Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Ancient Ecology'
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1
Swallow, Kelly A. "Ancient woodland vegetation : distinctiveness and community ecology." Thesis, University of Gloucestershire, 2018. http://eprints.glos.ac.uk/5800/.
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The high floristic biodiversity value of ancient woodland is widely acknowledged, as is its status as a fragmented habitat of limited spatial extent. The distinctive vegetation of ancient woodland is an important factor in its conservation. Specifically, Ancient Woodland Indicator (AWI) species have been shown to be poor dispersers and incompatible with a fragmented habitat that is subject to environmental change. In recognition of their ecological importance, both Ancient Semi-Natural Woodland (ASNW) and Ancient Replanted Woodland (ARW) are protected by legislation. This thesis took the novel approach of examining the distinctiveness and community ecology of vegetation communities in all three woodland types of ASNW, ARW, and recent woodland. Importantly, analyses were based on new high-granularity primary vegetation and soil data. To address questions raised in the literature regarding the accuracy of ancient woodland and AWI identification, this research examined the metrics used to distinguish these habitats and species. Increasingly, the literature calls for further understanding of the ecological drivers of ancient woodland vegetation distinctiveness. In response, this research tested for differences in species composition of canopy, shrub, herb layer, AWI, and moss communities across all three woodland types. For AWI species, biotic, abiotic, and biogeographical variables were analysed for their contribution to community distinctiveness. Results highlighted the importance of consistency in metric selection when assessing the distinctiveness of ancient woodland and determining indicator species. In addition to the usual alpha scale measure of distinctiveness, assessing richness and community composition at the beta and gamma scales is recommended to inform conservation. Life traits and dispersal mechanisms were important differentiators for herb layer community composition among the woodland types. AWI richness was equally strongly explained by biogeographical variables as by ASNW, ARW, and recent status. Overall, this thesis supported ecological and biogeographical explanations for the distinctiveness of ancient woodland vegetation.
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Little, Kayla. "Using Ancient and Modern Fishes to Track Environmental Change in the Illinois River." Thesis, Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville, 2013. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=1545516.
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There have been many human-caused alterations to the Illinois River which have significantly changed the life histories of the fish and added pollution sources that could appear in the fishes. My hypothesis is that changes in the δ13C and δ15N isotopes between prehistoric and modern fishes will show differences in where the fish foraged and their trophic level in the River food chain. It is likely that these changed with human modification of the river. Stable isotopes of nitrogen and carbon vary with food source in fishes. Prehistoric Native American middens contain fish bones that represent a baseline for modern fish communities, which can be used to determine changes in the river. We have used the isotopic composition of both modern and prehistoric fish to understand changes in fish in the River. Bone collagen was analyzed in order to reduce the chances of contamination in our samples. My results show little change in fish life history, but large increases in 15N demonstrate nitrogen pollution of the river.
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Robinson, Heather Anne. "The geographic distributions of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Saccharomyces paradoxus, and the potential to detect past yeast populations with ancient DNA." Thesis, University of Manchester, 2016. https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/the-geographic-distributions-of-saccharomyces-cerevisiae-and-saccharomyces-paradoxus-and-the-potential-to-detect-past-yeast-populations-with-ancient-dna(66d27ad5-9e00-42b9-a0ed-60c3fcfb2eb9).html.
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It is acknowledged that some microbes have interrupted distributions, yet these distributions have rarely been correlated with environmental variables. The wild biogeography of the fermenting yeasts Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Saccharomyces paradoxus are explored in this study, considering multiple environmental variables as potential effectors of each species' geographical distributions. I demonstrate that summer temperatures predict maximum species distribution limits for both S. paradoxus and S. cerevisiae on oak bark, and that S. paradoxus is more likely to be isolated from larger, older trees. Modelling these data predicts a generally denser southern European population of S. paradoxus, with S. cerevisiae being scarce on oak bark throughout Europe. It was not possible to recover ancient Saccharomyces DNA sequences from samples of sub-fossilized oaks, from Greco-Roman and North African amphora residues, or from North African 6th-14th Century pottery residues, which may be a consequence of the low concentration of these species in comparable modern environmental samples. Even from air dried breads and recent wines, Saccharomyces aDNA was not recovered as part of this study, although ancient DNA sequences from plants and other yeasts were identified in other samples via the same methods. Any future recovery of ancient Saccharomyces sequences may therefore be challenging. Novel plant sequences possibly belonging to the Musaceae family and Pinus genus were identified from 6th-14th century AD North African pottery; as well as a Vicia-like DNA sequence from a 13th-12th century BC North African amphora.
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Roos, Christopher Izaak. "Fire, Climate, and Social-Ecological Systems in the Ancient Southwest: Alluvial Geoarchaeology and Applied Historical Ecology." Diss., The University of Arizona, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/194504.
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Although human land use in the industrial and post-industrial world has had demonstrable impacts on global climate, human land use may also improve or reduce the resilience of ecosystems to anthropogenic and natural climate change. This dissertation tests the hypothesis that low severity anthropogenic burning by prehistoric and protohistoric indigenous societies in the ponderosa pine forests of east-central Arizona improved the resilience of these forests to low frequency climate change. I use sedimentary charcoal, phosphorus, stable carbon isotopes, and palynology to reconstruct changes in fire regimes over the last 1000 years from seven radiocarbon dated alluvial sequences in five watersheds across a gradient of indigenous land use and occupation histories. Paleoecological evidence from occupied watersheds is consistent with small-scale, agricultural burning by Ancestral Pueblo villagers (between AD 1150-1325/1400) and anthropogenic burning by Western Apaches to promote wild pant foods (ca. AD 1550-1900) in addition to naturally frequent, low severity landscape fires. Statistical reconstructions of climate driven fire activity from tree-ring records of annual precipitation indicate that Southwestern forests were vulnerable to increased fire severity and shifts to alternative stable states between AD 1300-1650. In watersheds that were unoccupied or depopulated by AD 1325, paleoecological and sedimentological evidence is consistent with an increase in fire severity, whereas areas occupied and burned by indigenous people until AD 1400 did not yield evidence of increased fire severity. These results suggest that anthropogenic burning by small-scale societies may have improved the resilience of Southwestern forests to climate driven environmental changes.
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Culleton, Brendan J., and Brendan J. Culleton. "Human Ecology, Agricultural Intensification and Landscape Transformation at the Ancient Maya Polity of Uxbenká, Southern Belize." Thesis, University of Oregon, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/1794/12347.
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Identifying connections between land use, population change, and natural and
human-induced environmental change in ancient societies provides insights into the
challenges we face today. This dissertation presents data from archaeological research at
the ancient Maya center of Uxbenká, Belize, integrating chronological,
geomorphological, and settlement data within an ecological framework to develop
methodological and theoretical tools to explore connections between social and
environmental change or stability during the Preclassic and Classic Period (~1000 BC to
AD 900). High-precision AMS 14C dates from Uxbenká were integrated with stratigraphic
information within a Bayesian framework to generate a high-resolution chronology of
sociopolitical development and expansion in southern Belize. This chronology revises the
previous understanding of settlement and development of Classic Maya society at Uxbenká
and indicates specific areas of investigation to elucidate the Late and Terminal Classic
periods (AD 600-900) when the polity appears to disintegrate. A geoarchaeological record
of land use was developed and interpreted with respect to regional climatic and cultural
histories to track landscape transformations associated with human-environment interactions at Uxbenká. The first documented episode of landscape instability (i.e.,
erosion) was associated with farmers colonizing the area. Later, landscape stability in the
site core parallels Classic Period urbanization (AD 300-900) when swidden agriculture was
likely restricted in the core. Another erosional event followed political disintegration as
farmers resumed cultivation in and around the abandoned city.
