Genetic differentiation in phenotypic traits among populations from heterogeneous environments is often observed in common-garden studies on forest trees, but data on adaptive variation in Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) in Scotland are limited. As a result, current seed transfer guidelines are based on earlier molecular marker studies and do not take into account environmental or adaptive genetic variation. An analysis of spatial variation in climate showed substantial differences in temperature and precipitation among the native Scots pine sites in Scotland. To investigate whether differentiation in response to environmental variation has occurred in Scotland, a glasshouse-based common-garden trial of ~3,360 seedlings from 21 populations and 84 open-pollinated families was established in 2007. At the beginning of the 2nd growing season, timing of bud flush showed evidence of genetic differentiation among populations, with those from cooler origins generally flushing earlier. Variation was also found among families within populations, suggesting that the trait is genetically controlled. Populations and families showed different levels of variability in this trait which could be partly due to variable levels of temporal climate fluctuation in different parts of Scotland. Chlorophyll fluorescence was used to examine drought response in three-year old seedlings from five populations on sites that experience contrasting levels of annual rainfall. It was found that the response was not related to rainfall, but possibly to more complex moisture variables that also take into account additional factors such as evaporation. Also, photosynthetic capacity in response to cold winter temperatures varied significantly among eight populations that were kept outdoors, and the largest reduction was seen in seedlings from the mildest, most maritime coastal site. The following spring, height growth and needle flush started earlier in seedlings from cooler locations. Earlier studies on genetic diversity of native pinewoods have shown high levels of selectively neutral variation in this predominantly outcrossing conifer, and a mating system analysis with a limited number of microsatellite markers supported this pattern. Together, these data suggest that despite significant historic population size decrease, environmental gradients have resulted in genetic differentiation among native pinewoods. In order to minimise the risk of planting poorly-adapted stock and to maximise the success of replanting programmes, it is important that the origins of planting stock are carefully considered in management guidelines for the species.

Malpighian (renal) tubules of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster consist of three functional domains: a non-secretory distal segment, a secretory main segment and a reabsorptive lower segment. In this study a computer-controlled micropositioning system and a self-referencing K^+ microelectrode were used to measure K^+ concentration gradients of extracellular unstirred layers associated with specific epithelial domains. K^+ fluxes were calculated from the measured gradients. This is the first time: that an accurate assessment of the concentration gradients of the unstirred layer of Drosophila melanogaster could be assessed due to the enhanced sensitivity of this self-referencing technique over conventional ion-selective microelectrodes. The technique permits high resolution spatial and temporal mapping of the flux patterns in response to stimulation or inhibition of ion transport. Variations in K^+ transport over time and at different sites suggest that transport is non-uniform within any one functional domain. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Biology / Anthony Joern / North American tallgrass prairie is a dynamic ecosystem that evolved with variable regimes of fire and grazing interactions (pyric herbivory), and variable mid-continental weather. Combined, these ecological factors create a shifting mosaic of plant communities that create heterogeneous and structurally complex habitats that move around across the landscape in time and space. The overarching goal of my dissertation was to study how bottom-up habitat templates created in response to fire-grazing interactions influence the community structure of spiders, key arthropod predators in grassland food-webs. Spiders are a ubiquitous and diverse group of terrestrial predators that partition their habitat at fine scales with species distributions and abundances that are sensitive to habitat structure. Primary hypotheses examined include: (H1) Spider density, species diversity, species evenness and functional richness of hunting strategies should increase as the spatial heterogeneity of habitat structure and overall habitat productivity increases, as predicted by the habitat complexity and heterogeneity hypothesis. (H2) Pyric herbivory indirectly determines spider community structure through is effect on vegetation structure and spatial heterogeneity, thereby promoting the formation of a mosaic of spider species assemblages that track changes in the distribution of key habitat resources. My research takes advantage of a long-term, watershed-level manipulations of fire frequency and bison grazing across a topographically variable landscape at Kansas State University’s Konza Prairie Biological Station, a tallgrass prairie research site near Manhattan KS. Spider communities were sampled for three years at 23 sites representative of multiple habitat types ranging from low-stature grass-dominated sites to grassland-gallery forest transition zones. In addition, a field experiment was performed to test the hypothesis that vegetation structure