Cross-boundary movements of energy and material are ubiquitous. Freshwater ecosystems receive nutrients, dissolved, and particulate organic matter from adjacent terrestrial ecosystems, whereas terrestrial ecosystems mainly receive prey organisms and detritus deposited by physical processes such as floods from freshwater ecosystems. Within lakes, fish are considered as integrators between habitats due to their high mobility, although they often occupy either near-shore littoral or open-water pelagic habitats and develop habitat-specific morphologies. Such intra-population divergence in morphological traits might limit the use of multiple habitats. In this thesis, I first focused on quantity and quality of reciprocal fluxes of particulate organic matter between freshwater and terrestrial ecosystems and responses of recipient consumers. Freshwater ecosystems generally received higher amounts of externally-produced resources than terrestrial ecosystems. Despite this discrepancy, aquatic and terrestrial consumer responses were similar, likely due to the differences in resource quality. Second, I investigated the potential of particulate organic carbon (POC) supporting benthic food webs in lakes; a pathway that has largely been neglected in previous studies. I found that POC can substantially subsidize the benthic food web and that the effects on the benthic food web were transferred to the pelagic habitat, thus emphasizing the importance of benthic pathways for pelagic production. Third, I examined how water transparency can affect intra-population divergence in perch (Perca fluviatilis). I observed that increased water transparency can considerably increase morphological divergence between littoral and pelagic populations likely due to its effects on foraging. Finally, I investigated the effects of such intra-population divergence on littoral-pelagic food web coupling. I found that low morphological divergence corresponded with high overlap in resource use, whereas strong morphological divergence resulted in low overlap in resource use. Here littoral populations mainly utilized littoral resources and pelagic populations primarily utilized pelagic resources, indicating that habitat coupling might be strongly limited when intra-population divergence is high. In conclusion, although different ecosystems seem separated by distinct physical boundaries, these boundaries are often crossed. However, the development of habitat-specific adaptive traits might limit movement between apparently contiguous habitats.

The objective of this thesis is to evaluate the ecological consequences of buffer strip retention on riparian and terrestrial biodiversity. Earlier studies on forest buffer strips have evaluated their effectiveness in relation to water quality and aquatic biota. However, forests along streams are species rich habitats for many organism groups. Buffer strip management is assumed to be important also for protecting such species. Current approaches to biodiversity-oriented forest management practices need to be scientifically evaluated. In this thesis the effects on bryophytes and land snails have been evaluated. A before-and-after experiment along 15 small streams in northern Sweden showed that buffer strips of 10 m on each side of the stream moderated the negative effects exhibited at the clear-cuts. The number of land snail species remained similar as to before logging and the number of vanished bryophyte species was lower in the buffer strips than in the clear-cuts. The ground moisture influenced the survival rate of land snails at the clear-cuts. At mesic sites many species vanished but at wet sites the snail fauna was unaffected by the logging. Many bryophyte species, most of them liverworts, decreased or disappeared in the buffer strips. These were mostly growing on substrates elevated from the forest floor, such as logs, stumps and tree-bases. A number of nationally red-listed species, sensitive for changes in microclimate, were among those decreasing most. Thus, for the species in most need of protection the buffer strips were too narrow. An experiment with bryophyte transplants followed over a season showed that wet ground moisture moderated the negative edge effects in narrow buffer strips. On the other hand, the growth in mesic and moist sites was almost as low as in comparable clear-cuts. Microclimatic edge effects are stronger at south facing than north-facing edges of forest clear-cuts. This was shown in an experiment using bryophyte growth as an indicator of differences in microclimate. However, the depth of edge influence seemed to be similar between north- and south-facing forest edges, >30 m for one species. An explanation for this could be that wind penetrates deeper into edges than solar radiation and has a more variable direction. In conclusion, narrow buffer strips consist entirely of edge habitat. For many species the environment in buffer strips is good enough for persistence. For others, most notably bryophyte species on convex substrates, wider buffer strips are needed to ensure long-term survival.

