Os objetivos deste estudo foram quantificar a população de cães (Canis familiaris) e gatos (Felis catus) errantes em ambiente peri-urbano representado pelo Campus “Luiz de Queiroz" da Universidade de São Paulo, em Piracicaba, SP; descrever e comparar qualitativa e quantitativamente a dieta das duas espécies e estimar sua pressão de predação sobre as espécies silvestres de mamíferos. Durante os meses de julho de 2002 e janeiro de 2003, foram realizadas observações visuais e coletadas amostras de fezes de cães e gatos ao longo de uma transeção linear. Foram amostrados 0,276 km², ou 3,2% da área de 860ha do Campus. As características físicas de cada indivíduo (espécie, raça, pelagem, sexo, tamanho e marcas naturais) foram registradas para o cálculo da abundância das duas espécies na área amostrada, assim como o número de encontros por dia e por ambientes (rural e suburbano). A dieta foi analisada através das amostras de fezes que foram esterilizadas, lavadas, secas e triadas, sendo seus componentes identificados com o auxílio de referências bibliográficas. A importância de cada item foi expressa como porcentagem do número total de itens encontrados e como porcentagem de uma estimativa da biomassa consumida. A amplitude e sobreposição de nicho foram calculadas através dos índices de Levins e Pianka, respectivamente. O resultado da estimativa de abundância dos cães e gatos domésticos na área amostrada foi de 42 cães e 81 gatos. Cães e gatos são mais abundantes em ambiente suburbano que rural (T = 3,78, p < 0,001, N = 55; T = 8,38, p < 0,001, N = 55 respectivamente) e os gatos são mais abundantes que cães em ambiente suburbano (T = 6,76, p < 0,001, N = 55), porém não houve diferença significativa quanto à abundância de cães e gatos em ambiente rural (T = 0,82, p = 0,46, N = 55). Os resultados das análises das dietas indicam que os cães e gatos domésticos errantes são oportunistas de hábito generalista. Em 234 amostras de fezes foram detectadas 1212 ocorrências de 57 itens (68,4% de origem animal, 15,8% de origem vegetal e 15,8% formados por itens não alimentares). Considerando os itens de origem animal da dieta das duas espécies, invertebrados foram os mais consumidos, seguidos por mamíferos (cães: 57,05% e 25,15%; gatos: 63,24% e 20,51%, respectivamente). A amplitude de nicho (B) foi de 0,4463 para cães e 0,4892 para gatos. A sobreposição de nicho (O) foi próxima de completa (0,97108). O consumo de mamíferos por cães foi estimado entre 16,76 e 25,42 kg/ind/ano e por os gatos foi entre 2,01 e 2,9 kg/ind/ano, o que pode ser a causa das baixas densidades populacionais de pequenos mamíferos silvestres na área de estudo. / The goals of this study were to quantify the population of free-ranging dogs (Canis familiaris) and cats (Felis catus) in suburban areas; to describe and compare the diet of both species, and to estimate their predation pressure on the wildlife, at Campus " Luiz of Queiroz " of the University of São Paulo, in Piracicaba, SP. During the months of July 2002 and January 2003, visual observations and scats collection of dogs and cats were accomplished along a transect line. The sampled area comprised 0.276 km², or 3.2% of the 860ha of the Campus area. Physical characteristics of each individual (species, race, fur, sex, size and natural marks) were registered for the calculation of the abundance of both species in the sampled area, as well as the number of encounters a day and the environment (rural and suburban). The diet was analyzed through scats sterilized, washed, dried and sorted. Their components were identified with the aid of bibliographical references. The importance of each item was expressed as the percentage of the total number of items found and as the percentage of an estimate of the consumed biomass. Breadth and overlap niche were calculated through the indexes of Levins and Pianka, respectively. The results of estimate abundance of free-ranging dogs and cats in the sampled area were of 42 and 81 respectively. Dogs and cats are more abundant in suburban than rural environment (T = 3.78, p <0.001, N = 55; T = 8.38, p <0.001, N = 55 respectively) and the cats are more abundant than dogs in suburban environment (T = 6.76, p <0.001, N = 55), even though there was no significant difference between the abundance of dogs and cats in rural environment (T = 0.82, p = 0.46, N = 55). The results of diet analyses indicated that free-ranging dogs and cats are opportunistic predators of generalist habit. In 234 samples of scats 1212 occurrences of 57 items (68.4% of animal origin, 15.8% of vegetable origin and 15.8% formed by no food items) were detected. Considering the items of animal origin found in the diet of both species, invertebrates were the most consumed, followed by mammals (dogs: 57.05% and 25.15%; cats: 63.24% and 20.51%, respectively). Niche breadth (B) was 0.4463 for dogs and 0.4892 for cats. Niche overlap (O) was almost complete (0.97108). The consumption of mammals was estimated between 16.76 and 25.42 kg/ind/year for dogs and between 2.01 and 2.9 kg/ind/year for cats. This is a possible reason for the low population densities of small wild mammals in the study area.

