Current knowledge about processes that generate long-distance dispersal of plants is still limited despite its importance for persistence of populations and colonization of new potential habitats. Today wild large mammals are presumed to be important vectors for long-distance transport of diaspores within and between European temperate forest patches, and in particular wild boars recently came into focus. Here we use a specific habit of wild boar, i.e. wallowing in mud and subsequent rubbing against trees, to evaluate epizoic dispersal of vascular plant diaspores. We present soil seed bank data from 27 rubbing trees versus 27 control trees from seven forest areas in Germany. The mean number of viable seeds and the plant species number were higher in soil samples near rubbing trees compared with control trees. Ten of the 20 most frequent species were more frequent, and many species exclusively appeared in the soil samples near rubbing trees. The large number of plant species and seeds – approximated > 1000 per tree – in the soils near rubbing trees is difficult to explain unless the majority were dispersed by wild boar. Hooked and bristly diaspores, i.e. those adapted to epizoochory, were more frequent, above that many species with unspecialised diaspores occurred exclusively near rubbing trees. Different to plant species closely tied to forest species which occur both in forest and open vegetation, and non-forest species were more frequent near rubbing trees compared with controls. These findings are consistent with previous studies on diaspore loads in the coats and hooves of shot wild boars. However, our method allows to identify the transport of diaspores from the open landscape into forest stands where they might especially emerge after disturbance, and a clustered distribution of epizoochorically dispersed seeds. Moreover, accumulation of seeds of wetness indicators near rubbing trees demonstrates directed dispersal of plant species inhabiting wet places between remote wallows. / Das aktuelle Wissen über Prozesse, die zur Fernausbreitung von Pflanzen führen, ist trotz ihrer Bedeutung für das Überleben von Populationen und die Besiedlung neuer potenzieller Habitate noch immer sehr begrenzt. Wildlebende Großsäuger sind heutzutage vermutlich wichtige Vektoren für den Ferntransport von Diasporen innerhalb und zwischen den einzelnen Waldflächen in Mitteleuropa, und speziell das Wildschwein (Sus scrofa L.) spielt dabei offenbar eine herausragende Rolle. Wir nutzen hier ein spezifisches Verhalten des Wildschweins – Suhlen im Schlamm und nachfolgendes Scheuern an sogenannten Malbäumen – um die epizoochore Ausbreitung von Gefäßpflanzen-Diasporen einzuschätzen. Dargestellt werden die Ergebnisse von Samenbank-Untersuchungen von 27 Malbäumen im Vergleich zu 27 Kontrollbäumen aus sieben Waldgebieten in Deutschland. Sowohl die mittlere Zahl lebensfähiger Samen als auch die Artenzahl waren höher in Bodenproben neben Malbäumen. Zehn der 20 in der Samenbank verbreitetsten Pflanzenarten hatten hier ihren Schwerpunkt, und viele Arten kamen ausschließlich in den neben Malbäumen gewonnenen Proben vor. Die große Zahl von Pflanzenarten und Samen – zumindest > 1000 pro Baum – im Boden an Malbäumen lässt sich nur durch die Aktivität der Wildschweine erklären. Mit Haken oder Borsten ausgestattete, d.h. an Epizoochorie angepasste Diasporen waren häufiger, aber auch viele Arten mit unspezialisierten Diasporen kamen ausschließlich in der Samenbank bei Malbäumen vor. Anders als weitgehend an Wald gebundene Pflanzenarten waren solche, die sowohl im Wald und im Offenland vorkommen, sowie nicht im Wald vorkommende Arten häufiger neben Malbäumen als neben Kontrollbäumen. Diese Befunde stimmen mit denen früherer Untersuchungen von Diasporenladungen im Fell und in den Hufen geschossener Wildschweine überein. Unsere Methode erlaubt darüber hinaus aber die Identifizierung des Diasporentransports aus dem Offenland in die Waldbestände, wo sie insbesondere nach Störungen keimen dürften, sowie einer ungleichmäßigen Verteilung epizoochor ausgebreiteter Diasporen. Außerdem zeigt die Akkumulation von Samen von Nässezeigern neben den Malbäumen eine gezielte Ausbreitung nasse Standorte bewohnender Pflanzenarten zwischen entfernt gelegenen Suhlen.

