This work seeks to explore current ecological theory through application to communities inhabiting hydrothermal vents. This thesis aims to: (1) add to and synthesise knowledge of species and their distributions at the intra- and intersegment scale; and (2) evaluate vent community patterns and speculate on processes. Samples used are submersible grabs of low temperature (<60°C) tubeworm assemblages on basalt and sulphide surfaces. Species abundances and distributions on three segments of the Juan de Fuca Ridge (Axial, Cleft, and CoAxial) are described. Community descriptors such as species density, Simpson's and the Shannon-Wiener diversity indices, evenness, species richness, species abundance-distribution models, species percent-average relative abundance and density are used. Vent community structure is compared among segments using these descriptors, visual descriptions, pairwise correlations, Friedman tests of distributions, cluster and correspondence analysis, rarefaction, complementarity, a test for saturation, and Whittaker's beta diversity. Vent community composition on Axial, north Cleft, and CoAxial is similar at the segment and inter-segment scale. The limpet Lepetodrilus fucensis is the most abundant species at all sites. Differences among communities are best seen temporally, not spatially. Senescent communities can be distinguished from active vent assemblages. Pioneer communities, however, are statistically indistinguishable from intermediate communities when sampled two or more years post-eruption. Axial and Cleft species dispersion fits the core-satellite hypothesis. The exceptions are the polynoids Branchinotogluma sp., Lepidonotopodium piscesae, and Levensteiniella kincaidi, which are widespread and present in low local abundances. Both local and mesoscale regional mechanisms explain observed local diversity. Spatial isolation, not habitat differences, influences between-habitat diversity (beta diversity) on Axial, Cleft, and all three segments combined. Meiofauna are important for species richness estimates, identifying differences among structurally similar communities, and understanding input/output between vents and the deep-sea. Measurements such as species richness and diversity indices may be poor at distinguishing among vent communities because vents are species poor and uneven. The Michaelis-Menten, Jackknife 2, and Chao 2 nonparametric vent species richness estimators perform well with small samples. Vent communities should be compared to habitats of similar diversity and evenness as well as disturbance and productivity regimes. Candidate comparison communities include communities in early successional states, selected taxocenes such as carabid beetles on fungi, or high disturbance and/or low diversity systems like the rocky intertidal, organically polluted sediments and oxygen minimum zones below upwelling regions in the deep-sea. / Graduate

Le feu est une des préoccupations majeures des avionneurs et des compagnies aériennesétant donnée la grande quantité de combustibles hautement inflammables à bord. De plus, lamenace au feu augmente par l’allègement grâce à la substitution de l’aluminium par dematériaux composites inflammables. La simulation numérique des grandes échelles estappliquée à un feu de nappe de kérosène de grande échelle soumis à un vent traversier avecprise en compte d’un aéronef de type d’aluminium et celui composite. La combustion esttraitée à l’aide d’une réaction globale et une hypothèse de chimie infiniment rapide, choixvalables tant que le feu est dans un régime de sur-ventilation où la combustion est contrôléepar le mélange des réactifs. L’interaction entre la combustion et la turbulence est traitée parune approche de type EDC (Eddy Dissipation Concept). L’équation des transferts radiatifs estrésolue à l’aide de la méthode des volumes finis. Les propriétés radiatives du milieu sontestimées à l’aide d’un modèle à larges bandes donnant une bonne approximation ducoefficient d’absorption par rapport aux calculs spectraux. Les suies sont modélisées par unmodèle semi-empirique de type Smoke-Point tenant compte du processus de formation dessuies par nucléation. Pour l'instant, le modèle de pyrolyse simple, contrôlée par latempérature, est utilisé à travers d’une approche du nombre de transfert de masse. Desanalyses spécifiques ont été menées par nos soins sur la forme de flamme, ainsi que sur lesflux thermiques, les champs de vitesse, de température et des espèces chimiques. Les résultatsobtenus sur les feux à une échelle intermédiaire sont en accord avec les résultatsexpérimentaux. Ils sont par contre difficilement comparables aux résultats expérimentaux surles feux à une échelle plus importante tridimensionnelle car l'instrumentation dans le domaineen aéronautique est très difficile. Quelques soient la taille de foyer et l’intensité de vent, leflux de chaleur maximal venant de nappe de kérosène semble inférieur à 340 kW/m2. / Large fully turbulent fires, which result as a consequence of an aircraft accident, pose asevere hazard to the occupants and cargo. This numerical study focuses on the firephenomenology associated with the presence of an aircraft immersed, at one particularlocation and orientation, within a large aviation-fuel fire in a moving fluid