I first review the significance of dispersal for individuals and populations including the role of the most significant environmental drivers on separate phases of dispersal. Emphasis is put on aquatic insects inhabiting small standing waters. The following manuscript summarizes a quantitative study of diel and seasonal flight patterns of adult Chironomidae in the Cep II sandpit in southern Bohemia. It provides one of the first comprehensive treatments of the effect of weather conditions and seasonality on the flight activity of adult Chironomidae, phenology of most common species and differences between terrestrial and aquatic species.

A família Solanaceae possui ampla distribuição geográfica e ocorre em diversos ambientes, sendo a maioria das espécies colonizadoras de ambientes abertos. A família possui representantes herbáceos, arbustivos, arbóreos, escandentes e epifíticos. O objetivo deste estudo foi analisar a diversidade e a distribuição de espécies de Solanaceae em formações vegetais altomontanas nos Aparados da Serra Geral, que ocorrem acima de 900 m, localizados no extremo sudeste de Santa Catarina e no extremo nordeste do Rio Grande do Sul (27°48' - 29°21'S e 49°15' - 50°10'W). Foram realizadas 12 saídas a campo, sendo percorridas todas as formações vegetais e consultadas exsicatas de 23 herbários, referentes aos municípios da região de estudo. Primeiramente, foi feita uma chave para identificação dos gêneros e espécies. Foram consideradas para a região de estudo cinco formações vegetais, oito estações de coleta e 10 faixas altitudinais que foram submetidas a técnicas multivariadas de ordenação e classificação para detectar padrões de distribuição geográfica. Análises de modelos de distribuição de espécies foram utilizadas para estabelecer a área potencial para as 17 espécies com maior ocorrência e avaliar quais as variáveis ambientais que influenciam esta distribuição. No levantamento foram encontrados 12 gêneros e 72 espécies de Solanaceae. A maior riqueza de espécies foi encontrada na Floresta Ombrófila Mista. A forma de vida predominante foi arbustiva e melitofilia e quiropterocoria foram as síndromes de polinização e dispersão mais comuns, respectivamente. O principal fator relacionado com a distribuição das espécies nas formações vegetais foi a luminosidade. A distribuição das espécies em faixas altitudinais evidenciou um decréscimo de espécies com o aumento da altitude e revelou um gradiente altitudinal de riqueza, também apresentado na distribuição das espécies em estações. Três grupos florísticos foram encontrados conforme a altitude, um formado entre 900 e 1.190 m, um segundo grupo entre 1.200 e 1.490 m e o terceiro grupo entre 1.500 e 1.822 m. A maioria das 17 espécies possui uma distribuição potencial ampla. As variáveis relacionadas com temperatura e precipitação atmosférica de estações mais quentes e úmidas foram as que mais influenciaram os modelos de distribuição gerados. / The family Solanaceae has wide geographical distribution and occurs in different environments. The majority of species colonizes open areas. The family present herbaceous, shrubs, trees, lianas and epiphytic representatives. The proposal of this study was to examine the diversity and distribution of Solanaceae species in "Aparados the Serra Geral" which are upper montane plant formations above 900 m in Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul states, Brazil (27°48 '- 29°21' S and 49°15' - 50°10' W). We performed all plant formations in 12 travels to the field and analysed exsiccate of 23 herbaria referring to the study region. First, we made an identification key to the genera and species. We considered five vegetation types, eigth montane stations and 10 altitudinal belts that were submitted to ordination and classification techniques to detect patterns of geographical distribution. Analysis of models of species distribution were used to establish the potential area for 17 species with higher occurrence and to assess the role of environmental variables on their distribution. A total of 12 genera and 72 species of Solanaceae were found. The greatest richness of species was found in the Araucaria angustifolia forest. The predomintant life-form were shrubby and melittophily and quiropterocory were the most common pollination and dispersal syndromes, respectively. The main factor related to the species distribution was luminosity. The species distribution in altitudinal belts showed a decreasing number of species according to higher altitudes. We also verified a gradient based on species distributions and the formation of three species-groups, one related from 900 to 1.190 m, a second group from 1.200 to 1.490 m and a third group from 1.500 to 1.822 m. Most of the 17 species has a wide distribution potential. The variables related to temperature and precipitation of hot and wet seasons were the most influencing factors for the generated models.

