Thesis (PhD)--AUT University, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references. Also held in print (xix, 456 leaves : ill. ; 30 cm.) in the Archive at the City Campus (T 307.76 WEB)

Thesis (M.B.Sc.)--Victoria University of Wellington, 2010. / Accompanying disc (on p. 371) contains: Appendix K: NZ ALI -- Working examples: NZ ALI for existing buildings ; NZ ALI for existing buildings. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (doctoral) - Universität, Bonn, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 138-152).

Thesis (M.Ed.)--Texas State University-San Marcos, 2007. / Vita. Appendices: leaves 126-137. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 138-145).

Η παρούσα εργασία έχει ως σκοπό να διερευνήσει τις οικολογικές συνθήκες που επικρατούν στην πόλη της Λευκωσίας σε σχέση με την ευδοκίμηση των ξυλωδών ειδών της (δέντρα και θάμνοι), την ικανότητα προσαρμογής των διαφόρων ειδών στις ιδιαίτερες οικολογικές συνθήκες της πόλης, την εξάπλωση των ξενικών ειδών, τη διατήρηση της υπάρχουσας ή την ανάπτυξη νέας βλάστησης, καθώς και να διατυπώσει προτάσεις για ένα σχεδιασμό του πρασίνου των αστικών χώρων, επί νέων και με σύγχρονη οικολογική αντίληψη βάσεων. / -

Den biologiska mångfalden har det senaste seklet utarmats i Sverige. Det beror till stor del på moderniseringen av jord- och skogsbruk som medfört drastiska habitatminskningar. En av de artrikaste biotoperna är den traditionellt hävdade slåtterängen. Projektet Livslinjen har initierats för att återskapa en sammanhängande slåtteräng genom en hel kommun. Den ska vara cykelbar med pedagogiska inslag för allmänheten och samtidigt fungera som en spridningskorridor för flora och fauna. Denna studie har inventerat örtskikt och övergripande struktur längs med tänkta sträcka. Utifrån de olika områdenas förutsättningar har åtgärder för restaurering och nyetablering föreslagits för att återskapa slåtterängslika miljöer samt generellt verka för en ökad biodiversitet. Merparten av det drygt 10 km långa stråket är präglad av kvävetillförsel och igenväxning. Några områden innehåller arter som indikerar slåtterängslika förhållanden. Äldre grova träd, sandiga marker, stenmurar och andra småbiotoper har noterats. Lämpliga skötselregimer måste implementeras på de flesta områdena. Ett estetiskt förhållningssätt bör finnas med i restaureringsprocessen speciellt i de urbana områdena. De ytor som huserar populationer av ängsvegetation måste fortsätta skötas med traditionella metoder för att kunna bevaras. Att starta med informationsförmedling till allmänheten i början av projektet är viktigt för att skapa förståelse. Uppföljning och nya inventeringar för att utvärdera effekterna av åtgärder tillråds. / Over the past century biodiversity has declined in Sweden as in all other western countries. Mainly due to modernization of agriculture and forestry which has resulted in drastic habitat losses for many species when rural areas have become less diverse and more fragmented. One of the most species-rich habitat is the traditional hay meadow. The Project Livslinjen (the “Lifeline”) has been initiated to re-create a coherent meadow trough a municipality. The public should be able to bike along it the whole way and it should also feature educational elements. At the same time, it should work as a wildlife corridor. In this study an inventory of forbes and the overall structure of the area is performed. This to identify potential actions to re-create meadow-like vegetation and generally increase biodiversity along the route. The study has found that the 10 km long route passes varied grounds with a city center in the middle. Most areas are influenced by nitrogen surplus and overgrowth. Though some areas hosts species that indicates meadow like conditions. Old large trees, sandy slopes, stonewalls and other microhabitats are noted as well. The initial stage of the restoration will focus on depleting nitrogen surpluses in the ground and selectively clear trees and shrubs. Appropriate management regimes must be implemented in most areas. An esthetics eye should be involved in the restoration process since it is recommended that biodiversity should not look untidy. Landscape variation should be a keyword in the process. Gradually, different parts of the route can start to be managed with traditional methods. Then active re-establishment of desirable species can commence. The areas which still house preserved meadow vegetation must continue to be managed accordingly. It is advised to commence with information to the public already at the start of the project to create understanding for what they see. Follow-ups and new inventories to evaluate the effects of measures is advised.