contributes directly to web-builder abundance and web-type richness of spiders in open grasslands. Here, the availability of structure for web placement was increased by adding dead woody stems along transects in three watersheds that differed in burn histories and existing habitat structure in the absence of grazing. Results were consistent with the three key hypotheses. Species diversity and the functional diversity of spiders increased as the spatial heterogeneity and overall structure of habitat increased in response to fire-grazing interactions. Vegetation heterogeneity influenced spider community responses most strongly in the summer. Structural complexity of vegetation influenced spider diversity, species evenness and richness of hunting strategies throughout the growing season, becoming most important by the end of the growing season. The transitional ecotone between grasslands and woodlands supported a hotspot for spider density, species diversity and richness of hunting strategies along vegetation gradients (H1), and among habitat types (H2). Increasing the availability of web-anchoring structures in open grasslands led to increased web-builder density in open grassland, particularly for small and medium sized orb-web species that took advantage of increased physical structure. Disturbance from pyric herbivory indirectly promoted dynamic and malleable assemblages of spider species that coexisted in syntopy through effects on vegetation structure and its availability in time and space. Changes in habitat structure and heterogeneity as spatially and temporally shifting mosaics of habitat type increased the overall spider diversity at the landscape scale.

In the Maritimes, only two striped bass spawning populations remain: the Miramichi River in New Brunswick and the Shubenacadie – Stewiacke system in Nova Scotia. The Shubenacadie – Stewiacke system is subjected to a well pronounced twice daily tidal bore which induces dramatic changes in water parameters and challenges pelagic life. This system will be subject to potential change through brine discharge, a by-product of the Alton Natural Gas Storage Project. . Examining the temporal distribution of mysids, striped bass eggs and larvae at a fixed location around the Alton Project site will provide baseline information on population structure and insights into how egg and larvae distributions change with respect to tidal cycles, temperature and salinity. Surface plankton net tows from the top 0.75m of the water column were used to collect mysids, striped bass eggs and larvae over 14 months over two years. Daily mean egg abundance surpassed 1000 eggs/m3 once in 2008. A decrease of 1.9 °C in water temperature at the Alton Project site coincided with a cessation of eggs, and presumably, spawning. Spawning resumed when temperatures surpassed 15 °C. In contrast, the largest spawning event of the 2009 season occurred as water temperatures decreased (14 to 12.7 °C). The 2009 spawning season was longer (49 days) than 2008 (31 days) by 18 days, and in both years spawning peaked within the last week of May and first week of June. Two large spawning events, over 4000 daily mean eggs/m3 apiece, were detected May 24 and June 2, 2009. Mysids were present in high numbers throughout May to November, with some tows greater than 14,000 individuals/m3 in June 2008 and August 2009. Over the length of the ebb tide, as salinity decreases, mysid abundance also decreased. Whereas, striped bass egg abundance was consistently lowest at high tide and increased progressively over about 300 minutes through the ebb tide. Both striped bass larvae and mysids displayed patchiness in their temporal distribution suggesting passive transport in the this system. In both 2008 and 2009, larvae were detected at the Alton Project site for 38 days. The colder temperatures and larger tidal range of 2009, coupled with large increase in rainfall during the larval season contributed to the over 30-fold lower abundance over that found in 2008. When abundance was related in concert with temperature and salinity, mysids were ever present at high abundances except on three occasions. Mysid abundance decreased when salinity dropped beneath 5 ‰ during both years, and in 2008 when temperatures were lower than 15 °C. Salinity was impacted according to a seven-day lag after rainfall in both years, although the minimum volume of rainfall and associated impact on salinity have yet to be described.

Recognizing the distinct non-motorist injury severity profiles by crash location (segment or intersection), we propose a joint modeling framework to study crash location type and non-motorist injury severity as two dimensions of the severity process. We employ a copula-based joint framework that ties the crash location type (represented as a binary logit model) and injury severity (represented as a generalized ordered logit model) through a closed form flexible dependency structure to study the injury severity process. The data for our analysis is drawn from the Central Florida region for the years of 2015 to 2021. The model system explicitly accounts for temporal heterogeneity across the two dimensions. A comprehensive set of independent variables including non-motorist user characteristics, driver and vehicle characteristics, roadway attributes, weather and environmental factors, temporal and sociodemographic factors are considered for the analysis. We also conducted an elasticity analysis to show the actual magnitude of the independent variables on non-motorist injury severity at the two locations. The results highlight the importance of examining the effect of various independent variables on non-motorist injury severity outcome by different crash locations.