Maize yields derived from contemporary Maya farms in the area were used to
estimate the maximum population size of Uxbenká during its Classic Period peak. The
maximum sustainable population is estimated between 7500 and 13,000, including a
potential population of ~525 elites in the core, assuming low levels of agricultural
intensification. This accords well with the lack of archaeological evidence for intensive
land management during the Classic Period (e.g., terraces). An ecological model developed
using maize productivity and other environmental/social datasets largely predicts the
settlement pattern surrounding Uxbenká. Settlements in marginal areas may be evidence of
elite intra-polity competition during the Late Preclassic Period (ca. AD 1-300), though it is
possible that marginal areas were settled early as garrisons to mediate travel into the site
core.
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Curtis-Harper, Elliot. "Potential microbial processes in an ancient Martian environment : an investigation into bio-signature production and community ecology." Thesis, Open University, 2017. http://oro.open.ac.uk/52293/.
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This work investigated whether the River Dee estuary can be considered as an martian environmental analogue and examined the whether an understanding of microbial processes could inform future life detection missions on Mars. The subsurface environment of the River Dee estuary, UK, and its microbial community, was characterised and compared to the palaeolake at Gale Crater, Mars. Similarities were identified in pH, temperature and Total Organic Carbon measurements, as well as potential bioessential element availability (based on comparative mineralogy of the two sites). The microbial community at the River Dee site was also characterised, indicating that a diverse bacterial community thrived there, alongside a single dominant archaeal group. This provided key insight into potential microbial communities on Mars, and associated processes that may inform future Mars research. Since the diversity and attributes of microorganisms is directly linked to their environment, the microbial community of the River Dee estuary was used to investigate potential martian geomicrobiological processes and community dynamics within a simulated martian experimental environment. Concentrations of the bioessential elements Fe, Mg and K were seen to increase in the biological experiments when compared with abiotic controls, leading to, for example, a 143 μmol L-1 difference in the concentration of Fe during the stationary phase. One bacterial group, the Acidobacteria Gp9, dominated the microbial community for 400 hr during the stationary phase, accounting for ~58 % of the microbial community at its peak. For a subsequent experiment, five bacterial species were isolated from the simulated martian environment, and characterised in order to demonstrate their growth optima and tolerance to relevant environmental extremes. Clostridium amygdalinum was found to be a model organism for survival within environments like the palaeolake at Gale Crater, and is proposed as a useful biological analogue for future investigations of the potential of life in such environments on Mars.
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Dalla, Riva Martina. "Lithic technology and social agency in late Neolithic northern Italy : knapping flint at Rocca di Rivoli (Verona, Italy)." Thesis, University of Birmingham, 2017. http://etheses.bham.ac.uk//id/eprint/7550/.
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The thesis explores the relationship between late Neolithic knappers and flint resources at the settlement of Rocca di Rivoli (Verona, Italy), a key site for the understanding of the late Neolithic in northern Italy. Approximately 8000 flint artefacts were recorded by means of an attribute-based relational database and subsequently analysed. The use of the \(chaîne\) \(opératoire\) method, combined with a social agency approach, provided a useful framework within which to discuss topics such as tradition, style and specialization in the context of the late Neolithic of northern Italy. The intrinsic nature of the site, characterized by secondary deposition in pits, challenged the potential retrieval of data and subsequent interpretation and resulted in the identification of fragmented \(chaînes\) \(opératoires\). In addition, the poor conservation of the finds and bias in accessibility procedures to the collection limited the choice of analytical methods available. Nonetheless, significant results were obtained. At Rocca di Rivoli there were clear preferences in terms of raw material: flint coming from the Maiolica outcrops was by far the preferred variety to be working with. It is suggested that raw material procurement possibly took place in different ways, but that a more precise identification in terms of its organization is not possible at this stage. The 16 \(chaînes\) \(opératoires\) identified at Rocca di Rivoli represent basic frameworks allowing for endless variations and additions taking place during the unfolding of flint knapping activity. It is argued throughout the present work that knapping was undertaken by both expert and non-expert knappers, including apprentices. Some aspects characterising the practice of flint knapping changed throughout occupation of the sire, possibly pointing at changes in social dynamics affecting the community of Rocca di Rivoli.
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Brewer, Jeffrey L. "A Landscape Archaeology Approach to Understanding Household Water Management Practices of the Ancient Lowland Maya." University of Cincinnati / OhioLINK, 2017. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin149155958947996.
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Nettersheim, Benjamin Jakob. "Reconstructing earth’s alien ancient ecology–a multiproxy study of the 1.64 billion‐year‐old barney creek formation, northern Australia." Phd thesis, Canberra, ACT : The Australian National University, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/1885/132962.
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Hightower, Jessica N. "Relating ancient Maya land use legacies to the contemporary forest of Caracol, Belize." Master's thesis, University of Central Florida, 2012. http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/ref/collection/ETD/id/5300.
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Human land use legacies have significant and long lasting impacts across landscapes. However, investigating the impacts of ancient land use legacies (>400 years) remains problematic due to the difficulty in detecting ancient land uses, especially those beneath dense canopies. The city of Caracol, one of the most important Maya archaeological sites in Belize, was abandoned after the collapse of the Maya civilization (ca. A.D. 900), leaving behind numerous structures, causeways, and agricultural terraces that persist beneath the dense tropical forest of western Belize. LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) technology enables detection of below canopy Maya archaeological features, providing an ideal opportunity to study the effects of ancient land use legacies on contemporary tropical forest composition. LiDAR also provided us with a detailed record of the 3-dimensional forest structure over the 200 km2 study area. This allowed the investigation how ancient land uses continue to impact both forest composition, in terms of tree species, and forest structure. I recorded tree species over four land use categories: 1) structures, 2) causeways, 3) terraced, and 4) non-terraced land. Using non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMS) and multi-response permutation procedures (MRPP) to test for differences between the classes, I found significantly distinct tree communities associated with the presence of terraces and the underlying topography. Terraced slopes appear to function as micro-valleys on the side of a hill, creating an environmental "bridge" between slope and valley tree communities. Tree species composition over causeways and structures was also found to be significantly different from terraced and non-terraced plots. Forest structure was assessed by extracting LiDAR points for terraced (n=150) and non-terraced (n=150) 0.25 ha plots. I calculated average canopy height, canopy closure, and vertical diversity from the height bins of the LiDAR points, using slope, elevation, and aspect as covariates. Using PerMANOVA I determined that forest structure over terraces was significantly different from non-terraced land. Terraces appear to mediate the effect of slope, resulting in less structural variation between slope and non-sloped land. These results led to the conclusion that human land uses abandoned >1000 years ago continue to impact the contemporary forests.ID: 031001364; System requirements: World Wide Web browser and PDF reader.; Mode of access: World Wide Web.; Adviser: John F. Weishampel.; Title from PDF title page (viewed May 8, 2013).; Thesis (M.S.)--University of Central Florida, 2012.; Includes bibliographical references.
M.S.
Masters
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Sciences
Biology
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Arilla, Osuna Maite. "CARNIVORES AT THE STAGE: NEO-TAPHONOMY OF WILD CARNIVORES IN THE PYRENEES (CATALONIA, IBERIAN PENINSULA) AND ITS IMPLEMENTATION ON THE ECOLOGY AND BEHAVIOR OF ANCIENT HOMININS." Doctoral thesis, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, 2020. http://hdl.handle.net/10803/670512.
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Durant les darreres dècades, els carnívors han estat el principal objecte d’estudi en molts treballs destinats a explicar tant el paper d’aquests animals en les acumulacions arqueològiques com el seu grau de competència amb els homínids arcaics.
