Thesis (M. For. Sc.)--University of Canterbury, 2006. / Typescript (photocopy). "August 2006." Includes bibliographical references (leaves 101-114). Also available via the World Wide Web.

Dans ce travail nous avons réalisé une évaluation de la composition et des activités biologiques des HEs extraites de L. stoechas récoltées sur 11 sites dans le nord de l'Algérie. Les HEs ont été analysées par GC/FID et GC/MS, où un total de 121 composés ont été identifiés, représentant de 69.88 à 91.2% du contenu total de l'huile. Les principaux constituants étaient le fenchone (11.27-37.48%), le camphre (1.94-21.8%), le 1,8-cinéol (0.16-8.71%) et le viridiflorol (2.89-7.38%). Les activités biologiques in vitro ont démontré que les activités de piégeage du radical DPPH et l’oxydation des lipides du couple β- carotène/acide linoléique différaient d’un facteur 8 et étaient liées à différents ensembles de molécules. Nos 11 HEs ont présenté de bonnes activités antimicrobiennes envers la plupart des 16 souches pathogènes testées à des valeurs de concentration minimale inhibitrice (CMI) allant de 0.16 à 3.5 mg/ml. A l’aide d’amorces dégénérées nous avons isolé trois ADNc en pleine longueur, LpFENS, LpPINS et LpGEAS, de feuilles de L. pedunculata. Six ADNc homologues en pleine longueur, LSFENS, LsPINS, LsGEAS, LvFENS, LvPINS et LvGEAS, ont été également isolés des feuilles de L. stoechas et L. viridis en utilisant des amorces spécifiques aux trois premiers ADNc clonés. L’expression hétérologue dans E. coli et l’analyse de l’activité catalytique par GC/MS des enzymes natives recombinantes purifiées de ces TPSs ont permis leur caractérisation fonctionnelle en tant que, α-fenchol synthases (LpFENS, LsFENS et LvFENS), α-pinène synthases (LpPINS, LsPINS et LvPINS) et germacrène A synthase (LpGEAS, LsGEAS et LvGEAS) / In this work, we have assessed the composition and the biological activities of essential oils (EO) extracted from L. stoechas collected from 11 locations in northern Algeria. The oils were analyzed by GC/FID and GC/MS. A total of 121 compounds were identified that accounted for 69.88-91.2 % of the total oil contents. Major components were fenchone (11.27-37.48 %), camphor (1.94-21.8 %), 1,8-cineol (0.16-8.71 %) and viridiflorol (2.89-7.38 %). In vitro biological activities demonstrated that the DPPH-based radical scavenging and the β-carotene/linoleic acid-based lipid anti-oxidation activities differed by an 8 fold factor and were linked to different sets of molecules in different EOs. Our 11 EOs exhibited good antimicrobial activities against most of the 16 tested strains of pathogenic bacteria, filamentous fungi and yeast at minimum inhibition concentration (MIC) values of 0.16 to 3.5 mg/ml. The use of degenerate primers allowed us to isolate three full-length cDNAs, LpFENS, LpPINS and LpGEAS, from the leaves of L. pedunculata. Six full-length homologous cDNAs, LsFENS, LsFENS, LsPINS, LsGEAS, LvFENS, LvPINS and LvGEAS were also isolated from the leaves of L. stoechas and L. viridis with specific primers designed on the cDNAs previously cloned. Heterologous expression in E. coli and GC/MS analysis of the catalytic activity of native recombinant enzymes of these TPSs have led to their functional characterization as α-fenchol synthases (LpFENS, LsFENS and LvFENS), α-pinene synthases (LpPINS, LsPINS and LvPINS) and germacrene A synthases (LpGEAS, LsGEAS and LvGEAS)

