Namao virus (NV) was associated with mortality in lake sturgeon Acipenser fulvescens reared as part of a conservation stocking program for this endangered species in Manitoba, Canada. The virus itself was large, doubly encapsidated and icosahedral-shaped. Phylogenetic analyses using the major capsid protein showed that NV and other epitheliotropic sturgeon nucleo-cytoplasmic large DNA viruses shared a common evolutionary past and formed a distinct evolutionary lineage within Megavirales. Three PCR tests were developed and their analytical performance was validated for detection of these viruses. Testing of wild sturgeon revealed that NV is endemic in the Nelson River water basin in Manitoba. Bath exposure resulted in transmission of NV to healthy sturgeon. The gills appeared to be the initial site of infection with virus persisting in the head skin tissue for up to 62 days. The molecular tests will be useful tools for disease management in sturgeon conservation stocking programs. / October 2015

Nicrophorus americanus is a federally endangered species whose range has decreased dramatically since the 1920s. It is a nocturnal species that is only active from May to September when temperatures reach at least 15.5°C for three nights in a row. It once ranged throughout North America, from Maine and the southern parts of Canada, west to South Dakota and south to Texas. The historic Texas population consists of four Texas specimens from the 1880s residing at the Philadelphia Academy of Science Invertebrate Collection. Since then, there were no confirmed specimens in Texas, until 2003 when a single individual was found in Lamar County, Texas. The population discovered in Lamar County has been on a steady decrease from 2005, 223 individuals captured, until 2008 only 8 individuals captured. Since 2008, no individuals have been captured in Texas, despite intense surveys. It is possible that the Texas population is a sink population with the Oklahoma population to its north, acting as the source. Genetic analysis of the Texas and Oklahoma populations would help to answer this question and analysis of the entire population may answer questions to why the species declined leaving only the peripheral populations. The specific habitat variables that caused the population to re-colonize and go extinct in Texas are unclear, but when determined could play a critical role in managing the population. / text

Recent census data have shown that the number of Breton speakers in Lower Brittany has continued to drop despite revitalization efforts. A problem minority languages face is struggling to maintain a place in the lives of the people who have adopted the dominant language. In this study, I assess the current problems faced by the Breton language today by examining a few select problems. First, I highlight the lack of situations in which speakers can use Breton. Even children attending immersion programs often do not live in a Breton-speaking household, nor do they have settings outside the school where they can practice the language. Secondly, I consider the ideological place of Breton in the minds of speakers. Many people feel that while Breton is important to their heritage, they do not need to actively speak it in order to associate with a Breton identity. Related to this is the opinion of many people that Breton is an outdated language with no future ahead of it, as revealed by recent research (Broudic 2009, Jones1998, Timm 2001). Finally, the creation of a new, standardized Breton known as neo-Breton adds to the problem of finding a place for the language; older speakers who use traditional Breton are marginalized, while it is the young speakers using neo- Breton. I use current census data as well as personal research conducted in Brittany in July 2010 to supplement my assessment of the current Breton situation. While progress has been slow, Breton is gaining a stronger presence in society. / text

No abstract available. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2004.

The present study analyzed the evolutionary history of Erigeron trifidus Hook. by addressing two main questions: 1) Is the current hypothesis of the origin of the species by hybridization between E.compositus and E.lanatus supported by molecular data? and 2)Is the species monophyletic? An analysis of uni-and-biparentally inherited molecular markers from three species throughout the range of E.trifidus yielded data that supports the hybridization hypothesis. First, a restriction site analysis of cpDNA revealed 4 haplotypes. In most cases, cpDNA haplotypes were the same as in E.lanatus, suggesting E.lanatus as the maternal parent. Sequencing and cloning the nuclear ETS region revealed the presence of multiple repeat types in most individuals sampled. This further supports the hybrid origin hypothesis in that E.trifidus contained only repeat types present in one or the other of the putative parents. In addition, E.trifidus displayed the highest percentage of intrainidividual repeat type polymorphism, a common trait of hybrid species. Erigeron trifidus populations collected in the northern region appear to be monophyletic as they all exhibited a particular pattern of repeat type variation, a pattern absent in Ram Mountain and Waterton Lakes National Park populations. As E.lanatus has never been recorded from Ram Mountain, it is likely that the populations identified as E.trifidus are instead a different agamospermous variant of E.compositus. In Waterton Lakes National Park, populations of E.trifidus are thought to be the product of local hybridization but the identity of the putative parents remains uncertain. Therefore, E.trifidus is concluded to be polyphyletic. / viii, 66 leaves : ill. (some col.) ; 28 cm.

No description available.

Research can conflict with conservation when invasive techniques are used on protected animal species. We developed a decision framework including the research question, the choice of technique, and the recommended course of action following the evaluation of the risks and benefits. This evaluation includes biological risks and benefits and considerations linked to the perception of resource users. We applied this framework a posteriori to a case study, the use of biopsy sampling on St. Lawrence belugas. We monitored the biological risks and benefits over four field seasons using behavioural and physiological indices and reports on the work in progress. We evaluated the risks as "low" and the benefits as "medium". For benefits to outweigh risks, procedures to minimise risks, publication of the work, and formulation of recommendations for conservation are essential. Researchers should be prepared to discuss with stakeholders the potential conflicts between their projects and conservation.

There is no abstract available for this thesis. / Department of Biology

Earlier studies have found that endangered species recovery is only weakly associated with the tools enabled by the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA). With habitat loss often cited as a leading cause of species declines, we tested whether the recovery of ESA-listed species is instead associated with the protection of critical habitat (CH) by protected areas. We tested the relationship for 299 species using recovery indices derived from the biennial status reports to Congress (1990-2010), as well as NatureServe and IUCN population status data. We found no overall relationship between recovery and the extent to which CH is protected. However, restricting the analysis to recovering species, listed species with larger areas of protected (R2 = 0.158) or strictly protected (R2 = 0.194) CH fared better than species with less protected or strictly protected CH areas. Declining species (199 of 273 species studied) fared no better with more protected habitat. We conclude that the abatement of habitat loss alone does not necessarily facilitate recoveries for the majority of ESA-listed species. We also note that the weak relationships we observed in this study may be reflective of poor recovery status estimates.

When outdoor recreational activities are restricted, where can we find solitude, exploration and self-reliance? Endangered Experiences in Nature is a project that creates disruptive scenarios to question the relationship we have now with landscapes. A forecast in which stargazing is replaced by watching cyborg fireflies in the sky, food is genetically engineered and getting lost can only happen with the aid of special devices. The thesis uses the tools of experience design and future studies to explore the meanings and values of nature. I analyze the experiential perspective of access to nature and outdoor recreation by focusing on experiences that will likely become inaccessible in the near future. This thesis is not about preservation but stands aspiring for recreating values humans got until now from the close relationship with natural settings. In doing so, I aspire to generate new experiences. My work therefore focuses not on what nature is but what it means to perceive something as being natural, wild, unexplored, in an age where every part of nature has been explored and exploited. My original contribution focuses on using nostalgia as an active method to create new relationships with our environment. Certain things will need to be “artificial” in order to achieve “real” experiences.   The project will focus on three scenarios placed in the near future (2040). Each case study extrapolates on a particular endangered experience in wilderness (solitude, exploration and self-reliance) and is set in 3 distinct landscapes located in The Netherlands, Sweden and Romania. By doing so, I touch upon different cultural and natural influences on my design process. All scenarios encompass artificial (engineered) surrogates that question the inaccessibility to experiences in natural landscapes. With the goal to create counter-experiences in the future and therefore formulate a new way to deal with our relationship with nature conceptually and physically.