Made available in DSpace on 2016-01-26T18:56:23Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertacao.pdf: 397972 bytes, checksum: 421297a6aa9990008619c690588f8576 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-03-28 / The environmental in which plants are subjected, and the resources necessary for its survival offers a series of restrictions on development imposed by variations in biotic and abiotic factors, mainly temperature. However, responses to environmental changes in agricultural production are variable between different crop species, especially with regard to differences between plants of C3 and C4 metabolism. The aim of this study was to compare the physiological responses of two tropical crop species with C3 and C4 photosynthetic metabolism grown in different temperature regimes, and verify their capacity for acclimatization. The species studied were: Glycine max (L.)Merr, cv. Codetec 202 (Fabaceae) of the cycle C3 and Brachiaria brizantha, cv. Marandú (Poaceae) of the C4 cycle. The plants were treated in a chamber type phytotron (Eletrolab, model EL 011) at temperature (day/night) of 20/15, 30/20 and 40/20°C. Measurements of the photosynthetic variables were extracted from curves A/Ci, curves A/PPFD, chlorophyll fluorescence, and growth variables. Data were subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA, p<0.05) and means compared by Tukey test (p<0.05) and calculating the index of phenotypic plasticity (IPP). The results showed that under low temperature biomass losses were higher than under high temperature in both species, the same occurred in relation to membrane damage. On the other hand, the photosynthectic capacity of C3 species was more stable at different temperatures, whereas C4 species showed a significant increase at 40°C and a significant reduction at 20°C. In conclusion, the set of results indicated that low temperature caused greater damage to both species, particularly in the C4 species. Moreover, both species showed a greater capacity for acclimation to high temperature. In general, the C4 species showed a phenotypic plasticity comparable to the C3 species. / O ambiente em que as plantas estão imersas, além dos recursos necessários para sua sobrevivência, oferece uma série de restrições ao seu desenvolvimento imposta por variações de fatores bióticos e abióticos, principalmente a temperatura. Todavia, as respostas às alterações do ambiente de produção agrícola são variáveis entre as diferentes espécies cultivadas, especialmente no que se refere às diferenças entre plantas de metabolismo C3 e C4. O objetivo deste trabalho foi comparar as respostas fisiológicas de duas espécies cultivadas tropicais de metabolismo fotossintético C3 e C4 crescidas em diferentes regimes de temperatura e, verificar suas respectivas capacidades de aclimatação. As espécies avaliadas foram: Glycine max (L.) Merr. cv. Codetec 202 (Fabaceae) do ciclo C3 e Brachiaria brizantha cv. Marandú (Poaceae) do ciclo C4. As plantas foram submetidas em câmara climatizada tipo Fitotron (Eletrolab, modelo EL 011) sob temperatura (diurna/noturna) de 20/15, 30/20 e 40/20ºC. As medidas das variáveis da rede fotossintética foram extraídas de Curvas A/Ci, Curvas A/DFFF, Fluorescência da clorofila a, além de variáveis de crescimento. Os dados foram submetidos à análise de variância (ANOVA, p < 0,05) e as médias comparadas pelo teste de Tukey (p < 0,05), além dos cálculos de índice de plasticidade fenotípica (IPF). Os resultados mostraram que sob temperatura baixa as perdas de biomassa foram maiores que sob temperatura alta em ambas as espécies, o mesmo ocorreu em relação aos danos nas membranas. Por outro lado, a capacidade fotossintética da espécie C3 foi mais estável nas diferentes temperaturas testadas, enquanto que a espécie C4 apresentou um aumento significativo a 40ºC e uma redução significativa a 20ºC. Concluindo, o conjunto de resultados indicou que a temperatura baixa causou maiores danos a ambas as espécies, particularmente na espécie C4. Por outro lado, ambas as espécies mostraram maior capacidade de aclimatação a temperatura elevada. De forma geral, a espécie C4 apresentou uma plasticidade fenotípica comparável a espécie C3.