Propriedades que constituem um clima árido são encontradas distribuídas por todo o globo terrestre. A Caatinga, bioma semi-árido brasileiro, se estende por 11% do território nacional e tem particularidades tanto em relação ao clima, volume de chuvas e temperatura, quanto à sua composição flora e faunística. Micro-organismos associados a plantas provêm defesas e resistência a diferentes estresses abióticos ou bióticos. Este trabalho teve por objetivo avaliar a comunidade rizosférica microbiana de duas leguminosas, Mimosa tenuiflora e Piptadenia stipulacea, a fim de caracterizar seus componentes e sua interação com as plantas e o ambiente, por meio de abordagem molecular, com T-RFLP, através do gene 16S rRNA de arquéias e bactérias e sequenciamento em larga escala por Ion Torrent dos genes 16SrRNA de bactérias, além de métodos estatísticos como ferramenta de avaliação dessa interação. Os resultados mostram que: ambas as comunidades são diversas quando comparados os dois períodos de coleta, chuvoso e seco; as espécies de leguminosas não influem na composição da população e que zinco, ferro, fósforo e boro são os componentes do solo mais ativos sobre as comunidades de bactérias e arquéias. Dentre os onze gêneros de bactérias mais abundantes no período seco (<1%): Mycobacterium, Bacillus, MC18, Rhodoplanes, Pseudonocardia, Streptomyces, Candidatus Solibacter, Saccharopolyspora, Rubrobacter, Bradyrhizobium e Solitubrobacter - seis apresentam atributos capazes de trazer benefícios para as plantas às quais estão associadas e seis têm características consideradas extremófilas. / Arid climate properties are found distributed throughout the globe. Caatinga is the Brazilian semiarid biome with 11% of the national territory and has peculiar climate, rainfall and temperature, and the flora and faunal composition. Plant associated micro-organisms promote defenses and resistance to various biotic and abiotic stresses. This study aims characterized the rhizospheric microbiome of two leguminous trees from Caatinga, Mimosa tenuiflora and Piptadenia stipulacea, their interaction with plant and environment through molecular approaches, T-RFLP of archaeal and bacterial 16S rRNA and high-throughput sequencing by Ion Torrent of the bacterial 16S rRNA addition to statistics methods as assessment tool for evaluation of the interaction. The results show that both arquéial and bacterial communities are different when comparing dry and rainy seasons, plant species do not exercises influences in the population composition, zinc, iron and boron are the most active soil components on the communities. Six of the eleven bacteria genera more abundant in the dry season (<1%) are related to benefits to the plant associated while six have extremophiles characteristics, all of them are: Mycobacterium, Bacillus, MC18, Rhodoplanes, Pseudonocardia, Streptomyces, Candidatus Solibacter, Saccharopolyspora, Rubrobacter, Bradyrhizobium e Solitubrobacter .

Climate change and increasing water demands prioritize the need to implement planning strategies for urban water security in the long and medium term. However, risk planning requires robust and timely financial support during and after the disaster. Therefore, risk transfer tools, such as insurance, have emerged as an effective strategy to ensure financial resilience and as an element that could encourage the implementation of hydrological risk reduction mechanisms. Among the main insurance design problems are the lack of information on the real drought impacts and climate uncertainty, which may incur adverse selection and/or moral hazards among the most common drawbacks in insurance practice. Currently, most of the income from water utility companies is based on water resources management, therefore during prolonged drought periods these economies can be strongly affected, despite having robust storage schemes as support. Thus, this thesis proposes an insurance plan for the water utility company of the State of Sao Paulo (SABESP) to deal with revenue reductions during long drought periods. The methodology is implemented on the MTRH-SHS model, developed under ex-ante damage cost calculation through the risk-based approach. The synthetic (\'what-if\') approach uses a \"set of change drivers\" to estimate the optimal premium through a multiyear insurance contract (MYI). The methodology integrates the hydrological simulation procedures under