Rainfall is the most important factor limiting primary production, and hence food availability, in ecosystems. This study tests the thesis that, under conditions where rainfall is unpredictable and food supply varies spatially and temporally from year-to-year, physiological energy-saving mechanisms should evolve in animals for which migration is not an option to avoid periods of low habitat productivity. Apart from the normally erratic rainfall patterns characteristic of arid regions, unpredictable seasonal rainfall may also occur in mesic zones as a consequence of climatic phenomena such as the El Niño Southern Oscillations (ENSO). Using two hypothetical models, this study attempts to determine whether the respective evolutionary history of both aridity and ENSO can be detected in the various phenotypic physiological traits of Rhabdomys pumilio from across southern Africa. Model 1 predicts that a gradient of conservatism of physiological traits related to metabolism, will be detectable along an aridity gradient. Model 2 predicts an increase in the conservatism of similar traits correlated with both the aridity gradient and the gradient of negative rainfall anomalies that are associated with the ENSO. Measurements of circadian rhythms of body temperature and oxygen consumption of individuals of R. pumilio collected from six sites across southern Africa showed that the geographic variation in the physiological traits and proximate responses of this species was explained better by Model 2 than by Model 1. Furthermore, for some traits and proximate responses of this species it was shown that, although the stresses associated with unpredictable rainfall occur less frequently in non-desert ENSO-zones, they are nevertheless sufficient to mimic the selection pressures of rainfall unpredictability in arid zones. This study also highlighted the low basal rates of metabolism and the other conservative physiological traits of this species as a whole. The basal metabolic rate of 0.819 mlO₂g/h and the minimum wet thermal conductance of 0.110 mlO₂/g/h/ºC are lower than that predicted by allometry. The circadian amplitude of body temperature of 2.52°C and the circadian amplitude of oxygen consumption of 1.39 mlO₂/g/h were higher than those predicted by allometric equations. These deviations from predicted values were attributed to the adaptedness of this species to the physiological energy stresses associated with unpredictable resource availability in southern Africa. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 1998.

Memoria para optar al Título Profesional de Ingeniero Forestal / El estudio de las cronosecuencias permite interpretar los procesos de sucesión de la vegetación, especialmente aquellos que suceden luego de la ocurrencia de disturbios de gran escala, como el retroceso de los glaciares. Estos disturbios generan un mosaico de rodales con diferentes patrones estructurales, que pueden proporcionar ideas de como ocurren los procesos de sucesión postglacial. El objetivo de este estudio es analizar la estructura de rodal y de edades de un bosque de Nothofagus pumilio establecido posterior al retroceso de los glaciares Chico y O’Higgins en los Campos de Hielo Sur, Chile. A lo largo de un transecto, que recorre parte de las cuencas de ambos glaciares, se establecieron diez parcelas de 600 m2 (20 x 30 m) con parcelas de 200 m2 (20 x 10 m) y 4 m2 (2 x 2 m) en su interior, desde las que se obtuvo información referida a la estructura de rodal, estructura vertical y horizontal, y presencia de regeneración inicial y avanzada. Las edades de los árboles fueron estimadas a partir de un modelo de regresión que usó como variables independientes el diámetro a la altura del pecho y el estado de desarrollo de los árboles. Las distintas situaciones estructurales se ordenaron a lo largo de la cronosecuencia a través de una reparametrización de la función de densidad de probabilidad de Weibull.

Memoria para optar al Título Profesional de Ingeniero de la Madera

No description available.

The home range encompasses an animal’s movements as it goes about its normal activity, and several home range estimators have been developed. I evaluated the performance of the Minimum Convex Polygon, Bivariate Normal, and several kernel home range estimators in a geographical information system environment using simulations and a large database of O. pumilio mark-recapture locations. A fixed 90% kernel estimator using Least-Square Cross-Validation (to select the bandwidth) outperformed other methods of estimating home range size and was effective with relatively few capture points. Home range size, core area size, intrasexual overlap, and movement rates among coordinates were higher in female frogs than in male frogs. These measures likely reflect behavioral differences related to territoriality (males only) and parental care (both sexes). The simple Biological Index of Vagility (BIV) generated movement values that scaled well with home range size while revealing more information than home range estimates alone.