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Oregon State University, 2009. / Printout. Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the World Wide Web.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-02T20:36:22Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 2421.pdf: 6588064 bytes, checksum: 002b104af419727d81cefcf85c47c6dd (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009-02-12 / Universidade Federal de Sao Carlos / Some phytopatogenic fungi found in Cupressus species produces phytotoxins very aggressive to the host plant. Surprisingly, these toxins are diterpenoids structures, as well as some endogenus metabolites in Cupressus species. This fungi ability appears to be a specialized strategy in the association fungi-plant. These observations motivated the development of the present work, which relates the isolation of microorganisms associated to the species Cupressus lusitanica, and to its study, aiming a correlation of the chemical profile among the organisms involved in this association. During two collects of plant material from an exemplar found in the campus of the UFSCar, five endophytic fungi had been isolated and called NICL1-5. A preliminary identification indicated that possibly four of them belong to the Xylaria genus, and one to the Guignardia genus (NICL4). The analysis with GC-MS had detected three isocoumarins (mellein, mellein methyl ether, 5- formylmellein), as well as an eremophilane sesquiterpene (valencene) in extracts of NICL3 fungi. From the extracts of the same fungi, had been obtained three eremophilanes sesquiterpenes (two news in literature) by the use of classical methodologies of chromatography. These compounds had been identified using a series of NMR data in 1D and 2D. From the study of the secondary metabolites of NICL5 had been obtained ergosterol, sorbitol and three cytochalasins (cytochalasin C, cytochalasin D and cytochalasin Q). The metabolism if NICL5 had also been studied, when free amino acids were added in the culture medium. By the analysis with HPLC-MS significant alterations in the NICL5 metabolism had been detected, as a possible induction of the biosynthesis of a new cytochalasin, from the amino acid tryptofane. The analysis of the plant material indicated the presence of biflavonoids and some diterpenes. However, these compounds had not been detected in fungi extracts, being identified only sesquiterpenes. / Alguns fungos fitopatogênicos a Cupressus produzem fitotoxinas bastante agressivas à hospedeira. Surpreendentemente, essas fitotoxinas são, em geral, de estruturas diterpenoídicas, assim como vários metabólitos endógenos nas espécies de Cupressus. Essa habilidade mostrada pelo fungo parece ser uma estratégia bastante especializada de associação fungo-planta. Essas observações motivaram o desenvolvimento do presente trabalho, o qual se refere ao isolamento de microrganismos associados à espécie Cupressus lusitanica, e o seu estudo visando uma correlação do perfil químico entre os organismos envolvidos nessa associação. Durante duas coletas de material vegetal a partir de um indivíduo encontrado no campus da UFSCar, foram isolados cinco fungos endofíticos, denominados NICL1-5. Identificação preliminar indicou que possivelmente quatro deles pertencem ao gênero Xylaria e um ao gênero Guignardia (NICL4). Através de análises por CG-EM, detectouse três isocumarinas (meleína, éter metílico da meleína e 5-formil meleina), bem como um sesquiterpeno eremofilano (valenceno) em extratos do fungo NICL3. Dos extratos deste mesmo fungo, foram obtidos três sesquiterpenos eremofilanos (sendo dois novos na literatura), usando metodologias clássicas de cromatografia. Esses sesquiterpenos foram identificados usando uma série de dados de RMN em 1D e 2D. Do estudo dos metabólitos secundários de NICL5 foram obtidos o ergosterol, o sorbitol e três citocalasinas (citocalasina C, citocalasina D e citocalasina Q). Foi estudado também o metabolismo de NICL5 frente à adição de aminoácidos livres ao meio de cultura. Usando análises por CLAE-EM, detectaram-se significantes alterações no metabolismo de NICL5, como uma possível indução da biossíntese de uma nova citocalasina, a partir do aminoácido triptofano. As análises do material vegetal indicaram a presença de biflavonóides e vários diterpenos. Porém, esses compostos não foram detectados nos extratos fúngicos, sendo identificados apenas sesquiterpenos.

