Dissertations / Theses: 'Ecology, NSW'

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Saunders, Anthony S. J., University of Western Sydney, of Science Technology and Environment College, and of Science Food and Horticulture School. "Comparative ecology of the noisy friarbird Philemon corniculatus (Latham 1790) and the red wattlebird Anthochaera carunculata (Shaw 1790) in central eastern New South Wales." THESIS_CSTE_SFH_Saunders_A.xml, 2004. http://handle.uws.edu.au:8081/1959.7/780.

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Densities and behaviour of Noisy Friarbirds Philemon corniculatus and Red Wattlebirds Anthochaera carunculata were measured during 1992 and 1993 at six sites along an east-west transect through central New South Wales from the Central Coast through to the Central Western Slopes, and at Goobang National Park from 1993 to 1996. Both P. corniculatus and A. carunculata were found to be mostly canopy foragers with occasional forays into the shrub layer when food resources became available there. Flower-probing and foliage gleaning comprised the bulk of foraging behaviour. Most of the food resources used by these honeyeaters were seasonally unreliable and unpredictable, so that they needed to shift between foods and track them over hundreds of kilometres. A strong relationship was found between the densities of honeyeaters and the density of flowering trees at both regional and local scales. Sites on the western slopes were more important for nectar during winter and spring, while sites on the tablelands provided a greater diversity of foods over all seasons. When foraging at foliage, both honeyeaters were found to preferentially select Eucalyptus punctata. These two honeyeaters are very mobile and appear to cope within the fragmented landscape. Their ecological role as plant pollinators, seed dispersers and insect population limiters may have increased proportionally due to habitat fragmentation compared with less mobile species with similar ecological roles. Hence they may also have become more important in maintaining habitat patch quality
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

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2

Berghout, Mani, and n/a. "The ecology of the red fox (Vulpes vulpes) in the Central Tableslands of New South Wales." University of Canberra. Resource, Environmental & Heritage Sciences, 2000. http://erl.canberra.edu.au./public/adt-AUC20060331.085450.

