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A thesis submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences of the George Washington University in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Arts within American Studies and Folklore. / In the United States there is a fairly large group of people who collection Avon bottles and other Avon memorabilia as a hobby. For some of these people this hobby is much more than a means of recreation; their collections are deeply entangled with their identities and affect their perceptions of the world. The act of collecting and the resultant, ever growing collection, or physical manifestation of the collecting process, allows Avon collectors to express themselves aesthetically.

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Macroalgal blooms are increasing world-wide and have negative effects on benthic invertebrates and sediments. These include loss of species diversity and development of hostile sediment environments. This thesis considers ecological effects of Ulva lactuca L., and its mechanical removal on benthic invertebrates and sediments in Avon-Heathcote Estuary, New Zealand. Benthic communities comprised 34 species from 12 groups recorded from seven sites during seasonal general surveys. Dominant groups at each site were Gastropoda and Bivalvia. The most abundant species were Austrovenus stutchburyi, Micrelenchus tenebrosus and Amphibola crenata. Community composition varied significantly between sites, and there were significant site-specific differences in abundances of most species between winter and summer. U. lactuca had the greatest seasonal variation. Several species correlated with U. lactuca biomass, and the strength of correlation for different species varied between sites. There were seasonal changes in sediment physico-chemical variables between sites with greatest change in the silt/clay fraction. The sediment variables silt/clay fraction, dissolved oxygen and temperature correlated with seasonal changes of patterns in benthic community assemblages. A similar study was carried out by Bressington in 2003. In both studies, Bivalvia and Gastropoda were the most abundant groups, with Gastropoda having a higher, and Bivalvia a lower, proportion in the present study compared with 2003. Summer communities were significantly different between the two studies. Compared with 2003 there were higher percentages of sediment pore water and volatile solids present in 2005. Experimental removal of U. lactuca was conducted by mechanical broom at two sites: an open, exposed central sand flat, and McCormacks Bay, a shallow, sheltered mud flat. Removing U. lactuca had several immediate effects. These included a significant decrease in abundance of mobile epifauna (Micrelenchus tenebrosus and Zeacumantus subcarinatus) and an increase in abundance of infauna, including Arthritica bifurca and Austrovenus stutchburyi. There was no effect of U. lactuca removal on Austrovenus stutchburyi condition and 46 days following removal, invertebrate abundances approached pre-removal levels at each site. U. lactuca removal also caused short-term increases in dissolved oxygen and temperature of pore water. The greatest visual impact of removing U. lactuca was to sediments in McCormacks Bay from trampling. It was concluded that the variables having the greatest effect on seasonal species distribution and abundance at each site were temperature and sediment grain size. Differences between the present study and the study in 2003 were due to differences in sampling procedure mainly due to the two different quadrat sizes. Greater accuracy in representing long-term changes in ecosystems would be achieved by using standard sampling protocols. Removal of U. lactuca by mechanical broom was effective and had low impact on benthic invertebrates and physico-chemical variables, but it should be used only in sandy habitats because of severe disturbance to soft-sediment environments. Options for management and control of U. lactuca in Avon-Heathcote Estuary are discussed.

