Identifying the sites and mechanisms involved in haematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) during development would improve our understanding of how to induce HSCs from alternative sources like embryonic stem cells, while offering insight into pathways involved in HSC-related diseases such as leukaemia. Adult-type HSC, or long-term reconstituting HSCs (LTR-HSCs), are widely defined as cells capable of reconstituting the entire haematopoietic system of a lethally irradiated adult recipient. The first LTR-HSCs emerge and expand in the aorta-gonad-mesonephros (AGM) region of the mid-gestation mouse embryo. Recently, the development of a novel reaggregate culture system has provided a valuable tool to identify key cell populations involved in LTR-HSC development. This system allows the mechanical dissociation of the E11.5 AGM region prior to culture whilst maintaining its ability to autonomously expand LTR-HSCs. Here, I show that reaggregate LTR-HSCs are CD45+Sca1+c-kit+CD31med and that IL-3, SCF, and Flt3l are required in order to achieve an optimal 150 fold LTR-HSC expansion. I also characterise the pattern of Runx1 expression in the adult and E11.5 AGM region of our novel Runx1EGFP reporter mouse and identify a population of EGFP+CD45-VE-cadherin- cells in the E11.5 AGM region that disappears during reaggregate culture. Finally, using the E11.5 AGM reaggregate culture, I show that while uro-genital ridges are potentially required for optimal LTR-HSC expansion, most LTR-HSCs are derived from the dorsal aorta (Ao) region, and that the dorsal aspect of the dorsal aorta (AoD) can contribute to the reaggregate LTR-HSCs compartment.

Snow occurs in the High Drakensberg of southern Africa approximately eight times per annum. Snow cover is frequently captured by Landsat satellite imagery, which provide data for the monitoring of snow cover in other regions of the world. Together with a digital elevation model, repetitive snow cover data are used to analyse the distribution of snow cover in the High Drakensberg study area. The effect that the regional and local topography, latitude, and climatic conditions have on the spatial distribution of snow and the function that temperature, wind, altitude, aspect and slope gradient play in the preservation of snow cover are examined. The results of the spatial study allow for the identification of sites that support the accumulation of snow. Specific active and relict geomorphological features were surveyed and correlated spatially to the contemporary snow cover. Among such features are linear debris ridges on south-facing valley slopes in the High Drakensberg. These appeared similar to glacial features found elsewhere in the world and are thus significant in a long-standing and highly conjectured debate over the validity of possible plateau, cirque and niche glaciation in the region. Late-lying snow cover favours gently sloping south- and southeast-facing aspects at altitudes from 3000 m ASL to just below the highest peaks in the region near 3450 m ASL, above which higher insolation levels on the flat mountain summits provides unfavourable conditions. Snow cover immediately adjacent to the Drakensberg escarpment ablates quickly whilst snow cover at high altitudes in the Lesotho interior experiences better preservation conditions. Latitude has no obvious impact on the distribution of snow cover due to the dominant role of topography in the High Drakensberg other than a limiting of snowfall to regions south of 29°S in late spring. Various synoptic conditions produce snowfall in the region, with cold fronts associated with midlatitude cyclones producing the majority of snow cover. A strong correlation exists between the spatial distribution of snow cover and specific geomorphological features. Observed linear debris ridges are located on slopes that experience frequent contemporary snow cover, lending credence for a glacial origin of the ridges during a period of colder environmental conditions.

