<p><font face="TimesNewRoman"> <p align="left">Research findings in current study provide a new insight into the fractured rock aquifers in the TMG area. Some of the results will have wide implications on the groundwater management and forms a solid basis the further study of the TMG aquifers.</p> </font></p>

The Devonian Frog Mountain Formation thickens abruptly eastward across the Eastern Coosa thrust fault from <12 m on the west to>70 m on the east. The thin Frog Mountain on the west unconformably overlies the Cambrian-Ordovician Knox Group. The thin Frog Mountain (mostly shale) is overlain by the Mississippian Maury Shale (~1 m thick) and Fort Payne Chert (~50 m thick). The thick Frog Mountain on the east rests on the Middle Ordovician Athens Shale, a black shale >150 m thick. The Athens overlies the Knox Group. The thick Frog Mountain is nearly all sandstone and is overlain by Fort Payne Chert which is only ~1 m thick In the Eastern Coosa hanging wall, an upper-level out-of-the-syncline thrust fault with thick Frog Mountain in the hanging wall cuts more than 290 m stratigraphically down section from Athens to lower Knox in the footwall. The upper-level Frog Mountain thrust sheet crosses over the Eastern Coosa fault, and truncates folds in the Eastern Coosa footwall, moving ~2 km. The thick Frog Mountain Formation associated with the Eastern Coosa thrust sheet has been transported ~100 km cratonward. The Frog Mountain Formation was deposited over a low topographic high, which was in the location of the Blountian peripheral foreland bulge.

Hybrids are common, being found in about 25% of all plant species, but the isolating barriers which preserve species integrity are poorly studied. I investigated this question in the large New Zealand genus Celmisia Cass. (Asteraceae), which hybridises readily in cultivation, but wild hybrids are relatively rare. My study quantitatively tests four potential reproductive isolating barriers in 12 sympatric species of Celmisia found in the Craigieburn Range, inland Canterbury, New Zealand. I examined two potential prezygotic reproductive isolating barriers (flowering phenology and pollinator specialisation), and two potential postzygotic barriers (pre-dispersal seed predation and hybrid seed germination). I used null models to test whether Celmisia species had temporally segregated flowering times, and found that some Celmisia are temporally segregated and thus less likely to form hybrids. I used experimental pair-wise flowering arrays to observe insect visitation to six different Celmisia species pairs. While I found no difference in the overall pollinator community, several insect families showed preferences for some Celmisia species. Furthermore, I found that subtle floral character differences were driving these insect preferences. In particular, I found scape height to be positively associated with insect visitation with taller Celmisia being favoured over shorter species. Insect preferences did not translate into strong floral constancy, therefore indicating that Celmisia flower visitors are likely to be a weak barrier to hybridisation. I reared a range of insect seed predators from field-collected capitula of the hybrid C. x pseudolyallii and both parent species (C. lyallii and C. spectabilis). There was no overall difference in the number of seed-predators per capitulum between hybrid and parent Celmisia taxa. I collected and sowed seeds from three Celmisia hybrids and their parent species in order to test whether hybrids were less fertile than their parent species. I found no evidence to suggest that the seeds of hybrids had lower germination success than those of their parents. Overall I found evidence for only weak prezygotic reproductive isolation and no evidence for postzygotic isolation in the four barriers I examined in Celmisia.