Submitted by Edisangela Bastos (edisangela@ufpa.br) on 2013-09-17T15:35:23Z No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 23898 bytes, checksum: e363e809996cf46ada20da1accfcd9c7 (MD5) Dissertacao_UsoFaunaCinegetica.pdf: 1718032 bytes, checksum: 36a85237e3675f81db9977b812a90ff2 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Ana Rosa Silva(arosa@ufpa.br) on 2013-09-27T15:07:14Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 23898 bytes, checksum: e363e809996cf46ada20da1accfcd9c7 (MD5) Dissertacao_UsoFaunaCinegetica.pdf: 1718032 bytes, checksum: 36a85237e3675f81db9977b812a90ff2 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2013-09-27T15:07:14Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 23898 bytes, checksum: e363e809996cf46ada20da1accfcd9c7 (MD5) Dissertacao_UsoFaunaCinegetica.pdf: 1718032 bytes, checksum: 36a85237e3675f81db9977b812a90ff2 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008 / A caça e a pesca são exemplos clássicos de exploração de recursos naturais pelo homem, uma vez que estas atividades vêm sendo desenvolvidas desde a pré-história e, para algumas comunidades, continua sendo fonte de alimento tão importante quanto era para nossos antepassados. A pesca e outros produtos oriundos do extrativismo vegetal têm sido alvo constante de pesquisas para atender o mercado industrial, em detrimento dos estudos de etnoconservação. Em conseqüência desse desinteresse institucional e de outros fatores políticos intrínsecos, pouco se sabe sobre a biologia, a ecologia, a etologia e principalmente sobre a intensidade de exploração da fauna cinegética nos trópicos. Há uma grande lacuna sobre estudos que tratam da dieta de populações tradicionais na Amazônia, sobretudo aqueles que discorrem sobre a importância econômica e nutricional da atividade de caça e sua correlação com a conservação da vida silvestre. Este Estudo de Caso orientou-se para realizar a caracterização da fauna cinegética explorada por famílias extrativistas nas comunidades Aminã e Solimões na Reserva Extrativista do Tapajós/Arapiuns - PA, nas duas estações do ano (chuva e seca), além de revelar parâmetros nutricionais da atividade de caça na dieta protéica daquelas famílias. Os dados de abundância relativa (biomassa) para as espécies registrada nas duas comunidades estudadas mostram que Dasyprocta leporina (cutia) se revelou como a espécie mais pressionada. Quando comparados os Índice de Biomassa (IB) entre as fontes de proteínas animal e entre as comunidades estudadas, concluiu-se que a carne de caça, apesar de ser menos freqüente em termos de dias de consumo em relação ao pescado, as refeições realizadas com carne de caça são mais fartas do que as refeições realizadas com peixe. Além disso, com relação ao Índice de Proteína (IP), quando comparado entre fontes critérios e parâmetros para a implementação de projetos de manejo integrado de fauna em ocupações humanas. / Since the pre-history hunting and fishing have been the classic examples of men´s exploration of natural resources and, for some communities these are still the main source of food. However, the fishing and some products originating from the vegetable extractives have been the mainly goal of researches of the industrial market instead of studies of etnoconservation. In consequence of this institutional indifference and another intrinsic political factors just a little bit is known about the biology, the ecology, the etology and mainly about the intensity of exploration of the cynegetic fauna in tropics. There are not many studies about the food of traditional populations in Amazon mainly when is referring to the economic and nourishment importance of hunting and its relationship to the wildlife conservation. This 'Study of Case' was guided to accomplish the characterization of the cynegetic fauna explored by extractivist families of Aminã and Solimões communities (Tapajós/Arapiuns Extractivist Reserve) during the two season of the year (raining and drying season), and also showed the nourishment parameters of the protein indicatives of hunting activities for those families. The datas of relative abundance (biomass) of the species registered in both studied communities show that Dasyprocta leporine (cutia) was the more pressed specie. When examine the Indicative of Biomass (IB) between the sources of animal proteins and among the studied communities the conclusion is when the meal is made with hunting flesh although not often is more plenty than fishing. Referring to Indicative of Protein (IP), when observed among the several sources was verified when the meal is done with hunting flesh overwhelming all the other sources in terms of protein concentration then making the hunting flesh the most nutritious meal. The present study has the potential of contributing with important scientific information for the administration of the cynegetic resources and, consequently, to contribute with the definition of criterion and parameters for the launching of integrated handle projects of human occupations.