El present projecte de Tesi Doctoral pretén contribuir al gap existent aportant noves dades procedents de l’actualisme i la neo-tafonomia, per tal d’individualitzar aquests predadors i trobar elements diagnòstics que els diferenciïn. Es presenta en aquest estudi la caracterització del comportament predador des d’una perspectiva tafonòmica, amb la descripció dels patrons de consumició duts a terme per óssos bruns (Ursus arctos) i guineus (Vulpes vulpes) en llibertat sobre carcasses d’ungulats al Pirineu Català (Val d’Aran, Pallars Sobirà i Pallars Jussà) juntament amb l’estudi de la terrera d’un cau de teixó (Meles meles) situada en un entorn de cova. L’objectiu principal és la caracterització tafonòmica d’aquests predadors i l’obtenció d’un cos de dades que permeti distingir-los entre ells i poder establir analogies amb els conjunts de fauna plistocens.
Simultàniament a aquestes experimentacions, i, amb l’objectiu d’estimar les capacitats potencials de modificació d’aquests animals en llocs d’hàbitat humà, s’han reproduït de forma ideal estructures de fogars i campaments de curta durada en itineraris freqüentats per aquests animals per a observar el seu potencial com a agents pertorbadors de l’espai prèviament ocupat.
Amb aquest propòsit, s’ha compilat la informació a partir de les observacions fetes amb foto i vídeo-trap juntament amb les anàlisis tafonòmiques. La proposta metodològica emprada fa que els resultats obtinguts tinguin implicacions directes i siguin aplicables als jaciments arqueològics. Un exemple d'aquesta proposta és l'aplicació realitzada al conjunt faunístic del nivell 4 de la Cova del Toll (Moià, Barcelona, Catalunya), on s'ha intentat identificar l'actor que produeix peeling sobre els elements axials d'Ursus spelaeus utilitzant les dades neo-tafonòmiques procedents de la part de camp experimental d'aquesta Tesi Doctoral.Durante las últimas décadas, los carnívoros han sido el principal objeto de estudio en muchos trabajos destinados a explicar el rol de estos animales en las acumulaciones arqueológicas así como su grado de competencia con los homínidos arcaicos. El presente proyecto de Tesis Doctoral pretende contribuir al gap existente aportando nuevos datos procedentes del actualismo y la neo-tafonomía, con el objetivo de individualizar estos predadores y encontrar elementos diagnósticos que los diferencien. Se presenta en este estudio la caracterización del comportamiento predador desde una perspectiva tafonómica, con la descripción de los patrones de consumo de osos pardos (Ursus arctos) y zorros (Vulpes vulpes) en libertad sobre carcasas de ungulados en el Pirineo Catalán (Val d’Aran, Pallars Sobirà y Pallars Jussà) junto con el estudio de la terrera de una madriguera de tejón (Meles meles) situada en un entorno de cueva. El objetivo principal es la caracterización tafonómica de estos predadores y la obtención de un cuerpo de datos que permita diferenciarlos entre ellos y poder establecer analogías con los conjuntos de fauna pleistocenos. Simultáneamente, y con el objetivo de estimar las capacidades potenciales de modificación de estos animales en lugares de hábitat humano, se han reproducido de forma ideal estructuras de hogares y campamentos temporales en itinerarios frecuentados por estos animales para observar su potencial como agentes perturbadores de un espacio previamente ocupado. Con este propósito, se ha compilado la información a partir de las observaciones hechas con foto y video-trap junto con los análisis tafonómicos. La propuesta metodológica utilizada hace que los resultados obtenidos tengan implicaciones directas y sean aplicables a los yacimientos arqueológicos. Ejemplo de ello es la aplicación realizada al conjunto faunístico del nivel 4 de la Cova del Toll (Moià, Barcelona, Catalunya), donde se ha intentado identificar el actor que produce peeling sobre los elementos axiales de Ursus spelaeus utilizando los datos neo-tafonómicos procedentes de la parte de campo experimental de esta Tesis Doctoral.
Over the past few decades, carnivores have been under consideration in most works aiming to further explain their role in archaeological faunal assemblages as well as the degree of competence with archaic hominins. The current Doctoral Thesis aims to contribute to the existing gap with new data coming from actualism and neo-taphonomy with the objective of individualizing those predators and finding out diagnostic elements to differentiate them. This research presents the characterization of predator behavior from a taphonomic perspective describing brown bear (Ursus arctos) and red fox (Vulpes vulpes) consumption patterns on ungulate carcasses in the Catalan Pyrenees (Val d’Aran, Pallars Sobirà and Pallars Jussà). The study of the spoil heap of a badger (Meles meles) sett located in a cave-like environment complements this research line. The main goal is to characterize taphonomically these predators and to obtain data in order to differentiate them from each other as well as to establish analogies with Pleistocene faunal assemblages. Simultaneously, short-term campsites and hearth related structures have been set up to determine their potential capacities of alteration/disruption in previously hominin occupied space. Those experiments have been settled in recurrent known transit areas crossed over by these carnivores. With that purpose in mind, data has been collected from observations carried out with photo and video-trap systems together with taphonomic analyses. The results obtained from our methodological proposal have significant archaeological implications and applications. An example of this is the application made to the level 4 faunal assemblage of Toll Cave (Moià, Barcelona, Catalunya), where it has been attempted to identify the actor who produces peeling on the axial elements of Ursus spelaeus using the neo-taphonomic data from the experimental field part of this Doctoral Thesis.
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D'Elia, Tom V. "Isolation of Bacteria and Fungi from Lake Vostok Accretion Ice." Bowling Green State University / OhioLINK, 2008. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1224865593.
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White, Patricia J. "Reconstructing Ancient and Modern Land Use Decisions in the Copan Valley, Honduras:A GIS Landscape Archaeology Perspective." Ohio University / OhioLINK, 2015. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1448275319.
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Weiland, Andrew Welsh. "Pathways to Maize Adoption and Intensification in the Little Miami and Great Miami River Valleys." The Ohio State University, 2019. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1565302352191348.
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Crawford, Laura J. Dr. "The Role of Selectivity on Alaskan Fuel Management Strategies." The Ohio State University, 2020. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1600964489257755.
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Abadie, Juliet. "Ecologie historique des forêts méditerranéennes : déterminants du changement du couvert forestier et effets des usages passés sur les sols et la flore actuels." Thesis, Aix-Marseille, 2018. http://www.theses.fr/2018AIXM0192/document.
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En région tempérée, les cartes historiques ont permis de démontrer que l’ancienneté des forêts conditionne les caractéristiques des sols et la présence de certaines espèces végétales. En revanche, peu d’études ont été réalisées pour tester ces différences en région méditerranéenne. L'objectif général de la thèse est d’analyser les déterminants du changement du couvert forestier et l’effet de la continuité temporelle et des usages passés sur les sols et la flore des forêts actuelles en région méditerranéenne. Ce travail prend place au sein du territoire du Parc Naturel Régional du Luberon. Le premier volet identifie les déterminants de la distribution des usages et de la reconquête forestière, à partir de données cartographiques de 1860, 1958 et 2010. Il apparaît notamment que les forêts se sont maintenues sur les terres les moins productives et que la reconquête forestière s’est faite sur des sols peu productifs, et à proximité des forêts préexistantes. Le second volet explore l’effet de la continuité temporelle et des usages passés des forêts sur leurs caractéristiques écologiques, à partir de relevés floristiques et pédologiques. Les forêts anciennes et récentes se répartissent selon la productivité des sols et accueillent des espèces qui se distinguent par leurs traits et leurs exigences écologiques, avec notamment des espèces spécialistes forestières, phanérophytes et endozoochores plus fréquentes en forêt ancienne. Si ce travail s’appuie sur la carte d’État-Major, il s’avère que l’écologie historique des forêts méditerranéennes nécessite également des approches in situ afin d’appréhender la complexité des usages anciens du paysageIn temperate regions, historical maps have demonstrated that forest ancientness determines soil properties and the presence of some plant species. However, those differences were rarely analysed in the Mediterranean region. The main objectives of this PhD thesis are to analyse the drivers of forest cover change and the effect of temporal continuity and past land uses on forest soils and understory vegetation in the Mediterranean region. This work relies on the territory of the Regional Natural Park of Luberon. The first part consists of identifying biophysical and socioeconomic drivers of land use and forest recovery spatial distribution, based on the comparison of 1860, 1958 and 2010 land uses. Forest maintained on the least productive land while forest recovery occurred on soils with low productivity, and close to pre-existing forests. The second part investigates the effect of forest temporal continuity and past land uses on their ecological characteristics, based on floristic and pedological data. Ancient and recent forests are distributed according to soil productivity and host species of differing traits and ecological preferences. Notably, species significantly preferring ancient forests are true forest species, phanerophytes and endozoochores. If this work relies on the État-Major map, it turns out that the historical ecology of Mediterranean forests requires complementary in situ approaches in order to fully understand the complexity of past landscape uses
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Ackerfors, Viktoria. "Vilken inställning har Länsstyrelserna till naturvårdsbränningar i områden med fornlämningar och övriga kulturhistoriska lämningar?" Thesis, Linnéuniversitetet, Institutionen för skog och träteknik (SOT), 2020. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:lnu:diva-96971.