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-07-18T17:51:07Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertacao.pdf: 397972 bytes, checksum: 421297a6aa9990008619c690588f8576 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-03-28 / The environmental in which plants are subjected, and the resources necessary for its survival offers a series of restrictions on development imposed by variations in biotic and abiotic factors, mainly temperature. However, responses to environmental changes in agricultural production are variable between different crop species, especially with regard to differences between plants of C3 and C4 metabolism. The aim of this study was to compare the physiological responses of two tropical crop species with C3 and C4 photosynthetic metabolism grown in different temperature regimes, and verify their capacity for acclimatization. The species studied were: Glycine max (L.)Merr, cv. Codetec 202 (Fabaceae) of the cycle C3 and Brachiaria brizantha, cv. Marandú (Poaceae) of the C4 cycle. The plants were treated in a chamber type phytotron (Eletrolab, model EL 011) at temperature (day/night) of 20/15, 30/20 and 40/20°C. Measurements of the photosynthetic variables were extracted from curves A/Ci, curves A/PPFD, chlorophyll fluorescence, and growth variables. Data were subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA, p<0.05) and means compared by Tukey test (p<0.05) and calculating the index of phenotypic plasticity (IPP). The results showed that under low temperature biomass losses were higher than under high temperature in both species, the same occurred in relation to membrane damage. On the other hand, the photosynthectic capacity of C3 species was more stable at different temperatures, whereas C4 species showed a significant increase at 40°C and a significant reduction at 20°C. In conclusion, the set of results indicated that low temperature caused greater damage to both species, particularly in the C4 species. Moreover, both species showed a greater capacity for acclimation to high temperature. In general, the C4 species showed a phenotypic plasticity comparable to the C3 species. / O ambiente em que as plantas estão imersas, além dos recursos necessários para sua sobrevivência, oferece uma série de restrições ao seu desenvolvimento imposta por variações de fatores bióticos e abióticos, principalmente a temperatura. Todavia, as respostas às alterações do ambiente de produção agrícola são variáveis entre as diferentes espécies cultivadas, especialmente no que se refere às diferenças entre plantas de metabolismo C3 e C4. O objetivo deste trabalho foi comparar as respostas fisiológicas de duas espécies cultivadas tropicais de metabolismo fotossintético C3 e C4 crescidas em diferentes regimes de temperatura e, verificar suas respectivas capacidades de aclimatação. As espécies avaliadas foram: Glycine max (L.) Merr. cv. Codetec 202 (Fabaceae) do ciclo C3 e Brachiaria brizantha cv. Marandú (Poaceae) do ciclo C4. As plantas foram submetidas em câmara climatizada tipo Fitotron (Eletrolab, modelo EL 011) sob temperatura (diurna/noturna) de 20/15, 30/20 e 40/20ºC. As medidas das variáveis da rede fotossintética foram extraídas de Curvas A/Ci, Curvas A/DFFF, Fluorescência da clorofila a, além de variáveis de crescimento. Os dados foram submetidos à análise de variância (ANOVA, p < 0,05) e as médias comparadas pelo teste de Tukey (p < 0,05), além dos cálculos de índice de plasticidade fenotípica (IPF). Os resultados mostraram que sob temperatura baixa as perdas de biomassa foram maiores que sob temperatura alta em ambas as espécies, o mesmo ocorreu em relação aos danos nas membranas. Por outro lado, a capacidade fotossintética da espécie C3 foi mais estável nas diferentes temperaturas testadas, enquanto que a espécie C4 apresentou um aumento significativo a 40ºC e uma redução significativa a 20ºC. Concluindo, o conjunto de resultados indicou que a temperatura baixa causou maiores danos a ambas as espécies, particularmente na espécie C4. Por outro lado, ambas as espécies mostraram maior capacidade de aclimatação a temperatura elevada. De forma geral, a espécie C4 apresentou uma plasticidade fenotípica comparável a espécie C3.

