Species identifications have been historically difficult in the economically important spruce budworm (Choristoneura fumiferana) pest complex. Morphological, ecological, behavioural, and genetic characters have been studied to try to understand the taxonomy of this group, but diagnostic character states differ in frequency rather than being complete replacements between each species. I developed a morphology-based character system that focuses on forewing colour components (Chapter 2), as well as eight simple sequence repeats (SSRs, also referred to as microsatellite markers) (Chapter 3). I tested these along with a 470 bp region of COI mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) (Chapter 2, 4) to determine their congruence with putative species that were identified by adaptive traits (larval host plant, length of larval diapause, larval and adult morphology, pheromone attraction, distribution). The morphometrics system was effective for identification of the five species tested, with only slight overlap between C. fumiferana and C. biennis. MtDNA distinguished C. fumiferana and C. pinus pinus, but the remaining species shared haplotypes. SSRs distinguished four species (C. fumiferana, C. pinus pinus, C. retiniana, C. lambertiana) but the remaining four species that were included in this survey (Chapter 4) remained mixed within two populations. There was evidence for hybridization between several species pairs. I also conducted a detailed study (Chapter 5) in Cypress Hills, an isolated remnant coniferous forest in western Canada, where identifying individuals from the Choristoneura fumiferana complex has been impossible due to the unusual ecogeographic characteristics of the area. I integrated data on behaviour, ecology, morphology, mtDNA, and SSRs, comparing Cypress Hills populations to those from other regions of North America to determine which species they resembled most. I delimited at least three populations, resembling C. fumiferana, C. occidentalis and C. lambertiana. Adult flight phenology, along with pheromone attraction, were identified as major isolating mechanisms between these populations. My studies highlighted the importance of integrative taxonomy for understanding species boundaries. Their patterns of differentiation suggest that spruce budworm species have recently diverged via natural selection in spite of some gene flow. Overall, this work is intended to contribute to more accurate identification of specimens and a better understanding of the evolutionary processes that drive speciation. / Systematics and Evolution

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Ce mémoire de doctorat rassemble les travaux réalisés dans le cadre d’une étude analytique approfondie et systématique des substances à odeur boisée. Ces substances définissent une famille d’ingrédients unanimement appréciés pour leurs notes puissantes et recherchés par les parfumeurs pour composer les accords parmi les plus emblématiques de la profession. Les matières premières inscrites au programme de cette étude sont les essences de Gaïac, d’Araucaria, de Patchouli, de Cyprès Jaune d’Alaska, de Vétiver et d’Agarwood, ainsi que certains de leurs produits dérivés. La plupart de ces matières premières sont couramment utilisées par l’industrie du parfum. Leur spécificité provient de leur composition chimique très largement dominée par les dérivés sesquiterpéniques, conférant ainsi à ces extraits une complexité moléculaire indéniable. Les principaux objectifs de cette thèse de doctorat ont consisté à améliorer la connaissance de ces matières premières en termes de composition chimique, à déterminer autant que possible les composés odorants contribuant à leur odeur, et enfin d’explorer d’éventuelles voies de valorisation pour ces mêmes ingrédients à l’échelle industrielle.La méthodologie analytique développée tout au long de l’étude a nécessité l’utilisation combinée d’un large éventail de techniques chromatographiques, spectrométriques et spectroscopiques pour parvenir à caractériser ces matières premières au plus près et à réaliser l’isolement de leurs constituants inconnus. Ainsi, ces travaux s’articulent autour de quatre outils centraux : la chromatographie gazeuse bidimensionnelle intégrale couplée à la spectrométrie de masse (GC × GC–MS), la chromatographie gazeuse couplée à l’olfactométrie (GC–O), la chromatographie gazeuse semi-préparative (GC prép.) et la résonance magnétique nucléaire (RMN). Près de 190 composés ont été isolés et caractérisés dont 107 sont décrits pour la première fois comme constituants d’extraits naturels. / This Ph.D. dissertation sums up the work carried out as part of a thorough and systematic analytical study of woody-scented substances. These substances define a family of ingredients unanimously appreciated for their powerful notes, and sought by perfumers to compose some of the most emblematic accords in perfumery. The raw materials included in the frame of this study are the oils of Guaiac, Araucaria, Patchouli, Alaska Yellow Cypress, Vetiver, and Agarwood, as well as some of their by-products. Most of these raw materials are ingredients commonly used by the perfume industry. Their chemical specificity comes from their composition largely dominated by sesquiterpene derivatives, giving these extracts an undeniable molecular complexity. The main objectives of this Ph.D. thesis were to improve the knowledge of these raw materials in terms of chemical composition, to determine as much as possible the odorous compounds contributing to their odor, and finally to explore possible ways of valorization for these products on an industrial scale.The analytical methodology developed throughout this study required the combined use of a wide range of chromatographic, spectrometric, and spectroscopic techniques in order to characterize these raw materials as precisely as possible and achieve the isolation of their unknown constituents. Thus, our work revolved around four central tools: comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC × GC-MS), gas chromatography-olfactometry (GC–O), preparative capillary-gas chromatography (pc-GC) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). Almost 190 compounds have been isolated and characterized, 107 of which are described for the first time as constituents of natural extracts.

The aim of the diploma thesis is to map the information provided by web browsers, which can be used in practice to identify users on websites. The work focuses on obtaining and subsequent analysis of information about devices, browsers and side effects caused by web extensions that mask the identity of users. The acquisition of information is realized by a designed and implemented library in the TypeScript language, which was deployed on 4 commercial websites. The analysis of the obtained information is carried out after a month of operation of the library and focuses on the degree of information obtained, the speed of obtaining information and the stability of information. The dataset shows that up to 94 % of potentially different users have a unique combination of information. The main contribution of this work lies in the created library, design of new methods of obtaining information, optimization of existing methods and the determination of quality and poor quality information based on their level of information, speed of acquisition and stability over time.

No description available.