O principal objetivo deste estudo foi investigar a influência das alterações nas condições climáticas e hidrodinâmicas sobre a estabilidade física, a disponibilidade de recursos, a estrutura da comunidade zooplanctônica e os padrões de heterogeneidade espacial dos açudes Pacajus e Gavião, amostrados bimestralmente entre nov. 1988 e dez. 1998. Nos dois reservatórios os pontos foram distribuídos ao longo dos respectivos eixos longitudinais principais, sendo 06 no açude Pacajus e 05 no Gavião. As medidas de temperatura da água, condutividade elétrica, turbidez, pH e oxigênio dissolvido (OD) foram realizadas em intervalos regulares da coluna d\'água com o uso de sonda multiparamétrica (HORIBA U-10). Amostras para determinação de alcalinidade total, nutrientes inorgânicos dissolvidos e fósforo total foram coletadas em profundidades correspondentes à superfície, meio e fundo da coluna d´água. A determinação de clorofila a foi realizada em amostras de superfície. A estrutura vertical dacoluna d\'água dos reservatórios foi caracterizada por pequenos gradientes térmicos e salinos, especialmente durante o segundo semestre, quando o vento atuou como principal forçante indutora de mistura turbulenta. Nessa época do ano as concentrações de OD foram típicas de supersaturação nos dois reservatórios. A dinâmica de nutrientes nos açudes Pacajus e Gavião dependeu das contribuições alóctones durante o período chuvoso e dos processos de regeneração e carga interna durante o período de estiagem. O maior grau de enriquecimento e biomassa algal observados no açude Pacajus classificou-o como eutrófico-hipereutrófico, enquanto que o açude Gavião foi classificado como meso-eutrófico. A heterogeneidade espacial dos reservatórios foi condicionada pelo regime hidrológico do rio barrado, no caso do açude Pacajus, pelos gradientes hidráulicos ao longo ) do eixo longitudinal, pela influência dos procedimentos de transferências hídricas internas, especialmente no açude Gavião, e pela irregularidade na distribuição espacial do fitoplâncton, acompanhando gradientes tróficos. De modo geral, pode-se afirmar que as espécies do zooplâncton identificadas nos açude Pacajus e Gavião são bem representativas da fauna de microinvertebrados planctônicos Neotropical, com amplo espectro de distribuição geográfica no Brasil. A dominância dos Rotifera no açude Pacajus em dez. 1998 foi indicativo das condições hipereutróficas da maioria dos pontos amostrados. Espacialmente, os organismos desse grupo, representados principalmente por espécies dos gêneros Brachionus e Keratella, indicadores de ambientes nutriente-enriquecidos, foram mais abundantes nos compartimentos com estado trófico superior. Comportamento similar foi observado para o Copepoda Cyclopoida Thermocyclops decipiens, espécie indicadora de condições eutróficas, a qual colonizou, preferencialmente, regiões com maior concentração de nutrientes. Ao contrário, organismos dos grupos Copepoda e Cladocera foram mais abundantes nas regiões menos enriquecidas dos reservatórios, apresentando gradientes longitudinais inversos em relação àqueles dos Rotifera e Cyclopoida. Portanto, a distribuição e os padrões de dominância do zooplâncton nos açudes Pacajus e Gavião foram condicionadas, principalmente, pela variabilidade espaço-temporal dos gradientes tróficos. / The main aim of this research was to investigate the influence of climatic and hydrodynamics\' alterations about physical stability, resources availability, zooplankton community structure and spatial heterogeneity standard of Pacajus and Gavião dams, collected at two-month period between Nov. 1988 and Dec. 1998. In the reservoirs, the sample stations were distributed along the main longitudinal axis, being six on Pacajus dam and five on Gavião dam. Water temperature, electric conductivity, turbidity, pH and dissolved oxygen were measured in regular intervals in water column using a multiparametric probe (HORIBA U-10). Sample for total alkalinity, inorganic dissolved nutrients and total phosphorous determination were collected in the corresponding depth in water column (surface, middle and deep). Chlorophyll