A cana-de-açúcar atualmente encontra-se em posição de destaque como terceira maior cultivar em área plantada no Brasil. Porém, a cultura ainda não se beneficia de tecnologias de engenharia genética no mercado brasileiro. A razão disso, está diretamente relacionada às normativas de liberação da CTNBio (RN05), a qual requer informações relevantes acerca da capacidade dispersiva de estruturas reprodutivas de organismos geneticamente modificados (OGMs) e seus mecanismos de dispersão. A fim de não comprometer o curso natural da evolução do gênero Saccharum, em que pertence a Cana-de-açúcar, a CTNBio querer também informações à cerca de seus parentes silvestres como sua área de ocorrência e seus mecanismos reprodutivos de dispersão com o objetivo de eliminar o risco de hibridação introgressão com os OGMs. Através de estudos prévios, sabe-se que a cana-de-açúcar é altamente cultivada na região nordeste e centro-sul do Brasil e que as espécies pertencentes ao gênero Saccharum selvagens como S. asperum (Nees) Steud. e S. villosum Steud. são encontradas na região Centro-Sul. Pensando nisso, a espécie S. villosum chama a atenção pelo fato ocorrer próximo à áreas de plantio de cana-de-açúcar, onde haveria risco da contaminação de transgenes. O objetivo do trabalho buscou trazer informações do ciclo reprodutivo da espécie S. villosum em comparação ao comportamento reprodutivo de cana-de-açúcar na região Centro-Sul do Brasil. Também buscou-se adquirir informações relevantes sobre a morfologia e a viabilidade dos grãos de pólen da espécie e de vários híbridos da cana-de-açúcar que ocorrem na região em questão. Assim como, informações sobre a morfologia pós-seminal da espécies S. villosum, com o objetivo de auxiliar na taxonomia do grupo. Nos estudos sobre o ciclo de vida da espécie S. villosum, foram encontrados florescimento de Abril à Julho com comportamento alógamo e de Setembro à Março com comportamento autógamo. Esses resultados auxiliam estudos de fluxo gênico entre híbridos de cana-de-açúcar e S. villosum em determinadas épocas do ano. Além disso, as características morfológicas dos grãos de pólen de S. villosum correspondem às do gênero Saccharum. As características reprodutivas dos híbridos de cana-de-açúcar na região Centro-Sul do Brasil possibilita o fluxo gênico interespecífico, por conterem grãos de pólen viáveis e formação de sementes. A sincronia do florescimento entre as espécies estudadas mostrou-se correspondentes. As características morfológicas no momento da germinação das sementes de S. villosum apresentou-se correspondentes aos integrantes do complexo Saccharum como o gênero Erianthus, esses dados irão auxiliar trabalhos futuros no reconhecimento taxonômico à nível genérico e específico. Portanto, a espécie S. villosum apresenta características reprodutivas viáveis, os quais podem resultar em cruzamento interespecífico com híbridos de cana-de-açúcar. Esses resultados irão auxiliar futuros estudos de fluxo gênico entre as espécies analisadas. / The sugarcane currently is in a prominent position as the third largest growing in planted area in Brazil. However, the culture still does not benefit from genetic engineering technologies in Brazil. The reason is directly related to the regulatory release of CTNBio (RN05), which requires relevant information about the dispersive ability of reproductive structures of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and their dispersal mechanisms. In order not to compromise the natural course of evolution of the genus Saccharum, which belongs to sugarcane, CTNBio also want the information about their wild relatives as its range and their reproductive mechanisms of dispersion in order to eliminate the risk of hybridization introgression with GMOs. Through previous studies, it is known that sugarcane is highly cultivated in the northeast and South-Central Brazil and the wild species of the genus Saccharum as S. asperum (Nees) Steud. and S. villosum Steud. are found in the South-Central region. Thinking about it, S. villosum species draws attention because occur near areas of sugarcane plantation where there is risk of transgene contamination. The objective sought to bring information of the reproductive cycle of the species S. villosum compared to reproductive behavior of sugarcane in the South-Central region of Brazil. Also sought to acquire relevant information about the morphology and viability of pollen grains of the species and various hybrids of sugarcane that occur in the region in question. As well as information on post-seminal morphology of the species S. villosum, in order to assist the group\'s taxonomy. In studies on the life cycle of the species S. villosum, they were found flowering April to July with allogamous behavior and from September to March with autogamous behavior. These results help studies of gene flow between hybrid sugarcane and S. villosum at certain times of year. Furthermore, the morphological characteristics of the pollen grains S. villosum correspond to the genus Saccharum. The reproductive characteristics of sugarcane hybrids in South-Central region of Brazil enables interspecific gene flow, to contain viable pollen grains and seed formation. The timing of flowering among the species studied showed up correspondents. The morphological characteristics at the time of germination of S. villosum has performed corresponding to the Saccharum complex members as Erianthus, this data will assist future work on taxonomic recognition of the generic and specific level. Therefore, the species S. villosum shows viable reproductive characteristics, which may result in interspecific cross with sugarcane hybrids. These results will help future studies of gene flow between species analyzed.