medium.Turbulence is modelled using a standard Smagorinsky sub-grid scale model in a Large EddySimulation An extension of the eddy dissipation concept is incorporated, allowing toinvestigate the roles of the wind speed and its direction on the fire growth, heat fluxdistribution and smoke products, such as carbon monoxide and soot. The outcome of thestudy is interesting, and the interaction model between turbulence and combustion is indeedadequate. A radiative transfer equation is solved by using a discrete expression adapted to afinite volume method. The soot model is based on a Smoke-Point concept, and the mixture ofsoot and gas behaves as a gray medium. The predicted flame shape and heat flux comparewell with the measurements. The prediction indicates that interaction between aircraft and fireenvironment combined with the influence of wind conditions affects dramatically location ofthe continuous flame zone and heat flux distribution. The highest heat flux occurs on thewindward side of the aircraft for the low and medium winds, but on the leeward side of theaircraft for the high wind. A good reproduction of the experimental trends has been achievedfor the temperature field. Preliminary comparisons of the heat flux distribution on the cylinderskin show promise. The peak heat fluxes to the aircraft for various wind conditions rangefrom 200-340 kW/m2, and the contribution of radiation to the aircraft skin is higher than 95%of the total heat flux.

Le contrôle actif d’écoulement est une voie envisagée actuellement pour améliorer les caractéristiques aérodynamiques des véhicules aériens ou terrestres. La diminution de la traînée (force opposée au mouvement) est notamment visée, ce qui permettrait de baisser la consommation en énergie entraînant ainsi une réduction des émissions polluantes. Depuis une dizaine d’années, les actionneurs plasmas sont utilisés comme dispositifs de contrôle. À Orléans, ils sont basés sur l’utilisation d’une décharge à barrière diélectrique créant à sa surface un plasma qui induit un écoulement de quelques km h-1 : le vent ionique. L’actionneur plasma est caractérisé avec l’étude des différents régimes de décharge. Celui où des arcs énergétiques apparaissent est analysé. La température de surface de l’actionneur est également étudiée en fonction de plusieurs paramètres. Elle reste inférieure à 100 °C, ce qui confirme que les effets des actionneurs plasmas sur un écoulement ne sont dus qu’au vent ionique. Une caractérisation du vent ionique permet aussi de confirmer le lien entre le vent ionique et l’extension du plasma : deux phases distinctes existent, pendant lesquelles il est créé. Le contrôle de la transition d’une couche limite de Blasius est effectué sur une géométrie de type plaque plane. En fonction de la position de l’actionneur ou de la puissance consommée, le recul, le déclenchement précoce ou le cas sans effet est obtenu. Le mécanisme d’action est identifié et est lié à une excitation de l’écoulement qui devient plus ou moins sensible aux ondes de Tollmien-Schlichting. La fréquence de fonctionnement de l’actionneur apparaît comme le paramètre principal pour ce type de contrôle. Une nouvelle géométrie d’actionneur est proposée et caractérisée. La décharge conserve des propriétés identiques au cas classique et le sondage du vent ionique par un moyen de mesure 3D permet de montrer le gain en vitesse et l’existence de structures 3D susceptibles de contrôler plus efficacement un écoulement. / Active flow control is a route currently being considered to improve aerodynamic performances of vehicles (airplanes or cars). Drag reduction (force opposite to motion) is particularly concerned and provides reduction of energy consumption of vehicles what induces low exhaust gases emissions. Plasma actuators are used as control devices since a decade. In Orléans, they are based on the use of surface dielectric barrier discharge which creates plasma on its surface and induces a flow of few km h-1 : the ionic wind. The plasma actuator is characterized with the study of different discharge regimes. One in which sparks occur is analyzed. The actuator surface temperature is also studied in function of several parameters. Surface temperature remains below 100 °C what confirms effects of plasma actuators on the flow are only due to the ionic wind. Characterization of ionic wind has also confirmed the link between induced flow and plasma spread over actuator surface : two distinct phases exist where a flow is every time induced. Transition control of a Blasius boundary layer is performed on flat plate geometry. Depending on plasma actuator position or power consumption, promotion, delay or neutral case are obtained on transition location. The mechanism of action is identified and linked to an excitation of the flow that becomes more or less sensitive to Tollmien-Schlichting waves. The operating frequency also appears as the main parameter for this type of control. New actuator geometry is proposed and characterized. The discharge keeps identical properties to a classical configuration of plasma actuator. Ionic wind measurements by means of a 3D device allow us to show the gain in speed and presence of 3D structures in the induced flow topology what is more effectively to control external flows.

