Biodiversity, ecosystems, industry and human health are threatened by invasive plant species. The costs of mitigating damages run into billions of pounds per annum. Fundamental to the control of invasive plant species is an ability to predict which species will become invasive. Yet identification of predictive differences between invasive and non-invasive species has proven difficult to pinpoint. In this thesis I identify several weaknesses within published literature, and using field experiments and meta-analyses we address these to find consistent predictors of invasiveness amongst plants. Specifically, I recognize that predictors of invasiveness can be identified by studying plant species in the native range because species may undergo phenotypic and demographic changes following naturalization (Chapters 2 – 5). I also recognize the importance of comparing globally invasive and non-invasive species, and the importance of accounting for phylogenetic relationships so as not to inflate or conceal differences (Chapters 2 – 4). Finally, I investigate whether particular analyses are more appropriate for investigating life history and demographic differences (Chapter 5). This thesis comprises an introductory chapter (Chapter 1), four data chapters (Chapters 2 - 5) and a general discussion (Chapter 6). Chapters 2 and 3 compare life history traits of plant species known to be invasive elsewhere, with their exported but non-invasive sympatric relatives in the native range. Chapter 4 utilizes Population Projection Matrices held within the COMPADRE Plant Matrix Database, to compare demographic projections of stable and transient dynamics of invasive and non-invasive plants; and Chapter 5 compares ten metrics, derived from Population Projection Matrices, of seven invasive species between the native and invaded range to determine if there are demographic or life history differences that facilitate invasion, and to identify those analyses that are most likely to reveal such differences. I find reproductive capacity to be a predictor of invasiveness, and that analyses of transient dynamics are more likely than analyses of projected stable dynamics to reveal demographic or life history differences between invasive and non-invasive species or populations of plants. I discuss these findings in the context of invasive risk assessment protocols and highlight future research opportunities.

<p>Population viability analysis (PVA) is commonly used in conservation biology to predict population viability in terms of population growth rate and risk of extinction. However, large data requirements limit the use of PVA for many rare and threatened species. This thesis examines the possibility of conducting a matrix model-based PVA for plants with limited data and provides some practical recommendations for reducing the amount of work required. Moreover, the thesis applies different forms of matrix population models to species with different life histories. Matrix manipulations on 37 plant species revealed that the amount of demographic data required can often be reduced using a smaller matrix dimensionality. Given that an individual’s fitness is affected by plant density, linear matrix models are unlikely to predict population dynamics correctly. Estimates of population size of the herb <i>Melampyrum sylvaticum</i> were sensitive to the strength of density dependence operating at different life stages, suggesting that in addition to identifying density-dependent life stages, it is important to estimate the strength of density dependence precisely. When a small number of matrices are available for stochastic matrix population models, the precision of population estimates may depend on the stochastic method used. To optimize the precision of population estimates and the amount of calculation effort in stochastic matrix models, selection of matrices and Tuljapurkar’s approximation are preferable methods to assess population viability. Overall, these results emphasize that in a matrix model-based PVA, the selection of a stage classification and a model is essential because both factors significantly affect the amount of data required as well as the precision of population estimates. By integrating population dynamics into different environmental and genetic factors, matrix population models may be used more effectively in conservation biology and ecology in the future.</p>

Population viability analysis (PVA) is commonly used in conservation biology to predict population viability in terms of population growth rate and risk of extinction. However, large data requirements limit the use of PVA for many rare and threatened species. This thesis examines the possibility of conducting a matrix model-based PVA for plants with limited data and provides some practical recommendations for reducing the amount of work required. Moreover, the thesis applies different forms of matrix population models to species with different life histories. Matrix manipulations on 37 plant species revealed that the amount of demographic data required can often be reduced using a smaller matrix dimensionality. Given that an individual’s fitness is affected by plant density, linear matrix models are unlikely to predict population dynamics correctly. Estimates of population size of the herb Melampyrum sylvaticum were sensitive to the strength of density dependence operating at different life stages, suggesting that in addition to identifying density-dependent life stages, it is important to estimate the strength of density dependence precisely. When a small number of matrices are available for stochastic matrix population models, the precision of population estimates may depend on the stochastic method used. To optimize the precision of population estimates and the amount of calculation effort in stochastic matrix models, selection of matrices and Tuljapurkar’s approximation are preferable methods to assess population viability. Overall, these results emphasize that in a matrix model-based PVA, the selection of a stage classification and a model is essential because both factors significantly affect the amount of data required as well as the precision of population estimates. By integrating population dynamics into different environmental and genetic factors, matrix population models may be used more effectively in conservation biology and ecology in the future.

