The focus in this project is on the analysis of empirical evidence collected from the #Khomani and Ngwatle communities relating to representation, theories of reflexivity and research methodology, as well as responses to The Healing Land (2001) by Rupert Isaacson, in relation to research methodology, representation and ethical concerns. This project will examine if and how research can be beneficial to the San, and interrogate whether auto-ethnography/reflexivity as research methodology can be used as a way of representing indigenous people in ways that empower them. Films and books often give little indication of how, by whom and for what reasons they were produced, which imposes limitation on the knowledge gained by the reader/viewer. Reflexivity is a methodology that incorporates the producer and the production process into the final product. Reflexivity directs attention to the' process and the power relations involved in constructing cultural texts. Representation of the San Bushmen has had a long history of othering, of perpetuating colonial domination. The "Other is never simply given, never just found or encountered, but made" (Fabian, 1990:755). The application of reflexive methodology could have the potential to undo the perceptions and stereotypes projected by unidimensional films, writing and pop-anthropology which give no indication of/attempt to disguise the relationship between producer, process, product and viewer in the representation of indigenous people. Awareness of the interaction between observer and observed also leads to consideration of ethics, power relations and responsibility of academics and filmmakers towards their subjects. This project discusses encounters in the Kalahari in relation to research methodology, auto-ethnography and representation. The primary text critiqued is Rupert Isaacson's book The Healing Land (2001). The application of reflexivity to my own project incorporates discussion of methodology, the nature of the encounter, and negotiating my own subjectivities. "To be reflexive is to structure a product in such a way that the audience assumes that the producer, the process of making, and the product are a coherent whole. Not only is an audience aware of these relationships, but they are made to realise the necessity of that knowledge" (Ruby, 1977:4). Unrealistic and disempowering representation of the San is related to their political and social marginalisation. This also relates to the issue of responsibility of researchers to the subject communities which are their sources of images and information. The subject communities have certain expectations of academics and filmmakers. If these expectations are not met or fulfilled in some way, the local informants tend to feel that they are being exploited. The San often have unrealistic expectations and are unaware of the differences between profit-making films and research; financial constraints on academics, writers and filmmakers; and the processes by which policy is implemented that prevent their hunger and thirst being immediately alleviated (Tomaselli, 2001a). I attempt to test these kinds of assertions and examine whether there are instances where the San feel that they have benefited from and are satisfied by the encounter, and how the principles allowing for a mutually beneficial encounter can be developed. Thus this project will deal with empowerment and development for the San. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, Durban, 2003.

With the recent increase in utility-scale wind energy development and current climate variation in the desert southwest US, researchers have become increasingly concerned with the reaction of wildlife and critical habitat. Understanding the relationships among monitoring efforts, climate, industrial landscapes and wildlife is critical to effective management. Given the need for information available on how these potential stressors affect terrestrial wildlife, my objective was to determine how climate variation, wind energy facilities (WEF) and monitoring efforts by researchers influence behavior and survivorship in a population of the federally threatened desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii). Data were collected via surveys, motion-sensor camera trapping and radio-telemetry during the span of two decades at a WEF in California. Using capture-mark-recapture survivorship analysis and generalized linear mixed-effects models, I acquired long-term estimates of survivorship, activity, and levels of stress response to researchers and climate. From this study I found that researchers as well as abiotic effects influence the probability of voiding, a possible stress induced behavior in desert tortoises. Additionally, we found that tortoise activity and survival is constrained by winter precipitation and habitat types. Further research is needed on proximate mechanisms of wind turbines (noise and vibration) and their effects on desert tortoise behavior.

Barium is a relatively abundant element in the crustal environments, Ba quantities can range from anywhere between 200ppm to 900ppm. Most common forms of Ba-minerals found in the environment are barite (BaSO4), witherite (BaCO3) and hollandite (Ba2Mn8O16). Ba is a useful element; it is used in various industries as a component in drilling fluids, in medical research and in manufacturing of various substances such as glass, ceramics, printing paper etc. However high quantity of Ba can be potentially toxic for the human body and can impair plant growth. It is therefore, important to review the terrestrial biogeochemical cycle of Ba, which is less studied and less understood than the oceanic biogeochemical cycle of Ba. Additionally, terrestrial systems face a diverse climate and are not as stable as the oceanic systems. Due to this the terrestrial biogeochemical cycle of barium is continuously changing and is more dynamic than the oceanic cycle. By studying one part of the cycle, i.e. the interaction of Ba in the atmosphere with the geosphere in the Mojave desert, NV, I propose a study to test the hypothesis that occurrence of, Ba-mineral, barite, in desert soils is mainly driven by dust flux. The proposal includes methodology for dust collection, sample analysis using XRF, XRD and SEM.EDS techniques and potential budget and timeline. Evidence supporting this claim would suggest that dust transports such minerals, affects the soil chemistry of desert soils and the interaction of various terrestrial systems.

