Emerging infectious diseases (EID) pose significant threats to biodiversity. Human influence over the environment has increased opportunities for the introduction of novel pathogens to naïve hosts, potentially leading to host extinction. Understanding mechanisms of host persistence is critical for effectively conserving species affected by EIDs. Our study investigated the disease dynamics of white-nose syndrome (WNS), caused by the fungal pathogen Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd), in little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus) across a spatiotemporal gradient. We explored the relationship between bat roosting temperatures and Pd growth rates across three phases of pathogen invasion comprising years since WNS has been present at sites: invasion (0-3), established (4-8), and endemic (9+ years). Data used by this study comes from a combination of field-based data collection in New York where WNS has been present the longest and data from a long-running project which includes from other locations in the Northeast and Midwest regions of the United States. Our results reveal a weakening interaction between temperature and fungal growth rates time with WNS progresses. We additionally observed a decrease in early hibernation fungal loads and variation in infection prevalence over time, suggesting the onset of a coevolutionary relationship between bats and Pd. This study highlights the importance of investigating changing disease dynamics when understanding the reasonings for host persistence. / Master of Science / Emerging infectious diseases threaten species with the risk of extinction. Human activities have altered habitats which has increased the spread of new pathogens to vulnerable host populations. This research focuses on white-nose syndrome (WNS), an emerging disease caused by the fungal pathogen Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd). The arrival of Pd to North America resulted in widespread declines in little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus) populations, however, some populations persist at stable or growing rates. This study aims to investigate how the relationship between the growth rate of Pd and bat hibernation temperature may have changed over time. We used a combination of contemporary data collected in New York and a long-running dataset that documents the invasion and establishment of Pd across the Northeast and Midwestern regions of the United States to investigate fungal growth rates during different phases of Pd invasion: invasion, established, and endemic phases. Our results indicate the relationship between temperature and pathogen growth rate has weakened over time, suggesting potential changes in the host-pathogen relationship. Additionally, we found changes in fungal loads and infection prevalence throughout hibernation, suggesting the foundation of a coevolutionary relationship between bats and Pd. This research highlights the importance of understanding changes in disease dynamics to help understand how other species at risk of emerging infectious diseases may be able to persist.

MENVSC / Department of Ecology and Resource Management / See the attached abstract below

The large-scale use of artificial light throughout the night has occurred in the last 100 years and continues to increase globally. Artificial light impacts many animal and plant taxa. The effects of artificial light on bats is species specific. The Namib Desert in Namibia is still relatively dark but subject to the same drivers of increasing development and urbanization that have increased the spread of artificial light globally. This study investigated the effects of the introduction of ultraviolet, yellow and white artificial light on the activity of bats in a rural environment with minimal development in the Namib Desert. Four sites, 100 m apart, had one light and one bat detector each. The fourth light was a dark control. Each site was sampled four times by each light type. Bat activity was recorded by the bat detectors. Eight bat species were recorded during the experiment. Activity increased for open air and clutter-edge foraging species analysed. Broadband white light caused the highest increases in activity followed by yellow light when compared with the dark control site. Ultraviolet light caused the lowest increases in activity contrary to expectations. / Mengwaga ye 100 ya go feta go bile le koketšego ye kgolo ya tšhomišo ya seetša sa