Le but de cette thèse est l'étude du développement de la turbulence dans le vent solaire entre 0.2 et 1 unité astronomique (UA) du soleil (i.e. l'orbite terrestre). L'étude est faite en résolvant numériquement les équations de la MHD après soustraction de l'écoulement moyen radial. Les deux aspects de la turbulence qui nous intéressent sont la structure 3D des spectres d’énergie et le chauffage du plasma qui résulte de la dissipation turbulente des tourbillons et couches de courant emportés par le vent. On cherche à déterminer quelles sont les conditions du plasma près du soleil qui permettent d’aboutir à ce qu'on observe à 1 UA. Un but important de mon travail est aussi de déterminer si la physique qui est présente dans les équations que j'intègre (la MHD) suffit pour arriver à reproduire ce qu'on a déjà observé dans cet intervalle de distance. Nous introduisons le contexte de notre travail dans la première partie. On y trouve les équations de base, une introduction à la turbulence, un résumé sur la physique du vent solaire et de la couronne solaire. La partie 2 sera consacrée à l'étude de l'anisotropie de la cascade turbulente, et plus précisément du spectre 3D. Dans la zone inertielle, les mesures in-situ vers 1 UA montrent des figures complexes pour ces spectres qu'on peut interpréter de plusieurs façons : nos simulations numériques permettent de lever toute ambiguïté. Plus précisément, la question est de savoir quand intervient l'axe soleil-terre, et quand intervient l'axe du champ magnétique moyen. La partie trois est centrée sur le chauffage turbulent dans les vents rapides et lents. Entre 0.3 et 1 UA, la température des protons diminue anormalement lentement, ce qui indique une source de chauffage, qu'on suppose ici être la dissipation des tourbillons et couches de courant emportés par le vent. Pour démontrer que cette hypothèse est raisonnable, nous considérons d’abord le modèle de Burgers qui est un modèle pour l'évolution d’ondes sonores. Ensuite, nous passons à l'étude du cas plus complexe d'un volume de plasma 3D. Nous examinerons les conditions initiales correspondant aux vents lents et rapides. Dans les deux cas, on adoptera des anisotropies spectrales différentes. Dans la dernière partie, nous exposerons les conclusions de notre travail et proposerons d'introduire l'anisotropie de la température dans un travail futur. / The aim of this thesis is the study of the development of turbulence in the solar wind between 0.2 and 1 astronomical unit (AU) from the Sun (i.e. Earth’s orbit). The study is done by solving the magnetohydrodynamics equations (MHD) after subtracting the mean radial flow. The two aspects of turbulence that interest us are the 3D structure of the energy spectra and the heating of plasma that results from the turbulent dissipation of eddies and current layers transported by the wind. We want to determine which conditions of the plasma close to the Sun can result into what we observe at 1 AU. We have relatively detailed measurements of what happens between 0.3 and 1 AU. One important goal of this work is to determine if the physics present in the equations that are integrated (MHD) is sufficient to reproduce what is observed in this interval of distances. We introduce the context of our work in the first part. We give a summary of the physics concerning the solar wind and the solar corona, and the basic equations used to describe the solar wind plasma and an introduction to turbulence. Part 2 is dedicated to the study of anisotropy in the turbulent cascade, which characterizes 3D spectra. In the inertial range, in-situ measurements at 1 AU show complex figures for these spectra that we can interpret in several ways : numerical simulations allow to clear ambiguities. An important question is to know whether the Earth-Sun symmetry axis or the mean magnetic field axis is dominant.The third part focuses on turbulent heating in fast and slow winds. Between 0.3 and 1 AU, proton temperature decreases more slowly than expected, which requires a heating source. This source is supposed to be the continuous dissipation of eddies and current layers transported by the wind. To start with, we consider the simple case of Burgers equation, which is a one-dimensional model for shock formation. Thereupon, we switch to the 3-dimensional case, where we consider initial conditions appropriate for slow and fast winds. In the last part we expose our conclusions and propose the implementation of temperature anisotropy as future work.

