A decline in the size of fish within a population is concerning. Large-sized fish are ecologically important and valued for social and economic reasons. Following widespread collapses from angling overharvest, the densities of Walleyes Sander vitreus in Albertas lakes increased rapidly with large-minimum-size limits. Anglers were unhappy, however, as catch rates increased (>1 Walleyes*hour-1) but fish remained small and did not exceed the minimum size limit. The two alternate explanations for the small, yet old Walleyes were either compensatory growth because of high density (stunting) or size-selective mortality (overfishing). Size-selective mortality has evolutionary consequences. Paradoxically, the management solutions for these problems are in opposition (more harvest versus less harvest), and a wrong diagnosis could exacerbate the problem. I used nested hypotheses, and implemented active adaptive management at several Alberta lakes, to diagnose the causal mechanism creating the small fish problem. For inferences on the source of the mortality, I analysed backcalculated growth rates from pelvic fins. Walleyes that had fast-growth to an early maturity, and then subsequent slow-growth, had greater survival. This hockey stick-shaped growth allows for successful reproduction while the Walleyes remain below the minimum size limit, avoiding harvest. Using changes to sport fishing regulations, I then modified angler effort and harvest at four different Alberta lakes to increase or decrease size-selective harvest and Walleye densities. I found that size-selective mortality from angling rapidly truncated the population-size structure. With concerns of evolutionary consequences because of evidence of size selective harvest, I used an age- and size-structured, single-species model, parameterized with data from Albertas Walleye fisheries, to evaluate the selectiveness of various management regulations. I found that the 50-cm minimum size limit used to recover Albertas Walleye populations did indeed select for the hockey stick life history, although this regulation allowed for sustainable populations (>5 Walleyes*hectare-1) and angler effort up to 16 angler-hours*ha-1*year-1. The optimal regulation to reduce life history selection and allow for population sustainability was a 40-50 cm harvest-tag regulation. This regulation reversed the selection for the hockey stick life history, yet produced sustainable fish densities and allowed angler effort up to 30 angler-hours*ha-1*year-1. However, increasing angler-noncompliance reduced the sustainability of this regulation. / Wildlife Ecology and Management

The decorative and the textual have a complex and uneasy entanglement within the history and practice of modernist art. Sometimes celebrated as critical modernist strategies, sometimes denigrated or repressed as the opposite of Art, the decorative and the textual were understood as "foreign" forms that variously endangered, or, in turn, invigorated the power of art. My creative practice, which includes installation, painting, photography, text and an exhibition catalogue, exploits and explores this decorative and textual instability within modernist art practice. In my work, (visual) codes conventionally associated with the fields of writing and pattern, are re-examined and problematised by placing them within the context of visual art. When writing and pattern become the subject of painting there is an intriguing oscillation, complication and dialogue between the spaces and codes of reading and seeing, writing and pattern, the decorative and the abstract. The thesis also explores the decorative and textual instability within modernism by analysing some key contradictory moments in aesthetic thought and arts practice. In the writings of Clement Greenberg, a "decorative" painting is deemed the highest achievement of modernist abstract painting but to arrive at this goal, the decorative must be used against itself. In Frank Stella's early abstract paintings, decorative patterns structure the work, and yet the artist and his commentators only see the work as a kind of pure, abstract painting. In Lawrence Weiner's statement-sculptures, the terse, laconic text, that nominates materials and processes, is thought to be a "direct" form of art information that would remain unchanged even in reproduction. But as Weiner's work is reproduced in journals and magazines, this "direct" form of art is complicated through a variety of reproductive forms - documentary photographs, transcription errors and differences in the visual format and typography of the text. In these key moments of contradiction, concepts such as the decorative and the textual, that have often been regarded as peripheral to visual art, will be shown to have central significance in analysing its specific qualities.

