Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / Analisa o sistema reprodutivo e a diversidade genética entre e dentro três populações naturais de muricizeiros (Byrsonima crassifólia L. Kunth) nas savanas de Roraima. Três populações naturais de Murici foram avaliadas. Para caracterizar o sistema reprodutivo, foram montados experimentos com 05 tratamentos. A diversidade genética foi acessada por caracteres morfológicos e via marcador molecular RAPD / The present work analyzed the reproductive system and the genetic diversity inside and among three natural populations of murici (Byrsonima crassifólia L. Kunth) in the savannahs of Roraima. Three natural populations of murici were evalueted. To characterize the reproductive system, 05 experiments, were carried out. The genetic diversity was access ed by morphologic characters and by molecular marker RAPD

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / O girassol (Helianthus annuus L.) por apresentar características agronômicas importantes, como elevado teor de óleo de ótima qualidade, baixa exigência hídrica e ter a possibilidade de ser cultivado em diferentes épocas do ano, pode tornar-se uma importante opção de cultivo. A cultura ainda é considerada como secundária nos sistemas produtivos brasileiros e faltam pesquisas, principalmente sobre o manejo da fertilidade. Neste sentido, dois experimentos foram conduzidos no Centro de Ciências Agrárias da Universidade Federal de Roraima, localizado no município de Boa Vista RR, nos anos de 2007 e 2008. O delineamento utilizado foi o de blocos casualizados em esquema fatorial, com quatro repetições. Objetivou-se no primeiro experimento avaliar os componentes de produção de três cultivares de girassol (Agrobel 960, Agrobel 962 e Embrapa 122/V2000), submetidas a quatro formas de aplicação do nitrogênio. Objetivou-se, no segundo experimento, estudar os componentes de produção de três cultivares de girassol submetidas a diferentes doses de cobertura de potássio. Os tratamentos consistiram da combinação de três variedades (Agrobel 960, Agrobel 967 e Embrapa 122/V2000) e cinco doses de cobertura de potássio (0; 30; 60; 90 e 120 kg ha-1) / Sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.), due it presents important agronomical characteristics such as high oil content, low water requirement and due the possibility of being cultivated in different times of the year, can become an important crop option for the production. The culture is still regarded as secondary in by brazilian productives system and it lacks more research, mainly on fertility management. To this end, two experiments were conducted in the Center of Agricultural Sciences of Universidade Federal de Roraima, located in Boa Vista RR in 2007 and 2008. The approach used in the work was the delineation of randomized blocks in factorial scheme with four replicates. The first experiment aimed at evaluating the production components of three cultivars of sunflower (Agrobel 960, Agrobel 962 and Embrapa 122/V2000), submitted to four forms of nitrogen application. The aim of the second experiment was to study production components of three cultivars of sunflower submitted to different rates of potassium side dressing. The treatments consisted of a combination of three varieties (Agrobel 960, Agrobel 967 and Embrapa 122/V2000) and five doses of potassium sidedressing (0; 30; 60; 90 and 120 kg ha-1)

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / O uso de plantas medicinais no estado de Roraima - Brasil é uma prática terapêutica muito frequente e bastante difundida nas comunidades locais. Neste trabalho, extratos metanólicos, hexânicos e de acetado de etila, foram preparados utilizando folhas, cascas, galhos e entrecasca de Himatanthus articulatus (Vahl) Wood, uma espécie característica das savanas de Roraima, extremo norte da Amazônia brasileira. Todos os extratos foram testados contra cepas ATCC e clínica das bactérias Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis e Escherichia coli, bem como contra a levedura Candida albicans. Os resultados obtidos indicaram que somente os extratos metanólicos de algumas partes da planta, além do latex colhido da planta e o comercial demonstraram ação antimicrobiana impedindo o crescimento das bactérias estudadas. / The use medicinal plants in the state of Roraima - Brazil is a very frequent and widespread therapeutical practice in the local community. In this work, methanol, hexane and ethyl acetate extracts were prepared using leaves, bark, stems and interbark of Himatanthus articulatus (Vahl) Wood., a characteristic species os Roraima`s savannah (lavrado), from the northern Brazilian Amazon. All the extracts were tested against ATCC and clinic strains of bacteria Staphylococcus aureus, Bacilus subtilis and Escherichia coli, as well as against the yeast Candida albicans. The results indicated that only extracts of methanol of some parts of this plant, beside the harvested latex of this plant and the commercial latex demonstrated antimicrobial action hindering the growth of bacteria