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Skogsbränderna har en stor betydelse för den biologiska mångfalden. Det brandpåverkade landskapet och dess dynamik skapar viktiga substrat och livsmiljöer för många pyrofila arter. På grund av att skogsbränderna har minskat i antal sedan 1800-talet, har kontrollerade naturvårdsbränningar utförts som ett komplement för dessa sedan 1980-talet. De kontrollerade naturvårdsbränningarna skapar de miljöer och substrat som många arter är beroende av. Eftersom tidigare mänsklig verksamhet satt prägel på skogarna återfinns idag ett stort antal fornlämningar och övriga kulturhistoriska lämningar i skogsmarkerna. Det är en utmaning att utföra naturvårdsbränningarna så att dessa lämningar inte skadas. Det råder också en brist på tydliga riktlinjer om hur Länsstyrelserna ska förhålla sig till naturvårdsbränningar i områden med lämningar. Denna studies syfte var att undersöka vilken inställning Länsstyrelserna har till naturvårdsbränningar i områden med fornlämningar eller övriga kulturhistoriska lämningar. Nyckelord: Naturvårdsbränningar, fornlämningar, övriga kulturhistoriska lämningar, Länsstyrelsen Keyword: Prescribed burnings, ancient remains, other cultural-historical remains, County Administrative Boards
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Teerling, Janine C. J. "The 'return' of British-born Cypriots to Cyprus : a narrative ethnography." Thesis, University of Sussex, 2011. http://sro.sussex.ac.uk/id/eprint/6343/.
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My thesis is the product of an in-depth qualitative study of the ‘return' of British-born Cypriots to Cyprus. By specifically focusing on the second generation, my thesis seeks to rectify the lacuna in research on the second generation's connections to the ethnic homeland, capitalising on these migrants' positionalities with respect to questions of home and belonging. The thesis consists of eight chapters: Chapter 1 introduces the context in which the research was conducted; Chapter 2 provides the historical and geographical background for the Cypriot migration experience; Chapter 3 presents the methodological and ethical context in which my research was conducted; Chapters, 4, 5, 6 are the main empirical chapters, discussing the British-born Greek-Cypriot returnees' experiences, motives and viewpoints, from childhood memories to today's adult experiences; Chapter 7 provides an additional comparative angle through the inclusion of a subsample of British-born Turkish Cypriots; and finally, Chapter 8, my concluding chapter, revisits the research questions, draws comparisons with other empirical studies on second-generation return, and re-evaluates my methodological framework. Through the voices and life-narratives of second-generation British-Cypriot ‘return' migrants – following a biographical timeline – the multifaceted perspectives in which notions of ‘return', ‘home' and ‘belonging' can be viewed and experienced in a migratory context are revealed. My study shows the complexities and ambivalences involved when exploring ideas of ‘identity' and ‘return', views of ‘home', and feelings of ‘belonging' in the ancestral homeland – demonstrating how boundaries of such notions are blurred, eroded and re-established by a new generation of migrants, reflecting their time, experiences, choices and ideologies. My findings deconstruct the meaning of ‘return', move beyond the primordial cultural confines of notions of ‘belonging', and challenge the simple dichotomy of ‘home' versus ‘away', revealing new similarities (and differences) beyond such predefined labels and categories, which form the building blocks for new, contemporary, ways and spaces of belonging.
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Smit, Gerrit Daniel Stephanus. "Mens en natuur 'n bronnestudie oor die Bybelse en na-Bybelse perspektiewe /." Diss., Pretoria : [s.n.], 2003. http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-03122004-114003/.
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Ibrahimovic, Ida. "DNA Barcoding på Växter : Hur kan man använda genetisk barcoding i olika biologiska fält och i den gymnasiala undervisningen?" Thesis, Linköpings universitet, Institutionen för fysik, kemi och biologi, 2019. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-154300.
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Syftet med litteraturstudien är att sammanfatta vilken gensekvens som används vid genetisk barcoding av växter och hur väl metoden i fråga tillämpas i tre biologiska yrkesområden: dietanalyser i ekologin, analys av pollensporer i forensisk biologi samt analys av uråldrigt DNA (ancient DNA) i paleontologin. Vidare var det även av intresse att se hur genetisk barcoding kan användas i den gymnasiala undervisningen och hur väl den passar in med de svenska styrdokumenten för skolan. Hur elever har gynnats av den valda metoden samt vilka begränsningar som har uppstått har också berörts. Litteraturstudien baseras på vetenskapliga artiklar som har sökts fram med de nedan listade nyckelorden. Resultaten visar att en kombination av gensekvenser, däribland rbcL, matK, trnH-psbA och ITS, fungerar bäst vid identifiering av växter. I dagsläget är genetisk barcoding fortfarande i utvecklingsfasen, där metoden begränsas av antalet referenssekvenser i databaserna, vilket gör det svårt att utesluta morfologiska identifieringsmetoder i de tre yrkesområdena. Vid användning av barcoding i den gymnasiala undervisningen visar det sig att det stämmer väl överens med de svenska styrdokumenten och ökar elevers intresse för de naturvetenskapliga ämnena, då de kan bidra med värdefull forskning genom tillägg av referenssekvenser i databaserna. De största begränsningarna är att det blir ett stort arbetslass för läraren, att läraren i fråga måste vara bekväm med de olika laboratiska momenten och att skolan ska ha tillgång till nödvändig apparatur.The purpose of the literature study is to conclude which gene sequences are being used in DNA barcoding on plants and how the method in question is being used in three different biological occupations: diet analysis in ecology, analysis of pollen in forensics and analysis of ancient DNA (aDNA) in paleontology. Further it was also of interest to study how DNA barcoding can be used in high school settings and how the method correlates with the Swedish curriculum. How pupils have benefited from the chosen method and what limitations have arisen have also been touched upon. This literature study is based on scientific articles that have been sought with the keywords listed below. The results show that a combination of gene sequences, including rbcL, matK, trnH-psbA and ITS, works best in plant identification. At present, genetic barcoding is still in the developmental phase, where the method is limited by the number of reference sequences in the databases, which makes it difficult to exclude morphological-based methods in the three occupational fields. When using barcoding in upper secondary education it turns out that it’s in good agreement with the Swedish curriculum and increases the students' interest in the scientific subjects, since they can contribute with genuine research when adding reference sequences in the databases. The main limitations are the workload for the teacher, the teacher in question must be comfortable with the different laboratory steps and that the school must have access to necessary equipment.
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Kimball, Michael J. "Human ecology and neolithic transition in eastern county Donegal, Ireland : the lough Swilly archaeological survey /." Oxford : Archaeopress, 2000. http://catalogue.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/cb37209249r.
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Ross, Jeremy D. "The Evolutionary History, Demographic Independence and Conservation Status of Two North American Prairie Bird Species: The Greater Prairie Chicken and the Lark Sparrow." Bowling Green State University / OhioLINK, 2011. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1303855437.
