Since 1970, Rio Grande wild turkey (Meleagris gallapavo intermedia) numbers in the southern region of the Edwards Plateau of Texas have been declining. Nest-site characteristics and invertebrate abundance were hypothesized as limiting wild turkey numbers in declining regions. Wild turkeys were trapped and fitted with mortality-sensitive radio transmitters on 4 study areas; 2 within a region of stable (northern Edwards Plateau) populations, and 2 within a region of declining populations. Monitoring occurred from February 2001 to August 2003. Nest-site locations were determined via homing during the breeding season. Following nesting attempts/completions, nest fate, vegetation height, visual obstruction, litter depth, percent cover, and cover scores of forbs, grass, litter, and bare ground at each nest site and surrounding area were sampled. This was done to determine if wild turkey hens selected nest sites with vegetative characteristics differing from surrounding habitat. Brood survival was calculated as >1 poult surviving to 2-weeks. Broods were followed for 6-weeks post-hatch or to brood failure. Invertebrates were collected, via sweep-net and D-vac, at each visually confirmed brood location and a paired random site to determine if wild turkey hens selected brood habitat based on invertebrate abundance. Analyses were performed to determine if invertebrate abundance differed between study regions. Turkey hens selected nest sites with greater visual obstruction and more litter depth on both regions of stable and declining turkey abundance. No vegetative differences were detected between stable and declining region nest sites. Frequency of Orthoptera was 3–5 times greater at nest sites on stable regions than declining regions in all 3 years. Orthoptera is a noted food source for young galliformes and comprised the majority of dry mass in invertebrate samples, nest sites and brood locations, on both the stable and declining regions. No differences in total invertebrate dry mass were detected between regional brood locations. Nest-site vegetative characteristics did not alter nest success between regions. The 2 overall objectives of this study were to determine if nest-site vegetation characteristics and invertebrate abundance affected wild turkey numbers in the Edwards Plateau. Regional differences in vegetative characteristics were not detected, thus not likely to be causing differences in turkey numbers between regions. Nest-site invertebrates were found to be 3–5 times greater at stable region nest sites, possibly giving wild turkey poults from stable regions greater initial chances of survival.

Das Verständnis über die Ausprägung der Lebensgemeinschaften von benthischen Invertebraten in aquatischen Ökosystemen in Abhängigkeit von abiotischen Faktoren ist von grundlegender wissenschaftlicher Bedeutung und eine Voraussetzung für die Bewertung, den Schutz und die Wiederherstellung der ökologischen Integrität in Fließgewässern. Für die Erarbeitung von Abhängigkeiten zwischen der benthischen Lebensgemeinschaft, der Hydromorphologie und der Saprobie standen insgesamt 409 Datensätze in Form von Taxalisten des Makrozoobenthos zur Verfügung. Diese wurden mit Strukturgütedaten verschnitten und anhand uni- und multivariater statistischer Methoden analysiert. Folgende Ergebnisse konnten dabei erzielt werden: (a) es können sieben Einzelparameter der Gewässerstruktur identifiziert werden, die einen signifikanten Einfluss auf die benthische Biozönose ausüben, (b) die Fließgewässertypen 5 und 5.1 unterscheiden sich auf Basis des vorliegenden Datensatzes weder in der taxonomischen noch in der funktionalen Zusammensetzung der Makrozoobenthoszönose und (c) bei einer erhöhten saprobiellen Belastung überlagert der Einfluss der organischen Belastung die strukturellen Gegebenheiten. Für die Entwicklung und Anpassung effizienter Strukturgüteverfahren und die daraus resultierenden Monitoring- und Maßnahmenprogramme für ein integriertes Fließgewässermanagement ist die Auswahl ökologisch relevanter Parameter von immenser Bedeutung. / The understanding about the development of benthic invertebrate communities as a function of abiotic influencing factors in aquatic ecosystems is of essential scientific relevance for the assessment of the ecological status of rivers and streams. For the development of interdependencies between benthic invertebrates, hydromorphology and saprobity, 409 species lists of the macroinvertebrates were provided. They were aggregated with morphological features and analysed with different uni- and multivariate statistical methods. On the basis of the used analyses, the following results were achieved: (a) seven ecological relevant morphological features with significant influence to benthic invertebrate community could be identified, (b) on the basis of the present database, the structural and functional composition of the benthic invertebrates can not be differ river type specific (type 5 and 5.1) and (c) if the saprobic pressure decrease, the organic pressure superpose the hydromorphology. The values of the biological attributes are low in spite of near natural morphological conditions. For an ecological efficiency stream habitat assessment, the identified relevant morphological parameters have to consider. The “morphological characteristic curves” are well describing the results of a local monitoring. This application-oriented instrument can be used for (a) the operationalisation of environmental objectives, (b) the development and adaption of monitoring strategies and (c) the derivation and prioritisation of ecological and economic efficiency measurements for an integrated river management.