Common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) are apex predators and indicators of localized ecosystem health. Accurate characterization of population demography is crucial to parameter predictions. However, descriptions of age growth investigations of odontocetes are limited to the postnatal life. In contrast, the modeled scenario for terrestrial mammalian growth has been described along a continuum of pre- and postnatal data. Few age distribution data exist for the western Gulf of Mexico despite the fact that life tables enable demographic comparisons among populations. The objective of this study was to characterize age, growth, and population-level behavior of bottlenose dolphins along Texas. This objective was accomplished by two discrete studies: age analysis, and population-level behavior. Teeth from 290 stranded individuals were extracted for the purposes of age determination. Curvilinear models (the Gompertz and the von Bertalanffy) were fit to postnatal length-at-age data. Fetal age was determined for 408 suspected fetal length records using validated fetal growth trends and empirical measurements from late-term fetuses. Growth analysis indicated that a Gompertz model fit length-at-age data better than a von Bertalanffy model. A postnatal Gompertz model explained less variation than a combined pre- and postnatal model (R2 = 0.9 and 0.94 respectively). The absolute growth rate and rate of growth decay tripled with the inclusion of fetal length and age data. In the second study, life tables were constructed for 280 individuals. Survivorship curves, mortality rates, intrinsic capacity for increase, and the population growth rate were calculated. Bottlenose dolphin mortality did not differ significantly by sex or age class. Survivorship was best characterized by a type III curve. Analyses indicated no substantial increase (r = -0.07), and that the population is not replacing itself in the next time-step (y = 0.93). Bottlenose dolphins conform to a number of eutherian mammalian trends: the production of precocial young, calving seasonality, and rapid fetal growth rate. Population level behavior suggests a population retraction possibly as a compensatory response to ecosystem perturbation rather than a population decline. Reproductive information will confirm population status and stability in the future. This study is the first to demonstrate a significant impact of cetacean fetal growth parameters on postnatal growth trajectory.

Floodplain is an important location for the economic and social development of society throughout history, although it afflicted by different disasters like floods and bank erosion from time to time. Population dynamics and distribution trends have important effects on the landscape and society. Population dynamics in floodplains influenced mostly by the flood events and related human activities to protect themselves and the properties. Thus, floodplain population dynamics is vital to understand human-nature relationships, disaster risk assessment, flood forecasting and flood damage costs in the floodplains. Economic losses and fatalities due to flood events increase with increased flood frequency and flood magnitude. Extreme hydrological changes are responsible for such changes in the flood events. Population growth, urbanization and developmental activities worsened the situation further in the floodplain areas. Learning effect, i.e. flood memory is noticeable after the flood which diminishes with time, however, levee, which is a popular flood protection measure, causes further reduction of learning effect. Researchers suggest that levees create a false sense of safety and can influence the mobilization of floodplain population. Several pieces of research indicate that along with flood events and intervention measures, inundation depth, durations, flood type (coastal/ riverine), economic, technological and political characteristics of the societies influence flood memory, hence, influence floodplain population dynamics. However, long term floodplain population dynamics and how it is related to different flood-related, i.e. hydrological and sociological variables are yet to be confirmed. Flood is one of the major natural disasters in the United States. About 10% of the population lives in the 100-year and 500-year floodplain of the United States. This study carried out to investigate the long-term trend of floodplain population dynamics in the USA and how the dynamics changes from country to state to county level considering Arkansas State and Sebastian County to observe the difference. Also, the relationships of floodplain population dynamics with hydrological and sociological variables such as flood events, damage, intervention measures and poverty assessed in the national, state and county level. Then the dynamics of the national level, the state (Arkansas) level and the county (Sebastian) level were compared to identify changes in dynamics from macro to micro-scale. Floodplain population dynamics evaluated in terms of population growth rate and the ratio of floodplain population to the total population from 1790 – 2010. The