A biodiversidade dos rios brasileiros encontra-se sob severa ameaça, em razão da fragmentação e perda de hábitat que os barramentos representam. Até o presente, os aproveitamentos hidrelétricos têm seu licenciamento ambiental condicionado a análises de impacto locais, sem avaliação dos impactos cumulativos de múltiplas barragens em uma bacia hidrográfica, com relação à conservação da diversidade da ictiofauna. Estudos anteriores para subsídio de licenciamento de múltiplas barragens na bacia Taquari-Antas (RS) propuseram cenários alternativos de conservação (número e posição de barragens), quando ainda não havia métricas de conectividade dendrítica desenvolvidas. Entre os problemas identificados naqueles estudos figuram a quantificação dos efeitos cumulativos das barreiras sobre a conectividade da bacia, o estabelecimento de áreas prioritárias para conservação e a influência do número e da posição das barreiras na conservação da biodiversidade aquática em uma bacia. Avaliamos a aplicação de conectividade para mensuração de impactos cumulativos de fragmentação de bacias hidrográficas através de índices de conectividade dendrítica recentemente propostos. Propomos um método genérico e replicável para analisar quantitativamente os efeitos de sucessivos barramentos em relação à conectividade dos hábitats aquáticos em processos de migração e dispersão de peixes em bacias hidrográficas. Utilizamos simulações de cenários de múltiplos barramentos para a avaliação. Propomos também uma sistematização para a simulação de múltiplos barramentos. Além disso, hierarquizamos áreas para conservação por conectividade, aplicamos as novas métricas de conectividade a estudos anteriores e demonstramos casos de cenários de alta conectividade com outras implicações na conservação. Discutimos o amadurecimento do método para aplicação em licenciamento ambiental e planejamento de conservação, bem como limitações atuais e perspectivas para trabalhos futuros. / Biodiversity of Brazilian rivers is nowadays seriously threatened due to fragmentation and habitat loss that impoundments represent. Up to now, hydroelectric power plants have their environmental licensing processes conditioned to local impact analysis, with no evaluation of cumulative impacts of multiple dams in a watershed landscape on the conservation of the integrity of ichthyofauna. Former studies for supporting environmental licensing processes of multiple hydroelectric dams in the Taquaria-Antas basin (RS, Brasil) proposed alternative conservation scenarios (number and position of barriers), in a time when there were no dendritic connectivity metrics developed. Among the problems identified at that time, we point quantification of cumulative effects of multiple barriers on the drainage connectivity, detecting prioritary areas for conservation and detecting the influence of the number and position of the barriers in the catchment for best conservation of aquatic biodiversity. We evaluated the application of connectivity for quantifying the impacts of fragmentation in hydrographic basins through recently proposed indexes. We proposed a replicable and generic method for quantifying the effects of successive impoundments in relation to aquatic habitat connectivity in ecological processes of migration and dispersal of fishes in hydrographic basins. We used multiple barriers scenarios simulation in order to perform the assessments. We also propose a way of systematizing multiple barriers simulations. Moreover, we rank areas for conservation by connectivity, apply the new connectivity metrics on former studies and demonstrate cases of high connectivity scenarios with other implications on conservation. We discuss maturing the method for application on environmental licensing and conservation planning as well as current limitations and perspectives for future studies.

