Understanding the ability of species to respond to climate change is essential for prediction of their future distribution. When migration is not adequate, reaction via phenotypic plasticity and/or genetic/epigenetic adaptation is necessary. The main aim of this study is to determine mechanisms of response to climate change in dominant grass species Festuca rubra. The study used reciprocal transplant experiment with growth chambers simulating different climatic conditions. Original localities in western Norway represent factorially crossed gradients of temperatures and precipitations, thus it was possible to study the effect of temperature and moisture separately as well as combined. In first part of the experiment, plastic responses were separated from genetic differentiation. To do this, plants with different genotypes from original localities were transplanted to growth chambers set to simulating temperature and moisture course in the four extreme localities (wettest and driest combined with warmest and coldest). After five months, ecophysiological photosynthetic-related traits were measured. These traits are important for species ability to adapt and maintain high fitness and thus they are essential for plants function. Specifically, it was net photosynthetic rate (PN), fluorescence of...

<p>In this thesis, I combined comparative and experimental approaches to examine selection on reproductive traits and population differentiation in the insect-pollinated, self-incompatible, perennial herb <i>Primula farinosa</i>. More specifically, I (1) determined whether the effects of floral display and interactions with pollinators and seed predators, and plant reproductive success were frequency-dependent and affected by surrounding vegetation context, (2) examined the consequences of intermittent drought years on population dynamics using numerical simulations based on demographic data collected over seven years, (3) analyzed among-population differentiation in flowering phenology and reproductive allocation, and its relationship to soil-depth at the site of origin. </p><p>A field experiment suggested that conspicuous plants facilitate inconspicuous plants in terms of pollinator attraction, and that the facilitation effect is contingent on the height of the surrounding vegetation. Further experiments revealed that both mutualistic and antagonistic interactions can result in frequency-dependent selection on floral display. Among inconspicuous plants, both fruit initiation, and damage from seed predators increased with the proportion of the conspicuous morph. The relative strength of these effects, and therefore their net outcome on the relationship between morph ratio and seed production varied among years. </p><p>I combined information on vital rates and their relation to environmental conditions in simulations to predict future population viability in changing environments. Simulated stochastic population growth rate decreased with increasing frequency of drought years. </p><p>Reproductive allocation varied significantly among populations both in the field and in a common-garden experiment, but was correlated with soil depth at the site of origin only in the field. The results suggest that among-population variation in reproductive effort in the field mainly reflects plastic responses to environmental conditions, and that this plasticity may be adaptive. The common-garden experiment suggested that the study populations have diverged genetically in flowering time.</p>

[Truncated abstract] Spatial structuring of genetic variation is commonly observed in plant species due to limited dispersal and local adaptation. Intraspecific genetic variation has significant implications for ecological restoration because the source of seed or plants influences patterns of gene flow, and may affect performance if there is adaptive divergence among source populations. This study assessed quantitative trait variation, local adaptation and molecular variation within three common, widespread, long-lived forest tree species from south-western Australia to understand the distribution of intraspecific genetic variation and predict the consequences of seed transfer for restoration. The geographic distribution of quantitative trait variation of jarrah Eucalyptus marginata was assessed through measurement of 15-year-old trees grown in a provenance trial. Survival of trees from the northern jarrah forest was significantly higher than that of trees from southern jarrah forest provenances, where mean annual rainfall is much higher, but stem diameter at breast height (d.b.h.) of southern jarrah forest trees was greater, implying faster growth. D.b.h. of trees from within the northern jarrah forest also exhibited a positive relationship with mean annual rainfall, with maximum d.b.h. observed in trees from provenances in the high rainfall zone. These patterns may reflect selection for faster growth under high rainfall conditions or environmentally-induced parental effects. The percentage of trees bearing buds and flowers varied among latitudinal divisions. ... Neither genetic variation within nor among populations of any species could explain variation of emergence and establishment in reciprocal transplant trials. Collectively, the findings of this study suggest structuring of genetic variation in these species at a broad, rather than a very local, scale. This is expected for widespread, long-lived species, where extensive gene flow and temporal variation are likely to favour high within, relative to among, population genetic variation. However, there is evidence that the source of seed may have a significant influence on the success of restoration of these species, whether as a result of genetic variation among populations or due to other factors affecting seed quality. These results highlight the importance of integrating studies of molecular and adaptive trait variation when seeking to understand the causes and consequences of genetic variation within plant species and contribute to the development of seed sourcing practices for improved restoration success.