median centroids of the population growth rate from 1790 – 2010 were estimated to observe the changes in the central tendency of the population growth rate in the total area and in the floodplain overtime to locate the typical place of floodplain population growth. High-resolution raster image (1 km x 1 km) of historical population data and a high-resolution raster image (250 m x 250 m) of floodplain data were analysed using ArcGIS to evaluate floodplain population dynamics. Historical data regarding flood events, damage, structural and non- structural flood intervention measures and poverty from available databases were extracted, processed and analysed to establish the relationship among population dynamics, hydrological and social variables. Finally, the population dynamics of the three levels were compared statistically and discussed for changes. It is found that the central tendency of the total population growth rate and floodplain population growth rate of the USA shifts from east to west direction. The central tendency of the overall population growth rate located near the lower Mississippi river basin in the 1800s. It is consistent near the geographical centroid of the USA in Kansas since 1900. For the floodplain population, the central tendency of the growth rate stayed consistent in Arkansas from 1910 – 2010, i.e. in the lower Mississippi river basin. This location indicates the floodplains in Arkansas was preferable for floodplain population settlement for many decades. Change in floodplain population proportion of the whole country USA from 1790 – 2010 shows that the proportion of floodplain population is more than 80% during the initial years of settlement. Then it reduced to less than 40% over time. At the state level – Arkansas, the proportion of floodplain population is also more than 80% during initial settlement and reduced to less than 60% over time for counties with high percentage floodplain area. Flood events, structural and non-structural protection measures influenced floodplain population dynamics over time and learning effect, i.e. social memory of flood found was seven years. At the county level- Sebastian county, Arkansas, the proportion of floodplain population varies significantly with a variance of 0.04 and a standard deviation of 0.19. The ratio of floodplain population in Sebastian was 29% in 1820, which increased and decreased over the years and about 70% in 2010. In addition to flood events, different intervention measures, the floodplain population dynamics in the Sebastian county are influenced by the social, economic and political phenomenon, examining which is out of the scope of this study. The learning effect of flood seems to be eight years in the case of Sebastian county. The population dynamics influenced by a different social, geographical, economic, political and hydrological phenomenon which makes it a complicated system to comprehend within the present scope of the study. The result shows that the floodplain population dynamics can vary for different geographical scale. Therefore, the geographic extent should also need to consider while using population dynamics in flood disaster management and mitigation strategy development, policy formulation and implementation. / Flodslätter är viktiga platser för samhällets ekonomiska samt sociala utveckling och har varit det sedan är lång tid tillbaka, även om de från och till har drabbats av olika katastrofer såsom översvämning och erosion. Översvämning är en av de största naturliga katastrofer som sker i USA. Ungefär 10 % av befolkningen bor i 100- och 500-års flodslätter som emellertid förändras på grund av olika anledningar, inklusive översvämningar. I denna studie undersöks den tillfälliga relationen mellan översvämning, relaterad skada, olika ingripande åtgärder och fattigdomsnivå med en befolkningsdynamik i flodslättsområden. Vidare sker denna undersökning i tre olika nivåer – nationellt: USA som ett helt land, stats-nivå: Arkansas och län: Sebastian County, Arkansas där de olika dynamikerna i de tre nivåerna jämförs. På den nationella nivån utvärderades befolkningsdynamiken med avseende på flodslätten till den totala populationen och befolkningstillväxt. Resultatet visar att befolkningsdynamiken förändras beroende på om den betraktas ur ett nationellt, statligt eller läns perspektiv. Ur ett nationellt perspektiv flyttar flodslättsbefolkningar till olika områden med tiden. Ur ett statligt perspektiv är flodslättsbefolkningar känsliga mot översvämningar, skada och olika ingripande åtgärder. På länsnivå, utöver översvämningsrelaterade variabler, är flodslättsbefolkningar känsliga mot andra socio-ekonomiska faktorer som inte behöver vara relaterade till översvämningar. Resultatet indikerar således att översvämningar inte alltid behöver vara den faktorn som styr befolkningsdynamiken i flodslättsområden på den lokala nivån samt beslutet att flytta till en flodslätt påverkas av olika socio- ekonomiska faktorer, inklusive översvämning. På den nationella nivån kan däremot både påverkan av översvämningar och relaterade variabler på befolkningsdynamiken i flodslättsområden observeras.

