The Rodeo-Chediski Wildfire the largest in Arizona's history at the time of burning damaged and disrupted ecosystems resources and functioning in a largely mosaic pattern throughout the ponderosa pine (Pinus Ponderosa) forests exposed to the burn. Impacts of this wildfire on ecosystems resources and functioning were studied from shortly after the cessation of the wildfire in late summer of 2002 through the spring of 2007 on two previously instrumented watersheds located on sandstone derived soils within the burn. One watershed was burned by a high severity (stand-replacing fire), while the other watershed burned in a low severity (stand-modifying) fire. This dissertation focuses on the effects fire severity had on watersheds resources and functioning in terms of the tree overstories, herbaceous understories, large and small mammals, avifauna, hydrologic functioning, soil water repellency, hillslope soil movement, and fuel loadings. The results of these studies indicated the cumulative impacts incurred to ecosystem resources, hydrologic functioning, and flammable fuels were much greater on the watershed exposed to the high severity (stand-replacing) fire. It is anticipated that the overall ecological and hydrologic function on the watershed burned by a high severity will not approach pre-fire conditions for many years. The watershed burned at a low severity, however, was approaching pre-fire conditions nearly five years after fire and is expected to be recovered within the next few years.

Submitted by Rosivalda Pereira (mrs.pereira@ufma.br) on 2017-06-22T19:03:02Z No. of bitstreams: 1 AldileneSilvaLima.pdf: 13164666 bytes, checksum: cd1c6e1b366f76a72539ecddec6062e4 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-06-22T19:03:02Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 AldileneSilvaLima.pdf: 13164666 bytes, checksum: cd1c6e1b366f76a72539ecddec6062e4 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-02-26 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / Rhipicephalus microplus is an ectoparasite of major economic importance to cattle. The control cattle tick has difficult by resistance of populations to synthetic acaricides. Plant bioactive molecules can be an alternative to control this ectoparasite. The aim of this study was to evaluate the repellent and acaricide effect of extracts and essential oils from plants on the cattle tick R. microplus. Hexane, ethyl ether, ethanolic, and methanolic extracts was obtained of P. tuberculatum fruits. After extraction, all of the extracts were dried. Essential oil from L. alba was obtained by hydrodistillation, all oil essential of Citrus ssp. were extracted by cold pressing fruits and all the identification of the major compounds of essential oils was performed by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and gas chromatography flame ionization detector (GC-FID). Monoterpenes was obtained commercially. All the extracts was use larval packet tests and Adult immersion tests. Oil essential was used to repellency test. All extracts showed highest larvicidal activity against R. microplus. Hexane extract showed a CL50 of 0.04 mg/mL, CL50 ethyl ether of 0.08 mg/mL and ethanolic LC50 of 2.73 mg/mL. P. tuberculatum fruit extracts were also effective against engorged females R. microplus. Genotypes LA-13 and LA-57 of L. alba showed repellent activity against larvae of R. microplus more than 40 hours at concentration of 6.88 mg/cm². Monoterpenes showed lower repellent activity. Oil essenctial of Citrus aurantium var. dulcis showed repellent activity more than 30 hours at concentration of 6.88 mg/cm². Other essential oils tested showed a time of repellency lower 5 hours. Ours results reported than plants contains bioactive compounds with great potential acaricides, and they can be commercial products for the control of R. microplus. / O Rhipicephalus microplus é um ectoparasita de maior importância econômica à bovinocultura. O controle do carrapato bovino tem sido dificultado pela resistência de populações aos acaricidas sintéticos. Compostos bioativos de plantas podem ser uma alternativa para o controle deste ectoparasita. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o efeito repelente e carrapaticida de extratos e óleos essenciais de plantas sobre o carrapato bovino R. microplus. Extratos da planta Piper tuberculatum foram obtidos com hexano, éter etílico, etanólico e metanólico. Depois todos os extratos foram rotoevaporado. Os óleos essenciais de Lippia alba foram obtidos por hidrodestilação, os de Citrus ssp. por prensagem a frio dos frutos e todos os componentes dos óleos essenciais foram analisados por Cromatografia Gasosa acoplada a espectrometria de massa (CG-MS). Os monoterpenos utilizados foram obtidos comercialmente. Todos os extratos foram utilizados no teste de larvas e imersão de fêmeas Ingurgitadas. Os óleos essenciais foram utilizados no teste de repelência. Todos os extratos demonstraram uma alta atividade sobre larvas de R. microplus. O extrato Hexânico de frutos de P. tuberculatum apresentou uma CL50 de 0,04 mg/mL, seguido de éter etílico com CL50 de 0,08 mg/mL, etanólico com CL50 de 2,73 mg/mL. O extrato éter etílico de frutos de P. tuberculatum também demonstrou uma alta atividade sobre fêmeas Ingurgitadas. Os genótipos LA-13 e LA-57 de Lippia alba apresentaram uma alta atividade repelente sobre larvas de R. microplus por mais de 40 horas numa concentração de 6,88 mg/cm². Os monoterpenos apresentaram baixa atividade repelente. O óleo essencial de Citrus aurantium var. dulcis apresentou uma alta atividade repelente com mais de 30 horas de repelência na concentração de 6,88mg/cm². Os demais óleos testados apresentaram um tempo de repelência menor que 5 horas. Nossos resultados demonstraram que as plantas possuem compostos ativos com alto potencial acaricida, e que podem vir a serem utilizados em produtos de uso comercial para o controle do carrapato bovino.