Starting from the hypothesis European countries have more experience in addressing problems in their mountain areas, the research was designed as a cross-country study mixed with a casestudy approach. Major European mountain massifs were embraced within the first phase of the research (exploratory-descriptive), indicating how similar problems in Serbian [SMA] and other European mountain areas [EMA] are and how their countries address them. The next task was to present how sustainable development of SMA alone can be enhanced, which was done in the explanatory phase. Multiple source analysis, also known as the triangulation method, enabled evidence cross-checking. In the case of SMA, data was collected from both available sources and interviews conducted in three rounds with experts, authorities and the local population (in four municipalities), while data for other EMA was obtained solely from written sources. Both qualitative and quantitative data were analysed. The research led to identification of five categories of problems: environmental, demographic, infrastructure, economic and management. In this regard, SMA have been shown to be similar to other EMA in terms of environmental and demographic issues, while differing from them in matters of the economy, physical accessibility, infrastructure endowment and management. The Balkan Mountain Massif and the Carpathians showed the greatest similarity to SMA. In contrast, the Alps showed a considerably lower extent of problems because of the length of time already spent on finding solutions for them. The identified problem categories in mountain areas Serbia has been dealt for the shortest period of time, including defining and promotion of principles, instruments and measures. The issues stressed are: Serbia lacks decision-making power below the national level, explicit measures for mountain area problems and their implementation. The greatest gap between EMA and SMA appeared to be in the sphere of management, where Serbia has done the least. The last part of the research argues and suggests the prospects for the sustainable development of SMA, split into three main fields of action - management, infrastructure and the economy, and additionally a couple of actions valuable for all the fields simultaneously – urban-rural dependences and activation of the civil sector and volunteers. Within the management field, active local population participation, responsible realisation of the full cycle of decision making - from research to evaluation – and the special status for SMA are highlighted as inevitable in the enhancement process. In the field of the economy, the suggestions made are economic diversification and the improvement of products and job attractiveness, which are expected to positively affect the dissemination of knowledge, product marketing and accessibility to the market. Finally, the sustainable development perspectives aligned in the field of accessibility and infrastructure are the endowment of roads, modernisation of education and ICT endowment. / Ausgehend von der Hypothese, dass europäische Länder bereits vielfältige Erfahrungen mit der Bewältigung von Problemen in ihren Berggebieten haben, ist die vorliegende Forschungsarbeit als länderübergreifende Fallstudie angelegt worden. In einem ersten, exploratorischdeskriptiven Teil der Forschungsarbeit werden die größten europäischen Gebirgsmassive vorgestellt. Es wird herausgearbeitet, wie sich Probleme in serbischen [SBG] und anderen europäischen Berggebieten [EBG] ähneln und auf welche Art und Weise sich die einzelnen Länder mit ihren Berggebieten auseinandersetzen. Dies geschieht in der Absicht, Wege aufzuzeigen, wie eine nachhaltige Entwicklung der Berggebiete in Serbien angegangen werden könnte. Daten aus verschiedenen Quellen sind zu diesem Zweck ausgewertet worden, wodurch auch die Prüfung der Daten, d.h. ihre Triangulation möglich war. Im Falle der SBG wurden Daten aus zwei verfügbaren Quellen herangezogen. Außerdem sind Interviews mit Fachexperten, Behörden und den Bewohnern in vier Gemeinden geführt worden. Zu den EBG sind verfügbare Daten aus der Literatur genutzt worden. Sowohl qualitative als auch quantitative Daten sind in die Analyse einbezogen worden. Fünf Kategorien von Problemen konnten auf diese Weise herausgearbeitet werden: ökologische, demographische, infrastrukturelle, wirtschaftliche und administrative Probleme. Es konnte gezeigt werden, dass die SBG und die EBG vor allem in Bezug auf die Umwelt und die Demographie Ähnlichkeiten besitzen. Unterschiede zeigten sich vor allem in Bezug auf Fragen der Wirtschaft, der physischen Zugänglichkeit, der infrastrukturellen Ausstattung und der Verwaltung. Das Gebirgsmassiv im Balkan und den Karpaten besitzt die größte Ähnlichkeit mit den SBG. Im Gegensatz dazu, zeigten die Alpen wesentlich geringere Probleme, da diese seit einem längeren Zeitraum angegangen werden. Im darauffolgenden, analytischen Teil der Arbeit werden zu jeder der identifizierten Problemkategorien in Serbien kurzfristig umsetzbare Entwicklungsprinzipien, Instrumente und Maßnahme vorgeschlagen. Herausgestellt werden folgende Aspekte: Serbien braucht mehr Entscheidungsbefugnis unterhalb der nationalen Ebene, es braucht besondere Instrumente zur Bewältigung der Probleme seiner Berggebiete sowie eigene Ansätze zu deren Umsetzung. Der größten Differenzen zwischen EBG und SBG werden im Bereich der Verwaltung gesehen, da Serbien hier bisher die wenigsten Anstrengungen unternommen hat. Im letzten Teil der Arbeit werden Perspektiven für die nachhaltige Entwicklung der SBG aufgezeigt, aufgeteilt in drei mögliche Haupthandlungsfelder– Verwaltung, Infrastruktur und Wirtschaft. Außerdem werden Maßnahmen vorgeschlagen, die alle Problemfelder übergreifen. Dazu gehören die Bezugnahme von Stadt und Land sowie die Aktivierung zivilen und ehrenamtlichen Engagements innerhalb der SBG. Für den Bereich der Verwaltung werden die aktive Einbeziehung der lokalen Bevölkerung, die verantwortungsvolle Umsetzung planerischer Entscheidungsprozesse – von der Forschung bis hin zur Evaluierung – sowie die Einrichtung eines besonderen Status für die SBG als notwendig für deren nachhaltige Entwicklung erachtet. Für den Bereich der Wirtschaft werden Diversifikation, die qualitative Verbesserung von Erzeugnissen sowie die Steigerung des Angebotes attraktiver Arbeitsplätze als Entwicklungsmöglichkeiten vorgeschlagen, da diese voraussichtlich positiv auf die Verbreitung von Wissen, Produktmarketing und die Zugänglichkeit zu den Märkten wirken. Darüber hinaus werden für nachhaltige Entwicklungsperspektiven der SBG in Bezug auf die Erreichbarkeit und die Infrastruktur die Einrichtung von Straßen, die Modernisierung von Bildungseinrichtungen und die Einrichtung von Informations- und Kommunikationswegen angeregt.

