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Thesis (M. Env. St.)--University of Adelaide, Mawson Graduate Centre for Environmental Studies, 1993. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 63-71).

Thesis (M.C.T.M. (Clinical Tropical Medicine))--Mahidol University, 2003.

Thesis (M.C.T.M. (Clinical Tropical Medicine))--Mahidol University, 2002.

CoordenaÃÃo de AperfeiÃoamento de Pessoal de NÃvel Superior / Amburana cearensis (cumaru) apresenta uma grande importÃncia agrÃcola, florestal, ornamental e medicinal, sendo importante o conhecimento sobre biometria de sementes, recipientes e substratos para a produÃÃo das mudas desta espÃcie. Objetivou-se atravÃs desse trabalho avaliar o efeito de diferentes substratos e recipientes sobre a qualidade de mudas de Amburana cearensis. Os ensaios foram conduzidos no Campus do Pici, da Universidade Federal do CearÃ, em Fortaleza-CE, no perÃodo de junho a novembro de 2008. O delineamento experimental foi o inteiramente casualizado em esquema fatorial 3 x 3, referentes a trÃs tamanhos de recipientes grande (28 x 40 cm); mÃdio (20 x 30 cm) e pequeno(15 x 25 cm) e trÃs substratos: S1 (2 terra + 1 areia vermelho + 1 bagana de carnaÃba ); S2 (2 terra + 1 areia vermelho 1 + composto orgÃnico polefÃrtil) e S3 (2 terra + 1 areia vermelho + 1 hÃmus). Foram utilizados nove tratamentos com quatro repetiÃÃes de sete recipientes (sacos plÃsticos). Os tratamentos influenciaram as variÃveis de crescimento inicial das plantas. Os tamanhos dos recipientes nÃo influenciaram no crescimento e altura das mudas. A InteraÃÃo recipiente x substrato foi significativa na altura e nÃmero de folhas, comprimento de raiz, massa fresca e seca da parte aÃrea, sendo que a interaÃÃo recipiente x substrato nÃo foi significativa nos diÃmetros do caule e do xilopÃdio, massas fresca e seca da raiz. A associaÃÃo do recipiente grande com substrato S3 proporcionou maior crescimento das mudas, o recipiente de tamanho pequeno com os substratos S1 e S2 produziram mudas de qualidade inferior. Para produÃÃo de mudas de cumaru de boa qualidade recomenda-se a utilizaÃÃo do recipiente grande com substrato S3. / Amburana cearensis (cumaru) presents a major agricultural, Forestry, ornamental and medicinal is important to know about biometrics seed, containers and substrate for the quality of seedlings of this species. It aimed, through the conduction of the experimental works, to evaluate the effect of the three subtract different and container size different about the initial development of Amburana cearensis. The rehearsals were led Campus of Pici of Federal University of Cearà (UFC), in Fortaleza-CE, during the period from June to November of 2008. The experimental outline was entirely random in 3 x 3 factorial design, whit three container [big (28 x 40 cm)-R1; average (: 20 x 30 cm)-R2 and small (15 x 25 cm)-R3, and totally three subtract [S1 (2 soil + 1 red sand + 1 carnauba butt); S2(2 soil + 1 commercial organic compost polefÃrtil ) and S3(2 soil + 1 red sand + 1 humus)] the used nine treatments with four repetition of seven container. The experiment showed that the treatments affected the growth of the variables used in the evaluation of responses in the plant. The size containers not influence the growth of seedling height of cumaru. The Container and substrate interaction significant in growth and development of height, number of leaf, length of root, fresh and dry weight of shoot. Does container x substrate interaction was not significant in the development diameter of the collection, diameter of xylophodio, fresh weight of root, the root dry mass and index quality of Dickson. Size large containers with substrate S3 majority provide greater growth of seedlings, over there, the small container com substrate S1 and S2 minority provide greater growth seedling. To produce good quality of cumaru, it is recommended to use a large container with substrate S3 in long time, and use medium and small container with the same substrate short time.