maitirelo bošego ka moka. Setlwaedi se se ata kudu lefaseng ka moka go feta pele, gomme se ama diphoofolo tše ntši le mehuta ya dimela. Leganata la Namib go la Namibia gabotse le sa ntše le swiswetše, eupša le ka fase ga dikgontšhi tša go oketša tlhabollo le toropofatšo tšeo di hlotšego koketšego tšhomišong ya seetša sa maitirelo lefaseng ka bophara. Dikhuetšo tša seetša sa maitirelo go memankgagane di fapana go ya ka mohuta. Nyakišišo ye e nyakišišitše dikhuetšo tša tsebagatšo ya seetša sa maitirelo sa go phadima, serolwane le se sešweu go modiro wa memankgagane ka tikologong ya nagaselegae ya go ba le tlhabollo ye nyane ka Leganateng la Namib. Seetša se setee le tithekethara e tee ya mankgagane di hlomilwe go le lengwe le le lengwe la mafelo a mane, a go arogantšhwa ka 100 m. Seetša sa bone se be se le taolo ya leswiswi. Lefelo le lengwe le le lengwe le dirilwe mohlala makga a mane ka mohuta wo mongwe le wo mongwe wa seetša. Modiro wa mankgagane e rekotilwe ka ditithekethara tša mankgagane. Mehuta ya mankgagane ye seswai e rekotilwe nakong ya eksperimente. Modiro wa mehuta ya sebakabakeng le ya go sela thobekgeng ye e sekasekilwego e oketšegile. Seetša se sešweu sa porotepente se hlotše dikoketšego tša modiro, sa latelwa ke seetša se se serolwane, ge se bapetšwa le lefelo la taolo ya leswiswi. Go fapana le ditetelo, seetša sa go phadima se hlotše dikoketšego tša fasefase modirong. / School of Environmental Sciences / M. Sc. (Nature Conservation)

Ebola virus (EBOV) is a re-emerging zoonotic virus (it is transmitted between animals and humans) that causes acute hemorrhagic fever and a high fatality rate in humans. First reported in 1976 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire), the virus is transmitted between humans through direct contact with body fluids of an infected person, causing fever, weakness, diarrhea, abdominal pain, cramping, nausea and vomiting in those affected. There is neither a licensed vaccine nor an approved treatment for Ebola virus in human patients. The reservoir species for Ebola virus is similarly unknown, as many studies have attempted yet failed to isolate living virus from potential candidates. The widely accepted and circulated hypothesis based on preliminary findings of outbreaks past is that bat species, specifically the fruit bat species Hypsignathus monstrosus, Epomops franqueti and Myonycteris torquata are potential reservoirs. Recent reports, especially concerning findings from the 2014 Ebola outbreak, have determined that insectivorous bats could similarly be reservoir species. Successful isolation of a live virus from a bat species found through a widened sampling of a variety of bat species would confirm the hypothesis that bats, either fruit or insectivorous, are the reservoir species for Ebola virus.

Vírus da raiva provenientes de 23 morcegos de espécies hematófagas, frugívoras e insetívoras foram caracterizados geneticamente pelo seqüenciamento completo da região que codifica a nucleoproteína N. A análise filogenética das seqüências, incluindo lyssavirus e isolados de morcegos do Chile e Estados Unidos, mostrou que os diferentes isolados do vírus da raiva foram de modo geral segregados em quatro grupos genéticos distintas: morcegos hematófagos, morcegos insetívoros 1, 2 e 3. Os morcegos insetívoros 1 constituiram-se por isolados de Eptesicus furinalis: BR-EF1, BR-EF2, BREF3, BR-EF-4, BR-EA1 e BR-NL2; os morcegos insetívoros 2 consistiram de isolados de Molosssus spp: BR-MM1, BR-MM2 e BR- MA1 e os morcegos insetívoros 3 isolados de Nictinomops laticaudatus: BR-NL1 e BR-NL3. A homologia de nucleotídeos entre cada grupo de morcegos insetívoros 1, 2 e 3 foi maior que 99%, 97% e 99%, respectivamente. O grupo de morcegos hematófagos foi representado pelos isolados de: 3 morcegos hematófagos Desmodus rotundus (BR-DR1, BR-DR2 e BR-DR3); 5 morcegos frugívoros Artibeus lituratus BR-AL1, BR-AL2, BR-AL3, BR-AL4 e Artibeus planirostris BRAP1; 2 morcegos insetívoros (BR-MR1 e BR-EA2) e 2 de espécies não identificadas (BR-BAT1 e BR-BAT2). Entre as amostras seqüenciadas foram selecionadas cinco (BR-EF1, BR-NL1, BR-AL3, BR-MM1, BR-DR1) e um isolado de cão (BR-C) para os estudos de patogenicidade em camundongos albinos suíços inoculados pela vias intracerebral (IC) e intramuscular (IM). Todas as amostras quando inoculadas em camundongos pela via IC apresentaram-se patogênicas, provocando a morte dos mesmos num período de 4 a 14 dias pós-inoculação. No entanto, 500DLIC50 