Orientador: Wilson Castro Ferreira Junior / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Matematica, Estatistica e Computação Cientifica / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-12T08:00:18Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 LouVega_Salvador_M.pdf: 1338284 bytes, checksum: f247d3dc13a783da27d224a3d32df47b (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008 / Resumo: Proponemos um modelo matemático para uma planta invasora, que acopla a dinâmica de reproduão com Efeito Allee e a dispersão de longa distância de uma planta invasora. Consideramos um efeito Allee devido à limitação de pólen, que reduz a produção de sementes. Introduzimos o efeito Allee através de uma função de probabilidade de encontro pólen-estigma que depende da densidade de plantas. Para a modelagem do processo de dispersão utilizamos equações íntegrorecursiva (IRE) tomando um núcleo de dispersão misto, que representa a dispesão local e a longa distância. Analisamos a dinâmica local do modelo determinando os pontos de equilíbrio e as suas estabilidades, para então analisar o processo de dispersão. Analisamos o modelo de dispersão por meio de simulação numérica, o que permitiu observar o deslocamento espacial da frente da invasão. Isto permitiu calcular a velocidade de expansão. Determinamos a inuência do efeito Allee, da capacidade reprodutiva e da dispersão de longa distância sobre a velocidade de expansão. Observamos que o efeito Allee torna velocidades aceleradas em velocidades constantes de expansão. A velocidade de expansão decresce com o aumento na intensidade do efeito Allee, mas aumenta com a capacidade reprodutiva. A dispersão de longa distância gera maiores velocidades de expansão, embora para fortes intensidades do efeito Allee o acréscimo na velocidade não é signifícativo em relação à velocidade gerada pela dispersão local. Os resultados mostram que apesar da dispersão contribuir ao aumento na velocidade de expansão, a dispersão também torna a população mais suscetável á extinção. / Abstract: We present a mathematical model which couples the reproductive dynamic with an Allee effect and a long distance diseprsal of an invasive plant. We consider an Allee effect due to pollen limitation, which reduces seed production. We introduce the Allee effect through a probability function that describes pollen-stigma encounters as function of the population density. To model the dispersal process we used integro-diference equations (IDE) and employed a mixed kernel which represents the local and long distance dispersal processes. We analyzed the local dynamic through the stability of their equilibrium points. For the spatial dynamic we used numerical simulations, that allowed us to observe the spatial displacement of the invasion front. This permitted us to compute the expansion speeds. We determined the inuence of the Allee effect, reproductive capacity and the long distance diseprsal on the invasion speeds. We observed than an Allee effect turns accelerating expansion speeds into constant speeds. Expansion speeds decreases with Allee effect intensity but increases with the reproductive capacity of the population. Long distance dispersal produces higher invasion speeds, but for strong intensities of the Allee effect, the increase is not significant in relation to the speeds generated by the local dispersal. Our results show that while dispersal contributes to expansion speeds, it also turns the population more susceptible to extinction. / Mestrado / Biomatematica / Mestre em Matemática Aplicada

Pour expliquer les faibles taux d'endémisme rencontrés chez les mousses en Macaronésie, deux hypothèses ont été successivement testées et invalidées au cours de mon doctorat chez deux genres de mousses d'occurrence macaronésienne, phylogénétiquement proches, Hedenasiastrum et Rhynchostegiella. Une première hypothèse suggérait que les mousses sont des organismes à faible potentiel évolutif peu enclins à former des espèces endémiques. Si une apparente stase morphologique de plus de 40 millions d'années a été reconstruite chez Hedenasiastrum, genre monotypique endémique de Madère, le grand nombre de convergences phénotypiques et les taux très élevés de diversification insulaire dans le genre Rhynchostegiella, infirment très fortement cette hypothèse. Ces études tendent ainsi à mettre en valeur la nature hyper adaptable des mousses et la diversité des processus évolutifs pouvant se mettre en place pour des espèces proches, dans une même région biogéographique. Une seconde hypothèse évoquait des flux de gènes intenses entre continents et îles, bloquant la spéciation insulaire ; hypothèse à son tour réfutée par le grand nombre d'évènements de spéciation in situ dans les îles, révélé par nos analyses de reconstruction d'aires ancestrales. Ce travail dévoile au final que la généralisation des colonisations inverses des îles vers le continent, pourrait être un des facteurs majeur expliquant les faibles taux d'endémisme macaronésiens chez les mousses. Plus que des puits de diversité, les îles seraient ainsi une source importante de biodiversité pour le continent chez les organismes capables de dispersion longue distance. / To explain the low rates of endemism encountered in Macaronesian mosses, two hypotheses have been successfully tested and invalidated during my PhD in two genera of mosses of the subfamily Helicodontioideae occurring in Macaronesia Islands, respectively Hedenasiastrum and Rhynchostegiella. The first hypothesis suggested that mosses are low evolutionary potential organisms, reluctant to form endemic species; if an apparent morphological stasis over 40 million years was reconstructed in Hedenasiastrum, a monotypic genus endemic of Madeira, the large number of phenotypic convergences and high rates of insular diversification in the genus Rhynchostegiella, strongly refute this hypothesis. Thereby these studies tend to emphasize the hyper-adaptability of mosses and the diversity of evolutionary processes that can occur in closely related species in the same biogeographic region. The second hypothesis evoked too intense gene flow between mainland and islands, preventing speciation on islands; a hypothesis invalidated by the high number of in situ event of speciation on islands revealed by our analysis of ancestral area reconstruction. Finally this work reveals generalized reverse colonization from islands to mainland after in situ speciation, as one of major factor responsible for low rates of endemism in the Macaronesian mosses. Islands may thus appear for organisms with high dispersal ability as inexhaustible sources of diversity.