在電腦、電信與媒體產業匯流現象以及全球化下的影響下，電信公司、網路服務業者、廣播電視網路、有線電視網路以及直播衛星等產業，已經逐漸整合而成一個水平相關的層級式產業，可以互跨服務範圍競爭。在整個寬頻多媒體產業中，我國無線電視業者可經營傳輸網路與節目內容，並為接取產品的中心。但是如何從類比走向數位、從窄頻走向寬頻、從傳統走向科技、從單向走向多向、從內容走向加值，就成為了我國無線電視業者的眼前的問題。 目前我國數位地面廣播電視發展尚處於起始階段，所以明確的加值服務規劃方向顯得相形重要；另外在寬頻上網的趨勢下，網際網路服務已經越來越普遍，如何提供使用者所需的加值服務就成了當務之急。為了要探討無線電視業者如何迎接寬頻網路的挑戰，就必須從數位電視與網際網路服務兩方面切入，來探討在寬頻時代下我國無線電視業者之內容加值服務方向。本研究之研究目的歸納為下列幾項： 一、探討我國無線電視業者所提供的網際網路內容加值服務並給予建議。 二、探討數位地面廣播開播後，我國無線電視業者可提供之內容加值服務方向。 三、探討整體寬頻多媒體產業市場結構，藉由分析我國無線電視業者之核心能力與資源，對於業者進入寬頻多媒體領域之服務規劃，提出具體建議。 由於內容加值服務的研究尚在萌芽，國內亦缺乏相關理論架構的累積，本研究從資源基礎與競爭優勢相關理論以及模組與模組化加值概念來作為內容加值服務的理論基礎，並從外部整體寬頻多媒體網路產業環境以及電視台自身優劣勢分析為基礎來分析無線電視業者的內容加值方向。本研究透過文獻探討、深度訪談兩種研究法進行，將目前五家無線電視業者作為研究對象，從數位電視與網際網路服務兩方面切入，分析我國無線電視業者之內容加值方向與整體服務規劃。 根據文獻探討與深度訪談的結果，本研究之結論與建議如下： （一）加速通道數位化 在通道數位化方面，目前無線電視業者應詳實規劃未來服務方向，考量室內接收與行動接收的可行性，進行完整的傳輸網路規劃，並應積極加快數位電視基礎傳輸網路的建置工程。 （二）模組化的加值策略 內容加值的前提在於瞭解內容可以進行哪些方面的加值，以及所應對的流通平台為何，以便在不同的平台上建立不同的可行性機制，再進行模組規劃。內容的加值化分為兩部分，一為生產模組化；另一為建立數位資料庫。 （三）針對網路特性進行加值服務規劃 1.網際網路內容加值服務規劃方向：隨選的影音服務、資料庫檢索系統以及個人化的服務是網際網路內容加值的幾個重點方向。 2.數位地面廣播內容加值服務規劃方向：提供行動接收服務、具互動性以及檢索功能的可隨選多媒體資訊服務內容以及上網服務，來符合使用者需求。 （四）積蓄與重建核心資源保持企業優勢 在積蓄核心資源上必須將既有資源加以維持，並將個人資源經由知識萃取的方式轉為組織資源，形成知識擴散來達到機構化的程度，以助於組織競爭優勢的維持。本研究建議業者必須廣攬節目製作人才，或與製作公司相互整合，積蓄自身產製影音內容的核心能力與資源，維持自身之競爭優勢。 （五）相互策略聯盟造就多元環境 第一步必須以開放性的心態先行破除無線電視業者之間的藩籬，使得同業之間能夠彼此相互合作，另外在異業之間也要相互結盟，造就多元環境。 （六）改造企業以因應整體產業發展 企業的數位化必須透過組織適度地進行相關變革活動來達成，強調並落實以滿足顧客需求為主的競爭方針，以利於企業經營與存續。 / In recent years, due to the progress in digital technologies, the convergence between industries, and the springing up of the broadband network, Taiwan’s Terrestrial Broadcasting System become one of the major broadband accesses to information and entertainment content from home. The emerging new valued-added services they provide could thrive in areas such as digital TV broadcasting, interactive TV, data broadcasting, and Internet information retrieval. In the new competitive market, to provide valued-added services the user want and make them satisfied become the key of the success. The objectives of this research are：(1) to reconsider the development direction of value-added services and applications in Taiwan’s Terrestrial Broadcasting Companies over Internet and DTV; (2) to make a strategic plan for the management of Taiwan’s Terrestrial Broadcasting Companies. This paper is based on following data：literature review, secondary industry information and in-depth interview with management personnel in order to construct an analytic framework and make proper conceptualization. There are six major observations in this study： 1. Deploying broadband communications infrastructure as soon as possible let the various cooperative industries to incorporate the new digital platform. 2. Because both content and network are not the only choices in the broadband era, we have to put emphasis on modification design of producing content and database to make the services available anywhere. 3. Each platform has its own identity; the scheme of the valued-added services over Internet is to provide video on demand, customized content, and search services. The other services over Digital Terrestrial TV Broadcasting are to provide mobile service, Internet access, data broadcasting, and interactive TV services. Therefore, the provision of user oriented content and services shall be the key for making strategic plans in the media industry. 4. Save and re-establish core resources and capability to remain the industry’s predominance. 5. In digital era, the market is emerging as a sort of “Co-petition”, a mutual but not substitute relationship. Taiwan’s Terrestrial Broadcasting Companies have to establish the cooperative relationships with other industries to reach the synergy as expected. 6. Due to the progress in digital technologies, digital TV has become an emerging multimedia communications vehicle that will be one of the major broadband accesses to information and entertainment content from home. Traditional terrestrial broadcasting companies must restructure their organizations to keep the development in digital era.