das mesmas amostras inoculadas pela via IM levaram a uma mortalidade de camundongos de: 60% (BR-DR1); 50% (BR-C, BR-NL); 40% (BR- AL3); 9,5% (BR-MM1); 5,2% (BR-EF10). As mesmas amostras foram utilizadas para a verificação de proteção cruzada, conferida por vacina comercial de uso animal, de camundongos que receberam uma ou duas doses de vacina pela via subcutânea (SC) e desafiados pelas vias IC e IM. Camundongos inoculados com duas doses de vacina foram protegidos quando desafiados pela via IC, com todas as amostras testadas. Quando os camundongos receberam uma dose da mesma vacina houve proteção parcial daqueles desafiados com as amostras de vírus PV e BR-C. Houve proteção de 100% dos camundongos desafiados pela via IM, com exceção daqueles vacinados com uma dose de vacina e desafiados com a amostra PV que apresentaram um índice de 66% de sobreviventes. Os resultados indicam a possibilidade de existir variantes do vírus da raiva espécies específicas circulando em morcegos. Sugerem ainda, que espécies de morcegos hematófagos, frugívoros e insetívoros compartilham o mesmo polimorfismo de vírus. A vacina comercial contra a raiva contendo vírus inativado e de uso veterinário protegeu os camundongos contra o desafio com as diferentes amostras testadas, sugerindo que as vacinas usualmente utilizadas são efetivas no tratamento profilático da raiva transmitida por morcegos, apesar da marcada diferença de neurovirulência dos diferentes isolados quando inoculados em camundongos pela via IM. / Twenty-three rabies viruses isolated from hematophagous, frugivorous and insectivorous bats were characterized genetically by complete sequencing of the region coding the nucleoprotein N. The phylogenetic analysis of the sequences, including the lyssavirus and the bat isolates from Chile and USA revealed that the isolates were segregated into four distinct genetic lineages: those related to the vampire bats and to the insectivorous bats 1, 2 and 3. The isolates related to the insectivorous bats 1 were from the Eptesicus furinalis: BR-EF1, BR- EF2, BREF3, BR-EF-4, BR-EA1 e BR-NL2; those of the insectivorous bats2 included the isolates from Molosssus spp: BR-MM1, BR-MM2 and BR-MA1 and the group 3, by the isolates from the Nictinomops laticaudatus: BR-NL1 and BR-NL3. The homology among each group of the insectivorous bats 1, 2 and 3 were greater than 99%, 97% and 99%, respectively. The lineage related to vampire bats was represented by three isolates from the D. rotundus (BR-DR1, BR-DR2 e BR-DR3); five from the fruit bats Artibeus lituratus (BR-AL1, BR-AL2, BR-AL3, BR-AL4) and Artibeus planirostris (BRAP1); two from insectivorous bats (BR-MR1 and BR-EA2) and two from unidentified species (BR-BAT1 and BR-BAT2). Among the sequenced amples, five bat isolates (BR-EF1, BR-NL1, BR-AL3, BR-MM1, BR- DR1) and one dog isolate (BR-C) were selected for the study of their pathogenicity in Swiss mice, inoculating through intracerebral (IC) and intramuscular (IM) routes. All the isolates, when inoculated via IC, were pathogenic, provoking death in 4 - 14 post inoculation days. However, mice inoculated with 500ICLD50 of the same isolates through IM route were found with different death rates: 60.0% (BR-DR1); 50.0% (BR-C, BR-NL); 40.0% (BR-AL3); 9.5% (BR-MM1) and 5.2% (BR-EF10). The same isolates were used for the assessment of cross protection conferred by a commercial vaccine of veterinary use. The mice were vaccinated subcutaneously, receiving either one or two shots of vaccine, and challenged through IC and IM routes. Mice receiving two shots were protected against all the isolates, when challenged intracerebrally. Mice receiving one shot were found only partially protected against the challenge with the fixed PV strain and BR-C isolate. Mice challenged intramuscularly showed 100.0% of protection, with the exception of those vaccinated with one dose and challenged with PV strain, which were found with 66.0% of survivors. These results indicate the possibility of the existence of rabies virus variants circulating in different species of bat population. The data also suggest that the vampires, frugivorous and insectivorous bats share the same lineage of rabies viruses. The commercial vaccine has protected the mice against the challenge with different rabies virus isolates, suggesting that the vaccines usually employed in the field are effective, although some marked difference in neurovirulence by IM inoculation was found among the isolates tested.