Deep-sea hydrothermal vents are some of the most biologically productive ecosystems on Earth, yet receive little to no input of photosynthetically derived organic matter. The trophic system at hydrothermal vents is based primarily on the reduction-oxidation (redox) of inorganic chemicals by Bacteria and Archaea. However, the distributional patterns of the microorganisms that colonize deep-sea hydrothermal vent deposits and their link to the geologic setting are still not deeply understood. The goal of the studies presented in this thesis was to quantify the abundance, and distribution of major and understudied vent colonizing archaeal groups from globally distributed and geochemically distinct hydrothermal vent fields. The archaeal community composition was analyzed using quantitative PCR with lineage specific functional gene primers that target methanogens, and 16S rRNA gene primers designed or optimized from this study for the Thermococcales, Archaeoglobus, Ignicoccus and marine Nanoarchaeota. Overall, a general relationship was demonstrated between the geochemical differences of the hydrothermal vent fields and the archaeal community structure. The archaeal community assemblage varied dramatically from hydrothermal vents with different vent host rocks along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and Eastern Lau Spreading Center. In contrast, two vent fields in the East Pacific, 9°N on the EPR and Guaymas Basin that are basalt and basalt-sediment hosted were found to have similar community composition. These observed differences may be driven in part by the metabolically available chemical energy as hydrogen oxidizing lineages of the methanogens and Archaeoglobus were found in higher abundance in the samples from vent field that had a high concentration of end-member hydrogen and the heterotrophic Thermococcales constituted a higher proportion of the archaeal community at the less enriched vent fields. Interestingly, the Nanoarchaeota and the genus of its only confirmed symbiont, Ignicoccus, were found to have an inconsistent proportional relationship, with the Nanoarchaeota comprising a larger proportion of the archaeal community at the ultramafic and fast spreading basalt vent fields and Ignicoccus at the ultra-slow spreading basalt and andesite hosted vent fields. There was also a more localized pattern identified within the hydrothermal vent deposit. The chemosynthetic lineages of the methanogens and Archaeoglobus constituted a higher proportion of the archaeal community in chimney samples compared to Thermococcales that was found in a higher proportion at horizontal flange samples. This archaeal proportional shift could be driven by energetic micro-niches within the vent deposit, as the chemolithotrophic lineages colonize the area closest to the venting source, and the heterotrophic Thermococcales dominate in more mature structures further from the venting source. Quantitative assessments of the archaeal community composition from this study provided added insight into the dynamic geologic influence on the archaeal lineages that colonize deep-sea hydrothermal vents, on a global and local scale.

