<div>Grand Sable Dunes, as a perched dune field on the shore of Lake Superior, is a sensitive</div><div>ecosystem subject to continual disturbance. Repeated natural disturbances necessitate specialized</div><div>plant communities to develop. There were two objectives of my research in this system that are</div><div>treated in separate chapters. They include: 1) the quantification of successional changes in the</div><div>plant community over time, and the identification of population demography changes for rare</div><div>species within the dunes and 2) the evaluation of evaluate in pollinator species for two plants</div><div>Hieracium caespitosum (Yellow Hawkweed) and Lithospermum caroliniense (Carolina</div><div>Puccoon).</div><div>For the first objective, target plant community composition and structures (i.e. richness,</div><div>diversity) were quantified in 2011 and 2018 across Grand Sable Dunes in 1 m² quadrats.</div><div>Additionally, two relatively rare plant species (Cirsium pitcheri and Tanacetum bipinnatum)</div><div>were selected to quantify demographic (i.e. flowering, non-flowering) patterns and changes over</div><div>time. Samples for C. pitcheri and T. bipinnatum were acquired via circle-plots 2.5 m in diameter.</div><div>Population comparisons between 2011 and 2018 illustrate minimal change in community</div><div>structure (richness and diversity). Composition increased slightly with eight species occurring in</div><div>2018, but not 2011. Additionally, community similarity was high (~78%) between the two years.</div><div>C. pitcheri occurrence was inversely related to presence of other species. Plant community</div><div>composition in eastern and western survey zones within the dunes appear to be diverging. Minor</div><div>changes in the plant community composition and structures indicate successional changes have</div><div>occurred, but without major disturbance. This divergence in community composition may be</div><div>related to weather related incidents associated with Lake Superior disturbance potential.</div><div>The secondary objective concerns pollinator species on two similar plant species found in</div><div>the Grand Sable Dunes. Individuals of H. caespitosum and L. caroliniense were observed and all</div><div>floral visitors were identified to family. The majority of arthropod families were observed</div><div>10</div><div>visiting both H. caespitosum and L. caroliniense, with an absence of typically important families</div><div>(e.g. Apidae, Bombiliidae). Halictidae, Muscidae and Syrphidae were the most common visitors,</div><div>with L. caroliniense attracting far more Muscidae than their H. caespitosum competitors.</div><div>Overlap in visitors for both species was observed, which may lead to decreased reproduction in</div><div>L. caroliniense.</div>

After European settlement, Australian rangelands especially in South Australia underwent significant changes because of the main land use of pastoralism. Many studies have revealed that the plant communities are negatively effected by herbivory mainly by sheep. The main aim of this study is to separate the different effects of sheep, rabbits and kangaroos. This was examined by survey supported by experimental and modelling research. A 32,000 km² area previously surveyed by Tiver and Andrew (1997) in eastern South Australia was re-surveyed to monitor populations of perennial plant species at sites of various intensity of grazing by sheep, rabbits and kangaroos (goats populations are low in the study area), the most important vertebrate herbivores. Plant population data were collected in both sheep paddocks and historically ungrazed by sheep (road reserves) by using the Random Walk method and analyzed using Generalized Linear Modelling (GLM) to separate the effects of sheep and rabbits on plant regeneration and their regeneration in response to grazing. These data were also compared to similar data collected by Tiver and Andrew in 1992 (1997) to ascertain if the reduction in rabbit numbers through introduction of RCV had allowed increased regeneration. Regeneration of many species inside paddocks were negatively affected and species in roadside reserves neither did not significantly increase from 1992 to 2004. However, some species showed increase of populations in spite of sheep grazing, with some species being less susceptible than others. This research also indicates kangaroo grazing impact on some plant species. Reduction in rabbit numbers following the 1995 release of calicivirus has not been effective in restoring regeneration. Another experiment was conducted at Middleback Field Station near Whyalla to identify herbivore grazing pressure on the arid zone plant species Acacia aneura using unfenced, sheep fenced and rabbit fenced grazing exclosures. This experiment was set up with seedlings in exclosures, ten replicates of each treatment, at plots four different distances from the watering point to identify the survivorship of seedlings. Data were collected by recording canopy volumes of seedling over an 18 month period and analyzed by Residual Maximal Likelihood (REML). Seedlings both near and far from the watering point were severely effected by large herbivores, either sheep, kangaroos or both, and in a separate experiment kangaroo grazing effects on the seedling were also identified. Seedlings browsed by the rabbits were recovered better than the seedlings grazed by the large herbivores. Decreasing kangaroo activities has been noticed when the rabbit movements increased. Computer modelling was conducted to predict the future plant population structure over 500 years using a matrix population model developed by Tiver et al. (2006) and using data collected in the survey as a starting point. Extinction probabilities of populations of Acacia aneura near watering points, far from watering points and under pulse grazing scenarios were compared. Sheep grazing was found to cause eventual extinction of populations in all parts of sheep paddocks. Together, the results indicate that sheep are the major herbivore suppressing regeneration of perennial plant species. Kangaroo and rabbits have an identifiable but lesser effect. The results have implications for conservation and pastoral management. To achieve ecological sustainability of arid lands a land-use system including a network of reserves ungrazed by sheep and with control of both rabbit and kangaroo numbers will be required.