In this study I investigated patterns of invertebrate diversity in Limpopo Province indigenous forests, in order to highlight forests and taxa of special conservation significance. Invertebrates from seven target taxa were sampled in 11 patches of indigenous forest in Limpopo Province from February 2001 to January 2002, including six forests in the Soutpansberg and five forests in the northern Drakensberg. Selected forests comprise three distinct vegetation subtypes and the target taxa selected were millipedes, centipedes, earthworms, terrestrial molluscs, spiders, scorpions and amphipods. Invertebrates were sampled by active searching of quadrats and line transects and pitfall traps. A total of 11 969 indigenous target group individuals were sampled, comprising 14 orders, 50 families, 86 genera and 142 species (including at least nine new). There was a significant difference in the total invertebrate species richness and diversity of forest patches but results varied considerably when different target group figures were analyzed. With the exception of spiders, the factors influencing total and individual target group richness in forests could not be determined. Introduced invertebrates comprised a large proportion of the species and individuals sampled, but were not shown to affect indigenous fauna. Invertebrate species assemblages were most similar between forests sharing the same vegetation subtype and between forests in the same mountain region. However, each forest patch had unique species and some even had unique families. Limpopo Province forests support high numbers of endemic invertebrates. A total of 47 endemic invertebrate species were sampled, including six site endemics, eight local endemics, nine regional endemics and 24 national endemics. The numbers and scales of endemism varied by target group. Invertebrate species’ distributions in Limpopo Province forests generally support the biogeographic theories of Pleistocene forest refugia and the Limpopo River valley as a radiation barrier, although some important contradictions were found. Local endemism in Limpopo Province forests is likely the product of historical processes. Although some significant relationships were found between surrogate and true measures, single taxon biodiversity indicators, the higher taxon method, morphospecies and land classes could not accurately predict patterns of target invertebrate species richness in Limpopo Province forests. Results show that formal species identification should be used if accurate richness estimates are desired; the use of surrogates is not supported by this study. Conservation of Limpopo Province forests is vital for the preservation of valuable invertebrate communities. No forest sampled in this study can be considered unimportant. Effective forest conservation and management is dependent upon the protection of forests of varying patch size, careful evaluation and control of utilization and the establishment and maintenance of corridors linking isolated forest patches. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2004.

British Columbia’s current mountain pine beetle epidemic has led to salvage and mitigation harvesting strategies intended to slow the dispersal of beetles, and recover economic value from infested timber stands. These resulting harvesting strategies will alter the spatial pattern of forest landscapes in impacted regions, often resulting in forest fragmentation. As a result, wildlife habitat, hydrologic regimes, local carbon budgets, and soil dynamics, amoung other ecological properties, are expected to be negatively impacted. Monitoring of forest fragmentation in Canada is now required for the Montreal Process, an international forest monitoring policy. Effective methods that quantify changes in forest fragmentation, the breaking up of forest land cover into smaller, and more numerous parts, are required to meet forest monitoring objectives. This research provides two new methods that build upon existing approaches widely used for quantifying the spatial patterns of landscape features (i.e., landscape pattern indices). The first approach I demonstrate aids the quantification of forest pattern change over two time periods, by accounting for the impact of composition on spatial configuration. The value of this method is demonstrated using a case study that highlights the impacts of forest harvesting, associated with insect salvage and mitigation activities. This method allows landscapes that have changed primarily in composition to be distinguished from those that have experienced large configurational change. In the second approach I use multivariate cluster analysis for regionalization (the grouping of objects in space), and identify regions within a study area where increased fragmentation is observed. Regions delineated based on forest spatial pattern can be linked to underlying processes. Ancillary information (e.g., elevation) can be used to identify areas where observed forest pattern is due to underlying physiological features. Pattern indices (e.g., patch perimeter-area ratio) can be used to distinguish between patterns arising from forest disturbance that is likely natural (e.g., fire) or anthropogenic (e.g., harvest activity) in origin. The methods presented in this thesis may be most appropriate when observed changes in landscape pattern can be attributed to substantial changes in landscape composition.