La compréhension des processus contrôlant le fonctionnement des mangroves est capitale au vu des services socio-économiques/écosystémiques rendus par ces écosystèmes et des menaces qu’ils subissent. En Guyane Française, les mangroves se développent rapidement en réponse aux contraintes sédimentaires récurrentes induites naturellement par les apports sédimentaires amazoniens. Cette thèse étudie la structure et la composition de trois classes de taille de communautés benthique (méso, macro, mégafaune), et les activités de bioturbation associées (remaniement sédimentaire biologique : RS, terriers) dans les jeunes stades de mangrove. 51 taxons de méso-macrofaune et 12 espèces de crabes (mégafaune) ont été identifiés. Bien que la biodiversité benthique soit spécifique à l'âge de la mangrove, des taxons tolèrent les modifications brusques du milieu, et cette persistance maintient des fonctions clés du remaniement sédimentaire tout au long du développement des mangroves. L’intensité du RS varie le long de ce gradient (21-146 g PS.m-2.cycle tidal-1). Si les crabes dominent le RS, cette thèse souligne la contribution effective de la méso-macrofaune aux transports particulaires. Les communautés benthiques montrent des capacités de bioturbation adaptées aux instabilités récurrentes du littoral. Les variations du RS au cours du temps pourraient indiquer l’état fonctionnel des mangroves. Cette étude conclut que l’hétérogénéité morpho-sédimentaire au sein des jeunes stades de mangroves influence la structuration spatiale des crabes, le remaniement sédimentaire qu’ils induisent, et la morphologie des terriers. Les microhabitats devraient être considérés lors de l'évaluation du rôle fonctionnel de la faune benthique des mangroves. / Understanding the processes that control mangroves functioning is essential regarding the socioeconomic/ecosystemic services these ecosystems provide and the increasing threats they suffer. In French Guiana, mangroves grow rapidly in response to natural sedimentary perturbations caused by sediment inputs from the Amazon River. This thesis characterizes the structure and the composition of benthic fauna communities (three size classes: meso-, macro- and megafauna) and the associated bioturbation activities (biological sediment reworking: SR, burrows) in mangrove early growth stages. 51 meso- macrofaunal taxa and 12 crab (megafauna) species were identified.Despite a mangrove age specific biodiversity, some taxa tolerate abrupt environmental changes, and such persistence maintains key sediment reworking functions along mangrove development.The SR intensity varies along this gradient from 21 to 146 g DW.m-2.tidal cycle-1. Burrower crabs dominate the SR but this thesis also outlines the non-negligible contribution of smaller-sized (meso- and macrofauna) organisms to particulate transport. Benthic communities’ bioturbation capacities are adapted to recurrent environmental instabilities. Changes of the biologicallyinduced SR may be used as a proxy of the functional status of mangrove ecosystems. This study concludes that morpho-sedimentary heterogeneity of early-growth mangrove stages influences crab spatial structuration, the crab-induced sediment reworking and burrow shapes. Thus, microhabitat specificities should be considered when evaluating the role of benthic fauna in mangroves ecosystem functioning.

The insect fauna of two Lupinus angustifolius cultivars (Fest and Uniharvest) was surveyed between October, 1978 and March, 1979. The main sampling methods were sweepnetting, use of the D-Vac, and pod removal. Glasshouse experiments were carried out with species showing pest potential (based on the survey). These species were Acyrthosiphon pisum (Harris), Nysius huttoni White, and Sidnia kinbergi (Stalenberg). While A. pisum and S. kinbergi had their pest potential confirmed, N. huttoni did not. Although the aphids Acyrthosiphon kondoi Shinji, Macrosiphum euphorbiae (Thompson) and Myzus persicae (Sulzer) were not studied in the laboratory, field data indicated their pest potential. Insects to show lesser pest potential were Calocoris norvegicus (Gmelin), Hylemyia deceptiva Malloch, and Hylemyia platura (Meigen). Important potential predators or parasites were Austromicromus tasmaniae (Walker), Coccinella undecimpunctata L., Tropiconabis capsiformis (Germar), some Araneae species and single unidentified species of Braconidae and Eulophidae. The cultivar Uniharvest was the preferred host presumably because it does not possess the toxic alkaloids of Fest. However, crop loss through insect damage appeared unimportant compared to the 10% loss of Uniharvest caused by the aphid-borne bean yellow mosaic virus.

