München, Techn. University, Diss., 2004.

All developing embryos contain an extracellular matrix (ECM) consisting of proteins, glycoproteins, and proteoglycans. These components are important for morphogenetic processes such as cell migration, cell differentiation and cell death. The ECM of the starfish, Pisaster ochraceus, consists of three major components: A hyaline layer which coats the external surface of the embryo; a basal lamina which lines the basal surfaces of the epithelia; and a blastocoelic component which fills the embryonic cavity or blastocoel. Observations of chemically fixed asteroid embryos have revealed the hyaline layer to contain five sub-layers of fibrous strands encrusted with amorphous material. Strands of a similar nature form a meshwork within the fluid-filled blastocoel. Recent studies of the living embryo, however, have suggested that the ECM within the blastocoel of echinoderms, including the asteroid, is a gel-like substance and not a fluid with extracellular fibres. Since artefacts imposed by chemicals such as aldehydes and osmium are well documented, a method of preservation, which does not involve the use of these chemicals, may resolve the apparent conflict over the nature of the ECM of the asteroid embryo. Freeze substitution, an expensive cryofixation technique which has proven successful in fixing vertebrate tissue, does not require the use of aldehydes and osmium. The initial objective of this study was to devise an inexpensive, easily employable freeze substitution technique which would allow good preservation of cellular and extracellular elements of the embryonic starfish, Pisaster ochraceus. A plunge freezing apparatus was constructed which consisted of a Dewer flask filled with liquid nitrogen, a small cup was filled with cryogen and inserted into the nitrogen, and a motor which constantly stirred the cryogen. Embryos were isolated on copper freeze-fracture grids and plunged into the cryogen. After considering four different cryogens and four separate cryoprotectants, cryoprotecting asteroid embryos with propylene glycol and plunging them into supercooled propane was found to provide optimal preservation. Frozen embryos were freeze substituted in anhydrous ethanol at -90 °C, osmicated, and embedded for ultrastructural and histochemical analysis. Following freeze substitution, the blastocoel appears to contain a gel-like substance, rich in sulfated GAG's, with extracellular fibres and not a fluid with fibres. In addition, the hyaline layer was found to consist of at least six sub-layers of greater thickness than was seen in chemically fixed embryos. Histochemical studies demonstrated that both sulfated and unsulfated GAG's were present in these layers. The morphological differences among the sub-layers suggest that some sub-layers may have unique functions while others may have functions shared by other sub-layers. Freeze substitution also revealed the presence of microvillus associated bodies, structures which may represent major attachment points of the hyaline layer to the epithelium. Although the fixation of asteroid embryos by freeze substitution is a lengthy process, taking four to five days, the resulting preservation, particular!ly of the ECM components, justifies its use over chemical fixations. Material preserved by freeze substitution can be used for histochemical studies and, since aldehydes and heavy metals are not necessary for successful preservation, may also prove useful for immunocytochemical studies. / Medicine, Faculty of / Graduate

Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-17T15:01:16Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 RaimundoCSF.pdf: 2059810 bytes, checksum: 4d1a84d062e046ae8304a415fa8bdd6b (MD5) Previous issue date: 2005-12-13 / Coordena??o de Aperfei?oamento de Pessoal de N?vel Superior / In this work a 24 factorial design with triplicate at central point was used in order to investigate the influence of chitosan concentration (substrate) (Cs), culture media temperature (CMT), aeration ratio (AR) as well as agitation (A) on chitosanase production by Aspergillus ochraceus. Experiments were carried out using the following levels to the factors: (Cs) (-1) 0.1%; (0) 0.15%; (+1) 0.2%; (TMC) (-1) 25 minutes; (0) 30 minutes; (+1) 35 minutes; (RA) (-1) 0.4; (0) 0.6; (+1) 0.8; (A) (-1) 90 rpm, (0) 