radiative climate forcing scenarios RCP 4.5 and 8.5, from the regional climate model outputs Eta-HadGEM and Eta-MIROC5, with time horizons of 2007-2040, 2041-2070, and 2071-2099, linked to the Water Evaluation and Planning system (WEAP) hydrologic model and under stationary and non-stationary water supply demand assumptions. The model framework is applied to the Cantareira Water Supply System for the Sao Paulo Metropolitan Region, Brazil, with severe vulnerability to droughts. As a result, the evaluated indexes showed that multi-year contracts with drought coverage higher than 240 days offer better financial performance than contracts with wider coverages. Moreover, this MYI adopted in the installed storage residual risk generates both a higher level of solvency for the insurance fund in the long term and annual average premiums closer to the expected revenue reductions by scenario. Finally, the approach can help the systematic evaluation of moral hazards and adverse selection. In the first case, the progressive evaluation must generate useful information to change or maintain the behavior of both the insured and insurers considering future risks related to climate change. In the second case, the multi-scenario valuation can help the insurer to set price thresholds, offering risk differential cover options in the premium value. / As mudanças climáticas e o incremento na demanda de água priorizam a necessidade de implementar estratégias de planejamento para a segurança hídrica urbana no longo e mediano prazo. No entanto, o planejamento dos riscos exige um suporte financeiro robusto e oportuno durante e após do desastre. Portanto, as ferramentas de transferência de risco, como os seguros, emergem como uma estratégia efetiva para garantir a resiliência financeira e como um elemento que poderia incentivar a implementação de mecanismos de redução do risco hidrológico. Entre os principais problemas no planejamento de seguros, estão a falta de informações sobre os impactos reais das secas e a incerteza climática, que podem levar a seleção adversa e/ou perigo moral como as problemáticas mais comuns na prática dos seguros. Atualmente, a maior parte da renda das empresas de serviços de água é baseada na gestão do recurso hídrico; portanto, durante períodos prolongados de seca, essas economias podem ser fortemente afetadas, apesar de ter sistemas de armazenamento robustos como suporte. Assim, esta tese propõe um plano de seguro para a empresa de serviços de água do Estado de São Paulo (SABESP), para enfrentar as reduções de receita durante longos períodos de seca. A metodologia é implementada no modelo MTRH-SHS, desenvolvido no cálculo \"ex-ante\" de custos de dano, através da abordagem baseada em risco. A abordagem sintética (\"what-if\"), usa um \"conjunto de drivers de mudança\" para estimar o prêmio ótimo através de um contrato de seguro plurianual (SPA). A metodologia integra os procedimentos de simulação hidrológica, sob cenários de forçamento climático radiativo RCP 4.5 e 8.5, do modelo de clima regional Eta-HadGEM e Eta-MIROC5, com horizontes temporais de 2007-2040, 2041-2070 e 2071-2099, vinculados ao modelo hidrológico do sistema de avaliação e planejamento da água (WEAP) e sob pressupostos de demanda como abastecimento de água estacionária e não estacionária. A estrutura do modelo é aplicada ao Sistema de Abastecimento de Água de Cantareira na Região Metropolitana de São Paulo, Brasil, região com alta vulnerabilidade às secas. Como resultado, os índices de rendimento do seguro avaliados mostraram que os contratos plurianuais com cobertura para secas superiores a 240 dias, oferecem melhor desempenho financeiro do que os contratos com coberturas mais amplas. Além, o SPA adotado para o risco residual do armazenamento instalado, gera um nível mais alto de solvência para o fundo de seguros no longo prazo com prêmios médios anuais mais próximos das reduções de receita esperadas por cenário. Finalmente, a abordagem pode ajudar na avaliação sistemática do risco moral e na seleção adversa. No primeiro caso, a avaliação progressiva deve gerar informações úteis para mudar ou manter o comportamento de segurados e seguradoras considerando riscos futuros relacionados à mudança climática. No segundo caso, a valoração de múltiplos cenários pode ajudar a estabelecer limiares de preços, oferecendo opções de cobertura diferencial de risco no valor prêmio de seguro.