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The red fox occurs across a very broad range of habitats, and displays great behavioural flexibility under different environmental conditions. In Australia, mounting concern over the impacts of foxes on livestock and native fauna has highlighted a need for more information on fox ecology under Australian conditions as a fundamental step towards developing more strategic means of managing foxes. This study explores ranging behaviour, dispersal, use of dens, activity rhythms, population dynamics and diet in the absence of management in productive agricultural land in the central tablelands of New South Wales. The study was conducted from June 1994 to June 1997 on private property near Murringo, NSW Australia (34°15� S, 148°30� E). The site was primarily sheep and cattle grazing land and had a history of no fox management. Rainfall was considerably below average for much of the study. A total of 83 foxes were trapped over 3931 trapnights, of which 50 were fitted with radio-collars (23 adult and 6 juvenile females, 12 adult and 9 juvenile males) and 26 released with eartags only (all juveniles: 10 females, 16 males). Thirty-three foxes were radio-tracked using fixed towers between March 1995 and December 1996, with between 11 and 28 foxes tracked at any time. Mean home range size was 446.1 ha ± 69.8 se using 95% Minimum Convex Polygons (MCP), and 276.4 ha ± 36.3 se using 95% kernel utilisation distributions. Male home ranges defined by MCP were significantly larger than female ranges, but no significant difference was found using 95% kernels. Core ranges were estimated to be 133.4 ha ± 23.7 se using 50% MCP and 59.8 ha ± 6.1 se using 95% kernels, with no significant difference between sexes. No significant differences were found between range sizes of adults and juveniles or between years or seasons. While most home ranges were steady for the duration of the study, some foxes were observed to shift range location and 4 foxes displayed nomadic behaviour for at least some of the study. There was a high incidence of overlapping home ranges, most commonly between females or males and females but occasionally between males, but core areas were usually separate. Fully overlapping core areas were observed in 1995 but not in 1996. Juvenile foxes were significantly more likely to disperse than adults, and usually travelled further (juveniles 61.1 km 31.6 ± se; adults 5.9 km 1.1 ± se). Males and females were equally likely to disperse, and there was no significant difference in the distance travelled. The furthest distances were 285 km and 140 km, but mean distance of dispersal excluding these animals was 12.3 km ± 4.3 se (n = 13). Thorough surveys across a 16.4 km² area located 200 dens, with 68 of these active in 1995 and 96 active in 1996. Density of breeding foxes was estimated to be 0.55 and 0.52 adult foxes/km² in 1995 and 1996 respectively based on natal den counts. Density estimates based on active den counts, which include non-breeding foxes, were 0.91and 1.30 foxes/km² in 1995 and 1996 respectively. These estimates appear lower than other studies in similar habitats but this is likely due to using a half home range boundary strip around the surveyed area in the present study. Application of mark-recapture analysis found very high �recapture� rates of dens and gave a similar estimate of the total number of dens to that observed directly. Natal dens were regularly distributed across the study area, whereas active dens tended to be in clusters. There was a high turnover of which dens were used each year, but the total number of natal dens was similar across years (16 in 1995 and 17 in 1996). Natal dens were more likely to be used on repeat occasions than other dens, but not necessarily by the same vixen. Litter size based on sightings of emergent cubs was 2.8. Foxes were predominantly nocturnal, with a major peak in activity about an hour after sunset. A new method of analysing activity rhythm data using Fourier series to mathematically describe animal movements was developed, that allowed systematic identification of the cyclical components underlying overall movement patterns. General fox behaviour could be clearly described by a 24-hour and a 12-hour cyclical component when corrected for variation in daylength. The rising and setting of the sun appeared to be a major trigger underlying movement patterns. Seasonal and sex differences were observed in patterns of activity. The annual rate of increase of the fox population was found to vary around a mean of zero between June 1994 and June 1997. A major drop in fox numbers as estimated by spotlight counts occurred in the second half of 1995, but numbers recovered by the end of 1996. Kaplan-Meier analysis of radio-tagged foxes found annual adult survival was generally very high (0.56-0.96) with lowest survival between July and October. Causes of mortality were human-related outside the site and apparently of natural causes within the site. However foxes dying of natural causes outside the site were unlikely to be found. There was no overall movement of foxes into or out of the site. Immigration was detected following the drop in fox numbers in late 1995, but there was no evidence of immigration prior to this period although emigration occurred. A sensitivity analysis was conducted on the effects of a small change in life history parameters on finite rate of increase using published data as well as adult mortality data from the present study. The two most influential life-history parameters were adult and juvenile survival, while changes in fecundity and age at first reproduction had much less impact on finite rate of increase. In terms of management, in which fertility control is being considered as an alternative to lethal control, this implies that a small change in fecundity may cause less change in the rate of increase of foxes than lethal control. Foxes were culled in June 1997 on completion of the study. Estimated density using a Petersen estimate was 2.4-5.3 foxes/km² and index-manipulation-index was 1.4-3.2 foxes/km². The different methods used to cull foxes appeared to target different age groups within the population, and were generally biased in favour of younger foxes. Success at killing animals was low, leading to large standard errors in the population estimates. Stomachs of foxes shot in the Orange district were found to contain predominantly rabbit and carrion, with invertebrates present when abundant. These findings were not strictly representative of the diet of foxes in the study area, where rabbits were scarce. Foxes scavenged heavily on lamb carcasses within the study site. The quantity of fresh lamb carrion removed from a lambing paddock in winter 1996 was estimated to support 13-24 foxes, with available fresh lamb theoretically able to support 240-440 foxes. Density based on removal of fresh carcasses was estimated to be 0.83-1.5 foxes/km².

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Saunders, Anthony S. J. "Comparative ecology of the noisy friarbird Philemon corniculatus (Latham 1790) and the red wattlebird Anthochaera carunculata (Shaw 1790) in central eastern New South Wales." Thesis, View thesis, 2004. http://handle.uws.edu.au:8081/1959.7/780.

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Abstract:

Densities and behaviour of Noisy Friarbirds Philemon corniculatus and Red Wattlebirds Anthochaera carunculata were measured during 1992 and 1993 at six sites along an east-west transect through central New South Wales from the Central Coast through to the Central Western Slopes, and at Goobang National Park from 1993 to 1996. Both P. corniculatus and A. carunculata were found to be mostly canopy foragers with occasional forays into the shrub layer when food resources became available there. Flower-probing and foliage gleaning comprised the bulk of foraging behaviour. Most of the food resources used by these honeyeaters were seasonally unreliable and unpredictable, so that they needed to shift between foods and track them over hundreds of kilometres. A strong relationship was found between the densities of honeyeaters and the density of flowering trees at both regional and local scales. Sites on the western slopes were more important for nectar during winter and spring, while sites on the tablelands provided a greater diversity of foods over all seasons. When foraging at foliage, both honeyeaters were found to preferentially select Eucalyptus punctata. These two honeyeaters are very mobile and appear to cope within the fragmented landscape. Their ecological role as plant pollinators, seed dispersers and insect population limiters may have increased proportionally due to habitat fragmentation compared with less mobile species with similar ecological roles. Hence they may also have become more important in maintaining habitat patch quality