L’étude des mécanismes qui régissent le succès d’établissement et d’expansion des espèces exotiques apparait primordial pour l’appréhension de leurs potentiels impacts. Ce travail de thèse a pour objet d’étude la Perruche à collier \textit{Psittacula krameri}, un Psittacidé largement introduit en Europe. Les objectifs de ces travaux relèvent de l’étude des facteurs qui peuvent influencer le succès d’établissement de cette espèce en milieu urbain, par l’analyse de la sélection de l’habitat à l’étude des traits comportementaux. Les résultats montrent que la sélection de l’habitat est associée aux activités humaines, de par la préférence de l’espèce pour les zones urbanisées dans lesquelles l’espèce semble être attirée par les lumières artificielles et les espèces végétales exotiques. La comparaison de la sélection de l’habitat avec une espèce native en expansion, le Choucas des tours \textit{Corvus monedula}, a permis de montrer que la Perruche à collier est contrainte spatialement aux zones suburbaines tandis que le Choucas pourrait être capable de s’étendre aux zones les plus urbanisées. Une approche expérimentale et éthologique a mis en lumière le comportement agressif de la Perruche à collier et une monopolisation passive des ressources alimentaires, suggérant un avantage compétitif sur les espèces natives. L’ensemble des résultats de cette thèse laisse présager un potentiel de forte croissance démographique des populations et contribue aux connaissances nécessaires pour comprendre les mécanismes qui régissent l’établissement et le succès des espèces en expansion, native et exotique, tant au travers de l’étude spatiale que comportementale. / Identifying the mechanisms which may allow invasive species to establish and spread is not only a scientific question of interest but also a crucial knowledge to acquire for the management of these species. This thesis work focuses on the ring-necked parakeet, \textit{Psittacula krameri},, a Psittacine species widely introduced throughout Europe.This thesis aimed to study factors underlying the spatiotemporal distribution and which may explain the urban success of this species, from the analysis of habitat selection to behavioral traits. Results showed that habitat selection is closely related to anthropic activities, the species showing a clear preference for suburban zones and green urban areas in which the species seems to be attracted by artificial lights and exotic tree species. Using the Western jackdaw, a native range-expanding and co-occurring species, distribution modelling allowed to predict the potential future distribution and showed that, while the jackdaw may spatially expand in the more urbanized part of the city, the ring-necked parakeet may be restricted to suburban areas in the future. An ethological experiment highlighted the agonistic behavior of the ring-necked parakeet and a passive monopolization of resources, suggesting a competitive advantage over native species, exacerbated by temporal niche overlap and avoidance behavior by native species. This thesis suggests that parakeets have the potential to reach high numbers in urban areas and the overall findings provide further insight into the mechanisms allowing the establishment and spread of expanding species, native and exotic, through spatial and behavioral factors.