Theoretical research has demonstrated that ecological interactions in sympatry or parapatry can generate disruptive selection that in concert with assortative mating can lead to speciation. However, empirical examples are few and restricted to terrestrial and lacustrine systems. New Zealand triplefin fishes (Family Tripterygiidae) are an ideal model system to study speciation in the sea, as they conform to the criteria of an adaptive radiation, being philopatric, speciose and abundant, and having largely sympatric distributions. This thesis investigates two key aspects of the New Zealand triplefin radiation: 1) which ecological traits are under selection?; and 2) which traits are potentially available for the development of assortative mating? Habitat use was identified as a possible key trait for selection and investigated in detail in this thesis. Habitat use of the majority of New Zealand triplefin species was censused quantitatively throughout most of their latitudinal range and analysed using novel statistical methods. Analyses showed that habitat use was highly divergent between species and thus diversification in habitat may have been a major component in the evolution of this clade. The phylogenetic analysis of habitat characters confirmed that there has been rapid evolution in habitat use among species. Habitat selection at settlement was highly species-specific, indicating that interspecific differences in adult habitat use may be the outcome of active habitat choice established at settlement. These species-specific habitat associations showed no evidence for geographic variation in habitat use. Laboratory trials and field observations of the sister-species pair Ruanoho decemdigitatus and R. whero showed that competition was linked with body size, with R. decemdigitatus being the larger and consequently dominant species. The second part of this thesis investigated which traits may have contributed to prezygotic isolation, and thus to assortative mating. Little evidence was found for divergence in breeding season or male colour patterns. However, divergence in habitat affected breeding habitat choice, as triplefins court and mate in the same territory as that occupied year round. This suggests that assortative mating in New Zealand triplefin species could be the by-product of adaptation to habitat resources. Body size affected mate choice and time at first maturity in the Ruanoho sister-species pair, suggesting that size is important in the maintenance of reproductive isolation in these species. Differences in body size may have also lead to assortative mating in other New Zealand triplefin sister-species pairs, as all sister-species pairs differ in maximum body size. The findings of this thesis invoke a strong role for ecologically-based selection in speciation, and support the hypothesis that adaptation to habitat has been a major factor in speciation in this system. / This PhD was funded by the New Zealand Royal Society (Marsden Fund 02-UOA-005 to Kendall Clements), the Tertiary Education Commission (Top Achiever Doctoral Scholarship), and the University of Auckland (University of Auckland Doctoral Scholarship.