Dans le contexte des changements globaux, un des enjeux majeurs en génomique écologique est d'estimer le potentiel adaptatif des populations naturelles. Répondre à cet enjeu nécessite 3 étapes: identification des agents sélectifs et de leurs échelles spatiales de variation, identification des bases génétiques de l'adaptation et étude de la dynamique adaptative sur une courte échelle de temps. Durant ma thèse, je me suis intéressé à étudier le potentiel adaptatif de la plante modèle Arabidopsis thaliana. A partir de 168 populations naturelles d'A. thaliana caractérisées pour 24 traits phénotypiques et 60 facteurs abiotiques (climat, sol) et biotiques (communautés végétales et microbiote), j'ai pu mettre en évidence que les communautés végétales étaient les principaux agents sélectifs associés à la fitness. Après avoir séquencé le génome de ces 168 populations (~ 4.8 millions de SNPs), j'ai effectué des analyses de type 'association génome-environnement' couplé à des scans génomiques de différenciation génétique spatiale. Ces analyses ont confirmé l'importance de considérer les interactions plante-plante dans l'étude de l'adaptation chez A. thaliana. Afin d'étudier le potentiel adaptatif d'A. thaliana sur le court terme dans le contexte d'un réchauffement climatique, j'ai combiné une étude de résurrection in situ avec une étude de Genome Wide Association mapping, à partir de 195 accessions locales caractérisées pour 29 traits phénotypiques et pour environ 1.9 million de SNPs. J'ai identifié une architecture originale de l'adaptation vers un nouvel optimum phénotypique combinant (i) de rares QTLs avec des degrés de pléiotropie intermédiaires fortement sélectionnés et (ii) de très nombreux QTLs spécifiques d'un micro-habitat et faiblement sélectionnés. A travers les différents projets abordés pendant ma thèse, j'ai pu suggérer qu'une architecture génétique flexible pouvait permettre à A. thaliana de s'adapter rapidement aux changements globaux, tout en maintenant de la diversité génétique au sein des populations naturelles d'A. thaliana. / In the context of global changes, one of the challenges in ecological genomics is to estimate the adaptive potential of natural populations. Three steps are requested to address this challenge: identification of the selective agents and their associated spatial grains, identification of the genetic bases of adaptation and monitoring the adaptive dynamics of natural population over a short time period. Here, I aimed at studying the adaptive potential of the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. Based on 168 natural populations of A. thaliana characterized for 24 phenotypic traits and 60 abiotic (climate, soil) and biotic (plant communities and microbiota) factors, plant communities were found to be the main selective agents. Based on 4.8 million SNPs, I combined Genome Environment Association analysis with genome scans for signatures of selection. I confirmed the importance to consider plant-plant interactions when studying adaptation in A. thaliana. To monitor the adaptive dynamics of a natural population in the context of global warming, I combined an in situ resurrection study with an approach of GWA mapping based on 195 local accessions characterized for 29 phenotypic traits and 1.9 million SNPs. Adaptive evolutionary changes were largely driven by rare QTLs with intermediate degrees of pleiotropy under strong selection. In addition to these rare pleiotropic QTLs, weak selection was detected for frequent small micro-habitat-specific QTLs that shape single traits. Overall, I suggest that a rapid adaptive phenotypic evolution can be rapidly achieved in A. thaliana, while still maintaining genetic variation in natural populations.