Orientador: Clarice Weis Arns / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-18T22:42:12Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Padilla_MarinaAiello_M.pdf: 819976 bytes, checksum: ee10d49c35496b65a75f47504870ce54 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011 / Resumo: Os herpesvírus são responsáveis por enfermidades importantes em humanos e animais. Em animais, estão associados a doenças que causam grandes perdas econômicas. Em humanos, a gravidade da enfermidade é maior quando os pacientes são imunossuprimidos. Além disso, já existem cepas mutantes resistentes aos medicamentos disponíveis. Visto as dificuldades associadas a prevenção e tratamento das infecções por herpesvírus, a utilização de produtos de plantas como antivirais apresenta - se como alternativa. O Cerrado Brasileiro é um bioma que localiza -se praticamente todo no Brasil e apresenta mais de 10.000 espécies de plantas. Essas plantas podem potencialmente servi r de fonte de compostos farmacologicamente ativos. Assim, o presente trabalho teve como objetivos avaliar a atividade antiviral , atividade virucida e o índice de seletividade (SI) de extratos de plantas do Cerrado contra os herpesvírus suíno tipo 1 (SuHV-1), equinotipo 1 (EHV-1) e vírus do herpes simplex tipo 1 (HSV-1) . Inicialmente, os extratos liofilizados foram submetidos aos testes de citotoxicidade em células MDBK e Vero para determinar a concentração máxima não tóxica (CMNT). Dos extratos, quatro apresentaram as mesmas CMNT's em ambas as linhagens mas, em geral , os extratos foram mais citotóxicos para células Vero. A seguir, com base na CMNT, foram realizados os testes de atividade antiviral para os vírus HSV-1 e EHV-1 em células Vero, e SuHV-1 em MDBK. Os resultados demonstraram que 50% dos extratos apresentaram atividade contra pelo menos um dos herpesvírus estudados, com destaque para as espécies Banisteriopsis variabil is , Byrsonima intermedia e Xylopia aromática que foram ativas contra os t rês herpesvírus, e o extrato da Stryphnodendron adstringens , ativo contra o HSV-1 e SuHV-1. Os extratos que apresentaram atividade antiviral foram então testados quanto a atividade virucida e os resultados submetidos ao cálculo do SI. O extrato foi considerado ativo quando o índice de inibição viral ( IIV) foi maior ou igual a 1,5 ou apresentou PI% (porcentagem de inibição) maior ou igual a 97%. Quanto ao SI, foram considerados ativos os extratos que apresentaram valores iguais ou superiores a 4. A atividade virucida foi observada em 75% dos extratos contra pelo menos um dos herpesvírus testados. As espécies que apresentaram os resultados mais promissores foram: B. variabil is, X. aromática, S. adstringens e B. intermedia. Esta última foi então utilizada em testes adicionais com a variação da concentração, e demonstrou atividade antiviral e virucida em concentrações inferiores a CMNT contra os herpesvírus testados. Assim, o presente trabalho demonstra o potencial de plantas do Cerrado como fonte de compostos com atividade antiviral e virucida. Estudos adicionais são necessários para avaliar os mecanismos de ação e os compostos químicos responsáveis pela atividade observada / Abstract: Herpesviruses are responsible for important diseases in humans and animals. In animals, they are associated with economically important diseases worldwide. In humans, they represent serious threats to public health, and the severity of the illness increases in immunocompromised patients. In addition, there are mutant strains that are resistant to available drugs. Because of the difficulties associated with the prevent ion and treatment of herpesvirus infect ions, the use of plant products as antivirals can be an alternative. The Brazilian Cerrado is a biome located almost entirely in Brazil has over 10,000 species of plants. These plants can potentially be used as a source of pharmacologically active compounds. There for , this study aimed to evaluate the antiviral activity, virucidal activity and the selectivity index (SI) of extracts from Cerrado plants against suid herpesvirus type 1 (SuHV-1) equid type 1 (EHV-1) and herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1). Initially, the lyophilized extracts were tested for cytotoxicity in MDBK and Vero cells to identify t he maximum nontoxic concentration (MNTC). Of the extracts, four showed the same MNTC for both cells, but the extracts were generally more toxic to Vero cells. Then, based on the MNTC, antiviral activity tests were performed against HSV-1 and EHV-1 in Vero cells and SuHV-1 in MDBK cells. The results demonstrated that 50% of the extracts showed activity against at least one of the herpesviruses studied. In particular, the extracts from Banisteriopsis variabil is, Byrsonima intermedia and Xylopia aromatica, were active against all of the herpesviruses, and the extract from Stryphnodendron adstringens was active against HSV-1 and