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The recent emergence of highly virulent strains of the pathogen causing wheat stem rust has been acknowledged as a threat to global food security. In infected wheat fields, vast amounts of pathogenic fungal spores are produced that can be carried away by wind. For targeted disease surveillance and control it is important to estimate when, where and how many fungal spores are dispersed from infected to susceptible wheat fields. In this study, high-performance computational resources are used to investigate long-distance dispersal revealing atmospheric pathways that connect entire continents. Mechanistic simulations of turbulent atmospheric spore dispersal are conducted. The analyses bring together a variety of data, including international field disease surveys and finely resolved meteorological model data. The UK Met Office's Langrangian stochastic particle dispersion model, NAME, is applied, extended and coupled to other models in a set of case studies. In the first case study, spore dispersal is analysed across Southern/East Africa, the Middle East, and Central/South Asia by simulating billions of stochastic trajectories of fungal spores over dynamically changing host and environmental landscapes. The circumstances under which virulent strains, such as Ug99, pose a risk to globally important wheat producing areas are identified. Simulation results indicate a negligible risk for dispersal from key wheat producing countries on the East African continent (Ethiopia, Kenya) directly to India and Pakistan. However, there is a considerable risk for atmospheric transport from the Arabian Peninsula to South Asia. Spore dispersal trends are quantified between all countries in the domain providing estimates which can be used to improve targeted sampling and control. In the second case study, dispersal from southern Africa to Australia is analysed. Simulation results, as well as data from phenotypic and genotypic analyses, support the hypothesis that extremely long-distance airborne dispersal across the Indian Ocean is possible, albeit rare. This indicates that the pathogen populations on the two continents are connected and underlines the importance of sharing surveillance intelligence between continents. The third case study focusses on Ethiopia, determining likely origins of strain TKTTF that recently caused severe epidemics in East Africa's largest wheat producing country. The analyses suggest inflow into Ethiopia from the Middle East via Yemen, consistent with field survey data. The risk for inflow of pathogens into Ethiopia from key neighbouring countries is ranked for different months of the wheat season. In the last results chapter a pilot study is summarized testing the feasibility of an automated short-term forecasting system for spore dispersal from the latest field disease detection sites. Whilst the functionality and practical relevance of the forecasting system is demonstrated, considerable challenges remain for testing the forecasts. The predictive simulation framework described in this thesis can be applied to any wheat producing area worldwide to assess dispersal risks. The research has broader relevance because long-distance dispersal is a key mechanism for the transmission of several crop and livestock diseases, and also plays an important role in other areas of ecology.