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Reboul, Guillaume. "Metabarcoding and metagenomic approaches to decipher microbial communities in suboxic environments Microbial eukaryotes in the suboxic chemosyn- thetic ecosystem of Movile Cave, Romania Hyper- diverse archaea near life limits at the polyextreme geothermal Dallol area Performance of the melting seawater-ice elution method on the metabarcoding characterization of benthic protist communities Core microbial communities of lacustrine microbialites sampled along an alkalinity gradient Environmental drivers of plankton protist communities along latitudinal and vertical gradients in the oldest and deepest freshwater lake Ancient Adaptive Lateral Gene Transfers in the Symbiotic Opalina-Blastocystis Stramenopile Lineage Marine signature taxa and microbial community stability along latitudinal and vertical gradients in sediments of the deepest freshwater lake." Thesis, université Paris-Saclay, 2020. http://www.theses.fr/2020UPASL041.
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L’écologie microbienne concerne l’étude des microorganismes et de leurs interactions biotiques et abiotiques dans un écosystème donné. Ces vingt dernières années, l’avancement des techniques moléculaires pour analyser la diversité microbienne et, notamment, les nouvelles technologies de séquençages (NGS) ont permis de surmonter les limitations associées aux approches traditionnelles basées sur la culture et la microscopie. Ces approches moléculaires ont conduit à une accumulation des données de diversité microbienne et de potentiel métabolique dans des communautés microbiennes des écosystèmes variés.Cependant, ces efforts ont été principalement appliqués sur des environnements facilement accessibles ou liés à l’humain, comme le plancton (marin principalement) et la flore intestinale. Néanmoins, ceci a conduit à une très forte augmentation de données environnementales et au développement de la bioinformatique par le biais de nombreux outils. Parmi les environnements délaissés des études, les environnements faibles en oxygène sont probablement également porteurs de nouveautés phylogénique ou métaboliques.Afin de palier à cela, nous avons choisi d’explorer deux environnements suboxiques relativement peu étudiés : la cave Movile (Roumanie) et les sédiments du lac Baikal (Sibérie, Russie). Notre but étant de montrer les diversités phylogénétiques et fonctionnelles des microbes de ces biotopes.Pour cela, j’ai d'abord développé un pipeline d’analyse de données métabarcoding (petite sous-unités ribosomique). Ensuite, j’ai appliqué cet outil sur des données de métabarcoding de protistes provenant d’échantillons d’eau et de tapis microbiens de la cave de Movile, un écosystème chemosynthétique pratiquement fermé. Nous avons montré que la diversité des protistes de la cave s’étendait à quasiment tous les grands groupes eucaryotes et provenait à la fois d’origine d’eaux douces et marines. De plus, la plupart ont été affiliées à des groupes d’organismes typiquement anaérobies, ce qui est concordant avec les paramètres abiotiques de la cave. Écologiquement, ces protistes sont des prédateurs mais aussi vraisemblablement des partenaires symbiotiques avec des espèces procaryotes de la cave.Dans une deuxième étude, j’ai eu l’opportunité d’appliquer ce pipeline de métabarcoding sur des données procaryotes et eucaryotes provenant des couches superficielles des sédiments du lac d’eau douce Baikal. Comme attendu, les communautés microbiennes dans ces sédiments sont particulièrement diverses et relativement enrichis en archées. Nous avons aussi pu mettre en évidence des lignées que l’on pensait exclusivement marines dans ces sédiments. Ces lignées sont probablement planctoniques mais s’accumulent au fond par sédimentation. Enfin, les échantillons ont été prélevés dans le but de tester les influences de la profondeur, du bassin et de la latitude sur les communautés. Aucune d’elles ne s’est révélée significative.Dans une troisième étude, j'ai utilisé une approche métagénomique afin de révéler les acteurs écologiquement majeurs dans les sédiments, leurs rôles et de reconstruire leurs génomes. Cela nous a permis notamment de mettre en évidence le rôle primordial des Thaumarchaeota dans le cycle de l’azote et la production primaire de molécules de carbone. Les chloroflexi et les protéobacteries ont aussi un rôle important dans la surface des sédiments du lac Baikal. Ce travail de thèse participe à la connaissance globale de la diversité microbienne sur la planète en mettant en lumière des environnements peu étudiés. De plus, l’étude de la surface des sédiments du lac Baikal apporte de nouvelles données sur le sujet de la transition eau douces/eau marines des microbes. Enfin, la métagénomique a permis de révéler le cycle des nutriments et les microorganismes y participant dans ces échantillons de sédiment. En résumé, ce travail vient mettre en lumière l’écologie microbienne d’écosystèmes suboxiques, notamment la surface des sédiments du lac BaikalMicrobial ecology is the science of micro-organisms and their biotic and abiotic interactions in a given ecosystem. As technology has advanced, molecular techniques have been widely used to overcome the limitations of classical approaches such as culturing and microscopy. Indeed, the development of Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) technologies in the past twenty years has largely helped to unravel the phylogenetic diversity and functional potential of microbial communities across ecosystems.Nonetheless, most of the environments studied through these techniques concentrated on relatively easily accessible, tractable and host-related ecosystems such as plankton (especially in marine ecosystems), soils and gut microbiomes. This has contributed to the rapid accumulation of a wealth of environmental diversity and metagenomic data along with advances in bioinformatics leading to the development of myriads of tools. Oxygen-depleted environments and especially their microbial eukaryote components are less studied and may lead to future phylogenetic and metabolic discoveries.In order to address this, we conducted analyses on two poorly studied suboxic ecosystems: Movile Cave (Romania) and lake Baikal sediments (Siberia, Russia). In this task, we aimed at unveiling the taxonomic and functional diversity of microorganims in these environments.To do so, I first evaluated the available bioinformatics tools and implemented a bioinformatics pipeline for 16S/18S rRNA gene-based metabarcoding analysis, making reasoned methodological choices. Then, as a case study, I carried out metabarcoding analyses of the water and floating microbial mats found in Movile Cave in order to investigate its protist diversity. Our study showed that Movile Cave, a sealed off chemosynthetic ecosystem, harbored a substantial protist diversity with species spanning most of the major eukaryotic super groups. The majority if these protists were related to species of freshwater and marine origins. Most of them were putatively anaerobic, in line with the cave environment, and suggesting that in addition to their predatory role, they might participate in prokaryote-protist symbioses.In a second study, I applied my metabarcoding pipeline to explore unique and relatively unexplored environment of Lake Baikal sediments. I first applied a metabarcoding approach using 16S and 18S rRNA genes to describe prokaryotic as well as protist diversity. Overall, the communities within these ecosystems were very diverse and enriched in ammonia-oxidizing Thaumarchaeota. We also identified several typical marine taxa which are likely planktonic but accumulate in sediments. Finally, our sampling plan allowed us to test whether differences across depth, basin or latitude affected microbial community structure. Our results showed that the composition of sediment microbial communities remained relatively stable across the samples regardless of depth or latitude.In a third study, we applied metagenomics to study the metabolic potential of communities associated to Baikal sediments and to reconstruct metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) of dominant organisms. This revealed the considerable ecological importance of Thaumarchaeota lineages in lake Baikal sediments, which were found to be the major autotrophic phyla and also very implicated in the nitrogen cycle. Chloroflexi and Proteobacteria-related species also appeared ecologically important.This PhD thesis reveals the taxonomic diversity of poorly studied suboxic ecosystems and therefore contributes to our knowledge of microbial diversity on Earth. Additionally, the analyses of surface sediment samples in lake Baikal adds new light on freshwater-marine transitions. The metagenomic analyses reported here allowed us to postulate a model of nutrient cycle carried out by microorganismsin these sediments. Overall, this work sheds light on the microbial ecology of oxygen-depleted environments, and most notably lake Baikal surface sediments
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Wade, Richard Peter. "A systematics for interpreting past structures with possible cosmic references in Sub-Saharan Africa." Diss., Pretoria : [s.n.], 2009. http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-05052009-174557/.
