Repertoire of eleven adult giant mole-rats (Fukomys mechowi) was described and was compared with repertoires of the other subterranean rodents with different social system and different parameters of underground system.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 99-110). / Also available by subscription via World Wide Web / xii, 110 leaves, bound ill. 29 cm

Bibliography: leaves 144-163. / xv, 163 leaves : ill. ; 30 cm. / Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library. / This thesis examines genetic variation in growth rate and growth form among subterranean clover cultivars in winter. The effect of plant density and sowing time on growth rate and sward structure of subterranean clover in winter and the impact of grazing intensity on morphology and nutritive value of subterranean clover is studied. It explores also genetic variation in the nutritive value of subterranean clover. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Agronomy and Farming Systems, 1997

Graduation date: 1993

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Dept. of Soil and Water, Waite Agricultural Research Institute, University of Adelaide, 1994. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 146-170).

Thesis (M. Ag. Sci.)--University of Adelaide, 1956. / Typewritten copy. Includes bibliographical references.

Resumo: O cupim exótico Coptotermes gestroi (Wasmann, 1896) é a principal praga responsável por danos econômicos nas áreas urbanas da região sudeste do Brasil. No presente estudo foram realizados testes laboratoriais e de campo para avaliar a eficiência dos ingredientes ativos sulfluramida, hidrametilnona, ácido bórico, fipronil, piriproxifen e ciromazina para uso em iscas de controle desse cupim. Inicialmente, foram realizados experimentos em placas de Petri com o objetivo de selecionar as melhores concentrações de baixa toxicidade e que não fossem repelentes ou inibissem a alimentação dos cupins. As concentrações selecionadas foram usadas em uma segunda etapa de testes, nos quais foram utilizados um número maior de cupins. Os experimentos laboratoriais permitiram a seleção das seguintes concentrações para testes em campo: 0,01 ppm de sulfluramida; 200 ppm de hidrametilnona; entre 12.500 e 15.000 ppm de ciromazina; entre 1.000 e 12.500 ppm de piriproxifen; entre 3.000 e 2.000 ppm de ácido bórico. Somente, o ingrediente ativo fipronil não se mostrou adequado para uso em isca, devido à alta mortalidade obtida em todos os experimentos. Previamente aos testes de campo, foram estimados os territórios e as populações forrageiras das colônias de C. gestroi das áreas escolhidas. Os resultados de campo obtidos para C. gestroi nas áreas I (P.S.), II (L.U.) e III (S.O.R.) mostraram que não ocorreu nenhuma repelência ou inibição do consumo do papelão impregnado com os princípios ativos sulfluramida à 0,1 ppm, hidrametilnona à 400 ppm e ciromazina à 15.000 ppm. Contudo, o número de iscas e as concentrações utilizadas destes produtos não foram suficientes para eliminar nenhuma das colônias estudadas. Os resultados também sugerem que, em colônias naturais, as diferentes fontes alimentares exploradas pelos cupins subterrâneos e a competição... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: The subterranean termite Coptotermes gestroi (Wasmann, 1896) is a pest of major economic importance in the urban environments of southeastern Brazil. In this study, we performed laboratory and field experiments to evaluate the efficacy of sulfluramid, hydramethylnon, boric acid, fipronil, pyriproxyfen and cyromazine as active ingredients in bait. In the first experiment, we tested different concentrations of these active ingredients in Petri dishes, searching for the best slow-acting and non-repellent concentrations for this termite. Concentrations selected from the initial experiment were used in a second laboratory experiment using a large number of individuals. From the results of this second experiment we selected the following concentrations to be fieldtested: 0.01 ppm of sulfluramid; 200 ppm of hydramethylnon; between 12,500 and 15,000 ppm of cyromazine; between 1,000 and 12,500 ppm of pyriproxyfen; between 3,000 and 2,000 ppm of boric acid. The data displayed a fast mortality of termites exposed to fipronil, even in small concentrations, therefore demonstrating that it is not a suitable chemical to be used in baits against C. gestroi. For field experiments, we estimated population and territory size from three colonies of C. gestroi present at the experimental site. Field results showed no repellence for site I (P.S.), II (L.U.) and III (S.O.R.) using sulfluramid 0.1 ppm, hydramethylnon 400 ppm, and cyromazine 15,000 ppm. However, the number of baited used at the selected concentrations were not sufficient to totally eliminate the colonies. This result suggests that, in natural colonies of subterranean termites, different food resources and competition, in this case with the native species Heterotermes tenuis, could influence the success of the control programs. / Orientador: Ana Maria Costa Leonardo / Coorientador: Odair Correa Bueno / Banca: Maria Santina de Castro Morini / Banca: José Eduardo Marcondes de Almeida / Banca: Ana Eugenia de C. Campos Farinha / Banca: Alexandre de Sene Pinto / Doutor