The success or failure of many organisms to respond to the challenges of habitat destruction and a warming climate lies in the ability of plant species to disperse between isolated habitats or to migrate to new ranges. European semi-natural grasslands represent one of the world's most species-rich habitats at small scales, but agricultural intensification during the 20th century has meant that many plant species are left only on small fragments of former habitat. It is important that these plants can disperse, both for the maintenance of existing populations, and for the colonisation of target species to restored grasslands. This thesis investigates the ecological, geographical and historical influences on seed dispersal and connectivity in semi-natural grasslands, and the mobility of plants through time and space. Seed dispersal by human activity has played a large role in the build-up of plant communities in rural landscapes, but patterns have shifted. Livestock are the most traditional, and probably the most capable seed dispersal vector in the landscape, but other dispersal methods may also be effective. Motor vehicles disperse seeds with similar traits to those dispersed by livestock, while 39% of valuable grasslands in southern Sweden are connected by the road network. Humans are found to disperse around one-third of available grassland species, including several protected and red-listed species, indicating that humans may have been valuable seed dispersers in the past when rural populations were larger. Past activities can also affect seed mobility in time through the seed bank, as seeds of grassland plant species are shown to remain in the soil even after the grassland had been abandoned. Today however, low seed rain in intensively grazed semi-natural grasslands indicates that seed production may be a limiting factor in allowing seeds to be dispersed in space through the landscape. / <p>At the time of the doctoral defense, the following papers were unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 3: Accepted. Paper 4: In press. Paper 5: Manuscript.</p>

Dispersal, especially long-distance dispersal, is an important component in many disciplines within biology. Many species are passively dispersed by wind, not least spore-dispersed organisms. In this thesis I investigated the dispersal capacity of bryophytes by studying the colonization patterns from local scales (100 m) to landscape scales (20 km). The dispersal distances were measured from a known source (up to 600 m away) or inferred from a connectivity measure (1–20 km). I introduced acidic clay to measure the colonization rates over one season of a pioneer moss, Discelium nudum (I–III). I also investigated which vascular plants and bryophytes that had colonized limed mires approximately 20–30 years after the first disturbance (IV). Discelium effectively colonized new disturbed substrates over one season. Most spores were deposited up to 50 meters from a source but the relationship between local colonization rates and connectivity increased with distance up to 20 km (I–III). Also calcicolous wetland bryophyte species were good colonizers over similar distances, while vascular plants in the same environment colonized less frequently. Common bryophytes that produce spores frequently were more effective colonizers, while no effect of spore size was detected (IV). A mechanistic model that take into account meteorological parameters to simulate the trajectories for spores of Discelium nudum fitted rather well to the observed colonization pattern, especially if spore release thresholds in wind variation and humidity were accounted for (III). This thesis conclude that bryophytes in open habitats can disperse effectively across landscapes given that the regional spore source is large enough (i.e. are common in the region and produce spores abundantly). For spore-dispersed organisms in open landscapes I suggest that it is often the colonization phase and not the transport that is the main bottle-neck for maintaining populations across landscapes. / <p>At the time of the doctoral defence the following papesr were unpublished and had  a status as follows: Paper 2: Epubl ahead of print; Paper 3: Manuscript; Paper 4: Manuscript</p>

Long-distance dispersal of Rumex alpinus was studied in the Giant Mountain in the National Park. The invasion of R. alpinus is there kind of problem. The work builds on a thesis from year 2007 (20007 Červenková), in which was made the model of the invasion of R. alpinus in the area of the Giant Mountain. The measurements of the seeds spread take place at four localities, three of them were for measuring of water dispersal and one was for measuring of winter dispersal. Anemochory was measured using traps in the meadow up to a distance of 50 m. The seeds were dispersed by wind to a distance of 20 meters. Hydrochory was measured using a network's traps in the streams up to 100 m. The largest measured water dispersal was 100 m. Hydrochory therefore proved to be an important factor, which influenced the invasion of R. alpinus. The storms and flood had the great influence on the hydrochory and anemochory. The prediction exponential curves were compiled from the data about the wind dispersal. The curves express the spread to more than a measured distance. The field dispersion curves were compared with theoretical curves, which were used in the model of the invasion from 2007. It turned out that the theoretical curves overestimate the spread of R. alpinus by wind. The dispersion of seeds was underestimated in the...