The discovery of deep-sea hydrothermal vents in 1977 revealed an ecosystem supported by chemosynthesis with a rich diversity of invertebrates, Archaea and Bacteria. While the invertebrate vent communities are largely composed of endemic species and exist in different biogeographical provinces, the possible factors influencing the distribution patterns of free-living Archaea and Bacteria are still being explored. In particular, how differences in the geologic setting of vent fields influence microbial communities and populations associated with active vent deposits remains largely unknown. The overall goal of the studies presented in this dissertation was to examine the links between the geologic setting of hydrothermal vent fields and microorganisms associated with actively venting mineral deposits at two levels of biological organization. At the community level, bar-coded pyrosequencing of a segment of the archaeal and bacterial 16S rRNA gene was employed to characterize and compare the microbial communities associated with numerous deposits from several geochemically different vent fields. Results from these studies suggest that factors influencing end-member fluid chemistry, such as host-rock composition and degassing of magmatic volatiles, help to structure the microbial communities at the vent field scale. At the population level, targeted cultivation-dependent and -independent studies were conducted in order to expand our understanding of thermoacidophily in diverse hydrothermal environments. Results of these studies expanded the phylogenetic and physiological diversity of thermoacidophiles in deep-sea vent environments and provided clues to factors that are influencing the biogeography of an important thermoacidophilic archaeal lineage. Overall, these studies have increased our understanding of the interplay between geologic processes and microorganisms in deep-sea hydrothermal environments.

À La Pocatière, plusieurs haies brise-vent ont été implantées dans l'optique de réduire l'érosion des sols et de créer des habitats fauniques. L'intégration d'arbustes indigènes porteurs de produits forestiers non ligneux (PFNL) visait la récolte de petits fruits afin de rentabiliser l'espace cultural perdu. Cette étude a pour objectif de comparer l'abondance et la richesse de la faune aviaire des haies brise-vent avec ou sans PFNL, tout en vérifiant si cette faune aviaire est nuisible ou non aux cultures et à la récolte des petits fruits. Les résultats démontrent que ces deux types de haies présentent une diversité aviaire similaire et que seule la richesse printanière était plus grande dans les haies brise-vent sans PFNL pour les deux années à l'étude. La structure plus haute et le couvert arboré du mélèze permettraient d'expliquer cette différence. La faune aviaire rencontrée se révèle non nuisible, voire même utile dans les deux types de haies brise-vent. / In the region of La Pocatière, many windbreaks were planted to reduce soil erosion and to create wildlife habitats. The introduction of shrubs that produce non-timber forest products (NTFP) was suggested to compensate space losses by generating incomes for the farmers through fruit harvest. The main objective of this study was to determine if NTFP increase bird abundance, bird richness and avian diversity in comparison with traditional windbreaks. It also aimed to attest if the NTFP attract birds that are detrimental to crop and fruit production. Results showed a similar avian diversity in both types of windbreaks, with a difference only in spring richness which was greater in windbreaks without NTFP. The higher structure and the tree cover of Larches could explain this difference. In both types of windbreaks, the great majority of the birds encountered were non detrimental and could even be considered useful.