Dados da Organização Mundial da Saúde (OMS) mostram que a raiva é um problema de saúde pública podendo acarretar sérios prejuízos ambientais e econômicos, a despeito da existência de vacinas eficazes de uso humano e veterinário. Segundo seu último informe, estima-se que no mundo em torno de 55.000 pessoas por ano morrem de raiva. O cão permanece como principal transmissor da raiva para o homem e também como principal vítima da doença. Nos países que conseguiram controlar a raiva em animais domésticos, o vírus se mantém circulante na natureza por meio dos animais silvestres, sendo os morcegos apontados como a segunda espécie transmissora da raiva a humanos. Os Lyssavirus têm sido detectados em morcegos, em diversos continentes, sendo identificados como transmissor em dez das onze espécies de Lyssavirus. Fósseis de morcego mostram sua presença há 50 milhões de anos. Mas somente em 1911, Carini relacionou pela primeira vez a raiva aos morcegos, levantando a hipótese destes serem os transmissores da doença a outros animais. Há registros de que o vírus da raiva foi isolado em pelo menos 41 das 167 espécies de morcegos brasileiras, sendo que a maioria dessas espécies está relacionada a atividades humanas com a presença destes animais próximos ao local de trabalho e moradia das pessoas. Os morcegos hematófagos Desmodus rotundus são encontrados do norte do México até a costa norte do Chile, região central da Argentina e costa do Uruguai e com exceção do Chile. Esta espécie de morcego tem sido apontada como reservatório natural do vírus da raiva nesta região. Alguns pesquisadores observaram que a raiva em morcegos não hematófagos precede a raiva bovina e em animais de estimação, sugerindo que os morcegos não hematófagos podem ser o elo entre a raiva silvestre e a raiva urbana e o fato de se detectar a variante mantida por morcegos hematófagos Desmodus rotundus em cães e gatos mostra que o papel deste morcego no ciclo da raiva não está limitado à raiva silvestre. As características dos Lyssavirus adaptados a morcegos têm mostrado diferenças quando comparadas à raiva relacionada aos carnívoros, confirmando a necessidade do desenvolvimento de metodologias que permitam estudos complementares mais precisos a respeito da biologia e epidemiologia da raiva em quirópteros. A escassez de dados na literatura, até o momento, a respeito do genoma completo da variante do vírus da raiva mantida por populações de morcegos hematófagos Desmodus rotundus, deixa uma lacuna no entendimento da epidemiologia molecular deste vírus. A importância epidemiológica desta espécie na transmissão da raiva é inquestionável. Neste estudo foi sequenciado e analisado, o genoma da variante do vírus da raiva mantido por populações de morcego hematófago Desmodus rotundus isolado de um morcego hematófago Desmodus rotundus. A amostra, procedente de área endêmica no Estado de São Paulo, foi filogeneticamente comparada com o genoma da amostra padrão para a espécie viral 1 - Rabies virus e outras amostras pertencentes ao ciclo aéreo ou terrestre de transmissão, disponíveis no GenBank, identificando possíveis padrões de diferenciação, próprios do ciclo aéreo, e em alguns casos relacionados somente à variante estudada. / Data from the World Health Organization (WHO) show that rabies is a public health problem which can cause serious environmental and economic damage, despite the existence of effective vaccines for human and veterinary use. According to WHO latest report, estimated that worldwide around 55,000 people per year died of rabies. The dog remains the main transmitter of rabies to humans as well as the main victim of the disease. In countries that were successful in controlling rabies in domestic animals, the virus is still circulating in nature by wild animals and the bats are seen as the second species transmitting rabies to humans. The Lyssavirus have been detected in bats in several continents and is identified as a transmitter in ten of eleven species of Lyssavirus. Bat fossils show their presence for 50 million years. But only in 1911, in the first time Carini related to rabies at bats, raising the possibility of these being the transmitters of the disease to other animals. Reports show that the Rabies virus was isolated in at least 41 of the 167 species of bats in Brazil, with the majority of these species is related to human activities with the animals living near the local job and houses of people. The vampire bat Desmodus rotundus is found from northern Mexico to northern Chile coast, central coast of Argentina and Uruguay and with the exception of Chile. This bat species has been identified as a natural reservoir of the Rabies virus in this region. Some researchers observed that rabies into non-hematophagous bats precedes the bovine rabies and in pets, suggesting that the non-hematophagous bats may be the link between wildlife rabies and urban rabies and the fact that detect the variant maintained by vampire bats Desmodus rotundus in dogs and cats shows that the role of bat rabies in the cycle is not limited to wildlife rabies. The characteristics of Lyssavirus bat adapted have been shown differences when compared to rabies related to the carnivores, confirming the need to develop methods that enable more accurate follow-up studies about the biology and epidemiology of rabies in bats. The paucity of data in the literature to date about the complete genome of the Rabies virus variant maintained by populations of vampire bats Desmodus rotundus leaves a gap in understanding the molecular epidemiology of this virus and the epidemiological importance of this species in the transmission of Rabies virus is unquestionable. In this study we sequenced and analyzed the genome of the Rabies virus variant maintained by populations of bat Desmodus rotundus isolated from a bat Desmodus rotundus. The sample, coming from an endemic area in São Paulo, was phylogenetically compared with the genome of the standard sample for spcies 1 - Rabies virus and other samples belonging to the Terrestrial and Aerial cycles of transmission, available in GenBank, to identify possible patterns of differentiating themselves Aerial cycle and in some cases linked only to variant studied.