Estuaries are productive ecological transition zones between freshwater and marine environments that provide important commercial, recreational, aesthetic and cultural resources. The Avon-Heathcote estuary in Christchurch, New Zealand, is no exception, and its close proximity to different kāinga and Christchurch city has provided cultural, recreational and aesthetic values for centuries, especially Mahinga kai for Tangata Whenua. Tuangi (The New Zealand cockle, Austrovenus stutchuryi) is an important source of Mahinga kai to the iwi Ngai Tahu, but also an important ecological ecosystem engineer that provides internal habitat to parasites and, through its shell production, external habitat (hard substratum) for epibiota species. Several parasites, in particular the metacercariae echinostome parasite Curtuteria australis, depend on Austrovenus as its intermediate host, and these parasites can be considered allogenic engineers because they turn living material (here the host) from one physical state into a second. This is particularly evident in intertidal sedimentary estuaries where parasites, including Curtuteria, can alter the behaviour and fitness of the ecosystem-engineering hosts and thereby alter entire community structures. Similarly, several epibiota species depend on the shell of Austrovenus as a substratum on which to live. This hard substratum is particularly important for epibiota in estuaries that are devoid of rocky reefs, including autogenic ecosystem engineers like common large macroalgae (e.g. Ulva spp.). However, the Avon-Heathcote estuary, like many estuaries around the world, has become nutrient-enriched following sewage wastewater discharges, input from rivers and encroaching urban development, facilitating enhanced growth of algae attached to shells. Following recruitment and rapid growth on the shells, large algal fronds can break off and accumulate into thick mats that may cause anoxia and detrimental effects on many estuarine organisms. The main objective of this thesis is to quantify key linkages between three types of ecosystem engineers; the cockle Austrovenus, its internal parasites and its external epibiota community, including large macroalgae that can detach from the shell and develop into free-living mats. To address these objectives, spatial-temporal field surveys and laboratory and field experiments investigated (i) when and where Austrovenus provide internal habitat to parasites and external habitat to epibiota, and (ii) if and how parasites and epibiota affect survival and positioning of Austrovenus in or on the sediment. It was hypothesized that parasites and epibiota species would be abundant in and on Austrovenus and that their densities would vary across seasons and environmental gradients. It was also expected that parasites would reduce the ability of Austrovenus to bury themselves, so that surface-lying cockles would have higher parasite densities and be more susceptible to predation. Finally, it was hypothesized that a cover of macroalgae would decrease the susceptibility of Austrovenus to predation, but have negative effects on associated epibiota species, and that herbivorous epibiota species, through grazing, could control the abundance of epibiotic Ulva recruits. Seasonal collections of Austrovenus showed that parasite densities varied in different environments within the estuary (mean ranged from 3-129 for buried hosts and 7-187 for surface-selected hosts). However, host parasite loads did not vary between seasons. Parasite infestation was, found to be slightly higher in hosts exposed above the sediment compared to those buried in sediment. However, the test factor host position accounted for < 1% of the total data variability and therefore host position is of relative low ecological importance. Spatial variability in host parasite loads was significantly correlated to host sizes (its width, Rho = 0.72), individual epibiota species (Anthopleura and Elminius, Rho = –0.11 and Rho = 0.1, respectively), percentage coarse ssediment (Rho = 0.55), and less so to salinity (Rho = 0.42) and elevation level (Rho = 0.33), although the latter two variables were not statistically significant. A laboratory experiment did not confirm the expected hypothesis that hosts with high parasites loads had impaired burrowing ability. A 6-week field experiment, where the burrowing ability of the host was manipulated to increase its visibility, showed that hosts with reduced burrowing abilities did not have higher mortality than hosts with normal burring ability. Epibiota species were also highly variable in the estuary. A spatial survey from 15 sites found four encrusting and 11 solitary epibiota species with highly variable densities across sites and seasons. Factors that accounted for epibiota richness and density included host size and seasonality (particularly for macroalgal species), whereas environmental gradients and co-occurrence patterns with different epibiota species explained additional variability for only a few species. Foliose and tubular forms of Ulva spp. were the most abundant epibiota species throughout estuary (on average 2.3 and 1.7 per host, respectively) and were therefore studied in more detail. A 6-week field experiment showed that drift macroalgal mats had little effect on densities of either Austrovenus or epibiota species. Similarly, another field experiment showed that predators had no impact on Austrovenus abundances, irrespective of its size, if Austrovenus was allowed to bury or not, and if it was unconcealed or concealed under macroalgal mats. Finally, a laboratory experiment showed that small meso-grazers, under natural background densities, could not reduce densities or sizes of Ulva recruits on shells or barnacles (attached to Austrovenus shells). This study has shown that a single species of estuarine shell-forming ecosystem engineer provides ubiquitous internal and external habitat for other species throughout an estuary. The study has helped clarify how ecosystem engineers can directly control species abundances (here of parasites and epibiota) but also function as nursery grounds for other important ecosystem engineers (here bloom-forming drift algae). Furthermore, and in contrast to past research, this study did not find strong relationships between parasites and Austrovenus or its epibiota, suggesting that past generalisations about parasite effects may not be applicable within and between all estuaries. Finally, the study documented that drift macroalgae and consumers, in natural background densities, had very little impact on Austrovenus and its epibiota. Previous studies have shown that hosts with high parasite loads are commonly found on the sediment surface. These studies have suggested that this impaired burial ability makes the host more vulnerable to predation (by the parasites final host). However, at the same time, surface-lying host are also more exposed to fouling by epibiota species, which could reduce predation (by the final host) because epibiota may conceal it. However, this thesis found little support for either of these opposing ecological processes; parasite loads did not decrease burial ability, and host exposed the surface were not predated more, irrespective of being concealed or not Clearly, future studies should aim to identify thresholds in space, time, and densities where parasites, macroalgae and consumers have stronger impacts on Austrovenus and each other than shown here.