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4

Yerman, Michelle N., University of Western Sydney, of Science Technology and Environment College, and School of Natural Sciences. "Temperate urban mangrove forests : their ecological linkages with adjacent habitats." THESIS_CSTE_NSC_Yerman_M.xml, 2003. http://handle.uws.edu.au:8081/1959.7/652.

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Estuarine habitats along the temperate south-eastern shores of Australia are generally made up of salt marsh, mangrove forests and seagrass beds. In urban areas these habitats have been progressively fragmented as a result of population increase and industrial expansion. Salt marshes in particular have been vulnerable to urban expansion and reclamation because of their close proximity to densely populated areas, while mangrove forests have been less often reclaimed because of frequent tidal inundation. The effect of reclamation of salt marshes on the biotic assemblages and functioning of mangrove forests with an adjacent salt marsh, park or bund wall was examined at nine separate locations on the Parramatta River, Sydney NSW. A mensurative approach was used to describe the patterns of distribution and abundance of macro fauna at several temporal and spatial scales. The implications for management are that salt marshes are an integral part of estuaries, and smaller patches of salt marsh are just as important as larger patches in maintaining the diversity of faunal assemblages and ecosystem functioning in mangrove forests in urban areas
Master of Science (Hons)

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Willems, Karen J. "Investigations of the ecology and control of pest mosquitoes in freshwater wetlands at Homebush Bay, Sydney, NSW." Thesis, The University of Sydney, 2001. https://hdl.handle.net/2123/27702.

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An understanding of the ecology of freshwater mosquitoes in wetland habitats is essential in devising strategies and practices that will maintain populations at an acceptable level for nearby human communities.

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Davila, Yvonne Caroline. "Pollination ecology of Trachymene incisa (Apiaceae): Understanding generalised plant-pollinator systems." Thesis, The University of Sydney, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/2123/1896.