A Ilha Comprida é a barreira arenosa mais extensa do litoral paulista. Possui 63 km de comprimento e 500 m a 5 km de largura, e estende-se acompanhando a linha de costa (orientação aproximada NE-SW) desde a desembocadura de Icapara até a de Cananéia. Esta barreira foi estudada com base em fotografias aéreas, parâmetros granulométricos, minerais pesados e datações por luminescência opticamente estimulada (LOE). Cinco fases de evolução da ilha puderam ser determinadas. A fase inicial corresponde à formação da barreira transgressiva, em aproximadamente 6000 anos A.P.. Nas quatro fases seguintes, duas componentes de crescimento, uma longitudinal e outra transversal, alternaramse em importância relativa. Da fase inicial até perto de 5000 anos A.P., a ilha apresentou crescimento acelerado tanto longitudinal (10,2 a 22,8 m/ano) como transversal (2,6 m/ano); durante este período, os cordões litorâneos identificados são de origem praial. De 5000 a 2000 anos A.P., a componente de crescimento transversal caiu a praticamente zero, enquanto a longitudinal teve taxa relativamente baixa (5,2 a 6,9 m/ano). De 2000 a 200 anos A.P., o bloqueio do crescimento longitudinal pelos morros perto de Iguape forçou intensa progradação transversal (até 0,5 m/ano) por grande parte da extensão da ilha. Durante essa fase, houve predomínio de adição de cristas praiais antes da Pequena Idade do Gelo (1450 a 1850 d.c) e de formação de cordões de dunas frontais após esse período. De 200 anos A.P. até o presente, superado o efeito de bloqueio à deriva longitudinal imposto pelos morros de Iguape, a ilha retomou a componente de crescimento longitudinal, acelerada pela abertura do Valo Grande. Este período é de taxas de progradação bastante variáveis ao longo da ilha, com maior regressão nas extremidades e transgressão na porção centro-sul. O empilhamento encontrado nas fácies marinhas, aflorantes junto a margem lagunar, é predominantemente regressivo. Possibilidades de sucessões transgressivas, encontradas somente na parte sul da ilha, e evidências geocronológicas reforçam a idéia de uma barreira transgressiva como fase inicial de sua formação. O empilhamento de fácies eólicas confirma o padrão de avanço das rupturas de deflação por sobre os cordões litorâneos mais interiores e antigos da ilha. As idades referentes ao maior período de atividade das rupturas de deflação são correlacionáveis com a Pequena Idade do Gelo e permitem sugerir intensificação de incursões de frentes frias na região durante esse período. O contraste entre tipos de cordões litorâneos, praiais formados antes da Pequena Idade do Gelo versus de dunas frontais formados após esse período, é indicativo de que as condições de vento permanecem intensificadas desde então. A utilização de índices de minerais pesados permitiu a identificação dos fatores e processos que controlam a assembléia mineralógica. Os índices RZi (rutilo e zircão) e THi (turmalina e hornblenda) indicam a contribuição do rio Ribeira de Iguape, com aporte sedimentar concentrado no nordeste da Ilha Comprida. O índice TZi (turmalina e zircão) responde aos processos de seleção hidráulica do transporte sedimentar, cuja variação espacial reforça a hipótese de duas células de deriva litorânea longitudinal com divergência no centrosul da ilha, já sugerida com base em resultados granulométricos e dados de campo. A principal derivação primária dos minerais pesados são as rochas presentes na bacia de drenagem do rio Ribeira de Iguape. É provável também a contribuição dos sedimentos estocados na plataforma continental, disponíveis para serem retrabalhados pelas correntes de deriva litorânea. A combinação de análise granulométrica e estudo de minerais pesados demonstra-se consistente na determinação de padrões de transporte sedimentar, com indicações de forte controle dos resultados pela seleção hidráulica e aerodinâmica. O protocolo SAR (Single-Aliquot Regenerative-Dose) utilizado para datações por LOE demonstrou-se aplicável aos sedimentos da Ilha Comprida, tanto eólicos como marinhos rasos, com idades compatíveis com as curvas do nível relativo do mar mais aceitas e coerentes com relação à progradação da linha de costa e ao empilhamento sedimentar. / The Ilha Comprida island is the largest sandy barrier of São Paulo Coast. The island is 63 km long and 500 m to 5 km wide. It extends following the coast (approximately NE-SW direction) from the Icapara inlet to the Cananéia inlet. This barrier was studied using aerial photographs, grain-size parameters, heavy minerals analysis and optically stimulated luminescence dating (OSL). Five evolutionary phases could be determined. The initial phase corresponds to the transgressive barrier at approximately 6000 years B.P.. In the next four phases, two growth components, longitudinal and transversal, occur with variable importance. From the initial phase to 5000 years B.P. the island had accelerated growth, both longitudinal (10.2 to 22.8 m / year) and transverse (2.6 m / year). During this period the identified coastal ridges have beach origin. From 5000 to 2000 years B.P. the transverse component of growth fell to