A population of spotted-tailed quolls Dasyurus maculatus was studied for three years (2002-2004) in the lower catchment of the Jacobs River, in the Byadbo Wilderness Area of southern Kosciuszko National Park, south-eastern New South Wales, Australia. Survey and monitoring of quoll latrine sites and prey populations, dietary analysis and live-trapping was carried out for one year before and two years after the widespread wildfires of January 2003, which had a very high impact on the study area. Survey for spotted-tailed quoll latrine sites was successful in locating a total of 90 latrine sites in the Jacobs River study area over the three years of the study. These were found throughout all parts of the topography among large, complex granite outcrops and along rocky sections of riparian habitat. After the fire in 2003, lower numbers of latrines were in use than observed pre-fire, and there was a lower level of usage (number of scats) of individual latrines. Continued monitoring in 2004 revealed that many latrines that had become inactive in 2003 following the fire were re-activated in the second breeding season following fire. 1466 spotted-tailed quoll scats were collected from latrines and live-trapped quolls over the three years of the study. Hair analysis from scats identified twenty-two different species of mammal in the diet of the spotted-tailed quoll from the Jacobs River study area, representing the majority of all prey identified (98.5% occurrence) and contributing almost all of the biomass consumed (99.6%). Medium-sized mammals were the most important prey category, followed by small mammals, large mammals (most likely taken as carrion) and non-mammalian prey (birds, reptiles, insects and plants). Brushtail possums were the most important single prey item by both frequency of occurrence and percentage biomass in all years, followed by lagomorphs (rabbits and hares), Rattus spp., and swamp wallabies. There was a significant difference in the composition of the diet by major prey category across the years of the study as a result of the fire, indicated by a shift in utilisation of food resources by quolls in response to significant changes in prey availability. Monitoring of prey populations revealed that brushtail possums, lagomorphs and bandicoots were all significantly less abundant in the study area in the winter directly following the fire, followed by a significant increase in abundance of lagomorphs, but not of possums, in the second winter after the fire. Quolls adapted well to this altered prey availability. While there was a significant decrease in occurrence of brushtail possum in scats after the fire, significantly more scats contained hair of lagomorphs, to the point where almost equal proportions of lagomorphs and possum hair occurred in scats by the winter of 2004. Other fire-induced changes to the diet were evident, such as a significant drop in the occurrence of small mammals in scats for both winters after the fire, and a peak in occurrence of large mammals in the winter directly following the fire that strongly suggests there was a short-term increase in the availability of carrion. A large, high-density population of spotted-tailed quolls was live-trapped and marked during the winter breeding season of 2002. Twenty-two quolls (13 male and 9 female) were present in the study area in 2002, and subsequent trapping over the 2003 and 2004 winter breeding seasons following the fire revealed that the high-intensity wildfire did not result in the extinction of the local population. There was evidence of a small, short-term decline in the number of quolls present in the study area in the 2003 breeding season, with 16 individual quolls captured. Males were outnumbered two-to-one by females, due either to mortality or emigration. Trapping in 2004 showed a recovery of the population to numbers exceeding that observed prior to the fire, with 26 individuals captured (16 male, 10 female), most likely as a result of immigration. There was some evidence that recruitment of young from the post-fire breeding season in 2003 was reduced because of the fire. This study took advantage of an unplanned wildfire event to monitor the response of a population of spotted-tailed quolls and their prey. In this regard it was fortuitous since it has been recognised that the use of replicates and controls in the study of the impacts of wildfire on such species is likely to be logistically impossible. Consequently, the effects of fire on forest and woodland fauna such as the spotted-tailed quoll are poorly understood, with many authors expressing concern that, potentially, wildfires are likely to be highly detrimental to resident quoll populations. The results of this study, however, concur with the few other studies in which forest mammal populations have been monitored before and after wildfire in suggesting that wildfires may not be as destructive to fauna as that imagined. The results of this work will provide information to assist in the preparation of management strategies for the species, such as recovery plans, as well as information for land managers preparing management plans, including fire management plans, for habitats in which spotted-tailed quolls are found throughout their range.