Subterranean arthropod communities are important components of North American ecosystems, contributing numerous ecosystem services and essential food-web functions. Despite this, fundamental information about species diversity in these communities remains unknown, and their taxonomic composition and ecological diversity have scarcely been assessed. Subterranean pitfall traps are a commonly used method for sampling endogean and hypogean soil habitats in Europe but have never been widely implemented in North America. Here, I employed this method to sample subterranean arthropod communities in the Ridge and Valley and Blue Ridge ecoregions of Virginia, USA in the winter and spring. In total, 2,260 arthropod specimens were collected constituting 319 distinct species. I extracted and purified DNA and amplified the mitochondrial gene: cytochrome C oxidase subunit I (COI) from each recovered morphospecies and derived a unique COI barcode for each species sequenced. Objective sequence clustering was used to establish molecular operational taxonomic units (mOTUs) for downstream diversity analyses and establishment of dynamic identification resources. Total species richness and average species richness per site were assessed and compared for both regions and seasons. The Shannon-Wiener diversity index, Hutcheson's t-test, and effective numbers of species (ENS) were employed to compare regional subterranean arthropod diversity. The richness, Shannon-Wiener, and ENS comparisons indicated that both ecoregions encompass highly diverse subterranean arthropod communities with those of the Ridge and Valley being significantly more diverse than those of the Blue Ridge. / Master of Science in Life Sciences / Arthropods are invertebrate animals with hard exoskeletons, segmented bodies, and jointed paired appendages, and include insects, arachnids, crustaceans, and myriapods. Arthropods make up the majority of animal species on the planet and are important parts of ecosystems, making it important for researchers to study them. While we know a fair amount about North American arthropods that live above-ground, relatively little is known about those that live deep within the soil and underlying rock substrate. Subterranean pitfall traps are a common method used for collecting arthropods from subterranean habitats in various regions of the world but have rarely been used in the USA. As a result, much of the life beneath our feet may be unknown. I used these traps to collect subterranean arthropods in the Ridge and Valley and Blue Ridge regions of the Appalachian Mountains. A total of 2,260 individual arthropods were collected, belonging to 319 different species. I used DNA sequencing to establish a unique fingerprint-like "barcode" for each species. These barcodes serve as helpful identification resources, and will help name new species in the future. They also allowed me to measure the number of species (diversity) of subterranean arthropods collected from each region, and compare the two to determine which region is more diverse. I used common statistical metrics of diversity including species richness (number of species) and the Shannon-Wiener diversity index to compare regional subterranean arthropod diversity. My results show that both the Ridge and Valley and Blue Ridge regions of Virginia, USA are home to highly diverse subterranean arthropod communities and those of the Ridge and Valley are significantly more diverse than those of the Blue Ridge.

The main objectives of this study were to investigate the applicability of chitosan as an effective wood preservative against subterranean termites, conduct metagenomic analysis of the bacterial hindgut community of Reticulitermes flavipes exposed to chitosan-treated wood, and perform chitosanase activity assay of metagenomics suggested bacterial species potentially responsible for chitosan breakdown. Chitosan showed termiticidal effects on subterranean termites at varying retention levels. Termite mortality increased when exposed to samples treated with higher chitosan concentration solutions. Approximately 40 - 100% of chitosan retained in treated-wood was leached depending on the initial retention. Post-leaching results indicate chitosan is not suitable for protection against both subterranean termites in outdoor conditions, but should be effective in non-leaching/indoor applications. For metagenomic analysis of the bacterial hindgut community of Reticulitermes flavipes, two methods were used for sequence data interpretation. The Illumina BaseSpace program identified twenty-six bacteria phyla with significant differences in abundance between the chitosan-treated and control groups. The second method, mothur, identified fifteen bacterial phyla also with significant differences in abundance between both treatment groups. Similar bacterial taxa were uniquely assigned to samples from termites fed on chitosan-treated wood using both methods. These results suggest a treatment driven effect on the hindgut bacteria diversity. While majority of the bacterial taxa were common to both methods, inconsistencies detected using the BaseSpace program suggests that the Greengenes database in its present state is not reliable for 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis. As for chitosanase activity of bacterial species with significance abundance from chitosan-treated wood exposed termites, three bacteria species, Lactococcus raffinolactis, Lactococcus lactis, and Dysgonomonas gadei, were examined. After culturing on chitosan media plates and broth, no conclusive activity could be detected from all three species. Further studies need to be conducted to understand the mechanism of chitosan toxicity to termites and insects in general and to prevent chitosan leaching from treated wood. A comparative metatransciptomic study needs to be implemented to supplement the metagenomic study performed herein, so as to elucidate the exact bacteria species involved in chitosan breakdown and the enzymes produced. Also, other bacterial species suggested by the metagenomic data to possess chitosanase activity should be investigated.

This thesis is a proposal for a large contemporary art museum on the Presidio Parade Grounds in San Francisco, California. The site is small and historic, thus my solution was to build primarily underground. Through my exploration of designing a subterranean art museum I addressed the challenges of natural lighting, circulation, and curation. The following images document the result of my studies. / Master of Architecture