One of the main goals of ecological research is to understand the factors that determine how communities are structured over both space and time. However, our understanding of any system is largely a function of the scale at which we make our observations. Thus, the mechanisms that determine patterns in community structure are likely to change depending on the scale of observation. This thesis explores how environmental variability affects community structure and species performance, and how the resulting patterns change as a function of scale. Specifically, I asses the role of variability in temperature, oxygen, pH, and chloride, on species richness, abundance, diversity, and species performance, at three observational scales: micro-spatial, local temporal, and landscape-temporal scales, in 49 natural erosional rock pool microcosms, located on the northern coast of Jamaica. I found that while environmental variability was not a primary determinant of species richness or abundance, it did play a role in determining species compositions in the pools. I also show that community patterns are strongly affected by the scale of observation. Recognizing scale-dependent changes in community patterns is a prerequisite for predicting the consequences of changes in ecological systems induced by variability in abiotic factors. / Thesis / Master of Science (MS)

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One of the main goals of ecological research is to understand the factors that determine how communities are structured over both space and time. However, our understanding of any system is largely a function of the scale at which we make our observations. Thus, the mechanisms that determine patterns in community structure are likely to change depending on the scale of observation. This thesis explores how environmental variability affects community structure and species performance, and how the resulting patterns change as a function of scale. Specifically, I asses the role of variability in temperature, oxygen, pH, and chloride, on species richness, abundance, diversity, and species performance, at three observational scales: micro-spatial, local-temporal, and landscape-temporal scales, in 49 natural erosional rock pool microcosms, located on the northern. coast of Jamaica. I found that while environmental variability was not a primary determinant of species richness or abundance, it did play a role in determining species compositions in the pools. I also show that community patterns are strongly affected by the scale of observation. Recognizing scale-dependent changes in community patterns is a prerequisite for predicting the consequences of changes in ecological systems induced by variability in abiotic factors. / Thesis / Master of Science (MS)

Human activity and other events can cause environmental changes to the habitat of organisms. The environmental changes effect the vital rates for a population. In order to predict the impact of these environmental changes on populations, we use two different models for population dynamics. One simpler linear model that ignores environmental competition between individuals and another model that does not. Our population models take into consideration the age distribution of the population and thus takes into consideration the impact of demographics. This thesis generalize two theorems, one for each model, developed by Sonja Radosavljevic regarding long term upper and lower bounds of a population with periodic birth rate ; see [6] and [5]. The generalisation consist in including the case where the periodic part of the birth rate can be expressed with a finite Fourier series and also infinite Fourier series under some constraints. The old theorems only considers the case when the periodic part of the birth rate can be expressed with one cosine term. From the theorems we discover a connection between the frequency of oscillation and the effect on population growth. From this derived connection we conclude that periodical changing environments can have both positive and negative effects on the population.