Black pacu Colossoma macropomum and red pacu Piaractus brachypomus are two endemic fruit and seed-eating Amazon fishes considered to be important seed dispersing agents in flooded forests. Dwindling populations coupled with the omnivorous feeding habits, rapid growth, high meat quality and commercial acceptance of these fishes has led to them becoming prime candidates for aquaculture development. However, high aquafeed prices are the prime limiting factor for the development of pacu culture in the Peruvian Amazon. The main objectives of this dissertation were: 1) to assess the effects of fish size on seed dispersal capacity of black and red Pacu; 2) to compare seed dispersal potential of these two Amazon fishes against two other seed dispersal mechanisms (anemochory and hydrochory); 3) to determine the apparent digestibility coefficients (ADC) of three local high-carbohydrate feedstuffs (yuca or cassava, plátano or plantain, and pijuayo or peach palm) in black and red Pacu; 4) to examine the feasibility of incorporating cassava, plantain, and peach palm meal in formulated diets for black pacu; and 5) to evaluate and compare black pacu fingerling growth, feed utilization and survival when reared at three water temperatures: 27.5, 30 and 32.5 ºC. In the first study, no significant differences were found for germination rates of seeds ingested among the three different size groups of fish tested. Although germination rates varied, the findings demonstrate both fish species in different ages may play an important role as seed dispersers in the floodplain forests. In a second study, ADC for crude protein, lipid and gross energy from raw and cooked green plantain meal (GPM) and cassava root meal (CRM) were lower compared to values of other common vegetal ingredients like corn and wheat. However, ADC values for raw and cooked peach palm meal (PPM) were, in most cases, higher than those reported for raw or cooked GPM and CRM. In comparison with other traditional feedstuffs, ADC values for PPM are similar to corn and higher than those reported for soybean meal and wheat bran, which suggests this ingredient, has high potential for incorporation in low-cost pacu aquafeed formulations in the Peruvian Amazon. In a third study, weight gain, feed conversion, survival, hematocrit, hemoglobin, mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration, alternative complement activity, and lysozyme were found to be similar among several diets tested; however, protein efficiency ratio (PER) was lower in fish fed the diet containing wheat middlings. Relative to wheat middlings, all feedstuffs tested (cassava, plantain, and peach palm meal) were effective energy sources for juvenile black pacu and can serve as carbohydrate sources in balanced aquafeeds for this species. In a fourth study, black pacu reared at 30 ºC demonstrated significantly higher final body weight, body weight gain, specific growth rate, feed conversion ratio, feeding efficiency, and PER levels than fish reared at either 27.5 or 32.5 ºC (P<0.05). No significant differences (P>0.05) were recorded for feed intake, protein intake, or condition factor. This study suggests that global temperature increase may impair the ability of pacus to efficiently utilize feed and that growth in water temperatures above 30 ºC may become limiting for this species. In summary, growing evidence suggests that over the past two decades black and red pacu populations have significantly declined as a result of human activities and over-exploitation in the Peruvian Amazon, and their substantial role as seed disperers in the flooded forests could result in serious declines of many plant and animal components of the valuable aquatic ecosystem of the Amazon basin. Therefore, aquaculture of black and red pacu in the Peruvian Amazon is an attractive option to satisfy not only the increasing demand for animal protein for human consumption, but also as a viable mitigation measure for wild fish and forestry conservation. Results from this dissertation can serve as a basis for further improvement in culture technology for these two important species.

Estudos clássicos com diversidade taxonômica, apesar de serem essenciais, não consideram as diferenças funcionais entre as espécies de uma comunidade. A abordagem considerando atributos funcionais e diversidade funcional vem preenchendo esta lacuna. A compreensão da estrutura e dinâmica de interações mutualísticas também é um elemento essencial em estudos de biodiversidade, permitindo a investigação de mecanismos ecológicos e evolutivos. Porém, a maioria dos estudos com redes de interação disponíveis na bibliografia são pequenas em número de espécies e interações, e é possível que estes dados não tenham sido suficientemente amostrados. Além disto, estudos têm mostrado que muitas métricas utilizadas em análises de rede de interação são sensíveis ao esforço amostral e ao tamanho da rede. Os objetivos desta tese foram: 1) investigar a diversidade taxonômica (DT) e funcional (DF) de aves e os padrões de organização de espécies de aves em comunidades refletindo convergência de atributos (TCAP: Trait Convergence Assembly Patterns) ao longo de transições entre floresta e campo; 