Theoretical research has demonstrated that ecological interactions in sympatry or parapatry can generate disruptive selection that in concert with assortative mating can lead to speciation. However, empirical examples are few and restricted to terrestrial and lacustrine systems. New Zealand triplefin fishes (Family Tripterygiidae) are an ideal model system to study speciation in the sea, as they conform to the criteria of an adaptive radiation, being philopatric, speciose and abundant, and having largely sympatric distributions. This thesis investigates two key aspects of the New Zealand triplefin radiation: 1) which ecological traits are under selection?; and 2) which traits are potentially available for the development of assortative mating? Habitat use was identified as a possible key trait for selection and investigated in detail in this thesis. Habitat use of the majority of New Zealand triplefin species was censused quantitatively throughout most of their latitudinal range and analysed using novel statistical methods. Analyses showed that habitat use was highly divergent between species and thus diversification in habitat may have been a major component in the evolution of this clade. The phylogenetic analysis of habitat characters confirmed that there has been rapid evolution in habitat use among species. Habitat selection at settlement was highly species-specific, indicating that interspecific differences in adult habitat use may be the outcome of active habitat choice established at settlement. These species-specific habitat associations showed no evidence for geographic variation in habitat use. Laboratory trials and field observations of the sister-species pair Ruanoho decemdigitatus and R. whero showed that competition was linked with body size, with R. decemdigitatus being the larger and consequently dominant species. The second part of this thesis investigated which traits may have contributed to prezygotic isolation, and thus to assortative mating. Little evidence was found for divergence in breeding season or male colour patterns. However, divergence in habitat affected breeding habitat choice, as triplefins court and mate in the same territory as that occupied year round. This suggests that assortative mating in New Zealand triplefin species could be the by-product of adaptation to habitat resources. Body size affected mate choice and time at first maturity in the Ruanoho sister-species pair, suggesting that size is important in the maintenance of reproductive isolation in these species. Differences in body size may have also lead to assortative mating in other New Zealand triplefin sister-species pairs, as all sister-species pairs differ in maximum body size. The findings of this thesis invoke a strong role for ecologically-based selection in speciation, and support the hypothesis that adaptation to habitat has been a major factor in speciation in this system. / This PhD was funded by the New Zealand Royal Society (Marsden Fund 02-UOA-005 to Kendall Clements), the Tertiary Education Commission (Top Achiever Doctoral Scholarship), and the University of Auckland (University of Auckland Doctoral Scholarship.

Theoretical research has demonstrated that ecological interactions in sympatry or parapatry can generate disruptive selection that in concert with assortative mating can lead to speciation. However, empirical examples are few and restricted to terrestrial and lacustrine systems. New Zealand triplefin fishes (Family Tripterygiidae) are an ideal model system to study speciation in the sea, as they conform to the criteria of an adaptive radiation, being philopatric, speciose and abundant, and having largely sympatric distributions. This thesis investigates two key aspects of the New Zealand triplefin radiation: 1) which ecological traits are under selection?; and 2) which traits are potentially available for the development of assortative mating? Habitat use was identified as a possible key trait for selection and investigated in detail in this thesis. Habitat use of the majority of New Zealand triplefin species was censused quantitatively throughout most of their latitudinal range and analysed using novel statistical methods. Analyses showed that habitat use was highly divergent between species and thus diversification in habitat may have been a major component in the evolution of this clade. The phylogenetic analysis of habitat characters confirmed that there has been rapid evolution in habitat use among species. Habitat selection at settlement was highly species-specific, indicating that interspecific differences in adult habitat use may be the outcome of active habitat choice established at settlement. These species-specific habitat associations showed no evidence for geographic variation in habitat use. Laboratory trials and field observations of the sister-species pair Ruanoho decemdigitatus and R. whero showed that competition was linked with body size, with R. decemdigitatus being the larger and consequently dominant species. The second part of this thesis investigated which traits may have contributed to prezygotic isolation, and thus to assortative mating. Little evidence was found for divergence in breeding season or male colour patterns. However, divergence in habitat affected breeding habitat choice, as triplefins court and mate in the same territory as that occupied year round. This suggests that assortative mating in New Zealand triplefin species could be the by-product of adaptation to habitat resources. Body size affected mate choice and time at first maturity in the Ruanoho sister-species pair, suggesting that size is important in the maintenance of reproductive isolation in these species. Differences in body size may have also lead to assortative mating in other New Zealand triplefin sister-species pairs, as all sister-species pairs differ in maximum body size. The findings of this thesis invoke a strong role for ecologically-based selection in speciation, and support the hypothesis that adaptation to habitat has been a major factor in speciation in this system. / This PhD was funded by the New Zealand Royal Society (Marsden Fund 02-UOA-005 to Kendall Clements), the Tertiary Education Commission (Top Achiever Doctoral Scholarship), and the University of Auckland (University of Auckland Doctoral Scholarship.

