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The shallow waters west of Scotland feature strong variability in water properties on a variety of temporal scales. While the region is known to be subject to both coastal and oceanic influences, the causes of variability are poorly understood. The limited characterisation of changes in coastal waters impacts our ability to explain the behaviour of coastal ecosystems, and predict their resilience to future climate scenarios. This thesis uses historical data in conjunction with recent cruises and a coastal mooring to investigate the causes of variability in the waters west of Scotland. Two new inter-annual salinity time series on the European shelf are developed. The spatial variability in salinity in shallow waters is greatest during winter and increases by a factor of four between the shelf edge and the coastline. At the shelf edge, new observations of the along-slope current suggest that it is stronger but less stable during winter, leading to a greater availability of oceanic water on the outer Malin Shelf. However unlike other documented shelf regions, shelf edge processes do not directly influence Scottish coastal water properties. A baroclinic current originating in the Irish Sea is the main influence near the Scottish coast during quiescent periods, but wind forcing dominates shelf processes during most winters, with prevailing winds tending to drive oceanic water towards the coast. While salinity in the Sea of the Hebrides is moderately correlated to wind, coastal salinity is sensitive to both advective processes and freshwater runoff. On inter-annual time-scales, salinity on the Malin Shelf is higher when the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) is positive, whereas the northern Irish Sea is fresher during a positive NAO state. Salinity and flow pathways in Scottish coastal waters appear to be resilient both to changes in the Rockall Trough and a warming climate on decadal time-scales.

Orientador: Jean Michel Legrand / Banca: Jean Michel Legrand / Banca: Chang Hung Kiang / Banca: Joel Barbujiani Sigolo / Banca: Jefferson Mortati / Banca: Ricardo César A. Hirata / Resumo: No estado do Rio Grande do Norte, a exemplo de todo o semi-árido nordestino, os aqüíferos fissurais em terrenos cristalinos são caracterizados por apresentar freqüentemente elevado conteúdo de sais e baixas vazões, onde aproximadamente 40% dos poços perfurados têm fluxo abaixo de 200 l/h, independentemente do grau de salinidade da água. Do restante, somente 27,9% fornecem água doce (com teor de resíduo seco abaixo de 1000 mg/l). A deficiência na circulação das águas subterrâneas resulta em altas salinidades e concentrações de cloreto (até 36,7 g/l de resíduo seco (RS) e 15 g/l de Cl) em determinadas regiões e baixas vazões (média de 1 a 3 m3/h) de um modo geral. Foram identificados dois grupos principais de águas: um grupo predominantemente Na-Cl, com Ca e Mg em concentrações secundárias, característico das regiões centro-norte e leste e outro grupo com composição mais variável, em que por vezes, o HCO3 predomina sobre o Cl e os cátions divalentes (Ca e Mg) aumentam de importância, presente nas regiões sul e oeste. As águas das regiões leste e centro-norte apresentam salinidade média elevada (5774.37 mg/l e 5125.43 mg/l de resíduo seco, respectivamente); enquanto o sul e o oeste do estado possuem águas com menor concentração média de sais (1872.60 mg/l e 1699.32 mg/l de resíduo seco, respectivamente). O processo de salinização dos aqüíferos fissurais tem origem em duas escalas: (i) através de mecanismos que atuam em escala regional, na qual os principais elementos que interferem na qualidade de água são o clima e a morfologia do relevo, que determinam a quantidade de água a ser evaporada e a qualidade das águas superficiais (fatores de extrema importância, já que estas águas abastecem os aqüíferos) e (ii) através de fatores que atuam em escala local ou até mesmo pontual, como (a) a liberação de significativas...(Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / In the Rio Grande do Norte state, to example of the whole Northeastern semi-arid, the fissural aquifers in crystalline rocks are characterized by presenting frequently high salt contents and low flows, where approximately 40% of the wells have flow below 200 l/h, independently of the salinity of the water. Of the remaining, only 27,9% supply fresh water (with evaporation residue below 1000 mg/l). The deficiency in the circulation of the groundwaters results in high salinities and chloride concentrations (up to 36,7 g/l of evaporation residue and 15 g/l of Cl) in certain areas and low flows (average from 1 to 3 m3/h) in general. Two major types of groundwaters can be distinguished in the crystalline rocks of the RN state: a group of predominantly Na-Cl waters with secondarily Ca and Mg, characteristic of the north-center and east regions and other with more variable composition, in that per times, HCO3 prevails on Cl and the cations divalentes (Ca and Mg) increase of importance, present in the areas south and west. The waters of the east and north-center regions present high medium salinity (5774.37 mg/l and 5125.43 mg/l of evaporation residue, respectively); while the south and the west of the state possess waters with smaller medium concentration of salts (1872.60 mg/l and 1699.32 mg/l of dry residue, respectively). The salinization process of the fissural aquifers has origin in two scales: (i) through mechanisms that act in regional scale, in the which the main elements that interfere in the water quality are the climate and the relief morphology, that determine the amount of water to be evaporated and the quality of the superficial waters (factors of extreme importance, since these waters supply the fissural aquifers) and (ii) through factors that act in local scale or even punctual, as the liberation of significant...(Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Doutor

Orientador: Roberto Lyra Villas Bôas / Banca: Dirceu Maximino Fernandes / Banca: Arthur Bernardes Cecil Filho / Banca: Luis Felipe Villani Purquerio / Banca: Roberto Botelho Ferraz Branco / Resumo: O trabalho foi conduzido no setor de produção agrícola da Unidade Universitária de Cassilândia - MS, da Universidade Estadual de Mato Grosso do Sul (UEMS), com o intuito de avaliar a produção de melancia em função do manejo da fertirrigação visando atingir diferentes condutividades elétricas do solo (0,6; 1,2; 1,8; 2,4; 3,0 e 3,6 dS m-1). O trabalho foi dividido em dois experimentos, I e II, que foram instalados em maio e setembro de 2014 respectivamente. O delineamento experimental utilizado nos experimentos I e II foi o de blocos ao acaso com seis tratamentos (condutividades elétricas da solução do solo) e quatro repetições. Cada parcela foi constituída por duas linhas de oito metros contendo dez plantas cada uma, sendo a parcela útil constituída pelas 8 plantas centrais de cada linha. Foram realizadas as análises de pH, condutividade elétrica, N-NH4 +, N-NO3 - e K+ na solução do solo coletada durante o ciclo da cultura. Também foram feitas a análise foliar e medida de intensidade de cor verde das folhas. Quanto às características da produção, foram avaliados o comprimento e diâmetro de fruto, espessura da casca do fruto, pH, teor de sólidos solúveis (SS), acidez titulável (AT) e relação SS/AT da polpa dos frutos, número de frutos, produtividade total e produtividade comercial de frutos de melancia. A condutividade elétrica da solução do solo foi efetiva na discriminação dos tratamentos, sendo uma medida de grande importância para o manejo da fertirrigação. Recomenda-se a manutenção da condutividade elétrica da solução do solo em 2,0 dS m-1 para plantios no mês de maio e de 2,5 dS m-1 em plantios no mês de setembro. / Abstract: This work was carried in the agricultural production sector at Unidade Universitária de Cassilândia (Casilandia University Unit) - MS, Universidade Estadual de Mato Grosso do Sul (UEMS), in order to evaluate watermelon production due to the management of fertigation aiming to reach different electrical soil conductivity (0,6; 1,2; 1,8; 2,4; 3,0 e 3,6 dS m-1). Two experiments were performed (I and II) in May and September 2014, through randomized block design with six treatments (electrical conductivity of the soil solution) and four replications. Each portion was composed by two rows of eight meters with ten plants each. The available portion was constituted of eight central plants in each line. pH Analyses, electrical conductivity, N- NH4 +, N- NO3 - and K+ were performed in the soil solution collected during the crop cycle. Foliar analysis and measuring of the color intensity of green sheets were accomplished as well. In relation to production traits, length and fruit diameter, thickness of the peel, pH, soluble solids content (SS), titratable acidity (TA) and SS / TA ratio of the fruit pulp, number of fruits, total and commercial productivity of watermelon fruits were evaluated. The electrical conductivity of the soil solution was effective and it had a relevant role in discriminating treatments for fertigation management. It is recommended electrical conductivity of the soil solution in 2.0 dS m-1 for planting in May and 2.5 dS m-1 for planting in September / Doutor