almost zero while the longitudinal component was relatively low (5.2 to 6.9 m / year). From 2000 to 200 years B.P. the hills near Iguape blocked the longitudinal component and forced intense progradation (up to 0.5 m / year) for the most island length. In this phase there was a predominance of beach ridges formation before the Little Ice Age (AD 1450 to 1850) and of foredune ridges formation after this period. From 200 years B.P. until the present the blockade imposed by the Iguape hills ceased and the island reassumed the longitudinal component, accelerated by the opening of a artificial channel (Valo Grande) in the Ribeira de Iguape River. This period has variable progradational rates through the island, with regression in the extremities and transgression in mid-south. The marine facies succession that outcrops besides lagoon margin is predominantly regressive. Possibilities of transgressive facies succession were found only in the southern half of the barrier. Geochronology evidences reinforce the hypothesis of transgressive barrier for the initial phase of the island. The aeolian facies succession confirms the onshore advance of the blowouts onto the inner and older beach ridges. The ages for the most blowout activity are correlated with the Little Ice Age suggesting intensification of cold fronts incursions. The contrast between ridges types, beach ridges formed before the Little Ice Age versus foredune ridges formed after this age, is indicative that the wind conditions are intensified since then. The use of heavy-minerals paired indices allowed the identification of factors and processes that control their assemblage. The RZi (rutile and zircon) and THi (tourmaline and hornblende) show the contribution of the Ribeira de Iguape River sediment supplied in northeastern of the Ilha Comprida. The TZi (tourmaline and zircon) responds to the hydraulic sorting process showing. It indicates a sediment transport pattern with divergence of drift cells in the mid-south region, which is consistent with grain-size and field data. The sediment supply from Ribeira de Iguape River is interpreted both as a direct source and as an indirect source by inner continental shelf and alongshore drifts. The combination of grain-size and heavy-mineral analysis demonstrate to be reliable in determining sediment transport patterns, with indications of their control by hydraulic and aerodynamic sorting. The Single-Aliquot Regenerative-Dose procedure (SAR) used for OSL dating demonstrates to apply to the Ilha Comprida sediments, both wind and shallow marine ones. The ages are consistent with the more acceptable relative sea level curves and with the coastal ridges and stratigraphic succession.

In this dissertation, I use seismic imaging and waveform modeling methods to investigate melt migration processes and the structure of the magma plumbing system beneath the East Pacific Rise (EPR) and Endeavour segment of the Juan de Fuca Ridge, respectively. This work begins by studying shallow mantle reflections beneath the EPR. I find the amplitude versus offset and waveform characteristics of the reflections to be consistent with a sub-horizontal dunite channels located up to 20 km off-axis. The depth of the dunite channels correlate with patterns of mantle melt delivery and the predicted base of the thermal lithosphere, suggesting the channels are thermally controlled and may have formed in situ via dissolution by focused flow at the base of the lithosphere. This interpretation is consistent with field observations in ophiolites and numerical modeling of melt-focusing channels. The three-dimensional velocity structure of the Endeavour segment is then investigated to identify how patterns of mantle melt delivery influence the segment-scale distribution of crustal melt and crustal accretion. The results from this study indicate that the mantle magmatic system is skewed relative to the ridge-tracking crustal magmatic system and that this skew exerts primary control on magmatic, tectonic, and hydrothermal activity at the Endeavour segment. In regions where mantle melt delivery is axis-centered, mantle-derived melts are efficiently transported from the mantle to the crust, resulting in frequent crustal melt replenishment, associated seismogenic cracking, and enhanced crustal melt content that drives vigorous hydrothermal activity. Conversely, sites of off-axis melt delivery are characterized by less efficient vertical melt transport, resulting in infrequent crustal melt injection and hence, reduced crustal melt content and hydrothermal activity. Next, I focus on how along-axis variations in magma replenishment modulate crustal permeability and the intensity of hydrothermal circulation. Using full-waveform inversion, I show that sites of localized magma replenishment to the axial magma lens, along with induced seismogenic cracking, coincide with enhanced permeability. I conclude that the frequency of magma injection governs hydrothermal circulation patterns and heat flux at mid-ocean ridges. This dissertation includes previously published and unpublished coauthored material.