Managing soil hydrophobicity caused by localized dry spots (LDS) on sand based golf greens has become one of the greatest challenges for golf course superintendents and managers, especially as water restrictions intensify. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of thirteen soil surfactants in eliminating LDS and in maximizing root zone soil moisture on a sand based USGA golf green located on the California Central Coast. Potential water repellency of air dried cores (measured utilizing the water droplet penetration time (WDPT) method), phytotoxicity, and climate were analyzed during two experimental trials. Phytotoxicity data was collected for Trial I using visual quality ratings and for Trial II using a chlorophyll meter. Phytotoxicity decreased during Trial I. Differences in phytotoxicity as measured using chlorophyll index were not at all significant during Trial II (p = 1). Ten of the thirteen wetting agent treatments significantly (p < 0.001) decreased soil hydrophobicity compared with the other wetting agent treated plots and the non-treated control. More frequent application of Cascade Plus resulted in a more significant reduction in soil hydrophobicity. Increasing the application rates also resulted in the reduction of soil hydrophobicity. Wetting agent treatment 6-CP(10day) maintained the highest volumetric water content (VWC) but treatment 13-2079337 maintained the highest levels for wetting agents treated monthly.

Swede midge, Contarinia nasturtii Kieffer (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae), is an invasive pest causing marketable losses on Brassica crops in the Northeastern United States and throughout southern Canada. Heading brassicas, like cauliflower and broccoli, are particularly susceptible because larvae feed concealed inside meristematic tissues of the plant, where head formation occurs. Our work details the development of a sustainable, affordable pest management tactic for swede midge – plant derived repellents. First, it was necessary to establish both a damage and marketability threshold for swede midge, so we developed a technique to manipulate larval density of swede midge on cauliflower, We asked: (1) What is the swede midge damage threshold? (2) How many swede midge larvae can render cauliflower crowns unmarketable? and (3) Does the age of cauliflower at infestation influence the severity of damage? We found that even a single larva causes mild twisting and scarring rendering cauliflower unmarketable 52% of the time, with more larvae causing more severe damage and additional losses, regardless of cauliflower age at infestation. Repellency is an important management approach to consider for swede midge. Since the host range of specialist insects appears constrained by plant phylogeny, we hypothesized that odors from less phylogenetically related plants would be more repellent to swede midge. To test our hypothesis, we performed no-choice and choice biological assays, asking: (1) How do essential oils from different plant species influence midge densities on broccoli? (2) What is the relationship between phylogenetic distance of non-host odors and larval densities on broccoli? Biological assays identified multiple essential oils that reduced larval densities, and phylogenetic analyses showed that less related plants were more effective. In addition to the biological assays, we tested 15 essential oils for their ability to repel gravid females from broccoli tissue in y-tube olfactometer assays. While most of the essential oils reduced the frequency at which females chose host plant meristems, wintergreen, thyme, lemongrass, eucalyptus lemon, garlic, cinnamon, and star anise were most effective. Additionally, we used chemical fingerprints (physical/chemical properties) from PubChem to compare the essential oil volatile compounds and develop an index for their similarity. We found that physicochemical similarity was predictive of repellency. Finally, for repellency to be an effective, long-term strategy, it was important to consider how and whether the repellent response of midges changes over time or previous experience. In our final chapter, we performed electroantennography trials testing how previous experience with garlic or eucalyptus lemon odor for one or 10 s influences the neurophysiological response of swede midge to host (broccoli) or non-host (garlic or eucalyptus lemon) odors. We asked: (1) Does previous experience with garlic or eucalyptus lemon influence the physiological response of swede midge to host or non-host odors? (2) Does the time of previous exposure to non-host odors influence their physiological response to host or non-host odors? Our findings show that swede midge, after 10 s of exposure to either repellent, was more responsive to repellents than host compounds, suggesting that the effectiveness of repellents will not diminish over time.