120 rpm, (+1) 150 rpm. One chitosanolytic activity (U.mL-1) was defined as the enzyme necessary to produce 1.0 mmol.min-1 of glicosamine by mL of extract. Chitosanolytic assays were carried out using two extract volumes, 0.05 and 0.1 mL, respectively. Results showed that was possible to produce chitosanase of order aproximatelly 5,9 U.mL-1 by Aspergillus ochraceus and chitosanolytic activity was increased by increment on substrate concentration, aeration ratio as well as agitation while media culture temperature increment decreased activity / No presente trabalho utilizou-se um planejamento fatorial 24 com repeti??o em triplicata no ponto central, para se investigar a influ?ncia dos fatores: concentra??o de quitosana (substrato) (Cs), temperatura de cultivo (TMC), raz?o de aera??o (RA) e agita??o (A) na produ??o da enzima quitosanase por Aspergillus ochraceus. Os ensaios foram realizados aleatoriamente utilizando-se os seguintes n?veis para os fatores: (Cs) (-1) 0,1%; (0) 0,15%; (+1) 0,2%; (TMC) (-1) 25 minutos; (0) 30 minutos; (+1) 35 minutos; (RA) (-1) 0,4; (0) 0,6; (+1) 0,8; (A) (-1) 90 rpm, (0) 120rpm, (+1) 150 rpm. Uma unidade de atividade quitosanol?tica (U.mL-1) foi definida como a quantidade de enzima necess?ria para produzir (1,0 mmol.min-1) de glicosamina por mL de extrato enzim?tico. Para o teste de atividade quitosanol?tica foram utilizados dois volumes diferentes de caldo enzim?tico 0,05 mL e 0,1 mL, respectivamente. Os resultados mostraram que foi poss?vel produzir quitosanase em concentra??o aproximada de 5,9 U.mL-1 utilizando Aspergillus ochraceus e que a atividade foi favorecida pelo aumento da agita??o (A), da raz?o de aera??o (RA) e da concentra??o de substrato (Cs), enquanto que o aumento da temperatura de cultivo (TMC) n?o favoreceu a resposta (atividade quitosanol?tica)

Submitted by Marlene Santos (marlene.bc.ufg@gmail.com) on 2016-08-30T17:41:02Z No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Júlia Martins Ulhôa Ferreira - 2016.pdf: 3148442 bytes, checksum: fc17d72cc71fdebb2a4ec57487e7cd21 (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Luciana Ferreira (lucgeral@gmail.com) on 2016-08-31T13:05:08Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Júlia Martins Ulhôa Ferreira - 2016.pdf: 3148442 bytes, checksum: fc17d72cc71fdebb2a4ec57487e7cd21 (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-08-31T13:05:08Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Júlia Martins Ulhôa Ferreira - 2016.pdf: 3148442 bytes, checksum: fc17d72cc71fdebb2a4ec57487e7cd21 (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-08-16 / Conselho Nacional de Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico - CNPq / The study of biotransformation is important in the evaluation of safety and efficacy and for developing of new drug candidates. The "microbial models of mammalian metabolism", in which microbial biotransformation is used for the purpose of predict and obtaining human metabolites, is an alternative method to the use of animals for this study. Several advantages such as lower cost, a greater quantity and variety of derivatives produced, using mild conditions of reaction and decreasing the use of toxic volatile organic solvents are observed. The aim of this study was to produce derivatives of diacerein (1,8-diacetoxy-3-carboxyanthraquinone) by biotransformation using filamentous fungi and to evaluate the cytotoxicity of the main derivatives obtained given the resurgence of interest in this class of compounds. The diacerein is an anthraquinone with a wide range of biological activities, like as anti-osteoarthritis, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antipyretic, prevention of vascular disease, insulin resistance treatment, anticancer. Analytical methodologies have been developed for monitoring the production of derivatives by thin layer chromatography and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). After screening with seventeen fungal strains, Aspergillus ochraceus ATCC 1009 and Cunninghamella echinulata ATCC 9245 were selected for incubation in semipreparative scale. Of these incubations rhein (the main human metabolite) was obtained, which was characterized using the techniques Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) 1H e 13C, High Resolution Mass Spectrometry (MS), spectrometry in the UV region and