La presente tesis tiene como objetivo proponer a la compañía ESSAC una herramienta que le permita solucionar aspectos relacionados con la inexacta estimación de horas hombre para el desarrollo de sus proyectos, ineficiencia en el desarrollo de las actividades asignadas e inadecuado seguimiento de los recursos de los proyectos. En la actualidad la compañía incurre, debido a esta problemática, en gastos operativos no contemplados, entregables de los proyectos con calidad deficiente y principalmente en la reducción del margen de utilidad esperada por cada proyecto. Ante tal problemática, la tesis estará enfocada en analizar el negocio y sus principales procesos aplicando el Framework Zachman y la metodología TOGAF, con la finalidad de identificar el proceso núcleo que deberá ser mejorado. Posteriormente a la identificación del proceso, la tesis estará enfocada en elaborar el diseño de la arquitectura de software aplicando conceptos de ingeniería de requerimientos para identificar los requisitos del sistema, casos de uso y drivers arquitectónicos más relevantes. A partir de ello, se definirán los escenarios de calidad, estilos y tácticas que serán consideradas en el diseño de la arquitectura. Finalmente, se utilizará el Modelo C4 para representar mediante diagramas los diferentes niveles de abstracción que tendrá la arquitectura de software y a través de prototipos una visión general del software planteado. La propuesta planteada permitirá a la compañía ESSAC reducir el gasto operativo mensual no presupuestado, alcanzar niveles aceptables de eficiencia de los recursos del proyecto y obtener indicadores de gestión de proyectos que apoyen la toma de decisión. / The objective of this thesis is to propose to the ESSAC company a tool that allows it to solve aspects related to the inaccurate estimation of man-hours for the development of its projects, inefficiency in the development of assigned activities and inadequate monitoring of project resources. Currently, the company incurs, due to this problem, in non-contemplated operating expenses, deliverables of projects with poor quality and mainly in the reduction of the profit margin expected for each project. Faced with such problems, the thesis will focus on analyzing the business and its main processes applying the Zachman Framework and the TOGAF methodology, in order to identify the core process that should be improved. After identifying the process, the thesis will be focused on developing the software architecture design applying requirements engineering concepts to identify the most relevant system requirements, use cases and architectural drivers. From this, the quality scenarios, styles, and tactics that will be considered in the architecture design will be defined. Finally, the C4 Model will be used to represent by means of diagrams the different levels of abstraction that the software architecture will have and through prototypes an overview of the proposed software. The proposed proposal will allow the ESSAC company to reduce the unbudgeted monthly operating expense, reach acceptable levels of efficiency of project resources and obtain project management indicators that support decision-making. / Tesis

El presente proyecto de tesis tiene como principal alcance brindar una propuesta de automatización del proceso de distribución de pedidos a través de una solución tecnológica para una empresa del sector muebles. El objetivo general y los objetivos específicos del proyecto surgen en base a la necesidad de implementar mecanismos que permitan automatizar los procedimientos manuales relacionados a la distribución de muebles, cuya actividad es requerida una vez culminado el proceso de ventas. De igual manera, con la solución propuesta, se conseguirá resolver problemas de inconsistencia de información generada por la ejecución manual del proceso. Para la elaboración del proyecto se cuenta con 7 capítulos. El primero brinda una introducción sobre el sector muebles, así como los beneficios alcanzados en el proyecto. El segundo detalla información de la empresa objetivo, que incluye la visión, misión, objetivos estratégicos, así como los objetivos del proyecto e indicadores de éxito. El tercero describe el cumplimiento de los Student Outcomes planteados por la universidad. El cuarto presenta los fundamentos teóricos que sustentan de forma adecuada la base de conocimientos para la solución propuesta. El quinto detalla el desarrollo del proyecto donde se realiza el análisis del negocio, ingeniería del proceso (AS-IS), solución propuesta (TO-BE), modelado del negocio, requerimientos, modelado del sistema y diseño de la arquitectura de software propuesta para la automatización del proceso de distribución de pedidos. El sexto muestra los resultados del proyecto de tesis según lo analizado en el capítulo anterior. Finalmente, el séptimo capítulo presenta la gestión de proyecto. / The main scope of this thesis project is to provide a proposal for the automation of the order distribution process through a technological solution for a company in the furniture sector. The general objective and the specific objectives of the project arise based on the need to implement mechanisms that allow the automation of manual procedures related to the distribution of furniture, whose activity is required once the sales process is completed. Similarly, with the proposed solution, it will be possible to solve data inconsistency problems generated by the manual execution of the process. For the development of the project there are 7 chapters. The first one provides an introduction to the furniture sector, as well as a summary of the benefits achieved by the project. The second details information about the company, which includes the vision, mission, strategic objectives, among others. The third describes compliance with the Student Outcomes proposed by the university. The fourth presents the theoretical foundations that adequately support the knowledge base for the proposed solution. The fifth details the development of the project where the business analysis, process engineering (AS-IS), proposed solution (TO-BE), business modeling, requirements, system modeling and design of the software architecture proposed for automation of the order distribution process. The sixth shows the results of the thesis project as analyzed in the previous chapter. Finally, the sixth chapter presents the project management and tools used. / Tesis

No description available.