Ce mémoire porte sur les relations phylogénétiques, géographiques et historiques du genre afro-malgache Delonix qui contient onze espèces et des genres monospécifiques et endémiques Colvillea et Lemuropisum. Les relations intergénériques et interspécifiques entre les espèces de ces trois genres ne sont pas résolues ce qui limite la vérification d’hypothèses taxonomiques, mais également biogéographiques concernant la dispersion de plantes depuis ou vers Madagascar. Une meilleure compréhension des relations évolutives et biogéographiques entre ces espèces menacées d’extinction permettrait une plus grande efficacité quant à leur conservation. L’objectif de ce mémoire est de reconstruire la phylogénie des espèces à l’aide de régions moléculaires des génomes chloroplastique et nucléaire, d’identifier les temps de divergences entre les espèces et de reconstruire l’aire géographique ancestrale pour chacun des groupes. Ce projet démontre que le genre Delonix n’est pas soutenu comme étant monophylétique et qu’une révision taxonomique s’impose. Les relations intergénériques demeurent floues quant à la position phylogénétique de Colvillea et nos résultats suggèrent de l’hybridation ou un assortiment incomplet de cette lignée. Les espèces sont apparues et se sont diversifiées au Miocène à partir d’un ancêtre commun du sud de Madagascar. La phylogénie montre deux clades associés aux aires géographiques de répartition des espèces opposant les espèces largement répandues à celles majoritairement restreintes au fourré aride. Différentes hypothèses afin d’expliquer la dispersion des Delonix africains au Miocène à partir de Madagascar sont discutées. Un point de mire sur les interactions biotiques et abiotiques, passées et présentes, dans le fourré aride de Madagascar est recommandé en terme de conservation. / This thesis discusses the phylogenetic, geographic, and historic relationships of the eleven species of the afro-madagascan genus Delonix, as well as the endemic, monospecific genera Colvillea and Lemuropisum. The intergeneric and interspecific relationships of these taxa are unresolved which limits the evaluation of taxonomic changes suggested by some studies and of conflicting biogeographical hypotheses regarding plant dispersal around Madagascar. These species are all endangered, therefore a better understanding of their evolutionary pattern would benefit conservation efforts in Madagascar. The objective of this thesis is to reconstruct a phylogeny using multiple loci from two distinct genomes, and to use it to reconstruct the ancestral geographic range of species and estimate the times of divergence of the lineages. Results indicate that genus Delonix is not supported as monophyletic and a taxonomic revision is necessary. The exact position for Colvillea is ambiguous and suggests hybridization or incomplete lineage sorting for this taxon. Species evolved mostly during the Miocene from southern Madagascan ancestors. The phylogeny shows two clades associated with the geographic distribution of species, opposing the widespread species to the rare and mostly southern, endemic, spiny thicket species. The different hypotheses that could explain the Miocene long distance dispersal of the two African Delonix species from Madagascar are discussed. We recommend that conservation efforts should focus on past and present biotic and abiotic interactions in the Madagascar spiny thicket, considering that this unique habitat is an evolutionary cradle for at least three genera.

Cette thèse porte sur l'analyse mathématique de modèles de réaction-dispersion de la forme [delta]tu=D(u) +f(x,u). L'objectif est de comprendre l'influence du terme de réaction f, de l'opérateur de dispersion D, et de la donnée initiale u0 sur la propagation des solutions de ces équations. Nous nous sommes intéressés principalement à deux types d'équations de réaction-dispersion : les équations de réaction-diffusion où l'opérateur de dispersion différentielle est D=[delta]2z et les équations intégro-différentielles pour lesquelles D est un opérateur de convolution, D(u)=J* u-u. Dans le cadre des équations de réaction-diffusion en milieu homogène, nous proposons une nouvelle approche plus intuitive concernant les notions de fronts progressifs tirés et poussés. Cette nouvelle caractérisation nous a permis de mieux comprendre d'une part les mécanismes de propagation des fronts et d'autre part l'influence de l'effet Allee, correspondant à une diminution de la fertilité à faible densité, lors d'une colonisation. Ces résultats ont des conséquences importantes en génétique des populations. Dans le cadre des équations de réaction-diffusion en milieu hétérogène, nous avons montré sur un exemple précis comment la fragmentation du milieu modifie la vitesse de propagation des solutions. Enfin, dans le cadre des équations intégro-différentielles, nous avons montré que la nature sur- ou sous-exponentielle du noyau de dispersion J modifie totalement la vitesse de propagation. / This thesis deals with the mathematical analysis of reaction-dispersion models of the form [delta]tu=D(u) +f(x,u). We investigate the influence of the reaction term f, the dispersal operator D and the initial datum u0 on the propagation of the solutions of these reaction-dispersion equations. We mainly focus on two types of equations: reaction-diffusion equations (D=[delta]2z and integro-differential equations (D is a convolution operator, D(u)=J* u-u). We first investigate the homogeneous reaction-diffusion equations. We provide a new and intuitive explanation of the notions of pushed and pulled traveling waves. This approach allows us to understand the inside dynamics the traveling fronts and the impact of the Allee effect, that is a low fertility at low density, during a colonisation. Our results also have important consequences in population genetics. In the more general and realistic framework of heterogeneous reaction-diffusion equations, we exhibit examples where the fragmentation of the media modifies the spreading speed of the solution. Finally, we investigate integro-differential equations and prove that emph{fat-tailed} dispersal kernels J, that is kernels which decay slower than any exponentially decaying function at infinity, lead to acceleration of the level sets of the solution u.