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / The present study investigated the effect of different strata of tide on the abundance, size, sex ratio, population structure, relative growth, morphological sexual maturity, amount of ovigerous females and reproductive burrows in U. leptodactylus. To this end, monthly collections were made from January to December 2013 in two strata of the intertidal, estuaries of Sergipe river and Vaza-barris river, using a square with internal area of 90cm², launched ten times randomly within each strata. For each stratum monthly measures air temperature, substrate temperature, water temperature, salinity and samples episubstrate for the determination of particle size and composition of organic matter were taken. In the laboratory, crabs were sexed, measured and preserved in 70% alcohol. The monthly results were statistically compared between strata and estuaries, there are similarities in environmental factors analyzed between strata, with an analysis of the abundance, size, relative growth and sexual maturity divergent between the same strata.The abundance and size of crabs were higher in the open strata of both estuaries, with the estuary of Vaza-barris river more abundant than estuary of Sergipe river, which in turn showed higher crabs. The sex ratio was not significantly different between the strata of the estuary of Vaza-barris river, but presented to the estuary of Sergipe river, where in the open strata occurred more males and more females in the vegetated strata. Population structure showed 19 classes of size 0.5 mm with modal distribution of recent juveniles for vegetated strata and adults to open strata. Juvenile and adult crabs showed positive allometric growth between carapace width and length of the propodus and width of the abdomen, separately for each sex. The fiddler crabs vegetated strata matured in smaller sizes than that observed for the open strata in both estuaries, in the estuary of Vaza-barris river males and females matured with 6.18 and 5.26 mm and 4.94 and 4.91 mm carapace width in open and vegetated strata, respectively. In the estuary of Sergipe river males and females matured with 5.61 and 5.36 and 5.24 mm and 4.39 mm carapace width in open and vegetated strata respectively. The similarity in abiotic factors between open and vegetated strata, and differences in the abundance, population structure and reproductive biology have led to the consideration of the reproductive behavior of lekking for U. leptodactylus. Ovigerous females and reproductive burrows occurred primarily in the open strata, so these areas were considered reproductive arenas, while vegetated strata were considered priority areas in recruitment. / O presente trabalho investigou o efeito de diferentes estratos de maré sobre a abundância, tamanho, razão sexual, estrutura populacional, crescimento relativo, maturidade sexual morfológica, quantidade de fêmeas ovígeras e tocas reprodutivas em U. leptodactylus. Para tal, foram realizadas coletas mensais no período de Janeiro à Dezembro de 2013 em dois estratos do entremarés, nos estuários do rio Sergipe e rio Vaza-barris, utilizando-se um quadrado com área interna de 90cm², lançado dez vezes aleatoriamente em cada estrato. Para cada estrato mensalmente foram tomadas as medidas de temperatura do ar, temperatura do substrato, temperatura da água, salinidade e amostras do episubstrato, para a determinação do teor de matéria orgânica e composição granulometria. Em laboratório, os caranguejos foram sexados, medidos e conservados em álcool 70%. Os resultados obtidos mensalmente foram comparados estatisticamente entre estratos e estuários, observou-se semelhança nos fatores ambientais analisado entre os estratos, sendo a análise da abundância, tamanho, crescimento relativo e maturidade sexual divergente entre os mesmos estratos. A abundância e o tamanho dos caranguejos foram maiores nos estratos abertos de ambos os estuários, sendo o estuário do rio Vaza-barris mais abundante do que o estuário do rio Sergipe, que por sua vez apresentou caranguejos maiores. A razão sexual não apresentou diferença significativa entre os estratos para o estuário do rio Vaza-barris, porém apresentou para o estuário do rio Sergipe, onde no estrato aberto ocorreram mais machos e nos estratos vegetados mais fêmeas. A estrutura populacional apresentou 19 classes de tamanho de 0,5 mm, com distribuição modal de juvenis recentes para os estratos vegetados e de adultos para os estratos abertos. Os caranguejos juvenis e adultos apresentaram crescimento alométrico positivo entre a largura da carapaça e comprimento do própodo e largura do abdômen, separadamente para cada sexo. Os chama-marés dos estratos vegetados maturaram em tamanhos menores do que o observado para os estratos abertos de ambos os estuários, no estuários do rio Vaza-barris os machos e fêmeas maturaram com 6,18 e 5,26 mm e 4,94 e 4,91 mm de largura da carapaça nos estratos aberto e vegetado, respectivamente. No estuário do rio Sergipe os machos e fêmeas maturaram com 5,61 e 5,36 mm e 5,24 e 4,39 mm de largura da carapaça nos estratos aberto e vegetado, respectivamente. A semelhança nos fatores abióticos entre os estratos abertos e vegetados, e as divergências na abundância, estrutura populacional e biologia reprodutiva, levaram à consideração do comportamento reprodutivo de lekking para U. leptodactylus. As fêmeas ovígeras e tocas reprodutivas ocorreram prioritariamente nos estratos abertos, portanto essas áreas foram consideradas arenas reprodutivas, enquanto os estratos vegetados foram considerados áreas prioritárias no recrutamento.