abstract: Phosphorus (P), an essential element for life, is becoming increasingly scarce, and its global management presents a serious challenge. As urban environments dominate the landscape, we need to elucidate how P cycles in urban ecosystems to better understand how cities contribute to — and provide opportunities to solve — problems of P management. The goal of my research was to increase our understanding of urban P cycling in the context of urban resource management through analysis of existing ecological and socio-economic data supplemented with expert interviews in order to facilitate a transition to sustainable P management. Study objectives were to: I) Quantify and map P stocks and flows in the Phoenix metropolitan area and analyze the drivers of spatial distribution and dynamics of P flows; II) examine changes in P-flow dynamics at the urban agricultural interface (UAI), and the drivers of those changes, between 1978 and 2008; III) compare the UAI's average annual P budget to the global agricultural P budget; and IV) explore opportunities for more sustainable P management in Phoenix. Results showed that Phoenix is a sink for P, and that agriculture played a primary role in the dynamics of P cycling. Internal P dynamics at the UAI shifted over the 30-year study period, with alfalfa replacing cotton as the main locus of agricultural P cycling. Results also suggest that the extent of P recycling in Phoenix is proportionally larger than comparable estimates available at the global scale due to the biophysical characteristics of the region and the proximity of various land uses. Uncertainty remains about the effectiveness of current recycling strategies and about best management strategies for the future because we do not have sufficient data to use as basis for evaluation and decision-making. By working in collaboration with practitioners, researchers can overcome some of these data limitations to develop a deeper understanding of the complexities of P dynamics and the range of options available to sustainably manage P. There is also a need to better connect P management with that of other resources, notably water and other nutrients, in order to sustainably manage cities. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.S. Sustainability 2011

With a burgeoning population, increasing land area, and the emergence of new megacities, urban areas have the ability to alter biogeochemical cycles across great scales. Though cities are hotspots of pollution, these concentrated population centers present an opportunity to reduce the human footprint and provide a model of sustainability. Creating sustainable cities requires an understanding of urban biogeochemical cycles of nutrients, such as carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P). Studies in urban areas, however, often include measurements at only a few sites, either in an urban-rural comparison or as an anchor along an urban-rural gradient. In my dissertation work, I deployed a network of sites across the greater Boston area to measure several key biogeochemical processes: 1) rates of carbon dioxide (CO2) efflux through soil respiration, 2) atmospheric inputs and soil solution concentrations of N, P, and organic C, and 3) rates of N mineralization and nitrification in soils. I found that urban soil respiration is driven by landowner management and that respiration from urban residential soils produces almost 75% of the CO2 as fossil fuel emissions in these areas during the growing season. I also found that mean fluxes of inorganic N in throughfall are double rural rates and vary more than threefold throughout the urban area, exhibiting rates at some urban sites which are as low as rural rates. These rates are driven by vehicular N emissions and local fertilizer inputs, and are decoupled from rates of soil biogeochemical cycling of C and N. Finally, I found atmospheric fluxes of organic N equaling almost 40% of total atmospheric N inputs, atmospheric inputs of organic C on par with rural rates, atmospheric inputs of P similar to rates of P in parking lot runoff, and an enhancement of nutrient inputs to urban ecosystems by the urban tree canopy. My dissertation work highlights the need for a more thorough understanding of biogeochemical fluxes in cities, provides further impetus for the development of a more holistic, multifaceted understanding of urbanization, and suggests that urban areas should be studied as systems unto themselves, rather than strictly in comparison to rural areas.