SuHV-1. The extracts that showed antiviral activity were also tested for virucidal activity, and the SI was calculated. An extract was considered active when the viral inhibition index (VII) was greater than or equal to 1.5 or showed a PI% (percent inhibition) greater than or equal to 97%. As for the SI, extracts were considered active when the displayed values greater than or equal to four. Virucidal activity was observed in 75% of the extracts against at least one of the herpesviruses tested. The species that showed the most promising results were: B. variabil is , X. aromatica, S. adstringens and B. intermedia. Was used for additional testing with varying concentrations, and demonstrated antiviral and virucidal activities at concentrations lower than the MNTC against the herpesviruses tested. Therefore, this study demonstrates the potential of Cerrado as a source of compounds with antiviral and virucidal activities. Additional studies are necessary to evaluate the mechanisms of act ion and the chemical compounds responsible for the observed activity / Mestrado / Ciencias Basicas / Mestre em Clinica Medica

Earlier studies investigated the genetic structure of fragmented or isolated elephant populations by comparing the genetic characteristics of pre-defined populations. This study aimed to determine if there was genetic evidence for spatial structuring in a continuous elephant population in the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA-TFCA). I sequenced one mtDNA gene region for 88 individuals and genotyped 100 individuals for 10 nuclear microsatellite loci. Bayesian Clustering Algorithms incorporated in the program Geneland were used to identify groups of genetically similar individuals. An Analysis of Molecular Variance (AMOVA) determined if these groups (henceforth referred to as subpopulations) were significantly differentiated. I used a Geographic Information System (GIS) landscape genetic toolbox to identify areas in the landscape with high genetic divergence between individual samples to determine if there were identifiable genetic barriers in the landscape. There were three significantly differentiated mtDNA sub-populations (Fst = 0.787), and two nDNA sub-populations that were not significantly differentiated (Fst = -0.02; Rst = -0.045), implying obstructed mtDNA, but high nDNA gene flow across the study region. Also, gene flow was apparent between Chobe and Kafue National Parks, where telemetry data has as of yet not recorded inter-population movements between these parks. The three mtDNA sub-populations were geographically differentiated and followed political boundaries as apparent sub-populations in Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The differences between mtDNA and nDNA genetic structuring may be explained by i) historical events that shaped the current genetic structure (e.g. through founder-effects and persistent poaching hotspots) and ii) intrinsic variables that influence genetic structure at a local scale (e.g. through resource dependencies and social behaviour). The KAZA elephant population has a genetic diversity (mtDNA diversity as the pairwise number of differences (π) = 2.59; nDNA diversity as the mean alleles/locus and He = 7.5, 0.71) higher than other southern African populations, and inter-population movements may be responsible for maintaining this genetic diversity. I recommend continued support for conservation initiatives that aim at maintaining and restoring connectivity between populations through landscape linkages, which in so doing may ensure inter-population gene flow and uphold the current genetic state of the KAZA-TFCA elephant population. / Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / gm2014 / Zoology and Entomology / unrestricted

One of the pronounced global challenges facing ecologists is how to feed the current growing human population while sustaining biodiversity and ecosystem services. To shed light on this, I investigated the impact of human land use on bee diversity and plant-pollinator interactions in Tanzania Savannah ecosystems. The thesis comprises the following chapters: Chapter I: General Introduction This chapter provides the background information including the study objectives and hypotheses. It highlights the ecological importance of bees and the main threats facing bee pollinators with a focus on two land-use practices namely livestock grazing and agriculture. It also highlights the diversity and global distribution of bees. It further introduces the tropical savannah ecosystem, its climate, and vegetation characteristics and explains spectacular megafauna species of the system that form centers of wildlife tourism and inadequacy knowledge on pollinators diversity of the system. Finally, this chapter describes the study methodology including, the description of the study area, study design, and data collection. Chapter II: Positive effects of low livestock grazing intensity on East African bee assemblages mediated by