Les infrastructures linéaires de transports (ILT), dont les routes, sont une des principales causes du déclin de la biodiversité. Bien que les évaluations environnementales permettent de limiter ce déclin, la séquence "Eviter, Réduire et Compenser" les impacts peine à s'appliquer pleinement. En effet, la séquence ERC fait bien souvent appel à des données qualitatives en oubliant les processus biologiques et/ou écologiques et leur échelle spatio-temporelle. L'impact des routes est globalement bien documenté pour plusieurs groupes biologiques, hormis pour les chauves-souris, pourtant susceptibles d'être très fortement affectées. Par ailleurs, leur protection stricte nécessite leur prise en compte dans la séquence ERC. Pour étudier l’impact des routes, et notamment des autoroutes, je me suis concentré sur l’étude des chauves-souris afin de mesurer et quantifier leur magnitude. Pour cela, différentes méthodes développées et réutilisables par les différents acteurs de terrain seront présentées. Ainsi, dans un premier temps, je me suis intéressé à une méthode de traitement des données issues d'écoutes acoustiques et à une méthode de valorisation. Dans un second temps, nous avons appliqué ces méthodes afin (i) de connaitre quels étaient les impacts des routes sur les populations de chauves-souris et (ii) afin d'évaluer l'efficience des mesures de réductions engagées pour réduire ces impacts. Nos principaux résultats montrent que les autoroutes ont un impact négatif significatif sur l'activité de chasse et de transit pour plusieurs espèces de chauves-souris jusqu'à au moins cinq kilomètres de distance à une autoroute. De plus, l'effet des autoroutes semblerait également avoir des conséquences sur la génétique des populations. Enfin, nous avons étudié les chiroptéroducs, ouvrages dédiés aux chauves-souris visant à réduire ces impacts par l'amélioration des connectivités écologiques. Ce type d'ouvrage dédié semble être approprié lorsqu'il est situé dans des corridors écologiques fins tels que les haies. / Biodiversity is being lost at an increased rate as a result of human activities. One of the major threats to biodiversity is infrastructural development. Although the measures taken in environmental impact assessments can limit this loss, the mitigation hierarchy to "Avoid, Reduce and Offset" impacts on biodiversity is not fully functional. Indeed, the mitigation hierarchy often uses qualitative data and does not account for the biological and/or ecological processes and their different spatial and temporal scales. The impact of roads is well documented for several biological groups but not for bats whereas they are likely to be very strongly affected. Moreover, as they are strictly protected, they should be considered in the mitigation hierarchy. Therefore, through the study of bats, I investigated the effects of roads, especially major roads, and intended to measure and quantify the magnitude of their impacts. This thesis presents different methods developed to reach this objective and which may be used by stakeholders in the field. First, I intended to determine how to process data collected through passive acoustic monitoring and how to exploit these data. Then I determined what the impacts of roads on bat populations are and I proposed a method in order to assess the mitigation measures which presume to restore bat habitat connectivity. Our main results show a significant negative effect of roads on bats foraging and commuting behaviour for several species and up to at least five kilometres away from a major road. In addition, the effect of major roads also seems to have consequences on populations’ genetics. Finally, we studied bat overpasses which are structures specifically dedicated to bats and aiming at reducing the impacts of roads by improving bats’ habitat connectivity. These structures seem to be appropriate when located in narrow ecological corridors such as hedgerows.

