Bibliography: leaves 108-113. This dissertation givens and analytical overview of the research and recovery actions for the Orange-bellied Parrot and the Kangaroo Island Glossy Black-Cockatoo and evaluates the successful practices and those which have failed. This research shows that new recovery action initiatives can still be found and that not all recommendations in recovery plans are followed, which impairs the efficiency of the recovery efforts. It concludes that a successful recovery effort of these two bird species lies in continued research, a serious compliance with the recommendations made by recovery plans and by further environmental education in society.

<p>Biological diversity is one out of four dimensions, characterizing the subject of Biology ac-cording to the school curriculum. As a concept, biological diversity had its break through at the UN environmental conference in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, where the convention about bio-logical diversity, named CBD, was signed. According to the convention, almost all the na-tions of the world have engaged themselves to preserve the national diversity of species, in-cluding the diversity of genetics and ecological systems.</p><p>This thesis focuses the biological diversity from the perspective of school books. The aim is to find out how the biological diversity is presented in biology books for students aged 12-15 years.</p><p>In 1994, the current Swedish secondary and high school curriculum called LPO-94 was pre-sented. The biology books used in this study were published between 1994 and 2007, all of them exist in many editions and are published by three different publishers.</p><p>The conclusion of the study is that all the biology books that were examined have reached different levels of the development in the field of biological diversity.</p>

<p>Leishmaniasis is a disease affecting more than 12 million people worldwide. It is caused by the protozoan parasite Leishmania, which is transmitted to humans and dog hosts through bites of infected sand flies belonging to genus Phlebotomine. Several studies have shown Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) to be effective for the diagnosis of VL in clinical samples compared to the classical methods. The aims of this study were first to compare four different sample preparation methods for the PCR diagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) using peripheral blood samples and furthermore to find a method that is sensitive, rapid, cost benefit, simple and easy to perform. Two preparation methods were compared for the isolation of leukocytes (with Ficoll and Tris –EDTA buffer) and two DNA isolation methods (with Proteinase K and QIAgen kit). From the methods that were compared, lysis of erythrocytes with TE and the QIAgen kit seems to be the most suitable to use.</p>

National Forest management in the Pacific Northwest is shifting from a focus on commodity production to ecosystem management, in which the health of the entire forest ecosystem is considered, rather than that of a few key species. Ecosystem management includes retention of some live trees following timber harvest (green-tree retention) to preserve biodiversity, imitating the natural fire regime of large, but patchy fires that leave many live trees. How ecosystem management will affect growth and species composition of future forests is an important question. This study takes a retrospective approach to this question by using past disturbance as an analogue to green-tree retention following timber harvest. Using USDA Forest Service timber inventory plot data from the Cascade Mountains of Oregon and SW Washington, 132 unmanaged stands were identified with a tree cohort of 70-110 years old (regeneration) or a tree cohort of 70-110 years old with an overstory of large trees 200+ years old (remnants). All stands were in the Tsuga heterophylla (Raf.) Sarg. zone (Franklin and Dyrness 1973). Single-aged stands represented clearcuts, while two-aged stands served as analogues to stands harvested with green-tree retention. Regeneration basal area/hectare (ba/ha) declined when remnant-tree densities exceeded about 15 remnant trees/ha (R��=0.51) in a relationship roughly described by a sigmoidal curve. Conceptually removing remnant-tree space occupancy effects decreased remnant-tree density's value as a predictor of regeneration ba/ha by about 50% at management-level remnant densities (���45 remnant trees/ha). Thus, it appears that remnant "effects" were a result of both remnant-tree space occupancy and remnant resource use. Douglas-fir ba/ha in the regeneration also declined when remnant-tree densities exceeded about 15 remnant trees/ha (R��=0.60). Western hemlock ba/ha in the regeneration increased slightly with increasing remnant-tree densities (R��=0.19). Western redcedar ba/ha in the regeneration was apparently not related to remnant-tree density (R��=0.02). The degree of aggregation in remnant trees did not appear to affect regeneration ba/ha, but few stands contained the isolated clumps of remnant trees likely under a management scenario. Neither measured site characteristics nor regeneration density was related to regeneration ba/ha across species. Remnant-tree density was apparently unrelated to tree-species diversity in the regeneration. Total-stand ba/ha remained relatively constant across remnant densities. / Graduation date: 1994