Membrane proteins are vital components in the cell and crucial for the proliferation of all living organisms. Unfortunately our collective knowledge of structures of membrane proteins is very limited, as compared to the information available on soluble proteins. This is to a large extent due to the outstanding challenge of working with membrane proteins and the relatively high cost associated with determining a membrane protein structure.  Therefore, the establishment of efficient methods and means for the production and crystallization of membrane proteins is urgently needed. The two methods explored in this thesis  are aimed to achieve rapid optimization of expression and purification conditions of membrane proteins, thereby allowing for the rapid production of more suitable samples for crystallization trials. Despite the challenges in membrane protein structure determination two structures are presented in the thesis: The first structure determined is of the CorA magnesium transporter from Thermotoga maritima will be the focus of this thesis. The CorA revealed a pentameric protein in a closed state. The presence of two regulatory metal binding sites is suggested, as well as a putative magnesium ion bound in the ion conductive pathway. The second structure is of the human enzyme LTC4-synthase, which catalyzes the pivotal step in eicosanoid synthesis by the conjugation of glutathione to LTA4, a reactive epoxide-containing derivative from arachidonic acid. The products of this step, the so-called cysteinyl leukotrienes are potent inflammatory mediators making this enzyme a potential drug target. The structure reveals a charged binding pocket for a horseshoe-shaped glutathione, and a hydrophobic binding pocket for a lipophilic LTA4 molecule. Based on the structure a key residue for catalysis has been identified, Arg 104, which is proposed to play a critical role in activating the thiol group of glutathione for the nucleophilic attack on LTA4.

The two most common varieties of the grass Bouteloua curtipendula (Michx.)Torr. in North America use different strategies of clonal growth and have contrasting continental distributions. Variety caespitosa (phalanx form) ranges from central Texas westward to Arizona and California and var. curtipendula (guerrilla form) occurs in a more mesic region over the North American Great Plains. This study sought to determine whether the strategies had an ecological significance and investigated the possible relationship between changes in environmental factors and characteristics of each clonal growth strategy. Varieties showed to be morphologically variable, but the variability did not follow the pattern of the precipitational gradient. The abundance of var. curtipendula was related to soil depth and parent material (limestone types). Abundance of var. caespitosa could not be explained by any environmental factor separately. The performance of clones of the two growth forms in response to changes in resource availability (light and nutrients) and defoliation suggested similarities between the varieties in photosynthetic rate and only showed differences in water potential under extreme conditions. The major differences were related to the proportion of biomass allocated to structures related with seed production versus propagation by rhizomes. Intra-variety genetic variation for several life history traits was detected even with a very small sample size. The caespitose growth form showed more biomass and rate of tiller recruitment after defoliation on average, but responses between genotypes were dissimilar. Varieties also showed levels of plasticity in the allocation to reproductive structures in response to environmental factors. Responses to fire were compared between varieties by experimental burnings with increasing load of artificial fuel. Plants of the two varieties reached similar maximum temperatures although var. caespitosa suffered temperatures considered to be lethal for longer periods of time. Results from this study suggested that, although characteristic of the pattern of clonal growth were not distinctly associated to resource availability or defoliation, distribution of the varieties may be related to a combination of biotic and abiotic factors beyond the factors studied here.

Techn. Hochsch., Diss., 2005--Aachen.