analysed by HPLC. Another derivative was obtained by incubation with Aspergillus ochraceus ATCC 1009 and characterized by MS and analyzed by HPLC being, possibly, glycosylated diacerein. The influence of the addition of cytochrome P450 inhibitor in the production of metabolites was performed and inhibited the production of rhein about 41%, which may indicate the involvement of CYP1A1 and CYP1A2 in the deacetylation reaction. The cytotoxic potential of diacerein and rhein was evaluated by the tetrazolium reduction method (MTT) assay using murine fibroblast cells 3T3 and tumor cell line B16F10 (melanoma). Both the rhein, as diacerein, have demonstrated cytotoxic potential against B16F10 cells. / O estudo da biotransformação é de fundamental importância na avaliação da segurança e eficácia e para o desenvolvimento de novos candidatos a fármacos. O “Modelo microbiano do metabolismo animal”, no qual a biotransformação microbiana é utilizada com a finalidade de prever e obter metabólitos humanos, representa um método alternativo ao uso de animais para esse estudo, uma vez que são observadas diversas vantagens como menor custo, maior quantidade e variedade de derivados produzidos, utilização de condições brandas de reação e redução da utilização de solventes orgânicos voláteis tóxicos. O objetivo deste estudo foi produzir derivados da diacereína (1,8-diacetoxi-3-carboxiantraquinona) por biotransformação, utilizando fungos filamentosos e avaliar a citotoxicidade dos principais derivados obtidos, em função do ressurgimento do interesse desta classe de compostos. A diacereína é uma antraquinona com ampla gama de atividades biológicas - antiosteoartrósica, analgésica, anti-inflamatória, antipirética, prevenção de doenças vasculares, tratamento de resistência à insulina, anticâncer. Metodologias analíticas foram desenvolvidas para o monitoramento da produção dos derivados por cromatografia em camada delgada e cromatografia líquida de alta eficiência (CLAE). Após triagem com dezessete cepas fúngicas, Aspergillus ochraceus ATCC 1009 e Cunninghamella echinulata ATCC 9245 foram selecionadas para incubações em escala semipreparativa. Dessas incubações obteve-se reína (o principal metabólito humano), a qual foi caracterizada utilizando as técnicas Ressonância Magnética Nuclear de 1H e 13C, Espectrometria de Massas de Alta Resolução (EM), Espectrometria na região do ultravioleta/visível e analisada por CLAE. Outro derivado foi obtido da incubação com Aspergillus ochraceus ATCC 1009 e caracterizado por EM e analisado em CLAE, sendo, possivelmente, a diacereína glicosilada. A influência da adição de inibidor do citocromo P450 na produção dos metabólitos foi realizada e inibiu a produção de reína em cerca de 41%, o que pode indicar o envolvimento do CYP1A1 e CYP1A2 na reação de desacetilação.O potencial citotóxico da diacereína e da reína foi avaliado pelo método de redução do tetrazólio (MTT) utilizando células de fibroblasto murino 3T3 e da linhagem tumoral B16F10 (melanoma). Tanto a reína, quanto a diacereína, demonstraram potencial citotóxico contra células B16F10.

This thesis summarizes knowledge about mycotoxins, with focus to ochratoxin A. It also summarizes its tolerable levels of food intake, detoxification and analytical methods for mycotoxins. The work also includes a chapter describing liposomes that were used for the analysis of ochratoxin A by liposomal electrokinetic capillary electrophoresis (LECK). The practical part includes the analysis of ochratoxin A from Aspergillus ochraceus Wilhelm and Aspergillus melleus Yukawa fungi cultivated on a rye and optimization of the method for analysis of ochratoxin A based on liposomes of different compositions. By capillary zone electrophoresis, ochratoxin A is not sufficiently separated and detected in the extracted mixture; conversely, when liposome solutions are used, different migration behavior can be achieved while stabilizing ochratoxin A in solution due to amphiphilic interactions between mycotoxins and liposomes. Therefore, the LEKC method was used for this work. The most suitable liposome composition has been shown to be molar ratios of 25% cholesterol (membrane stabilization) / 50% 2-oleoyl-1-palmitoyl-sn-glycerol 3-phosphocholine (main zwitterionic lipid) / (25% 1,2-diacyl-sn-glycerol)-3-phospho-L-serine (introduction of negative charge).