Ce travail est une contribution à l'étude de l'écologie trophique d'importants prédateurs de la partie Nord du système du Courant de Humboldt (NSCH), le chinchard (Trachurus murphyi), le maquereau (Scomber japonicus) et le calmar géant (Dosidicus gigas). Nous avons caractérisé la variabilité des modes d'alimentation de ces espèces à différentes échelles spatiotemporelles et fourni de nouvelles connaissances sur le comportement alimentaire de ces espèces, définies comme opportunistes par des travaux antérieurs. Pour ce faire, nous avons appliqué une variété de méthodes statistiques à un vaste jeu de données comprenant 27188 estomacs non vides. Sur cette base nous avons décrit l'organisation spatiale de la faune fourrage de ces prédateurs et documenté les changements dans la composition des proies en fonction de la taille de prédateurs et des conditions environnementales. Nos résultats indiquent que l'oxygène dissous jour un rôle clef dans ces processus. Nous avons également résolu un paradoxe sur l'alimentation du calmar géant: pourquoi ils ne se nourrissent guère sur l'immense biomasse d'anchois (Engraulis ringens) présente le long de la côte du Pérou? Nous avons montré que la présence d'une zone de minimum d'oxygène (ZMO) superficielle devant le Pérou pourrait limiter la cooccurrence entre calmars géant et anchois. Pour synthétiser ces résultats, nous avons proposé un modèle conceptuel de l'écologie trophique du calmar géant tenant compte du cycle ontogénétique, de l'oxygène et de la disponibilité des proies. Par ailleurs, nous avons montré que le chinchard et le maquereau se nourrissent des espèces les plus accessibles comme par exemple la galathée Pleurocondes monodon ou les larves zoea. Ces deux prédateurs présentent un chevauchement trophique mais, contrairement à ce qui avait été décrit dans d'autres études, le chinchard n'est pas aussi vorace que le maquereau. Le régime alimentaire de ces poissons est caractérisé par une forte variabilité spatio-temporelle et le talus continental s'avère être une importante frontière biogéographique. La composition du régime alimentaire des poissons prédateurs étudiés n'est pas nécessairement un indicateur cohérent de l'évolution de la biomasse des proies. Les événements El Niño ont eu un faible effet sur le taux de remplissage des estomacs et sur le régime alimentaire du chinchard et du maquereau. Par ailleurs les changements en diversité des proies à échelle décennale contredisent le classique paradigme de corrélation positive entre diversité et température. Finalement, les patrons globaux décrits dans ce travail, illustrent le comportement alimentaire opportuniste, les stratégies de vie et le haut degré de plasticité de ces espèces. Un tel comportement permet de s'adapter aux changements de l'environnement. / This work provides a contribution to a better understanding of the trophic ecology of important predators in the Northern Humboldt Current System, the jack mackerel (Trachurus murphyi), the chub mackerel (Scomber japonicus) and the jumbo squid (Dosidicus gigas) by the characterization of the highly variable feeding patterns of these species at different spatiotemporal scales. We provided new knowledge on the comparative trophic behaviour of these species, defined as opportunistic in previous investigations. For that purpose we applied a variety of statistical methods to an extensive dataset of 27,188 non-empty stomachs. We defined the spatial organization of the forage fauna of these predators and documented changes in prey composition according to predators' size and spatiotemporal features of environment. Our results highligh the key role played by the dissolved oxygen. We also deciphered an important paradox on the jumbo squid diet: why do they hardly forage on the huge anchovy (Engraulis ringens) biomass distributed of coastal Peru? We showed that the shallow oxygen minimum zone present off coastal Peru could hamper the co-occurrence of jumbo squids and anchovies. In addition, we proposed a conceptual model on jumbo squid trophic ecology including the ontogenetic cycle, oxygen and prey availability. Moreover we showed that the trophic behaviour of jack mackerel and chub mackerel is adapted to forage on more accessible species such as for example the squat lobster Pleurocondes monodon and Zoea larvae. Besides, both predators present a trophic overlap. But jack mackerel was not as voracious as chub mackerel, contradictorily to what was observed by others authors. Fish diet presented a high spatiotemporal variability, and the shelf break appeared as a strong biogeographical frontier. Diet composition of our fish predators was not necessarily a consistent indicator of changes in prey biomass. El Niño events had a weak effect on the stomach fullness and diet composition of chub mackerel and jack mackerel. Moreover, decadal changes in diet diversity challenged the classic paradigm of positive correlation between species richness and temperature. Finally, the global patterns that we described in this work, illustrated the opportunistic foraging behaviour, life strategies and the high degree of plasticity of these species. Such behaviour allows adaptation to changes in the environment.