Within natural populations, individuals vary in their propensity to grow, survive and produce offspring. Additionally, fates of individuals are often correlated and non-independent as a result of shared genes, rearing environment or both. Variation in demographic traits can change population dynamics over time. The effects of variation in individual growth rate on population growth rate, net reproductive rate and generation time are examined, along with quantifying the sources of variation in survival of a long-lived cooperatively breeding bird, the Florida Scrub-Jay (Aphelocoma coerulescens). I built a 2 stage population model with two growth phenotypes, fast and slow, and simulated all parameter values using R 3.3.1. Variation in individual maturation rate changes population dynamics, especially in the presence of phenotypic correlation between parents and offspring in growth phenotype. I used Cox Proportional Hazard models with a covariance structure derived from a kinship matrix using the R packages survival and kinship2. Survival of juvenile Florida Scrub-Jays is strongly dependent on kinship, or the degree of relatedness between individuals, in addition to body mass, social structure of the natal territory, natal territory quality and environmental conditions of the rearing period. Breeder Florida Scrub-Jay survival is mainly structured by group size, kinship, yearly variation in environmental conditions and territory quality.

Across avian systems, plumage ornamentation is often considered a signal of individual fitness, condition, sex, or status, and varies due to genetics or environmental sources. In species with structural coloration, plumage variation results from differences in the amount of energy allocated to feather growth during molt, presenting a unique opportunity to study the link between individual quality and ornamentation. In cooperative breeding species, such as the Florida Scrub-Jay (Aphelocoma coerulescens), the role of structural color as a signal is particularly important because helpers may delay breeding for one to several years and competition for space is high. Florida Scrub-Jay juveniles are sexually dimorphic in the ultraviolet range, and plumage color predicts social dominance and condition, but not adult reproductive fitness. Little is known about the consistency of ultraviolet reflectance across molts, and I tested the following questions: 1) does plumage color change across molts within individuals; 2) how do environmental variables and stress affect structural color; and 3) does adult color or change in color predict reproductive fitness? I measured relative change in color within individuals by comparing their juvenile and first set of adult feathers after pre-basic molt. I used several measures of nutritional condition, social dynamics, habitat quality, and parasite infection to model color, and I experimentally administered corticosterone during pre-basic molt to examine the effects of increased stress on color. Plumage reflectance was compared with breeding status to investigate the role of color in breeding space acquisition. Plumage reflectance was significantly different within individuals across molts, but juvenile and adult color were correlated. Adults were significantly less bright than juveniles, with higher proportions of UV chroma and hues shifted toward UV wavelengths. Variation in feather color was best explained by sex, mass, parasite infection, and an interaction between area of oak scrub and group size. Juvenile feather color was also strongly associated with mother ID, but this was not the case for adults even though adult color was correlated with juvenile color. Adult chroma was reduced in birds treated with corticosterone, and hues were shifted toward longer wavelengths. No measure of adult color predicted acquisition of breeding space, but change in brightness and hue were significant predictors of acquisition for females, where breeders tended to experience greater reductions in brightness and shifts toward UV hues compared to helpers. This may be due to sex-specific differences in reproductive strategies in Florida Scrub-Jays. Females tend to disperse farther distances and breed earlier than males, potentially expending more energy foraying and searching for breeding space, which could reduce brightness if it is linked with condition. These results suggest that sexual selection is not a dominant factor in plumage ornamentation for Florida Scrub-Jays, and understanding the interaction between plumage color, personality, and reproductive fitness should be a priority for future research.

The fossorial Florida Sand Skink (Plestiodon [=Neoseps] reynoldsi) inhabits a restricted range of scrub and sandhill fragments on the ridges of central Florida. The high rate of urban and agricultural development in this area necessitates conservation strategies other than land acquisition and management because of the limited remaining Florida Sand Skink habitat available. This study tests the viability of translocation as a conservation strategy for this species and assesses which features of a recipient site contribute to the successful establishment of a population. In 2007, 300 individuals were collected and moved from an intact scrub habitat, individually marked, and moved to a nearby reclaimed site with no existing Florida Sand Skink population. Fifteen 20 m² enclosures were constructed at the recipient site, and 20 skinks were randomly assigned to each. These enclosures were divided among five treatments, which were represented the range of habitat types at the donor site and differed in the presence or absence of a shade-providing object and coarse woody debris. Translocated skinks were monitored for two years to measure survival and reproduction. While survival and reproduction were apparent in all treatments, survival was significantly greater in enclosures with no shade-providing object and low soil moisture, and reproduction was most evident in enclosures with less light intensity and soil compaction. Common measurement of environmental variables at the donor and recipient sites showed that all of the recipient site enclosures differed from the donor site in the amount of vegetative cover but contained the structural heterogeneity that is associated with Florida Sand Skink presence in the wild. This study indicates that translocation is a practical conservation strategy for this species, and my results can be used to inform protocol for future Florida Sand Skink translocation efforts.