Lawns have become ubiquitous and have dominated cities and residential land for decades. Turf covers approximately 1.9% of the continental US, centered mostly around suburban and residential areas that are maintained through large amounts of water consumption, chemical applications, and mowing (Larson and Brumand, 2014). As drought in the Southwest has only become more severe and consistent, there has been a lot of research completed on what policy makers and conservationists can do about Americans’ landscape behaviors in order to increase plant biodiversity and lower outdoor water usage. Many variables such as income, environmental awareness, gender, and historical legacies have been found to have major effects on the kinds of landscapes Americans prefer, but the largest effect on landscape preference seems to be the broad and neighborhood social norms of the area. Local policy makers have been working to change the social norms of neat, mowed lawns as a symbol of wealth and social status by incentivizing homeowners to transition away from turf to native, drought-tolerant landscaping, but more education and financing options will be necessary in order to get better adoption rates and long-term benefits from these programs. In this thesis, I propose to examine spatial landscape patterns over time in Claremont using Geographical Information Systems and Google Earth technologies to better understand neighborhood norms and how important events such as awareness about the severity of the California drought or policy changes play a part in the city’s landscape behaviors.

Broad-scale forest die-off associated with drought and heat has now been reported from every forested continent, posing a global-scale challenge to forest management. Climate-driven die-off is frequently compounded with other drivers of tree mortality, such as altered land use, wildfire, and invasive species, making forest management increasingly complex. Facing similar challenges, rangeland managers have widely adopted the approach of developing conceptual models that identify key ecosystem states and major types of transitions between those states, known as "state-and-transition models" (S&T models). Using expert opinion and available research, the development of such conceptual S&T models has proven useful in anticipating ecosystem changes and identifying management actions to undertake or to avoid. In cases where detailed data are available, S&T models can be developed into probabilistic predictions, but even where data are insufficient to predict transition probabilities, conceptual S&T models can provide valuable insights for managing a given ecosystem and for comparing and contrasting different ecosystem dynamics. We assembled a synthesis of 14 forest die-off case studies from around the globe, each with sufficient information to infer impacts on forest dynamics and to inform management options following a forest die-off event. For each, we developed a conceptual S&T model to identify alternative ecosystem states, pathways of ecosystem change, and points where management interventions have been, or may be, successful in arresting or reversing undesirable changes. We found that our diverse set of mortality case studies fit into three broad classes of ecosystem trajectories: (1) single-state transition shifts, (2) ecological cascading responses and feedbacks, and (3) complex dynamics where multiple interactions, mortality drivers, and impacts create a range of possible state transition responses. We integrate monitoring and management goals in a framework aimed to facilitate development of conceptual S&T models for other forest die-off events. Our results highlight that although forest die-off events across the globe encompass many different underlying drivers and pathways of ecosystem change, there are commonalities in opportunities for successful management intervention.

Agrobacterium is widely considered, when suitably modified, to be the most effective vector for gene transfer into plant cells. For a long time, many cereals crops (monocotyledonous plants) were recalcitrant species to genetic modification, mainly as a result of their recalcitrance to in-vitro regeneration and their resistance to Agrobacterium infection. However, recently Agrobacterium-mediated transformation has been used to transform monocot crops such as maize (Zea mays) but with severe restrictions on genotype suitability. This study was carried out to evaluate the transformation amenability of 2 Syrian maize varieties and 2 hybrids in comparison with the hybrid line Hi II by the Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation technique using a callus induction based system from immature zygotic embryos IZEs. A. tumefaciens strains EHA101, harbouring the standard binary vector pTF102, and the EHA105 containing the pBINPLUS/ARS:PpCBF1 vector were used. The effects of genotypes and the size of IZEs explants on callus induction and development were investigated. Results showed that callus induction and subsequent callus growth were significantly affected by the initial explant size. Calli induction from IZEs explants sized 1.5-2.00mm was 76%. Callus weight however decreased to 8.2g, compared with 11.7g of callus derived from IZEs >2.00mm. Callus induction ranged between 73.6-78.9% for varieties and hybrids respectively. Calli derived from varieties weighed significantly more than those initiated from the hybrids. Results demonstrated that Syrian maize genotypes were efficiently transformed via the A. tumefaciens strains but there was variation in transformation frequency. A transformation frequency of 3.7-4.2% was achieved for hybrids and varieties respectively confirming that the transformation frequency was genotype-dependent. The transformation frequency averaged between 3.2-5.6% for the EHA105 and EHA101 respectively. Fertile transgenic plants were regenerated from mature somatic embryos with an average regeneration frequency of 59.2 and 17% respectively for varieties and hybrids. Transgenic seeds of R0 and R1 progenies were produced from 74% of the outcrosses attempted and more than 98% of transgenic plants were normal in morphology. Fertile transgenic maize plants carrying the transferred gene CBF were produced using the Agrobacterium EHA105/PpCBF1 and these plants were shown to be more salt tolerant. Transient expression of the GUS gene was confirmed in transgenic calli, shoots, leaves, roots and floral parts of transgenic R0 and R1 progenies using histochemical GUS assays. The presence of the introduced bar and CBF genes in the genomic DNA of the transformants was confirmed by the PCR amplification. Further, the stable expression of the CBF and bar transgenes in the maize genome of transgenic R1 progeny was confirmed by qRT-PCR. The transformation protocol developed using an A. tumefaciens standard binary vector system was an effective and reproducible method to transform Syrian maize with an anti-stress gene in which fertile salt-resistant transgenic plants were routinely produced. This approach has great potential for development of Syrian maize breeding programmes for abiotic stress resistance for application in many areas in Syrian maize production.

