The aim of this thesis is to evaluate the inter-annual differences in species composition of selected stands of a wet meadow ecosystem in relation to determining meteorological parameters. Changes in plant communities were studied in selected parts of the Wet meadows near Třeboň. Inter-annual differences were found only in the cover of dominant species, but not in the constancy of species.The average cover of Phalaris arundinacea was greater in 2007 than in 2006. A further increase was observed in 2007 in the cover of Calamagrostis canescens, whose presence on the wet meadows was previously limited by the floods in 2002. Calamagrostis canescens again appeared on the Wet meadows in 2006, but its growth was promoted only in the drier year 2007. The results show that the community is relatively stable in relation to short-term fluctuations of the weather.

Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-24T22:53:34Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 tese_7847_Dissertação_Solange_Sarnaglia20140630-141237.pdf: 3332280 bytes, checksum: 08da841c57e8ea1f6c1bdbb7857efee8 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-04-29 / No tratamento de água cinza com vistas ao reúso predial os wetlands têm se mostrado como uma opção viável devido à boa remoção de poluentes, ao baixo custo de implantação e operação, além do baixo impacto ambiental quando comparados a outros sistemas. O presente estudo teve como objetivo caracterizar físico-química e microbiologicamente a água cinza clara gerada em um edifício universitário avaliar a influência das cargas hidráulica e orgânica na remoção de matéria orgânica, turbidez e de coliformes termotolerantes num wetland vertical (WV); e, por fim, avaliar a produtividade e verificar os teores de macro e micronutrientes 333presentes na biomassa vegetal das macrófitas utilizadas no WV utilizado como pós-tratamento de um filtro anaeróbio tratando água cinza clara. Foram avaliados seis períodos de testes no WV, sendo estes caracterizados pelos tempos de detenção hidráulica (TDH) de 3; 2; 1; 0,75 e 0,5 dia. Os valores médios de turbidez dos efluentes referentes aos TDH estudados foram de 15 UT, 10,3 UT, 5,3 UT, 7,0UT e 4,8 UT respectivamente. As concentrações médias de SST foram de 7,2 mg.L-1, 7,1 mg.L-1, 7,0 mg.L-1,8,0 mg.L-1 e 14,5 mg.L-1, respectivamente. Já as concentrações médias de DQO foram de 12 mgO2.L-1, 27 mgO2.L-1, 14 mgO2.L-1, 27 mgO2.L-1 e 25 mgO2.L-1,e de DBO5 foram de 17 mgO2.L-1, 22 mgO2.L-1, 14 mgO2.L-1, 23 mgO2.L-1 e 11 mgO2.L-1,respectivamente.A densidade média de CT obtida no efluente do WV foi de 2,7x104 NMP.100mL-1 e de E. coli foi de 6,9x10² NMP.100mL-1. Por fim, a análise foliar da macrófita utilizada neste estudo teve como resultado, uma produtividade média de 0,3 kg de matéria seca/m2, com uma estimativa de produtividade da parte aérea de 1,9 kg.m-2. As absorções médias de macronutrientes foram: 111 mg.m-2 de N; 2,0 mg.m-2 de P; 21,4 mg.m-2 de K; 8,0 mg.m-2 de Ca; 1,1 mg.m-2 de Mg; 1,8 mg.m-2 de S; Por fim, para os micronutrientes as remoções encontradas foram: 9,9 mg.m-2 de Cu; 34,7 mg.m-2 de Mn; 144,6 mg.m-2 de Fe; 112,1 mg.m-2 de Zn e 17,1 mg.m-2 de B. Concluiu-se que o WV apresentou melhor desempenho para o TDH de 3 dias ao longo dos períodos analisados, mostrando-se viável quando utilizado como pós-tratamento de um filtro anaeróbio.

Submitted by Daniella Sodre (daniella.sodre@ufpe.br) on 2015-03-04T19:26:25Z No. of bitstreams: 2 DISSERTAÇÃO Ivanildo de Oliveira Sales Filho.pdf: 2307907 bytes, checksum: 4516ff389ec21081e2613edfeb72d089 (MD5) license_rdf: 1232 bytes, checksum: 66e71c371cc565284e70f40736c94386 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-03-04T19:26:25Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 DISSERTAÇÃO Ivanildo de Oliveira Sales Filho.pdf: 2307907 bytes, checksum: 4516ff389ec21081e2613edfeb72d089 (MD5) license_rdf: 1232 bytes, checksum: 66e71c371cc565284e70f40736c94386 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-09-12 / CAPES, FACEPE e PROPESQ, / A digestão anaeróbia (DA) de resíduos sólidos tem se estabelecido como uma tecnologia de comprovada eficiência no tratamento dos resíduos orgânicos de diversas origens. No entanto, o efluente da DA não atende aos padrões de lançamento nos corpos hídricos, estabelecidos na legislação brasileira, particularmente em termos de teor de sólidos e matéria orgânica, além de serem tóxicas as plantas e ao meio ambiente. Diante desse contexto, este trabalho teve como objetivo principal avaliar a toxicidade e a remoção de matéria orgânica e íons do efluente de um digestor anaeróbio de resíduos sólido de 500 L de volume tratado em wetlands. Para tanto, foram montadas wetlands em escala de bancada, vegetadas com a macrófita Taboa (Typha domingensis) e irrigadas com o efluente diluído com água, tendo como substrato areia lavada. O efluente não diluído e diluído em água a 50% provocou a morte de todas as plantas em apenas duas semanas de irrigação. As plantas irrigadas com o efluente a 25% sobreviveram às 06 semanas de tratamento, mas apresentaram diminuição do crescimento. O efluente na concentração de 12,5% promoveu o crescimento das plantas nas 06 semanas de irrigação, embora essa ainda não seja a melhor diluição. As remoções da DQO, de NTK e de N-NH4+ nas wetlands irrigadas com o efluente a 12,5% e a 25% foram bem semelhantes evidenciando a baixa contribuição do sistema radicular das plantas e do biofilme ainda em formação, indicando apenas uma retenção física da matéria orgânica e de íons no substrato.