Submitted by (edna.saturno@ufrpe.br) on 2017-02-08T11:57:22Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Aprigio Marques de Sousa Neto.pdf: 1174109 bytes, checksum: b0262e812fcb006c6f76782c56519e12 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-02-08T11:57:22Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Aprigio Marques de Sousa Neto.pdf: 1174109 bytes, checksum: b0262e812fcb006c6f76782c56519e12 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009-08-21 / In recent years, with the advent of global climate change, several studies have been developed in order to better understand the changes in the pelagic ocean environment and its effects on the main fishing resources explored in the three oceans. This present study was to evaluate the influences of environmental variability on the CPUE of bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus) caught by Brazilian longline fleet in the period from 1978 to 2008. For this, we analyzed the data on settings, seasonality, fishing areas, effort, catch, time of immersion, number of hooks / Basket and fishing time, and some environmental data such as sea surface temperature (SST), the depth of the layer of mixture (PCM) and the rate of illumination of the moon (IIL). We performed a cluster analysis with the aim of categorizing the fishing effort associated with the catches of different species, then an analysis with generalized additive models (GAMS) in order to assess the relationship between these factors and the CPUE from big eye tuna. The results showed that as regards the variable latitude, the higher values of CPUE occurred around the equator. The case of the month on the CPUE index, we observed the highest values between October and April. Already the level of lunar illumination on the CPUE showed an increasing trend of the new moon to crescent. The SST showed a positive trend with higher values occurring between 26 and 30° C on CPUE. The effect of PCM, highest CPUEs occurred in areas where the thermocline is closer to the surface, between 40 and 70 m. In relation to the variable year, positive effects were only observed from 2000. These results are probably related to the reproductive activity of the specie, which is focused off the Brazilian coast for spawning. / Nos últimos anos, com o advento das mudanças climáticas globais, diversos estudos vêm sendo desenvolvidos no intuito de melhor compreender às variações do ambiente pelágico oceânico e seus efeitos sobre os principais recursos pesqueiros explorados nos três oceanos.O presente estudo teve como objetivo avaliar as influências da variabilidade ambiental sobre a CPUE da albacora bandolim (Thunnus obesus) capturada pela frota espinheleira brasileira no período de 1978 à 2008. Para isto, foram analisados os dados referentes aos lançamentos, sazonalidade, área de pesca, esforço, captura, tempo de imersão, número de anzóis/samburá e turno de pesca, e alguns dados ambientais, como a Temperatura da Superfície do Mar (TSM), a Profundidade da Camada de Mistura (PCM) e o Índice de Iluminação da Lua (IIL). Foi realizada uma análise de cluster com o objetivo de categorizar o esforço de pesca associandoo as capturas de diferentes espécies e, em seguida, uma análise com Modelos Aditivos Generalizados (GAMs) com o intuito de avaliar a relação entre estes fatores e a CPUE da albacora bandolim. Os resultados obtidos mostraram que no que se refere a variável latitude, os maiores valores de CPUE ocorreram no entorno do equador. Se tratando do índice mês sobre a CPUE, observou-se os maiores valores entre outubro e abril. Já o índice de iluminação lunar sobre a CPUE apresentou uma tendência crescente de lua nova para quarto-crescente. A TSM mostrou uma tendência positiva com maiores valores ocorrendo entre 26° e 30°C sobre a CPUE. No efeito da PCM, as CPUEs mais elevadas ocorreram em áreas onde a termoclina encontra-se mais próxima da superfície, entre 40 e 70 m. Em relação à variável ano, efeitos positivos só foram observados a partir de 2000. Estes resultados estão provavelmente associados à atividade reprodutiva da espécie, que se concentra ao largo da costa brasileira para desova.

Submitted by (edna.saturno@ufrpe.br) on 2017-02-08T16:07:31Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Bruno de Oliveira.pdf: 2373684 bytes, checksum: 5f89aaf529fed3c21f21b9c51546d9b8 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-02-08T16:07:31Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Bruno de Oliveira.pdf: 2373684 bytes, checksum: 5f89aaf529fed3c21f21b9c51546d9b8 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010-08-31 / Conselho Nacional de Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico - CNPq / Analysis between the environmental variability in the pelagic ocean environment, distribution and abundance of the main oceanic fishing resources, have been evaluated in several studies, mainly with the intensification of global climate changes in the recent decades. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the relations between the catches (CPUE) of albacore(Thunnus alalunga) and some environmental parameters, together with spatio temporal data of fishing activities during the period between 1980 and 2007. The fishing data used, including the spatio temporal distribution of effort and catches are referred of long line fleet operations of Brazil (BNDA) and China Taipei (ICCAT). The environmental parameters (SST– Sea Surface Temperature and DML – Depth Mixed Layer) were obtained in international oceanographic data banks. Generalized Additive Models (GAM’s) were used for analyses between CPUE (dependent variable) and the environmental variability. Furthermore, spatio temporal aspect(latitude, longitude, month and year) of fish activity were included, in order to evidence the seasonality in catches. The results obtained show that the environmental variability on oceanographic conditions have a strong influence in the distribution and abundance of albacore, and, consequently, in its catch rate (CPUE). The SST (positive correlation with latitude, for the area of this study) was the most important environmental parameter in catch rates (CPUE). Besides that, we inferred that catches received a positive influence in areas where the thermocline is more superficial and there is a seasonal pattern in the distribution and abundance characteristic. These aspects seem to be in relation with the migratory movements of this specie in the South Atlantic Ocean, including the concentration along the Brazilian coast for spawn in austral summer. / Relações entre a variabilidade ambiental do ambiente pelágico oceânico e a distribuição e abundância relativa dos principais recursos pesqueiros oceânicos, vêm sendo avaliadas em diversos estudos, principalmente com a intensificação dos processos de mudanças climáticas, ocorridos em décadas recentes. O objetivo principal deste estudo foi avaliar a relação entre a captura (CPUE) da albacora branca (Thunnus alalunga) e algumas variáveis ambientais, juntamente com dados espaço-temporais da atividade pesqueira, referentes ao período compreendido entre 1980 e 2007. Os dados de pesca utilizados, incluindo a distribuição espaço-temporal do esforço de pesca e das capturas, são referentes à operação da frota espinheleira do Brasil (Banco Nacional da Pesca de Atuns e Afins) e de China Taipei (International Comission for Conservation of Atlantic Tunas, em inglês). Os dados ambientais (TSM – Temperatura da Superfície do Mar e PCM – Profundidade da Camada Mistura) foram obtidos de bancos internacionais de dados oceanográficos. Modelos Aditivos Generalizados (GAM’s) foram utilizados para averiguar as relações entre o rendimento pesqueiro, expresso através da CPUE (variável dependente), e à variabilidade ambiental. Além disto, aspectos espaço-temporais (latitude, longitude, mês e ano) foram incorporados, de modo a evidenciar a sazonalidade das capturas na área do estudo. Os resultados obtidos mostram que à variabilidade ambiental do ambiente oceanográfico influencia fortemente à distribuição e abundância da espécie e, consequentemente, das capturas. A TSM (correlação positiva com a latitude, para a área de estudo) foi o fator ambiental que mais influenciou a CPUE. Além disto, podemos inferir que as capturas sofrem influência positiva em áreas com a termoclina mais próxima da superfície aquática e que existe um padrão sazonal de distribuição e abundância bem marcado. Estes aspectos parecem estar relacionados com o padrão migratório da espécie no Atlântico sul, incluindo a concentração da mesma ao largo da costa brasileira para fins reprodutivos, durante o verão austral.

O dimensionamento da tecnologia trouxe consequências indesejáveis para manter a taxa de crescimento exponencial e levanta questões importantes relacionadas com a confiabilidade e robustez dos sistemas eletrônicos. Atualmente, microprocessadores modernos de superpipeline normalmente contêm milhões de dispositivos com cargas nos nós cada vez menores. Esse fator faz com que os circuitos sejam mais sensíveis a variabilidade ambiental e aumenta a probabilidade de um erro transiente acontecer. Erros transientes em circuitos sequenciais ocorrem quando uma única partícula energizada deposita carga suficiente perto de uma região sensível. Flip-Flops mestreescravo são os circuitos sequencias mais utilizados em projeto VLSI para armazenamento de dados. Se um bit-flip ocorrer dentro deles, eles perdem a informação prévia armazenada e podem causar um funcionamento incorreto do sistema. A fim de proporcionar sistemas mais confiáveis que possam lidar com os efeitos da radiação, este trabalho analisa o Fator de Vulnerabilidade Temporal (Timing Vulnerability Factor - TVF) em algumas topologias de flip-flops mestre-escravo em estágios de pipeline sob diferentes condições de operação. A janela de tempo efetivo que o bit-flip ainda pode ser capturado pelo próximo estágio é definido com janela de vulnerabilidade (WOV). O TVF corresponde ao tempo que o flip-flop é vulnerável a erros transientes induzidos pela radiação de acordo com a WOV e a frequência de operação. A primeira etapa deste trabalho determina a dependência entre o TVF com a propagação de falhas até