<p>Analizirana je helmintofauna 127 primeraka slepih mi&scaron;eva na teritoriji Srbije.<br />Sakupljene jedinke su pripadnici 12 vrsta slepih mi&scaron;eva: veliki potkovičar (<em>Rhinolophusferrumequinum </em>Schreber, 1774); tamnoliki brkati večernjak <em>(Myotis mystacinus </em>Kuhl, 1817); mali brkati večernjak (<em>M. alcathoe </em>Helversen &amp; Heller, 2001); &scaron;umski brkati večernjak (<em>M. brandtii&nbsp; </em>Eversmann, 1845); južni veliki večernjak <em>(M</em>. <em>oxygnathus </em>Monticelli, 1885); evropski veliki večernjak (<em>M. myotis </em>Borkhausen, 1797); dugodlaki slepi mi&scaron;ić(<em>Hypsugo savii </em>Bonaparte, 1837); obični slepi mi&scaron;ić(<em>Pipistrellus pipistrellus</em> Schreber, 1774); &scaron;umski slepi mi&scaron;ić (<em>P. nathusii </em>Keyserling &amp; Blasius, 1839); evropski smeđi dugou&scaron;an (<em>Plecotus auritus </em>Linnaeus, 1758); evropski sivi dugou&scaron;an <em>(P.</em> <em>austriacus </em>Fischer, 1829) i obični noćnik (<em>Nyctalus noctula</em> Schreber, 1774). Jedinke slepih mi&scaron;eva su sakupljane sa 15 lokaliteta na teritoriji Srbije: Deliblatska pe&scaron;čara, Zasavica, Valjevo, Beograd, Paraćin, Đerdap, Bor, Beljanica, Kučevo, Boljevac, Zaječar, Zlot, Medveđa, planina Tara i Ivanjica u periodu od 2001. do 2009 godine.Izolovano je ukupno 1642 jedinki parazita (787 jedinki metilja, 4 pantljičara i 851 nematoda), razvrstanih u 2 razdela, 1 podrazdel, 3 klase, 3 podklase, 1 nadred, 6 reda, 1 podred, 7 nadfamilija, 11 familija, 9 podfamilija, 12 rodova i 14 vrsta. Identifikovane vrste parazita su:&nbsp;<em> Plagiorchis koreanus</em>(Ogata, 1937),&nbsp;<em>Mesotretes peregrinus </em>(Braun, 1900),&nbsp;<em>Lecithodendrium linstowi </em>(Dollfus, 1931),&nbsp;<em>Prosthodendrium longiforme</em> (Bhalerao, 1926),&nbsp;<em>P. chilostomum </em>(Mehlis, 1831),&nbsp;<em> P. parvouterus </em>(Bhalerao, 1926), <em>Milina grisea</em>(van Beneden, 1873),&nbsp;<em>Capillaria neopulchra </em>(Babos, 1954), <em>Molinostrongylus alatus</em>(Ortlepp, 1932),&nbsp;<em>Strongylacantha glycirrhiza&nbsp; </em>(van Beneden, 1873),&nbsp;<em>Physalopterasp</em>.,&nbsp;<em>Litomosa ottavianii&nbsp;</em>(Lagrange &amp; Bettini, 1948),&nbsp;<em>Rictularia bovieri&nbsp;</em>(Blanchard, 1886) i&nbsp;<em>Seuratum mucronatum </em>(Rudolphi, 1809). Kvalitativna i kvantitativna analiza helmintofaune slepih mi&scaron;eva je prvi put rađena na području Srbije, te se date vrste domaćina mogu smatrati novim za sve konstatovane vrste parazita na teritoriji na&scaron;e zemlje. U ukupnom uzorku 93 (73.23%) jedinki domaćina bilo je invadirano parazitima. Najbrojnije u ukupnom uzorkusu bile vrste&nbsp; P. koreanus,<em>&nbsp;L. linstowii&nbsp; M. alatus</em>, sa dominacijom poslednje. Konstatovano je da pol&nbsp; ne utiče na sastav helmintofaune domaćina. Međutim, konstatovane su promene u kvalitetu i kvantitetu helmintocenoze u pojedinim sezonama.</p> / <p>The helminth fauna of 127 individuals of bats on the territory of Serbia was analyzed. The host samples consisted of 12 bat species: Greater Horseshoe Bat(Rhinolophus &nbsp; ferrumequinumSchreber, 1774); Whiskered Bat (Myotis&nbsp; mystacinusKuhl, 1817); Alcathoe Whiskered Bat (M. alcathoeHelversen &amp; Heller, 2001); Brandt &rsquo;s Bat (M. brandtiiEversmann, 1845); Lesser Mouse-eared Bat (M. oxygnathusMonticelli, 1885); Greater Mouse-eared Bat (M. myotisBorkhausen, 1797); Savi &rsquo; s Pipistrelle Bat (Hypsugo saviiBonaparte, 1837); Common Pipistrelle Bat (Pipistrellus pipistrellus Schreber, 1774); Nathusius &rsquo; Pipistrelle Bat (P.