Québec Université Laval, Bibliothèque 2013

Researchers have learned much about the biological assemblages that form around hydrothermal vents. However, identities of species in these assemblages and their basic ecological features are often lacking. In 2015, the first leg of the Hydrothermal Hunt expedition identified likely new vent sites in the Mariana Back-arc Spreading Center (BASC). In 2016, the second leg of the expedition used a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) to confirm and sample two new sites and two previously known sites. My first objective is to identify the animals collected from these four vent sites. In these samples, I identify 42 animal taxa, including the discovery of four new vent-associated species, five potentially new species and six taxa not previously reported in the Mariana BASC vents. My second objective is to combine these new data with previous studies and examine the species distributions among all known vent sites in the Mariana BASC using the α-, β-, and γ-diversity framework. I present updated species absence-presence lists for all eight Mariana BASC vent sites, which begin to resolve some of the issues with species identification. In this thesis, my approach to assessing β-diversity is novel in the field of hydrothermal vent ecology. My work also provides the first intra-regional scale assessments of β-diversity that include all sites known in a vent system. My third objective is to explore environmental factors driving these species distribution patterns. The α-diversity of BASC vent sites gradually increases with latitude, and the β-diversity calculated using the Raup-Crick index correlates with distance to nearby vent sites. Stochastic assembly processes likely shape the diversity patterns throughout the Mariana BASC as few environmental variables are known to correlate with these patterns. My fourth objective is to compare the β-diversity patterns between the Mariana BASC vent sites and those in two other vent systems: the Mariana Arc and the Juan de Fuca Ridge. The γ- and average α-diversity values for the BASC vents are relatively low compared to the other two systems. The Jaccard index revealed that the average number of shared species among the Arc vent sites is much lower than those of the BASC and the Juan de Fuca Ridge. The Raup-Crick index indicates that stochastic processes explain the average β-diversity of the Mariana BASC vents better than those of the Mariana Arc and Juan de Fuca Ridge. / Graduate / 2021-04-17

Suite à un stage avec la compagnie Hatch, nous possédons des jeux de données composés de séries chronologiques de vitesses de vent mesurées à divers sites dans le monde, sur plusieurs années. Les ingénieurs éoliens de la compagnie Hatch utilisent ces jeux de données conjointement aux banques de données d’Environnement Canada pour évaluer le potentiel éolien afin de savoir s’il vaut la peine d’installer des éoliennes à ces endroits. Depuis quelques années, des compagnies offrent des simulations méso-échelle de vitesses de vent, basées sur divers indices environnementaux de l’endroit à évaluer. Les ingénieurs éoliens veulent savoir s’il vaut la peine de payer pour ces données simulées, donc si celles-ci peuvent être utiles lors de l’estimation de la production d’énergie éolienne et si elles pourraient être utilisées lors de la prévision de la vitesse du vent long terme. De plus, comme l’on possède des données mesurées de vitesses de vent, l’on en profitera pour tester à partir de diverses méthodes statistiques différentes étapes de l’estimation de la production d’énergie. L’on verra les méthodes d’extrapolation de la vitesse du vent à la hauteur d’une turbine éolienne et l’on évaluera ces méthodes à l’aide de l’erreur quadratique moyenne. Aussi, on étudiera la modélisation de la vitesse du vent par la distributionWeibull et la variation de la distribution de la vitesse dans le temps. Finalement, l’on verra à partir de la validation croisée et du bootstrap si l’utilisation de données méso-échelle est préférable à celle de données des stations de référence, en plus de tester un modèle où les deux types de données sont utilisées pour prédire la vitesse du vent. Nous testerons la méthodologie globale présentement utilisée par les ingénieurs éoliens pour l’estimation de la production d’énergie d’un point de vue statistique, puis tenterons de proposer des changements à cette méthodologie, qui pourraient améliorer l’estimation de la production d’énergie annuelle. / Following an internship with the company Hatch, we have access to datasets that are composed of wind speed time series measured at different sites accross the world and over several years. The wind speed engineers from Hatch are using these datasets jointly with Environment Canada databases in order to ascertain the wind energy potential of these sites and to know whether it is worth installing wind turbines there. For a few years, some companies are also offering mesoscale simulations of wind speed based on different environmental characteristics from the site we want to evaluate. We would like to know if it is worth paying for those mesoscale datasets and if they can be used to provide better estimations of the wind energy potential. Among other things, these data could be used to provide a better estimation of the long term mean wind speed. Since we already possess measured datasets, we will also use them to test, with statistical methods, the methodology currently used and the different steps leading to an estimation of the wind energy production. First of all, we will see what are the different methods that could be used to extrapolate wind speed to a wind turbine’s height and we will evaluate those methods with the mean squared extrapolation error. Also, we will study wind distribution modelling by the Weibull distribution and consider its variability over time. Finally, cross-validation and block bootstrap will be used to see whether we should use mesoscale data instead of wind data from Environment Canada or whether it would even be beneficial to use both kind of data to predict wind speed. In summary, the whole methodology used by wind speed engineers to estimate the energy production will be tested from a statistical point of view and we will attempt to propose changes in this methodology that could improve the estimation of the wind speed annual energy production.