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A renewed focus on generalised pollinator systems has inspired a conceptual framework which highlights that spatial and temporal interactions among plants and their assemblage of pollinators can vary across the individual, population, regional and species levels. Pollination is clearly a dynamic interaction, varying in the number and interdependence of participants and the strength of the outcome of the interaction. Therefore, the role of variation in pollination is fundamental for understanding ecological dynamics of plant populations and is a major factor in the evolution and maintenance of generalised and specialised pollination systems. My study centred on these basic concepts by addressing the following questions: (1) How variable are pollinators in a generalised pollination system? To what degree do insect visitation rates and assemblage composition vary spatially among populations and temporally among flowering seasons? (2) How does variation in pollinators affect plant reproductive success? I chose to do this using a model system, Trachymene incisa subsp. incisa (Apiaceae), which is a widespread Australian herbaceous species with simple white flowers grouped into umbels that attract a high diversity of insect visitors. The Apiaceae are considered to be highly generalist in terms of pollination, due to their simple and uniform floral display and easily accessible floral rewards. Three populations of T. incisa located between 70 km and 210 km apart were studied over 2-3 years. The few studies investigating spatial and temporal variation simultaneously over geographic and yearly/seasonal scales indicate that there is a trend for more spatial than temporal variation in pollinators of generalist-pollinated plants. My study showed both spatial and temporal variation in assemblage composition among all populations and variation in insect visitation rates, in the form of a significant population by year interaction. However, removing ants from the analyses to restrict the assemblage to flying insects and the most likely pollinators, resulted in a significant difference in overall visitation rate between years but no difference in assemblage composition between the Myall Lakes and Tomago populations. These results indicate more temporal than spatial variation in the flying insect visitor assemblage of T. incisa. Foraging behaviour provides another source of variation in plant-pollinator interactions. Trachymene incisa exhibits umbels that function as either male or female at any one time and offer different floral rewards in each phase. For successful pollination, pollinators must visit both male and female umbels during a foraging trip. Insects showed both preferences and non-preferences for umbel phases in natural patches where the gender ratio was male biased. In contrast, insects showed no bias in visitation during a foraging trip or in time spent foraging on male and female umbels in experimental arrays where the gender ratio was equal. Pollinator assemblages consisting of a mixture of different pollinator types coupled with temporal variation in the assemblages of populations among years maintains generalisation at the population/local level. In addition, spatial variation in assemblages among populations maintains generalisation at the species level. Fire alters pollination in T. incisa by shifting the flowering season and reducing the abundance of flying insects. Therefore, fire plays an important role in maintaining spatial and temporal variation in this fire-prone system. Although insect pollinators are important in determining the mating opportunities of 90% of flowering plant species worldwide, few studies have looked at the effects of variation in pollinator assemblages on plant reproductive success and mating. In T. incisa, high insect visitation rates do not guarantee high plant reproductive success, indicating that the quality of visit is more important than the rate of visitation. This is shown by comparing the Agnes Banks and Myall Lakes populations in 2003: Agnes Banks received the highest visitation rate from an assemblage dominated by ants but produced the lowest reproductive output, and Myall Lakes received the lowest visitation rate by an assemblage dominated by a native bee and produced the highest seedling emergence. Interestingly, populations with different assemblage composition can produce similar percentage seed set per umbel. However, similar percentage seed set did not result in similar percentage seedling emergence. Differences among years in reproductive output (total seed production) were due to differences in umbel production (reproductive effort) and proportion of umbels with seeds, and not seed set per umbel. Trachymene incisa is self-compatible and suffers weak to intermediate levels of inbreeding depression through early stages of the life cycle when seeds are self-pollinated and biparentally inbred. Floral phenology, in the form of synchronous protandry, plays an important role in avoiding self-pollination within umbels and reducing the chance of geitonogamous pollination between umbels on the same plant. Although pollinators can increase the rate of inbreeding in T. incisa by foraging on both male and female phase umbels on the same plant or closely related plants, most consecutive insect movements were between plants not located adjacent to each other. This indicates that inbreeding is mostly avoided and that T. incisa is a predominantly outcrossing species, although further genetic analyses are required to confirm this hypothesis. A new conceptual understanding has emerged from the key empirical results in the study of this model generalised pollination system. The large differences among populations and between years indicate that populations are not equally serviced by pollinators and are not equally generalist. Insect visitation rates varied significantly throughout the day, highlighting that sampling of pollinators at one time will result in an inaccurate estimate and usually underestimate the degree of generalisation. The visitor assemblage is not equivalent to the pollinator assemblage, although non-pollinating floral visitors are likely to influence the overall effectiveness of the pollinator assemblage. Given the high degree of variation in both the number of pollinator species and number of pollinator types, I have constructed a model which includes the degree of ecological and functional specialisation of a plant species on pollinators and the variation encountered across different levels of plant organisation. This model describes the ecological or current state of plant species and their pollinators, as well as presenting the patterns of generalisation across a range of populations, which is critical for understanding the evolution and maintenance of the system. In-depth examination of pollination systems is required in order to understand the range of strategies utilised by plants and their pollinators, and I advocate a complete floral visitor assemblage approach to future studies in pollination ecology. In particular, future studies should focus on the role of introduced pollinators in altering generalised plant-pollinator systems and the contribution of non-pollinating floral visitors to pollinator assemblage effectiveness. Comparative studies involving plants with highly conserved floral displays, such as those in the genus Trachymene and in the Apiaceae, will be useful for investigating the dynamics of generalised pollination systems across a range of widespread and restricted species.

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7

Davila, Yvonne Caroline. "Pollination ecology of Trachymene incisa (Apiaceae): Understanding generalised plant-pollinator systems." University of Sydney, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/2123/1896.