Macroalgal blooms are increasing world-wide and have negative effects on benthic invertebrates and sediments. These include loss of species diversity and development of hostile sediment environments. This thesis considers ecological effects of Ulva lactuca L., and its mechanical removal on benthic invertebrates and sediments in Avon-Heathcote Estuary, New Zealand. Benthic communities comprised 34 species from 12 groups recorded from seven sites during seasonal general surveys. Dominant groups at each site were Gastropoda and Bivalvia. The most abundant species were Austrovenus stutchburyi, Micrelenchus tenebrosus and Amphibola crenata. Community composition varied significantly between sites, and there were significant site-specific differences in abundances of most species between winter and summer. U. lactuca had the greatest seasonal variation. Several species correlated with U. lactuca biomass, and the strength of correlation for different species varied between sites. There were seasonal changes in sediment physico-chemical variables between sites with greatest change in the silt/clay fraction. The sediment variables silt/clay fraction, dissolved oxygen and temperature correlated with seasonal changes of patterns in benthic community assemblages. A similar study was carried out by Bressington in 2003. In both studies, Bivalvia and Gastropoda were the most abundant groups, with Gastropoda having a higher, and Bivalvia a lower, proportion in the present study compared with 2003. Summer communities were significantly different between the two studies. Compared with 2003 there were higher percentages of sediment pore water and volatile solids present in 2005. Experimental removal of U. lactuca was conducted by mechanical broom at two sites: an open, exposed central sand flat, and McCormacks Bay, a shallow, sheltered mud flat. Removing U. lactuca had several immediate effects. These included a significant decrease in abundance of mobile epifauna (Micrelenchus tenebrosus and Zeacumantus subcarinatus) and an increase in abundance of infauna, including Arthritica bifurca and Austrovenus stutchburyi. There was no effect of U. lactuca removal on Austrovenus stutchburyi condition and 46 days following removal, invertebrate abundances approached pre-removal levels at each site. U. lactuca removal also caused short-term increases in dissolved oxygen and temperature of pore water. The greatest visual impact of removing U. lactuca was to sediments in McCormacks Bay from trampling. It was concluded that the variables having the greatest effect on seasonal species distribution and abundance at each site were temperature and sediment grain size. Differences between the present study and the study in 2003 were due to differences in sampling procedure mainly due to the two different quadrat sizes. Greater accuracy in representing long-term changes in ecosystems would be achieved by using standard sampling protocols. Removal of U. lactuca by mechanical broom was effective and had low impact on benthic invertebrates and physico-chemical variables, but it should be used only in sandy habitats because of severe disturbance to soft-sediment environments. Options for management and control of U. lactuca in Avon-Heathcote Estuary are discussed.