o próximo estágio através de uma lógica combinacional com diferentes atrasos de propagação e com diferentes modelos de tecnologia, incluindo também as versões de alto desempenho e baixo consumo. Todas as simulações foram feitas sob as condições normais pré-definidas nos arquivos de tecnologia. Como a variabilidade se manifesta com o aumento ou diminuição das especificações iniciais, onde o principal problema é a incerteza sobre o valor armazenado em circuitos sequenciais, a segunda etapa deste trabalho consiste em avaliar o impacto que os efeitos da variabilidade ambiental causam no TVF. Algumas simulações foram refeitas considerando variações na tensão de alimentação e na temperatura em diferentes topologias e configurações de flip-flops mestre-escravo. Para encontrar os melhores resultados, é necessário tentar diminuir os valores de TVF, pois isso significa que eles serão menos vulneráveis a bit-flips. Atrasos de propagação entre dois circuitos sequenciais e frequências de operação mais altas ajudam a reduzir o TVF. Além disso, estas informações podem ser facilmente integradas em ferramentas de EDA para ajudar a identificar os flip-flops mestre-escravo mais vulneráveis antes de mitigar ou substituí-los por aqueles tolerantes a radiação. / Technology scaling has brought undesirable issues to maintain the exponential growth rate and it raises important topics related to reliability and robustness of electronic systems. Currently, modern super pipelined microprocessors typically contain many millions of devices with ever decreasing load capacitances. This factor makes circuits more sensitive to environmental variations and it is increased the probability to induce a soft error. Soft errors in sequential circuits occur when a single energetic particle deposits enough charge near a sensitive node. Master-slave flip-flops are the most adopted sequential elements to work as registers in pipeline and finite state machines. If a bit-flip happens inside them, they lose the previous stored information and may cause an incorrect system operation. To provide reliable systems that can cope with radiation effects, this work analysis the Timing Vulnerability Factor (TVF) of some master-slave D flip-flops topologies in pipeline stages under different operating conditions. The effective time window, which the bit-flip can still be captured by the next stage, is defined as Window of Vulnerability (WOV). TVF corresponds to the time that a flip-flop is vulnerable to radiation-induced soft errors according to WOV and clock frequency. In the first step of this work, it is determined the dependence between the TVF with the fault propagation to the next stage through a combinational logic with different propagation delays and with different nanometer technological models, including also high performance and low power versions. All these simulations were made under the pre-defined nominal conditions in technology files. The variability manifests with an increase or decreases to initial specification, where the main problem is the uncertainty about the value stored in sequential. In this way, the second step of this work evaluates the impact that environmental variability effect causes in TVF. Some simulations were redone considering supply voltage and temperature variations in different master-slave D flip-flop topologies configurations. To achieve better results, it is necessary to try to decrease the TVF values to reduce the vulnerability to bit-flips. The propagation delay between two sequential elements and higher clock frequencies collaborates to reduce TVF values. Moreover, all the information can be easily integrated into Electronic Design Automation (EDA) tools to help identifying the most vulnerable master-slave flip-flops before mitigating or replacing them by radiation hardened ones.

This research focused on population dynamics of two gelatinous zooplankters (Aequorea & Pyrosoma atlanticum) in the northern California Current to assess their relationship to environmental conditions and role in the pelagic ecosystem. Data collected since 1999 showed seasonal and interannual fluctuations in the abundance and distribution of Aequorea in the NCC, with a positive correlation with sea surface temperature and salinity. Pyrosoma atlanticum, which are typically found in tropical waters, have only been observed in high abundances in the NCC since 2014 and their role in the pelagic ecosystem is not well understood. Pyrosome abundance related to in situ environmental variables showed a positive correlation with warmer SST. We also used fatty acids as trophic markers to better understand pyrosome trophic ecology in the NCC. FA biomarkers suggest that pyrosomes have a broad phytoplankton diet, which may indicate an ability to inhabit warmer, lower nutrient zones. / 2020-01-11