Seedlings of tropical forest species show an extraordinary morphological diversity. Tabebuia and Handrohantiis, belong the Bignoniaceae, are classify in Tecomeae tribe. This study aimed to verify the morphological differences between these two genera from the analysis of fruits, seeds and seedlings of Handroanthus ochraceus (Cham.) Mattos ssp. ochraceus, Handroanthus serratifolius (Vahl) S. Grose, Tabebuia insignis (Miq.) Sandwith ssp. insignis e Tabebuia roseo-alba (Ridl.) Sandwith to subsidize taxonomic decisions inherent in these taxa, and indicate relevant characteristics to recognize these species in the field when, still in the seedling stage, during the evaluations of natural regeneration, allowing the practical application in ecological studies, in the management and flora conservation. Handroanthus ochraceus (Cham.) Mattos ssp. ochraceus presented persistent cup fruit, many trichomes surface, velvety looks, seeds with dark brown line, going from the base to the center, cotyledons creams, reticulated nervation and valve prefoliation eophyll; while Handroanthus serratifolius (Vahl) S. Grose don't presented without persistent cup fruit, glabrous surface, almost black dividing line seeds, from the base to the apex, green cotyledons, craspedodromous nervation and conduplicate prefoliation eophyll. Tabebuia insignis (Miq.) Sandwith ssp. insignis presented fruit with the outer surfaces of the pericarp with trichomes, dehiscence with not twisted valves, ovate seeds with hilum, creams cotyledons, seedlings with petioles of eophylls with trichomes; while Tabebuia roseo-alba (Ridl.) Sandwith presented fruit with the outer surfaces of the pericarp glabrous, dehiscence with twisting revolut valve, seeds with hilum in "v" form and browns cotyledons, seedlings petioles of eophylls glabrous. This study has differentiated Handroanthus of Tabebuia through some morphological characters, but there is need to study other species to confirm whether the characters described in this study are still in genera described. / As plântulas de espécies florestais tropicais demonstram uma extraordinária diversidade morfológica. Os gêneros Tabebuia e Handroanthus, pertencentes à Bignoniaceae, estão classificados na tribo Tecomeae. Este trabalho teve como objetivo verificar as diferenças morfológicas existentes entre esses dois gêneros a partir da análise dos frutos, sementes e plântulas de Handroanthus ochraceus (Cham.) Mattos ssp. ochraceus, Handroanthus serratifolius (Vahl) S. Grose, Tabebuia insignis (Miq.) Sandwith ssp. insignis e Tabebuia roseo-alba (Ridl.) Sandwith a fim de subsidiar decisões taxonômicas inerentes a esses táxons, além de indicar características relevantes para reconhecer estas espécies no campo quando, ainda em estágio de plântula, durante as avaliações de regeneração natural, permitindo a aplicação prática em estudos ecológicos, no manejo e conservação da flora. Handroanthus ochraceus (Cham.) Mattos ssp. ochraceus apresentou fruto com cálice persistente, superfície com muitos tricomas, com aparência aveludada, sementes com linha divisória castanho escura, indo da base ao centro, cotilédones cremes, eofilos com nervação reticulada e prefolheação valvar; enquanto que Handroanthus serratifolius (Vahl) S. Grose apresentou fruto sem cálice persistente, superfície glabra, sementes com linha divisória quase negra, indo da base ao ápice, cotilédones verdes, eofilos com nervação craspedódroma e prefolheação conduplicada. Tabebuia insignis (Miq.) Sandwith ssp. insignis apresentou fruto com superfície externa do pericarpo com tricomas, deiscência com valvas não torcidas, sementes com hilo oval, cotilédones cremes, plântulas com pecíolos dos eofilos com tricomas; enquanto que Tabebuia roseo-alba (Ridl.) Sandwith apresentou fruto com superfície externa do pericarpo glabra, deiscência com torção revoluta das valvas, sementes com hilo em forma de "v" , cotilédones castanhos, plântulas com pecíolos dos eofilos glabros. Este estudo possibilitou diferenciar Handroanthus de Tabebuia através de alguns caracteres morfológicos, porém, há a necessidade de se estudar outras espécies a fim de confirmar se os caracteres descritos neste trabalho se mantêm nos gêneros descritos.