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Quesada-Embid, Mercedes Chamberlain. "Dwelling, Walking, Serving: Organic Preservation Along the Camino de Santiago Pilgrimage Landscape." [Yellow Springs, Ohio] : Antioch University, 2008. http://etd.ohiolink.edu/view.cgi?acc_num=antioch1229963115.
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Thesis (Ph.D.)--Antioch University New England, 2008.Title from PDF t.p. (viewed March 26, 2010). "A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Environmental Studies at Antioch University New England (2008)."--from the title page. Advisor: Alesia Maltz, Ph.D. Includes bibliographical references (p. 289-308).
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Raj, Shehzad D. "Ambivalence and penetration of boundaries in the worship of Dionysos : analysing the enacting of psychical conflicts in religious ritual and myth, with reference to societal structure." Thesis, University of Essex, 2018. http://repository.essex.ac.uk/23662/.
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This thesis draws on Freud to understand the innate human need to create boundaries and argues that ambivalence is an inescapable dilemma in their creation. It argues that a re-reading of Freud’s major thesis in Totem and Taboo via an engagement with the Dionysos myth and cult scholarship allows for a new understanding of dominant forms of hegemonic psychic and social formations that attempt to keep in place a false opposition of polis and phusis, self and Other, resulting in the perpetuation of oppressive structures and processes. The primary methodological claim of the thesis is that prior psychoanalytic engagements with cultus scholarship have suffered from being either insufficiently thorough or diffused in attempts to be comparative. A more holistic and detailed approach allows us to ground a psychoanalytic interpretation in the realities of said culture, allowing us to critique Freud’s misreading of Dionysos regarding the Primal Father and the psychic transmission of the Primal Crime. This thesis posits that Dionysos needs to acknowledged as a projection of the Primal Father fantasy linked to a basic ambivalence about the necessity of boundaries in psychosocial life. Using research from the classics and psychoanalysis alongside Queer and post-colonial theory, as well as extensive fieldwork and primary source analysis, this thesis provides a grounded materialist critique of psychoanalysis’ complicity in reproducing a false dichotomy between polis and phusis, a dichotomy that furthers the projection onto marginalised groups whose othering is linked to a fear and desire of a return to phusis and denial of its constant presence in the psyche and polis. This re-reading of Dionysos challenges the defensive structures, which are organised around ideas of subjectification that posit that phusis must be severed from polis/ego and projected onto Dionysos and all groups that threaten the precariousness of these boundaries.
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Marage, Damien. "Déterminisme, dynamique et modélisation spatiale de la diversité floristique dans un contexte de reprise pastorale : application à la gestion durable des espaces montagnards sous influence méditerranéenne." Paris, ENGREF, 2004. https://pastel.archives-ouvertes.fr/pastel-00000906.
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Dans l’espace montagnard européen, l’activité pastorale diminue inexorablement. La succession post-culturale modifie la structure et le fonctionnement de la végétation, dérivant tant dans son contenu que dans son expression, d’une utilisation traditionnelle. L’aménagement de ces territoires en constante mutation doit éviter de remettre en cause leur persistance taxonomique et écologique. L’objectif de ce travail consiste à relever ce défi à l’échelle d’un écocomplexe. Le bassin versant du Petit Buëch (Hautes-Alpes, 57 km²) haut lieu de l’endémisme français inscrit dans un site Natura 2000 a servi de base à la calibration et à la validation des modèles proposés. L’utilisation conjointe de la statistique et de la géomatique a offert des outils performants pour échantillonner, analyser et modéliser spatialement les espèces et les habitats de ce secteur. L’ensemble de ces travaux a permis, outre les aspects méthodologiques novateurs, de fournir des modèles prédictifs spatialisés d’espèce protégée, d’habitats naturels et de leurs richesses floristiques, validés pour la partie sud du massif du Dévoluy (Hautes-Alpes). Véritables outils d’aide à la décision, ces modèles permettent de gérer ces espaces naturels sensibles (17% de la flore française) dans un contexte de déprise pastorale constanteIn European mountain, the pastoral activity decreases unrelentingly. The post-cultural succession modifies the structure and functionning of vegetation, deriving as well in its contents as in its expression, of a traditional use. The sustainable management of this lands in constant change must avoid calling into question their taxonomic and ecological persistence. The study was carried out in a watershed call « Petit Buëch » located in the Hautes-Alpes (France), and registered in the Natura2000 network. To assess, analyse and monitor this site and associated threatened species, we had using statistical modelling techniques, to understand the patterns of plant species and their richness. The explanatory factors used in the models were physical and bioclimatic variables derived from a digital elevation model (DEM) and from land use history, all constructed in a 50 m-resolution GIS environment. GLM (generalized linear models) were used to construct the models using a forward stepwise procedure. The models are discussed in the context of current theories on species richness and vegetation dynamics. Modeling of threatened species, vegetation and plant species richness based on areal photographers and GIS can provide useful information needed in land use planning and policy-makers
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Lang, Hsiao Ming, and 蕭明朗. "Study of Agricultural Ecology Philosophy of Ancient China." Thesis, 2007. http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/51513676146889907993.
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碩士華梵大學
哲學系碩士班
95
This essay aims to explore the practical experiment of “Agricultural Ecology” and the doctrine of “Ecological Philosophy” under the Pre-Qin Dynasty thought system in Chinese history as it will first follow the abundant agricultural knowledge recorded in “Li Ji” (Book of Rites) to seek out the possibility for the practice of modern agricultural ecology, followed by the expositions of meaning over the humanistic thought and the symbol of transcendental realm in natural ecology valued by “Lao Zi” and “Zhuang Zi” as well as the of practice of the ecology-related discourses from “Xun Zi,” “Lê Zi” and “Mong Zi.” As human’s policy-making and value play key role both to the destruction of ecology as well as to the solutions brought to solve the ecological crisis, the signification for “human’s existence will be the subsequent center of discussion. Finally, this conclusion of essay will focus on the enlightenment, introspection and meaning presented under the ecological thought of pre-Qin Dynasty. Outline of this essay: Chapter One is about the introduction illustrating the research motive, research methodology and scope. In Chapter Two, a concern on the change of earth’s ecological ethics will be the center of issue for further discussion as we will return from frequent and peremptory human-centered sectionalism to the original position of nature-oriented centralism, furthering to pay respect to the rational foresight in ecological world. In regarding to the prospects of human and God’s creation illustrated． In Chapter Three, readers will be led to discern the master’s emic and etic position in life world, followed by succeeding to Lao Zi’s prescience in contentment and knowing where to stop by bringing up the simple and balancing life of claim, and finally have it fulfilled in the real nature paying respect to God’s creation and not going beyond one’s bounds. In Chapter Four, the center of discussion will be one about the feedback of agricultural ecology and production toward natural environment overlooked by humans, thus reminding us that fresh agricultural life in suffocated urban life can relieve us. For the conclusion of this essay, this essay aims to give the retrospection over the agricultural ecology in pre-Qin Dynasty more than two thousand years ago. How to learn from past experience and keep the good points by keeping abreast of the modern trend to bring new vigor for agriculture in traditional farming? How will the cultural ecology in pre-Qin Dynasty enlighten us when addressing the issue of modern ecological destruction? The modern signification represented by the philosophical discourses under ecological thought of Lao Zi and Zhuang Zi will be exactly the source when we build the thought of ecological ethics. In Chapter Five will give an exposition of Taoism of Lao Zi, leading the readers to gain insight into the unselfishness of tian dao (way of heaven) as well as thought of God’s creations and nature advocated by Lao Zui. In chapter six “Human and Nature” which is divided into three sections will be the center of discussion. In Section One, readers will be guided to develop an understanding of the state of mind about “Heaven and earth were born at the same time I was, and the ten thousand things are one with me” by Lao Zi’s. In Section Two, this essay aims to seek out the instinctive facet and innocence of natural instincts in human’s real entanglement; Section Three, a discussion on the possibility and signification in the transcendence of zhi ren (perfect man), zhen ren (real man) and shen ren (spiritual man) adhered to thought of Zhuang Zi in the meaning of human’s existence will be conducted. Finally, this essay will lead readers to the introspection over the thought of natural ecology in pre-Qin Dynasty by guiding humans to learn how to create prospects in the future. Key Words: Agriculture, Ecology, Nature, God’s Creations, Human
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Lander, Brian. "Environmental Change and the Rise of the Qin Empire: A Political Ecology of Ancient North China." Thesis, 2015. https://doi.org/10.7916/D88W3CKS.