Early-successional bird species are showing alarming declines across the Northeast and particularly in New England. Utilizing limited resources to the best advantage of these declining bird species is a vital task for land managers. In 2006 and 2007, I collected bird abundance and habitat information from 87 points in early-successional habitat in Connecticut. The objective of this effort was to evaluate the relationships between the habitat variables collected at a plot using the point intercept method and the associated bird abundance at the plot. A second objective was to compare two different methods of characterizing early-successional habitat in explaining the variance in bird abundance. A plot-based method based on the BBIRD protocol from Montana Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit and the point intercept method were compared. Finally, I designed and created a database written in Microsoft Access which was used to standardize data entry, aid in the sharing of data and to calculate summary statistics to assist habitat managers in making conservation decisions. The habitat variables were grouped according to composition and structure to analyze bird-habitat relationships. Low broadleaved shrubs, broadleaved shrubs, fern/forbs, conifers, broadleaved trees and invasives, as well as average height for shrubs and trees were used for the analysis. Nine focal early-successional species that are showing general trends of decline were chosen from the list of all birds seen or heard. Bird abundance and detectibility covariates were modeled with the habitat variables using N-mixture models (2004). Up to 24% of the variation of the best models (based upon AICc) was explained by the predictors I investigated. Five of the 9 birds showed a positive correlation to a shrub category variable. Fern/forbs, graminoids and invasives were found to exert less influence on the abundance of these scrub-shrub birds. Results indicated that the date of the survey affected the detectibility of only 5 of the species, and vegetation height only affected one of the species. Overall correlations indicate that these nine shrubland dependent species utilize a structurally complex habitat including broadleaved shrubs less 2 meters in height and than 2-5 meters in height and herbaceous forbs and graminoids. Invasive plants were found to be positively correlated to 2 of the 9 species possibly warranting additional work on the affects of these species on early-successional birds. Thirty-one of the total 87 point count points were selected for the comparison between the BBIRD and point intercept method. I choose six focal early-successional species for the analysis: indigo bunting, blue-winged warbler, chestnut-sided warbler, yellow warbler, prairie warbler and the common yellowthroat. The point intercept and BBIRD methods explained on average the same amount of variability in the data, and models from each data set included nearly the same number of variables, on average. Thus, we conclude these two vegetation sampling methodologies were essentially equivalent in summarizing important characteristics of scrub-shrub bird habitats. In the field, the BBIRD method took on average almost twice as long to complete as the point intercept method. Because in this study the two methods were similar in the amount of the bird abundance variance they explained and because the BBIRD method takes substantially longer to complete, I recommend that the point intercept method be considered an acceptable method for managers to use to characterize the relationships between early-successional bird species and their habitat. An important step in the successful conservation of declining early-successional bird species is the creation of database management systems and the coordination and cooperation amongst agencies that can stem from the use of these databases. The database I created ensures standardized data entry for data collected from multiple sites over many years. The database takes this data and can be queried for whatever particular information a manager needs. Percent cover of vegetation and invasives, average height of vegetation, and bird abundance are summarized and graphically displayed by the database. Ease of operation, ability to query and ability to share the information makes this database an important tool in the successful conservation of declining species

Pyrogenic ecosystems are maintained by fires which vary in frequency, seasonality, and intensity. Florida oak-saw palmetto scrub ecosystem is characterized by fires occurring at intervals of 10-20 years. Diverse factors as private land acquisition and development has created a patchy distribution of scrub ecosystems and also interrupted the natural fire cycle. The effects of fire over plant regeneration and fauna habitat utilization of the scrub have been well characterized in previous research. In the present paper the objective is to characterize the short- and long-term fire effects on the soil microbial community. Fire effects were studied in a chronosequence, comprising a recently burned scrub during a winter-prescribed fire to scrub where fire did not occur for 40 years. The number of culturable cells was reduced by two orders of magnitude by indirect fire effects and environmental factors, principally hydric stress. However, the duration of fire effects was very short since the microbial community returned to pre-fire numbers and activity by day 47 after fire. Microbial community activity was distinctively related to inoculum density in the soil and litter samples. Soil and litter microbial communities showed differences in metabolic activity. There was no difference in substrate utilization pattern, but there was significant seasonal variation related to the decrease in water content during the month of May. Substrate utilization by litter microbial communities was higher during the month of January compared to soil microbial communities and this relationship was inversed during the month of May probably associated to the more stringent conditions, low water availability, on the litter layer. Seasonal effects outweighed fire effects in this study as this environmental constraint determined the microbial community structure and activity.