In this thesis I present and test a methodology for developing a stand scale index of structural complexity. If properly designed such an index can act as a summary variable for a larger set of stand structural attributes, providing a means of ranking stands in terms of their structural complexity, and by association, their biodiversity and vegetation condition. This type of index can also facilitate the use of alternative policy instruments for biodiversity conservation, such as mitigation banking, auctions and offsets, that rely on a common currency – the index value – that can be compared or traded between sites. My intention was to establish a clear and documentable methodology for developing a stand scale index of structural complexity, and to test this methodology using data from real stands.¶ As a starting point, I reviewed the literature concerning forest and woodland structure and found there was no clear definition of stand structural complexity, or definitive suite of structural attributes for characterising it. To address this issue, I defined stand structural complexity as a combined measure of the number of different structural attributes present in a stand, and the relative abundance of each of these attributes. This was analogous to approaches that have quantified diversity in terms of the abundance and richness of elements. It was also concluded from the review, that stand structural complexity should be viewed as a relative, rather than absolute concept, because the potential levels of different structural attributes are bound within certain limits determined by the inherent characteristics of the site in question, and the biota of the particular community will have evolved to reflect this range of variation. This implied that vegetation communities with naturally simple structures should have the potential to achieve high scores on an index of structural complexity.¶ I proposed the following five-stage methodology for developing an index of stand structural complexity: 1. Establish a comprehensive suite of stand structural attributes as a starting point for developing the index, by reviewing studies in which there is an established relationship between elements of biodiversity and structural attributes. 2. Develop a measurement system for quantifying the different attributes included in the comprehensive suite. 3. Use this measurement system to collect data from a representative set of stands across the range of vegetation condition (highly modified to unmodified) and developmental stages (regrowth to oldgrowth) occurring in the vegetation communities in which the index is intended to operate. 4. Identify a core set of structural attributes from an analysis of these data. 5. Combine the core attributes in a simple additive index, in which attributes are scored relative to their observed levels in each vegetation community.¶ Stage one of this methodology was addressed by reviewing a representative sample of the literature concerning fauna habitat relationships in temperate Australian forests and woodlands. This review identified fifty-five studies in south-east and south-west Australia, in which the presence or abundance of different fauna were significantly (p&lt0.05) associated with vegetation structural attributes. The majority of these studies concerned bird, arboreal mammal, and ground mammal habitat requirements, with relatively fewer studies addressing the habitat requirements of reptiles, invertebrates, bats or amphibians. Thirty four key structural attributes were identified from these fifty-five studies, by grouping similar attributes, and then representing each group with a single generic attribute. This set, in combination with structural attributes identified in the earlier review, provided the basis for developing an operational set of stand level attributes for the collection of data from study sites.¶ To address stages two and three of the methodology, data were collected from one woodland community –Yellow Box-Red Gum (E. melliodora-E. Blakelyi ) – and two dry sclerophyll forest communities – Broadleaved Peppermint-Brittle Gum (E. dives-E. mannifera ), Scribbly Gum-Red Stringybark (E. rossii E. macrorhyncha ) – in a 15,000 km2 study area in the South eastern Highlands Bioregion of Australia. A representative set of 48 sites was established within this study area, by identifying 24 strata, on the basis of the three vegetation communities, two catchments, two levels of rainfall and two levels of condition, and then locating two sites (replicates) within each stratum. At each site, three plots were systematically established, to provide an unbiased estimate of stand level means for 75 different structural attributes.¶ I applied a three-stage analysis to identify a core set of attributes from these data. The first stage – a preliminary analysis – indicated that the 48 study sites represented a broad range of condition, and that the two dry sclerophyll communities could be treated as a single community, which was structurally distinct from the woodland community. In the second stage of the analysis, thirteen core attributes were dentified using the criteria that a core attribute should:¶ 1. Be either, evenly or approximately normally distributed amongst study sites; 2. Distinguish between woodland and dry sclerophyll communities; 3. Function as a surrogate for other attributes; 4. Be efficient to measure in the field. The core attributes were: Vegetation cover &lt0.5m Vegetation cover 0.5-6.0m; Perennial species richness; Lifeform richness; Stand basal area of live trees; Quadratic mean diameter of live stems; ln(number of regenerating stems per ha+1); ln(number of hollow bearing trees per ha+1);ln(number of dead trees per ha+1);sqrt(number of live stems per ha &gt40cm dbh); sqrt(total log length per ha); sqrt(total largelog length per ha); Litter dry weight per ha. This analysis also demonstrated that the thirteen core attributes could be modelled as continuous variables, and that these variables were indicative of the scale at which the different attributes operated.