Submitted by IGOR CRUZ MALASPINA null (igormalaspina@yahoo.com.br) on 2016-05-02T03:49:51Z No. of bitstreams: 1 tese final corrigida.pdf: 1689161 bytes, checksum: c5816b602bb2cec611e1907c2cb51fce (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Felipe Augusto Arakaki (arakaki@reitoria.unesp.br) on 2016-05-04T14:02:07Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 malaspina_ic_dr_jabo.pdf: 1689161 bytes, checksum: c5816b602bb2cec611e1907c2cb51fce (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-05-04T14:02:07Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 malaspina_ic_dr_jabo.pdf: 1689161 bytes, checksum: c5816b602bb2cec611e1907c2cb51fce (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-04-01 / As macrófitas aquáticas possuem papel fundamental nos ecossistemas aquáticos participando dos processos de ciclagem de nutrientes, além de servirem como abrigo e alimento para muitas espécies de peixes e outros organismos. Dentre os principais métodos de controle de macrófitas está o controle químico com o uso de herbicidas. O objetivo deste estudo foi realizar o controle químico da macrófita Hydrilla verticillata com a aplicação isolada de diquat e hidróxido de cobre, e da mistura de diquat + 1% de hidróxido de cobre. O primeiro experimento para o controle da H. verticillata e da microalga Ankistrodesmus gracilis foi realizado em sala de bioensaio em recipientes plásticos de 1,5 litros, sendo todos os tratamentos testados eficientes no controle da macrófita e da microalga. Posteriormente, foram realizados experimentos em condições de microcosmos de concreto de 600 litros e em mesocosmos de concreto de 1200 litros, com o monitoramento de variáveis da qualidade da água (temperatura, oxigênio dissolvido, condutividade elétrica e pH), teor de clorofila a, demanda biológica de oxigênio (DBO) e demanda química de oxigênio (DQO) por um período de sessenta dias após a aplicação dos tratamentos. A mistura de diquat + 1% de hidróxido de cobre foi o tratamento mais eficaz no controle da macrófita Hydrilla verticillata para a maioria dos parâmetros analisados, havendo alteração nas variáveis de qualidade da água. Foram também realizados experimentos ecotoxicológicos para organismos não-alvo (Hyphessobrycon eques, Pomacea canaliculata, Lemna minor e Azolla caroliniana) com diquat, oxicloreto e hidróxido de cobre, onde a mistura de diquat + 1% de oxicloreto de cobre foi a mais tóxica para os organismos bioindicadores e a macrófita Lemna minor foi o bioindicador que apresentou a maior sensibilidade aos agroquímicos testados. / The macrophytes have a fundamental role in aquatic ecosystems participating in nutrient cycling processes, as well as serving as shelter and food for many species of fish and other organisms. Among the main weeds control methods is chemical control using herbicides. The aim of this study was the chemical control of the macrophyte Hydrilla verticillata with isolated application of diquat and copper hydroxide, and the mixture of diquat + 1% copper hydroxide. The first experiment for the control of H. verticillata and microalgae Ankistrodesmus gracilis was held in bioassay room in plastic containers of 1.5 liters, with all treatments tested effective in controlling macrophyte and microalgae. Subsequently, experiments were carried out under conditions of 600 liters concrete microcosms and in 1200 liters concrete mesocosms, with the monitoring of water quality variables (temperature, dissolved oxygen, electrical conductivity and pH), content chlorophyll a, demand biological oxygen (BOD) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) for a period of sixty days after the application of treatments. The mixture diquat + 1% copper hydroxide was the most effective treatment in Hydrilla verticillata of weed control for the majority of parameters, with change in water quality variables. Ecotoxicological experiments were also carried out for non-target organisms (Hyphessobrycon eques, Pomacea canaliculata, Lemna minor and Azolla caroliniana) with diquat, oxychloride and copper hydroxide, wherein the mixture of diquat + 1% copper oxychloride is more toxic to bioindicators organisms and macrophyte Lemna minor was bioindicador with the highest sensitivity to the tested pesticides.

In order to develop recommendations for management of hydrilla at Ross Barnett Reservoir, Mississippi a number of techniques were utilized. Point intercept surveys were conducted within known hydrilla sites at Ross Barnett Reservoir, Mississippi in order to quantitatively assess chemical management for hydrilla control. Hydrilla tuber data were also collected during the winter and spring of 2012 and 2013. Tuber data were compared between the Ross Barnett Reservoir and Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway in order to see the effects of chemical management on hydrilla tuber bank dynamics. Water exchange data were collected using Rhodamine WT dye at Ross Barnett Reservoir, Mississippi to determine water exchange characteristics. Dye half-life varied between the eight plots, with a minimum estimated half-life of 2.0 hours and maximum estimated half-life of 30.9 hours. Herbicide evaluations showed that bispyribac-sodium, penoxsulam, and fluridone provide the best hydrilla control 12 weeks after treatment.