Free-living marine nematodes are the most ubiquitous, abundant and diverse meiofaunal component of benthic communities. These are excellent model organisms, due to its short life span, wide availability and feasibility to cultivate with minimum laboratory facilities. In this study, a population of Diplolaimella dievengatensis Jacobs 1991 (Nematoda, Monhysteridae) from the relatively Pristine estuary of the Guaratuba River in São Paulo, Brazil was isolated and cultivated. The goals were; i- to apply an integrative taxonomic approach in order to compare this population from Brazil with another from the species type-locality in the Belgian Coast, with regard to morphological, life-cycle and the 18S gene of the rDNA molecular data; and ii- to compare, at the light of life history theory, the responses of life history parameters such as; fecundity, growth and survivorship of D. dievengatensis (here as a slower species) and Litoditis marina (Bastian, 1865) (Nematoda, Rhabditidae) (as a faster species) under sublethal exposition to the sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) surfactant. The population from Brazil was similar to that from Belgium coast in all parameters. Although morphometric analyses considered the Brazilian D. dievengatensis isometrically larger than the Belgian population regarding some characters, the presence of all diagnostic characters confirmed the similarity of both species. The life-cycle, hatching time, final body length, and biomass parameters were similar in both populations, in which females were larger than males. The population growth, measured as intrinsic rate of natural increase was slightly higher for the D. dievengatensis from Brazil (rm=0.41), than the European population (rm =0.348). Molecular comparison on Genbank showed 99.4% of similarity between both populations, indicating therefore, that D. dievengatensis from Brazil is similar to those from Belgium. In the chapter ii, both species responded differently to SDS exposition. Growth and reproduction rate of D. dievengatensis surprisingly were enhanced at low and intermediate concentrations of SDS (0.001 and 0.003%), while for L. marina these parameters were reduced in all SDS concentrations tested (0.001, 0.003 and 0.006%). The SDS did not affect the survivorship of adults of the slower specie. On the other hand, survivorship of adults of the fast species was significantly affected by SDS and this effect was dependent on adult gender, with reduced rates of males exposed to 0.006% SDS. Although both species are located nearby along the fast-slow continuum, they responded distinctly to of the toxic SDS effect. Effects over L. marina met the trend of faster species in allocating fewer investments in defenses against physiological injuries and on their own somatic maintenance. We propose that the apparent lower resistance of this faster species under stress at the individual level is balanced by their higher reproductive rates, conferring higher resilience to this species at the population level. Finally, it was demonstrated that the marine nematode D. dievengatensis is an important native model organism which can be used in a wide range of studies and experimental tests. Identifying and understanding differential effects of stress in the context of life-history theory is an important aspect which enhanced our understanding about the threats posed by anthropogenic activities on natural communities / Nematodas marinhos de vida livre são o mais onipresentes, abundantes e diversos componentes da meiofauna em comunidades bênticas. São excelentes organismos modelo devido a seu curto ciclo de vida, ampla disponibilidade e viabilidade de cultivo com mínima estrutura laboratorial. Neste estudo, uma população de Diplolaimella dievengatensis Jacobs 1991 (Nematoda, Monhysteridae) do estuário relativamente prístino do rio Guaratuba, São Paulo, Brasil foi isolada e cultivada. Os objetivos foram: ii- aplicar uma abordagem taxonômica integrativa a fim de comparar esta população do Brasil com outra da localidade tipo dessa espécie, da costa da Bélgica, com relação à dados morfológicos, do ciclo de vida e molecular do gene 18S do rDNA; e ii-comparar, à luz da teoria da historia de vida, repostas de parâmetros do ciclo de vida tais como: fecundidade, crescimento e sobrevivência de D. dievengatensis (aqui como espécies mais lenta) e Litoditis marina (Bastian, 1865) (Nematoda, Rhabditidae) (como espécie rápida) sob exposição subletal ao surfactante dodecil sulfato de sódio (DSS) . A população do Brasil foi similar a da costa da Bélgica em todos os parâmetros. Embora analises morfométricas consideraram D. dievengatensis do Brasil isometricamente maior que a população belga em relação em algumas características, a presença de todos os caracteres diagnósticos confirmaram a similaridade de ambas as espécies. Os parâmetros de ciclo de vida, tempo de eclosão, comprimento corporal final e biomassa foram similares em ambas as populações, nas quais fêmeas foram maiores que machos. Crescimento populacional, mensurado como taxa intrínseca de crescimento natural foi ligeiramente mais alta para D. dievengatensisdo Brasil (rm=0.41), que para a população europeia (rm=0.348). Comparações moleculares no Genbank mostraram 99.4% de similaridade entre ambas populações, indicando portanto que a população do Brasil é similar a D. dievengatensis belga. No capítulo ii, ambas as espécies responderam distintamente a exposição ao SDS. Supreendentemente as taxas de crescimento e de reprodução de D. dievengatensis foram incrementadas sob concentrações mais baixas e intermediárias (0.001 e 0.003%), enquanto para L. marina esses parâmetros foram reduzidos em todas as concentrações de DSS testadas (0.001, 0.003 e 0.006%). O DSS não afetou a sobrevivência de adultos da espécie mais lenta. Por outro lado, a sobrevivência de adultos da espécie mais rápida foi significativamente afetada pelo SDS e esse efeito foi dependente do sexo, com taxas reduzidas em machos expostos a 0.006 % de DSS. Embora ambas as espécies estejam proximamente dispostas ao longo do gradiente \"rápido-lento\", elas responderam diferentemente ao efeito tóxico do DSS. Efeitos sobre L marina se enquadram no padrão de espécies mais rápidas ao alocar menores investimentos para as defesas contra danos fisiológicos e para sua própria manutenção somática. Nós propomos que a aparente menor resistência desta espécie rápida sob estresse ao nível individual é balanceada por suas altas taxas reprodutivas, conferindo mais alta resiliência a essa espécie ao nível populacional. Por fim, foi demonstrado que D. dievengatensis é um importante organismo modelo nativo que pode ser usado em uma ampla diversidade estudos e testes experimentais. Identificar e compreender diferentes efeitos do estresse dentro do contexto da teoria da história de vida é um aspecto importante, o qual tem aumentado nosso conhecimento sobre as ameaças de atividades antropogênicas sobre comunidades naturais

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No description available.