Population structure, gene flow and dispersal are some of the most commonly estimated population parameters in population genetics, evolutionary biology and conservation genetics. The primary aim of thesis is to test the precision and accuracy of genetic estimates of population structure, gene flow and dispersal. The controlled replicated Drosophila melanogaster experiments of known effective population size (Ne = 14.3) and dispersal rate (m = 0.0025 - 0.04) all adhered to Wright??s demographic island model. Three statistical approaches were empirically tested: 1) the conversion of population structure to gene flow using FST, RST, SHUA and PhiST ; 2) the private alleles method to estimate gene flow; 3) a Bayesian assignment method to estimate dispersal (BAYESASS 1.2). Even in the best-case scenario, almost all current methods except SHUA significantly underestimate population structure, and consequently overestimate gene flow and dispersal when applied to real populations. It was crucial to ensure that the manipulated rate of gene flow was correctly defined. This led to three supporting investigations of hybrid performance, inversion polymorphisms and effective population size. The hybrid performance investigation demonstrated that the manipulated rate of gene flow had not been unexpectedly inflated by hybrid vigour or reduced by breakdown. These experiments also demonstrated that close inbreeding is not a necessary precondition for hybrid vigour or breakdown, which is important for conservation strategies involving induced dispersal. The investigation of inversion polymorphisms ensured that the manipulated rate of gene flow was not affected by selection on inverted regions. The effective population size investigation used a temporal estimation method to confirm that the Ne was accurately predicted by an N:Ne ratio of 0.286. Additionally this experiment showed that the single-sample estimation methods implemented by ONeSAMP or LDNE resulted in downwardly biased estimates of Ne in structured populations. In conclusion these results call into question the confidence that biologists may have in some of the most widely used molecular tools in conservation biology.

Flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) is being considered as a platform crop for the development of bioproducts. Potential benefits of bioindustrial farming include the provison of bioenergy and biomaterials, and opportunities for biorefining. Prior to the commercialization of crops intended for bioproducts however, the safety of the food/feed system and the environment must be assured. As part of a preliminary biosafety assessment I conducted a literature review and experiments to quantify seed-mediated gene flow from flax to the environment and food/feed system. Flax seed losses at harvest, seed persistence in soil, efficacy of herbicides to control volunteer survival and fecundity in subsequent crops, volunteerism (density and occurrence) and volunteer emergence periodicity in follow crops in commercial fields were examined. Total seed losses at harvest in commercial fields were variable (2.7 to 44.2 kg ha-1). Flax has a short longevity in the seed bank (2 to 3 years). Flax has been selected for reduced seed dormancy and volunteer flax seed persistence may be hastened by burial. Compared to other domesticated crops, flax has a prolonged period of emergence and calculated EM50 values (the growing degree days required for 50% emergence) ranged from 227 to 340 growing degree days (GDD). Flax volunteers reached their period of peak emergence earlier in conventional tillage than in reduced tillage fields. Volunteer flax densities were highest prior to herbicide applications (10.4 to 570.2 plants m-2) in all fields the year following flax production (2005) and diminished over time. Volunteers that emerge in the spring may be controlled with registered herbicides. Glyphosate and fluroxypyr tank-mixed with either monohydrate sodium salt of 2,4-dicholorophenoxy acetic acid (2,4-D) or monochlorophenoxyacetic acid Ester 500 (MCPA) were most effective in reducing volunteer flax density, biomass, and fecundity. These herbicides also reduced the adventitious presence of volunteer flax seed in spring wheat (from over 8.5% to 0.16%). Best management practices could be adopted to mitigate seed-mediated gene flow from flax in agricultural productions systems, but thresholds of zero are not biologically realistic. The agronomic baseline data generated in this thesis however, suggests that flax may be an appropriate crop platform for bioindustrial products. / Plant Science

Flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) is considered as a model plant species for multipurpose uses with whole plant utilization for several purposes including industril, food, animal feed, fiber, nutraceutical, pharmaceutical, and bioproduct markets. Therefore, flax is in the process of genetic engineering to meet the market requirements. Prior to commercial release of genetically engineered (GE) flax, a risk assessment was conducted to determine intra- and inter-specific pollen-mediated gene flow and for quantifing and mitigating the adventitious presence (AP) of volunteer flax in canola (Brassica napus L.). The results of pollen-mediated gene flow study (crop-to-crop) suggest that about 1.85% outcrossing would occur in adjunct area, when two flax cultivars were grown in close proximity of 0.1 m apart. Some rare gene flow events were recorded maximum up to 35 m distance from the pollen source but at a very low frequency. The genus Linum has several wild and weedy species, distributed in many parts of the world. A meta-analysis was conducted to determine the potential for gene introgression from GE flax to wild relatives, the occurrence, the phylogeny of flax wild relatives and reported interspecific hybridization. The results demonstrated that cultivated flax has ability to hybridize and form viable F1 plants with at least nine species of Linum; however, none of these species have been reported to occur in Canada. Hybridization of flax with many other wild relatives has either not been studied or reported. However, based on the evidence of reported work, gene flow from GE flax to wild or weedy relatives may occur elsewhere depending on species distribution, sympatry, concurrent flowering, ploidy level and sexual compatibility. The results of the experiments to mitigate the adventitious presence of flax volunteers in canola suggest that combinations of pre-plant followed by post-emergence herbicides were most effective for reducing volunteer flax density and AP in glufosinate-resistant canola. Post-emergence application of imazamox+imazethapyr, however, was not effective for controlling volunteer flax in imidazolinone-resistant canola. Best management practices were developed to mitigate transgene movement from GE flax to ensure co-existance of GE, conventional and organic flax without market harm. / Plant Science

The history of North Africa is extremely complex, and it has been difficult to assess from genetic and archeological data whether early populations were replaced by later migrations or if there has been continuous settlement of the region. To resolve the history of human origin and migrations in North Africa, I have used two main forms of genetic data, the maternally inherited mtDNA and 730,000 genome-wide SNPs from a genotype array in a sample set representative of the region. I have discovered that North Africa is a mosaic of an autochthonous component dating back to the Paleolithic and at least four other ancestries, two recent ancestries from sub-Saharan Africa and the others from Europe and the Near East. We have also discovered extensive North African gene flow to the Iberian Peninsula, and minor proportions in the rest of the Europe. / La història del Nord d’Àfrica és extremadament complexa, i fins ara ha estat molt difícil determinar a partir de la genètica o l’arqueologia si els primers pobladors van ser reempleçats per migracions posteriors, o si el poblament de la regió ha estat continuat al llarg del temps. Per tal d’investigar els orígens i les migracions de l’home al Nord d’Àfrica he fet servir dos marcadors genètics en un grup de poblacions representatives de la regio, el marcador heretat per via materna, el DNA mitocondrial (mtDNA), i 730,000 SNPs de tot el genoma genotipats amb un xip. He descobert que el Nord d’Àfrica és un mosaic format per un component autòcton amb origens en el Paleolític i un mínim de quatre components més, dos d’ells recents d’origen sub-Saharià i els altres Europeu i d’Orient Proper. També hem descobert un flux genic recent d’origen Nord Africà molt elevat a la Península Ibèrica, i en menor quantitat a Europa.

The number of Pheasant-tailed Jacana (Hydrophasianus chirurgus) in Taiwan has been reduced and habitats decreased because of human activities in many years. From a conservation perspective, the genetic diversity of this bird became an important subject. The control region in mitochondrial DNA was used as a gene marker to investigate the genetic variation amoung populations of Hydrophasianus chirurgus from Taiwan, Goungdong, and Thailand. An 1182-bp nucleotide sequence was amplified from 34 individuals. Six variable sites and seven haplotypes were found in the control region, and the observed haplotypes were similar in all samples. Low genetic divergence and high degree of gene flow were estimated among three populations. However, this conclusion need more samples of individuals to be proved.