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Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
A renewed focus on generalised pollinator systems has inspired a conceptual framework which highlights that spatial and temporal interactions among plants and their assemblage of pollinators can vary across the individual, population, regional and species levels. Pollination is clearly a dynamic interaction, varying in the number and interdependence of participants and the strength of the outcome of the interaction. Therefore, the role of variation in pollination is fundamental for understanding ecological dynamics of plant populations and is a major factor in the evolution and maintenance of generalised and specialised pollination systems. My study centred on these basic concepts by addressing the following questions: (1) How variable are pollinators in a generalised pollination system? To what degree do insect visitation rates and assemblage composition vary spatially among populations and temporally among flowering seasons? (2) How does variation in pollinators affect plant reproductive success? I chose to do this using a model system, Trachymene incisa subsp. incisa (Apiaceae), which is a widespread Australian herbaceous species with simple white flowers grouped into umbels that attract a high diversity of insect visitors. The Apiaceae are considered to be highly generalist in terms of pollination, due to their simple and uniform floral display and easily accessible floral rewards. Three populations of T. incisa located between 70 km and 210 km apart were studied over 2-3 years. The few studies investigating spatial and temporal variation simultaneously over geographic and yearly/seasonal scales indicate that there is a trend for more spatial than temporal variation in pollinators of generalist-pollinated plants. My study showed both spatial and temporal variation in assemblage composition among all populations and variation in insect visitation rates, in the form of a significant population by year interaction. However, removing ants from the analyses to restrict the assemblage to flying insects and the most likely pollinators, resulted in a significant difference in overall visitation rate between years but no difference in assemblage composition between the Myall Lakes and Tomago populations. These results indicate more temporal than spatial variation in the flying insect visitor assemblage of T. incisa. Foraging behaviour provides another source of variation in plant-pollinator interactions. Trachymene incisa exhibits umbels that function as either male or female at any one time and offer different floral rewards in each phase. For successful pollination, pollinators must visit both male and female umbels during a foraging trip. Insects showed both preferences and non-preferences for umbel phases in natural patches where the gender ratio was male biased. In contrast, insects showed no bias in visitation during a foraging trip or in time spent foraging on male and female umbels in experimental arrays where the gender ratio was equal. Pollinator assemblages consisting of a mixture of different pollinator types coupled with temporal variation in the assemblages of populations among years maintains generalisation at the population/local level. In addition, spatial variation in assemblages among populations maintains generalisation at the species level. Fire alters pollination in T. incisa by shifting the flowering season and reducing the abundance of flying insects. Therefore, fire plays an important role in maintaining spatial and temporal variation in this fire-prone system. Although insect pollinators are important in determining the mating opportunities of 90% of flowering plant species worldwide, few studies have looked at the effects of variation in pollinator assemblages on plant reproductive success and mating. In T. incisa, high insect visitation rates do not guarantee high plant reproductive success, indicating that the quality of visit is more important than the rate of visitation. This is shown by comparing the Agnes Banks and Myall Lakes populations in 2003: Agnes Banks received the highest visitation rate from an assemblage dominated by ants but produced the lowest reproductive output, and Myall Lakes received the lowest visitation rate by an assemblage dominated by a native bee and produced the highest seedling emergence. Interestingly, populations with different assemblage composition can produce similar percentage seed set per umbel. However, similar percentage seed set did not result in similar percentage seedling emergence. Differences among years in reproductive output (total seed production) were due to differences in umbel production (reproductive effort) and proportion of umbels with seeds, and not seed set per umbel. Trachymene incisa is self-compatible and suffers weak to intermediate levels of inbreeding depression through early stages of the life cycle when seeds are self-pollinated and biparentally inbred. Floral phenology, in the form of synchronous protandry, plays an important role in avoiding self-pollination within umbels and reducing the chance of geitonogamous pollination between umbels on the same plant. Although pollinators can increase the rate of inbreeding in T. incisa by foraging on both male and female phase umbels on the same plant or closely related plants, most consecutive insect movements were between plants not located adjacent to each other. This indicates that inbreeding is mostly avoided and that T. incisa is a predominantly outcrossing species, although further genetic analyses are required to confirm this hypothesis. A new conceptual understanding has emerged from the key empirical results in the study of this model generalised pollination system. The large differences among populations and between years indicate that populations are not equally serviced by pollinators and are not equally generalist. Insect visitation rates varied significantly throughout the day, highlighting that sampling of pollinators at one time will result in an inaccurate estimate and usually underestimate the degree of generalisation. The visitor assemblage is not equivalent to the pollinator assemblage, although non-pollinating floral visitors are likely to influence the overall effectiveness of the pollinator assemblage. Given the high degree of variation in both the number of pollinator species and number of pollinator types, I have constructed a model which includes the degree of ecological and functional specialisation of a plant species on pollinators and the variation encountered across different levels of plant organisation. This model describes the ecological or current state of plant species and their pollinators, as well as presenting the patterns of generalisation across a range of populations, which is critical for understanding the evolution and maintenance of the system. In-depth examination of pollination systems is required in order to understand the range of strategies utilised by plants and their pollinators, and I advocate a complete floral visitor assemblage approach to future studies in pollination ecology. In particular, future studies should focus on the role of introduced pollinators in altering generalised plant-pollinator systems and the contribution of non-pollinating floral visitors to pollinator assemblage effectiveness. Comparative studies involving plants with highly conserved floral displays, such as those in the genus Trachymene and in the Apiaceae, will be useful for investigating the dynamics of generalised pollination systems across a range of widespread and restricted species.