Historically Bangladesh is a breeding ground for different climatic disasters due to its geographical location and the impacts are huge due to economic condition, high intensity of exposed population and dependency on nature. Climate change is causing an increase in the intensity and frequency of natural disasters. In Bangladesh, coastal areas are susceptible to cyclones, storm surge, salinity intrusion etc. and northern areas are susceptible to drought. In both these areas agriculture is the major mean of livelihood and agriculture is heavily dependent on nature and thus being severely affected by climatic disasters. In the face of climatic change and disasters farmers apply different adaptive measures to survive. Documenting and analyzing the local adaptation practices is vital to design a comprehensive model of adaptation to save agriculture in these areas. The main objective of this study was to find out the mechanism applied locally by the farmers to adapt with the changing climate. A qualitative case study approach was applied to understand the mechanisms in detail. In-depth interviews, Focus Group Discussions (FGD) and observations were tools applied for data collection. Male elderly farmers, elderly women from the community and Government Agriculture Officers were interviewed and FGDs were conducted with both male and female community people. Many local level adaptation practices were found. These adaptation practices can be divided broadly in three groups: protective measures, modification and alternative practice. Unavailability of required resources mostly because of poverty is a common challenge faced by the farmers during adapting to climate change. In some cases farmers are yet to find the best practices for best possible adaptations and in this regard institutional support with scientific knowledge could help to come up with best practices.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / Gethyllis multifolia L. Bolus and G. villosa Thunb. are winter-growing, summerblooming,deciduous and bulbous geophytes that grow naturally in the semi-arid succulent Karoo biome of South Africa. Both species grow under full sun conditions and have four distinctive growth phases: a winter (cold and wet) growing phase, leaf senescence phase towards spring, flowering phase during the hot and dry summer months, and fruit and leaf formation phase in autumn. The medicinal uses of this genus (including G. multifolia “Kukumakranka” and G.villosa “hairy kukumakranka”) range from cures for colic, digestive disturbances,teething problems, fatigue, boils, bruises and insect bites, to being used as an aphrodisiac. Gethyllis multifolia is threatened in its natural habitat and is listed in the ‘Vulnerable’ category of the ‘Red Data List of Southern African Plants’ and the ‘IUCN-World Conservation Union List of Plants’. The literature indicate that the habitats of both species are being exposed to drier conditions and is further threatened by the encroachment of invasive indigenous plant species. It is not known to which extent these factors may pose a threat to the existence of both species. The first objective of this investigation was to determine the costs of vegetative and reproductive growth during the seasonal life cycle of the plant, using carbon(C) and nitrogen (N) as a physiological currency. The second objective was to elucidate a functional basis to explain the difference in the conservation status of both species in their natural habitat. Both species were subjected to drought and shading as environmental stresses and the plant physiological performance was investigated via photosynthetic gas exchange. The third objective of the study was to evaluate the antioxidant content (total polyphenol, flavonol/flavone and flavanone content) and antioxidant capacity [ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) and 2,2'-azino-di-3-ethylbenzthiazoline sulphonate (ABTS) radical cation scavenging ability] of natural populations and plant samples that were exposed to photo-and-drought environmental stresses. This study was done to elucidate the antioxidant profile of plant parts of natural populations as well as providing farmers, traditional healers and pharmaceutical companies with cultivation environmental conditions to enhance the antioxidant properties of the species. This investigation also attempted to isolate and characterize, by means of thin-layer chromatography (TLC) and column chromatography (CC), natural compounds from both species to lend support to the purported antioxidant benefit of both species and to further lend support to claims made by traditional healers of the medicinal potential of the genus. This study, however, did not engage in any in vivo studies or human trials to support published literature of the medicinal benefits of the genus.