a determination was measured in surface samples. Vertical structure of water column in reservoirs was characterized by little thermal and saline gradients, especially duringsecond semester, when wind was the main induced force of turbulent mixture. At this same period dissolved oxygen concentrations were typical supersaturated on both reservoirs. Nutrients dynamic on both dams were dependent on allocthonous contributions during rainy season and on regeneration processes and internal load during dry season. The greatest rank of enrichment and algal biomass measured in Pacajus\' dam classified it as eutrophic or hipereutrophic while Gavião\'s dam was mesotrophic or eutrophic. Spatial heterogeneity of reservoirs was controlled by hydrological regime of the dammed river in case of Pacajus\' dam, by hydraulic gradients along main axis and the influence of internal hydraulic transferences proceedings in the case of Gavião\'s dam and by irregularity on phytoplankton spatial distribution according to trophic gradients. In general, it can be said that zooplankton species ) identified on both dams are representative of Neotropical plankton micro invertebrate fauna, with large geographic distribution in Brazil. The dominance of rotifers in Pacajus\' dam on Dec. 1998 was favored by hipereutrophic conditions in most of sample stations. Especially, this group of organisms, represented mainly by Brachionus and Keratella, indicators of nutrient enriched environments, were abundant in segments with higher trophic state. Similar behavior was observed to the copepod Thermocyclops decipiens, an indicator of eutrophic conditions, which has colonized regions with higher nutrient concentrations. On the other hand, Copepoda and Cladocera were more abundant on poorer nutrient compartiments of reservoirs, presenting inverse longitudinal gradients in relation with those of Rotifera and Cyclopoida. Therefore, distribution and patterns of zooplankton dominance in Pacajus and Gavião dams were conditioned mainly by spatial-temporal variability of trophic gradients.

O principal objetivo deste estudo foi investigar a influência das alterações nas condições climáticas e hidrodinâmicas sobre a estabilidade física, a disponibilidade de recursos, a estrutura da comunidade zooplanctônica e os padrões de heterogeneidade espacial dos açudes Pacajus e Gavião, amostrados bimestralmente entre nov. 1988 e dez. 1998. Nos dois reservatórios os pontos foram distribuídos ao longo dos respectivos eixos longitudinais principais, sendo 06 no açude Pacajus e 05 no Gavião. As medidas de temperatura da água, condutividade elétrica, turbidez, pH e oxigênio dissolvido (OD) foram realizadas em intervalos regulares da coluna d\'água com o uso de sonda multiparamétrica (HORIBA U-10). Amostras para determinação de alcalinidade total, nutrientes inorgânicos dissolvidos e fósforo total foram coletadas em profundidades correspondentes à superfície, meio e fundo da coluna d´água. A determinação de clorofila a foi realizada em amostras de superfície. A estrutura vertical dacoluna d\'água dos reservatórios foi caracterizada por pequenos gradientes térmicos e salinos, especialmente durante o segundo semestre, quando o vento atuou como principal forçante indutora de mistura turbulenta. Nessa época do ano as concentrações de OD foram típicas de supersaturação nos dois reservatórios. A dinâmica de nutrientes nos açudes Pacajus e Gavião dependeu das contribuições alóctones durante o período chuvoso e dos processos de regeneração e carga interna durante o período de estiagem. O maior grau de enriquecimento e biomassa algal observados no açude Pacajus classificou-o como eutrófico-hipereutrófico, enquanto que o açude Gavião foi classificado como meso-eutrófico. A heterogeneidade espacial dos reservatórios foi condicionada pelo regime hidrológico do rio barrado, no caso do açude Pacajus, pelos gradientes hidráulicos ao longo ) do eixo longitudinal, pela influência dos procedimentos de transferências hídricas internas, especialmente no açude Gavião, e pela irregularidade na distribuição espacial do fitoplâncton, acompanhando gradientes