Orientador: José Carlos Casagrande / Banca: Márcio Roberto Soares / Banca: Rose Mary Reis Duarte / Banca: João Antonio Galbiatti / Banca: Reinaldo Monteiro / Resumo: Este trabalho abrangeu o Litoral do Estado de São Paulo, desde Ubatuba - litoral norte (Parque Estadual da Serra do Mar - Núcleo de Picinguaba e Parque Estadual da Ilha Anchieta) até a Ilha do Cardoso - litoral sul (Estação Ecológica Juréia-Itatins, Vila de Pedrinhas no município de Ilha Comprida e Parque Estadual da Ilha do Cardoso). Os objetivos foram: correlacionar a floresta baixa e alta de restinga com os parâmetros químicos e físicos do solo, caracterizar o estrato arbóreo de florestas de restinga alta e baixa do litoral do estado de São Paulo, verificar se há similaridade florística entre as áreas e analisar se a similaridade está associada ao solo. A amostragem do solo foi realizada nas profundidades 0 - 5, 5 - 10, 10 - 15, 15 - 20, 0 - 20, 20 - 40 e 40 - 60 cm. Para cada profundidade foram analisados pH, M.O., P, K, Ca, Mg, Al, H+Al, m, SB, CTC e V e análises granulométricas. A amostragem das espécies arbóreas foi feita por meio do "método de quadrantes". O critério para inclusão amostral considerou todos os indivíduos arbóreos com diâmetro à altura do peito (DAP) maior ou igual a 1,6 cm, inclusive aqueles que apresentavam duas ou mais ramificações do caule abaixo de 1,30 m, cuja soma dos DAPs fosse igual ou maior do que 1,6 cm. Para as análises multivariadas, foram utilizadas amostras de solo na profundidade 0 - 10 cm. Os resultados foram: Independentemente dos processos geológicos, os solos de restinga são semelhantes entre si, quanto a sua fertilidade e textura; Nas áreas em que ocorreram solos espódicos (floresta alta e baixa de restinga da Ilha Anchieta e floresta alta da Juréia - Itatins), ocorre valores mais elevados, em profundidade, de matéria orgânica, CTC e alumínio; Os solos de floresta de restinga alta... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: This work covered the coast of São Paulo, from Ubatuba - north coast (Serra do Mar State Park - Picinguaba core and Ilha Anchieta State Park) to Ilha do Cardoso - south coast (Juréia Ecological Station - Itatins, Vila de Pedrinhas in the city of Ilha Comprida and the Cardoso Island State Park). The objectives were: to correlate low and high restinga forest with the soil's chemical and physical parameters, characterize the tree layer of high and low restinga forest of São Paulo Coast, verify if there is any vegetation similarity among the areas and to analyze if similarity is associated to the soil. Soil sampling was made at 0 - 5, 5 - 10, 10 - 15, 15 - 20, 0 - 20, 20 - 40 e 40 - 60 cm depth. For each depth pH, M.O., P, K, Ca, Mg, S, Al, H+Al, Na, B, Cu, Fe, Mn, Zn, m, SB, CTC e V and granulometric analysis were carried. Tree species sampling was done through the "quarter method". For multivariate analysis, soil samples used were of 0 - 10 cm depth. The criterion for inclusion in the sample considered all trees with diameter at chest height (DCH) greater than or equal to 1.6 cm, including those who had two or more branches below 1.30 m, whose sum of DCHs were equal to or greater than 1.6 cm. The results showed that regardless of the geological processes, the resting soils are similar to each other about their fertility and texture; In areas where spodic soils occurred (high and low restinga forest at Ilha Anchieta and high forest at Juréia - Itatins) higher values in depth, organic matter, CTC and aluminum are presented; high and low resting forest soils are naturally low in nutrients, with the largest reserves concentrated in the depths 0 - 5, 5 - 10 and 0 - 20 cm; Sand fraction is dominant for all high and low restinga forest areas studied, always... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Doutor

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:30:58Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2011-07-29Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T19:40:36Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 sabonaro_dz_dr_rcla.pdf: 1099292 bytes, checksum: 912e21046f44683d0973a340339045ed (MD5) / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / Este trabalho abrangeu o Litoral do Estado de São Paulo, desde Ubatuba - litoral norte (Parque Estadual da Serra do Mar - Núcleo de Picinguaba e Parque Estadual da Ilha Anchieta) até a Ilha do Cardoso - litoral sul (Estação Ecológica Juréia-Itatins, Vila de Pedrinhas no município de Ilha Comprida e Parque Estadual da Ilha do Cardoso). Os objetivos foram: correlacionar a floresta baixa e alta de restinga com os parâmetros químicos e físicos do solo, caracterizar o estrato arbóreo de florestas de restinga alta e baixa do litoral do estado de São Paulo, verificar se há similaridade florística entre as áreas e analisar se a similaridade está associada ao solo. A amostragem do solo foi realizada nas profundidades 0 – 5, 5 – 10, 10 – 15, 15 – 20, 0 – 20, 20 – 40 e 40 – 60 cm. Para cada profundidade foram analisados pH, M.O., P, K, Ca, Mg, Al, H+Al, m, SB, CTC e V e análises granulométricas. A amostragem das espécies arbóreas foi feita por meio do “método de quadrantes”. O critério para inclusão amostral considerou todos os indivíduos arbóreos com diâmetro