Damming disrupts natural sediment flow to downstream resulting in legacy sediment accumulation. Legacy sediments have been well investigated in streams throughout the Piedmont region; however, there is no research of legacy sediments following dam removal in low-gradient Coastal Plain streams. Research objectives were to: characterize legacy sediments in a low-gradient stream restoration, quantify pre-impoundment accretion and carbon dynamics, and assess current sediment deposition rates via 14C analyses within sediment cores and sediment collection tiles. Carbon accumulation and accretion rates of modern tidal sediment have reached that of the tidal relic benchmark and current sediment deposition rates are similar between the natural reference and restored tidal wetlands. At this site, the pattern of legacy sediment accumulation and stream incision was reversed relative to previous studies in higher gradient systems. Results suggest in dam impacted Coastal Plain streams, legacy sediment may become a benefit rather than a liability for downstream tidal wetlands.

The landscapes of British Columbia, prominently modified by glaciation, present many large and varied wetlands. These wetlands have not been well delineated nor classified although they are being rapidly modified for residential, agricultural and industrial developments. Some federal and provincial agencies are currently undertaking inventory and classification based largely on soil profile characteristics. To complement these efforts, particularly for management purposes, this study was undertaken in which predominantly plant-mediated processes were examined. The investigations were limited to the maritime marshes of south western British Columbia with study sites located in the Pitt, Brunswick and Iona marshes. Estimates of productivity were obtained from single and sequential harvesting of the aerial vegetation. Peak standing crops varied between species and between sites. Species differences were attributed to plant characteristics such as photosynthetic canopy development and shoot configuration. Peak standing crops were also related to environmental variables such as climate, water regime, salinity and substrate nutrient status. Data from sequential harvesting revealed that most emergents experienced a rapid growth in the spring and early summer declining with the onset of cold weather in the fall. Time of peak production differed markedly between species depending on presence or absence of overwintered photosynthetic shoots, time of shoot emergence and seasonal shoot mortality rates. Studies of belowground organs showed that roots and rhizomes may comprise up to 85 percent of the total phytomass of emergent vegetation emphasizing the importance of this fraction in wetland functions and processes. The main routes of disposition of the emergents were identified as the grazing route, accumulation route and the detrital route. Grazing was relatively unimportant in the marshes. Any grazing of the living vegetation was carried out largely by gastropods, earthworms, insects and resident and migrant waterfowl. Minimal grazing of the marsh vegetation appeared to be related to unfavourable wetland conditions, high levels of structural constituents and low levels of nitrogen in the plants. Quality of the vegetation declined sharply with age. Low ash levels and high phenolic content were also implicated in the minimal grazing of the Pitt marsh vegetation. Total energy content appeared to be unimportant in this regard. Organic matter accumulation was a distinct feature of the marshes studied. There was more organic matter accumulation in the Pitt than in the Brunswick marsh. Accumulation also seemed to be more uniform over large areas in the Pitt marsh than in the tidal marshes. Data from old growth samples indicated that a large portion of the phytomass produced in the marshes enters the detrital pathway via decomposition. Factors affecting decomposition rates were discerned largely from litter bag trials and in vitro decomposition studies. Fragmentation of litter by physical forces generally preceded biological degradation. Such comminution was more marked in the Fraser delta marshes where tidal and freshet activities are predominant. Temperature was a significant factor affecting disappearance rates. The rates were generally lower in the "cooler" Pitt marsh than in the "warmer" Brunswick marsh. Low soil temperatures together with low oxygen tensions were responsible for the relatively low decomposition rates in buried litter samples. Decomposition rates also reflected the chemical composition of the emergent vegetation. Less fibrous species such as Carex lyngbyei were more readily degraded than more fibrous species such as Carex sitchensis. Leaching of readily degradable plant materials occurred in significant quantities both in living and dead vegetation. Leaching losses in living shoots averaged 64 mg/g leaf dry matter in 4 days. Variations in stomatal number, shape and distribution were implicated in the possible mechanisms controlling leaching losses in living emergent vegetation. In dead shoots, dry weight losses of up to 50 percent were recorded over a four month period. Such losses were attributed mainly to leaching. High initial losses in the litter bag and in vitro decomposition trials were also suggestive of leaching. / Land and Food Systems, Faculty of / Graduate

Triclosan and triclocarban are antimicrobial compounds added to a variety of consumer products that are commonly detected in waste water effluent. The focus of this study was to determine whether the bioconcentration of these compounds in wetland plants and sediments exhibited species specific and site specific differences by collecting field samples from a constructed wetland in Denton, Texas. The study showed that species-specific differences in bioconcentration exist for triclosan and triclocarban. Site-specific differences in bioconcentration were observed for triclosan and triclocarban in roots tissues and sediments. These results suggest that species selection is important for optimizing the removal of triclosan and triclocarban in constructed wetlands and raises concerns about the long term exposure of wetland ecosystems to these compounds.