Studies and surveys on climate phenomena serve to plan the geographical space. In this sense, research has mainly focused on spatialization of the drought in Rio Grande do Sul from 1981 to 2011 and the location of land reform settlements (PA). The social issue was viewed from the location of land reform settlements and their susceptibility to drought. The steps to performing the research consist of literature review, data surveys in primary and secondary sources, such as INCRA and INPE. For the treatment of information and preparation of final maps, the SPRING and the QGIS software were used, along with Ordinary Kriging geostatistical technique. A fieldwork was also carried out in selected settlements from the location in areas of high drought occurrence in order to verify the susceptibility of the settlers. The results are divided into two parts: use of GIS and geostatistical technique for obtaining the spatial maps of drought occurrence per decade and synthesis map of occurrence for the whole period of analysis and the PA location map per drought occurrence class. The second part is the analysis and discussion of the results obtained in maps and tables with information about the settlements, in order to support the territorial planning. / Estudos e levantamentos sobre os fenômenos climáticos servem para planejar o espaço geográfico. Nesse sentido, a pesquisa tem como objetivo central a espacialização da estiagem no Rio Grande do Sul no período de 1981 a 2011 e a localização dos assentamentos da reforma agrária. Abordou-se a questão social a partir da localização dos assentamentos da reforma agrária e sua vulnerabilidade a estiagem. As etapas de realização da pesquisa consistem em revisão bibliográfica, levantamentos de dados em fontes primárias e secundárias, como INCRA e INPE. Para o tratamento das informações e elaboração dos mapas finais utilizou-se os softwares SPRING, QGIS, e técnica geoestatística da Krigagem Ordinária. Também realizou-se trabalho de campo em assentamentos selecionados a partir da localização em área de alta ocorrência de estiagem com a finalidade de verificar a suscetibilidade dos assentados. Os resultados dividem-se em duas partes: utilização de SIG e técnica geoestatística para a obtenção dos mapas de espacialização de ocorrência da estiagem por década e mapa síntese da ocorrência em todo o período de análise e o mapa de localização dos PAs por classe de ocorrência da estiagem. A segunda parte consiste na análise e discussão dos resultados obtidos nos mapas e tabelas com informações sobre os assentamentos, com a finalidade de subsidiar o planejamento territorial.

Exploring how drought influences growth, performance, and survival in different species is crucial to understanding the impacts of climate change on forest ecosystems. Here, we investigate the responses of two co-occurring pines (Pinus nigra and Pinus sylvestris) to interannual drought in east-central Spain by dendrochronological and wood anatomical features integrated with isotopic ratios of carbon (delta C-13) and oxygen (delta O-18) in tree rings. Our results showed that drought induces both species to allocate less carbon to build tracheid cell-walls but increases tracheid lumen diameters, particularly in the transition wood between early and latewood, potentially maximizing hydraulic conductivity but reducing resistance to embolism at a critical phase during the growing season. The thicker cell-wall-to-lumen ratio in P. nigra could imply that its xylem may be more resistant to bending stress and drought-induced cavitation than P. sylvestris. In contrast, the higher intrinsic water-use efficiency (iWUE) in P. sylvestris suggests that it relies more on a water-saving strategy. Our results suggest that narrower cell-walls and reduced growth under drought are not necessarily linked to increased iWUE. At our site P. nigra showed a higher growth plasticity, grew faster and was more competitive than P. sylvestris. In the long term, these sustained differences in iWUE and anatomical characters could affect forest species performance and composition, particularly under increased drought stress.

No description available.