Research provides biological and ecological information on Hydrilla Verticillata (L. f.) Royle in Gatun Lake, Panama for an ongoing management program of aquatic weeds in the Panama Canal. Morphological and genetic variation, standing crop and life cycle were determined.

Two experiments were conducted to investigate the hypothesis that exotic macrophytes alter littoral zone habitat and impact fish that inhabit these areas. The pond experiment was conducted to explore impacts of exotic invasive plants on growth and condition of juvenile largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides). The second experiment was conducted at a smaller scale in aquaria to simulate an invasion of hydrilla (Hydrilla verticillata) and its influence on juvenile bass foraging. Fish experienced slower growth in the hydrilla treatment than in the diverse, and the ability of bass to capture prey fish was impeded in hydrilla. Juvenile bass growth decreased in habitats containing hydrilla and is likely a result of increased difficulty in capturing quality prey items such as small fish. Results from the two experiments collectively supported my hypothesis that hydrilla growth altered the littoral zone habitat such that foraging was hindered and resulted in slower growth.

Grass carp Ctenopharyngodon idella have been stocked throughout the world due to their utility as a biological control. In the United States, the species has been used to successfully control invasive, aquatic weeds such as hydrilla Hydrilla verticillata. Despite the large body of research surrounding the use of grass carp, few studies have demonstrated widely applicable methods for evaluating the success of weed control based on grass carp behavior and population dynamics. Classic methods of biological control using grass carp often rely on a single, large stocking of fish. Few of these studies have demonstrated success in achieving intermediate levels of weed control. Managers would be better equipped to make decisions regarding stocking and maintenance grass carp populations with better information about behavior, survival, and population structure. Improved decision making could result in reduced cost and increased effectiveness of stocking. In order to examine current knowledge gaps for management, I investigated the movements and habitat use of grass carp, post-stocking survival, age-specific survival rates, and population dynamics of grass carp in Lake Gaston, North Carolina and Virginia. I characterized relationships between grass carp behavior and environmental factors using radio-telemetry. The average rate of movement for grass carp in Lake Gaston was about 137 m/d. Rapid dispersal after stocking was followed by long periods of no movement. However, when time after stocking was held constant in models of behavior, fish moved about 200 m/d more in the second year after stocking than in the first year, and were found closer to shore. On average, grass carp were found about 40 m from shore in about 2.5-3.5 m of water, although mean depth of water at grass carp locations varied seasonally, being shallowest in summer and deepest in winter. Although depth of water at grass carp locations did not vary by stocking location, Grass carp were found closer to shorelines in the upper reservoir than in the lower reservoir. I found significant relationships between grass carp behavior and hydrological processes such as lake elevation and dam releases in the reservoir, as well as with other environmental factors such as water temperature, photoperiod, and weather conditions. The results of this study should be useful in better understanding how behavior can affect management decisions. Specifically, grass carp behavior appears to change with age and environmental conditions within large reservoir systems. Future research should focus more closely on the effects of large-scale flow dynamics on grass carp behavior. I estimated age-1 survival of grass carp from mark-recapture models designed for radio-tagged animals, and characterized relationships between age-1 survival and factors under the control of management, such as stocking locations and size at stocking. . According to the most-plausible model developed in this study, survival of age-1 grass carp in Lake Gaston varied throughout the year, and the probability of an individual grass carp surviving to the end of its first year (±SE) was 0.57(±0.10). According to the second-most-plausible model developed in this study, grass carp survival varied between stocking locations, and was twice as high in the upper reservoir (0.87±0.09) than in the lower reservoir (0.43±0.11). The differences in survival between stocking locations suggest that the cost-effectiveness of grass carp stocking could be improved by focusing stocking efforts in specific regions of Lake Gaston. Furthermore, none of the models developed in this study that incorporated the effects of size (length and weight) or condition factor accounted for a meaningful amount of the total model weights. These results suggest that costs of grass carp stocking could be reduced in Lake Gaston by using a smaller minimum size (352 mm, TL) than is commonly referred to in the literature (450 mm, TL). I used grass carp collected by bowfishers in Lake Gaston to characterize the age, growth, and survival of grass carp in the system. From these data, I characterized relationships between fish population dynamics and annual hydrilla coverage. Grass carp collected from Lake Gaston ranged in age 1-16 years. Growth of grass carp in Gaston was described by the von Bertalanffy growth function as Lt = 1297(1-e -0.1352 (t+1.52)). I estimated mortality from the von Bertalanffy growth parameters using methods based on growth, temperature, and age; and with each mortality estimate I estimated population size and standing biomass of grass carp. Use of age-specific mortality rates produced lower estimates of grass carp numbers and standing biomass in Lake Gaston than did the use of a single, instantaneous mortality rate for all ages. I determined that growth of grass carp slowed considerably after the fourth year and that slowed growth, in combination with changes in mortality, resulted in a decrease in the amount of hydrilla controlled by a given cohort after four years in Lake Gaston. This phenomenon resulted in an approximately linear relationship between the biomass of grass carp at year i and hectares of hydrilla at year i+3. Based on this relationship, I predicted that the biomass of grass carp necessary to reduce hydrilla coverage to the target level of 120 ha in Lake Gaston is about 91,184 kg (±38,146 kg) and that the current biomass of grass carp in Lake Gaston is about 108,073 kg (±3,609 kg). I conclude that grass carp biomass is at or near levels that should reduce hydrilla coverage to 120 ha between 2013 and 2018. This research provides an effective means for synthesis of information that is critical to understanding sterile, triploid grass carp populations when assumptions of other methods cannot be met. The results of this study should be of immediate utility to hydrilla management efforts in Lake Gaston and other systems. Furthermore, the age-specific mortality rates developed in this study should be useful as starting values for grass carp management in similar systems. / Master of Science