Knowledge of sex allocation trade-offs with tree growth in insect-pollinated woody plants is limited, particularly in invasive plants. This study examined patterns of growth and reproductive investment in a North American invasive plant species, Triadica sebifera, I hypothesized that the energy limitations of smaller trees may result in the production of more male reproductive structures that are energetically less costly. Diameter at breast height was a significant predictor of seed and catkin mass and regression can describe these relationships across sites. Seed and catkin mass were positively correlated across sites. The relationship between the seed mass:catkin mass ratio and DBH was not significant, nor was seed mass:catkin mass and total investment. Results showed a significant positive relationship between total reproductive investment and tree size across sites. Seed mass:catkin mass ratio and reproduction investment showed substantial variation among individual trees of similar size within sites.

President Clinton created Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument on September 17, 1996. The Antiquities Act of 1906 gives the president power to establish national monuments on public lands through presidential proclamation. The Act has been used to create national monuments in places such as Muir Woods, Grand Canyon, Mount Olympus, Jackson Hole, and the 1978 Alaskan d-2 lands. Its use has also produced negative public response, manifested as demonstrations, lawsuits, and congressional bills. In spite of significant legal and legislative challenges, the Antiquities Act and most of the monuments established through its use remain. The negative public response to the Act and the monuments has not been able to dissuade presidents from using executive authority. In each of the controversial cases the scope of the Antiquities Act was expanded in regards to the values being protected, monument size, or land use. The public had little influence in reversing that expansion. The Antiquities Act was designed as a tool to provide protection to threatened lands. It has protected federal lands, and in many cases the national interest. The historic and scientific values of once controversial monuments such as the Grand Canyon, Muir Woods Mount Olympus, Jackson Hole, and the d-2 lands, are now indisputable. These monuments have evolved to represent part of our natural national heritage. Only time will tell if the same can be said for Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.

Though ultimately seeking more just law, civil disobedience still entails the breaching of a law. For this reason, most theories hold that people who practice civil disobedience must be willing to accept the legal consequences of their actions. On the other hand, a nation that is truly committed to justice will recognize that its constitution and legal order may in some ways fall short of perfect justice. In this thesis, I defend Rawls’s theory of civil disobedience as unique in its capacity for justification and even government toleration. Appealing to a shared conception of justice, Rawlsian civil disobedients are able to ground their actions in the same principles to which the state is committed. I argue that Rawls’s shared conception of justice is further substantiated when read in the light of his later theory of the overlapping consensus of comprehensive doctrines. I ultimately conclude that civil disobedience construed in the Rawlsian sense ought to receive some degree of toleration by the state, and particularly by constitutional states which maintain a formal commitment to justice in the protection of rights and intentional design of government institutions.

Water is the most important resource on the planet for sustaining life, and many consider access to water as a fundamental human right. However, in light of its necessity, the distribution and allocation of water has become a highly politicized issue. Economic and political conditions have been shown to be influential in shaping a country’s water policy, more so then recognition of water as a basic human right. The reason for this is that many agree that there needs to be a value assigned to water to encourage its conservation and efficient use, and different methods of addressing that issue have led to varying degrees of privatization of water. Whether through the private or public sector, there is an expectation that water be delivered to the people by the government, and it is often the influence of public and private actors within the government that direct the policy for water distribution. Using three cases in Chile, Mexico, and Uruguay it will be demonstrated how water policy has correlated with the political and economic changes within each country.

Why has the United States, given its status as the sole remaining superpower following its Cold War victory, been unable to translate its preponderance of power into the outcomes it desires? The system established by the United States over the course of the Cold War does not effectively translate its power into influence in the post-Cold War world. In fact, the way US-Soviet competition shaped global affairs created systemic problems, weak and failing states, terrorism, autocracy and human rights abuse, that cannot be solved by the mechanisms of influence the US relied upon to win the Cold War. However, precisely these issues now dominate the American foreign policy agenda as its strategic objective shifted from defeating communism to maintaining the stability of the liberal world order that resulted from communism’s defeat. The United States, reliant on Cold War era mechanisms of influence, lacks the tools to accomplish these new objectives because these mechanisms were designed to exploit or accept the problems of statehood that now plague the liberal world order. Therefore, for the United States to make effective use of its abundance of power, it must either change its tools or its objectives.