tróficos. De modo geral, pode-se afirmar que as espécies do zooplâncton identificadas nos açude Pacajus e Gavião são bem representativas da fauna de microinvertebrados planctônicos Neotropical, com amplo espectro de distribuição geográfica no Brasil. A dominância dos Rotifera no açude Pacajus em dez. 1998 foi indicativo das condições hipereutróficas da maioria dos pontos amostrados. Espacialmente, os organismos desse grupo, representados principalmente por espécies dos gêneros Brachionus e Keratella, indicadores de ambientes nutriente-enriquecidos, foram mais abundantes nos compartimentos com estado trófico superior. Comportamento similar foi observado para o Copepoda Cyclopoida Thermocyclops decipiens, espécie indicadora de condições eutróficas, a qual colonizou, preferencialmente, regiões com maior concentração de nutrientes. Ao contrário, organismos dos grupos Copepoda e Cladocera foram mais abundantes nas regiões menos enriquecidas dos reservatórios, apresentando gradientes longitudinais inversos em relação àqueles dos Rotifera e Cyclopoida. Portanto, a distribuição e os padrões de dominância do zooplâncton nos açudes Pacajus e Gavião foram condicionadas, principalmente, pela variabilidade espaço-temporal dos gradientes tróficos. / The main aim of this research was to investigate the influence of climatic and hydrodynamics\' alterations about physical stability, resources availability, zooplankton community structure and spatial heterogeneity standard of Pacajus and Gavião dams, collected at two-month period between Nov. 1988 and Dec. 1998. In the reservoirs, the sample stations were distributed along the main longitudinal axis, being six on Pacajus dam and five on Gavião dam. Water temperature, electric conductivity, turbidity, pH and dissolved oxygen were measured in regular intervals in water column using a multiparametric probe (HORIBA U-10). Sample for total alkalinity, inorganic dissolved nutrients and total phosphorous determination were collected in the corresponding depth in water column (surface, middle and deep). Chlorophyll a determination was measured in surface samples. Vertical structure of water column in reservoirs was characterized by little thermal and saline gradients, especially duringsecond semester, when wind was the main induced force of turbulent mixture. At this same period dissolved oxygen concentrations were typical supersaturated on both reservoirs. Nutrients dynamic on both dams were dependent on allocthonous contributions during rainy season and on regeneration processes and internal load during dry season. The greatest rank of enrichment and algal biomass measured in Pacajus\' dam classified it as eutrophic or hipereutrophic while Gavião\'s dam was mesotrophic or eutrophic. Spatial heterogeneity of reservoirs was controlled by hydrological regime of the dammed river in case of Pacajus\' dam, by hydraulic gradients along main axis and the influence of internal hydraulic transferences proceedings in the case of Gavião\'s dam and by irregularity on phytoplankton spatial distribution according to trophic gradients. In general, it can be said that zooplankton species ) identified on both dams are representative of Neotropical plankton micro invertebrate fauna, with large geographic distribution in Brazil. The dominance of rotifers in Pacajus\' dam on Dec. 1998 was favored by hipereutrophic conditions in most of sample stations. Especially, this group of organisms, represented mainly by Brachionus and Keratella, indicators of nutrient enriched environments, were abundant in segments with higher trophic state. Similar behavior was observed to the copepod Thermocyclops decipiens, an indicator of eutrophic conditions, which has colonized regions with higher nutrient concentrations. On the other hand, Copepoda and Cladocera were more abundant on poorer nutrient compartiments of reservoirs, presenting inverse longitudinal gradients in relation with those of Rotifera and Cyclopoida. Therefore, distribution and patterns of zooplankton dominance in Pacajus and Gavião dams were conditioned mainly by spatial-temporal variability of trophic gradients.