2) analisar a estrutura de redes de dispersão de sementes de plantas por aves, utilizando as métricas de rede aninhamento, modularidade, conectância e distribuição do grau; 3) desenvolver um método estatístico visando avaliar suficiência amostral para métricas de redes de interação usando o método bootstrap de reamostragem com reposição. A composição de espécies de aves diferiu entre os ambientes, indicando uma substituição de espécies ao longo da transição floresta-borda-campo. DT diferiu significativamente somente entre floresta e borda de floresta, enquanto que ambas diferiram significativamente do campo em relação à DF. DT e DF podem indicar diferentes processos de organização de comunidades ao longo de mosaicos floresta-campo. A correlação significativa entre TCAP e o gradiente floresta-campo indica que provavelmente mecanismos de nicho atuam na organização da comunidade de aves, associados a mudanças na estrutura do habitat ao longo da transição floresta-borda-campo agindo como filtros ecológicos. Redes de dispersão de sementes de plantas por aves aparentemente apresentam um processo comum de organização, independentemente das diferenças na intensidade de amostragem e continentes onde as 19 redes utilizadas foram amostradas. Usando reamostragem bootstrap, encontramos que suficiência amostral pode ser alcançada com diferentes tamanhos amostrais (número de eventos de interação) para o mesmo conjunto de dados, dependendo da métrica de rede utilizada. / Classic studies on taxonomic diversity, though essential, do not consider the functional differences between species in a community. Studies using functional traits and functional diversity are filling this gap. Understanding the structure and dynamics of mutualistic interactions is also essential for biodiversity studies and allows the investigation of ecological and evolutionary mechanisms. However, most networks published are small in the number of species and interactions, and they are likely to be under-sampled. In addition, studies have demonstrated that many network metrics are sensitive to both sampling effort and network size. The aims of this thesis were: 1) to investigate bird taxonomic diversity (TD), functional diversity (FD), and patterns of trait convergence (TCAP: Trait Convergence Assembly Patterns) across forest-grassland transitions; 2) to analyse the structure of seed-dispersal networks between plants and birds using the metrics of nestedness, modularity, connectance and degree distribution; 3) to develop a statistical framework to assess sampling sufficiency for some of the most widely used metrics in network ecology, based on methods of bootstrap resampling. Bird species composition indicated species turnover between forest, forest edge and grassland. Regarding TD, only forest and edges differed. FD was significantly different between grassland and forest, and between grassland and edges. TD and FD responded differently to environmental change from forest to grassland, since they may capture different processes of community assembly along such transitions. Trait-convergence assembly patterns indicated niche mechanisms underlying assembly of bird communities, linked to changes in habitat structure across forest-edge-grassland transitions acting as ecological filters. Seed dispersal mutualistic networks apparently show a common assembly process regardless differences in sampling methodology or continents where the 19 networks were sampled. Using bootstrap resampling we found that sampling sufficiency can be reached at different sample sizes (number of interaction events) for the same dataset, depending on the metric of interest.

L’introduction de champignons pathogènes envahissants est une cause très importante d’émergence de maladies forestières. Depuis ces 30 dernières années, la chalarose affecte sévèrement les frênes en particulier Fraxinus excelsior. L’agent pathogène causant cette maladie est un ascomycète originaire d’Asie de l’Est, Hymenoscyphus fraxineus. Il fut observé pour la première fois dans les années 1990 en Pologne, puis s’est rapidement disséminé en Europe pour atteindre la France en 2008. La maladie se dissémine principalement par dispersion aérienne des ascospores. Cette thèse vise à étudier l’épidémiologie de la chalarose du frêne en déterminant les facteurs environnementaux influençant le développement d’H. fraxineus et en proposant un modèle de dispersion de la maladie. Le premier objectif de cette thèse visait à optimiser une méthode de piégeage de l’inoculum aérien pour ensuite l’utiliser dans le but d’étudier le patron de dispersion d’H. fraxineus. Nous avons ainsi mis en place une expérimentation pour confirmer la fiabilité des résultats obtenus par biologie moléculaire à partir de faibles quantités de cibles, comme ceux observés sur le front de la maladie. Cette méthode de piégeage de spores aériennes a alors été comparée à des cartes de présence de la chalarose réalisées grâce à des signalements de symptômes. L’étude a été réalisée à différentes échelles, locale (commune) et régionale, avec des zones d’échantillonnage de l’ordre de la 100aine de km sur le front de la chalarose. Grâce à ce travail, nous avons pu déterminer un rayon