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Winberg, Pia Carmen. "Confronting the challenges of tidal flat conservation spatial patterns and human impacts in a Marine Protected Area in southern NSW, Australia /." Access electronically, 2008. http://ro.uow.edu.au/theses/123.

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Mactaggart, Barbara Gilmore. "Characterising and understanding swampy meadows in the NSW Central Tablelands region: a prerequisite for their restoration." Thesis, The University of Sydney, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/2123/9028.

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This thesis was a multidisciplinary examination of the swampy meadow landform system with particular relevance to the New South Wales Central Tablelands. The research investigated the swampy meadow on many scalar and modal levels, from global scale systematics, through to regional historic reconstruction and prediction of their distribution, and finally to a valley-scale examination of the geomorphic, hydrogeological, and ecological attributes of a near natural spring-fed swampy meadow. The research was premised on the likelihood that the findings would be pivotal to swampy meadow restoration theory and practice. Swampy meadows, characterised by non-incised, discontinuous channels vegetated with dense tussock grass, sedges and rushes, were once common in the region. The impacts of European land-use have, however, contributed significantly to their widespread and rapid degradation. The detrimental affects of swampy meadow degradation are increasingly being recognised by scientists and resource managers and have led to a heightened sense of the need for their restoration, management and conservation. While swampy meadow evolution, form and function are relatively well understood geomorphically, there is a paucity of multi-disciplinary knowledge, particularly in relation to their ecology and hydrology. The research undertaken in this study followed many lines of enquiry. First, an examination of the systematics and nomenclature used to describe the swampy meadow found that the use of many different terms creates confusion, and the lack of a precise definition very likely limits knowledge transfer. The inadequate definitional status of swampy meadows also hinders our ability to protect and restore these landforms within the current legislative framework. A more precise taxonomic definition of the swampy meadow was constructed by considering their geomorphic, hydrologic, ecologic and evolutionary characteristics. An attempt was also made to reconstruct the distribution and characteristics of the swampy meadow in the Central Tablelands using both historic documentation and a gradsect sampling of 70 swampy meadows. It became evident that, at the time of early European settlement, problems with landform recognition and a general lack of a perceived necessity to record swampy meadow-type features, resulted in scant and often unreliable recordings. The contemporary analyses of the swampy meadows sampled indicated there is a high variance in environments suitable for their development, and a high degree of swampy meadow heterogeneity in the region. Therefore, based on these data, predicting where swampy meadows are likely to occur or would have occurred prior to European settlement remains a very imprecise science. What swampy meadows all have in common, however, is that they develop in a low energy environment and one which maintains permanent or periodically high soil moisture. Further, to test theories, provide descriptions and generate theories of how swampy meadows may function in a natural landscape, a natural spring-fed swampy meadow was used as a case study. Based on piezometer readings, soil logs and vegetation transects, a major finding to emerge was the high degree of heterogeneity and complexity observed in the spring-fed system in relation to its hydrogeological, ecological and physical characteristics. The small scale variability of groundwater movement, coupled with the complexity of valley sediments and their differential permeabilities, makes any spatio-temporal prediction of groundwater behaviour and soil water status difficult. Another major finding which is important for our understanding of ecosystem resilience and recovery is that the plant communities in this swampy meadow are dominated by only a few species that are both abundant and have high constancy. It is reasoned that plant life-form and function contribute more towards ecosystem stability, organic matter accumulation, and sediment aggradation than do species diversity. Finally, in a time of climate uncertainty and shortages of available water, restoring the hydrological functioning of swampy meadows is imperative. It is suggested that for the effective and appropriate restoration of swampy meadows, a review and an amendment of the current policies and legislation is warranted. As well, due recognition of the hydro-biophysical characteristics of the swampy meadow needs to be given in the definition, and a greater multi-disciplinary understanding of the complexity and heterogeneity of the landform is required.