à altura do peito (DAP) maior ou igual a 1,6 cm, inclusive aqueles que apresentavam duas ou mais ramificações do caule abaixo de 1,30 m, cuja soma dos DAPs fosse igual ou maior do que 1,6 cm. Para as análises multivariadas, foram utilizadas amostras de solo na profundidade 0 – 10 cm. Os resultados foram: Independentemente dos processos geológicos, os solos de restinga são semelhantes entre si, quanto a sua fertilidade e textura; Nas áreas em que ocorreram solos espódicos (floresta alta e baixa de restinga da Ilha Anchieta e floresta alta da Juréia - Itatins), ocorre valores mais elevados, em profundidade, de matéria orgânica, CTC e alumínio; Os solos de floresta de restinga alta... / This work covered the coast of São Paulo, from Ubatuba - north coast (Serra do Mar State Park - Picinguaba core and Ilha Anchieta State Park) to Ilha do Cardoso - south coast (Juréia Ecological Station – Itatins, Vila de Pedrinhas in the city of Ilha Comprida and the Cardoso Island State Park). The objectives were: to correlate low and high restinga forest with the soil’s chemical and physical parameters, characterize the tree layer of high and low restinga forest of São Paulo Coast, verify if there is any vegetation similarity among the areas and to analyze if similarity is associated to the soil. Soil sampling was made at 0 – 5, 5 – 10, 10 – 15, 15 – 20, 0 – 20, 20 – 40 e 40 – 60 cm depth. For each depth pH, M.O., P, K, Ca, Mg, S, Al, H+Al, Na, B, Cu, Fe, Mn, Zn, m, SB, CTC e V and granulometric analysis were carried. Tree species sampling was done through the “quarter method”. For multivariate analysis, soil samples used were of 0 – 10 cm depth. The criterion for inclusion in the sample considered all trees with diameter at chest height (DCH) greater than or equal to 1.6 cm, including those who had two or more branches below 1.30 m, whose sum of DCHs were equal to or greater than 1.6 cm. The results showed that regardless of the geological processes, the resting soils are similar to each other about their fertility and texture; In areas where spodic soils occurred (high and low restinga forest at Ilha Anchieta and high forest at Juréia - Itatins) higher values in depth, organic matter, CTC and aluminum are presented; high and low resting forest soils are naturally low in nutrients, with the largest reserves concentrated in the depths 0 - 5, 5 - 10 and 0 - 20 cm; Sand fraction is dominant for all high and low restinga forest areas studied, always... (Complete abstract click electronic access below)

The Kane Oceanic Core Complex (OCC) is a valuable window into crustal architecture and chemical composition of the lithosphere beneath a slow-spreading ocean ridge. A suite of > 30 samples (comprised of whole rocks, mineral separates and basalt glasses) has been analyzed for ��He/���He isotope ratios and He concentrations. Gas extraction experiments included crushing in vacuum, step heating and fusion in a high-vacuum furnace. We found ��He/���He in the two freshest peridotites (harzburgite and olivine websterite) to be identical to ratios measured in basalt glasses collected from the Kane fracture zone-ridge axis intersection (8.4���8.7 R[subscript A]). Notably, the freshest and least deformed peridotite (a porphyroclastic harzburgite) has the highest helium content of any of the OCC ultramafic rocks (170 ncc STP/g), while the majority of its helium (70%) is released only upon melting. Lower helium contents (1-45 ncc STP/g) and more variable ��He/���He (2.0-6.3 R[subscript A]) are found in other more altered/deformed peridotite samples (whole rocks, clinopyroxene and orthopyroxene separates). For example, three mylonitized peridotites have lower helium contents compared to the less deformed peridotites. Troctolite intrusions from the Adam and Eve Domes appear to record very late-stage melt impregnation fed through dunite conduits near the MOHO. ��He/���He in these troctolites overlaps with values in the fresh peridotites and axial basalts, but extends to slightly higher values (8.6-9.0 RA). Collectively, fresh Kane peridotites and troctolites having He concentrations above 10 ncc STP/g show ��He/���He ratios of 8.4-9.0 RA that are higher than the median value (8.0-8.2 R[subscript A]) for mid-ocean ridge basalts. This suggests that domains of depleted upper mantle in the Kane region tend to have ��He/���He ratios of 9 RA or higher, similar to what is observed in the most trace-element depleted MORBs globally. Kane gabbroic rocks are more variable in 3He/���He. A subset of gabbros show systematically lower ��He/4He ratios (0.9-7.2 R[subscript A]), with He concentrations of 1-24 ncc STP/g, reflecting the increased importance of atmospheric and radiogenic components in several cases. Nonetheless, two whole rock gabbroic samples plus an amphibole separate have ��He/���He ratios of 7.6-8.0 R[subscript A] and He contents between 13 and 57 ncc STP/g. Variation in the sampling of a lithologically heterogeneous mantle source by the partial melting process may account for the observed ��He/���He variability of 7.6-9.0 R[subscript A] in peridotite, gabbro and basalt in the Kane area. / Graduation date: 2013

Thesis (M. Environmental Management)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007.