increases in floral resources The impact of livestock grazing intensity on bee assemblage has been subjected to research over decades. Moreover, most of these studies have been conducted in temperate Europe and America leaving the huge tropical savannah of East Africa less studied. Using sweep netting and pan traps, a total of 183 species (from 2,691 individuals) representing 55 genera and five families were collected from 24 study sites representing three levels of livestock grazing intensity in savannah ecosystem of northern Tanzania. Results have shown that moderate livestock grazing slightly increased bee species richness. However, high livestock grazing intensity led to a strong decline. Besides, results revealed a unimodal distribution pattern of bee species richness and mean annual temperature. It was also found that the effect of livestock grazing and environmental temperature on bee species richness was mediated by a positive effect of moderate grazing on floral resource richness. The study, therefore, reveals that bee communities of the African savannah zone may benefit from low levels of livestock grazing as this favors the growth of flowering plant species. A high level of livestock grazing intensity will cause significant species losses, an effect that may increase with climatic warming. Chapter III: Agricultural intensification with seasonal fallow land promotes high bee diversity in Afrotropical drylands This study investigated the impact of local agriculture intensification on bee diversity in the Afro tropical drylands of northern Tanzania. Using sweep netting and pan traps, a total of 219 species (from 3,428 individuals) representing 58 genera and six families were collected from 24 study sites (distributed from 702 to 1708 m. asl) representing three levels of agriculture intensity spanning an extensive gradient of mean annual temperature. Results showed that bee species richness increased with agricultural intensity and with increasing temperature. However, the effects of agriculture intensity and temperature on bee species richness were mediated by the positive effects of agriculture and temperature on floral resource richness used by bee pollinators. Moreover, results showed that variation of bee body sizes increases with agricultural intensification, “that effect”, however, diminished in environments with higher temperatures. This study reveals that bee assemblages in Afrotropical drylands benefit from agriculture intensification in the way it is currently practiced. Further intensification, including year-round irrigated crop monocultures and extensive use of agrochemicals, is likely to exert a negative impact on bee diversity and pollination services, as reported in temperate regions. Moreover, several bee species were restricted to natural savannah habitats. Therefore, to conserve bee communities in Afro tropical drylands and guarantee pollination services, a mixture of savannah and agriculture, with long periods of fallow land should be maintained. Chapter IV: Impact of land use intensification and local features on plants and pollinators in Sub-Saharan smallholder farms For the first time in the region, this study explores the impact of land-use intensification on plants and pollinators in Sub-Saharan smallholder farms. The study complemented field surveys of bees with a modern DNA metabarcoding approach to characterize the foraged plants and thus built networks describing plant-pollinator interactions at the individual insect level. This information was coupled with quantitative traits of landscape composition and floral availability surrounding each farm. The study found that pollinator richness decreased with increasing impervious and agricultural cover in the landscape, whereas the flower density at each farm correlated with pollinator richness. The intensification of agricultural land use and urbanization correlated with a higher foraging niche overlap among pollinators due to the convergence of individuals' flower-visiting strategies. Furthermore, within farms, the higher availability of floral resources drove lower niche overlap among individuals, greater abundance of flower visitors shaped higher generalization at the networks level (H2I), possibly due to increased competition. These mechanistic understandings leading to individuals’ foraging niche overlap and generalism at the network level, could imply stability of interactions and the pollination ecosystem service. The integrative survey proved that plant-pollinator systems are largely affected by land use intensification and by local factors in smallholder farms of Sub-Saharan Africa. Thus, policies promoting nature-based solutions, among which the introduction of more pollinator-friendly practices by smallholder farmers, could be effective in mitigating the intensification of both urban and rural landscapes in this region, as well as in similar Sub-Saharan contexts. Chapter V: A synopsis of the Bee occurrence data of northern