The fairy circles are an intriguing and unexplained feature of the pro-Namib in Namibia and northwestern parts of South Africa. The presence of hundreds of almost circular patches where no plants grow were first mentioned in scientific literature in 1971 and since then scientists have tried to find an explanation for the origin of these circles. Although there are many hypotheses regarding the origin of these circles not one of these can explain the existence of these circles satisfactory. In this study several aspects of the fairy circles were investigated to improve the characterization of the phenomenon. Total element analysis of the soil from the different microhabitats (inside the circle, on the edge of the circle and between the circles, referred to hereafter as the matrix) and at different depths in these microhabitats were performed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and analyzed by principal component analysis (PCA). No patterns emerged regarding the concentration of the elements in the respective microhabitats. The occurrence of vesicular arbuscular mycorrhizae (VAM) in the roots of plants collected from the different microhabitats was also investigated. It was shown that VAM occurred in most of the roots of plants collected in the matrix and on the edge but no VAM were found in plants collected inside the circles. The succulent plant Euphorbia damarana has also been implicated in the origin of the circles. The presence of germination inhibiting compounds in this species was investigated. No such compounds were found. The extracts of it inhibited the growth of radicles of lettuce seeds at a concentration of 25 mg/ml. Bio-assays were also performed on soil collected in the different microhabitats using a dominant grass of the area, Stipagrostis uniplumis, as bioindicator. The fresh an dry shoot mass of plants harvested from soil collected on the edge and in the matrix grew much better than the shoots grown in soil collected from the inside of the circles (p = 0.0007). The dry shoot mass showed the same trend as the fresh shoot mass. The fresh root mass showed a marked increase in the roots collected from soil on the edge of circles when compared to plants grown in soil collected from the inside and the matrix (p = 0.013). There was a significant difference in the length of shoots measured in plants grown in the soils collected from the different microhabitats with the shoots measured from plants grown in the soil collected from the edge showing stimulation in growth when compared to the plants grown in soil from the matrix and inside the circles (p = 0.00004). The difference in shoot length between grasses grown in soil collected from the edge and the matrix was also significant (p = 0.00004) with the edge samples showing a stimulation in growth. / Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Plant Science / unrestricted

Dans cette thèse, nous étudions différentes structures de végétation issues de l’auto-organisation spatiale. Ce phénomène est visible dans des zones (semi-)arides où le potentiel d’évaporotranspiration dépasse sensiblement la moyenne des précipitations annuelles. Ce déficit hydrique freine le développement des plantes individuelles et, au niveau communautaire, stimule des comportements de « clustering » même si la topographie est isotrope. Dans ce contexte, nous adoptons une approche basée sur l’équation F-KPP non-locale permettant de formuler ces hypothèses en termes de propriétés des plantes individuelles.Une partie importante de cette thèse concerne l’étude d’un exemple de structure de végétation localisée bien connu dans la littérature, les cercles de fées. Les cercles de fées ont été découverts dans le désert de Namibie. Cependant, ces dernières années, ils ont aussi été observés en Australie. Plusieurs hypothèses ont été proposées dans la littérature. Nous proposons la compétition non-locale forte entre plantes individuelles (en utilisant un noyau de type Lorentzien) comme ingrédient principal pour expliquer la formation des cercles de fées. Le couplage non-local fort influence l’interaction entre fronts dans le régime bistable (loin de toute forme d’instabilité briseuse de symétrie). Dans le cas d’un couplage non-local faible, par exemple dans un noyau Gaussien, l’interaction entre fronts est toujours attractive. Par conséquent, les structures localisées qui résultent de l’interaction des fronts sont instables. Le couplage non-local fort peut induire la stabilisation de structures localisées que nous interprétons comme étant des cercles de fées. Notre mécanisme permet d’expliquer les principales caractéristiques des cercles de fées, comme la relation entre leur diamètre et la disponibilité des ressources. De plus, nous avons appliqué ces résultats à d’autres modèles de végétation. Nos résultats concordent avec les observations sur le terrain.Nous avons analysé la formation de « spots » de végétation dans la région Andine en Bolivie. Nous avons étudié comment un modèle standard d’interaction-redistribution génère des « spots », de longueur d’onde d'approximativement 1.36m, via une instabilité qui brise la symétrie. En considérant des paramètres réalistes, nos résultats concordent avec les observations sur le terrain.Enfin, nous avons étudié la formation de structure en forme de spirale dans un système qui couple la végétation et les herbivores dans un modèle proie-prédateur. Nous avons trouvé que le mécanisme qui induit la formation de spirales est l’excitabilité. Nos observations sur le terrain et nos résultats numériques du modèle montrent que les spirales de végétation ont une profondeur de quelques centimètres et une longueur de quelques mètres. En ce qui concerne l'échelle de temps, nos estimations donnent une période de rotation de l’ordre de 10 ans. / Option Physique du Doctorat en Sciences / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

Extraction is required to separate and concentrate trace level analytes from the sample matrix prior to gas chromatography (GC). Classical extraction procedures utilise large amounts of hazardous solvents, generate waste, and sensitivity limitations are associated with the injection of microlitre amounts of the final solvent extract. In response to real world challenges, and to overcome the problems associated with solvent extraction, novel silicone rubber (polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)) samplers were developed for solvent free enrichment of trace level analytes from indoor air, contaminated soil, desert soil, ultra high temperature (UHT) milk and Pinotage wine. Versatile PDMS samplers as a loop, a multichannel trap, or a denuder for trace environmental forensics, geochemical and aroma investigations are presented. A unique off-line multidimensional GC approach involving heart-cut gas chromatographic fraction collection is described, as is off-line olfactory assessment of recombined heart-cuts for synergistic odour effects. PDMS loop samplers were used for the extraction of DDT (1,1,1- trichloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl)ethane) and its associated environmental pollutants from soil samples. Miniature denuder samplers accomplished separate concentration of vapour phase and of particulate phase fractions of DDT and its associated environmental pollutants from indoor air, in a single step. Ratios of airborne p,p’-DDD/p,p’-DDT and of o,p’-DDT/p,p’-DDT are unusual and do not match the ideal certified ingredient composition required of commercial DDT. Results suggest that commercial DDT used for indoor residual spraying may have been compromised with regards to insecticidal efficacy, demonstrating the power of this new environmental forensics tool. Multichannel PDMS trap samplers were used in a unique heart-cut multidimensional GC approach for off-line enantiomeric separation of o,p’-DDT and o,p’-DDD in air and soil. This alternative multidimensional method is compared to the complementary technique of comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography with time-of-flight mass spectrometry detection (GCxGC-TOFMS). PDMS loop samplers were also employed for the solvent free extraction of hydrocarbons from desert soil to investigate, for the first time, a possible geochemical origin of the enigmatic fairy circles of Namibia. It is proposed that microseepages of natural gas and low volatility hydrocarbons are expressed at the surface as a geobotanical anomaly of barren circles and circles of altered vegetation. Multichannel PDMS trap samplers were utilised for sampling of the headspace of UHT milk and of Pinotage wine, and to study off-line, using a portable olfactometer, synergistic effects between recombined heart-cut aroma compounds. Olfactory results show that a synergistic combination of 2- heptanone and 2-nonanone was responsible for a pungent cheese-like odour in UHT milk, while a synergistic combination of furfural and 2-furanmethanol was responsible for a roast coffee bean-like odour in coffee style Pinotage wine. The small, low cost samplers are quick and easy to assemble and they fit commercial thermal desorber systems. The PDMS samplers are reusable. Solvent extraction of the sampling materials, extract clean-up and pre-concentration are not required. Thus, potential loss of analyte, introduction of contaminants and waste disposal are minimised. Solvent free thermal desorption permits transfer of the entire sample mass to the cooled injection system (CIS) inlet of a GC resulting in greater sensitivity when compared to injection of microlitre amounts of a solvent extract. This allowed for sampling of smaller sized soil samples, shorter air sampling times and lower air sampling flow rates when compared to solvent based methods. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / Chemistry / unrestricted