Dans ce travail nous avons réalisé une évaluation de la composition et des activités biologiques des HEs extraites de L. stoechas récoltées sur 11 sites dans le nord de l'Algérie. Les HEs ont été analysées par GC/FID et GC/MS, où un total de 121 composés ont été identifiés, représentant de 69.88 à 91.2% du contenu total de l'huile. Les principaux constituants étaient le fenchone (11.27-37.48%), le camphre (1.94-21.8%), le 1,8-cinéol (0.16-8.71%) et le viridiflorol (2.89-7.38%). Les activités biologiques in vitro ont démontré que les activités de piégeage du radical DPPH et l'oxydation des lipides du couple β- carotène/acide linoléique différaient d'un facteur 8 et étaient liées à différents ensembles de molécules. Nos 11 HEs ont présenté de bonnes activités antimicrobiennes envers la plupart des 16 souches pathogènes testées à des valeurs de concentration minimale inhibitrice (CMI) allant de 0.16 à 3.5 mg/ml. A l'aide d'amorces dégénérées nous avons isolé trois ADNc en pleine longueur, LpFENS, LpPINS et LpGEAS, de feuilles de L. pedunculata. Six ADNc homologues en pleine longueur, LSFENS, LsPINS, LsGEAS, LvFENS, LvPINS et LvGEAS, ont été également isolés des feuilles de L. stoechas et L. viridis en utilisant des amorces spécifiques aux trois premiers ADNc clonés. L'expression hétérologue dans E. coli et l'analyse de l'activité catalytique par GC/MS des enzymes natives recombinantes purifiées de ces TPSs ont permis leur caractérisation fonctionnelle en tant que, α-fenchol synthases (LpFENS, LsFENS et LvFENS), α-pinène synthases (LpPINS, LsPINS et LvPINS) et germacrène A synthase (LpGEAS, LsGEAS et LvGEAS)

Diss. (sammanfattning) Uppsala : Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet, 2006. / Härtill 4 uppsatser.

Abstract The protection of endangered species requires knowledge about the habitat requirements and the genetic issues related to the population viability. In this doctoral thesis, I defined the breeding habitat features of the Finnish populations of the Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) and the Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) by applying habitat suitability modelling. Secondly, I studied the conservation genetic issues of the Finnish population of the White-tailed Eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) and the two Reed Bunting subspecies Emberiza schoeniclus witherbyi and E.s. lusitanica met in the Iberian Peninsula. All study populations are classified as threatened according to IUCN classification and they have experienced declines in population sizes in recent history. My results from habitat suitability models showed that human-induced changes in habitat threaten the Golden Eagle in Finland. The relative suitability for the species presence dropped to zero when the proportion of human altered landscape (agricultural or urbanized areas) in the core of the breeding habitat (4 km2) was more than 5%. Models further showed that habitat structure influences breeding habitat selection of the Peregrine Falcon, as it favours well-connected areas of open peatlands. Therefore, fragmentation (i.e., decreasing the connectivity) of open peatlands decreases the habitat quality for the species. The White-tailed Eagle has recovered mainly through local growth, but my results suggest that gene flow from neighbouring populations has had an impact as well, and has enhanced the genetic viability of the Finnish population. The current structure of the two subpopulations (one along the Baltic Sea coast line and another inland in Northern Finland) results mainly from the species’ ecology (i.e., philopatric behaviour), not from the recent population bottlenecks. The effective population size estimate of the coastal subpopulation of White-tailed Eagle was below the critical size needed to maintain evolutionary potential. The estimates of the effective population sizes for E.s. lusitanica and E.s. witherbyi and