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Washington, Haydn G. "The wilderness knot." Click here for electronic access to document: http://arrow.uws.edu.au:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/uws:44, 2006. http://arrow.uws.edu.au:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/uws:44.

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Thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy University of Western Sydney.
Title from electronic document (viewed 2/6/10) Interviews held with: "James' Dharug, Traditional Custodian; Dr. Rob Lesslie, conservation biologist, Dr. Val Plumwood, environmental philosopher, Virginia Young, Director WildCountry Project, Professor Mike Archer, Dr. Deborah Bird Rose, anthropologist, Ms. Penny Figgis, former Vice President of ACF, Dr. Tim Flannery, Director South Australian Museum, Mr. Dean Stewart, Aboriginal Education Officer, Melbourne Botanic Gardens, Dr. Rosemary Hill, ACF Northern Lands Project Officer, Professor Harry Recher.

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Souza, Maria Eliane de. "Uma nova ecologia da aprendizagem: a nova ecologia midiática e a incorporação das tecnologias digitais na educação." Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo, 2016. https://tede2.pucsp.br/handle/handle/19494.

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Made available in DSpace on 2016-12-02T12:38:49Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Maria Eliane de Souza.pdf: 947004 bytes, checksum: 4a68ef611e70f4a832b423479186d55d (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-09-28
Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior
The objective of this research was to investigate the pedagogical use of Information and Communication Digital Technologies (TDIC), teachers and students from public schools in the city of São Paulo Education (RME). We conducted a qualitative study we applied questionnaires to RME's students and teachers of. Established categories of analysis that emerged from the interpretation of the data. This research has the theoretical framework in studies of Postman (1970; 2000) and McLuhan (1969, 2010), who study very properly ecology media. Castells (2003), which analyzes the knowledge society by stating that it is a society of multiple learning opportunities and for the first time the human mind is a direct productive force. Basbaum (2005) and his studies on the reorganization of the senses through technologies. Alegretti (2012) helps to analyze the extended school through mobile technologies. We read and Di Felice (2014), dealing with very domain, the contemporary cultural context reticular structured in media networks that enable the network dialog. Coll (2013), which proposes the concept of a new ecology of learning arising from digital technologies of information and communication. We found that the objectives of this study were achieved by identifying the inherent technological artifacts of the new media ecology, which are in use by students and public school teachers of RME of São Paulo and the TDIC mediation potential for effective integration and transformation of the school curriculum
O objetivo dessa pesquisa foi investigar o uso pedagógico das Tecnologias Digitais de Informação e Comunicação (TDIC), por professores e alunos de escolas públicas da Rede Municipal de Ensino de São Paulo (RME). Realizamos um estudo qualitativo em que aplicamos questionários para alunos e professores da RME de São Paulo. Estabelecemos categorias de análises que emergiram da interpretação dos dados obtidos. A presente pesquisa tem como marco teórico os estudos de Postman (1970; 2000) e McLuhan (1969; 2010), que estudam com muita propriedade a ecologia dos meios. Castells (2003) que analisa a sociedade do conhecimento ao afirmar que é uma sociedade de múltiplas oportunidades de aprendizagem e que pela primeira vez a mente humana é uma força produtiva direta. Basbaum (2005) e seus estudos sobre a reorganização dos sentidos por meio das tecnologias. Alegretti (2012) contribui ao analisar a escola estendida por meio das tecnologias móveis. Lemos e Di Felice (2014), abordam com muito domínio, o contexto cultural contemporâneo reticular estruturado nas redes midiáticas que viabilizam o diálogo em rede. Coll (2013), que propõe o conceito de uma nova ecologia da aprendizagem decorrente das tecnologias digitais da informação e comunicação. Constatamos que os objetivos dessa pesquisa foram atingidos ao identificarmos os artefatos tecnológicos inerentes da nova ecologia midiática, que estão em uso por alunos e professores de escolas públicas da RME de São Paulo e o potencial de mediação das TDIC para efetiva integração e transformação do currículo escolar

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Knudsen, Brian. "The Local Ecology of New Movement Organizations." Research Showcase @ CMU, 2011. http://repository.cmu.edu/dissertations/550.