¶ In the third and final stage of the analysis, Principal Components Analysis was used to test for redundancy amongst the core attributes. Although this analysis highlighted six groupings, within which attributes were correlated to some degree, these relationships were not considered sufficiently robust to justify reducing the number of core attributes.¶ The thirteen core attributes were combined in a simple additive index, in which, each attribute accounted for 10 points in a total index value of 130. Attributes were rescaled as a score from 0-10, using equations that modelled attribute score as a function of the raw attribute data. This maintained a high correlation (r > 0.97, p< 0.0001) between attribute scores and the original attribute data. Sensitivity analysis indicated that the index was not sensitive to attribute weightings, and on this basis attributes carried equal weight. In this form my index was straightforward to apply, and approximately normally distributed amongst study sites.¶ I demonstrated the practical application of the index in a user-friendly spreadsheet, designed to allow landowners and managers to assess the condition of their vegetation, and to identify management options. This spreadsheet calculated an index score from field data, and then used this score to rank the site relative to a set of reference sites. This added a regional context to the operation of the index, and is a potentially useful tool for identifying sites of high conservation value, or for identifying sites where management actions have maintained vegetation quality. The spreadsheet also incorporated the option of calculating an index score using a subset of attributes, and provided a measure of the uncertainty associated with this score.¶ I compared the proposed index with five prominent indices used to quantify vegetation condition or habitat value in temperate Australian ecosystems. These were: Newsome and Catling’s (1979) Habitat Complexity Score, Watson et al.’s (2001) Habitat Complexity Score, the Site Condition Score component of the Habitat Hectares Index of Parkes et al. (2003), the Vegetation Condition Score component of the Biodiversity Benefits Index of Oliver and Parkes (2003), and the Vegetation Condition Score component of the BioMetric Assessment Tool of Gibbons et al. (2004). I found that my index differentiated between study sites better than each of these indices. However, resource and time constraints precluded the use of a new and independent data set for this testing, so that the superior performance of my index must be interpreted cautiously.¶ As a group, the five indices I tested contained attributes describing compositional diversity, coarse woody debris, regeneration, large trees and hollow trees – these were attributes that I also identified as core ones. However, unlike these indices, I quantified weeds indirectly through their effect on indigenous plant diversity, I included the contribution of non-indigenous species to vegetation cover and did not apply a discount to this contribution, I limited the direct assessment of regeneration to long-lived overstorey species, I used stand basal area as a surrogate for canopy cover, I quantified litter in terms of biomass (dry weight) rather than cover, and I included the additional attributes of quadratic mean diameter and the number of dead trees.¶ I also concluded that Parkes et al. (2003), Oliver and Parkes (2003), and Gibbons et al. (2004), misapplied the concept of benchmarking, by characterising attributes in terms of a benchmark range or average level. This ignored processes that underpin variation at the stand level, such as the increased development of some attributes at particular successional stages, and the fact that attributes can respond differently to disturbance agents. It also produced indices that were not particularly sensitive to the differences in attribute levels occurring between stands. I suggested that a more appropriate application of benchmarking would be at the overarching level of stand structural complexity, using a metric such as the index developed in this thesis. These benchmarks could reflect observed levels of structural complexity in unmodified natural stands at different successional stages, or thresholds for structural complexity at which a wide range of biota are present, and would define useful goals for guiding on-ground management.

Die Fischfauna der Mongolei umfasst 64 Arten, von denen aktuell in der Roten Liste elf Arten als regional bedroht und vier Arten als potentiell bedroht eingestuft werden. Eine der wichtigsten Ursachen für den Rückgang der Arten ist der Gold-Tagebau. Viele Goldvorkommen lagern in alluvialen Sedimenten der Fließgewässerauen und werden durch großflächigen Abbau und mechanische Auswaschungsprozesse gewonnen. Dies führt zu erheblichen Störungen im Schwebstoff- und Stoffhaushalt der Fließgewässer und beeinflusst die Habitatverfügbarkeit und -qualität für die Fischfauna. Das primäre Ziel der Arbeit war daher die abiotische und ichthyologische Charakterisierung ausgewählter Referenzgewässer sowie durch Gold-Tagebau beeinflusster Gewässer und die Quantifizierung der Einflüsse des Gold-Tagebaus. Ein weiteres Ziel lag in der Formulierung von angepassten Managementstrategien für eine nachhaltige Entwicklung des expandierenden Bergbausektors in der Mongolei. Die Untersuchungen fanden in den Jahren 2003 bis 2006 an vier rhitralen Gewässern des Khentii-Gebirges im Nord-Osten der Mongolei statt. Die Erfassung der Fischbestände erfolgte mit Hilfe von Elektrofischfanganlagen und Reusen, wobei die vorkommenden Habitate repräsentativ erfasst wurden. Zusätzlich erfolgten Untersuchungen zum Stoffhaushalt der Gewässer und der Gewässersohle. Die relevanten Habitate wurden kartiert und Experimente zum Wanderverhalten ausgewählter Arten durchgeführt. Die Untersuchungen erbrachten folgende wesentliche Ergebnisse: 1. Die Fischfauna der untersuchten Gewässer umfasste 14 Taxa mit überwiegend rhitralen Charakterarten wie Salmoniden, Äschen und Elritzen. Die Fischbestände wiesen eine sehr hohe saisonale Dynamik auf, wobei kleinere Fließgewässer im Herbst verlassen und im Frühjahr neu besiedelt wurden. 