inland subpopulation of White-tailed Eagle were close or below the critical level of 50, which makes them prone to losing fitness due to inbreeding depression in the short term. Therefore, these study populations need to increase in size in order to secure population viability in the future. / Tiivistelmä Ihmisen aiheuttamat elinympäristöjen muutokset uhkaavat biodiversiteettiä kasvattamalla yhä useampien eliölajien sukupuuttoriskiä. Tehokkaat suojelutoimenpiteet edellyttävät tietoa uhanalaisten lajien elinympäristövaatimuksista sekä populaation elinkyvylle keskeisistä geneettisistä tekijöistä. Tarkastelen väitöskirjatyössäni maakotkan (Aquila chrysaetos) sekä muuttohaukan (Falco peregrinus) Suomen populaatioiden pesimäympäristön piirteitä maisemaekologisen mallinnuksen avulla. Toiseksi tarkastelen Suomen merikotkapopulaation (Haliaeetus albicilla) sekä Iberian niemimaalla esiintyvien pajusirkun alalajien Emberiza schoeniclus witherbyin ja E.s. lusitanican suojelun kannalta tärkeitä geneettisiä tekijöitä. Kaikki tutkimuspopulaatiot ovat uhanalaisia ja ne ovat kärsineet voimakkaista kannan pienenemisistä. Maisemaekologiset mallit osoittivat maakotkan välttävän ihmisen muokkaamaa ympäristöä (maatalousalueet ja rakennetut alueet). Lajin esiintymistodennäköisyys laski nopeasti nollaan, kun ihmisen muokkaaman ympäristön osuus nousi yli 5 prosenttiin pesimäympäristön ydinalueella (4 km2). Mallit osoittivat maiseman rakenteen vaikuttavan muuttohaukan habitaatinvalintaan, sillä se suosi pesimäympäristönään kytkeytyneitä avosoita. Avosoiden pirstoutuminen (l. kytkeytyneisyyden väheneminen) vähentää näin ollen muuttohaukan pesimäympäristön laatua. Merikotkapopulaatio on toipunut pääosin paikallisen kasvun myötä, mutta tulokseni viittaavat myös siihen, että geenivirta naapurimaiden populaatioista on lisännyt Suomen populaation geneettistä muuntelua. Nykyinen rakenne (rannikon ja Lapin alapopulaatiot) on seurausta lajin synnyinpaikkauskollisuudesta, ei niinkään populaatiokoon romahduksista. Rannikon merikotkapopulaation efektiivinen koko jäi alle kriittisen rajan, joka tarvitaan evolutiivisen potentiaalin säilymiselle. Pajusirkun alalajien sekä Lapin merikotkapopulaation efektiiviset populaatiokoot olivat lähellä kriittisenä pidettyä 50:tä tai jäivät alle, joten ne ovat vaarassa menettää kelpoisuutta sukusiitosdepression seurauksena lyhyellä aikavälillä. Sekä pajusirkun alalajien että merikotkapopulaatioiden tulee sen vuoksi kasvaa säilyäkseen elinvoimaisina tulevaisuudessa.

<p>U okviru ove doktorske disertacije ispitan je hemijski sastav i biolo&scaron;ke aktivnosti metanolnih i vodenih ekstrakata odabranih samoniklih vrsta tribusa Urticeae, rod&nbsp; Urtica:&nbsp; U. <em>dioica</em>&nbsp; subsp.&nbsp; <em>dioica</em>&nbsp; var.&nbsp;<em> pubescens</em>, U.<em>&nbsp; dioica&nbsp;</em> subsp.&nbsp; <em>dioica&nbsp; </em>var.&nbsp; <em>dioica</em>&nbsp; i&nbsp; U. <em>kioviensis</em>&nbsp; i tribusa Parietarieae, rod&nbsp; Parietaria:<em>&nbsp; P. officinalis</em>,&nbsp; <em>P.</em><br /><em>lusitanica</em> L. subsp<em>. lusitanica</em>,<em> P. judaica</em> L. subsp. <em>judaica</em> i<em> P. serbica</em>. Cilj rada bio je da se odredi sadrţaj biolo&scaron;ki aktivnih jedinjenja u ovim, do sada veoma malo ispitanim vrstama famijije Urticaceae, i utvrdi njihov potencijal primene kao pomoćnih lekovitih sredstava i dodataka ishrani.<br />Hemijski sastav ekstrakata ispitivanih vrsta određen je primenom: tečnohromatografskih tehnika (LC-DAD-MS i LC-MS-MS) za kvalitativnu analizu metanolnih ekstrakata, dok je za kvantitativnu analizu odabranih fenolnih jedinjenja primenjena LC-MS-MS tehnika. Spektrofotometrijskim metodama je određen sadržaj<br />ukupnih fenolnih komponenti i flavonoida. Ispitivanja biolo&scaron;kih aktivnosti ekstrakata obuhvatila su: određivanje antioksidantne i antiinflamatorne aktivnosti kao i sposobnost ekstrakata da inhibiraju acetilholinesterazu.