A l'heure de la protéomique, la spectrométrie de masse s'est révélée un outil puissant<br />pour la recherche et l'identification des biomolécules à partir d'échantillons purifiés. Une<br />nouvelle ère s'ouvre, avec l'imagerie MALDI, permettant en plus la localisation de<br />biomolécules telles que les peptides, les protéines ou les lipides au sein des tissus. Des<br />développements cruciaux restent encore à réaliser pour améliorer les performances de cette<br />technologie. Dans ce contexte, nous nous sommes tout d'abord intéressés à la mise au point<br />de nouveaux protocoles adaptés à l'analyse directe et l'imagerie par spectromètrie de masse<br />de petits organismes en particulier la sangsue Hirudo medicinalis. Ce modèle est<br />particulièrement intéressant du point de vue des phénomènes de régénération nerveuse et nous<br />avons débuté des études sur les lipides pouvant y être impliqués. Le deuxième point abordé<br />est l'étude des apports de la métallisation pour la spectromètrie de masse. Tout d'abord un<br />dépôt métallique sur des lames histologiques permet à la fois une corrélation des informations<br />morphologiques obtenues en microscopie optique avec les images moléculaires d'IMS. La<br />métallisation de l'échantillon quand à elle, a permis de supprimer les décalages de pics vers<br />les plus hauts rapports m/z, d'obtenir des spectres MALDI de meilleures qualités et grâce à<br />une reproductibilité plus importante entre 2 spectres, de produire des images MALDI de plus<br />grandes qualités. Enfin, une partie des développements a été dédiée à la possibilité<br />d'améliorer la résolution de l'image grâce à l'utilisation d'un système permettant de diminuer<br />la zone accessible au laser

Thesis (M.S.)--West Virginia University, 2009. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains xvii, 195 p. : ill. (some col.), col. map. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 58-90).

Thesis (M.S.)--Tennessee Technological University, 2009. / Title from title page screen (viewed on Mar. 3, 2010) Bibliography: leaves 39-48.

Thesis (M.S.)--Washington State University, 2003. / Title from PDF title page (viewed on May 22, 2005). Includes bibliographical references (p. 52-56).

Understanding the factors influencing species ranges and dispersal are becoming increasingly important as climate change alters species distributions worldwide. If species are to persist, life-history strategies must rapidly evolve to accommodate shifting environments. This dissertation assesses the factors modulating dispersal in corals. First, I examined if there were any systematic differences in settlement between Indo-Pacific and Caribbean coral larvae that might explain Caribbean recruitment failures. No differences were observed, however I detected significant divergences in settlement cue preferences among coral species across both the Caribbean (Diploria strigosa, and Montastraea franksi) and the Indo-Pacific (Acropora tenuis, A. millepora, and Favia lizardensis), even for coral larvae from the same reef. Secondly, I established the extent of coral dispersal between remote reefs. I evaluated the genetic diversity and divergence across Micronesia for two coral species and investigated if these islands served as a connectivity corridor between the Indo-West-Pacific (Coral Triangle) and the Central Pacific. I found isolation-by-distance patterns whose strength depended on species, suggesting these corals are not panmictic across their ranges and that island stepping-stones facilitate gene flow to remote Pacific reefs. Next, I investigated genetic structure of symbionts in these same corals, to see if horizontally transmitted symbionts are less dispersive than their coral hosts. Symbiont genetic divergence between islands was an order of magnitude larger than host divergence and both host species and environment modulated symbiont composition. These results suggest that symbiont populations are host-specific and associating with local symbionts might be a mechanism for broadly dispersing corals to adapt locally. Lastly, I estimated heritable variation in dispersal-related traits in coral larvae. I observed strong heritable variation in gene expression, as well as parental effects on two phenotypic traits, settlement and fluorescence. I observed that patterns of differential expression in three-day-old larvae predicted variation in settlement and fluorescence two days later. Correlations between proteoglycan expression and settlement suggest that the larval extracellular matrix plays a role in settlement. Down-regulation of ribosomal proteins and differential expression of oxidative stress genes correlated with increasing fluorescence, possibly indicating reduced growth and increased stress. Overall, this dissertation contributes to our knowledge of factors affecting coral dispersal and the potential for evolution of dispersal-related traits. / text

No description available.