Eremitalpa granti namibensis is a small blind subterranean insectivore (Chrysochloridae) endemic to the Namib Desert sand dunes. This study of the biology and ecology of the Namib mole assesses its adaptive strategies for survival in a harsh environment. Major areas of study include feeding ecology, movement patterns, home range, activity, thermoregulation and water metabolism. Diet of free-living moles was assessed through stomach content analysis while qualitative and quantitative descriptions of surface foraging paths related searching behaviour to resource abundance and distribution. Moles opportunistically fed on termites, a sedentary prey resource occurring in patches of high concentrations while non-random surface locomotion minimised foraging costs. Population density and home range utilisation were studied by following surface trails and capture mark and recapture. Population density was low but stable and home range size large. No permanent nests or burrows were found while the pattern of home range utilisation was nomadic but circumscribed. Although ranges overlapped, a system of mutual avoidance limited encounters with neighbouring animals. Activity phasing was examined in the field and in the laboratory. Free-living moles were almost exclusively nocturnal while captive moles were active day and night. These findings are discussed in relation to prey availability, predator pressure and avoidance of diurnal extremes. Light and temperature appeared to be important cues for daily onset and cessation of activity. Aspects of thermoregulation examined under laboratory and field conditions revealed high thermal conductance, a low basal metabolic rate and poor thermoregulatory abilities. Factors suggested to have selected for these traits are the gaseous regime of the sand in which moles burrow and the need to minimise energy expenditure in an energy sparse environment. Laboratory and field studies employing isotopic dilution of energy and water methods e xamined the metabolism ability of moles to survive on an insect diet without drinking water. Water independence was achieved through efficient renal function while low rates of energy usage and torpor were further effective in reducing overall water requirements. In summation, a broad overview of adaptive radiation in Namib moles compared to other subterranean mammals is discussed. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 1989.

Demographic, biological and behavioural knowledge, together with information on the ecological interactions and impact of a species is fundamental to effective management of most mammal species. In this study, these aspects were investigated for a population of feral horses in the Namib Naukluft Park of Namibia, which lies within a part of the Namib Desert. An attempt was made to evaluate the justification of the continued existence of this exotic species in a conservation area, as well as to provide baseline information and recommendations regarding management of these horses. The study investigated the botanical component and grazing capacity of the area inhabited by the horses, as well as the demography and quality of life of the horses. The study further examined the possible negative impact the horses may have on the natural biodiversity of the area. Finally, it looked at the historic, scientific, aesthetic and economic values of the horses. The collected data was then used as a technical basis for the development of a draft management plan during a stakeholder workshop. The study proposed a range of grazing capacity values related to the total rainfall of the preceding twelve months, based on grass production in response to rainfall in different plant communities. The horses, as well as the native large herbivores, utilized the study area according to the patchy rainfall patterns typically found in the Namib Desert. The population size of the horses fluctuated between 89 and 149 over a ten year period. The social structure of the population was more significantly influenced by artificial interference than natural disasters which had implications on natality, mortality and genetic viability. Termite activity, measured as utilization of grass provided in bait boxes, did not correlate with horse density and seems, instead, to be influenced by soil properties. The results of ant and tenebrionid beetle species composition surveys and analyses did not indicate a significant negative impact from the horses on the study area. No indication could be found that the horses threaten the survival of any native species in the area or that they change the vegetation structure. It appears as if the biodiversity of the area is subjected to large natural stresses due to the continued and frequent desiccation in the desert environment. The impact of the horses is therefore probably minor to that of the climatic stochasticity. It also became apparent that the horses have developed significant historical, scientific and tourism value. The general public opinion is that the horses should be managed as a wild population with minimal artificial interference. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Zoology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2006.