The biological characteristics of fisheries stocks that are assessed for management considerations are rarely homogeneous over time or space. However, stock assessment scientists largely ignore this heterogeneity in their models. This thesis addresses the effects of spatial and temporal heterogeneity on stock assessment models using Atlantic Weakfish (Cynoscion regalis) as a case study. First, spatial and temporal variation was incorporated into length-, weight-, and maturity-at-age estimates using mixed-effects models (Chapter Two). The resulting heterogeneous weight and maturity parameters then were applied to per-recruit analyses to examine the sensitivity of biological reference points to spatial and temporal variation in life history attributes (Chapter Three). Mixed-effects life history models incorporating spatial and temporal variation revealed distinct regional and annual trends that were not visible from standard homogeneous models. In several instances, the homogeneous modelling approach produced life history estimates that varied significantly from the spatial and temporal means produced by the heterogeneous models. In some cases, this difference was so great that the homogeneous means were much higher or lower than the heterogeneous means for all regions or years. Minimized AIC statistics revealed that spatially and temporally integrated mixed-effects models were more robust and descriptive of Atlantic Weakfish life history than the standard homogeneous models. Per-recruit and biological reference points derived from these life history estimates in Chapter Three were found to be highly sensitive to spatial and temporal variations in weight parameters. In several cases, reference points used as management targets were so significantly different that ignoring spatial and temporal heterogeneity in Atlantic Weakfish life history would likely cause overfishing and decline of Weakfish in certain regions and years. / Master of Science

Made available in DSpace on 2016-08-15T20:31:17Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 RafsonVS_DISSERT.pdf: 2368957 bytes, checksum: 5b409a2aba52dec3fb159116952b1a20 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-03-27 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / The construction of reservoirs has been adopted as a strategic measure to overcome water shortages and cope with the increase of the multiple uses of this resource. Despite its social importance, the impounding of a lotic ecosystem tends to break possible longitudinal gradients, resulting in biotic and abiotic change both downstream and upstream of the reservoir. In this context, this work sought: (i) to describe the morphometric parameters of the Santa Cruz and Umari reservoirs in the semi-arid region of Rio Grande do Norte; (ii) to spatially and temporally assess the limnological characteristics of these water reservoirs. Bathymetric surveying was carried out in December 2012, with the aid of an ecobathymeter enhanced via DGPS, utilizing horizontal WGS 84 datum and the UTM coordinate system. Four samplings were extracted from the surface, the center and the bottom of the water column (integrated samples) in May, August and November 2012 and February 2013, so that limnological variables could be assessed. With the aid of a multiparameter probe, the following variables were measured in loco: pH, water temperature, electrical conductivity, total dissolved solids, turbidity and dissolved oxygen, and, via utilization of the Secchi disk, water transparence. In the Laboratory of Limnology and Water Quality of the Universidade Federal Rural do Semi-Árido, the concentration of total N, total P, ammoniacal nitrogen, nitrite N, nitrate N and Chlorophyll a was measured. Regression analyses were conducted so as to identify possible relationships between the limnological variables and the distance from the dam, and Principal Component Analyses were carried out in order to observe a spatial pattern of the points sampled during the temporal variation and gather the data concerning the sampling stations (longitudinal variation) and the collections (temporal variation). Bathymetry in Santa Cruz was based on a total of 35.971 point pairs (depth and location) and in Umari, on a total of 26.575. The Santa Cruz reservoir was verified to have a maximum length of 15.984m, average water depth of 13m and maximum depth of 38m. As for the Umari reservoir, maximum length, average depth and maximum depth were confirmed to be 14.227m, 8m and 28m, respectively. In what concerns the storage volume, accentuated differences between the two reservoirs were recorded: 295.858.761m3 in Santa Cruz and 114.866.034m3 in Umari. Despite bearing a smaller volume, Umari presented a larger perimeter area (110.887,26 m). Both reservoirs showed a shallow relative depth which could lead to thermal instability and, consequently, a mixture of the water masses. The results of