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・論文博士 / 博士(生命科学) / 乙第12899号 / 論生博第11号 / 新制||生||43(附属図書館) / 31653 / 京都大学大学院生命科学研究科統合生命科学専攻 / (主査)教授 藤田 尚志, 教授 米原 伸, 教授 朝長 啓造 / 学位規則第4条第2項該当 / Doctor of Philosophy in Life Sciences / Kyoto University / DFAM

No description available.

En Tierra del Fuego, los bosques de Nothofagus pumilio (lenga) han sido aprovechados desde principios de la colonización europea. Estos bosques constituyen el principal recurso maderero de interés comercial en el sur de Chile y Argentina. El objetivo general de esta tesis fue evaluar la posible alteración de los ciclos biogeoquímicos en bosques de lenga de Tierra del Fuego debido al aprovechamiento forestal mediante retención variable (RV) luego de 1 y 5 años del aprovechamiento en relación a bosques primarios sin intervención (BP). El área de muestreo se ubicó en la Ea. Los Cerros situada en la región ecológica del Ecotono de la Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego. El diseño de campo consistió en seleccionar parcelas permanentes en los bosques de lenga aprovechados mediante RV y en BP. Dentro de los bosques aprovechados, se analizó la Retención Dispersa (RD) y la Retención Agregada (RA) y los tiempos desde el aprovechamiento (1 y 5 años), obteniéndose 4 tratamientos: RD1; RA1; RD5 y RA5. Las variables analizadas en esta tesis incluyeron características físicas (densidad aparente y contenido volumétrico de agua) y químicas (pH, contenido total de nutrientes y capacidad de intercambio catiónico) del suelo; características de la vegetación (estructura forestal y sotobosque); descomposición y liberación de nutrientes de la hojarasca; disponibilidad, mi-neralización e inmovilización del nitrógeno del suelo y parámetros microbiológicos (biomasa y respiración microbianas). En el sitio de reciente corta (RD1) se vieron afectadas todas las propiedades físicas del suelo. A los 5 años de producida la intervención estos cambios fueron reestablecidos a sus valores normales. Las propiedades químicas del suelo no se vieron afectadas significativamente. Los sitios evaluados se trataron de bosques maduros con similares características forestales y la estructura se vio afectada en las RD. Asimismo, la cobertura del suelo y la composición del sotobosque se vieron modificadas de acuerdo el sitio. En RD5 se observó un incremento considerable en la cobertura del sotobosque, una mayor riqueza de especies y una gran abundancia de monocotiledóneas. No hubo pérdidas significativas en el primer mes del ensayo de materia orgánica remanente para ninguno de los sitios de estudio, manifestando una disminución recién a partir del tercer mes de incubación. Las tasas modeladas de descomposición mostraron una disminución a partir de los 12 meses de descomposición. Los sitios con RD presentaron tasas más altas de descomposición al comienzo del ensayo. La concentración de macronutrientes tuvo la siguiente secuencia decreciente: Ca>N>K>Mg>P. No se encontró que la intervención forestal haya afectado ni provocado un cambio en la dinámica de los nutrientes. Se pudieron diferenciar dos grupos: los nutrientes fácilmente mineralizables (K, Mg y P) y los nutrientes menos mineralizables (Ca y N). En todos los sitios se encontró un comportamiento cíclico del N. La disponibilidad de N no se vio afectada por al aprovechamiento forestal. Los contenidos de NH+4 tanto disponible como mineralizados fueron mayores a los de NO-3. Se detectó un aumento en la mineralización acumulada a campo en RD1. No se encontró un efecto claro de la intervención forestal sobre la mineralización potencial del N que fue mayor a la de campo. RD5 presentó los valores más bajos en biomasa y respiración microbianas, estos parámetros variaron estacionalmente en las RV, pero no en BP. El presente trabajo entrega evidencia de varios procesos ecosistémicos que han sido poco estudiados o que no han sido evaluados con anterioridad en bosques de lenga aprovechados mediante RV, lo cual a su vez permite profundizar el conocimiento sobre la dinámica de nutrientes en los bosques nativos de Tierra del fuego. Aspectos claves que deberían ser tenidos en cuenta en los planes de manejo forestal de la región. / In Tierra del Fuego, Nothofagus pumilio (lenga) have been exploited since the beginning of European colonization. These forests are the main commercial timber resource in southern Chile and Argentina. The main objective of this thesis was to evaluate the possible alteration of biogeochemical cycles in lenga forests in Tierra del Fuego due to variable retention (RV) logging after 1 and 5 years of use in relation to forests without intervention (BP). The sampling area was located in the Ea. Los Cerros located in Ecotone ecological region of the island of Tierra del Fuego. Field experimental design was carried out by delimiting permanent parcels in lenga forests harvested with RV and in BP. In logged forests, factors were: Dispersed Retention (RD) and Agregated Retention (RA) and the time from harvesting (1 and 5 years), yielding 4 treatments: RD1, RA1, RD5 and RA5. The variables analyzed in this thesis included physical (bulk density and volumetric water content) and chemical (pH, total nutrient content and cation exchange capacity) soil characteristics, vegetation characteristics (forest structure and understory) decomposition and nutrients release from litter; availability, mineralization and immobilization of soil nitrogen and microbial parameters (microbial biomass and respiration). All soil physical properties were affected in the recent cuts site (RD1). These changes weren’t found in RD5. Soil chemical properties were not significantly affected. Evaluated harvested sites had a similar structure to mature forests and forest structure was affected in RD. Also, ground cover and understory composition were modified according to the site. Understory coverage increased in RD5, it had greater species richness and abundance of monocots. Remaining organic matter did not had significant losses in the first month of the test for any of the study sites, showing a decrease only after the third month of incubation. Modeled decomposition rates showed a decrease after 12 months of decomposition. Sites with RD had higher rates of decomposition at the beginning of the trial. The concentration of macronutrients had the following decreasing sequence: Ca>N>K>Mg>P. Forestry intervention did not disturb the nutrient dynamics. We were able to differentiate two nutrient groups: readily mineralized nutrients (K, Mg and P) and less mineralized nutrients (Ca and N). N had a cyclic pattern in every treatment. Forest harvesting did not affect N availability. NH+4 contents, both available and mineralized, were higher than those of NO-3. Accumulated field mineralization increased in RD1. There was no clear effect of the forest intervention on N potential mineralization, which was greater than the field mineralization. RD5 showed lower values in biomass and microbial respiration, these parameters varied seasonally in the RV, but not in BP. This study provides evidence of several, poorly or unstudied, ecosystem processes in lenga forests exploited by RV, which in turn allows more insight into the dynamics of nutrients in native forests of Tierra del Fuego. Key aspects that should be taken into account in forest management plans in the region.