Wetland loss and degradation have led to the development of restoration programs worldwide, many of which monitor wading bird populations as indicators of wetland quality. Therefore, efficient, standardized monitoring is integral to restoration progress. I tested the use of passive acoustic monitoring to estimate nest abundances and provisioning rates in wading bird colonies and examined regional nesting dynamics in the Florida Everglades, where a long monitoring record enables analysis of nesting patterns relative to hydrologic changes. I found that call rates can serve as indices of colony nest abundances and begging call rate and timing are indicative of provisioning events. Nesting dynamics suggested that resource availability is asynchronous between regions of the Everglades, but the degree of asynchrony varies with species. The conclusions of this study will facilitate the long-term monitoring of wading bird nesting trends, which are important measures of wetland restoration in Florida and worldwide. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2021. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

The giant bullfrog, Pyxicephalus adspersus, is a large, explosive-breeding anuran from southern Africa, which spends most of the year buried in a state of torpor. In South Africa this species is considered to be Near-Threatened by habitat loss and other factors, especially in the densely human populated Gauteng Province. The aim of this thesis was to obtain essential outstanding information about the ecology of P. adspersus to contribute towards improved conservation management of this species. A model was used to predict the geographic range of P. adspersus in southern Africa, and recent land cover data were used to determine the amount of suitable habitat remaining for this species in Gauteng. As a step towards identifying P. adspersus conservation management units, genetic structure and gene flow for populations from 23 localities in Gauteng and seven additional localities in the north-eastern interior of South Africa was quantified using 708 base pairs of the mitochondrial gene cytochrome b. To investigate the unpredictable activity and unknown spatial habitat requirements of P. adspersus, a population’s spawning and non-breeding activity was monitored, and the movements of 70 adult frogs were radio- or spool-tracked during five summers at a site in Diepsloot, Gauteng. Using skeletohronology, the age distribution of breeding P. adspersus at this and two other peri-urban sites near Johannesburg, Gauteng, was examined. Bioclimatic conditions were predicted to be suitable for P. adspersus in the temperate to semi-arid interior, but not the low-lying eastern subtropical and arid western sides of southern Africa. Limited genetic data suggested that P. adspersus was common in the north-eastern interior of South Africa, and that populations in the Free State Province represent an evolutionary significant unit of this species. In central Gauteng, where P. adspersus may have declined by > 90%, populations < 20 km apart exhibited significant genetic differentiation, possibly as a result of genetic drift. At Diepsloot, both annual numbers of spawning events and numbers of spawning males were positively correlated with rainfall, although other meteorological variables also affected the activity of P. adspersus. Radio- or spool-tracked frogs showed high fidelity to their breeding site and burrows, which were situated up to 1 km away from the water. Male P. adspersus probably live 20 years in the wild, but at some peri-urban breeding sites adult life expectancy and body size may be declining. The geographic range of P. adspersus was predicted to be slightly smaller than that reported by other authors, and deserves phylogeographic validation. The main conservation priority for P. adspersus in South Africa should be the protection of terrestrial habitat for adult foraging and aestivation around, and for juvenile dispersal and gene flow between, breeding sites. In Gauteng, the conservation of a P. adspersus metapopulation is critical, and could most likely be achieved in the northern region of this province. Populations in the Free State Province deserve improved protection given their reported genetic uniqueness. At local spatial scales specific threats (e.g. pollution) should be ameliorated, and long-term monitoring should be implemented to detect real population trends. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Zoology and Entomology / Unrestricted

See the attached abstract below

Magister Scientiae (Biodiversity and Conservation Biology) - MSc (Biodiv and Cons Biol) / Freshwater ecosystems are valuable to all components of biodiversity communities. Globally, these ecosystems are threatened by human activity and as a consequence, many vertebrates, including waterbirds, have become threatened. Wetlands are one of the most productive ecosystem types in the world. Yet, despite this, many protected area networks around the world fail to include this ecosystem type in their protected area networks. On a national scale, in South Africa, wetland loss and deteriorating wetland habitat quality continues to restrict and reduce the range of wetland waterbirds. For this thesis, Maximum Entropy (MaxEnt) species distribution modelling was used to identify additional areas of possible waterbird occurrence. The MaxEnt results noted that waterbirds rely on a combination of these environmental variables for their distribution ecology in their wetland habitat, with vegetation and humidity variables having the highest predictive powers. These would be considered important predictor variables for the distribution ecology of these waterbirds.