Nigeria is the most densely populated country in Africa and one of the most advanced economically in terms of both industry and soil and landscape utilization. This country is projected to have one of the largest urban growth rates by 2050. Thus, the demands of the rapidly increasing human population and its material consumption represent a severe threat to biodiversity. Nigeria has the highest deforestation rate of natural forest in the world, its original vegetation has largely been replaced by farming activities, urban development and other products of human activities. The principal causes of the decline and loss of biodiversity in Nigeria include human exploitation of natural resources, fragmentation of habitats and populations, conversion of wild areas to agriculture and other intensive human use and alterations in the structure and function of ecosystems. Amphibians are the vertebrate group with the highest number of species threatened with extinction and habitat loss and fragmentation are considered to be among the leading causes of their declines and extinctions. It has been recognized that one of the most severe problems in conservation biology is the scarcity of baseline data. Such lack prevents evaluation of the effect of the expanding anthropogenic impact and determination of potential population declines. The mountains of eastern Nigeria, within Taraba State, are regionally important in terms of biodiversity and endemism, however, its herpetofaunal diversity has received little attention. Moreover, no studies have investigated how habitat loss and fragmentation may affect dispersal and gene flow among small and isolated amphibian populations, and in the absence of such studies attempts at amphibian conservation are compromised. The aims of this project were threefold. Firstly, a comprehensive inventory of the amphibians and reptiles of Ngel Nyaki and Kurmin Danko Reserve on the Mambilla Plateau was compiled. The outcome, an annotated list of 21 amphibians and 11 reptiles, represent the most thorough inventory to date of the herpetofauna on the Mambilla Plateau. Based on this inventory four key anuran species were selected to conduct a population genetics study. Secondly, molecular tools specifically AFLP markers were developed and used to analyze the genetic population structures of the four frog species Cardioglossa schioetzi, Leptodactylodon bicolor, Astylosternus sp. 1 and Astylosternus sp. 2. differing in geographic distribution and life history traits within the study area. Thirdly, these species were assessed to understand dispersal and connectivity among fragmented and continuous populations on the Ngel Nyaki and Kurmin Danko Reserve. Genetic differentiation among the forest and the riparian fragment populations was observed for three of the target species, however, no significant genetic differentiation was detected among the populations located in continuous forest for any of the four frog species. In addition, geographic and genetic distances were not correlated significantly for any of the four target species, suggesting no isolation by distance at this fine geographic scale. Results from both the inventory and the genetic population structure study revealed that the riparian forest fragments are of utmost importance for the persistence and migration of Cardioglossa schioetzi, and potentially for many other amphibian species. The new scientific findings are now part of the valuable baseline data on the diversity and genetic population structure of amphibian species in Ngel Nyaki and Kurmin Danko Forest Reserve. These results will better inform conservation managers who need to make decisions around management of montane habitat for amphibian species.

This thesis investigates how changes in population size and spatial movements of individuals have shaped the distribution and abundance of neutral genetic variation in the arctic fox. This is done through mitochondrial and microsatellite DNA analyses on samples covering most of the species’ distribution, but with special emphasis on Scandinavia. On the species level, nucleotide diversity was relatively low, which indicated a historical expansion in population size in connection with the onset of the last Ice Age. It is thus possible that the glacial cycles have affected the arctic fox, and other cold-adapted species, in a way opposite to their effect on temperate species. Gene flow seemed to be high among arctic fox populations on a circumpolar scale, especially between populations where lemmings are the main food source, which could be explained by the spatial synchrony in lemming fluctuations. In Scandinavia, the arctic fox went through a severe demographic bottleneck in the beginning of the 20th century. Although some genetic variation was lost during this bottleneck, the loss was much smaller than expected, probably due to post-bottleneck gene flow from Russia. The arctic fox in Scandinavia is divided into four relatively isolated populations. Within each population, dispersal seemed to be high despite the high availability of empty territories close to natal dens, which supported the hypothesis that lemming fluctuations influence arctic fox dispersal. Genetic analyses on samples collected between 1989 and 2004 indicated an ongoing genetic drift and inbreeding within the Scandinavian populations. Furthermore, individual genetic variation was negatively associated with fitness, which could be attributed to an ongoing inbreeding depression. Analyses on faecal samples suggested that arctic foxes move higher up in the mountains and farther from the tree-line during summer compared to winter. This seasonal shift in distribution is probably caused by interspecific competition from the red fox, which is likely to be higher during summer due to red fox predation on arctic fox cubs. The results presented in this thesis have several implications for the conservation of the Scandinavian arctic fox. The finding of four isolated populations within Scandinavia and an ongoing inbreeding depression suggests that the risk of extinction is higher than previously thought. Conservation actions need to be taken in all populations to be effective, and could include genetic restoration through translocation.

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No description available.