O dimensionamento da tecnologia trouxe consequências indesejáveis para manter a taxa de crescimento exponencial e levanta questões importantes relacionadas com a confiabilidade e robustez dos sistemas eletrônicos. Atualmente, microprocessadores modernos de superpipeline normalmente contêm milhões de dispositivos com cargas nos nós cada vez menores. Esse fator faz com que os circuitos sejam mais sensíveis a variabilidade ambiental e aumenta a probabilidade de um erro transiente acontecer. Erros transientes em circuitos sequenciais ocorrem quando uma única partícula energizada deposita carga suficiente perto de uma região sensível. Flip-Flops mestreescravo são os circuitos sequencias mais utilizados em projeto VLSI para armazenamento de dados. Se um bit-flip ocorrer dentro deles, eles perdem a informação prévia armazenada e podem causar um funcionamento incorreto do sistema. A fim de proporcionar sistemas mais confiáveis que possam lidar com os efeitos da radiação, este trabalho analisa o Fator de Vulnerabilidade Temporal (Timing Vulnerability Factor - TVF) em algumas topologias de flip-flops mestre-escravo em estágios de pipeline sob diferentes condições de operação. A janela de tempo efetivo que o bit-flip ainda pode ser capturado pelo próximo estágio é definido com janela de vulnerabilidade (WOV). O TVF corresponde ao tempo que o flip-flop é vulnerável a erros transientes induzidos pela radiação de acordo com a WOV e a frequência de operação. A primeira etapa deste trabalho determina a dependência entre o TVF com a propagação de falhas até o próximo estágio através de uma lógica combinacional com diferentes atrasos de propagação e com diferentes modelos de tecnologia, incluindo também as versões de alto desempenho e baixo consumo. Todas as simulações foram feitas sob as condições normais pré-definidas nos arquivos de tecnologia. Como a variabilidade se manifesta com o aumento ou diminuição das especificações iniciais, onde o principal problema é a incerteza sobre o valor armazenado em circuitos sequenciais, a segunda etapa deste trabalho consiste em avaliar o impacto que os efeitos da variabilidade ambiental causam no TVF. Algumas simulações foram refeitas considerando variações na tensão de alimentação e na temperatura em diferentes topologias e configurações de flip-flops mestre-escravo. Para encontrar os melhores resultados, é necessário tentar diminuir os valores de TVF, pois isso significa que eles serão menos vulneráveis a bit-flips. Atrasos de propagação entre dois circuitos sequenciais e frequências de operação mais altas ajudam a reduzir o TVF. Além disso, estas informações podem ser facilmente integradas em ferramentas de EDA para ajudar a identificar os flip-flops mestre-escravo mais vulneráveis antes de mitigar ou substituí-los por aqueles tolerantes a radiação. / Technology scaling has brought undesirable issues to maintain the exponential growth rate and it raises important topics related to reliability and robustness of electronic systems. Currently, modern super pipelined microprocessors typically contain many millions of devices with ever decreasing load capacitances. This factor makes circuits more sensitive to environmental variations and it is increased the probability to induce a soft error. Soft errors in sequential circuits occur when a single energetic particle deposits enough charge near a sensitive node. Master-slave flip-flops are the most adopted sequential elements to work as registers in pipeline and finite state machines. If a bit-flip happens inside them, they lose the previous stored information and may cause an incorrect system operation. To provide reliable systems that can cope with radiation effects, this work analysis the Timing Vulnerability Factor (TVF) of some master-slave D flip-flops topologies in pipeline stages under different operating conditions. The effective time window, which the bit-flip can still be captured by the next stage, is defined as Window of Vulnerability (WOV). TVF corresponds to the time that a flip-flop is vulnerable to radiation-induced soft errors according to WOV and clock frequency. In the first step of this work, it is determined the dependence between the TVF with the fault propagation to the next stage through a combinational logic with different propagation delays and with different nanometer technological models, including also high performance and low power versions. All these simulations were made under the pre-defined nominal conditions in technology files. The variability manifests with an increase or decreases to initial specification, where the main problem is the uncertainty about the value stored in sequential. In this way, the second step of this work evaluates the impact that environmental variability effect causes in TVF. Some simulations were redone considering supply voltage and temperature variations in different master-slave D flip-flop topologies configurations. To achieve better results, it is necessary to try to decrease the TVF values to reduce the vulnerability to bit-flips. The propagation delay between two sequential elements and higher clock frequencies collaborates to reduce TVF values. Moreover, all the information can be easily integrated into Electronic Design Automation (EDA) tools to help identifying the most vulnerable master-slave flip-flops before mitigating or replacing them by radiation hardened ones.