Submitted by Rodrigo Vieira Guidelli null (rguidelli4@gmail.com) on 2016-03-26T16:03:57Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Rodrigo Vieira Guidelli - Dissertação de Mestrado.pdf: 2574087 bytes, checksum: c4570e90e2f553c165e4cbcb47a0f339 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Ana Paula Grisoto (grisotoana@reitoria.unesp.br) on 2016-03-28T16:40:24Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 guidelli_rv_me_rcla.pdf: 2574087 bytes, checksum: c4570e90e2f553c165e4cbcb47a0f339 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-03-28T16:40:24Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 guidelli_rv_me_rcla.pdf: 2574087 bytes, checksum: c4570e90e2f553c165e4cbcb47a0f339 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-02-28 / Pró-Reitoria de Extensão Universitária (PROEX UNESP) / Pró-Reitoria de Pós-Graduação (PROPG UNESP) / Em 2009 Uehara Prado et al., coletaram uma grande quantidade de dados para avaliar o papel das borboletas da família Nymphalidae como bioindicadoras, porém esses dados não foram utilizados em sua totalidade. O presente estudo está direcionado à experimentação e modelagem de interações ecológicas, a partir dos dados obtidos por Uehara-Prado et al. (2009), juntamente com aqueles não previamente utilizados que, no intuito de extrair o máximo de informação de relevância biológica e ecológica. Para tanto, foram utilizados três diferentes tipos de abordagens: (1) Biclusterização (Cheng & Church, 2000; Madeira & Oliveira, 2004); (2) Árvores de decisão (Quinlan, 1986; Bell, 1999; De’ath & Fabricius, 2000; Olden et al., 2008) e (3) Redes Bayesianas (Korb & Nicholson, 2003; McCann et al., 2006; Chen & Pollino, 2012; Pearl, 2014). Os resultados se mostraram bastante promissores, e as três ferramentas atingiram as expectativas; em biclusterização, conseguimos identificar todos os padrões de correlação dentro dos cenários apresentados, árvores de decisão se mostraram extremamente eficazes na classificação das variáveis apresentadas e as Redes Bayesianas conseguiram identificar quais variáveis influenciavam ou eram influenciadas pelas outras. Com este trabalho esperamos incentivar outros pesquisadores à revisitarem antigas bases de dados com ferramentas computacionais mais modernas, pois seu potencial é extraordinário. / Elucidating the complex interactions networks in ecological systems is not an easy task (Proulx et al., 2005) and, in order to extract information in an efficient way, powerful computational tools and the right approach, to the types of scenario to be studied, are required. In 2009 UeharaPrado et al., collected a great amount of data to assess the role of the Nymphalidae family of butterflies as bio-indicators, but these data were not used in its entirety. This study is aimed at experimentation and modeling of the ecological interactions from the data obtained by UeharaPrado et al. (2009), along with those not previously used, in order to extract the maximum information of biological and ecological significance. Therefore, three different approaches were used: (1) Biclusterization (Cheng & Church, 2000; Wood& Olive, 2004); (2) Decision Trees (Quinlan, 1986; Bell, 1999; De'ath & Fabricius., 2000; Olden et al, 2008) and (3) Bayesian Networks (Korb & Nicholson, 2003; McCann et al., 2006; Chen & Pollino, 2012; Pearl, 2014). The results were very promising, and the three tools reached our expectations; with Biclusterization we managed to identify all the correlation patterns inside the scenarios presented, Decision Trees proved to be extremely effective in the classification of the variables and the Bayesian Networks were able to identify what variables influenced or were influenced by the others. With this work, we hope to encourage other researchers to revisit old databases with more modern computational tools, because its potential is extraordinary.