&nbsp; Određen je uticaj odabranih metanolnih ekstrakata na imuni odgovor i proliferaciju intestinalnih ćelijskih linija pacova (IEC18) i ĉoveka (Caco2).<br />Dobijeni rezultati ukazuju da odabrane vrste tribusa Urticeae i Parietarieae, odnosno rodova&nbsp; Urtica&nbsp; i Parietaria&nbsp; predstavljaju bogate izvore biolo&scaron;ki aktivnih jedinjenja koja ispoljavaju raznovrsne biolo&scaron;ke aktivnosti. Sa hemotaksonomskog aspekta izdvajaju se sledeća jedinjenja kao potencijalni taksonomski markeri: vi&scaron;i sadržaj 5-O-kafeoilhinske kiseline u ekstraktima herbi vrsta roda&nbsp; Urtica, i visok sadrţaj<br />epikatehina u ekstraktima korena vrsta roda&nbsp; Parietaria. Ekstrakt herbe vrste&nbsp; U. kioviensis&nbsp; se od ostalih izdvaja po tome &scaron;to ne sadrži rutin a sadrži&nbsp; C-glikozide, u najvećoj meri viteksin. Od svih ispitivanih ekstrakata, ekstrakti korena&nbsp; Parietaria&nbsp; vrsta su ispoljili najbolji antioksidantni potencijal u većini izvr&scaron;enih testova. Najsnažniji antiinflamatorni potencijal je ispoljio ekstrakt korena vrste&nbsp; P. officinalis&nbsp; a prate ga ekstrakti korena vrsta roda&nbsp; Urtica.&nbsp; Veoma dobar antiinflamatorni potencijal su ispoljili infuzi herbi vrste U.<em> dioica</em>&nbsp; (čajevi od koprive). Svi ispitani metanolni ekstrakti su ispoljili odličnu inhibiciju enzima acetilholinesteraze a kao najbolji se izdvajaju ekstrakti korena&nbsp; Parietaria&nbsp; vrsta i vrste&nbsp; U.<em> kioviensis</em>. Povećanu sekreciju citokina rat MCP1 i GRO&alpha;&nbsp; izazivaju ekstrakti korena vrsta&nbsp; P. officinalis&nbsp; i&nbsp; P. judaica&nbsp; u<br />bazalnim uslovima i uslovima LPS-stimulisane inlamacije, dok ekstrakti vrste&nbsp; U. dioica&nbsp; povećavaju bazalnu a smanjuju LPS-stimulisanu sekreciju. Stimulaciju sekrecije ova dva citokina, ispitivani ekstrakti vr&scaron;e interakcijom sa adapternim proteinom MyD88 (ali ne intereaguju sa TLR4 receptorom) i NF -&kappa;B signalnim<br />putem. Ekstrakt korena vrste&nbsp; P. <em>officinalis</em>&nbsp; povećava LPS-om indukovanu ekspresiju enzima COX-2 u IEC18 ćelijama, dok je ekstrakt korena vrste&nbsp; U.<em> dioica</em>&nbsp; smanjuje. Efekat epitelizacije ili zarastanja rane na monosloju IEC18 ćelija ispoljavaju ekstrakti herbe i korena vrste&nbsp; P. <em>officinalis</em>. Ispitivani ekstrakti ne menjaju značajno seksreciju citokina hMCP1 i IL-8 u Caco2 ćelijama niti ispoljavaju značajan uticaj na &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; njihovu proliferaciju.</p> / <p>Within this doctoral thesis the chemical composition and biological activity of methanol and aqueous extracts of the selected plant species belonging to the Urticeae and Parietarieae tribe, more specifically to the&nbsp; Urtica&nbsp; and&nbsp; Parietaria&nbsp; genuses was evaluated (Urtica:&nbsp; U.<em> dioica</em>&nbsp; subsp.<em> dioica</em>&nbsp; var.&nbsp; <em>pubescens</em>,&nbsp; U.&nbsp; <em>dioica</em>&nbsp; subsp.&nbsp;<em> dioica</em>&nbsp; var.&nbsp; <em>dioica</em>&nbsp; and&nbsp; U.<em> kioviensis</em>;&nbsp; Parietaria:&nbsp; P<em>. officinalis</em>,&nbsp; P.<em> lusitanica</em>&nbsp; subsp.&nbsp; <em>lusitanica,</em>&nbsp; P. <em>judaica&nbsp;</em> subsp.<em>&nbsp; judaica&nbsp;</em> and<em>&nbsp; P. serbica</em>). The principal aim was to determine the content of biologically active&nbsp; compounds in this, poorly<br />examined species of the Urticaceae family, and determine their potential as additional remedy and dietary supplements.<br />Qualitative analysis of methanol extracts was performed by LC-DAD-MS i LC-MS/MS analysis, and LC-MS/MS for quantitative analysis of selected phenolic compounds. Total phenolics and flavonoids were determined spectrophotometrically. In order to assess the biological potential, the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of the extracts were studied as well as&nbsp; their ability to inhibit acetylcholinesterase. The immuno-modulatory effects of the selected methanol extract on the immune response and proliferation of intestinal epithelial cells (IEC18 and Caco2)<br />was determined.