Theoretical research has demonstrated that ecological interactions in sympatry or parapatry can generate disruptive selection that in concert with assortative mating can lead to speciation. However, empirical examples are few and restricted to terrestrial and lacustrine systems. New Zealand triplefin fishes (Family Tripterygiidae) are an ideal model system to study speciation in the sea, as they conform to the criteria of an adaptive radiation, being philopatric, speciose and abundant, and having largely sympatric distributions. This thesis investigates two key aspects of the New Zealand triplefin radiation: 1) which ecological traits are under selection?; and 2) which traits are potentially available for the development of assortative mating? Habitat use was identified as a possible key trait for selection and investigated in detail in this thesis. Habitat use of the majority of New Zealand triplefin species was censused quantitatively throughout most of their latitudinal range and analysed using novel statistical methods. Analyses showed that habitat use was highly divergent between species and thus diversification in habitat may have been a major component in the evolution of this clade. The phylogenetic analysis of habitat characters confirmed that there has been rapid evolution in habitat use among species. Habitat selection at settlement was highly species-specific, indicating that interspecific differences in adult habitat use may be the outcome of active habitat choice established at settlement. These species-specific habitat associations showed no evidence for geographic variation in habitat use. Laboratory trials and field observations of the sister-species pair Ruanoho decemdigitatus and R. whero showed that competition was linked with body size, with R. decemdigitatus being the larger and consequently dominant species. The second part of this thesis investigated which traits may have contributed to prezygotic isolation, and thus to assortative mating. Little evidence was found for divergence in breeding season or male colour patterns. However, divergence in habitat affected breeding habitat choice, as triplefins court and mate in the same territory as that occupied year round. This suggests that assortative mating in New Zealand triplefin species could be the by-product of adaptation to habitat resources. Body size affected mate choice and time at first maturity in the Ruanoho sister-species pair, suggesting that size is important in the maintenance of reproductive isolation in these species. Differences in body size may have also lead to assortative mating in other New Zealand triplefin sister-species pairs, as all sister-species pairs differ in maximum body size. The findings of this thesis invoke a strong role for ecologically-based selection in speciation, and support the hypothesis that adaptation to habitat has been a major factor in speciation in this system. / This PhD was funded by the New Zealand Royal Society (Marsden Fund 02-UOA-005 to Kendall Clements), the Tertiary Education Commission (Top Achiever Doctoral Scholarship), and the University of Auckland (University of Auckland Doctoral Scholarship.