Microclimatic gradients may have large influence on individual vital rates and population growth rates of species, and limit their distributions. Therefore, I focused on the influence of microclimate on individual performance and distribution of species. Further, I examined differences in how microclimate affect species with contrasting distributions or different ecophysiological traits, and populations within species. More specifically, I investigated the performance of northern and southern distributed forest bryophytes that were transplanted across microclimatic gradients, and the timing of vegetative and reproductive development among northern, marginal and more southern populations of a forest herb in a common garden. Also, I compared the landscape and continental distributions across forest bryophytes and vascular plants and, thus, their distribution limiting factors at different spatial scales. Lastly, I examined the population dynamics across microclimatic gradients of transplants from northern and southern populations of a forest moss. The effects of microclimatic conditions on performance differed among bryophytes with contrasting distributions. There were no clear differences between northern and southern populations in the timing of development of a forest herb or in the population dynamics of a moss. However, within each region there was a differentiation of the forest herb populations, related to variation in local climatic conditions and in the south also to proportion of deciduous trees. The continental distributions of species were reflected in their landscape distributions and vice versa, in terms of their occurrence optima for climatic variables. The variation in landscape climatic optima was, however, larger than predicted, which limit the precision for predictions of microrefugia. Probably, the distributions of vascular plants were more affected by temperature than the distributions of bryophytes. Bryophytes are sensitive to moisture conditions, which was demonstrated by a correlation between evaporation and the population growth rate of a forest moss. We might be able to predict species’ landscape scale distributions by linking microclimatic conditions to their population growth rates, via their vital rates, and infer larger scale distribution patterns. / <p>At the time of the doctoral defense, the following papers were unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 2: Manuscript. Paper 3: Manuscript. Paper 4: Manuscript.</p> / EkoKlim

Comprendre la réponse des populations aux variations environnementales est un défi central en écologie et est devenu un enjeu indéniable ces dernières années avec le changement climatique. Dans ce contexte, nous pouvons nous attendre à ce que certaines caractéristiques écologiques propres aux espèces, comme le mode de vie, qui ont évolué en réponse à des contraintes environnementales et qui influencent les traits d'histoire de vie des espèces, puissent façonner la démographie des populations en environnement variable. Pourtant, cette influence du mode de vie sur la réponse démographique des populations demeure encore mal comprise. J'ai essayé de combler cette lacune au cours de ma thèse, principalement par l'analyse d'un jeu de données exceptionnel obtenu grâce à un suivi à long terme d'une population de marmottes alpines (Marmota marmota) dans les Alpes Françaises. La marmotte alpine présente un mode de vie très particulier. Les individus vivent au sein de groupes familiaux de taille variable, généralement composés d'un couple de dominants reproducteurs, de subordonnés et de juvéniles. Ils hibernent durant la moitié de l'année, et pratiquent l'élevage coopératif ; les subordonnés mâles participent activement à la survie des jeunes durant l'hibernation, et sont alors appelés helpers. J'ai d'abord étudié comment le mode de vie de la marmotte (qui allie hibernation et socialité) a influencé les effets des fluctuations météorologiques sur les variations de survie de chaque classe d'âge. Les résultats ont alors révélé une forte diminution de la survie des juvéniles au fil des ans, et cela du fait d'effets interactifs entre facteurs environnementaux (i.e., hivers de plus en plus rudes) et sociaux (i.e., diminution de la présence des helpers). Dans un deuxième temps, j'ai