Submitted by Izabel Franco (izabel-franco@ufscar.br) on 2016-10-26T11:43:36Z No. of bitstreams: 1 TeseLHGCB.pdf: 6352153 bytes, checksum: abc62a8dee4c17039eaf7c9c23ead40c (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Marina Freitas (marinapf@ufscar.br) on 2016-11-08T19:17:16Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 TeseLHGCB.pdf: 6352153 bytes, checksum: abc62a8dee4c17039eaf7c9c23ead40c (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Marina Freitas (marinapf@ufscar.br) on 2016-11-08T19:17:26Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 TeseLHGCB.pdf: 6352153 bytes, checksum: abc62a8dee4c17039eaf7c9c23ead40c (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-11-10T17:30:54Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 TeseLHGCB.pdf: 6352153 bytes, checksum: abc62a8dee4c17039eaf7c9c23ead40c (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-08-17 / Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) / This research was conducted to understand the climate responses of two tropical forages to a future scenario predicted for 2050, regardless of the season. We consider the hypothesis of the consortium between the two forages is a grazing alternative in a future climate. To test this hypothesis, we studied two forages under controlled atmospheric CO2 concentration and temperature in field conditions using a system named Trop-T-FACE. This system gave us the competence to mimic atmospheric conditions predicted for 2050 (600 ppm of CO2 in the atmosphere (eC) and an increase of 2 ºC in the canopy temperature). The C4 grass Panicum maximum and the C3 legume Stylosanthes capitata grew on current agricultural practice, in an area of 2500 m2 on the campus of the University of São Paulo in Ribeirão Preto – SP. We tested the hypothesis about the consortium between the two forages being a grazing alternative in a future climate. In the winter of 2013 and the autumn of 2014, the forage grew on irrigated consortium. In the autumn of 2015, S. capitata grew in monoculture without irrigation. Sixteen parcels in a ring form with 2 m of diameter were used for monitoring the growth and development of the species C3 and C4 species during growth periods of 35 days approximately after the initial cut. Several plant organization levels were accompanied under field conditions in Control plots, plots with elevated CO2 concentration (eC), under heating (eT), and under high CO2 concentration and heat (eC+eT). In the first chapter is the experiment conducted during the winter of 2013, with P. maximum in irrigated consortium with S. capitata. The climatic conditions of temperature were suboptimal for the C4 grass growth. Thus, the warming explicitly promoted the foliage development. The higher atmospheric CO2 concentration caused downregulation in leaf biomass accumulation. The changes resultant of the atmospheric alterations also caused modifications of leaf N concentration and biomass partition in the plant. Under combined treatment (eC+eT), the inhibitory effects of the CO2 increase were offset by the increment resultant of warming. Therefore, in the future climatic conditions, during the winter in the Brazilian Southeast region, the heating of the leaves will mitigate the inhibition by excess carbon, as long as the consortium is free of water and nutritional impediments. In the autumn of 2014, a new experiment was performed with P. maximum and S. capitata growing in irrigated consortium. This experiment is described in the second and third chapters. In the second chapter are the results of P. maximum in irrigated consortium. The purpose of conducting this experiment in the autumn was mainly to compare the influence of warming on the grass leaves in a warmer season. During the autumn, the treatments accelerated the leaf phenology of the C4 grass, including leaf senescence. The isolated increase in the atmospheric CO2 concentration (eC) or combined with warming (eC+eT) conditioned narrower leaves, probably by alterations in the leaf meristem formation process. Changes in leaf width may cause modifications in forage quality and affect the consumption by the cattle. However, the presence of narrower leaves was compensated by a greater number of leaves and the tiller biomass remained. On the other hand, the C3 legume growing in irrigated consortium during the autumn of 2014, presented several changes with no statistical differences in vegetative growth, despite the heat (eT) have been shown to be harmful to it. The results of this experiment are described in the third chapter. Being a legume adapted to warm climates, the main negative changes observed in S. capitata under warming (eT) were attributed to competition with P. maximum in the consortium. The separate heating (eT) stimulated further growth of the grass, which shadowed and softened the heat arrival in the C3 species. However, the warming (eT) significantly stimulated the flowering. In the treatment that simulated warming and CO2 