Spatial patterns as well as temporal dynamics of soil moisture have a major influence on runoff generation. The investigation of these dynamics and patterns can thus yield valuable information on hydrological processes, especially in data scarce or previously ungauged catchments. The combination of spatially scarce but temporally high resolution soil moisture profiles with episodic and thus temporally scarce moisture profiles at additional locations provides information on spatial as well as temporal patterns of soil moisture at the hillslope transect scale. This approach is better suited to difficult terrain (dense forest, steep slopes) than geophysical techniques and at the same time less cost-intensive than a high resolution grid of continuously measuring sensors. Rainfall simulation experiments with dye tracers while continuously monitoring soil moisture response allows for visualization of flow processes in the unsaturated zone at these locations. Data was analyzed at different spacio-temporal scales using various graphical methods, such as space-time colour maps (for the event and plot scale) and binary indicator maps (for the long-term and hillslope scale). Annual dynamics of soil moisture and decimeterscale variability were also investigated. The proposed approach proved to be successful in the investigation of flow processes in the unsaturated zone and showed the importance of preferential flow in the Malalcahuello Catchment, a datascarce catchment in the Andes of Southern Chile. Fast response times of stream flow indicate that preferential flow observed at the plot scale might also be of importance at the hillslope or catchment scale. Flow patterns were highly variable in space but persistent in time. The most likely explanation for preferential flow in this catchment is a combination of hydrophobicity, small scale heterogeneity in rainfall due to redistribution in the canopy and strong gradients in unsaturated conductivities leading to self-reinforcing flow paths.

Surface mining of the Athabasca Oil Sands of Canada is occurring at an unparalleled rate resulting in large scale disturbances over vast areas. Soil water availability for plants is one of the key issues faced when reclaiming the landscape. A factor which limits the soil water availability is soil water repellency (SWR). Soil water repellency is found on both natural and disturbed sites in this region and can cause reduced infiltration, reduced soil water storage, enhanced runoff, increased preferential flow, and reduced ecosystem productivity. Effective characterization of SWR, determination of the causes of SWR and understanding how it affects soil pores and water flow are important for environmental management. The main objective of this study is to examine the effect of SWR and fungal hydrophobicity on soil water dynamics in Athabasca Oil Sands. This was accomplished by determining the relationship between the measurement of severity and persistence of SWR and the critical water content (CWC) where SWR is greatest between different soils in the region. Examining how the water conducting porosity and soil pores are affected by SWR. Developing methods to quantify fungal strains that cause SWR and testing of these fungal strains for their ability to alter the SWR and infiltration into soil. Results show that a high severity (Contact angle) of repellency does not necessarily denote long persistence (Water Drop Penetration Time) or high CWC in soils from the region. A high severity of SWR in larger diameter pores decreased the water conducting porosity due to the larger pore contribution to the total liquid flux. The modified microscopy approach and the alcohol percentage test (APT) resulted in improved characterization of fungal hydrophobicity. Fungal strains were classified as hydrophilic, hydrophobic and chrono-amphililic based on their surface properties from these measurements. The surface property of selected fungi strains can alter the SWR in both a repellent and wettable soil and can also change the water infiltration rate. This research highlights the importance of characterization of SWR, the effects on water flow, and how fungal hydrophobicity can alter the SWR and infiltration. This will aid in improving our understanding of SWR and improve remediation efforts on water repellent soils in the Athabasca Oil Sands region.

Textiles made from natural sources, such as cotton and flax, have advantages over those made of synthetic fibers in terms of sustainability. Unlike major synthetic fibers that have a negative impact on the environment due to poor biodegradability, cotton cellulose is a renewable material.Cotton cellulose fibers exhibit various attractive characteristics such as softness and inexpensiveness. Cellulosic textiles can be easily wetted, since the structure contains a large amount of hydrophilic hydroxyl groups, and when water repellency is needed, this is a disadvantage. Currently, paraffin waxes or fluorinated silanes are used to achieve hydrophobicity, but this contradicts the concept of green chemistry since these chemicals are not biodegradable. The use of bio-based materials like forest residues or side-streams from forest product industries might be a good alternative, since this not only decreases the pressure on the environment but can also increase the value of these renewable resources.Betulin is a hydrophobic extractive present in the outer bark of birch trees (Betula verrucosa). Nowadays, the birch bark containing betulin generated in the paper industry is disposed of by incineration as a solid fuel to provide energy, but this application is not highly valuable and this motivates us to see whether betulin can be used as a hydrophobe to prepare waterproof cellulosic textiles. Methods of dip-coating, film compression molding and grafting were performed to build “betulin-cellulosic textile system” to render the textile with hydrophobicity and other functions. The textile impregnated in a solution of betulin-based copolymer exhibited a contact angle of 151°, which indicated that superhydrophobicity can be reached. AATCC water spray test results showed that cellulosic textile coated with betulin-based film had a water repellency of 80, which is the third highest class according to the rating standards. Betulin-grafted textiles were also prepared and showed a static water contact angle of 136°, and an antibacterial property with a bacterial removal of 99%.This thesis proposes that betulin can be used as a green alternative in functional material preparation. By developing betulin, a more value-added application rather than incineration can be achieved. / <p>QC 20190205</p>