étudié la valeur adaptative de l'élevage coopératif au sein de cette population de marmottes alpines et j'ai pu montrer que les effets bénéfiques de la présence des helpers sur la survie des juvéniles tendaient à disparaître du fait du changement climatique. En conséquence de cela, la population de marmottes alpines semble être actuellement en déclin. Cependant, l'impact du changement climatique semble avoir été en partie limité par une plus grande probabilité d'accéder à la dominance pour les subordonnés au cours des dernières années, ce qui démontre une influence complexe de la socialité sur la réponse de cette espèce. Enfin, j'ai comparé la démographie de la population de marmottes alpines avec celle d'une population de chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra) soumise à des variations météorologiques similaires dans les Alpes. J'ai été en mesure de montrer que le mode de vie et la stratégie de reproduction de ces espèces ont façonné différemment leurs réponses démographiques aux variations environnementales, et ainsi au changement climatique / Understanding populations' response to environmental variation is a central issue of ecology, and has become a compelling goal in the last years due to climate change. In this broad context we could expect some species-specific ecological characteristics known to influence life history traits, such as lifestyle, to shape the demography of populations in variable environments as well as structure between-species differences in response to environmental change. Yet, the influence of species' lifestyle on population demographic responses to environmental variation is still poorly understood. During my PhD, I tried to fill this gap primarily through the analysis of an extensive data set of an Alpine marmot (Marmota marmota) population in the Alps. Alpine marmots present a particular lifestyle. 1ndividuals live in family groups of variable size, typically composed of one dominant breeding pair, of sexually mature and immature subordinates and of pups of the year. Half the year, they hibernate together in burrows and practise cooperative breeding with male subordinates acting as helpers for the pups, increasing their survival probability during hibernation. I first investigated how the marmot's lifestyle (hibernation and sociality) mediated the effects of weather fluctuations on age-specific survival variation. I found that juvenile survival strongly decreased over the years because of inter-related effects of harsher winter weather conditions and social factors (i.e., decrease in helpers' presence). In a second step, I studied the adaptive value of cooperative breeding in this Alpine marmot population, and showed that the positive influence of helpers' presence on juvenile survival was vanishing with climate change. The Alpine marmot population is currently decreasing accordingly. However, in parallel to the latter changes, I found a better access to dominance for subordinate individuals over the years, compensating in part this decrease, and highlighting a complex influence of sociality on marmot response to climate change. Finally, I compared the demography of the Alpine marmot population with that of an Alpine chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra) population, subjected to similar weather conditions in the Alps. I was able to show that the difference in lifestyle and reproductive tactic between these species shaped their demographic responses to environmental variation, providing them with differentresistance to current environmental change

As homeostatic organisms, rotifers have to use the mechanism to cope with nutrition unbalance in their food. The regulation of digestive enzyme activities as a possible physiological mechanism involved in maintaining of rotifer homeostasis was studied. This study further explored the effect of food quantity and quality on rotifer population growth rate and reproduction.