the PCA showed a spatial pattern in which, as the water ran closer to the influence zone of affluent rivers, there were higher figures of temperature, electrical conductivity, turbidity, total dissolved solids, total P, total N, and Chlorophyll a. However, it could not be verified, in either reservoir, a clear pattern of temporal variation, likely due to the low rainfall during the entire period of sampling. Finally, the reservoirs proved to be adequate for various uses, abiding to the standards set by the CONAMA resolution nº 357/2005, the average concentrations of limnological variables being considered acceptable for Class 1, with the exception of the concentration of total P in the reservoir of Santa Cruz, which was considered acceptable for Class 2. It was concluded that the classic concept of longitudinal compartmentalization with three evident zones (fluvial, transition and lake) did not apply to the reservoirs in this study; therefore, it was only possible to identify partial compartmentalization: the lake zone, accounting for the larger part of both reservoirs and bearing oligotrophic characteristics, and a reduced fluvial zone, varying between mesotrophic and eutrotrophic / A construção dos reservatórios vem sendo uma medida estratégica adotada para suprir a escassez de água e atender ao aumento dos usos múltiplos. Apesar de sua importância social, o represamento de um ecossistema lótico tende a romper possíveis gradientes longitudinais, produzindo alterações bióticas e abióticas tanto a jusante quanto a montante do reservatório. Neste contexto, o presente trabalho objetivou: (i) descrever parâmetros morfométricos dos reservatórios Santa Cruz e Umari, localizados no semiárido do Rio Grande do Norte; (ii) avaliar temporalmente e espacialmente as características limnológicas desses reservatórios. O levantamento batimétrico foi realizado em dezembro de 2012, com auxílio de um ecobatímetro acoplado a DGPS, utilizando datum horizontal WGS 84 e sistema de coordenadas em UTM. Já a avaliação das variáveis limnológicas foi realizada nos meses de maio, agosto e novembro de 2012 e fevereiro de 2013, através de quatro coletas na superfície, no meio e no fundo da coluna d água (amostras integralizadas). Com uma sonda multiparâmetros foram mensuradas in loco as seguintes variáveis: pH, temperatura da água, condutividade elétrica (CE), sólidos totais dissolvidos (STD), turbidez (TURB) e oxigênio dissolvido (OD), e por meio do disco de Secchi a transparência da água. No Laboratório de Limnologia e Qualidade de Água da Universidade Federal Rural do Semiárido foram determinadas as concentrações de N-total, P-total, N-amoniacal, N-nitrito, N-nitrato e clorofila a. Foi aplicada a análise de regressão no intuito de identificar possíveis relações entre as variáveis limnológica com a distância da barragem e a Análise dos Componentes Principais (ACP) no intuito de observar um padrão de variação espacial e temporal. A batimetria em Santa Cruz esteve baseada num total de 35.971 pares de pontos (profundidade e localização geográfica) e Umari, 26.575. O reservatório Santa Cruz apresentou 15.984 m de comprimento máximo, 13 m de profundidade média e 38 m de profundidade máxima. Já Umari apresentou para esses mesmos parâmetros 14.227 m, 8 m e 28 m, respectivamente. O volume total de armazenamento em Santa Cruz foi de 295.858.761 m3 e o seu perímetro foi de 94.835 m. Já o reservatório de Umari apresentou um volume total de 114.866.034 m3 e perímetro de 110.887 m. Os reservatórios apresentaram baixa profundidade relativa que induz a uma possível instabilidade térmica e, consequentemente, uma mistura das massas de águas. Os resultados da ACP nos reservatórios Santa Cruz e Umari demonstraram um padrão espacial onde à medida que se aproximava da zona de influência fluvial foram registrados valores mais elevados de CE, STD, P-total, N-total e clorofila a. No entanto, em ambos os reservatórios não foi constatado um nítido padrão de variação temporal, provavelmente devido aos índices pluviométricos reduzidos observados durante todo o período de coletas. Os reservatórios apresentaram-se aptos a serem utilizados pelos diversos usos múltiplos conforme a resolução n° 357/2005 - CONAMA, tendo os valores médios das variáveis limnológicas enquadrados na Classe 1, a exceção do fósforo total que esteve dentro do limite para Classe 2 no reservatório Santa Cruz. Pôde-se concluir que o clássico conceito de compartimentalização longitudinal com a evidência das três zonas (fluvial, transição e lacustre) não foi aplicado aos reservatórios estudados, sendo apenas possível identificar uma compartimentalização parcial, evidenciando duas Zonas bem definidas, a Zona Lacustre, ocupando a maior parte de ambos os reservatórios com características ultraoligotrófica e oligotrófica e uma Zona de influência Fluvial reduzida, variando de mesotrófica e eutrófica

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