Submitted by Nuno Silva (nunocornelio@gmail.com) on 2016-03-07T23:19:46Z No. of bitstreams: 1 TESE FINAL.pdf: 1881417 bytes, checksum: 59a1298247a5285570bd1218393ad090 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Janete de Oliveira Feitosa (janete.feitosa@fgv.br) on 2016-08-01T14:58:26Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 TESE FINAL.pdf: 1881417 bytes, checksum: 59a1298247a5285570bd1218393ad090 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Maria Almeida (maria.socorro@fgv.br) on 2016-08-02T14:02:11Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 TESE FINAL.pdf: 1881417 bytes, checksum: 59a1298247a5285570bd1218393ad090 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-08-02T14:02:30Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 TESE FINAL.pdf: 1881417 bytes, checksum: 59a1298247a5285570bd1218393ad090 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-01-28 / This case study is based in Mundo Verde, a Brazilian natural products company, and its focused on the strategic decisions the company has to make to overcome the current problems. The case is built around three major theoretical perspectives: Competitive advantages from a Resource Based View, Brand Identity and Entrepreneurship. In the case is presented first the company, disclosing the necessary information to analyze and comprehend Mundo Verde, by accurately identifying the company´s competitive advantages. Next the student is presented to a narrative where the CEO of the company meets one of the franchisees in an attempt to find out more about the company´s issues and to see how the stores are working. Several scenarios are presented to the students which represent several possibilities of action, considering the company, the problems to be addressed and the objectives of the company.

Nous introduisons un ensemble de modèles à facteurs latents dédié à la génomique du paysage et aux tests d'associations écologiques. Cela comprend des méthodes statistiques pour corriger des effets d'autocorrélation spatiale sur les cartes de composantes principales en génétique des populations (spFA), des méthodes pour estimer rapidement et efficacement les coefficients de métissage individuel à partir de matrices de génotypes de grande taille et évaluer le nombre de populations ancestrales (sNMF) et des méthodes pour identifier les polymorphismes génétiques qui montrent de fortes corrélations avec des gradients environnementaux ou avec des variables utilisées comme des indicateurs pour des pressions écologiques (LFMM). Nous avons aussi développé un ensemble de logiciels libres associés à ces méthodes, basés sur des programmes optimisés en C qui peuvent passer à l'échelle avec la dimension de très grand jeu de données, afin d'effectuer des analyses de structures de population et des cribles génomiques pour l'adaptation locale. / We introduce a set of latent factor models dedicated to landscape genomics and ecological association tests. It includes statistical methods for correcting principal component maps for effects of spatial autocorrelation (spFA); methods for estimating ancestry coefficients from large genotypic matrices and evaluating the number of ancestral populations (sNMF); and methods for identifying genetic polymorphisms that exhibit high correlation with some environmental gradient or with the variables used as proxies for ecological pressures (LFMM). We also developed a set of open source softwares associated with the methods, based on optimized C programs that can scale with the dimension of very large data sets, to run analyses of population structure and genome scans for local adaptation.

Este trabalho objetivou a avaliação da presença de plasticidade fenotípica e de adaptação local de três procedências de palmiteiro: Ombrófila Densa, Estacional Semidecidual e Restinga, em três locais no Estado de São Paulo: Parque Estadual da Ilha do Cardoso, Parque Estadual de Carlos Botelho e Estação Ecológica dos Caetetus, em ensaios de adaptação no estabelecimento (ou de semeadura) e de adaptação em juvenis (ou de crescimento). Os conjuntos de dados foram analisados utilizando estruturas de grupos de experimentos, com efeitos cruzados e aninhados. As variáveis relacionadas com a massa de matéria seca das plantas, nos dois ensaios, foram analisadas usando a abordagem de modelos lineares de efeitos mistos, por meio da incorporação de fatores de efeito aleatório, e fazendo uso do método da máxima verossimilhança restrita (REML) para estimação dos componentes de variância associados a tais fatores com um menor viés. Por outro lado, para a proporção de sementes germinadas, no ensaio de adaptação no estabelecimento, a análise estatística foi realizada a partir da abordagem dos modelos lineares generalizados mistos, sob a pressuposição de que a variável segue uma distribuição binomial, com função de ligação logito. O método da pseudo-verossimilhança foi empregado para obtenção da solução das equações de verossimilhança. Os resultados mostraram que as plantas originadas de sementes dos três biomas avaliados apresentaram um comportamento plástico, para todos os caracteres avaliados no ensaio de adaptação no estabelecimento. Com relação ao ensaio de adaptação em juvenis, a característica de plasticidade foi verificada somente para a massa de matéria seca da folha em plantas provenientes do bioma Estacional Semidecidual. A característica de adaptação local, apresentou-se de forma evidente no ensaio de adaptação no estabelecimento. Estes resultados evidenciaram que em cada local avaliado, as plantas originadas das sementes de diferentes procedências apresentaram um comportamento diferenciado nos caracteres relacionados à massa de matéria seca, podendo em alguns casos, tratar-se de