&nbsp; BathusiiKeyserling &amp; Blasius, 1839); Brown Long-eared Bat (Plecotus auritusLinnaeus, 1758); Grey Long-eared Bat (P. austriacusFischer, 1829) and Noctule Bat (Nyctalus noctulaSchreber, 1774). Host semples were collected from fifteen localities throughout Serbia: Deliblato sands, Zasavica, Valjevo, Belgrade, Paraćin,&nbsp; Đerdap, Bor, Beljanica, Kučevo, Boljevac, Zaječar, Zlot, Medveđa, Tara mountain and Ivanjica in the period between2001 and 2009. A total of 1642 helminth individuals (787 individuals of digeneans, 4 cestodes and 851 nematodes) were collected from the hosts, classified into 2 phylas, 1 subphyla, 3 classes, 3 subclasses, 1 superorder, 6 orders, 1 suborder, 7 superfamilies, 11 families, 9 subfamilies, 12 generas and 14 species. Fourteen parasite species were identified: Plagiorchis koreanus(Ogata, 1937),&nbsp; Mesotretes peregrinus(Braun, 1900), Lecithodendrium linstowi(Dollfus, 1931),&nbsp; Prosthodendrium&nbsp; longiforme(Bhalerao, 1926), P. chilostomum(Mehlis, 1831),&nbsp; P. parvouterus(Bhalerao, 1926),&nbsp; Milina grisea (van Beneden, 1873),&nbsp; Capillaria neopulchra(Babos, 1954),&nbsp; Molinostrongylus alatus (Ortlepp, 1932),&nbsp; Strongylacantha glycirrhiza(van Beneden, 1873),&nbsp; Physalopterasp., Litomosa ottavianii(Lagrange &amp; Bettini, 1948),&nbsp; Rictularia bovieri(Blanchard, 1886)&nbsp; and&nbsp; Seuratum mucronatum(Rudolphi, 1809). The qualitative and&nbsp; quantitativeanalysis of the helminth fauna of bats were conducted in Serbia for the first time. Therefore all bat species can be considered new hosts for all recorded helminth species on the area of the country. Ninety-three (73.23%)&nbsp; individuals werefound to be infected with helminth parasites. The most numerous helminth species in total sample were&nbsp; P. koreanus,&nbsp; L. linstowiand&nbsp; M. alatus, which is also the most dominant. There is no evidence that the composition of helminth&nbsp; fauna depends on the sex ofthe host. However, some seasonal changes in quality and quantity of helminth community of the host are obvious.&nbsp;</p>

La forte croissance des populations humaines a engendré une intensification des milieux, surtout agricoles pour l’alimentation et l’élevage, résultant en une plus grande appropriation de la productivité primaire nette. La productivité primaire étant à la base des réseaux trophiques et écologiques, toute modification de ce processus essentiel est susceptible d’avoir de fortes conséquences sur la biodiversité. Par ailleurs, l’intensification est un processus complexe dont les trois dimensions – intrants, extrants et système – sont rarement étudiées de concert. Le cadre conceptuel et méthodologique HANPP (Human Appropriation of Net Primary Production) proposé par Helmut Haberl et collaborateurs en 2007, a pour objectif de quantifier différents paramètres de l’intensification. Dans un premier temps, les liens entre des composantes d’HANPP et d’autres indices d’intensification (i.e. HNV, IC/ha) ont été explorés afin de mieux interpréter la variabilité d’HANPP et ses composantes. HANPP semble lié à la fois aux dimensions « système » et « extrants » de l’intensité d’usage des sols et apparait comme complémentaire aux autres indicateurs testés. Dans un second temps, je me suis intéressée à la relation entre HANPP et biodiversité, à travers deux taxons complémentaires par leurs fonctions écosystémiques, i.e. les oiseaux et chiroptères. Grâce à l’utilisation de données issues de programmes de sciences participatives en France métropolitaine, j’ai pu montrer que l’intensification : i) diminuait la richesse spécifique, l’abondance et la masse moyenne des communautés de chiroptères, et ii) simplifiait la structure des communautés aviaires par l’abaissement du niveau trophique et de la régularité fonctionnelle, au bénéfice de spécialistes des milieux agricoles. Par ailleurs, j’ai pu observer que la réponse de la biodiversité pouvait grandement varier selon l’indicateur et/ou la facette (taxonomique ou fonctionnelle) étudiée. A travers mes analyses, j’ai pu clarifier les conditions d’utilisation du cadre méthodologique HANPP. J’ai également identifié des régions et types de paysage où l’intensité d’usage des sols peut coexister avec la biodiversité. L’ensemble de ces résultats forme le support à une discussion