Vibrio vulnificus is a marine pathogen of human health concern, capable of causing potentially fatal wound infections in a select group of the population. Previous studies have indicated this species’ strong negative correlation with salinity, not typically found above 30 ppt. This study assessed the ability of V. vulnificus to become Viable But Nonculturable in response to elevated salinity (35 ppt) as well as investigated novel methods for confirming their entrance into this state. Results showed a complete loss of culturability in both Environmental and Clinical strains of this bacterium by 9 days after inoculation. Using a High Content Imager, it was determined that these pathogens were not dying (< 10%) in response to the treatment and were partially becoming cocci (≈35%). This study indicates the importance of understanding the impact environmental parameters have on this human pathogen, and what it means for reliably detecting them. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2019. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

Agricultural production in Monterey County, California is a multi-billion dollar industry. Near the coast, seawater intrusion has threatened to degrade the groundwater quality due to over-pumping of the aquifer. The Monterey Regional Water Pollution Control Agency (MRWPCA), in partnership with the Monterey County Water Resources Agency, has provided recycled water since 1998 to over 12,000 acres of prime agricultural farmland in the northern Salinas Valley in an effort to reduce groundwater removal. The dominant soil types in the region are clay loam and clay soils, which are both susceptible to sodium (Na) accumulation and water infiltration problems. Recycled water blended with well water is used to irrigate cool season vegetables (i.e., artichokes, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, celery, cauliflower, and lettuce) and strawberries. A long-term study was implemented by MRWPCA to monitor salinity levels in commercial vegetable fields because of grower concerns that salts in the recycled water would have long term effects on soil quality. Accumulation of salts over time would make the soil less productive. Soil salinity levels were monitored at three Control and three Test Sites beginning in the spring of 2000. The Control Sites received well water, and the adjacent Test Sites received an approximate 2:1 blend of recycled and well water, respectively. Control and Test Sites were paired based on location to compare the same soil, crop, drainage systems, and farming practices. The soil was sampled three times per year from all sites: spring (before planting), mid-summer after harvest of the first crop, and late fall after the second crop harvest. Composites of four cores were collected at each site from the zero to 36-inch depth at 12-inch intervals. Each 12-inch interval soil sample was analyzed for pH, electrical conductivity (ECe), extractable cations (Na+, Ca2+, Mg2+, and K+) and extractable anions (Cl-, NO3-, and SO4-). After 10 years of monitoring, the data showed that using recycled water blended with well water at the Test Sites increased the ECe of the soil profile from 2.1 to 2.5 dS/m and increased the sodium adsorption ratio (SAR) from 3.0 to 3.9. The data also showed that using well water at the Control Sites increased the ECe of the soil profile from 1.4 to 2.6 dS/m and the change in SAR was negligible. The Test and Control Sites were significantly different for ECe and SAR, which was expected considering a higher salt content in the recycled water compared to the well water. The significant differences for ECe and SAR were associated with the significant differences in soil Na+ levels between the Test and Control Sites. The SAR and ECe of soil samples from all sites were in a range acceptable for vegetable production. The use of recycled water for irrigation of cool season vegetables and strawberries in the study area has not shown an indication of degraded soil productivity. Based on vegetable production and the slow increase of salts in the soil, recycled water can be used for long-term irrigation with proper management.