Pennisetum Rich, is one of the most important genera in the family Poaceae because it includes forage and crop species such as Pennisetum purpureum Schumach. and Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br. Both P. purpureum and P. glaucum have a number of cultivars and varieties arising due to natural crossing which are very difficult to distinguish morphologically. P. purpureum and P. glaucum also hybridize naturally because they are protogynous and cross pollinated. The resulting hybrids are highly sterile and resemble P. purpureum. Lepidopteran stem borers cause great yield loss in maize produced by resource-poor farmers in Africa and are managed by habitat management or push-pull strategies, in which P. purpureum cultivars and hybrids are used as a trap crop. The aims of this project were to genotype different P. purpureum cultivars and hybrids using Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism (AFLP) as well as Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) in order to identify cultivars and hybrids and possible misidentifications, assess the congruency of results between AFLPs and RAPDs and to attempt to relate these results to the oviposition preference of Chilo partellus for different P. purpureum cultivars. The individuals to be fingerprinted were collected from several countries in sub-Saharan Africa, a few from the USA and one from China. The AFLP analysis of these individuals were done with primer combinations EcoRI/MseI and Mlul/Msel on polyacrylamide gels and an ABI 3130 xl Genetic Analyzer respectively. The automated sequencer visualized more bands than the polyacrylamide gels. The RAPD technology was not developed any further after 17 primers were tested and no polymorphic bands detected. Overall results indicated that cultivars did not cluster according to geographical origin, and cultivars known by popular names did not always cluster together, indicating diversity within the cultivar or misidentifications. An example of a misidentification is the cultivar Green Gold being no other than cultivar Harare, or cultivar Swaziland 3 being cultivar Sanitas. Proper management by nursery managers cannot be stressed enough, as this will prevent plants getting mixed up, causing confusion. There was no relationship between the relatedness of cultivars and moth oviposition preference. The AFLP technology could be a powerful tool for the DNA fingerprinting and molecular characterization of this grass species, but poor germ plasm management negates its application. / Thesis (M. Environmental Science)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

The current practice of red blood cell banking for transfusion medicine relies primarily on a six-week liquid storage. A growing demand for red blood cell (RBC) products has prompted the search for alternative preservation methods including dry storage. Being desiccation sensitive, attempts to recover RBCs from the dry state have failed. This dissertation offers a new mechanistic understanding of desiccation-induced cellular injury that is correlated with the oxidative state of the hemoglobin. The general hypothesis states that RBC desiccation is accompanied with non-physiological oxidation of hemoglobin and, consequently, the release of toxic products capable of compromising cellular recovery through oxidative injury. Data acquired for this dissertation demonstrates that water loss induces a drastic increase in the rate of hemoglobin oxidation, formation of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), and hemolysis. Pharmacological treatments of the hemoglobins oxygen binding site reveal that hemoglobin-induced cellular injury is more prominent in RBC samples that are partially dehydrated (about 3.5 to 5.5 g H2O/g dry weight) than in samples that are relatively dry ( 2 g H2O/g dry weight). Furthermore, partially dehydrated RBC samples contain higher levels of oxidized lipids than more fully dried samples. This dissertation also examined the role that glucose and glutathione play in enhancing desiccation tolerance of RBCs. Glucose treatment (5 mmol/L) significantly reduced ROS formation and hemolysis levels in partially dehydrated RBC samples (5.8 0.3 g H2O/g dry weight), but not in samples that are relatively dry (2.8 0.5 g H2O/g dry weight). Treating RBCs with DL-buthionine-(S,R)-sulfoximine, a glutathione depleting agent, was correlated with reduced levels of desiccation-induced hemolysis. This study suggests that desiccation-induced oxidative injury in RBCs is water dependent corresponding to earlier stages of water loss, in which cells can retain metabolic activity. Pharmacological treatments at this stage can significantly affect cell recovery as demonstrated with modifying the hemoglobins oxygen binding site, glutathione depletion, and glucose supplementation. On the other hand, increased cytoplasmatic viscosity compromises biochemical reactions at lower residual moisture contents, and cellular injury is likely the result of physical and mechanical stress. These differences should be taken into consideration in the design of innovative approaches to RBC preservation.

Habitat loss and fragmentation occur at unprecedented rates, especially in tropical countries where human activities have deforested or degraded around 80% of tropical rainforests. Tropical forest fragmentation is considered the main cause of extinction of tropical forest avifauna, yet the mechanisms by which fragmentation affects bird populations are poorly understood. The present study investigates the pattern of bird species distribution in a fragmented landscape in tropical southeastern Mexico and the relation of bird community and species distribution patterns to landscape and fragment characteristics. Area and isolation of forest fragments were the main determinant of species richness and abundance in fragments, especially for forest-dependent species. The significant effect of isolation on species persistence in forest fragments suggests that limitation of dispersal is one potential mechanism by which fragmentation affects species distribution in the landscape. To understand how fragmentation can affect bird dispersal in a fragmented landscape, the effect of open areas and corridors on movement patterns of forest birds was investigated. The evidence presented in this study supports the idea that bird movement is restricted by open areas, especially for forest-restricted birds. Forested corridors had a positive effect on movement rates of forest birds, potentially acting to preserve movement and dispersal processes, and ultimately species persistence, in heavily fragmented landscapes.