Submitted by Luciana Ferreira (lucgeral@gmail.com) on 2017-04-25T15:11:49Z No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Mariane Brom Sobreiro - 2017.pdf: 16013047 bytes, checksum: 6d41859718e06adc6294f5de038bc631 (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Luciana Ferreira (lucgeral@gmail.com) on 2017-04-25T15:12:31Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Mariane Brom Sobreiro - 2017.pdf: 16013047 bytes, checksum: 6d41859718e06adc6294f5de038bc631 (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-04-25T15:12:31Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Mariane Brom Sobreiro - 2017.pdf: 16013047 bytes, checksum: 6d41859718e06adc6294f5de038bc631 (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-03-10 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / Considering the rate of increase in average annual temperature and the seasonality of rainfall in several regions of the country, investigations on the mechanisms of plant’s response to low water availability become relevant. Tabebuia Alliance species - monophyletic clade of the Bignoniaceae family are commonly known as ipe – are distribuited in areas with different soil and climatic conditions. This feature makes them an interesting model to understand mechanisms tolerance’s to abiotic stresses. For each species there were two groups: control group, which had maintained irrigation; low water availability group, which irrigation was stopped and the experiment continued until the subtrate reached 40% of field capacity. The main objective of this work was to identify differentially expressed genes (DEG) in four species - two from the Brazilian savannah (T. aurea and Handroanthus ochraceus) and two from seasonally dry forests (H. impetiginosus and H. serratifolius). Then, RNA was extracted from the plants for sequencing on the Illumina platform with paired-end sequences of 100 base pairs (bp). Sequences were evaluated for quality control and mapped onto the genome of H. impetiginosus to identify DEG using the R software. The DGEs obtained by DESeq2 were subjected to functional enrichment analysis and potential changes in the level of expression of genes encoding enzymes of particular metabolic pathways. In all tools, H. serratifolius species showed the highest number of DGE (4908 noDESeq2), while H. ochraceus had the lowest number of DGE (6 in DESeq2). Functional enrichment analyzes demonstrated that the species presented, individually or collectively, typical responses of low water availability such as decrease of photosynthetic rate, increase of proline and increase of starch degradation. Although species share some responses, the complexity of organisms does not allow them to exhibit identical behaviors. / Considerando-se o aumento crescente da temperatura média anual e a sazonalidade das chuvas em diversas regiões do país, investigações acerca dos mecanismos de resposta vegetais à baixa disponibilidade hídrica tornam-se pertinentes. Espécies da Aliança Tabebuia – clado monofilético da família Bignoniaceae são comumente conhecidas como ipê – possuem uma ampla distribuição, ocupando áreas com diferentes condições edafoclimáticas. Esta característica torna-as um modelo interessante para se entender os mecanismos de tolerância a estresses abióticos. Sob este cenário, o presente trabalho teve como principal objetivo a identificação de genes diferencialmente expressos (GDE) em quatro espécies – das quais duas são de cerrado stricto sensu (T. aurea e Handroanthus ochraceus) e duas de floresta estacional (H. impetiginosus e H. serratifolius). Para cada espécie houve dois grupos experimentais: grupo controle, o qual teve a irrigação mantida; grupo de baixa disponibilidade hídrica, o qual a irrigação foi interrompida e o experimento mantido até que o subtrato atingisse 40% da capacidade de campo. Em seguida, extraiu-se o RNA das plantas para sequencimento em plataforma Illumina com sequências do tipo “paired-end” de 100 pares de base (pb). As sequências foram avaliadas para o controle de qualidade e alinhadas no genoma de H. impetiginosus para identificação de genes diferencialmente expressos (GDEs) com o uso de pacotes do R. Os GDEs obtidos pelo DESeq2 foram submetidos a análise de enriquecimento funcional e potenciais alterações no nível de expressão de genes que codificam enzimas de determinadas vias metabólicas. Em todas as ferramentas, a espécie H. serratifolius apresentou o maior número de GDEs (4908 noDESeq2), enquanto H. ochraceus apresentou o menor número de GDEs (6 no DESeq2). As análises de enriquecimento funcional demonstraram que as espécies apresentaram, individual ou coletivamente, respostas típicas de baixa disponibilidade hídrica como diminuição de taxa fotossintética, aumento de prolina e aumento da degradação de amido. Ainda que as espécies compartilhem algumas respostas, a complexidade dos organismos não permite que exibam comportamentos idênticos.