[Truncated abstract] Salinity and waterlogging interact to reduce the growth of most crop and pasture species. Species that are productive on saline-waterlogging land are needed for Australian farming systems. One option is Lotus tenuis, a perennial legume widely grown for pasture in the flood-prone and salt-affected Pampa region of Argentina. To identify mechanisms responsible for the adverse interaction between salinity and waterlogging, Lotus tenuis with a reputation for tolerance was compared with L. corniculatus, the most widely cultivated Lotus species. The physiology of salt and waterlogging tolerance in L. tenuis (4 cultivars) was evaluated, and compared with L. corniculatus (3 cultivars). Overall, L. tenuis cultivars accumulated less Na+ and Cl-, and more K+ in shoots than L. corniculatus cultivars, when exposed to 200 mM NaCl for 28 d in aerated or in anoxic (stagnant agar) solutions. In a NaCl dose response experiment (0 to 400 mM NaCl in aerated solution), Lotus tenuis (cv. Chaja) accumulated half as much Cl- in its shoots than L. corniculatus (cv. San Gabriel) at all external NaCl concentrations, and about 30% less shoot Na+ in treatments above 250 mM NaCl. Ion distributions in shoots were determined for plants at 200 mM NaCl; L. tenuis (cv. Chaja) accumulated about half as much Cl- in old leaves, young leaves and stems, compared with concentrations in L. corniculatus (cv. San Gabriel). There were not, however, significant differences between the two species for Na+ concentrations in the various shoot tissues under aerated NaCl treatment. '...' Therefore, during early stages of exposure to salinity, L. tenuis accumulated a higher proportion of total Na+ in the roots under combined stagnant-plus-NaCl treatment (55% versus 39% for L. corniculatus). Na+ transporters, particularly those relying on H+ gradients across membranes, which in turn require adequate ATP levels, could be impaired under O2 deficits that inhibit respiration. To study the effect of O2 deficiency on a Na+ transporter, an NHX1-like gene was cloned from L. tenuis and identity established via sequencing and yeast complementation studies. Real-time qPCR showed expression of NHX1 in L. tenuis roots increased under stagnant-plus-NaCl treatment, whereas it was reduced in L. corniculatus. Thus, maintaining O2 transport to roots, together with up-regulation of an NHX1-like gene for Na+ accumulation in vacuoles, contributes to tolerance of L. tenuis to combined salinity and waterlogging stresses. This study highlights the importance of minimising Cl- transport to shoots as a mechanism of salt tolerance and has identified a CCC-like gene in L. tenuis as a candidate for mediating root-to-shoot Cl- transport. Under combined stagnant-plus-NaCl treatment, control of Na+ transport is another mechanism contributing to tolerance in these Lotus species. Enhanced root aeration in L. tenuis maintains root Na+ transport processes, such as accumulation in vacuoles via NHX1-like genes, to diminish xylem loading to the shoot. Overall, this thesis has contributed new knowledge on the potential of Lotus tenuis as a saltland pasture and has significantly enhanced current understanding on the mechanisms of salinity and waterlogging tolerance in plants.