concentration in the 2050 climate (eC+eT), there were more branches due intense flowering at the apex of the shoot and consequently interruption of apical dominance. The predicted future climate scenario is not favorable besides leaf biomass in this C3 species remaining the same among applied atmospheric regimes. Furthermore, the irrigation of extensive grazing warmed areas is economically and ecologically unviable and did not increase the availability of leaf biomass of S. capitata in the consortium in the year 2050. An experiment was conducted during the autumn of 2015, with the legume in monoculture without irrigation to identify the real influence of the irrigation on S. capitata growth. CO2 atmospheric enrichment increased neither biomass nor the leaf area. On the other hand, it occurred greater investment on flowers at the expense of vegetative shoot compartments. Nonetheless, enhancing flowering was only possible with soil water content greater than 0.3 m3 m-3. Warming combined with soil water shortage caused higher mortality of shoots. The rise in atmospheric CO2 concentration predicted for 2050 will not be enough to mitigate the damaging effects on leaf biomass production of the warming of about 2 ºC, in field conditions without irrigation, in this shrub C3 legume. Thus, the consortium, even irrigated, was not as an alternative pasture in climate predicted for 2050. The monoculture of the C3 legume without irrigation brought results even more concerning. The data obtained in these studies can base the development of new pasture management strategies. Also, they provide relevant information for the development of public policies to support the productive chain of meat and milk, the largest in Brazil and one of the largest in the world. / Essa pesquisa foi desenvolvida para entender as respostas climáticas de duas forrageiras tropicais a um cenário futuro previsto para 2050, independente da época do ano. Nós consideramos a hipótese do consórcio entre as duas forrageiras ser uma alternativa de pastagem em um clima futuro. Para testar essa hipótese, nós estudamos as forrageiras sob controle de concentração de CO2 e temperatura em condições de campo utilizando um sistema denominado Trop-TFACE. Esse sistema nos deu competência para mimetizar condições atmosféricas previstas para 2050 (600 ppm de CO2 na atmosfera e aquecimento de 2 ºC na temperatura da cobertura vegetal). A gramínea C4 Panicum maximum e a leguminosa arbustiva C3 Stylosanthes capitata foram cultivadas como na prática agrícola vigente, em uma área de 2500 m2 no campus da Universidade de São Paulo em Ribeirão Preto – SP, Brasil. No inverno de 2013 e outono de 2014 as forrageiras cresceram em consórcio irrigado. No outono de 2015, S. capitata cresceu em plantio solteiro sem irrigação. Dezesseis parcelas em forma de anéis com 2 m de diâmetro foram utilizadas para o acompanhamento do crescimento e do desenvolvimento das espécies C3 e C4 durante períodos de aproximadamente 35 dias de crescimento após poda inicial. Vários níveis de organização vegetal foram acompanhados em condições de campo nas parcelas Controle, nas parcelas com elevada concentração de CO2 (eC), sob aquecimento (eT) e sob a combinação de tratamentos (eC+eT). No primeiro capítulo está descrito o experimento realizado no inverno de 2013, com P. maximum em consórcio irrigado com S. capitata. As condições climáticas de temperatura foram sub-ótimas para o crescimento da gramínea C4. Sendo assim, o aquecimento promoveu claramente o desenvolvimento da folhagem. A maior concentração de CO2 atmosférico provocou uma “regulação para baixo” (downregulation) no acúmulo de biomassa foliar. As alterações provocadas pelas mudanças atmosféricas causaram também modificações na concentração de N na folha e na partição de biomassa no corpo da planta. Sob o tratamento combinado (eC+eT), os efeitos inibitórios do aumento de CO2 na folhagem foram compensados pelo incremento resultante do aquecimento. Portanto, em condições climáticas futuras, durante o inverno na região Sudeste do Brasil, o aquecimento das folhas irá mitigar a inibição por excesso de carbono, se o consórcio estiver livre de impedimentos hídricos e nutricionais. No outono de 2014, um novo experimento foi realizado com P. maximum e S. capitata crescendo em consórcio irrigado. Esse experimento está descrito nos capítulos segundo e terceiro. No segundo capítulo, estão os resultados de P. maximum no consórcio irrigado. O objetivo da realização desse experimento durante o outono foi principalmente comparar a influência do aquecimento nas folhas da gramínea em uma época mais quente do ano. Durante o outono, os tratamentos aceleraram os eventos fenológicos foliares da gramínea C4, incluindo o início da senescência. O aumento isolado na concentração atmosférica de CO2 (eC) ou em combinação com o aquecimento (eC+eT) condicionou folhas mais estreitas, provavelmente por alteração no processo de formação do meristema foliar. As alterações na largura