2. Der Gold-Tagebau führte zu erhöhten Schwebstoffkonzentrationen und zur Kolmation des hyporheischen Interstitials. Die physikalisch-chemischen Untersuchungen ergaben vor allem eine signifikante Erhöhung der Wassertemperaturen in den belasteten Gewässerabschnitten. Durch den Gold-Tagebau wurden weiterhin die Auenvegetation und die natürlichen Uferstrukturen zerstört, was zu vielfältigen Habitatveränderungen führt. 3. Die untersuchten Effekte des Gold-Tagebaus sind als sublethal und verhaltens-verändernd einzustufen. Sie wirken sich z.B. auf das funktionale Gefüge der verschiedenen trophischen Ebenen des Fließgewässerökosystems aus. So wiesen zahlreiche Fischarten einen signifikant verringerten Konditionsfaktor auf, der offensichtlich bottom-up gesteuert durch verminderten Aufwuchs und geringere Abundanzen des Makrozoobenthos verursacht wird. Auch wurde ein deutlicher Einfluss auf die Fischwanderung festgestellt, der vermutlich durch ungünstige physikalisch-chemische oder hydraulische Habitateigenschaften innerhalb des Abbaugebiets verursacht wird. Für Arktische Äschen und Lenok ist das Abbaugebiet nicht oder nur eingeschränkt passierbar. 4. Die Kolmation des Kieslückensystems führte zum Verlust von Laich- und Überwinterungshabitaten und ist daher als ein gravierender Einflussfaktor für die lokale Fischfauna einzustufen. 5. Letale Effekte wie Kiemen- oder Schleimhautverletzungen auf Grund von direkter Schädigung der Tiere durch die erhöhten Schwebstofffrachten wurden nicht beobachtet. Im Rahmen der Arbeit wurden ökologische Grundlagenkenntnisse zu Fischbeständen und Populationsdynamiken im Nord-Osten der Mongolei erarbeitet. Diese Informationen tragen zu einem besseren Verständnis der Gefährdungsursachen bei. Auf Basis der gewonnenen Erkenntnisse über die Ökologie der Arten und der Einflüsse des Gold-Tagebaus wurden Managementempfehlungen unterschiedlicher Priorität formuliert und an Hand eines Fallbeispiels exemplarisch bearbeitet. Darüber hinaus wurden Grundlagen für ein ökologisches Monitoring des Gold-Tagebaus entwickelt. / The fish fauna of Mongolia comprises 64 species of which eleven are regionally endangered and four potentially endangered according to the Red List of Mongolian Fish. Gold mining is regarded as one of the major causes for declining fish populations. Many gold deposits are found in the alluvial sediments of the floodplains and are extracted by large scale mining and mechanical elutriation. This heavily disturbs the balance of suspended sediments and matter in running waters and affects the habitat availability and quality for the fish fauna. Thus, the primary objective of this study was the abiotic and ichthyological characterization of selected reference waters and waters influenced by gold mining as well as the quantification of gold mining effects. Furthermore, an aim was the formulation of management strategies for a sustainable development of the expanding mining sector in Mongolia. The investigation took place from 2003 to 2006 at four rhitral waters of the Khentii Mountains in north-east Mongolia. Data acquisition of the fish fauna was carried out with electric fishing devices and fish traps on representative habitats. In addition, the balance of mater and characteristics of the hyporheic zone were analyzed, relevant habitats mapped and the migratory behavior of selected species experimentally studied. The following major results were obtained from this research: 1. The fish fauna of the examined waters comprised 14 taxa dominated by rhitral characteristic species like salmonids, arctic grayling and minnows. The fish population was strongly seasonally influenced, whereas small running waters being repopulated yearly in spring. 2. Gold mining brings about an increase in concentrations of suspended sediment and clogging of the hyporheic interstitial. Physical-chemical investigations primarily identified a significant rise in water temperatures in the polluted water sectors. Furthermore, gold mining degrades floodplain vegetation and natural bank structures causing varied habitat changes. 3. The examined gold mining effects are sublethal to fish or influence their behavior. They disrupt the functional arrangement of the different trophic levels of the river ecosystem. Thus, the condition of some fish species was significantly decreased, evidently regulated bottom-up by depleted periphyton and reduced abundances of macro invertebrates. Moreover, a strong influence on the river continuum was assessed. Arctic grayling and lenok did not migrate through the mining area, possibly due to unfavorable physical-chemical or hydraulic conditions within the mining site. 4. The clogging of the river bed substrate resulted in a loss of spawning and hibernation habitats and thus must be regarded as a major thread to the local fish fauna. 5. Lethal effects like injuries of gills or skin by direct lesions of suspended particles could not be observed. In this study basic ecological knowledge and population dynamics of the fish fauna in north-east Mongolia have been identified. This information is fundamental for a better understanding of the causes of endangerment. Based on the findings on the ecology of fish species and the influences of gold-mining management recommendations of different priority were developed and exemplified in a case study. Furthermore, this study worked out basic principles for an ecological monitoring of gold mining.