<br />The obtained results suggest that the examined species of the Urticeae and Parietarieae tribe (genuses&nbsp; Urtica&nbsp; and&nbsp; Parietaria) are abundant with the biologically active compounds that express a broad spectrum of biological activities. As a potential chemotaxonomic markers stand out the following&nbsp; compounds: 5-O-caffeoilquinic acid (highly abundant in the herb extracts of the&nbsp; Urtica&nbsp; spp.) and epicatechin (highly abundant in the root extracts of the&nbsp; Parietaria&nbsp; spp.).&nbsp; U.<br />kioviensis&nbsp; herb extracts differs from the rest by high content of vitexin and total lack of rutin. The best antioxidant potential have exhibited the root extracts of the&nbsp; Parietaria&nbsp; species. The strongest anti-inflammatory potential had the root extract of the&nbsp; P. officinalis, followed by root extracts of the&nbsp; Urtica&nbsp; spp. Excellent anti-inflammatory activity have exhibited the aqueous&nbsp; extracts of&nbsp; U.<em> dioica</em>&nbsp; herbs&nbsp; &ndash;&nbsp; stinging nettle teas. All tested methanol extracts have inhibited enzyme acetylcholinesterase, the best inhibitors being root extracts of&nbsp; U.<em> kioviensis&nbsp;</em> and Parietaria&nbsp; species. Root extracts of&nbsp; P<em>. officinalis</em>&nbsp; and&nbsp; P.<em> judaica</em>&nbsp; have increased the basal and LPS-stimulated secretion of rat MCP1 and GRO&alpha;, while&nbsp; U. <em>dioica&nbsp;</em> extracts increased the basal but decreased the LPS-stimulated secretion. The examined extracts interact with the MyD88 (but not the TLR4) and NF-&kappa;B signaling pathway. The root extract of&nbsp; P<em>. officinalis&nbsp; </em>increase LPS-stimulated expression of COX-2 in IEC18 cells, while the root extract of&nbsp; U<em>. dioica</em>&nbsp; decreases it.<br />The herb and root extract of P. <em>officinalis</em>&nbsp; exhibit the wound healing effect. Investigated extracts do not significantly alter the secretion of hMCP1 and IL-8 in Caco2 cells and exhibit no significant effect to their proliferation.</p> / null

Natural forests are characterised by great vegetation diversity and create habitats for a major part of Earth’s terrestrial organisms. Plantation forests, which are mainly composed of a few genera of fast-growing trees, constitute an increasing fraction of global forests, but they only partly compensate for loss of area, habitat and ecological functions in natural forests. Plantation forests established near natural forests can be expected to serve as buffers, but they seem to be relatively poor in invertebrate species and it is not clear why. This bachelor’s degree project aimed at establishing the ecological and edaphic factors that correlate with soil invertebrate diversity in dry upland forests and surrounding plantation forests in eastern Africa. Some aspects of the above-ground vegetation heterogeneity were investigated since this was assumed to influence the heterogeneity of the soil environment, which is considered as critical for soil biodiversity. The obtained knowledge may be valuable in conservation activities in East African forests, which are threatened by destruction, fragmentation and exotic species. The study area was Karura Forest, a dry upland forest in Nairobi, Kenya. Three different sites were investigated; a natural forest site characterized by the indigenous tree species Brachylaena huillensis and Croton megalocarpus, and two different plantation forest sites, characterized by the exotic species Cupressus lusitanica and Eucalyptus paniculata, respectively. For each forest type, six plots were visited. Soil invertebrates were extracted from collected soil and litter samples by sieving and Berlese-Tullgren funnels. The invertebrates were identified, and the taxonomic