da folha podem provocar mudanças na qualidade da forragem e afetar o consumo pelo gado. No entanto, a presença de folhas estreitas foi compensada por um maior número de folhas e a biomassa por perfilho se manteve. Por outro lado, a leguminosa C3 crescendo no consórcio irrigado durante o outono de 2014, apresentou várias alterações sem diferença estatística significativa para o crescimento vegetativo, apesar do aquecimento (eT) ter se mostrado prejudicial ao mesmo. Os resultados desse experimento estão descritos no terceiro capítulo. Por ser uma leguminosa adaptada a climas quentes, as principais alterações negativas observadas em S. capitata sob aquecimento (eT) foram atribuídas à competição com P. maximum no consórcio. O aquecimento isolado (eT) estimulou mais o crescimento da gramínea, que sombreou e atenuou a chegada de calor à leguminosa. No entanto, o aquecimento isolado (eT) estimulou significativamente o florescimento. No tratamento que simulou aquecimento e concentração de CO2 no clima de 2050 (eC+eT) ocorreu mais ramificações devido ao intenso florescimento no ápice do ramo e a consequente interrupção da dominância apical. O cenário previsto em clima futuro não é favorável apesar da biomassa foliar para essa espécie de C3 permanecer a mesma entre os regimes atmosféricos aplicados. Além disso, a irrigação de extensas áreas aquecidas de pastagem é inviável economicamente e ecologicamente e não aumentaria a disponibilidade de biomassa foliar de S. capitata crescendo em consórcio em 2050. Para identificar a real influência da irrigação no crescimento de S. capitata, um novo experimento foi realizado durante o outono de 2015, com S. capitata em plantio solteiro e sem irrigação. O enriquecimento atmosférico com CO2 não incrementou nem a biomassa e nem a área foliar. Por outro lado, ocorreu maior investimento em flores em detrimento dos compartimentos vegetativos no ramo. No entanto, o incremento do florescimento só foi possível com disponibilidade de água no solo superior a 0,3 m3 m-3. O aquecimento combinado com a reduzida disponibilidade de água no solo provocou elevada mortalidade dos ramos. A elevação da concentração de carbono atmosférico prevista para 2050 não será suficiente para compensar os efeitos negativos do aquecimento de cerca de 2 ºC na produção de biomassa foliar, em condições de campo sem irrigação, nessa leguminosa arbustiva C3. Sendo assim, o consórcio, mesmo irrigado, não se mostrou como alternativa de pastagem no clima previsto para 2050. O plantio solteiro da leguminosa, sem irrigação, trouxe resultados ainda mais preocupantes. Os dados obtidos nesses estudos podem embasar o desenvolvimento de novas estratégias de manejo do pasto. Além disso, trazem informações relevantes para o desenvolvimento de políticas públicas para sustentar a cadeia produtiva de carne e leite, a maior do Brasil e uma das maiores do mundo. / 2012/20847-5

The C₄ photosynthetic pathway acts to concentrate CO₂ around the enzyme Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase oxygenase (Rubisco), ensuring that it catalyses a carboxylation rather than oxygenation reaction, which in turn suppresses photorespiration. In nearly all cases C₄ photosynthesis is underpinned by characteristic Kranz anatomy, with concentric wreaths of bundle sheath (BS) and mesophyll (M) cells surrounding closely spaced veins. The increased yields associated with the C₄ pathway have lead to the suggestion that C₃ crops such as rice should be engineered to undertake C₄ photosynthesis, however, this goal is currently held back by a lack of understanding about how the development of Kranz anatomy is regulated. Recently, a number of candidate Kranz regulators have been identified in an RNA-seq study that compared leaf development in maize foliar (Kranz) and husk (non-Kranz) leaves. However, this study did not consider the impact of a recent whole genome duplication in the maize lineage on the gene expression patterns analysed. Therefore, in this thesis maize homeolog gene-pair divergence during early leaf development was assessed. This revealed that expression divergence of homeolog gene-pairs is a significant evolutionary phenomenon. Functional validation of a subset of Kranz candidates revealed that a Zmscr1-1; Zmscr1h-1 double mutant exhibited defects in Kranz patterning, including increased formation of extra BS cells and veins with no separating M cells. Furthermore, Zmnkd1; Zmnkd2 double mutants exhibited a subtle increase in extra BS cell formation. Taken together, this indicates that both ZmSCR1/ZmSCR1h and ZmNKD1/ZmNKD2 function redundantly during Kranz development. No evidence was obtained that two additional genes, ZmSHR2 and ZmRVN1, play a role in Kranz development, and expression of candidate Kranz regulators in rice did not alter leaf anatomy. Together, this work has confirmed roles for a number of genes in Kranz regulation, and has provided insight into the complex regulation underpinning Kranz development in maize.