sur les opportunités pour concilier efforts de conservation et intensification. / The strong growth of Human populations has led to the intensification of land uses and land covers, especially in agricultural lands for food production and livestock, resulting in a higher appropriation of net primary productivity. As primary productivity is the root of food webs and ecological networks, any change in this essential process is likely to have a strong impact on biodiversity. Besides, intensification is a complex process whose three dimensions - inputs, outputs and system - are rarely studied together. The conceptual and methodological framework of HANPP (Human Appropriation of Net Primary Production) proposed by Helmut Haberl and collaborators in 2007, aims to quantify different parameters of intensification. First, I explored the variability of HANPP components and their relationships to other intensification indices (i.e. HNV, IC / ha) to better interpret the variability of HANPP and its components. HANPP seems to be linked to both the "system" and "output" dimensions of land use intensity and appears to complement the other indicators considered. Then, I investigated the relationship between HANPP and biodiversity, focusing on two taxa complementary in their ecosystem functions, i.e. birds and bats. Using data from citizen-science programs occurring in metropolitan France, I showed that intensification: i) decreased species richness, abundance and the average mass of bats, and ii) simplified the structure of avian communities by lowering the average trophic level and functional regularity, to the benefit of farmland specialists. In addition, I observed that the response of biodiversity could widely vary depending on the indicator and / or facet (taxonomic or functional) studied. Through my analyzes, I was able to clarify the conditions of use of the HANPP methodological framework. I also identified areas and types of landscape where land use intensity can coexist with biodiversity. All of these results form the basis for a discussion on opportunities to reconcile conservation efforts with intensification.

Rachel Corrie was a young American woman who died at the age of twenty-three in Gaza in 2003. She was killed when an Israeli Occupation Force bulldozer ran over her while she was defending a Palestinian house from demolition. Her martyr's death, combined with the force of her descriptions of her experiences as an activist in Palestine, not only provoked response from other activists; it became material for a number of theatrical projects, among them productions by the Royal Court Theatre in London, Bread and Puppet Theatre in the US, and in a production I recently wrote and directed here in New Zealand. This thesis considers the example of Rachel Corrie's activism in Palestine and the theatrical performances it engendered in order to examine the role of theatre in and as an activist project. The theatre is an important component of the ongoing movement for social change. It assembles temporary communities and it portrays issues in ways that are both accessible and open to debate. But theatricality is just as often a key component of activist actions outside the theatre building: in street performances and demonstrations, and also in the way some activists can be seen to pursue their political objectives on a daily basis. Finally, the theatre is a material act of production which can challenge the dominant model of production and thus has the potential to be become an activist project as itself. As a result of my analyses of this material, I hope to provide a framework of understanding both for myself and others, of the likely role of theatre in and as an activist project, and this understanding will be of assistance in the cultural task of shifting beliefs in the movement for social change. The key theorists used in this thesis are Walter Benjamin and Raymond Williams.