This study investigates the effects of forest fragmentation and matrix type on the diversity and distribution of epigaeic invertebrates in selected Afromontane forests of the KwaZulu-Natal midlands. The consequences of area reduction and matrix transformation, due to commercial forestry, for epigaeic invertebrate diversity, and the role of small forest fragments in their conservation, are particularly examined. Data are used to provide guidelines for the management and conservation of Afromontane forest and adjacent land use. Epigaeic invertebrates were sampled using pitfall-trapping quadrats set along gradsect lines in eleven Afromontane mistbelt mixed Podocarpus forests, five of which were surrounded by commercial pine, and five surrounded by the natural grassland matrix. The two sets of five forests were approximately matched in pairs by area (0.5ha to 215ha) and compared for differences in the epigaeic invertebrate communities to determine potential effects of fragmentation and landscape transformation on these communities. A large tract of forest (Leopards Bush Private Nature Reserve, 705ha, hereafter Leopards Bush) situated within the continuous Karkloof forest, served as the control. Trapping intensity increased with forest area. Invertebrates were identified to morphospecies, and where possible, further identification was carried out by specialists. A total of 61 282 epigaeic invertebrates, representing 168 morphospecies, were collected. There was a significant positive species-area effect evident in the Balgowan complex (grassland matrix), but not in the Gilboa complex (pine matrix). There was thus a confounding influence of the pine matrix in the Gilboa, since the matrix represented the single most important difference between the two forest complexes. In afforested landscapes it is thus crucial to conserve the largest intact forest fragments to preserve overall epigaeic invertebrate species richness. Density compensation was evident in the Balgowan complex but not in the Gilboa complex. Recolonisation dynamics may play a small role in the regional persistence of a species within forest in a pine matrix, and persistence would be ensured by the preservation of a small number of large forest fragments containing large, extinction-resistant populations. The establishment of ecologically functional grassland corridors (i.e. wide enough to maintain "natural" ecological processes) between mistbelt mixed Podocarpus forest fragments would facilitate dispersal of epigaeic invertebrates between forest fragments. The results of this study indicated that edge effects were experienced deeper in the forests than the expected 32m suggested by Kotze and Samways (1999) and thus any changes to the epigaeic invertebrate communities induced by edge effects had already taken place inthese forests. Cluster analyses revealed that twenty-two percent (n = 37) of invertebrate species recorded were common to all forests and these shared species were generalist feeders. The effect of matrix type on diversity of epigaeic invertebrate communities was most notable for large forests (i.e. over 30 ha). Large fragments with core areas unaffected by edge-induced disturbance would support more forest dependent species than small fragments due to a lower susceptibility to invasions. Although not significantly nested, epigaeic invertebrate communities in both forest complexes tended toward nestedness. Isolation of forest fragments appeared to play a lesser role than patch area in determining the invertebrate community composition. Assuming that communities are extinction-dominated, community convergence in small fragments has probably already occurred, with invasions from the matrix confounding patterns of deterministic extinction of forest-dependent epigaeic invertebrate species. A habitat disturbance gradient was evident from the relatively undisturbed control (Karkloof quadrats) to the more disturbed pine dominated Gilboa quadrats, with intermediate disturbance values for the Balgowan (natural grassland matrix) fragments. The undisturbed Karkloof forest was characterised by a deep, abundant leaf litter layer, dense sub-canopy, and an abundance of seedlings indicating high rates of natural regeneration. Leaf litter depth was the most important variable in explaining the variation of epigaeic invertebrate species. A "shopping basket" of eight selected ecological indicators are mostly unrelated species. In general, this study supports the wealth of evidence advocating the use of epigaeic invertebrates, especially Carabid and Staphylinid beetles, as ecological indicators. In this study, eight species were identified by canonical correspondence analysis as ecological indicators that were sensitive to forest disturbance. This suite of species in the mistbelt mixed Podocarpus forests of the KwaZulu-Natal midlands will provide an accurate indication of forest condition in summer when abundance data is used. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2001.

To determine the relationship between the abundance and density of benthic invertebrates, and the critical shear stress of individual grain sizes, a reach along Smith Creek, was divided into ten 2m x 2m quadrants. Within each quadrant, five randomly selected clasts for each grain size ranging from 2.26 to 25.6 cm were cleaned for benthic invertebrates. Wolman pebble counts for each quadrant were also conducted and used to determine the critical Shields stress per grain size fraction from the model given by Wiberg and Smith (1987) that explicitly accounts for particle hiding/sheltering effects in mixed-bed rivers. Particle entrainment values were then compared with estimated bankfull Shields stress values to determine sediment transport potential during bankfull flow. Invertebrate abundance was strongly positively correlated with critical Shields stress up to the 18.0 cm grain size, indicating a preference for certain grain sizes; while density was positively correlated with all grain sizes present.