This study reports on the quantitative evaluation of a set of state-of-the-art feature detectors and descriptors in the context of repeat photography. Unlike most related work, the proposed study assesses the performance of feature detectors when intra-pair variations are uncontrolled and due to a variety of factors (landscape change, weather conditions, different acquisition sensors). There is no systematic way to model the factors inducing image change. The proposed evaluation is performed in the context of image matching, i.e. in conjunction with a descriptor and matching strategy. Thus, beyond just comparing the performance of these detectors and descriptors, we also examine the feasibility of feature-based matching on repeat photography. Our dataset consists of a set of repeat and historic images pairs that are representative for the database created by the Mountain Legacy Project www.mountainlegacy.ca. / Graduate

Snowbed vegetation contains both vascular plants and bryophytes. The latest snowbeds cover areas that are of predominantly, if not exclusively, bryophyte flora while the vascular plants are generally confined to the periphery of such late snowbeds. It is hypothesised that the exclusion of vascular flora from the snowbed core is the result of the shortened growing season generated by late-lying snow, which the bryophyte flora is better able to tolerate. The snowbed bryophytes cannot, however, tolerate the competition offered by the vascular flora in the peripheral areas from which they are absent. Data indicate that some of the bryophyte snowbed species are inhabiting optimal conditions in the snowbed core, rather than tolerating sub-optimal conditions. Adaptation and acclimation responses observed in peripheral vascular species indicate that these are inhabiting sub-optimal conditions in the snowbed periphery. The relationship between snow-lie and climate is examined, with to the construction and examination of a second hypothesis that snowbed loyalty in the Scottish Highlands is high, while duration of snow cover is variable. Snow-lie loyalty is the product of prevailing wind conditions, which are persistent and consistent in Scotland leading to consistency in late snowbed location, while the occurrence of mid-winter thaws at all altitudes makes duration of snow cover through accumulated snow depth much more variable. Increased zonal flow in winter has affected snow-lie in the Scottish Highlands, with a slight decrease in snow-lie duration in recent years. It is not clear whether this pattern applies to all altitudes and accumulations at higher levels, especially in the western Highlands, may be increasing as a result of steeper winter-time lapse rates. With late snowbed location varying very little, it is possible that the consequences of global warming may not necessarily mean an extinction of the late snowbed bryophytes in Scotland, which constitute an important part of Britain's montane flora.

Climate change is currently a central problem in ecology, with far-reaching effects on species that may be diffcult to quantify. Ectothermic species which rely on environmental cues to complete successive stages of their life history are especially sensitive to temperature changes and so are good indicators of the impacts of climate change on ecosystems. Based on data collected in growth experiments for the alpine butterfly Parnassius smintheus (Rocky Mountain Apollo), a novel mathematical model is presented to study developmental rate in larval insects. The movement of an individual through larval instars is treated as a discrete-time four-outcome Bernoulli process, where class transition and death are assigned temperature-dependent probabilities. Transition and mortality probabilities are estimated using maximum likelihood estimation techniques. This adult emergence model is then integrated into a reproductive success model, and multi-year implications of climate change on the population dynamics of P. smintheus are explored. / Applied Mathematics

This thesis presents stratigraphic, sedimentological and geochronological results from valley fill and glacial moraines of the Hope-Waiau Valleys in North Canterbury, New Zealand. The findings demonstrate that a substantial portion of the modern valley fill comprises in-situ sedimentary sequences that were deposited during the penultimate glaciation (OIS 6), the last interglacial (OIS 5) and during the mid-late last glacial cycle (OIS 3/2). The sediments survived at low elevations in the valley floor despite overriding by later glacial advances. Sedimentologically, the fill indicates deposition in an ice marginal zone and consists of paraglacial/distal-proglacial aggradation gravels and ice-proximal/marginal-subglacial sediments. Deposition during glacial advance phases was characterized by the sedimentation of outwash gravels and small push moraines while glacial retreat phases are dominated by glaciolacustrine deposits which are frequently interbedded with debris flow diamictons. The overall depositional arrangement indicates that glacial retreat from the lower valley portion occurred via large scale ice stagnation. Results from infra-red stimulated luminescence (IRSL) dating gives evidence for five large aggradation and degradation phases in the Hope-Waiau Valleys over the last 200 ka. Combined with surface exposure dating (SED) of moraines the geochronological results indicate that glacial advances during OIS 6 were substantially larger in both ice extent and ice volume than during OIS 4-2. The last glacial maximum (LGM) ice advance occurred prior to 20.5 ka and glacial retreat from extended ice positions began by ~18 ka BP. A late glacial re-advance (Lewis Pass advance) occurred at ~13 ka BP and is probably associated with a regional cooling event correlated to the Antarctic Cold Reversal (ACR). The findings from the Hope-Waiau Valleys were integrated into a model for glaciations in the Southern Alps which uses data from a snow mass balance model to analyse the sensitivity of glacial accumulation to temperature forcing. Model results indicate that in the central hyperhumid sector of the Southern Alps ice would expand rapidly with minor cooling (2-4℃) suggesting that full glaciation could be generated with little thermal forcing. Some Quaternary glacial advances in the Southern Alps may have been triggered by regional climate phenomena (e.g. changes in ENSO mode) rather than requiring a thermal trigger from the Northern Hemisphere.