The effects of reafforestation with seedlings of spruce, birch, mountain-ash, beech and larch, partially in combination with liming and removal of the topsoil layer before planting, on the community of saprophagous invertebrates (lumbricids, enchytraeids, oribatids, collembolans) were examined. The study area was located on plateau sites of the eastern Ore Mountains (Saxonia, Germany). Investigations were carried out on study sites exposed to high sulphur dioxide immissions and reforested 3 respectively 10 years ago. Invertebrates were sampled by the extraction of soil cores and by the ?electro-octett-method? (lumbricids). Additionally, the ?minicontainer method? was used to investigate decomposition rates of different types of litter. On the control area, a diedback spruce stand, the decomposer community showed high adaptations to the acidic soil substrate and was dominated by few enchytraeid species. Long-termed loss of tree shelter, liming and topsoil removal before planting resulted in a severe decline of most saprophagous species. However, changes in invertebrate community pattern due to different plantations were not found. A comparison of leaf and needle litter decomposition rates resulted in the following order: birch (k = 0.50) &amp;gt; mountain-ash (0.40) &amp;gt; spruce (0.30) &amp;gt;&amp;gt; larch (0.12). Considering all investigated taxa, the metabolic decomposing capacity of the larch litter reached 39 %, that the spruce litter 54 % of the foliage litter results. / Anläßlich des kompletten Ausfalls der Fichte in den extrem immissionsbelasteten Kammlagen des Osterzgebirges (Sachsen) wurden im Rahmen eines interdisziplinären Verbundprojektes verschiedene Waldbaukonzepte hinsichtlich ihrer Einflüsse auf die saprophage Invertebratenfauna (Enchytraeidae, Lumbricidae, Oribatida, Collembola) untersucht. Zur Disposition standen Verfahren zur Waldneugründung (Kulturparzellen mit Reihenpflanzung von Birke, Eberesche oder Fichte; zusätzlich waldbaulich unbeeinflußte Sukzessionsparzellen) und zum Waldumbau (Kulturparzellen mit Reihenpflanzung von Buche oder Lärche nach Abtrieb und flächigem Oberbodenabschub). Ein absterbender Fichtenreinbestand in fortgeschrittener Auflösung diente als Referenz- bzw. Korrelationsmaßstab. Die Erfassung der Mesofauna erfolgte über die Extraktion von Stechrohrproben. Lumbriciden wurden mit der Elektrooktett-Methode aufgenommen. Neben der flächenbezogenen Datenerfassung wurden 1.200 mit Blattstreu von Birke, Eberesche, Fichte und Lärche befüllte Minicontainer über 19 Monate auf einer Sukzessionsparzelle exponiert, um substratspezifische Abbaugeschwindigkeiten zu ermitteln und faunistische Sukzessionsverläufe zu studieren. Die Referenzfläche zeichnete sich durch eine stark enchytraeendominierte Zersetzergemeinschaft aus, die deutliche Anzeichen einer kalkungsbedingten Überprägung erkennen ließ. Der Enchytraeenanteil an den potentiellen Umsatzleistungen der untersuchten Destruententaxa (berechnet über metabolische Äquivalenzwerte) lag bei über 90 %. Hiervon ausgehend zeigten die Zersetzergemeinschaften der Versuchsanlagen &amp;quot;Waldneugründung&amp;quot; und &amp;quot;Waldumbau&amp;quot; stark divergierende Entwicklungsrichtungen. Als ausschlaggebende Faktoren konnten Schirmverlust, Kalkung und Oberbodenbeseitigung wahrscheinlich gemacht werden. Dagegen waren Einflüsse der unterschiedlichen Kulturbaumarten kaum nachzuweisen. Die streuspezifischen Dekompositionsgeschwindigkeiten unterschieden sich wie folgt: Birke (k = 0,50) &amp;gt; Eberesche (0,40) &amp;gt; Fichte (0,30) &amp;gt;&amp;gt; Lärche (0,12). Diese vergleichsweise geringen Abbauraten stehen überwiegend mit dem rauhen Montanklima in Zusammenhang. Enchytraeen besiedelten alle Streutypen zügig, während Collembolen vor allem die Ebereschenstreu verzögert aufsuchten und mit geringster Dichte bevölkerten. Oribatiden zeigten die geringste Besiedlungsgeschwindigkeit und hatten wie die Enchytaeen in der Laubstreu signifikant höhere Wohndichten. Nur Steganacarus spinosus zeigte eine besondere Affinität für Nadelstreu. Das metabolische Leistungspotential des Destruentenbesatzes der Lärchenstreu erreichte 39 %, das der Fichtenstreu 54 % der Laubstreuresultate.

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