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This thesis examines the long-term ecological transformation of the Guanzhong plain, capital region of China’s ancient empires, from the origins of agriculture to the fall of the Qin Empire in 208 BCE. It employs textual, archaeological and paleoecological evidence to reconstruct the natural environment of the region and examine how it was transformed by the centralization of political power.
Following the introduction, the second chapter reconstructs the geology, climate and ecology of the region before it was converted to farming. After discussing potential reasons why the region was not forested, it describes the many wild animals that once lived there in order to help the reader imagine an ecosystem that has long since disappeared. Chapter Three explores the environmental impacts of Neolithic and early Bronze Age societies, examining the formation of the North Chinese agricultural system through indigenous domestication and the arrival of already domesticated plants and animals from Central Asia. It also discusses the environmental impacts of these small-scale farming communities.
Chapter Four employs the Book of Odes and other evidence to analyze the human ecology of the Western Zhou period (1045-771 BC). It then considers the political ecology of the Western Zhou state, arguing that because it remained an alliance of independent economic units, it was far less aggressive towards the environment than later states despite its formidable military reach.
Chapter Five begins by arguing that the constantly increasing scale of warfare in the subsequent Eastern Zhou period (771-221) prompted states to extend their control over resources and people, leading to the development of centralized bureaucracies. It also discusses the evidence for the origins and spread of iron tools and ox-drawn ploughs in early China.
Chapter Six focuses on the political history of Qin, beginning with its origins, occupation of the Guanzhong and consolidation up to the fourth century. The second half of the chapter discusses the reforms of Shang Yang, which greatly increased the power of the state over the environment, and the Zheng Guo canal project, which transformed the northeast of the plain.
Chapter Seven employs archaeologically excavated documents to study the political ecology of Qin during the reign of the First Emperor, who reigned from 246 to 210. Qin’s power was based on its rank-based land grant system, state ownership of non-agricultural land and the large-scale use of convict and slave labor. Chapter Seven employs archaeologically excavated documents to analyze the political ecology of Qin during the reign of the First Emperor, who reigned from 246 to 210. Qin’s power was based on its rank-based land grant system, state ownership of forests and wetlands, and the large-scale use of convict and slave labor. Because it was so centralized, the Qin state had a remarkable amount of control over how land was exploited in its domain. Although the empire did not last long, its centralized bureaucracy became the standard model of political organization in China, playing an important role in the spread of agricultural societies across the subcontinent.
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"The Ancient Agroecology of Perry Mesa: Integrating Runoff, Nutrients, and Climate." Doctoral diss., 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/2286/R.I.17993.
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abstract: Understanding agricultural land use requires the integration of natural factors, such as climate and nutrients, as well as human factors, such as agricultural intensification. Employing an agroecological framework, I use the Perry Mesa landscape, located in central Arizona, as a case study to explore the intersection of these factors to investigate prehistoric agriculture from A.D. 1275-1450. Ancient Perry Mesa farmers used a runoff agricultural strategy and constructed extensive alignments, or terraces, on gentle hillslopes to slow and capture nutrient rich surface runoff generated from intense rainfall. I investigate how the construction of agricultural terraces altered key parameters (water and nutrients) necessary for successful agriculture in this arid region. Building upon past work focused on agricultural terraces in general, I gathered empirical data pertaining to nutrient renewal and water retention from one ancient runoff field. I developed a long-term model of maize growth and soil nutrient dynamics parameterized using nutrient analyses of runoff collected from the sample prehistoric field. This model resulted in an estimate of ideal field use and fallow periods for maintaining long-term soil fertility under different climatic regimes. The results of the model were integrated with estimates of prehistoric population distribution and geographical characterizations of the arable lands to evaluate the places and periods when sufficient arable land was available for the type of cropping and fallowing systems suggested by the model (given the known climatic trends and land use requirements). Results indicate that not only do dry climatic periods put stress on crops due to reduced precipitation but that a reduction in expected runoff events results in a reduction in the amount of nutrient renewal due to fewer runoff events. This reduction lengthens estimated fallow cycles, and probably would have increased the amount of land necessary to maintain sustainable agricultural production. While the overall Perry Mesa area was not limited in terms of arable land, this analysis demonstrates the likely presence of arable land pressures in the immediate vicinity of some communities. Anthropological understandings of agricultural land use combined with ecological tools for investigating nutrient dynamics provides a comprehensive understanding of ancient land use in arid regions.Dissertation/Thesis
Ph.D. Anthropology 2013
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Beauchamp, Michelle. "Sacred Places, Storied Places: Ancient Wisdom for a Modern World." Thesis, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/1828/5146.
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This dissertation begins with the hypothesis that sacred places and their stories are connected in complex ways. This refers to place-based sacred places; that is, places which gain their sacred qualities from their natural environment. The two main examples used are both located in the U.K.: Puzzlewood and the Forest of Dean, and Stonehenge. It is further theorized that the stories within these places are repositories of an ancient wisdom; a memory of what it means to live with a sense of the divine in nature. Paying attention to those stories, and to the presences found in these places, may engender a greater appreciation of the interconnectedness of the human world to the natural world and the sacred in nature. Thus an ethic of care for that storied place may develop, and a more harmonious relationship between people and the larger environment may come about. Such an ethic of care may be central in finding solutions to current environmental problems, and preventing future ones. Thus a new story about our relationship with the Earth, based on ancient wisdom, may become the conduit for a kinder, gentler future, where peace, social justice, and environmental care inform both cultural paradigms and individual worldviews. This fusion of stories, the sacred, and the sacred in nature as a way towards self-realization, the development of an ethic of care, and the vision a more harmonious future, is the unique contribution of this dissertation.
Bringing together these diverse strands required a multidisciplinary approach with multiple methodologies, particularly phenomenology to account for experiences in or of sacred places, and hermeneutics to address the stories. In addition, there was a need to include some of the basics of system theory to explore both natural and social systems, and for philosophical inquiry to discuss spirituality and cosmology. Other elements of this dissertation include a background of the ways in which history is presented, how this contributes to the paradigms and worldviews found in the modern Western world, and how those paradigms affect thinking about sacredness in nature, as well as a discussion of why stories are central to all of our lives, and how places come to be imbued with stories. All of this is then set within a framework of the principles of the deep ecology movement. To bring all this together with a cohesive collection of methods, the concentric circles model was created and is explained.
Additionally, this dissertation presents five criteria that could prove useful in assessing sacredness in place when such sacred sites are contested, as happens quite often. This too may help to protect (care for) these places.Graduate
0422
0322
michelleabeauchamp@gmail.com
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Kgosietsile, Tshekiso. "The spatial analysis of the ancient funerary landscape of the Sahara Fazzan - a case study of the Wadi ash-Shati, Libya." Thesis, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/10539/22588.