Assessment of aquatic plant selection by waterfowl has been conducted during the winters of 1997-2000 on 49 0.2-0.79 ha research ponds in north central Texas. Ponds were categorized by dominant plant species into eight habitat types. Census with waterfowl species identification were performed to investigate impacts of aquatic vegetation and water depth on waterfowl. Eighteen waterfowl species were observed. Peak migration occurred in late December/early January. Mixed native ponds and mixed native/hydrilla ponds were the most frequently selected habitat types. The study included correlation analysis between pond water levels and waterfowl use. Full ponds received greatest use followed by half full ponds, while almost empty ponds received minimal use. Time activity budgets were conducted on waterfowl utilizing mixed native and hydrilla ponds to compare waterfowl time partitioning on native aquatic vegetation versus hydrilla. Although only minor differences were found in time budgets, social status appears to be strongly related to habitat selection. Ducks on native ponds were paired (86%), conversely no ducks on hydrilla ponds were paired. Hydrilla pond although frequently utilized, were populated by lower status birds mostly single hens.

Conflicting opinions about the effectiveness of H. pakistanae as a biological control agent for hydrilla prompt researchers to find a method for assessing the fly's success. Developing a physiological age-grading system for the fly using ovarian morphology to detect changes in reproductive activity is useful for evaluating reproductive status of the fly in field populations. Changes in the appearance of follicular relics in ovaries with oviposition provide a reliable method to estimate fecundity. Characteristics of follicular relics were used to develop a system with eight physiological age classes, three nulliparous and five parous. Changes that occur in the fat body were used to assist in classification of nulliparous females or those with low egg counts.

No description available.

In laboratory tests, the plant pathogen Fusarium roseum demonstrated the potential to serve as a self-sustaining biological control for the noxious aquatic weed Hydrilla verticillata. At fungal spore concentrations of at least 1 x 104 spores per ml, the fungus induced chlorosis, growth inhibition, abscission, and stem disintegration of diseased hydrilla tissue and eventually resulted in death of the plant. The pathogenicity of the fungus was affected by pH, spore concentration, and the length of time after inoculation. Fusarium roseum reisolated from diseased hydrilla tissue readily infected fresh hydrilla plants. Histological studies demonstrated the presence of foreign bodies in the vascular portions of infected hydrilla, although the fungus itself was not observed growing in the plant tissue.Ball State UniversityMuncie, IN 47306

Invasive aquatic species such as Hydrilla verticillata (hydrilla) have become a pervasive and nearly ineradicable part of the waterways of the American south. Hydrilla is an aggressive colonizer; grows rapidly and rapidly blocks flow areas, which greatly reduces the capacity of water supply canals. Hydrilla grows up through the water column and is present throughout flow zones that are typically assumed to be free flowing and without resistance, other than that transmitted via the mechanics of a Newtonian fluid. Hydrilla is highly flexible and its morphology in the flow field is dependent on many parameters, including flow, growth stage, cross-section geometry and substrate. Traditional methods of calculating canal flow capacities assume that resistance to flow originates at the boundary of the channel. These methods typically attempt to account for vegetation by increasing resistance coefficients, which are associated with the boundary of the canal. A combination of field studies and experimentation in three separate laboratory channels was used to characterize the behavior of hydrilla and its impacts on open-channel flow. This work developed relationships for energy losses of flow within the vegetation, as well as velocity gradients within the vegetation and through the vegetation water interface to the open water. The information developed in this investigation was used to develop a model of the cross-section of flow with vegetation growing in the center of the channel. The model is based on the Prandtlvon Kármán universal-velocity-distribution law; and uses modifications to the method of calculating the hydraulic radius, to account for the increased frictional elements and reduced flow areas in the canal cross-section. A simple function was developed to estimate the remaining flow capacity in a canal as a function of the remaining unblocked area. The Prandtl-von Kármán universal-velocity-distribution law, together with modifications to the method for calculating the hydraulic radius, can improve estimates of the flow in channels impacted by submerged aquatic vegetation. The effects of a broad range of parameters can thus be represented by a relatively simple function, which was developed in this project.