Medidas da radiação gama ambiental foram feitas em algumas regiões da cidade de Ribeirão Preto-SP, de forma a contribuir para o conhecimento acerca dos níveis desse tipo de radiação no estado de São Paulo e no território brasileiro. Escolheu-se determinar as médias anuais de dose efetiva e dose efetiva coletiva, uma vez que estas grandezas levam em conta o risco de possíveis efeitos biológicos associados a exposição à radiação ionizante. Para determinar os valores dessas grandezas, os diversos setores censitários das regiões selecionadas foram mapeados e avaliados individualmente, de acordo com a taxa de dose média absorvida no ar e número de habitantes de cada setor. Utilizou-se um sistema de detecção da radiação gama baseado em cintilador plástico e GPS, que possibilitaram a medida da taxa de dose absorvida no ar a cada segundo, para as coordenadas geográficas selecionadas. Embora este sistema tenha sido desenvolvido para a detecção de fontes artificiais perdidas, ou seja, não tem o objetivo principal de fazer medidas dosimétricas da radiação gama natural, teve seus modos de leitura calibrados e comparados com resultados da literatura (com uma incerteza média de 8,7 %). Dos resultados obtidos, dos mapeamentos realizados nas regiões consideradas, as médias anuais da dose efetiva e dose efetiva coletiva para ambientes ao ar livre foram encontradas com os valores 0,034 ± 0,004 mSv/ano e 25,62 ± 9,25 homem.mSv/ano respectivamente, sendo a primeira cerca da metade da média mundial da dose efetiva recomendada pela UNSCEAR. As médias obtidas são baixas quando comparadas às encontradas em outros estudos sobre dose de radiação gama ao ar livre no estado de São Paulo e em outras regiões do território brasileiro (sendo, de 1,7 até 5,6 vezes menor). / Gamma environmental radiation measurements were done for some urban regions in the city of Ribeirão Preto-SP, in order to contribute with this knowledge on the annual ambiental values of this type of radiation in the São Paulo state and in the Brazilian territory. The quantities chosen were effective dose and effective collective dose, once they take into account the possible biologic damage related to the ionizing radiation energy absorbed. For the assessments of these quantities, selected census sectors were initially mapped out, regarding their average absorbed dose in air and the number of inhabitants living in each one of the sectors. The detector system used is based on an organic plastic scintillator and a GPS, that allows to obtain the absorbed dose rate for each second and their respective geographic coordinates. Even though this system was developed to detect missing artificial gamma sources, in other words, its main function is not for dosimetric measurements, both display modes were calibrated in exposure rate (R/h) and absorbed dose rate (Gy/h) and their readings were compared to results from the literature (with an average uncertainty of 8.7%). From the mapping results of the selected regions, the annual average effective dose and effective collective dose for outdoor environments were obtained, respectively as 0.034 ± 0.004 mSv/year and 25.62 ± 9.25 man.mSv/year. The value for the first average dose is lower (about half) than the worldwide average value published by the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR), also lower than the values from other regions in the national territory, regarding the gamma dose rate in outdoor environments (from 1.7 up to 5.6 times lower).

Reconstruction studies of seasonal rainfall utilizing stable isotope based proxy approach suffer from the limitations of time resolutions. Conventional methods and archives limit the achievable resolution to annual scales. However, high resolution reconstruction (seasonal to sub-weekly scale) can be achieved in proxy records where growth rates are high enough to leave spatial signatures in an organically or inorganically deposited layer such as growth bands. In this study, aragonitic skeleton of the gastropod Lissachatina fulica (Bowdich, Giant African Land Snails) is investigated with an aim to achieve sub-weekly scale reconstruction of the Indian monsoon rainfall. These terrestrial gastropods are native of Africa and highly invasive. Their evolution in the geological time period dates back to the Pliocene and is presently distributed across the tropical belt. They exhibit a high growth rate in the presence of water and high relative humidity in the environment. As a result, they are ideally suited for the task of palaeo seasonality reconstruction. The isotopic patterns recorded in their growth bands reveal composition of environmental water at seasonal time scales. In vitro studies were carried out on L. fulica to estimate their growth rates and growth responses to changes in the physical conditions within the culture chamber. The Indian monsoon rainfall exhibits characteristic dry spells that are generally sandwiched between periods of active phases of high rainfall during the South West monsoon season. These dry spells are typically characterized by rainfall with low intensity. Isotope fingerprinting of the rain water at daily time resolution, covering the years of 2007-10 exhibited distinct isotopic ratios for the dry and wet spells. Dry spells were clearly demarcated in the record with isotopically enriched signature. In addition, the study indentified the role of three distinct moisture sources on δ18O of rain water at Bangalore, India. The variability in the oxygen isotopic composition of the Indian monsoon rainfall is predominantly controlled by this source moisture variability at inter annual time scales, while temperature and amount of rainfall tend to dominate the variability in the precipitation isotopes at seasonal and weekly scales. Simultaneous isotopic analyses of both rainwater and shell carbonates growth bands were undertaken to understand their relationship to aid in high resolution reconstruction. Carbonate found in the growth bands of the gastropods, which is precipitated under equilibrium condition from rainwater, preserves the signature of rainfall. This provides an opportunity to reconstruct rainfall parameters (i.e. amount and moisture sources) knowing the variability in shell carbonates. Stable isotopic ratios measured across the growth bands of live shell specimens collected from the southern and eastern Indian regions (Bangalore and Kolkata, respectively) were compared with the rainfall isotope ratios at these two locations; signature of dry spells were clearly identified from the study of isotopic composition in the growth bands of the gastropod specimens. The approach was also extended to older samples from historical archives from eastern Indian region (Kolkata, East India). Individual specimens belonging to the same species of gastropod, which were collected during the monsoon season of the year 1918 were used for reconstructing the seasonal pattern in monsoon rainfall over the region. The record of variation in the isotopic composition seen in the shell was compared with the rainfall data from Indian Metrological Division observatory at Kolkata station. The year 1918 was characterized as a major drought year and the signature of dry period was seen preserved in the specimen. The work under taken in this thesis will widen the scope of seasonality reconstruction using terrestrial shell fossils from palaeo records, which have been rarely investigated in paleoclimate studies from the perspective of understanding the seasonal precipitation variability.