diversity calculated at the order level. The ecological and edaphic factors, measured or calculated for each plot, were tree species diversity, ratio of exotic tree species, vertical structure of trees, vegetation cover, vegetation density, litter quality, soil pH, soil temperature and soil moisture. One-way ANOVA was used to compare soil invertebrate diversity and other variables between different forest types. Akaike’s Information Criterion and Multiple Linear Regression were used to establish linear models with variables that could explain measured variations of the diversity. There was some evidence for higher soil invertebrate diversity in natural forests than in surrounding plantation forests. The abundance of soil invertebrates was also clearly higher in natural forests, which indicates that natural forests are more important than plantation forests for conservation of soil invertebrate populations. Soil invertebrate diversity (in terms of number of orders present) was found to be influenced by forest type and litter quality. The diversity was higher at places with high amounts of coarse litter, which here is considered as more heterogenous than fine litter. The dependence on forest type was partly a consequence of differences in soil pH since Eucalyptus trees lower soil pH and thereby also soil biodiversity. No relation to heterogeneity of above-ground vegetation was found. For future conservation activities in Karura Forest Reserve it is recommended to continue removing exotic plant species and replanting indigenous trees, to prioritize the removal of Eucalyptus trees before Cypress trees, to only remove a few trees at a time and to establish ground vegetation when doing so.

Los estudios acerca de la ecología trófica de los peces, en los cuales se relacionan la biología y fisiología de las especies con su hábitat, régimen alimentario, tipo de dieta y relaciones bióticas, aportan información básica y necesaria para comprender el papel ecológico que desempeñan estos organismos dentro del ecosistema que habitan, y por lo tanto para establecer protocolos de gestión de sus poblaciones. Esta tesis aporta un mayor conocimiento de la biología, fenología y hábitos alimenticios de cinco especies de peces bentónicos de interés comercial en el litoral valenciano y de los cuales la información es escasa, como son el salmonete de roca (Mullus surmuletus), el lenguado tigre (Synaptura lusitanica), la escorpa (Scorpaena scrofa), la rata (Uranoscopus scaber) y el torpedo común o vaca (Torpedo torpedo). Así mismo, relacionar la importancia que tienen los aspectos de tipo ecológico y fisiológico de los peces con la incorporación de sustancias contaminantes como metales pesados (Cd, Pb, Cu y Zn) y conocer sus patrones de acumulación en diferentes órganos y tejidos. Los resultados indican que estas especies son pescadas en toda la bahía, de forma artesanal y con trasmallo, a profundidades que oscilan entre los 6m y los 20m y a lo largo de todo el año. Su distribución y abundancia se ve condicionada principalmente por factores como la estacionalidad y algunas especies como S. scrofa y T. torpedo presentan una segregación por sexos en su patrón de distribución. . La mayoría de las especies tienen su período de maduración sexual y desove en los meses de primavera y comienzo del verano. Estas épocas coinciden con períodos de reclutamiento de juveniles, siendo además favorables en cuanto a la acumulación de reservas energéticas corporales. Las preferencias dietarias que hemos encontrado en las especies estudiadas fueron variadas, de tal manera que M. surmuletus se alimenta de presas pequeñas pero abundantes, predominando los crustáceos. / Jaramillo Londoño, ÁM. (2009). Estudio de la biología trófica de cinco especies de peces bentónicos de la costa de Cullera. Relaciones con la acumulación de metales pesados [Tesis doctoral]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/8320