The overarching objective of this dissertation was to improve our knowledge of the relationship between seascape heterogeneity and diversity of stony coral assemblages across spatial scales. Coral communities on patch reefs in three regions of the Caribbean were used as a model system to investigating this relationship because patch reef heterogeneity could be readily quantified within the seascape using remote sensing and image analysis techniques. I began with a theoretical approach, exploring the origins of observed species diversity among coral communities at increasing spatial scales. Hierarchical sampling and null models revealed that coral diversity was governed by non-random processes at local- (10s of meters) and meso- (100s of m) scales. Spatial autocorrelation and reef heterogeneity were then investigated as potential mechanistic drivers of these non-random diversity patterns. I found limited support for spatial drivers. However, beta diversity was significantly correlated to metrics of reef heterogeneity (measured as reef size, spatial configuration, and complexity), indicating that differences in reef heterogeneity were making a disproportionate contribution to the overall coral community diversity. The relationship between corals and reef heterogeneity was found to be both scale-dependent and region dependent. This theoretical approach was followed by a manipulative approach using an existing artificial patch reef array to experimentally test the influence of reef spatial configuration and topographical complexity on local diversity. Corals were most sensitive to reef size and secondarily reef configuration within the seascape. Unlike reef fishes, reef complexity did not emerge as a strong predictor of the coral community composition in either the observational data or the experimental manipulation. These observational and experimental explorations of the relationship between corals and habitat reveal that intra-habitat variability (i.e. differences between patch reefs) can influence the diversity and abundance of corals. I then focused on applying this improved theoretical understanding towards improving coral management efforts. I present a new methodology to assess the efficacy of marine reserve effects by controlling for natural seascape variation within and beyond the reserve boundary, and I quantified the bias of underestimating coral diversity by using conventional reef monitoring protocols that ignore differences in reef size. In conclusion, I demonstrate empirically that seascape attributes of reef heterogeneity can contribute to coral diversity at relatively small spatial scales (<1km) and can affect corals with different life history traits in different ways. Hence, management and conservation efforts must consider the role of these meso-scale spatial metrics to influence the structure of the coral assemblage at the local scale.

The eastern Nearctic fauna of Blepharicera Macquart (Diptera: Blephariceridae) is revised to include twenty-three species, six of which are new to science. Descriptions of the larvae, pupae, and adults of B. amnicula n. sp., B. conifera n. sp., B. crista n. sp., B. enoristera n. sp., B. hillabee n. sp., and B. opistera n. sp. are presented. Keys to instar IV larvae, pupae, and adults of all eastern Blepharicera (except B. caudata Courtney) are provided. Phylogenetic studies were conducted to determine the relationships between eastern and western Nearctic Blepharicera and among species within these groups. Larvae, pupae, and adults were available for all known Nearctic species except B. caudata and B. micheneri Alexander. Molecular data acquired from two genes and morphological data for 44 characters were used to test previous phylogenetic hypotheses on the historical relationships and biogeography of Nearctic Blepharicera. Analyses using maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood, and Bayesian inference were conducted. Resulting phylogenies support monophyly of the B. tenuipes and B. micheneri groups and suggest that multiple species complexes may exist within the B. tenuipes group.

In order to assess the benefit or toxicity of chromium in dietary supplements, trivalent chromium and hexavalent chromium must be measured and verified with mass balance (sum of both species equaling total chromium). This is necessary because dietary supplements report trivalent chromium, an essential trace element, as an ingredient, but hexavalent chromium, a toxic carcinogen, may also be present. Because trivalent chromium is stable in acidic conditions and hexavalent chromium in alkaline conditions, interconversions between species occur and increase the difficulty of quantification. Therefore, EPA Method 3060A was first performed to extract hexavalent chromium. Then, EPA Method 3052 was performed on the residue to digest the remaining trivalent chromium. Speciated Isotope Dilution Mass Spectrometry (SIDMS) with Ion-Exchange Chromatography-Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (IC-ICP-MS) was used to account for interconversions as well as determination of trivalent and hexavalent chromium concentrations in the studied samples. Mass balance indicated that the analyzed supplements contained hexavalent chromium ranging from 0 to 16% of the total chromium content. / Bayer School of Natural and Environmental Sciences / Environmental Science and Management (ESM) / MS / Thesis