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-17T14:33:08Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 LeideAPS_DISSERT.pdf: 986741 bytes, checksum: e18d4b42b9411720a51bd3f7786fa126 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-09-25 / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cient?fico e Tecnol?gico / Cyanobacterial blooms are common in eutrophic reservoirs in Brazilian northeastern semi-arid. Given this reality, the present study aimed to analyze the effect of potentially toxic cyanobacterial blooms in Gargalheiras reservoir (semi-arid) on the cladocerans Ceriodaphnia dubia and Daphnia gessneri. In vitro chronic bioassays were performed with reservoir water dilutions from August/2011 to May/2012 and the following effects were evaluated on: intrinsic rate of population growth (r), reproductive parameters (age of first reproduction and fecundity per capita) and cladocerans movements. Phytoplankton was dominated by Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii and Planktothrix agardhii and saxitoxin and microcystin were detected in reservoir water. In most months C. dubia showed differences in r between control (absence of cyanobacteria) and treatments, and has shown negative effects on reproductive parameters. In all months paralysis of swimming movements was observed in C. dubia when both C. raciborskii and saxitoxin (cyanotoxin neurotoxic) were present in water. While C. dubia was sensitive to the reservoir water containing cyanobacteria, D. gessneri showed less intense negative effects in r and reproductive parameters. Furthermore, D. gessneri showed no paralysis of swimming movements. These results support the hypothesis in the literature that D. gessneri is resistant to the Cylindrospermopsis effects. The clone&#8223;s life history may be a key to understand the results. The C. dubia clone, isolated from eutrophicated environment, is in the lab for ten years and it is an exotic species in Brazil. D. gessneri is a common species in the country and this clone was isolated from the Gargalheiras reservoir (where there are constant blooms of potentially toxic cyanobacteria) a year ago. Perhaps the recent contact with cyanobacteria explain the higher resistance presented by this D. gessneri clone. In conclusion, the cladocerans studied have different levels of sensitivity to cyanobacteria, characterizing species-specific responses / Flora??es de cianobact?ras s?o frequentes em reservat?rios eutr?ficos do semi-?rido do nordeste brasileiro. Diante dessa realidade o presente trabalho objetivou analisar o efeito de flora??es de cianobact?rias potencialmente t?xicas do reservat?rio Gargalheiras (semi-?rido brasileiro) sobre os clad?ceros Ceriodaphnia dubia e Daphnia gessneri. Foram realizados ensaios cr?nicos in vitro com dilui??es de ?gua do reservat?rio de agosto/2011 a maio/2012 e foram avaliados efeitos sobre: taxa intr?nseca de crescimento populacional (r), par?metros reprodutivos (idade da primeira reprodu??o e fecundidade per capita) e movimenta??o dos clad?ceros. O fitopl?ncton foi dominado por Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii e Planktothrix agardhii e houve detec??o de saxitoxina e microcistina na ?gua do reservat?rio. Na maioria dos meses C. dubia apresentou diferen?a em r entre controle (aus?ncia de cianobact?rias) e tratamentos, al?m de ter apresentado efeitos negativos nos par?metros reprodutivos. Observou-se ainda um efeito de paralisia dos movimentos natat?rios de C. dubia em todos os meses, concomitante ? presen?a de C. raciborskii e saxitoxina (cianotoxina neurot?xica) na ?gua. Enquanto C. dubia apresentou-se sens?vel ? ?gua do reservat?rio contendo cianobact?rias, D. gessneri apresentou efeitos negativos menos intensos em r e nos par?metros reprodutivos. Al?m disso, esta esp?cie n?o teve os movimentos paralisados. Esses resultados apoiam a hip?tese levantada na literatura de que D. gessneri apresenta resist?ncia aos efeitos da Cylindrospermopsis. A hist?ria de vida dos clones pode ser uma chave para compreens?o dos resultados. O clone de C. dubia, isolado de ambiente eutrofizado, est? em laborat?rio h? dez anos e essa ? uma esp?cie ex?tica no Brasil. D. gessneri ? uma esp?cie comum no pa?s e este clone foi isolado h? um ano do reservat?rio Gargalheiras, onde h? constantes flora??es de cianobact?rias potencialmente t?xicas. A hip?tese mais prov?vel ? que o contato recente deste clone de D. gessneri com cianobact?rias tenha lhe conferido maior resist?ncia. Conclui-se que os clad?ceros estudados apresentam diferentes n?veis de sensibilidade ?s cianobact?rias, caracterizando respostas esp?cie-espec?ficas