Conservation in Canada is increasingly driven by land use planning processes. Approaches to governing nature conservation have shifted dramatically from protecting isolated pristine areas to greater attention to the remaining fragments of greenspace in urban, semi-urban and rural areas. The ways that societies govern and use nature are always changing, and these physical management actions are connected to deeply rooted cultural norms and values about the ideal relationship between humans and nature. In the land use planning approach to conservation, citizens and governments find value and construct meaning for remaining nature rather than beginning with normative considerations of what is most worthy of protection. At the root of this conservation planning trend is a growing appreciation for hybrid nature that is valued as natural in spite of the past or present influences upon it. This represents a dramatic shift from the traditional values involved in North American nature conservation, where nature was most valued for its perceived separation from human influence and protected to maintain its untouched qualities. In light of these ideological shifts in the ways that Canadians value and in turn manage nature, is there a corresponding change in the ways that conservation activists perceive environmental value and evaluate naturalness? An increasing number of studies demonstrate that public valuation of nature is not limited to pristine environments: even highly disturbed environments can be valued as natural and are not perceived as a form of lesser nature. Conceptions of what is natural and what is not are highly subjective and variable; in particular, the body of work on the social dimensions of both invasive species and ecological restoration demonstrates the ways in which people construct naturalness in accord with their values and cultural context. By exploring the extent to which people perceive invasive species as reducing naturalness and how ecological restoration is perceived to restore it, these subjects serve as excellent conceptual lenses for exploring constructions of nature. This study explores the subtle variations in environmental values and perception of naturalness among a study population who self-identify as pursuing the same goal: ensuring the continued protection of the Oak Ridges Moraine. The Moraine is a partly urbanized landform in southern Ontario that is situated within a complex hybrid socio-ecological landscape. It is also the subject of an active and high profile conservation movement that has spanned over 40 years. Using a combination of interviews and Q Method, this study explored how citizens engaged in Oak Ridges Moraine conservation perceive both the current and ideal state of naturalness on the Moraine, with specific emphasis on how the discourses these citizens use to frame the Moraine invoke the concept of naturalness Findings from this study reveal that Moraine activists represent a conservation paradox: they value the natural, non-human qualities of the landform, yet at the same time identify the Moraine as a hybrid landscape with both social and ecological qualities. In particular, respondents indicated a strong interest in naturalness in the context of invasive species and ecological restoration, yet at the same time identified the naturalness of the Moraine to be a lesser priority in the face of urban development pressures. In this way, citizens engaged in Moraine conservation respond to the hybrid quality of the Moraine landscape by moving beyond the binary distinction between nature and society, situating themselves as both apart from and a part of the landscape at the same time. This finding demonstrates how values for conserving nature are affected by hybridity between social and ecological systems, and suggests how embracing the paradox of hybrid nature can contribute to understanding and managing complex socio-ecological systems.

The implementation of UNESCO Biosphere Reserves (BR) in Canada is strongly dependent on grassroots community-based support and understanding. The recent calls for the Oak Ridges Moraine and adjacent Greenbelt lands (ORMGB) to be designated a BR require that a communications strategy be created to garner local support. Taking into consideration complex systems theory, this study looked to build a communications framework that combined higher-scale social organizing literature like social movement and environmental campaigns more detail-focused group dynamics and strategic communications research. Applying this framework to the ORMBG landscape revealed key target audience groups and messaging for the BR communications strategy.