Most climate change predictions focus on the response of individual species to changing local conditions and ignore species interactions, largely due to the lack of a sound theoretical foundation for how interactions are expected to change with climate and how to incorporate them into climate change models. Much of the variability in species interaction strengths may be governed by fundamental constraints on physiological rates, possibly providing a framework for including species interactions into climate change models. Metabolic rates, ingestion rates and many other physiological rates are relatively predictable from body size and body temperature due to constraints imposed by the physical and chemical laws that govern fluid dynamics and the kinetics of biochemical reaction times. My dissertation assesses the usefulness of this framework by exploring the community-level consequences of physiological constraints. In Chapter 2, I incorporated temperature and body size scaling into the biological rate parameters of a series of realistically structured trophic network models. The relative magnitude of the temperature scaling parameters affecting consumer energetic costs (metabolic rates) and energetic gains (ingestion rates) determined how consumer energetic efficiency changed with temperature. I systematically changed consumer energetic efficiency and examined the sensitivity of network stability and species persistence to various temperatures. I found that a species' probability of extinction depended primarily on the effects of organismal physiology (body size and energetic efficiency with respect to temperature) and secondarily on the effects of local food web structure (trophic level and consumer generality). This suggests that physiology is highly influential on the structure and dynamics of ecological communities. If consumer energetic efficiency declined as temperature increased, that is, species did best at lower temperatures, then the simulated networks had greater stability at lower temperatures. The opposite scenario resulted in greater stability at higher temperatures. Thus, much of the community-level response depends on what species energetic efficiencies at the organismal-level really are, which formed the research question for Chapter 3: How does consumer energetic efficiency change with temperature? Existing evidence is scarce but suggestive of decreasing consumer energetic efficiency with increasing temperature. I tested this hypothesis on seven rocky intertidal invertebrate species by measuring the relative temperature scaling of their metabolic and ingestion rates as well as consumer interaction strength under lab conditions. Energetic efficiencies of these rocky intertidal invertebrates declined and species interaction strengths tended to increase with temperature. Thus, in the rocky intertidal, the mechanistic effect of temperature would be to lower community stability at higher temperatures. Chapter 4 tests if the mechanistic effects of temperature on ingestion rates and species interaction strengths seen in the lab are apparent under field conditions. Bruce Menge and I related bio-mimetic estimates of body temperatures to estimates of per capita mussel ingestion rates and species interaction strengths by the ochre sea star Pisaster ochraceus, a keystone predator of the rocky intertidal. We found a strong, positive effect of body temperature on both per capita ingestion rates and interaction strengths. However, the effects of season and the unique way in which P. ochraceus regulates body temperatures were also apparent, leaving room for adaptation and acclimation to partially compensate for the mechanistic constraint of body temperature. Community structure of the rocky intertidal is associated with environmental forcing due to upwelling, which delivers cold, nutrient rich water to the nearshore environment. As upwelling is driven by large-scale atmospheric pressure gradients, climate change has the potential to affect a wide range of significant ecological processes through changes in water temperature. In Chapter 5, my coauthors and I identified long-term trends in the phenology of upwelling events that are consistent with climate change predictions: upwelling events are becoming stronger and longer. As expected, longer upwelling events were related to lower average water temperatures in the rocky intertidal. Furthermore, recruitment rates of barnacles and mussels were associated with the phenology of upwelling events. Thus climate change is altering the mode and the tempo of environmental forcing in nearshore ecosystems, with ramifications for community structure and function. Ongoing, long-term changes in environmental forcing in rocky intertidal ecosystems provide an opportunity to understand how temperature shapes community structure and the ramifications of climate change. My dissertation research demonstrates that the effect of temperature on organismal performance is an important force structuring ecological communities and has potential as a tractable framework for predicting the community level effects of climate change. / Graduation date: 2013 / Access restricted to the OSU Community, at author's request, from Nov. 20, 2012 - Nov. 20, 2014