An intrinsic link exists between soil moisture and soil nitrogen. Factors that increase or decrease soil moisture can have a profound effect on soil nitrogen cycling, which may have later repercussions in the plant community. Post-fire soil water repellency is one factor that can limit soil moisture acquisition and may indirectly affect nitrogen cycling and weed invasion in woody islands of fertility. Plots centered on burned Juniperus osteosperma trees were either left untreated or treated with a surfactant to ameliorate water repellency. Two years later, soils were excavated from the untreated and treated field plots. In the greenhouse, half of each soil type received a surfactant treatment while the other half was left untreated. Pots were seeded with either Bromus tectorum or Pseudoroegneria spicata. Analysis of field soil prior to the greenhouse trial showed that untreated, repellent soils had inorganic nitrogen levels an order of magnitude higher than wettable, surfactant-treated soils. Greenhouse pots that had received a surfactant treatment in the field and/or greenhouse had similar soil water content, plant density, and above ground biomass, which were, respectively, 55-101%, 31 to 34 -fold, and 16 to 18 -fold greater than pots without a surfactant treatment. No species effects were found. This study indicates that water repellency can reduce wetting and retention of water in the soil while promoting the retention of high levels of inorganic nitrogen. However, the effects of soil water repellency on inorganic nitrogen appeared to have a minimal effect on plant growth compared to the effect of soil water repellency on water availability.

It is widely known that the textile industry is a large polluter and that fast fashion in particular has sustainability issues. Meanwhile, second-hand stores struggle to sell their products in Europe, leading to most clothes either being exported and/or landfilled. This issue is partially driven by costumers not knowing what performance they can expect from second-hand products. In this study, the water repellency of used hardshell jackets will be evaluated with the goal of proving that second-hand products still have enough performance for reuse. This implies that prolonging the lifetime of waterproof jackets is possible, which will reduce CO2 emissions. Various standards are evaluated and a new method, dubbed the stream impact test is defined, trialed and compared to results from the ISO 4920 spray test. In order to estimate the full potential of reusing jackets, the effects of rejuvenating used jackets, by washing the mand using water repellent spray, are also tested. The current standards for aging fabric used by the industry to prove the durability of water repellency will be evaluated using both the ISO 4920 spray test and the new stream impact test. The testing concludes that while the new method has certain issues, it does achieve it’s core objectives and provides a new perspective on the water repellency of new, used and rejuvenated fabrics. It also shows that, on average, rejuvenating jackets has a good effect on the water repellency of jackets and that. During the testing of used jackets with the stream impact method, jackets are found with water repellent properties between those of new fabric and very old fabric. This suggests that there are jackets with a lot of technical performance left that are discarded, which would be ideal for reuse and allowing the clothing industry to become more sustainable.

The influence of soil water repellency (WR) on vegetation recovery after a fire is poorly understood. This dissertation presents strategies to broaden opportunities for enhanced post-fire rangeland restoration and monitoring of burned piñon and juniper (P-J) woodlands by: 1) mapping the extent and severity of critical and subcritical WR, 2) determining the influence of WR on soil ecohydrologic properties and revegetation success, and 3) evaluating the suitability of a wetting agent composed of alkylpolyglycoside-ethylene oxide/propylene oxide block copolymers as a post-fire restoration tool for ameliorating the effects of soil WR and increasing seedling establishment. Results indicate that: • Post-fire patterns of soil WR were highly correlated to pre-fire P-J woodland canopy structure. Critical soil WR levels occurred under burned tree canopies while sub-critical WR extended out to approximately two times the canopy radius. At sites where critical soil WR was present, infiltration rate, soil moisture, and vegetation cover were significantly less than at non-hydrophobic sites. These parameters were also reduced in soils with subcritical WR relative to non-hydrophobic soils (albeit to a lesser extent). Aerial photography coupled with feature extraction software and geographic information systems (GIS) proved to be an effective tool for mapping P-J cover and density, and for scaling-up field surveys of soil WR to the fire boundary scale. • Soil WR impairs seed germination and seedling establishment by decreasing soil moisture availability by reducing infiltration, decreasing soil moisture storage capacity, and disconnecting soil surface layers from underlying moisture reserves. Consequently, soil WR appears to be acting as a temporal ecological threshold by impairing establishment of desired species within the first few years after a fire. • Wetting agents can significantly improve ecohydrologic properties required for plant growth by overcoming soil WR; thus, increasing the amount and duration of available water for seed germination and seedling establishment. Success of this technology appears to be the result of the wetting agent increasing soil moisture amount and availability by 1) improving soil infiltration and water holding capacity; and 2) allowing seedling roots to connect to underling soil moisture reserves.