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Report submitted to the Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, in Partial fulfilment of the Requirements for Masters in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Remote Sensing in the Faculty of Science. School of Geography, Archaeology and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand. March 2016.This study is an initial attempt to investigate the spatial arrangement of graves which are believed that they can shed new light on the mortuary behaviours of ancient societies. The aim of this study is to utilise Geographic Information System (GIS) and remote sensing to document and explore the funerary landscape of the Wadi ash-Shati, Libya using a comprehensive set of environmental variables that might have influenced the spatial distribution of Garamantian funerary monuments. In view of that argument, this study is motivated by these two objectives; documenting all the Garamantian funerary monuments and settlements visible in high resolution satellite imagery and investigating their spatial patterns in their topographic setting. Spatial patterns were achieved by plotting digitised graves data from remotely sensed imagery (accessed through Google Earth) and hand held Global Positioning System (GPS) data in a GIS environment in order to extract patterns and structure in the dataset. In order to better understand these patterns and structures, the following GIS approaches; slope, elevation, visibility, clustering, directional distribution analyses were utilised. The results of the GIS analyses showed that there was correlation between graves location, qsurs or settlements, wells and with the environmental variables (slope, elevation, and distance to water resources). On the basis of the results of this research, it can be concluded that environmental variables were major factor in the placement of graves, qsurs and wells. The placement of these site locations can be related to as an expression of the socio-political, economic, cultural and ideological characteristics of the Garamantian society that created the burials and organised the Wadi ash-Shati landscape. The present study concluded that the Garamantian civilisation had established changes in the landscape that promoted the development of elaborate funerary monuments which peaked significantly during the time when aridity became immense in the study region. However additional research is necessary to provide more conclusive results and interpretations of this study, as such results from the analyses carried out should not be viewed as absolute, but as a stepping ladder for future investigation in the Wadi ash-Shati region. Keywords: GIS, Remote sensing, Funerary Landscape, Wadi ash-Shati, Libya, Spatial Analysis, Garamantian, Google Earth, Global Positioning System (GPS), Environmental Variables
LG2017
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"Phylogeography of Pogonomyrmex barbatus and P. rugosus Harvester Ants: A Complex Regional History of Ancient Vicariance and Recent Expansion in Arid- Adapted Insects, and Implications for the Success of Cryptic Hybrid Lineages with GCD." Master's thesis, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/2286/R.I.15208.
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abstract: Here I present a phylogeographic study of at least six reproductively isolated lineages of harvester ants within the Pogonomyrmex barbatus and P. rugosus species group. The genetic and geographic relationships within this clade are complex: four of the identified lineages are divided into two pairs, and each pair has evolved under a mutualistic system that necessitates sympatry. These paired lineages are dependent upon one another because interlineage matings within each pair are the sole source of hybrid F1 workers; these workers build and sustain the colonies, facilitating the production of the reproductive caste, which results solely from intralineage fertilizations. This system of genetic caste determination (GCD) maintains genetic isolation among these closely related lineages, while simultaneously requiring co-expansion and emigration as their distributions have changed over time. Previous studies have also demonstrated that three of the four lineages displaying this unique genetic caste determination phenotype are of hybrid origin. Thus, reconstructing the phylogenetic and geographic history of this group allows us to evaluate past insights and plan future inquiries in a more complete historical biogeographic context. Using mitochondrial DNA sequences sampled across most of the morphospecies' ranges in the U.S. and Mexico, I employed several methods of phylogenetic and DNA sequence analysis, along with comparisons to geological, biogeographic, and phylogeographic studies throughout the sampled regions. These analyses on Pogonomyrmex harvester ants reveal a complex pattern of vicariance and dispersal that is largely concordant with models of late Miocene, Pliocene, and Pleistocene range shifts among various arid-adapted taxa in North America.Dissertation/Thesis
M.S. Biology 2012
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Klopper, Frances. "Oë in die wildernis : die religieuse funksie van fonteine en putte in die Hebreeuse Bybel : 'n godsdienshistoriese studie." Thesis, 2002. http://hdl.handle.net/10500/802.
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Text in AfrikaansDie proefskrif ondersoek die funksie van fonteine en putte in die religie van ou Israel. Die religie van die Hebreeuse Bybel word tradisioneel beskryf as 'n historiese religie waarin Jahwe, die god van Israel, fundamenteel gemoeid is met die verlossing van sy volk in die gang van die geskiedenis, terwyl die wêreld van die natuur van marginale belang is. Dit is egter duidelik dat die natuur in die vorm van haar grondwaterbronne 'n belangrike rol in ou Israel se leefwerêld gespeel het, nie alleen as lewegewende bronne in die droē fisiese Palestynse landskap nie, maar ook in hulle narratiewe en simboliese wêrelde. Fonteine en putte was kultiese plekke en heilige ruimtes waar teofanieē plaasgevind het, konings gekroon is, regsgedinge gevoer is, voorvadergeeste opgeroep is en die nageslag van ou Israel verseker is toe die voorvaders hulle toekomstige bruide by putte ontmoet het. Deur middel van die ou Nabye Oosterse ikonografie as hulpwetenskap in die interpretasieproses, is gevind dat die rede vir die sakrale waarde wat aan die waterbronne geheg is, opgesluit is in ou Israel se kosmologie wat hulle met hulle mitologies-gesinde en natuurvererende bure gedeel het. Daarvolgens ontspring fonteine uit die kosmiese onderaardse oeroseaan om lewe en vrugbaarheid te bring aan alles wat lewe. Die beeld het daartoe aanleiding gegee dat fonteine en putte metafories vir vroulike seksualiteit en vrugbaarheid gedien het. Die waterbronne tree ook as draers van hoop op. In verhale oor die wonderbaarlike ontstaan van fonteine in die wildernis deur lewensonderhoud aan die Israetiete tydens hulle woestynomswerwinge te voorsien. Ons kan met sekerheid aanneem dat ou Israel hulle watergate as lokaliteite van integrasie, sin en orde teen die aanslae van die chaosmagte ervaar het. Deur die eeue het die mensdom nagedink oor eksistensiele kwessles soos lewe en dood, vrugbaarheid en steriliteit, die redes vir rampe en oor wat die toekoms inhou. Dit is ten diepste religieuse vrae wat die vervloe bybelskrywers vir hulle tyd en omstandighede aangespreek het deur 'n refigurasie van Palestina se waterbronne. Grondliggend aan hierdie studie as 'n herevaluering van die natuur in die Hebreeuse Bybel om menslike wesens as deel van die natuur op te stel en nie as staande bo die natuur nie.
The dissertation investigates the function of springs and wells in the religion of ancient Israel. The religion of the Hebrew Bible has traditionally been descibed as a historical religion in which Yahweh, the god of Israel, was fundamentally concerned with the salvation of Yahweh's people In history in which the world of nature is of marginal interest. However, it is evident that nature in the form of its groundwater sources played an important role, not only as life giving sources in the arid physical environment of Palestine, but also in their narrative and symbolic worlds. Springs and wells served as cultic centres and sacred places where theophanies took place, kings were crowned, lawsuits conducted, ancestral spirits conjured up and the future progeny of Israel was ensured when patriarchs betrothed their future brides at wells. By means of ancient Near Eastern iconography as an interpretation aid, this study finds the reason for the sacred value attributed to groundwater sources in the cosmology of ancient Israel which she shared with her mythically-minded and nature-worshipping neighbours. Springs were believed to arise from the cosmic subterranean ooean to bring life and fertility to all living things. This image caused springs and wells to serve as metaphor of female sexuality and fertility. They also act as agents of hope in stories of miraculous springs in the desert which provide sustenance during the Israelites' desert wanderings. We can safely conclude that ancient Israel experienced their springs and wells as localities of integration, meaning and order amidst the threatening forces of chaos. Through the ages humankind reflected on existential questions regarding life and death, fertility and sterility, the reasons for disasters and what the future holds. These are profoundly religious questions addressed by the biblical authors for their time and circumstances by implementing a refiguration of the groundwater sources of Palestine. Ultimately this study serves to re-evaluate nature in the Hebrew Bible and to construe human beings not as standing above nature, but as part of nature.
Religious Studies and Arabic
D. Litt. et Phil. (Religious Studies)