adaptação local. Concluiu-se que os locais Carlos Botelho e Ilha do Cardoso são os mais favoráveis para a germinação das sementes de sua mesma procedência. / The aim of this work was to evaluate the presence of phenotypic plasticity and local adaptation of three provenances of the palm specie Euterpe edulis: Atlantic Rainforest, Seasonally Dry Forest and Restinga Forest, in permanent parcels inserted in three forest types of the São Paulo State (Brazil): Parque Estadual da Ilha do Cardoso, Parque Estadual de Carlos Botelho e Estação Ecológica dos Caetetus, in experiments of seedling establishment and juveniles plants growth. The data sets were analyzed using structures of groups of experiments, with crossed and nested effects. The variables related to dry matter content of plants in both assays were analyzed using linear mixed models (LMM) approach, through the incorporation of random effect factors, and using the restricted maximum likelihood method (REML) for estimation of variance components associated with these factors with a minor bias. On the other hand, germination proportion of the seeds at seedling establishment assay was analyzed using the generalized linear mixed models (GLMM) approach, under the assumption that the variable follows a binomial distribution, with logit link function. The pseudo-likelihood (PL) method was used to obtain the numerical solution of the likelihood equations. The results showed that, plants from seeds of the three biomes evaluated presented a plastic behavior for all characters assessed in the seedling establishment assay. In respect to juveniles adaptation assay, the phenotypic plasticity characteristic was observed only to the leaf dry matter content of plants from Seasonally Dry Forest biome. The local adaptation characteristic was clearly observed in the seedling establishment assay. These results showed that at each site evaluated, plants originating from seeds of different provenances exhibited different behavior on characters related to the dry matter content and may in some cases be local adaptation. It was concluded that locations Carlos Botelho and Ilha do Cardoso are the most favorable for seed germination of its same provenance.

The national curriculum and the School Act emphasize the importance of establishing partnerships between schools and local businesses. The formation of partnerships was expected to be facilitated by the decentralization reforms that took place in the beginning of the 1990’s. These reforms gave schools and municipalities greater scope for adjusting education to meet local circumstances. However, central government has not made financial resources available for stimulating the establishment of school-business partnerships, nor does it penalize municipalities that do not set up such partnerships. The questions in focus in this study are: why do partnerships arise, how are they organised and what factors are important in achieving a partnership which can function in practice? Urban regime theory is applied to explain why collaborations occur and policy network theory is used to analyse how they are organised. A further aim of the study is to examine whether the partnerships can be defined as urban regimes. The study was based on case studies of four upper secondary schools in Sweden, each in a different municipality. These municipalities are all industrialized, but the structure of their industrial base varies. Two are dominated by one or a few major companies whereas the others are characterized by the predominance of many small businesses. The study focuses on how three vocational study programmes – industry, electricity and building - collaborate with local businesses. The study shows that the main explanation of why a partnership arises is that both partners believe that they can gain something by collaborating. For schools, the main reason for establishing a partnership with business is a belief that this will make the vocational education programmes more attractive for pupils. Through partnerships, schools can get access not only to practical experience for their pupils, but also help from business with developing the content of courses and some financial contributions. However, the economic benefits are of limited importance compared with the perceived gains in terms of the development of the educational content of the courses. This goes against results from studies in other countries. For business, it is particularly important to be able to influence decisions about the content of local education. By doing so, they hope to ensure that the pupils, after having completed their education, will enter the local labour market with more relevant qualifications. My research shows that several requirements have to be present for a successful partnership to be established. First, there must be a commitment and firm intentions from both partners. Second, size of the businesses involved in the partnerships is important for how they are organized. Larger businesses tend to see the partnership from a more long term perspective. However, it is also possible to organize collaborations with smaller businesses if they can be united under a common organisation. Third, specific actors make a difference in the partnerships. Devoted and interested key actors who are closely associated with the partnership are very important for the continuity of the partnership The study suggests that urban regime theory and policy network theory are useful for understanding why and how partnerships between schools and businesses are established and retained. However, it can not be concluded that these collaborations in themselves are urban regimes at a more local level. This would require that their focus was much more long-term.