d’action autour de la source d’inoculum à l’intérieur duquel des stratégies de gestion seraient les plus efficaces pour limiter le développement de la maladie. Le deuxième objectif de cette thèse consistait à déterminer quels facteurs environnementaux influencent le développement de la maladie, ce qui s’avère être un enjeu important pour la gestion forestière et l’avenir du frêne en tant qu’essence forestière dans les prochaines décennies. Nous avons montré qu’une importante densité d’hôte et une grande humidité du milieu influencent positivement le développement de la maladie. Ce travail a également permis de confirmer sur le terrain la sensibilité de l’agent pathogène aux fortes températures estivales, suggérant que la zone étudiée du Sud-Est de la France pourrait présenter des été trop chauds pour le développement de la maladie. A plus large échelle, le changement climatique pourrait jouer en faveur des frênes. De plus, la présence d’un effet Allee dans la dynamique de population de l’agent pathogène a été suggérée par nos résultats expérimentaux. Le dernier objectif de cette thèse était de modéliser la dispersion de la maladie en France. Nos travaux ont permis de mettre en évidence une vitesse de dispersion d’environ 60 km / an. Un modèle de réaction-diffusion a été développé pour mettre en relation la dispersion, la dynamique de population d’H. fraxineus et les facteurs environnementaux influençant son développement. Ce modèle de dispersion qui utilise des données standards issues du système d’épidémio-surveillance forestier du Département de la Santé des Forêts apportera des connaissances utiles à la mise en place de stratégies de gestion. Cette thèse ouvre des perspectives sur le devenir du frêne dans un contexte de changement climatique et plus largement sur la gestion des invasions biologiques / Introduction of invasive pathogen fungi is a major cause of forest diseases emergence. For 30 years, a dieback has severely affected ashes and in particular Fraxinus excelsior. The pathogenic fungus causing the disease is an ascomycete originating from Eastern Asia, Hymenoscyphus fraxineus. It was observed for the first time in 90’s in Poland, then rapidly spread over Europe and was reported in France in 2008. The disease is mainly spread by airborne ascospores. The aim of this thesis is to study the epidemiology of H. fraxineus dispersal by determining environmental factors which impact pathogen development, and by proposing a dispersal model of the disease. The first objective of this thesis was to improve the trapping method of airborne inoculum and then, to use it to study the dispersal pattern of H. fraxineus. An experiment was set up to confirm the reliability of the molecular biology test for low levels of target such as these observed at the disease front. This trapping method of airborne spores was then compared to maps of disease presence deriving from symptoms reports on ashes. The study was realized at different scales, landscape (village) and regional, with sampling area of about 100 km at the disease front. This work enabled us to determine a radius around inoculum source that would have to be manage for effectively limit the disease development. The second objective of the thesis aimed at determining environmental factors which influence disease development, which is an important issue for forest management and future of ashes in the next decade. We have shown that high host density and high humidity both positively impact disease development. This work confirmed the pathogen susceptibility to high summer temperatures in natural settings and suggests that the climate of Southeastern France should limit disease development. At a larger scale, climate change may work in favor of ashes. Moreover, an Allee effect presence in the population dynamic of H. fraxineus was suggest by our experimental results. The last objective of this thesis was to model the disease spread in France. Our works estimated the spread speed to 60 km per year. A reaction-diffusion model was developed to link dispersal disease according to H. fraxineus population dynamic and environmental factors which impact its development. This dispersal model which can use standard data of French forest health surveillance system will provide new knowledge useful to implement management strategies. This thesis offers perspectives on the future of ashes in a context of climate change and more broadly about the management of biological invasions