Tanzania This study represents a synopsis of the bee occurrence data of northern Tanzania obtained from a survey in the Kilimanjaro, Arusha, and Manyara regions. Bees were sampled using two standardized methods, sweep netting and colored pan traps. The study summed up 953 species occurrences of 45 species belonging to 20 genera and four families (Halictidae, Apidae, Megachilidae, and andrenidae) A. This study serves as the baseline information in understanding the diversity and distribution of bees in the northern parts of the country. Understanding the richness and distribution of bees is a critical step in devising robust conservation and monitoring strategies for their populations since limited taxonomic information of the existing and unidentified bee species makes their conservation haphazard. Chapter VI: General discussion In general, findings obtained in these studies suggest that livestock grazing and agriculture intensification affects bee assemblages and floral resources used by bee pollinators. Results have shown that moderate livestock grazing intensity may be important in preserving bee diversity. However, high level of livestock grazing intensity may result in a strong decline in bee species richness and abundance. Moreover, findings indicate that agriculture intensification with seasonal fallow lands supports high floral resource richness promoting high bee diversity in Afrotropical drylands. Nonetheless, natural savannahs were found to contain unique bee species. Therefore, agriculture intensification with seasonal fallow should go in hand with conserving remnant savannah in the landscapes to increase bee diversity and ensure pollination services. Likewise, findings suggest that increasing urbanization and agriculture cover at the landscape level reduce plant and pollinator biodiversity with negative impacts on their complex interactions with plants. Conversely, local scale availability of floral resources has shown the positive effects in buffering pollinators decline and mitigating all detrimental effects induced by land-use intensification. Moreover, findings suggest that the impact of human land use (livestock grazing and agriculture) do not act in isolation but synergistically interacts with climatic factors such as mean annual temperature, MAT. The impact of MAT on bee species richness in grazing gradient showed to be more detrimental than in agriculture habitats. This could probably be explained by the remaining vegetation cover following anthropogenic disturbance. Meaning that the remaining vegetation cover in the agricultural gradient probably absorbs the solar radiations hence reducing detrimental effect of mean annual temperature on bee species richness. This one is not the case in grazing gradient since the impact of livestock grazing is severe, leaving the bare land with no vegetation cover. Finally, our findings conclude that understanding the interplay of multiple anthropogenic activities and their interaction with MAT as a consequence of ongoing climate change is necessary for mitigating their potential consequences on bee assemblages and the provision of ecosystem services. Morever, future increases in livestock grazing and agriculture intensification (including year-round crop irrigated monocultures and excessive use of agrochemicals) may lead to undesirable consequences such as species loss and impair provision of pollination services. / Eine der größten globalen Herausforderungen für Ökologen ist die Beantwortung der Frage, wie die wachsende menschliche Bevölkerung ernährt und gleichzeitig die biologische Vielfalt und die Ökosystemleistungen erhalten werden können. Um dies zu beleuchten, habe ich die Auswirkungen der menschlichen Landnutzung auf die Bienenvielfalt und die Wechselwirkungen zwischen Pflanzen und Bestäubern in den Ökosystemen der Tansania-Savanne untersucht. Die Arbeit umfasst die folgenden Kapitel: Kapitel I: Allgemeine Einführung Dieses Kapitel enthält die Hintergrundinformationen, einschließlich der Studienziele und Hypothesen. Es hebt die ökologische Bedeutung von Bienen und die Hauptbedrohungen für Bienenbestäuber hervor, wobei der Schwerpunkt auf zwei Landnutzungspraktiken liegt, nämlich Viehbeweidung und Landwirtschaft. Außerdem werden die Vielfalt und die globale Verbreitung der Bienen herausgearbeitet. Des Weiteren werden das Ökosystem der tropischen Savanne, sein Klima und seine Vegetationscharakteristika vorgestellt und die spektakulären Megafauna-Arten des Systems erläutert, die Zentren des Wildtiertourismus bilden, sowie die unzureichenden Kenntnisse über die Vielfalt der Bestäuber in diesem System. Schließlich wird in diesem Kapitel die Methodik der Studie beschrieben, einschließlich der Beschreibung des Untersuchungsgebiets, des Studiendesigns und der Datenerhebung. Kapitel II: Positive Auswirkungen einer geringen Beweidungsintensität auf ostafrikanische Bienengemeinschaften, vermittelt durch eine Zunahme der floralen Ressourcen Die Auswirkungen der Weideintensität auf die Bienenbestände sind seit Jahrzehnten Gegenstand von empirischen Untersuchungen. Die meisten dieser Studien wurden jedoch in den gemäßigten Breiten Europas und Amerikas durchgeführt, während die riesigen tropischen Savannen Ostafrikas weniger untersucht wurden. Mit Hilfe von Wurfnetzen und Schwenkfallen wurden insgesamt 183 Arten (von 2.691 Individuen) aus 55 Gattungen und fünf Familien an 24 Untersuchungsstandorten, die drei Stufen der Viehweideintensität im Savannen-Ökosystem im Norden Tansanias repräsentieren, gesammelt. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass eine mäßige Beweidung mit Weidevieh den Artenreichtum der Bienen leicht erhöht. Eine hohe Beweidungsintensität führte jedoch zu einem starken Rückgang. Außerdem zeigten die Ergebnisse ein unimodales Verteilungsmuster des Bienenartenreichtums und der mittleren Jahrestemperatur. Es wurde auch festgestellt, dass die Auswirkungen von Viehbeweidung und Umwelttemperatur auf den Bienenartenreichtum durch eine positive Auswirkung von mäßiger Beweidung auf den Reichtum an floralen Ressourcen vermittelt wurden. Die Studie zeigt daher, dass Bienengemeinschaften in der afrikanischen Savanne von einer geringen Beweidung durch Vieh profitieren können, da dies das Wachstum blühender Pflanzenarten fördert. Eine hohe Beweidungsintensität führt zu erheblichen Artenverlusten, die sich infolge der Klimaerwärmung noch verstärken können. Kapitel III: Intensivierung der Landwirtschaft mit saisonalem Brachland fördert hohe Bienenvielfalt in afrotropischen Trockengebieten In dieser Studie wurden die Auswirkungen der Intensivierung der lokalen Landwirtschaft auf die Bienenvielfalt in den afrotropischen Trockengebieten im Norden Tansanias untersucht. An 24 Untersuchungsstandorten (zwischen 702 und 1.708 m ü.N.N.), die drei Intensitätsstufen der Landwirtschaft repräsentieren und einen weiten Gradienten der Jahresmitteltemperatur abdecken, wurden 219 Arten (von 3.428 Individuen) gesammelt, die 58 Gattungen und sechs Familien repräsentieren. Die Ergebnisse zeigten, dass der Artenreichtum der Bienen mit der Intensität der Landwirtschaft und mit steigender Temperatur zunahm. Die Auswirkungen der Intensität der Landwirtschaft und der Temperatur auf den Artenreichtum der Bienen wurden jedoch durch die positiven Auswirkungen der Landwirtschaft und der Temperatur auf den Reichtum der von den Bienenbestäubern genutzten Blütenressourcen vermittelt. Außerdem zeigten die Ergebnisse, dass die Variation der Körpergröße der Bienen mit der Intensivierung der Landwirtschaft zunimmt, diese jedoch in Umgebungen mit höheren Temperaturen abnimmt. Diese Studie zeigt, dass die Bienengemeinschaften in afrotropischen Trockengebieten von der Intensivierung der Landwirtschaft, wie sie derzeit praktiziert wird, profitieren. Eine weitere Intensivierung, einschließlich ganzjährig bewässerter Monokulturen und intensiver Einsatz von Agrochemikalien, wird sich wahrscheinlich negativ auf die Bienenvielfalt und die Bestäubungsleistung auswirken, wie dies auch in den gemäßigten Regionen beobachtet wurde. Außerdem war das Vorkommen einiger Bienenarten auf natürliche Savannenlebensräume beschränkt. Um die Bienengemeinschaften in afrotropischen Trockengebieten zu erhalten und die Bestäubungsleistungen zu gewährleisten, sollte daher eine Mischung aus Savanne und Landwirtschaft mit Langzeitig-Brachflächen beibehalten werden. Kapitel IV: Auswirkungen der Intensivierung der Landnutzung und lokaler Gegebenheiten auf Pflanzen und Bestäuber in kleinbäuerlichen Betrieben südlich der Sahara In dieser Studie werden zum ersten Mal in der Region die Auswirkungen der Intensivierung der Landnutzung auf Pflanzen und Bestäuber in kleinbäuerlichen Betrieben südlich der Sahara untersucht. Hierbei wurden Felduntersuchungen von Bienen um einen modernen DNA-Metabarcoding-Ansatz ergänzt, um die beflogenen Pflanzen zu charakterisieren und so Netzwerke aufzudecken, die die Interaktionen zwischen Pflanzen und Bestäubern auf der Ebene einzelner Insekten beschreiben. Diese Informationen wurden mit quantitativen Merkmalen der Landschaftszusammensetzung und der Blütenverfügbarkeit in der Umgebung der einzelnen landwirtschaftlichen Betriebe verknüpft. Die Studie ergab, dass der Reichtum an Bestäubern mit zunehmendem Landschaftsanteil an undurchlässiger und landwirtschaftlicher Fläche abnahm, während die Blütendichte mit dem Reichtum an Bestäubern korrelierte. Die Intensivierung der landwirtschaftlichen Nutzung und die Urbanisierung korrelierten mit einer stärkeren Überlappung der Nischen für die Nahrungssuche von Bestäubern, was auf die Konvergenz der Strategien der Individuen bei der Suche nach Blüten zurückzuführen ist. Darüber hinaus führte innerhalb der landwirtschaftlichen Betriebe die höhere Verfügbarkeit von Blütenressourcen zu einer geringeren Nischenüberschneidung zwischen den Individuen, während eine größere Anzahl von Blütenbesuchern zu einer stärkeren Generalisierung auf der Ebene der Netzwerke führte (H2I), was möglicherweise auf einen erhöhten Wettbewerb zurückzuführen ist. Diese mechanistischen Erkenntnisse, die zur Überlappung der Nischen der Individuen bei der Nahrungssuche und zum Generalismus auf der Netzwerkebene führen, könnten die Stabilität der Interaktionen und der Ökosystemdienstleistung Bestäubung implizieren. Die integrative Untersuchung hat gezeigt, dass die Bestäubersysteme in den kleinbäuerlichen Betrieben Afrikas südlich der Sahara weitgehend von der Intensivierung der Landnutzung und von lokalen Faktoren beeinflusst werden. Daher könnten politische Maßnahmen zur Förderung naturbasierter Lösungen, zu denen auch die Einführung bestäuberfreundlicher Praktiken durch Kleinbauern gehört, die Intensivierung sowohl städtischer als auch ländlicher Landschaften in dieser Region wie auch in ähnlichen Kontexten südlich der Sahara wirksam abmildern. Kapitel V: Ein Überblick über die Daten zum Bienenvorkommen im Norden Tansanias Diese Studie gibt einen Überblick über die Daten zum Bienenvorkommen im Norden Tansanias, die im Rahmen einer Erhebung in den Regionen Kilimanjaro, Arusha und Manyara gewonnen wurden. Die Bienen wurden mit zwei standardisierten Methoden erfasst: mit Keschern und Farbschalen. Im Rahmen der Studie wurden 953 Individuen aus 45 Arten aus 20 Gattungen und vier Familien (Halictidae, Apidae, Megachilidae und Andrenidae) nachgewiesen. Diese Studie dient als Grundlage für das Verständnis der Vielfalt und Verbreitung von Bienen in den nördlichen Teilen des Landes. Das Verständnis des Reichtums und der Verbreitung von Bienen ist ein entscheidender Schritt bei der Entwicklung robuster Erhaltungs- und Überwachungsstrategien für deren Populationen, da die begrenzten taxonomischen Informationen über die vorhandenen und nicht identifizierten Bienenarten deren Erhaltung ungewiss erscheinen lassen. Kapitel VI: Allgemeine Diskussion Im Allgemeinen deuten die Ergebnisse dieser Studien darauf hin, dass die Beweidung mit Vieh und die Intensivierung der Landwirtschaft Auswirkungen auf die Bienenbestände und die von Bienenbestäubern genutzten Blütenressourcen haben. Die Ergebnisse haben gezeigt, dass eine mäßige Beweidungsintensität für die Erhaltung der Bienenvielfalt von Bedeutung sein kann. Eine hohe Beweidungsintensität kann jedoch zu einem starken Rückgang des Artenreichtums und der Abundanz von Bienen führen. Außerdem deuten die Ergebnisse darauf hin, dass die Intensivierung der Landwirtschaft mit saisonalem Brachland einen hohen Reichtum an floralen Ressourcen aufweist, der eine hohe Bienenvielfalt in afrotropischen Trockengebieten fördert. Nichtsdestotrotz zeigte sich, dass natürliche Savannen eine einzigartige Artenzusammensetzung aufweisen. Daher sollte die Intensivierung der Landwirtschaft mit saisonalem Brachland mit der Erhaltung von Savannenresten in den Landschaften einhergehen, um die Bienenvielfalt zu erhöhen und die Bestäubungsleistung sicherzustellen. Ebenso deuten die Ergebnisse darauf hin, dass die zunehmende Urbanisierung und landwirtschaftliche Nutzung auf Landschaftsebene die biologische Vielfalt von Pflanzen und Bestäubern verringert, was sich negativ auf ihre komplexen Interaktionen mit Pflanzen auswirkt. Umgekehrt hat sich die Verfügbarkeit von Blütenressourcen auf lokaler Ebene als positiv erwiesen, da sie den Rückgang der Bestäuber abpuffert und alle durch die Intensivierung der Flächennutzung verursachten negativen Auswirkungen abmildert. Darüber hinaus deuten die Ergebnisse darauf hin, dass die Auswirkungen der menschlichen Landnutzung (Viehbeweidung und Landwirtschaft) nicht isoliert wirken, sondern synergetisch mit Klimafaktoren wie der mittleren Jahrestemperatur (MAT) zusammenwirken. Die Auswirkung von MAT auf den Artenreichtum der Bienen in Weidegebieten erwies sich als nachteiliger als in landwirtschaftlich genutzten Lebensräumen. Dies könnte wahrscheinlich durch die verbleibende Vegetationsdeckung nach einer anthropogenen Störung erklärt werden. Das bedeutet, dass die verbleibende Vegetationsdeckung im landwirtschaftlichen Gradienten wahrscheinlich die Sonneneinstrahlung absorbiert und damit die nachteiligen Auswirkungen der mittleren Jahrestemperatur auf den Artenreichtum der Bienen verringert. Dies ist im Weidegradienten nicht der Fall, da die Auswirkungen der Beweidung durch das Weidevieh schwerwiegend sind und kahles Land ohne nennenswerte Vegetationsbedeckung zurücklassen. Unsere Ergebnisse lassen den Schluss zu, dass ein Verständnis des Zusammenspiels verschiedener anthropogener Aktivitäten und ihrer Interaktion mit MAT als Folge des fortschreitenden Klimawandels notwendig ist, um die potenziellen Folgen für die Bienenbestände und die Bereitstellung von Ökosystemleistungen zu mildern. Darüber hinaus können die künftige Zunahme der Viehbeweidung und die Intensivierung der Landwirtschaft (einschließlich ganzjährig bewässerter Monokulturen und übermäßiger Einsatz von Agrochemikalien) zu unerwünschten Folgen wie dem Verlust von Arten und Bestäubungsleistungen führen.