Abstract Most plants form symbiotic associations with various fungi in natural ecosystems. Traditionally, many of these associations are viewed as mutually beneficial, but recent studies show that symbiotic interactions can be complex and labile. I studied the variability of interactions between grasses and fungi, using root-associated fungi and foliar endophytes in grasses as study systems. First, I studied experimentally how root-associated fungi colonize their host grasses in different natural and artificial conditions. I then investigated experimentally how foliar endophytes affect their host grasses, and whether the endophyte contributes to the host’s adaptation to local and/or foreign habitats. Finally, I reviewed the current use of foliar endophytes in agriculture, with a particular focus on Europe, and critically considered their potential for practices beyond agriculture. I found root fungi to be common, but different types of root fungi had contrasting colonization patterns in natural environments. However, I found that grasses lose almost all of their root fungi in controlled and more favourable conditions, indicating that the associations are fairly loose and conditional to environmental context. My results also showed that foliar endophytes affected the host’s performance in varying ways, depending on plant origin and experimental country, indicating that the associations were context dependent and could represent conditional mutualism. I also found that endophytes contribute to plant adaptation only weakly, but that the grasses were clearly locally adapted to their sites of origin, especially in regard to reproduction. However, the grasses of subalpine origin performed well vegetatively also in Northern Finland, suggesting that they may have high adaptive potential under changing climates. The literary review showed that foliar endophytes are successfully used in agriculture, e.g. in the USA and New Zealand, and that they possess the potential for several practical applications. However, the intentional use of endophyte-enhanced grasses is non-existent in Europe, although many European grass cultivars have great potential for improvement via endophytes. Taken together, these results show that plant–fungal interactions are highly variable along sites, environmental contexts and origins of the symbiotum, making predictions for these interactions difficult. / Tiivistelmä Luonnollisissa ekosysteemeissä melkein kaikilla kasveilla on symbionttisia sienikumppaneita. Perinteisesti monien näiden vuorovaikutusten on oletettu olevan molemmille hyödyllisiä, mutta viimeaikaiset tutkimukset osoittavat symbionttisten yhteyksien olevan vaihtelevia. Väitöskirjassani tutkin tätä heinien ja sienien välisten yhteyksien vaihtelevuutta, käyttäen heinissä esiintyviä juurisieniä ja lehtiendofyyttejä tutkimuskohteinani. Ensiksi tutkin kokeellisesti, kuinka juurisienet kolonisoivat heiniä erilaisissa luonnon- ja kasvihuoneolosuhteissa. Seuraavaksi tutkin kokeellisesti, kuinka lehtiendofyytit vaikuttivat heinien menestymiseen ja edesauttoivatko endofyytit heinien sopeutumista paikallisiin ja/tai vieraisiin elinympäristöihin. Viimeiseksi selvitin kirjallisuuskatsauksen avulla, kuinka lehtiendofyyttejä hyödynnetään maataloudessa ja arvioin endofyyttien potentiaalista käyttöarvoa maatalouden ulkopuolella, erityisesti keskittyen niiden hyödyntämiseen Euroopassa. Tutkimukseni osoitti, että heinien juurisienet ovat yleisiä, mutta niiden keskinäiset runsaussuhteet vaihtelivat luonnollisissa ympäristöissä. Kasvihuoneolosuhteissa heinät kuitenkin menettivät juurisienensä, viitaten siihen, että kyseinen yhteys on melko löyhä ja riippuvainen ympäristöstä. Tutkimukseni osoitti myös, että lehtiendofyytit vaikuttivat heinien menestykseen vaihtelevasti riippuen heinien alkuperästä sekä koemaasta, viitaten siihen, että nämä yhteydet ovat niin ikään olosuhteista riippuvaisia. Endofyytti vaikutti vain heikosti heinien sopeutumiseen, mutta heinät olivat selkeästi paikallisesti sopeutuneita niiden alkuperäisiin elinympäristöihin, erityisesti heinien lisääntymisen suhteen. Alppien heinät kuitenkin menestyivät vegetatiivisesti myös Pohjois-Lapissa, mikä viittaa siihen, että näillä heinillä saattaa olla korkea sopeutumispotentiaali muuttuvissa olosuhteissa. Kirjallisuuskatsaukseni osoitti, että lehtiendofyyttejä käytetään menestyksekkäästi mm. USA:n ja Uudessa-Seelannin maataloudessa. Euroopassa niiden käyttö on kuitenkin lähes olematonta, vaikka endofyyteillä voisi olla monia käyttömahdollisuuksia, sekä maataloudessa että ympäristön hoidossa. Kaiken kaikkiaan tutkimukseni osoittavat, että heinien ja sienten väliset vuorovaikutukset ovat hyvin vaihtelevia riippuen ympäristöstä ja heinien alkuperästä, minkä vuoksi näiden sienien vaikutuksia heiniin on vaikea ennustaa.