No description available.

<p>  </p> <p>Free-roaming dogs on Native American Reservations are called rez dogs on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, SD. Understanding the human-rez dog relationship is needed to develop best management practices. As a member of the Oglala Lakota nation and a resident of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, I used a combination of western scientific methods and Lakota ways of knowing to research how rez dogs are related to their human caretakers on the Pine Ridge Reservation. First, I determined how they are related to humans spatially. To do this, I installed trail cameras at 73 sites distributed within four zones around six communities on the Pine Ridge Reservation. I analyzed presence-absence and count data to estimate how human habitat covariates influenced rez dog occurrence and abundance. My results show that rez dog occupancy and abundance is related to human habitation and emphasizes the importance of considering human caretakers when developing best management practices. To investigate how human caretakers may perceive rez dogs and current management practices on the Pine Ridge Reservation, I used semi-structured questionnaires. I distributed surveys to 107 residents at grocery stores and convenience stores within five towns. The survey assessed the communities' perceptions of rez dog overpopulation, and topics related to their attitude toward dogs overall and rez dog sterilization programs. I used ordinal regression to determine if community member demographics, the number of people and dogs in the household, and distance to the veterinary clinic influenced these variables. My results show community members support rez dog sterilization programs and that policymakers should focus on free or low-cost sterilization programs for ambiguously owned rez dogs in conjunction with owned dogs. In addition, these results highlight how the economic disparity and lack of culturally appropriate methods of rez-dog population control prevent effective management of rez dogs. This dynamic is one example of how the settler-colonialism structure continues to negatively impact Native American communities and prevent effective, efficient, and ethical ways to manage rez dogs. I describe how the Lakota ways of knowing can be used to develop best management practices for rez dogs that are culturally appropriate. I describe the seven Lakota values, lessons learned from the Lakota dog creation story, and approaches to Lakota research methodologies. This paper introduces an example of a seven-generation, One Health framework that implements Lakota ways of knowing to establish rez dog management and centers community values, beginning generational healing through <em>Shunka </em>(dog) caretaking. In conclusion, this research describes how rez dogs are related to us spatially, by occupying the same area as us, and how we are related within a social context, with dogs being an indicator of our own well-being as humans. </p>

No description available.