Fewer than 200 fish species are found in freshwater habitats in Australia, of which 144 are confined exclusively to freshwater. At least 22 species of exotic freshwater fish have been introduced into Australia, and 19 of these have established self-sustaining populations. However, the parasite fauna of both native and exotic freshwater fishes in Australia is poorly known. This is particularly the case in the south-west of Western Australia, where there have been no previous comprehensive studies of the parasites of 14 native species and nine or more exotic species of fish found in freshwater habitats. This study represents a survey of the parasites of freshwater fishes in the South West Coast Drainage Division and reports 44 putative species of parasites in 1429 individual fishes of 18 different species (12 native and six exotic) from 29 locations. Parasites were found in 327 (22.88%) fishes, and of the infected fishes, 200 (61.16%) were infected with only one species of parasite and 127 (38.84%) were infected with two or more species of parasites. For helminth and arthropod parasites, which were more comprehensively surveyed than protozoan and myxozoans, I found 37 species compared to 77 species found in a recent study of fishes from the East Coast Drainage Division. The present study demonstrated that parasitic infection was significantly more common in native fish species (mean prevalence of infection with any species of parasite = 0.36 ± 0.09) than in exotic fish species (0.01 ± 0.12). Parasites were found in all native fish species, but in only two exotic fish species that were examined. Parasite regional and component community diversity were estimated by species richness (the number of species, S) and by an index of taxonomic diversity (HT). Both parasite species richness and parasite taxonomic diversity were significantly greater in native fish species (mean S = 10.5 ± 2.3; mean HT = 1.19 ± 0.14) than in exotic fish species (mean S = 1.6 ± 3.3; mean HT = 0.27 ± 0.20). These relationships were consistent over all geographic locations that were sampled. The reduced parasite load of exotic species compared to native species has been previous reported across a wide range of taxa. It is thought to arise partly because founding populations of hosts have a low probability of harbouring the species’ total parasite fauna, and partly because parasites that infect introduced exotic species may not be able to maintain their life cycle in the new environment. It has been suggested that a reduced parasite load increases the competitive ability of exotic species compared to native species (the parasite release hypothesis) and this may partly explain the abundance and apparent competitive success of exotic over native species of freshwater fish in the South West Coast Drainage Division. For native species of fish, there were major differences among species in both prevalence of parasitic infection and parasite community diversity, but this variation was not related to fish size, whether the fish were primarily freshwater or primarily estuarine, or whether they were primarily demersal or pelagic. In this study, I report two new parasites in south western Australian waters. Both are copepod parasites; Lernaea cyprinacea and a new species of Dermoergasilus. The Dermoergasilus appears to be native to the south-west of Western Australia and has been described as Dermoergasilus westernensis. It differs from previously described species in the genus principally by the armature of the legs. This new species was found on the gills of freshwater cobbler, Tandanus bostocki and western minnow, Galaxias occidentalis in two different river systems. Lernaea cyprinacea is an introduced parasitic copepod found on the skin and gills of freshwater fishes in many areas of the world. The parasite has not previously been reported in Western Australia. We found infestations of L. cyprinacea on four native fish species (G. occidentalis; Edelia vittata; Bostockia porosa; T. bostocki) and three introduced fish species (Carassius auratus; Gambusia holbrooki; Phalloceros caudimaculatus) at two localities in the Canning River, in the south-west of Western Australia. The parasite has the potential to have serious pathogenic effects on native fish species, although it appears to be currently localised to a small section of the Canning River. Over all localities from which fishes were sampled in the present study, the proportion of native freshwater fishes with parasitic infections and the component community diversity of the parasite fauna of native fishes were both negatively related to habitat disturbance, in particular to a suite of factors (river regulation, loss of riparian vegetation, eutrophication and presence of exotic fish species) that indicate increased human usage of the river and surrounding environment. The reduced parasite load and diversity in native fishes from south-west rivers with greater human usage was due principally to the loss of a number of species of trematode, cestode and nematode endoparasites which use fishes as intermediate hosts. Other studies have also found that endoparasites with complex life cycles are most likely to be adversely affected by environmental changes, presumably because any environmental changes which impact on either free-living parasite stages or on any of the hosts in the complex train of parasite transmission will reduce parasite population size and may cause local extinction of the parasite species. The most heavily infected species of native freshwater fish in the South West Coast Drainage Division was T. bostocki with 96% of all individuals containing at least one species of parasite. As with most freshwater fishes of south-west Australia, T. bostocki is limited in its distribution to waterways with relatively low salinity. The degree of parasitism and histopathology of internal and external organs in T. bostocki from the Blackwood River was examined over a period of rapid, seasonal changes in water salinity. As salinity increased, the infracommunity richness and prevalence of ectoparasites on the skin of fishes decreased, while the infracommunity richness and prevalence of endoparasites increased. This was associated with a decrease in histopathological lesion scores in the skin and an increase in histopathological lesion scores in internal organs, particularly the intestine. I hypothesise that the seasonal spike in salinity had two contrasting effects on parasitic infections of T. bostocki. Firstly, it increased the mortality rate of parasites directly exposed to water, leading to a decrease in ectoparasitic infection and associated pathology. Secondly, it suppressed immune function in fish, leading to a decreased mortality rate of parasites not directly exposed to water and a more severe pathological response to endoparasitism.