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:32:16Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2011-05-23Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T19:21:46Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 tercionetto_n_dr_jabo.pdf: 2777355 bytes, checksum: f61f3dfa0040cb7d42df00390237a91a (MD5) / Estudos recentes revelaram a estruturação de diversas populações de vertebrados a um nível local. Essa estruturação tem sido relacionada aos sistemas de acasalamento e padrões de filopatria-dispersão das espécies. Esse estudo objetivou estudar como a organização espacial contribui para a estruturação genética de uma população. Avaliamos os papéis da filopatria e da dispersão a partir do comportamento espacial e da estrutura genética de uma população de mouflons mediterrâneos. Localizações obtidas por radiotelemetria foram utilizadas para descrever o comportamento espacial de ambos os sexos durante o período reprodutivo. Fêmeas mostraram-se filopátricas e revelaram uma estruturação sócio-espacial em unidades de população. Parte dos machos manteve-se fiel ao domínio reprodutivo de um ano a outro, enquanto outros dispersaram para outro domínio. Domínios reprodutivos de machos não sobrepõem apenas uma unidade de fêmeas. Inferimos sobre os fluxos gênicos promovidos pelos machos que se deslocam entre as unidades, a partir do polimorfismo de microsatélites. O teste de Hardy-Weinberg sugeriu uma população em desequilíbrio. Os testes de diferenciação gênica e genotípica e o FST confirmaram a estruturação genética da população. Mas não houve perda de heterozigose a nível da população ou no interior das unidades. O comportamento individual dos animais aparece como um fator importante da estruturação genética da população. Fêmeas mostram-se fortemente filopátricas e a aleatoriedade dos acasalamentos parece assegurada por um sistema reprodutivo baseado na promiscuidade. O fluxo gênico é mantido pela dispersão de parte dos machos, mantendo a panmixia no interior das unidades / Recent studies revealed the presence of fine-scale genetic structure in wild vertebrate populations. This structure has been related to breeding systems and specie’s philopatry-dispersal pattern. The objective of this study was to examine how the spatial organization contributes to the genetic structure of a population. The role of philopatry and dispersion was evaluated from the spatial behaviour and genetic structure of a mouflon sheep population. Radio-tracking data was used to describe spatial behavior for both sexes during rut. Ewes were found to be partitioned in sociospatial units o which they were faithful. Movements patterns of rams were much more variable: some males remain faithful to the breeding area from one year to another, while others dispersed to other domain. Male rutting range can overlap more than once unit. We can infer about the male gene flow promoted by moving between the units from the polymorphism of microsatellites. Hardy-Weinberg test suggested disequilibrium in population. Genic and genotypic differentiation tests and FST confirmed the genetic structure of population. But there was no loss of heterozigosys neither at the population level nor within the units. The individual behavior of animals appears an important factor of population genetic structuring. Females are strongly phylopatrics. Randomness of matings would be assured by a reproductive system based on promiscuity. The gene flow between units and panmixia inside the units are maintained by some dispersal males

Habitat fragmentation is a fundamental process that determines trends and patterns of distribution and density of organisms. These patterns and trends have been the focus of numerous terrestrial and marine studies and have led to the development of several explanatory hypotheses. Systems and organisms are dynamic and no single hypothesis has adequately accounted for these observed trends. It is therefore important to understand the interaction of these processes and patterns to explain the mechanisms controlling population dynamics. The main aim of this thesis was to test the effect of patch size and isolation on organisms with different modes of dispersal. Mode of dispersal has previously been examined as a factor influencing the effects that habitat fragmentation has on organisms. Very few studies have, however, examined the mode of dispersal of marine organisms because it has long been assumed that marine animals are not directly influenced by habitat fragmentation because of large-scale dispersal. I used two co-occurring species of siphonariid limpets with different modes of dispersal to highlight that not only are marine organisms affected by habitat fragmentation but that they are affected in different ways. The two species of limpet, Siphonaria serrata and Siphonaria concinna, are found within the same habitat and have the same geographic range along the South African coastline, however, they have different modes of dispersal and development. The effect of patch size on organism density has been examined to a great extent with varied results. This study investigated whether habitat patch size played a key role in determining population density and limpet body sizes. The two species are found on the eastern and southern coasts of South Africa were examined across this entire biogeographic range. Patch size was found to have a significant effect on population density of the pelagic developer, S. concinna, but not the direct developing S. serrata. Patch size did play a role in determining limpet body size for both species. S. concinna body size was proposed to be effected directly by patch size whilst S. serrata body size was proposed to be affected indirectly by the effects of the S. concinna densities. The same patterns and trends were observed at five of the seven examined regions across the biogeographic range. The trends observed for S. concinna with respect to patch size