abstract: Often, when thinking of cities we envision designed landscapes, where people regulate everything from water to weeds, ultimately resulting in an ecosystem decoupled from biophysical processes. It is unclear, however, what happens when the people regulating these extensively managed landscapes come under stress, whether from unexpected economic fluctuations or from changing climate norms. The overarching question of my dissertation research was: How does urban vegetation change in response to human behavior? To answer this question, I conducted multiscale research in an arid urban ecosystem as well as in a virtual desert city. I used a combination of long-term data and agent-based modeling to examine changes in vegetation across a range of measures influenced by biophysical, climate, institutional, and socioeconomic drivers. At the regional scale, total plant species diversity increased from 2000 to 2010, while species composition became increasingly homogeneous in urban and agricultural areas. At the residential scale, I investigated the effects of biophysical and socioeconomic drivers – the Great Recession of 2007-2010 in particular – on changing residential yard vegetation in Phoenix, AZ. Socioeconomic drivers affected plant composition and increasing richness, but the housing boom from 2000 through 2005 had a stronger influence on vegetation change than the subsequent recession. Surprisingly, annual plant species remained coupled to winter precipitation despite my expectation that their dynamics might be driven by socioeconomic fluctuations. In a modeling experiment, I examined the relative strength of psychological, social, and governance influences on large-scale urban land cover in a desert city. Model results suggested that social norms may be strong enough to lead to large-scale conversion to low water use residential landscaping, and governance may be unnecessary to catalyze residential landscape conversion under the pressure of extreme drought conditions. Overall, my dissertation research showed that urban vegetation is dynamic, even under the presumably stabilizing influence of human management activities. Increasing climate pressure, unexpected socioeconomic disturbances, growing urban populations, and shifting policies all contribute to urban vegetation dynamics. Incorporating these findings into planning policies will contribute to the sustainable management of urban ecosystems. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Biology 2015

abstract: Urbanization provides an excellent opportunity to examine the effects of human-induced rapid environmental change (HIREC) on natural ecosystems. Certain species can dominate in urban habitats at the expense of biodiversity. Phenotypic plasticity may be the mechanism by which these 'urban exploiters' flourish in urban areas. Color displays and condition-dependent phenotypes are known to be highly plastic. However, conspicuous color displays are perplexing in that they can be costly to produce and may increase detection by enemies. The Western black widow spider () is a superabundant pest species that forms dense aggregations throughout metropolitan Phoenix, Arizona, USA. Adult female display a red hourglass on their abdomen, which is speculated to function as a conspicuous warning signal to enemies. Here, I performed field studies to identify how widow morphology and hourglass color differ between urban and desert subpopulations. I also conducted laboratory experiments to examine the dietary sensitivity of hourglass coloration and to identify its functional role in the contexts of agonism, mating, and predator defense. My field data reveal significant spatial variation across urban and desert subpopulations in ecology and color. Furthermore, hourglass coloration was significantly influenced by environmental factors unique to urban habitats. Desert spiders were found to be smaller and less colorful than urban spiders. Throughout, I observed a positive correlation between body condition and hourglass size. Laboratory diet manipulations empirically confirm the condition-dependence of hourglass size. Additionally, widows with extreme body conditions exhibited condition-dependent coloration. However, hourglass obstruction and enlargement did not produce any effects on the outcome of agonistic encounters, male courtship, or predator deterrence. This work offers important insights into the effects of urbanization on the ecology and coloration of a superabundant pest species. While the function of the hourglass remains undetermined, my findings characterize the black widow's hourglass as extremely plastic. Plastic responses to novel environmental conditions can modify the targets of natural selection and subsequently influence evolutionary outcomes. Therefore, assuming a heritable component to this plasticity, the response of hourglass plasticity to the abrupt environmental changes in urban habitats may result in the rapid evolution of this phenotype. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.S. Biology 2014