<p dir="ltr">Mammalian mesocarnivores contribute greatly to a proper functioning ecosystem by exerting top-down population control on prey species. While many of these species can be legally trapped or hunted in Indiana, given their responsibilities in the ecosystem, continuous monitoring of Gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) and Long-tailed weasel (Neogale frenata) by researchers is important to identify potential signs of decline and produce specific management plans. Both U. cinereoargenteus and N. frenata populations are suspected to be declining based on reduced frequencies of observations and harvest. However, each species displays cryptic behaviors that can make observation and effective surveying difficult, which may make the development of accurate assessments of population health unfeasible. To enable better monitoring of populations of these species, I developed a model for potential U. cinereoargenteus habitat and build upon camera trapping survey methods for N. frenata in this project. I used community surveying tools in a presence-only software (e.g., MaxEnt) to develop a consensus model for U. cinereoargenteus potential habitat. I identified five landscape-based covariates (distance to mixed and evergreen forest, distance to low urban cover, distance to shrub/scrub cover, and percent total forest cover per km2 ) that contributed the greatest to predicting the presence of the species. The top models in my project indicated a positive relationship between predicted U. cinereoargenteus presence and forested land cover. Additionally, predicted presence was high when the distance to low urban and shrub/scrub cover was low. In the Southern portion of Indiana predicted areas of presence occurred where larger forest patches exist. This differed from the Central and Northern portions of the state where smaller fragmented forest patches exist. In these areas, predicted areas of presence predominantly occurred near shrub/scrub or low urban cover. These findings will allow researchers to target specific areas for effective surveying and develop species conservation strategies. I also evaluated the ability of three enclosed camera trapping systems (AHDriFT system, Mostela system, and MoHDriFT system) to detect N. frenata. These camera systems have been designed to detect N. frenata and potential prey items, doing so successfully in past studies. I deployed trapping systems in three sites throughout Northeast Indiana from February to November 2023. Camera systems collected data during the project period during unbaited and baited (using sardines) survey periods. During my project, I observed three unique detections of N. frenata, all 9 of which were in the AHDriFT system during unbaited survey periods (P = 0.99; Z = -0.005). During these survey periods when N. frenata were detected, the AHDriFT system accounted for greater prey visitation and prey species abundance than the other two trapping systems (P < 0.01; F = 12). The ability to attract large amounts of prey species while successfully detecting N. frenata in this project may point to the AHDriFT system as the best camara trapping system suited for monitoring this cryptic species. The results from my project provide researchers and state agencies with input for monitoring these two cryptic species. With both species in suspected declines, the research conducted in the two chapters can contribute to portions of future species management plans. By targeting specific areas with predicted suitable habitat for U. cinereoargenteus, agencies can better allocate funds and conduct more extensive species research in Indiana. Likewise, by deploying the AHDriFT system, researchers in Indiana can cost-effectively monitor, not only N. frenata populations, but also small mammal and herp communities with ease. The research in this project provides researchers and state agencies in Indiana with new tools and insights in monitoring these cryptic species that are critical mesocarnivores in the state’s ecosystem.</p>

The Theses deals with applications of mathematical knowledge in teaching biology and it is divided into four chapters. Each chapter is dedicated to another application: 1. Application of conditional probability in medical diagnostics, 2. Application of exponential function in population ecology, 3. Application of logic functions in mathematical modelation of neuron and 4. Aplication of binomial theorem and binomial distribution in genetics. Each application contains solved problems, a worksheet for students and a solution for each worksheet. Two application (1. and 2.) have been tested in teaching and as an assessment of my lessons students filled questionnaires. Results of these questionnaires are processed in the end of these chapters. This Thesis can be used in teaching or self-studying.

By using a natural experiment approach and longitudinal national hospital data, this study sheds light on the objective functions of hospitals with different ownership forms by comparing their relative reductions in HH provision after the implementation of the BBA. The empirical findings reveal that for-profit hospitals behave differently as compared to public and private nonprofit hospitals, due to their different operational objectives. While the response of for-profit hospitals is consistent with the profit-maximizer model, both public and private nonprofit ownership types behave consistently in accordance with the model of two-good producers whose objective is to maximize market outputs for meeting the health care needs of the community, given the break-even requirement. This finding provides support for the tax exemption the United States government has granted private nonprofit hospitals. Although the response patterns of the nonprofit ownership types are in general similar, this study found that, contrary to expectation, religious hospitals were more likely than secular nonprofit hospitals to have reduced HH provision after the BBA. Further studies are needed to explore the difference in operational behaviors between these two ownership types. Built on previous related studies and applying a more comprehensive set of independent and control variables with improved data sources, this study is able to examine the effects of certain organizational and market factors on hospital offering of HH care pre-BBA and the change in the provision of HH care in the six years following the implementation of the BBA. Hospital proportion of Medicare patients, hospital size, total profit margin, case mix index, elderly density in the market are found to be positive determinants of a hospital’s likelihood of offering HH care. However, these organizational and market factors, in general, play a non-significant role in influencing hospitals’ changes in HH care provision after the implementation of the BBA. In the study, explanations and implications of these finding are discussed. Finally, potential limitations to this study and opportunities for future research are addressed.