conform to the source-sink hypothesis with large habitat patches acting as the source populations whilst the small habitat patches acted as the sink populations. Many previous studies have focused on the effects of habitat patch size at one point in time or over one season. I tested the influence of habitat patch size on the two species of limpets over a period of twelve months to determine whether the trends observed were consistent over time or whether populations varied with time. S. concinna showed a consistently significant difference between small and large patches; whilst S. serrata did not follow a consistent pattern. The mode of dispersal for the two limpets was used to explain the different trends shown by the two species. This examination allowed for the determining of source and sink populations for S. concinna through the examination of fluctuations in limpet body sizes and population densities at small and large habitat patches over twelve months. The direct developing S. serrata trends could not be explained using source-sink theory, as populations were independent from one another. S. serrata demonstrated body size differences at small and large patches which, may be explained by interspecific and intraspecific competition. Habitat isolation is known to play an important role in determining the structure of assemblages and the densities of populations. In this study the population density of the pelagic developing S. concinna showed a weak influence of degree of isolation whilst that of the direct developing S. serrata did not, which may be because of habitat patches along the South African coastline not having great enough degrees of isolation. The population size-structure was influenced directly influenced by isolation for S. concinna, whilst the different population size structure for S. serrata may be explained by assemblage co-dependence. The mode of dispersal showed effects on the relationship of population density and population size-structure with habitat size and isolation. This study indicates the importance of investigating patterns and processes across a range of spatial and temporal scales to gain a comprehensive understanding of factors effecting intertidal organisms.

A família Solanaceae possui ampla distribuição geográfica e ocorre em diversos ambientes, sendo a maioria das espécies colonizadoras de ambientes abertos. A família possui representantes herbáceos, arbustivos, arbóreos, escandentes e epifíticos. O objetivo deste estudo foi analisar a diversidade e a distribuição de espécies de Solanaceae em formações vegetais altomontanas nos Aparados da Serra Geral, que ocorrem acima de 900 m, localizados no extremo sudeste de Santa Catarina e no extremo nordeste do Rio Grande do Sul (27°48' - 29°21'S e 49°15' - 50°10'W). Foram realizadas 12 saídas a campo, sendo percorridas todas as formações vegetais e consultadas exsicatas de 23 herbários, referentes aos municípios da região de estudo. Primeiramente, foi feita uma chave para identificação dos gêneros e espécies. Foram consideradas para a região de estudo cinco formações vegetais, oito estações de coleta e 10 faixas altitudinais que foram submetidas a técnicas multivariadas de ordenação e classificação para detectar padrões de distribuição geográfica. Análises de modelos de distribuição de espécies foram utilizadas para estabelecer a área potencial para as 17 espécies com maior ocorrência e avaliar quais as variáveis ambientais que influenciam esta distribuição. No levantamento foram encontrados 12 gêneros e 72 espécies de Solanaceae. A maior riqueza de espécies foi encontrada na Floresta Ombrófila Mista. A forma de vida predominante foi arbustiva e melitofilia e quiropterocoria foram as síndromes de polinização e dispersão mais comuns, respectivamente. O principal fator relacionado com a distribuição das espécies nas formações vegetais foi a luminosidade. A distribuição das espécies em faixas altitudinais evidenciou um decréscimo de espécies com o aumento da altitude e revelou um gradiente altitudinal de riqueza, também apresentado na distribuição das espécies em estações. Três grupos florísticos foram encontrados conforme a altitude, um formado entre 900 e 1.190 m, um segundo grupo entre 1.200 e 1.490 m e o terceiro grupo entre 1.500 e 1.822 m. A maioria das 17 espécies possui uma distribuição potencial ampla. As variáveis relacionadas com temperatura e precipitação atmosférica de estações mais quentes e úmidas foram as que mais influenciaram os modelos de distribuição gerados. / The family Solanaceae has wide geographical distribution and occurs in different environments. The majority of species colonizes open areas. The family present herbaceous, shrubs, trees, lianas and epiphytic representatives. The proposal of this study was to examine the diversity and distribution of Solanaceae species in "Aparados the Serra Geral" which are upper montane plant formations above 900 m in Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul states, Brazil (27°48 '- 29°21' S and 49°15' - 50°10' W). We performed all plant formations in 12 travels to the field and analysed exsiccate of 23 herbaria referring to the study region. First, we made an identification key