Zoologists classify the savannah buffalo under the Bovini Tribe. Osteologically, the skull differs from that of the water buffalo of Asia, inter alia, in that the vomer does not articulate with the palatine part of the osseus palate. This gross anatomical study gives a detailed description of all the bones of the skull, mandible and hyoid apparatus of the savannah buffalo Syncerus caffer caffer (Sparrman, 1779). These bones are similar in many respects to that of the domestic bovine. However, due to the robustness of the buffalo skull, many aspects pertaining to bones or parts of bones that are different or more pronounced, are of anatomical importance. The sum-total effect of all these features, gives the skull its typical macro-morphology that differentiates it clearly from the other genera in the Bovini Tribe. The more important characteristics that were found, are the following: 1. The skull of young animals retains basic embryonic reshaping potential till quite late in life. It can be seen as a remnant of Meckel's cartilage in the mandible as well as in prolonged remodelling in the regions of the orbit, dorsum of the nose, and most markedly, also in the lateral walls of the cranium. A subsequent temporary atypical fontanel can even leave an osseus scar in the temporal region. 2. Temporary canals, associated with the developing permanent premolars, appear in the maxilla and mandible. 3. A well defined biomechanical supporting pillar forms internally in the skull of the buffalo. It conveys pressure from the lingual side of the caudal molar alveoli, to the ipsilateral external lamina of the frontal bone in the region of the frontal fossa. 4. Apart from one small external segment, fusion of the perpendicular and basal plates of the ethmoid bone to the presphenoid bone, in the region of the orbital plate, makes ethmoid-related sutures the least visible sutures to see in all post-natal stages. 5. The retro-orbital position of the cornual process, and the presence of a nasoincisive suture, are some of the osteological features that are shared with the domestic goat. 6. Pneumatization of the nasal bone and dorsal concha may occur, as well as of the tympanic part of the temporal bone. 7. The detail of the sutures other than those of the ethmoid bone, may allow "fingerprint" identification of specific bones or complete skulls. Other applied aspects of the skull may be of importance to hunters and clinicians. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2002. / Anatomy and Physiology / unrestricted

For decades now, the Appalachian community has been internally combatting two equally strong feelings—an inherently rich love of the mountains and a conflicting urge to leave the mountains. In recent years, Appalachian writers have produced a new literary tradition of identifying, discussing, and remedying this dilemma. Jim Wayne Miller’s 1997 The Brier Poems unapologetically explores the Appalachian community’s complicated relationship to its region. bell hooks’ 2012 Appalachian Elegy: Poetry and Place and Savannah Sipple’s 2019 WWJD and Other Poems then expand Miller’s exploration as both hooks and Sipple collectively represent voices that have often been left out of the stereotypical Appalachian narrative; their literature widens the lens of Appalachian experience and repositions the importance of the Appalachian canon. hooks and Sipple are contemporaries in conversation with Miller as all three authors have declared the Appalachian experience to have never been hegemonic—reclaiming, embracing, and uniting a modern Appalachian identity.

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Pre-detonation technical nuclear forensics techniques for research reactor spent fuel were developed in a collaborative project with Savannah River National Lab ratory. An inverse analysis method was employed to reconstruct reactor parameters from a spent fuel sample using results from a radiochemical analysis. In the inverse analysis, a reactor physics code is used as a forward model. Verification and validation of different reactor physics codes was performed for usage in the inverse analysis. The verification and validation process consisted of two parts. The first is a variance analysis of Monte Carlo reactor physics burnup simulation results. The codes used in this work are MONTEBURNS and MCNPX/CINDER. Both utilize Monte Carlo transport calculations for reaction rate and flux results. Neither code has a variance analysis that will propagate through depletion steps, so a method to quantify and understand the variance propagation through these depletion calculations was developed. The second verification and validation process consisted of comparing reactor physics code output isotopic compositions to radiochemical analysis results. A sample from an Oak Ridge Research Reactor spent fuel assembly was acquired through a drilling process. This sample was then dissolved in nitric acid and diluted in three different quantities, creating three separate samples. A radiochemical analysis was completed and the results were compared to simulation outputs at different levels ofdetail. After establishing a forward model, an inverse analysis was developed to re-construct the burnup, initial uranium isotopic compositions, and cooling time of a research reactor spent fuel sample. A convergence acceleration technique was used that consisted of an analytical calculation to predict burnup, initial 235U, and 236U enrichments. The analytic calculation results may also be used stand alone or in a database search algorithm. In this work, a reactor physics code is used as a for- ward model with the analytic results as initial conditions in a numerical optimization algorithm. In the numerical analysis, the burnup and initial uranium isotopic com- positions are reconstructed until the iterative spent fuel characteristics converge with the measured data. Upon convergence of the sample’s burnup and initial uranium isotopic composition, the cooling time can be reconstructed. To reconstruct cooling time, the standard decay equation is inverted and solved for time. Two methods were developed. One method uses the converged burnup and initial uranium isotopic compositions along in a reactor depletion simulation. The second method uses an isotopic signature that does not decay out of its mass bin and has a simple production chain. An example would be 137Cs which decays into the stable 137Ba. Similar results are achieved with both methods, but extended shutdown time or time away from power results in over prediction of the cooling time. The over prediction of cooling time and comparison of different burnup reconstruction isotope results are indicator signatures of extended shutdown or time away from power. Due to dynamic operation in time and function, detailed power history reconstruction for research reactors is very challenging. Frequent variations in power, repeated variable shutdown time length, and experimentation history affect the spectrum an individual assembly is burned with such that full reactor parameter reconstruction is difficult. The results from this technical nuclear forensic analysis may be used with law enforcement, intelligence data, macroscopic and microscopic sample characteristics in a process called attribution to suggest or exclude possible sources of origin for a sample.