This thesis compares the in situ water balance of common annual production systems (wheat, lupin, subclover and serradella) with a grazed perennial system (lucerne) at a site in the Avon Catchment, Western Australia. Using a physically-based water balance approach the value of a plant based solution in redressing the hydrological imbalance that has become a feature of much of the dryland agricultural region of Western Australia is investigated. The effectiveness of lucerne in providing greater available storage for buffering large rainfall events, as compared to the annual systems, is illustrated. Continued transpiration following out-of-season rainfall events maintains a larger available storage capacity. In contrast, the annual systems that are fallow over summer only withdrew a small fraction of water by soil evaporation between rainfall events. Under annual systems, the profile moisture store was sequentially increased to the extent that additional increments of rainfall could potentially contribute to deep drainage. A particular focus of this study has been to investigate the presence of soil constraints to root growth, and to assess how these constraints affect the water balance. A site survey indicated the soil penetration resistance was sufficient to impose a physical constraint to root growth. Published literature on the site shows soil acidity is also at a level imposing chemical constraints to root growth. A root growth model “Rootmodel”, for predicting root growth with and without soil constraints is examined in detail as a method for providing root growth parameters for inclusion into the numerical water balance model, SWIM based on Richard’s equation. Functions developed from “Rootmodel” adequately describe the effect of profile limitations to root growth, such as soil strength, moisture availability and temperature. Recommendations are made for inclusion of a growth suppressing function in “rootmodel” based on the chemical limitation of low pH. The effects of soil acidity on the root growth of several species is investigated experimentally and the resultant root data provided a reference point by which the simplified prediction of root growth built into SWIM could be adjusted using a linear reduction function. A similar linear reduction function is also employed to impose a physical constraint in the form of high penetration resistance.

The Waimakariri-Avon River system is an important component of the Christchurch aquifer system and has been identified as one of, if not the, primary groundwater flow path. The Waimakariri-Avon River system is ideally suited to geochemical tracing of surface water- groundwater interaction and while many past studies have been undertaken to characterise this system, in terms of its geochemistry and physical hydrogeological components, there is still a large amount of uncertainty as to how long it takes for groundwater to flow from the Waimakariri River, through the Waimakariri-Avon River groundwater system, to the springs that feed the Avon River. The primary goals of this thesis were to; 1) Constrain the residence time of groundwater connecting the Waimakariri-Avon River groundwater system using stable oxygen and hydrogen isotopes and analysis of anionic concentrations of: chloride, fluoride, nitrate, nitrite, bromide and sulfate, 2) Provide additional evidence of a hydrological connection between the Waimakariri River and the Avon River systems, 3) Present observations of the stable isotopic and anionic response of surface water to rainfall events, 4) Identify stable isotopic and anionic surface water variation along the Waimakariri-Avon River system, and establish the reasons for these. This study presents the use of natural isotopic and anionic tracers to characterise the residence time of the groundwater that flows between the Waimakariri and Avon Rivers, by sampling surface water and meteoric water at sites that are part of the Waimakariri-Avon River system. 375 samples were collected from 10 surface water and 4 rainwater sites distributed across the Waimakariri-Avon River surface water-groundwater flow path between March 5th and August, 2014. Additionally the study provides further stable isotopic evidence of the connection between the Waimakariri and Avon Rivers, as well as presents the variability of surface water chemistry in response to rainfall events. Identification of isotopic and anionic variation along the Waimakariri-Avon River system, by surface water sampling, was also conducted to establish the probable causes of observed variations. This study found that the use of large rainfall events, as natural tracers, was not conclusive in establishing the groundwater residence time of the Waimakariri-Avon River system within the 4.5 month sampling period available. Surface water sampling provided further evidence in support of past studies that have determined an isotopic connection between the Waimakariri River and the Avon River with mean stable isotopic values for the Waimakariri River (-8.85‰ δ18O and-60.65 δD) and Avon River (-8.53‰ δ18O and -58.72 δD) being more similar than those of locally derived meteoric water (-5.48‰ δ18O and -35.13 δD). Observations of surface water chemistry variations thorough time determined and identified clear responses to rainfall events as deviations from baseline values, coinciding