Micro-organisms living in the soils of the Canadian High Arctic produce and consume the greenhouse gases (GHGs) CO2, CH4, and N2O, contributing to global nutrient and GHG cycles; however, different vegetation and soil communities differ in their net productions of each gas and the total emissions from the ecosystem. The range of Arctic vegetation communities spans wetlands, tundras, and deserts differing in their soil water contents and other properties such as organic matter content. Previous estimates of total GHG emissions are often imprecise relative to the scale of microbial processes that result in these emissions. Deserts have extremely low levels of both water and organic matter, yet I found that deserts produce nearly as much GHGs as wetter, more fully vegetated tundras. To test the hypothesis that this unexpectedly strong source of GHGs in deserts was a consequence of recently-thawed, organic-rich permafrost, I measured GHG net production throughout the active layer of polar desert soils; both production and consumption of CH4 and N2O, as well as soil respiration were found throughout the profile, indicating no link to thawed permafrost and suggesting these high GHG activities are characteristic features of Arctic polar deserts rather than transient effects of recent warming. I studied the community of microorganisms of the Arctic deserts by examining DNA from soil samples collected from three deserts on Ellesmere Island using DNA microarrays targeted for the functional genes AmoA and pmo. Using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) I evaluated the hypotheses that the community of ammonia-oxidizers would be causally linked to the observed patterns of N2O net production, and that methane-oxidizers would be causally linked to CH4 net production. The SEM showed the expected link for CH4 production, but not N2O production. Available nitrogen in Arctic desert soils is primarily in the form of ammonia/ammonium, thus I find it surprising that no link could be found to the nitrifying community. Subsequent analysis of the occurence patterns of nitrous oxide reductase, a gene present in denitrifying bacteria and the only known biological sink for N2O, revealed only a weak association. Thus it remains unknown which organisms are responsible for the high levels of N2O emitted from Arctic polar desert soils. Furthermore, I observed several cases of unusual GHG processes, including a positive correlation between net CO2 and net N2O production in only some soils and some soil layers that consumed both CH4 and N2O.

Community food security (CFS) is a new, community-based, collaborative approach to achieving food security. CFS seeks to merge social justice and environmental sustainability goals in the pursuit of food-secure communities. The Good Food Market (GFM) is a new CFS initiative wherein a subsidized community food market operates in a food desert. Through a qualitative case study approach, I examine and evaluate the programmatic design of The Stop’s Good Food Market, and explore its contribution to community food security. The research is framed within a larger study of food security. Research findings are based on semi-structured and structured interviews with GFM coordinators and customers, as well as participant observation and literature reviews.

[Truncated abstract] This thesis explores the ecophysiology of cocooning and non-cocooning Australian burrowing desert frogs in order to specify the details of these two alternative survival strategies. Many details of these life-history strategies have not previously been determined for Australian frogs. In this study the detailed method of function and formation of the cocoon itself was investigated for the first time, as were the moulting cycles, which drive cocoon formation. Cocooning species had consistently shorter inter-moult-periods than non-cocooning species, which is presumably adaptive, allowing production of cocoon layers at a faster rate. Transmission electron microscopy revealed cocoon formation in Cyclorana platycephala to be a plastic, rather than static adaptation. The initial stages of cocoon formation appear to be the most critical. Cocoon layer formation is fastest in the first month and the initial layers produced are thicker than subsequent layers. Also, only in this initial stage does layer thickness appear to be influenced by soil moisture. Scanning electron microscopy confirmed the lips, eyelids and cloaca of cocooned frogs to be sealed by continuous layers of cocoon. However, it remains unclear precisely how the continuous junctions between cells from discreet sources, such as the upper and lower lip, are formed. Measurements of evaporative water loss and resistance over various relative humidity gradients suggested that water content within the cocoon structure is very low unless the external RH is > 93%. Therefore, anuran cocoon is confirmed to function as a specialised and highly effective barrier to water diffusion in arid-zone frogs. ... Within a dune swale, N. aquilonius burrows were an average depth of 1.13 m in loamy sand (clay = 6%, silt = 7%). Neobatrachus aquilonius excavated from the claypan had well formed cocoons, while those found in the dune swale had only one or two thin layers, indicating cocoon formation had only just commenced, although the last rainfall had been over six months prior. This suggests that N. aquilonius is able to switch between the cocooning and non-cocooning strategy in different soil types and different conditions. In summary, cocoon formation was found not to be an entirely passive accumulation of layers. Cocoon formation involved specialisation in the rate and thickness of epithelial layer production and the sealing of layers over lips, eyes and cloaca. Moreover, the cocoon was confirmed to operate effectively as a diffusion barrier at all except the highest external relative humidity. Like cocoon-forming species, Notaden nichollsi was found to metabolically depress to survive for longer periods underground. However, they cannot survive for the entire period

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at El Paso, 2007. / Title from title screen. CD-ROM. Includes bibliographical references. Also available online.

Thesis (Ph. D. - Watershed Management)--University of Arizona. / Includes bibliographical references.