Fruit-feeding butterfly assemblages at two indigenous forests in KwaZulu-Natal, the Dlinza and Entumeni forests were studied with baited traps during a year cycle June 2008-May 2009 and an additional March-May 2010 (autumn) survey. A total of 2801 butterflies were trapped, which consisted of 28 species, representing five subfamilies of the Nymphalidae, with the most abundant and species rich subfamily being Charaxinae. Higher than expected abundances and numbers of species trapped during the present study, though significantly lower than some tropical areas in Africa, demonstrate that this technique of quantifying assemblages with baited-traps are effective in forests of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa and should be included in future butterfly assessments. During a mark-release-recapture survey, very few fruit-feeding butterflies were recaptured, with no observed dispersal events between the two forests. A high turnover of fruit-feeding butterfly populations reflects adequacy of habitat quality and size at both the forests for the conservation of this guild of butterfly fauna. Season had a marked effect on butterfly assemblages with optimal times of the year emerging as autumn and winter, when butterfly abundance and species richness were highest. Abundance and diversity (Shannon index) at the smaller Dlinza forest were marginally higher or at least very similar to that of the larger Entumeni forest. Higher species richness (d) was recorded at the larger Entumeni forest. A greater number of individuals and higher number of species were trapped at both forest edges in comparison to forest interior (clearings). Species richness (d) and diversity (Shannon index) at Dlinza forest were higher at the interior (forest clearings) compared to that of the Dlinza forest edge. In contrast higher species richness and diversity (Shannon index) were recorded at the Entumeni edge if compared to the Entumeni interior. Highest species richness (d) was consistently recorded at the Entumeni forest edge. Similarity between the species compositions of both forests was high. The Entumeni forest are imbedded in a larger zone of natural grassland in contrast to the Dlinza forest which is partly located in an urban setting with small or absent grassland buffer zones. Altitudinal differences between these forests had lesser influence on the fruit-feeding butterfly assemblages whilst the closer urban edge at the Dlinza forest appears to contribute to a negative impact on the species richness at the forest margin. Recommendations to the conservation management of the Dlinza and Entumeni forests, stemming from this study, include conserving small forest remnants as part of stepping stone corridors between the forests, eradication of alien invasive plant species, conserving grassland buffer zones in which the forests are embedded and caution to any future developments in this unique area. Awareness to preserve and understand the wealth of indigenous smaller fauna, which are dependent on these magnificent forests, is to be promoted. / Thesis (Master of Environmental Sciences)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.

Fruit-feeding butterfly assemblages at two indigenous forests in KwaZulu-Natal, the Dlinza and Entumeni forests were studied with baited traps during a year cycle June 2008-May 2009 and an additional March-May 2010 (autumn) survey. A total of 2801 butterflies were trapped, which consisted of 28 species, representing five subfamilies of the Nymphalidae, with the most abundant and species rich subfamily being Charaxinae. Higher than expected abundances and numbers of species trapped during the present study, though significantly lower than some tropical areas in Africa, demonstrate that this technique of quantifying assemblages with baited-traps are effective in forests of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa and should be included in future butterfly assessments. During a mark-release-recapture survey, very few fruit-feeding butterflies were recaptured, with no observed dispersal events between the two forests. A high turnover of fruit-feeding butterfly populations reflects adequacy of habitat quality and size at both the forests for the conservation of this guild of butterfly fauna. Season had a marked effect on butterfly assemblages with optimal times of the year emerging as autumn and winter, when butterfly abundance and species richness were highest. Abundance and diversity (Shannon index) at the smaller Dlinza forest were marginally higher or at least very similar to that of the larger Entumeni forest. Higher species richness (d) was recorded at the larger Entumeni forest. A greater number of individuals and higher number of species were trapped at both forest edges in comparison to forest interior (clearings). Species richness (d) and diversity (Shannon index) at Dlinza forest were higher at the interior (forest clearings) compared to that of the Dlinza forest edge. In contrast higher species richness and diversity (Shannon index) were recorded at the Entumeni edge if compared to the Entumeni interior. Highest species richness (d) was consistently recorded at the Entumeni forest edge. Similarity between the species compositions of both forests was high. The Entumeni forest are imbedded in a larger zone of natural grassland in contrast to the Dlinza forest which is partly located in an urban setting with small or absent grassland buffer zones. Altitudinal differences between these forests had lesser influence on the fruit-feeding butterfly assemblages whilst the closer urban edge at the Dlinza forest appears to contribute to a negative impact on the species richness at the forest margin. Recommendations to the conservation management of the Dlinza and Entumeni forests, stemming from this study, include conserving small forest remnants as part of stepping stone corridors between the forests, eradication of alien invasive plant species, conserving grassland buffer zones in which the forests are embedded and caution to any future developments in this unique area. Awareness to preserve and understand the wealth of indigenous smaller fauna, which are dependent on these magnificent forests, is to be promoted. / Thesis (Master of Environmental Sciences)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.