No description available.

The central properties of stem cells are the pluripotency and the capacity of self-renewal. Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) posses such common features that allows them to generate all the cells of the hematopoietic compartments, maintaining in the same time the HSC pool. We develop approaches focused on ex vivo HSC expansion through activation by exogenous HOXB4 (human HSCs) or Notch/Dll-4 ligand (murine HSCs). Two independent transcriptomic analyses surprisingly converged toward an increased expression of two genes never identified sofar as crucial for HSC functions: Pumilio1 (Pum1) and Pumilio2 (Pum2). Pum1 and Pum2 are posttranscriptional regulators belonging to the Pumilio-FBF (PUF) family of RNA-binding proteins. Although it was established that the primordial role of PUF proteins is to sustain mitotic proliferation of stem cells in Invertebrates, so far nothing is known about the role of Pum1 and Pum2 in human and murine HSCs.For these reasons, we have investigated the roles and mechanisms of action of Pum1 and Pum2 in murine and human HSCs through shRNA strategy. Pum1 and Pum2 knockdown (KD) in murine HSCs led to a decreased HSC expansion and clonogenic potential ex vivo, associated with an increased apoptosis and a cell cycle arrest in G0/G1 phase. KD of both Pum1 and Pum2 enhanced these effects, suggesting a cooperative effect. Expansion and clonogenic potential of KD Pum1 HSCs were rescued by enforced expression of Pum1 (insensitive to our shRNA), thus validating the specificity of our shRNA. Enforced expression of Pum1 could not rescue the functions of Pum2 KD HSCs, highlighting the non-redundant role of these proteins. Furthermore, when Pum1 or Pum2 KD HSCs were inoculated into lethally irradiated mice to follow the long-term hematopoietic potential, only rare bone marrow cells derived from Pum1 and Pum2 KD HSCs were evidenced after 4 months, contrary to control HSCs. Identical results were obtained with human Pum1 or Pum2 KD HSCs.In conclusion, our results demonstrate the involvement of Pumilio factors in stemness maintenance, expansion and survival of murine and human HSCs. Identification of Pumilio factors and their targets as new regulators of HSCs expansion will allow consider them as new tools for therapeutic perspectives.