to the genera and species. We considered five vegetation types, eigth montane stations and 10 altitudinal belts that were submitted to ordination and classification techniques to detect patterns of geographical distribution. Analysis of models of species distribution were used to establish the potential area for 17 species with higher occurrence and to assess the role of environmental variables on their distribution. A total of 12 genera and 72 species of Solanaceae were found. The greatest richness of species was found in the Araucaria angustifolia forest. The predomintant life-form were shrubby and melittophily and quiropterocory were the most common pollination and dispersal syndromes, respectively. The main factor related to the species distribution was luminosity. The species distribution in altitudinal belts showed a decreasing number of species according to higher altitudes. We also verified a gradient based on species distributions and the formation of three species-groups, one related from 900 to 1.190 m, a second group from 1.200 to 1.490 m and a third group from 1.500 to 1.822 m. Most of the 17 species has a wide distribution potential. The variables related to temperature and precipitation of hot and wet seasons were the most influencing factors for the generated models.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:23:02Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2006-05-29Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T19:08:48Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 rother_dc_me_rcla.pdf: 880592 bytes, checksum: 63ebac83ba6dcb09cddf42b5445e1892 (MD5) / Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) / Este trabalho teve como objetivos verificar como variam a chuva de sementes e o estabelecimento de plântulas entre ambientes colonizados (B) e não colonizados (SB) pelo bambu Guadua tagoara na floresta Atlântica do Parque Estadual Carlos Botelho, Sete Barras - SP. Foram utilizados 40 coletores e 40 parcelas de 1m2 em cada ambiente com monitoramento mensal no período de um ano. SB apresentou 38,71% mais sementes que B, maior riqueza, menor diversidade e equidade. Os ambientes mostraram uma alta similaridade no número de espécies de sementes em comum e com abundâncias semelhantes. SB apresentou maior média de sementes/mês e maior média de sementes/espécie. A densidade absoluta de sementes por coletor não variou entre ambientes, entretanto variou entre meses. Em relação às plântulas, B apresentou maior abundância, maior densidade, maior riqueza, maior dominância de Euterpe edulis, entretanto menor diversidade e equidade que SB. Os dois ambientes se apresentaram com baixa similaridade na composição e na abundância de plântulas por espécie. Em B houve maior média de plântulas/mês enquanto a média de plântulas/espécie foi semelhante entre ambientes. A densidade absoluta de plântulas de E. edulis variou entre meses e ambientes, com maior número em B. Para as demais espécies a diferença se deu entre ambientes e meses, porém maior número em SB. Quando analisadas todas as plântulas em conjunto houve diferença entre meses e ambientes. Maior média de plântulas emergiram e morreram no ambiente com bambu a cada mês. A taxa de sobrevivência variou segundo o tipo de ambiente e ao longo do ano. Nos dois ambientes E. edulis foi a única espécie que não apresentou qualquer tipo de limitação demográfica... / This project aim to evaluate how the seed rain and the seedling establishment varied between environments with (B) and without (WB) the bamboo Guadua tagoara in the Atlantic forest of Carlos Botelho State Park, Sete Barras - SP. Forty traps and forty plots of 1m2 were placed within each patch type during one year of monthly monitoring. We recorded higher richness and more seeds in WB than in B, nonetheless, diversity and equitability were lower. Both environments showed high similarity in composition and abundance of seeds per specie. The average of seeds per month and seeds per specie was higher in WB. Also, the absolute density of seeds per trap varied predictable in time but there was not difference between B and WB. In respect to seedlings, B environment showed higher abundance, density, richness and dominance of Euterpe edulis, although diversity and equitability were lower than in WB. We found low similarity between B and WB environments in seedlings composition and abundance per specie. The average of seedlings per month was higher in B while the average of seedlings per specie was similar. The absolute density of E. edulis and other species seedlings varied in time in both environments, showing more seedlings density of the former in B and more seedlings density of the later in WB. When all species were analyzed together, seedling density was different between environments and months. The average of seedlings that emerged and died was higher in B environment. The survival rate varied between environments and in time. We found that E. edulis was the only specie that did not show any demographic limitations between environments. Seed rain did not vary between environments in relation to the specie composition as much as in the seed quantity... (Complete abstract, click electronic access below)