment, and decreased road density within 1 km of the surveyed segment. River otter harvest was not found to affect site colonization or extinction. Mink occupancy during the initial period was negatively associated with water availability within 100 m of the survey segment. Site colonization by mink varied by month and increased with increasing developed area within 100 m of the surveyed segment, increasing channel incision, and decreasing rainfall. Probability of site extinction for mink increased as stream size and developed area within 500 m of the surveyed segment increased, and when woody vegetation was the dominant land-cover type within 1 km of the surveyed segment. The second analysis of multi-season occupancy of river otter and mink used 77 sites, 81.8% of which had ≥1 river otter detection in the study and 98.7% of which had ≥1 mink detection. Naïve occupancy differed between years but gradually increased for river otter and remained high (≥93.5%) for mink. Increasing substrate availability increased the probability of river otter detection, whereas mink detection varied by survey period. Occupancy during the initial survey period was higher in sites closer to the reintroduction points for river otter. Probability of colonization of river otter was positively associated with macroinvertebrate IBI and fish species richness, sites with high fish species richness of fish families preferred by river otter also had reduced otter extinction probability. No tested variables predicted initial occupancy for mink, but mink were more likely to colonize sites with increased fish richness and when muskrat were present during the previous period. Mink had decreased probability of extinction in sites with increasing mussel community index. My results indicate that semi-aquatic mammals in Illinois were affected by a riparian habitat, water availability, and stream community variables at both the landscape and local scale. I found high occupancy of mink, beaver, and muskrat across the entire landscape of southern Illinois, and my results suggest that the geographic range of river otter continues to expand. Relationships of occupancy of these semi-aquatic mammals to measurements of urban areas and human disturbance were not consistent across all species. Mink and river otter occupancy were both predicted by aspects of prey availability, indicating the importance of predator-prey relationships in occupancy dynamics of riparian predators. Hypotheses regarding predator pressure and changes in environmental variables were used to test the effects of river otter reintroduction on stream communities. For this objective, I used structural equation models. I compared fish and macroinvertebrate communities from before (1982-1995) and after (2005-2013) reintroduction of river otter, which occurred in 1994–1996. Fish and macroinvertebrate community data for 35 sites located throughout 6 major watersheds in southern Illinois (25,550 km2) were obtained from state agencies. Changes in stream communities were evaluated using 4 metrics (species richness, species dominance, skewness in size distribution of prey, and proportion of individuals in the size class preferred by river otter). Neither the inclusion of river otter site use nor change in stream quality, measured by change in % forest, improved models over the simple model which only included fish and macroinvertebrate communities. Overall, I found no evidence that river otter presence or change in forest cover affected stream fish and macroinvertebrate communities.

This thesis deals with the role of species traits in predator-prey interactions and food web structure. I conducted laboratory experiments with predatory aquatic insects and their prey to reveal the traits determining who eats whom in small standing waters. I also focused on the possibility of incorporating the observed dependence of predator-prey interactions on body mass into existing food web models. Further, I developed a simple simulation model to explore the consequences of body mass dependent feeding and dispersal for food web assembly. Last, I show that four common methods for sampling aquatic insects differ in their selectivity, especially on the basis of body mass of sampled insects. In conclusion, I combined laboratory experiments, field work and mathematical models to evaluate the importance of body mass and other species traits, such as foraging behaviour and microhabitat selectivity, in predator-prey interactions and explored selected food web level consequences.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-03-07T19:20:25Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2015-09-04. Added 1 bitstream(s) on 2016-03-07T19:24:00Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 000858223.pdf: 800634 bytes, checksum: a22074f488fc076fdcf41f9ebb68746a (MD5) / O crescimento excessivo de macrófitas e algas nos ambientes aquáticos, decorrentes das atividades urbanas e industriais, prejudicam a utilização dos corpos hídricos e os usos múltiplos da água. A aplicação de um herbicida associado a um produto algicida pode apresentar melhor eficácia no controle de macrófitas e algas. O objetivo desta pesquisa foi avaliar a eficácia do diquat, oxicloreto de cobre, hidróxido de cobre e as associações diquat + 0,1% oxicloreto de cobre e diquat + 0,1% hidróxido de cobre no controle da macrófita aquática submersa Ceratophyllum demersum L., da alga unicelular Ankistrodesmus gracilis e da alga filamentosa Pithophora kewesis e estimar a toxicidade aguda (CL50/CE50) para os organismos não alvos Hyphessobrycon eques, Pomacea canaliculata, Lemna minor e Azolla caroliniana. Para o controle de C. demersum as associações diquat + 0,1% de oxicloreto de cobre e diquat + 0,1% de hidróxido de cobre foram mais eficazes, para A. gracilis as fontes de cobre oxicloreto e hidróxido de cobre isoladas foram mais eficazes enquanto que, para P. kewesis os produtos químicos testados não foram eficazes. A macrófita aquática L. minor foi o bioindicador mais sensível aos produtos químicos testados e o peixe H. eques o menos sensível / The excessive growth of weeds and algae in aquatic environments, arising from urban and industrial activities, hinder the multiple uses of water. The application of an herbicide associated with an algaecide product may be more effective in controlling weeds and algae. The objective of this research were to evaluate the effectiveness of diquat, copper oxychloride, copper hydroxide and the associations diquat + 0.1% copper oxychloride and diquat + 0.1% copper hydroxide in control of the submerged aquatic macrophyte Ceratophyllum demersum, unicellular algae Ankistrodesmus gracilis and the filamentous algae Pithophora kewesis and to estimate the acute toxicity (LC50/EC50) for non-target organisms Hyphessobrycon eques, Pomacea canaliculata, Lemna minor and Azolla caroliniana. For C. demersum control the associations diquat + 0.1% copper oxychloride and Diquat + 0.1% copper hydroxide were more effective.For A. gracilis control the copper oxychloride and copper hydroxide were more effective if applicated individually and none of the tested chemicals were effective on P. kewesis control. The macrophyte L. minor was the most sensitive bioindicator to the tested chemicals and the fish H. eques was the least sensitive