with rainfall events. Isotopic variation along the Waimakariri-Avon River system was shown to reflect Waimakariri River derived shallow groundwater with the contributions from rainwater increasing with increased proximity to the Avon River mouth. Anionic profiling of the Waimakariri-Avon River system identified increasing concentrations of chloride, nitrate, sulfate, nitrite and bromide, relative to the Waimakariri River, with increased proximity to the Avon River mouth. Fluoride concentrations were identified in lower concentration, relative to the Waimakariri River, with increased proximity to the Avon River mouth. Fluoride and nitrite concentrations were attributed predominantly, if not entirely, to an atmospheric source as mean concentrations were greater in meteoric waters by a factor of at least 2, compared to surface water samples. Chloride and bromide have been attributed to possible salt water mixing as a result of the interaction of upwelling deeper groundwater with the marine and estuarine sands beneath the upper unconfined aquifer, that act as a confining layer within the Christchurch aquifer system. Nitrate and sulfate concentrations have been attributed to potential fertilizer usage and past land-use impacts. A significant step-change increase in chloride, bromide, nitrate and sulfate concentrations was observed between the surface water sample sites at Avonhead Park and the University of Canterbury. The step-change coincides with the boundary of the upper confining layer within the Christchurch aquifer system, and explains the increases in chloride and bromide concentrations. It also suggests a widely distributed source area as concentrations do not become diluted at the Avon River site, at Hagley Park, , which would be expected from the addition of other tributaries, if they did not have similarly high chloride and bromide concentrations. The area between these two sites has also been identified by Environment Canterbury as potentially impacted by past agricultural land-use practices and may explain the increases in nitrate and sulfate concentrations.

Thesis (M.A.) -- Central Connecticut State University, 2005. / Thesis advisor: Matthew Warshauer. "... in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in History." Includes bibliographical references (leaves 83-85). Also available via the World Wide Web.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-10-13T14:10:35Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 FabioSergioTeixeiraBoueri.pdf: 2392925 bytes, checksum: 36e3db9e95591ea8ea6bf5b8e57efe01 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-03-28 / This research analyzes the narratives of the self published on the site and Museum of the Person-related multinational Avon. From the paper we analyze how labor and consumption are referenced in the speech of employees, former employees and dealers of cosmetics brand. They are subject to decode the organizational culture of the corporation, including the speeches relating to its products, to recode the construction of the meaning of life itself, a process which trajectory and attribute memory and elect the sphere of work as privileged mediation. To do so, we contextualize the object from the relationships between communication, work and consumption and the role of digital media in mediations and midiatizações subjects. In the research strategies of these narratives are applied foundations of discourse analysis in support of the French line in the examination of the corpus, whose content is the result of selection interviews. In this analysis, partial conclusions are presented on the way that the discourses of the interviewees are built and project a vision of the world related to Avon as a promoter of social meanings. The study also presents communication strategies deployed by the company, the Museum of the Person and by individuals to the constitution of the voices in order to give the speech a character of neutrality and legitimacy. / Esta pesquisa analisa as narrativas do eu publicadas no site Museu da Pessoa e relacionadas à empresa multinacional Avon. A partir da comunicação, analisamos como trabalho e consumo são referenciados na fala de funcionários, ex-funcionários e revendedoras da marca de cosméticos. São sujeitos que decodificam a cultura organizacional da corporação, incluindo os discursos relativos aos seus produtos, para recodificá-la na construção do sentido da própria vida, processo ao qual atribuem trajetória e memória e elegem a esfera do trabalho como lugar privilegiado de mediação. Para isso, contextualizamos o objeto a partir das relações entre comunicação, trabalho e consumo e o papel das mídias digitais nas mediações e midiatizações dos sujeitos. À investigação das estratégias dessas narrativas são aplicados os fundamentos da Análise do Discurso de linha francesa como suporte no exame do corpus, cujo conteúdo resulta de seleção de depoimentos. Desta análise, são apresentadas conclusões parciais sobre a forma com que os discursos dos depoentes são construídos e projetam uma visão de mundo relacionada à Avon como organização promotora de significados sociais. O estudo apresenta, também, as estratégias de comunicação mobilizadas pela empresa, pelo Museu da Pessoa e pelos sujeitos para a constituição das vozes a fim conferir ao discurso um caráter de isenção e legitimidade.