Thesis (M.S.)--Oregon State University, 2006. / Printout. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 45-48). Also available on the World Wide Web.

South Australian mangroves consist of only one single species Avicennia marina (Fosk.) Vierh.var australasica (Walp) Moldenke, 1960. They are distributed discontinuously within St. Vincent Gulf and Spencer Gulf and provide significant valuable habitat both in economical and ecological terms. The Fisheries Act 1971-1982 protected the existence of mangroves and the Harbour Act 1936-1981 controlled removal of mangrove areas in coastal development. To date very few ecological studies have been conducted in the South Australian mangroves, particularly on the infaunal organisms that have an important role in maintaining the ecological dynamic within the estuaries systems. As this is the first study on infaunal mangrove communities in the inverse estuaries of South Australia, there was no prior data for ecological comparison. The study was conducted at three mangroves location (Garden Island, Middle Beach and Saint Kilda) close to Adelaide in May 2000 and 2001. Overall the study has reported that the infaunal mangrove assemblages of South Australian mangroves were comparable to other temperate mangroves. The infaunal communities were characterised by lower diversity and abundance compared to the tropical or subtropical mangroves. The infaunal zonation related to the tidal gradient and habitat variation was detected. Most infauna organisms occupied the surface layers and substantially decreased towards the deeper layers. The study also suggested that sediment structure of mangrove systems were complex and infaunal communities responded differently to the change of environmental conditions both in small scale and larger scale. Thus, assessing the infaunal communities structure in mangrove systems should be based on ecological characteristics rather than geographical positions. The examination of dominant polychaetes families showed that different species have different responses to the environmental cues within mangrove systems. The study did not find that any polychaete species was restricted to mangroves only as they all were also found in the habitat adjacent mangrove forest. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, 2003.

Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Auburn University, / Abstract. Includes bibliographic references.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stevens Point, 2007 / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 37-49).

Thesis (M.S.)--Rochester Institute of Technology, 2009. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 113-123).

Thesis (M.Sc.)--Victoria University of Wellington, 2010. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1998. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 24-29).

Thesis (M.A.)--Humboldt State University, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 42-46). Also available via Humboldt Digital Scholar.

The Cache River, located in southern Illinois, faces a unique set of restoration challenges due to multiple anthropogenic modifications to the watershed. In 1915 the Cache River was disconnected and divided into two sub-watersheds, the upper Cache River (UCR) and the lower Cache River (LCR). This alteration has led to impairments in both sections of the Cache River. The UCR currently suffers from channel incision and wetland loss due to an increase in channel slope, while the LCR experiences decreased flows and related habitat degradation. Currently, watershed managers are proposing to restore a more natural flow regime to the LCR through some degree of hydrologic reconnection. I quantified the effects of small-scale differences in flow velocities on snag-dwelling aquatic macroinvertebrates in the UCR and LCR. My study was designed to provide critical information on potential ecological responses to proposed reconnection of the Cache River by examining the effects of flow on elements of ecosystem structure (macroinvertebrate community structure, diversity, richness, evenness, biomass, and abundance) and function (secondary production). Total snag-dwelling macroinvertebrate abundance was higher in the LCR (p < 0.001), and both total biomass and total production did not differ between the UCR and LCR. Passive filter-feeders (families Hydropsychidae and Simuliidae), EPT taxa (orders Ephmeroptera Plecoptera and Trichoptera), and Elmidae were more abundant and had higher biomass on snags in the UCR compared to the LCR. Due to high variability in estimates, only Elmidae production was higher in the UCR (p < 0.05), with non-significant trends of higher production of passive filter-feeders and EPT taxa in the UCR. Non metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) ordinations showed different communities on snags in the UCR and LCR, and analysis of similarity indicated these differences were significant (ANOSIM Global R = 0.98, p < 0.05). This UCR community was more diverse (p < 0.05) and composed of larger-sized individuals than the LCR (p < 0.001). In contrast, the LCR community was composed mainly of taxa that are associated with very low flows (e.g., zooplankton), tolerant of degraded conditions (e.g., Isopoda and Chironomidae), and generally smaller in body size. Although not statistically significant, there was a trend for higher total production in the LCR (28.90 ± 54.51) (mean ± 95% CI) than the UCR (10.22 ± 6.43). This trend was driven primarily by a patchily distributed Chironomidae, which were highly productive on some LCR snags. However, given the degraded water quality in the LCR, the ultimate fate of this production is not clear. The more natural flow regime in the UCR is likely driving many of the differences between the UCR and LCR that I observed, but relationships may be complex, as flow influences biota in numerous direct and indirect ways. This study is the first I know of to examine the structure and function of macroinvertebrate communities prior to hydrologic restoration of a river. Results will assist resource managers in the justification, planning, and execution of hydrologic restoration in the Cache watershed. Given that many river restoration projects are not based on sound ecological information and principles, this project can also serve as a model for future river restoration efforts.

Thesis (M.S.)--Oregon State University, 2005. / Printout. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 51-55). Also available on the World Wide Web.