Reconstruction studies of seasonal rainfall utilizing stable isotope based proxy approach suffer from the limitations of time resolutions. Conventional methods and archives limit the achievable resolution to annual scales. However, high resolution reconstruction (seasonal to sub-weekly scale) can be achieved in proxy records where growth rates are high enough to leave spatial signatures in an organically or inorganically deposited layer such as growth bands. In this study, aragonitic skeleton of the gastropod Lissachatina fulica (Bowdich, Giant African Land Snails) is investigated with an aim to achieve sub-weekly scale reconstruction of the Indian monsoon rainfall. These terrestrial gastropods are native of Africa and highly invasive. Their evolution in the geological time period dates back to the Pliocene and is presently distributed across the tropical belt. They exhibit a high growth rate in the presence of water and high relative humidity in the environment. As a result, they are ideally suited for the task of palaeo seasonality reconstruction. The isotopic patterns recorded in their growth bands reveal composition of environmental water at seasonal time scales. In vitro studies were carried out on L. fulica to estimate their growth rates and growth responses to changes in the physical conditions within the culture chamber. The Indian monsoon rainfall exhibits characteristic dry spells that are generally sandwiched between periods of active phases of high rainfall during the South West monsoon season. These dry spells are typically characterized by rainfall with low intensity. Isotope fingerprinting of the rain water at daily time resolution, covering the years of 2007-10 exhibited distinct isotopic ratios for the dry and wet spells. Dry spells were clearly demarcated in the record with isotopically enriched signature. In addition, the study indentified the role of three distinct moisture sources on δ18O of rain water at Bangalore, India. The variability in the oxygen isotopic composition of the Indian monsoon rainfall is predominantly controlled by this source moisture variability at inter annual time scales, while temperature and amount of rainfall tend to dominate the variability in the precipitation isotopes at seasonal and weekly scales. Simultaneous isotopic analyses of both rainwater and shell carbonates growth bands were undertaken to understand their relationship to aid in high resolution reconstruction. Carbonate found in the growth bands of the gastropods, which is precipitated under equilibrium condition from rainwater, preserves the signature of rainfall. This provides an opportunity to reconstruct rainfall parameters (i.e. amount and moisture sources) knowing the variability in shell carbonates. Stable isotopic ratios measured across the growth bands of live shell specimens collected from the southern and eastern Indian regions (Bangalore and Kolkata, respectively) were compared with the rainfall isotope ratios at these two locations; signature of dry spells were clearly identified from the study of isotopic composition in the growth bands of the gastropod specimens. The approach was also extended to older samples from historical archives from eastern Indian region (Kolkata, East India). Individual specimens belonging to the same species of gastropod, which were collected during the monsoon season of the year 1918 were used for reconstructing the seasonal pattern in monsoon rainfall over the region. The record of variation in the isotopic composition seen in the shell was compared with the rainfall data from Indian Metrological Division observatory at Kolkata station. The year 1918 was characterized as a major drought year and the signature of dry period was seen preserved in the specimen. The work under taken in this thesis will widen the scope of seasonality reconstruction using terrestrial shell fossils from palaeo records, which have been rarely investigated in paleoclimate studies from the perspective of understanding the seasonal precipitation variability.