Les pressions anthropiques agissent en synergie du gène à l’écosystème, des régions polaires aux régions tropicales et induisent une érosion biologique telle, qu'elle est qualifiée de sixième extinction de masse.Ce constat pose la question de l’évolution de la biodiversité face aux changements environnementaux en cours. C’est dans ce contexte que s’inscrit ce travail de thèse focalisé sur les populations de surface (5 -60 m) de corail rouge, Corallium rubrum (Linnaeus, 1758), en Méditerranée Nord-Occidentale.Le corail rouge (Octocorallia, Coralliidae) est une espèce sessile à phase larvaire caractérisée par sa longévité importante, sa dynamique de population lente et son rôle structurant au sein des communautés de substrats durs de Méditerranée. Soumis à une importante pression de récolte, Corallium rubruma récemment subi deux évènements de mortalité massive concordant avec des anomalies thermiques positives, potentiellement liées au réchauffement climatique. La combinaison de ces deux pressions environnementales est donc susceptible d’affecter fortement l’évolution des populations de surface de cette espèce. Basé sur une approche intégrant génétique des populations et écologie de terrain, ce travail a pour objectif principal d’étudier les processus microévolutifs en jeu chez le corail rouge, de l’inter- à l’intra- populationel, afin de contribuer à l'amélioration de nos connaissances sur la biologie de cette espèce dans le contexte environnemental actuel.Ce travail de thèse élargit le champ de connaissances relatif à l’écologie de Corallium rubrum et fournit un ensemble d’outils et de données pour sa conservation face aux perturbations environnementales en cours.Il contribue, par la même occasion, à une avancée significative dans la compréhension de la biologie des organismes marins sessiles à phase larvaire.Il illustre notamment la pertinence d'approches mises place à des échelles spatiales réduites, pour répondre à des questions fondamentales sur l’évolution de ces organismes, souvent clés au sein de communautés sous pression / Anthropic pressures act synergistically from gene to ecosystems and from polar to tropical regions, inducing a strong biological loss, which is considered by many as the sixth mass extinction. The evolution of biodiversity facing the ongoing global change is thus an open question.The present study is focused on the shallow populations (5 - 60 m) of Corallium rubrum (Octocorallia,Coralliidae) in the North Western Mediterranean Sea. The red coral is a sessile and long-lived species with a larval phase, a slow population dynamics and an important structuring role in the Mediterranean hard substrates communities. This species faces a strong harvesting pressure, and recently underwent two massmortality events linked to positive thermal anomalies putatively due to ongoing climate change. These two pressures may have deep implications on the evolution of the shallow populations of this species. Using population genetics and field ecology, the main objective of this study was to define microevolutionary processes acting between and within red coral populations, to enhance our knowledge on the biology of this species facing the environmental changes. This work extends our knowledge concerning the ecology of Corallium rubrum, and provides new toolsand data for its conservation in the context of the ongoing global change. Moreover, this work improves our understanding in the biology of sessile marine organisms with a larval phase, illustrating for example the relevance of approaches conducted at fine geographical scales to address questions regarding the evolution of these organisms.