The remarkable salinity difference between the upper Pacific and Atlantic Oceans is often explained through net export of water vapour across Central America. To investigate this mechanism a study of salinity signals in the Equatorial Pacific Ocean current system was made looking at responses to fresh water input from two sources (local versus remote - Atlantic Ocean) as well as a combination of the two. Statistical analyses (Empirical Orthogonal Functions, Single Value Decomposition and Wavelet analysis) were used to split the main sources of the atmospheric freshwater input into local and remote contributions and to quantify both contributions. The remote source was assumed to have been transported over Central America from the Atlantic Ocean as an atmospheric freshwater flux, whereas the local source originated in the Pacific Ocean itself. The analysis suggests that 74% of the total variance in precipitation over the tropical eastern Pacific is due to water vapour transport from the Atlantic. It also demonstrates strong influence of ENSO events, with maximum correlation at a two months time lag. During La Ni�a periods the precipitation variance is more closely related to water vapour transport across Central America (the remote source), while during El Ni�o periods it is more closely related to the water vapour transport by Southerly winds along the west coast of South America (the local source). The current and temperature fields provided by the Modular Ocean Model (version 2) were used to study the changes in the salinity field when freshwater was added to or removed from the model. ECMWF ERA-40 data taken from the ECMWF data server was used to determine the atmospheric flux of freshwater at the ocean surface, in the form of evaporation minus precipitation (E-P). The Mixed Layer Depth (MLD) computed from temperature and salinity fields determines to what depth the salinity's dilution/concentration takes place for every grid point. Each MLD was calculated from the results of the previous time step, and the water column was considered well mixed from the surface to this depth. The statistical relationships were used to reconstruct the precipitation over the tropical eastern Pacific. A numerical ocean model, which uses currents and temperature from a global ocean model and is forced by precipitation, was used to study the ocean's response to either the remote or the local source acting in isolation. Through time lag correlation analysis of the sea surface salinity anomalies produced by the variation in the reconstructed precipitation fields, it is found that the anomaly signals of salinity propagate westward along the Equator at a rate of approximately 0.25 m.s-1 (6.1 degrees per month).

Cultivated chickpea (Cicer arietinum) has a narrow genetic base making it difficult for breeders to produce new elite cultivars with durable resistance to major biotic and abiotic stresses. As an alternative to genome mapping, microarrays have recently been applied in crop species to identify and assess the function of putative genes thought to be involved in plant abiotic stress and defence responses. In the present study, a cDNA microarray approach was taken in order to determine if the transcription of genes, from a set of previously identified putative stress-responsive genes from chickpea and its close relative Lathyrus sativus, were altered in chickpea by the three abiotic stresses; drought, cold and high-salinity. For this, chickpea genotypes known to be tolerant and susceptible to each abiotic stress were challenged and gene expression in the leaf, root and/or flower tissues was studied. The transcripts that were differentially expressed among stressed an d unstressed plants in response to the particular stress were analysed in the context of tolerant/susceptible genotypes. The transcriptional change of more than two fold was observed for 109, 210 and 386 genes after drought, cold and high-salinity treatments, respectively. Among these, two, 15 and 30 genes were consensually differentially expressed (DE) between tolerant and susceptible genotypes studied for drought, cold and high-salinity, respectively. The genes that were DE in tolerant and susceptible genotypes under abiotic stresses code for various functional and regulatory proteins. Significant differences in stress responses were observed within and between tolerant and susceptible genotypes highlighting the multiple gene control and complexity of abiotic stress response mechanism in chickpea. The annotation of these genes suggests that they may have a role in abiotic stress response and are potential candidates for tolerance/susceptibility.