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Recent scholarship from political science, urban studies, and sociology conceptualizes the city as a space of decentralized democracy – a view emphasizing localization, participation, difference, and anti-hierarchical organizational form. Instead of conceiving the city as a place of atomized individuals and a locale for market exchange, this alternative framework recognizes the city‘s role as ―civitas‖ – a ―space of active democratic citizenship‖ and ―full human realization‖ based on open and free encounter and exchange with difference. The current research emerges from and fills a need within this perspective by examining how local urban contexts undergird and bolster new movement organizations (NMOs). Theory elaborates how urban density, land-use mix, housing age diversity, and connectivity generate and enable interaction with the social diversity fundamental to decentralized and anti-hierarchical NMOs. In addition, theory also examines how urban walking mediates the relationships between these urban contextual traits and NMOs. Linear regression is used to assess the direct effects of density, connectivity, land-use mix, and urban walking on NMO activity (measured as human rights, environmental, and social advocacy groups), and the Sobel test is employed to assess mediation. Data to measure the NMO dependent variable come from the 2007 ZIP Code Business Patterns, while urban contextual independent variables and socio-economic and demographic measures are drawn primarily from the 2000 U.S. Census. Regressions at the ZCTA level show that NMO activity is positively predicted by density, connectivity, and housing age diversity. Furthermore, Sobel tests indicate that walking mediates the relationships that NMOs have with density, connectivity, and land-use-mix. Several additional analyses are also performed. First, Guidestar Form 990 data are employed to validate the NMO dependent variable. Second, inclusion of an ideology measure in the regression estimations shows that the relationships of interest are not confounded by ―liberalism‖. Third, cross-lagged regressions are employed to investigate ―self-selection‖ effects. Finally, counterfactual cases are explored by estimating regressions with several alternative dependent variables. While coefficients on the independent variables of interest are typically larger and more often in the predicted direction when NMOs are employed as the dependent variable, results for several of the alternative dependent variables shed light on the main results by showing that urban contexts are conducive to specific kinds of activity.

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Warren, Janice H. (Janice Helene). "Behavioural ecology of crabs in temperate mangrove swamps." Thesis, The University of Sydney, 1987. https://hdl.handle.net/2123/26768.

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Patterns of distribution of crabs inhabiting burrows in three temperate mangrove swamps near Sydney, New South Wales, were described. Heloeoius cordiformis (an ocypodid) did not exhibit a consistent pattern of distribution among three tidal zones, but was always associated with well— drained mounds of substratum within zones. Paragrapsus laevis (a grapsid) tended to be most abundant in the lower two zones on the shore and usually inhabited burrows in the moist or submerged flats between mounds. Sesarma erythrodactyla (a grapsid) was distributed fairly evenly among the three tidal zones and also between mounds and flats. H. cordiformis hibernated in burrows from June through August or September. Overall abundances also varied seasonally, but trends were inconsistent among the three swamps sampled.

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Tong, Lily K. Y. (Lily Kit Ying). "The population ecology of the intertidal bivalve Lasaea australis." Phd thesis, Faculty of Arts, 1990. http://hdl.handle.net/2123/9035.

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Smith, Howard Leslie. "The linguistic ecology of a bilingual first-grade: The child's perspective." Diss., The University of Arizona, 1995. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/187432.

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This dissertation presents the linguistic ecology of a Spanish-English, bilingual first grade classroom. The term linguistic ecology refers to the communicative behaviors of a group, as well as the physical and social contexts in which their communication occurs. In addition, a linguistic ecology includes the reciprocal influences of persons and environment on each other. Two questions guided this study: (1) How do the children interpret the roles of English and Spanish in their classroom environment? and (2) What resources, human and material, are made available to support the development of both languages in this bilingual classroom? Three over-arching categories were used to describe and analyze the linguistic ecology as viewed by the children: (1) the materials available in the school to support Spanish development; (2) the staffing for bilingual instruction; and (3) the dynamics of language use within the school, especially within one first-grade classroom. The results of this inquiry study strongly suggest that children of bilingual classrooms discern that (1) more time is devoted to English instruction; (2) more communication occurs in English; (3) few teachers have high levels of Spanish proficiency; (4) the personnel of bilingual schools utilize more English than Spanish in the school environment; and (5) Spanish language resource materials are fewer in number and often less appealing than their English-language counterparts. In effect, this case study documents and interprets the social and educational processes through which bilingual children in one U.S. school come to appreciate the prestige and power of English versus Spanish.

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Lohr, Michael T. "Northern bobwhite winter ecology in southern New Jersey." Access to citation, abstract and download form provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company; downloadable PDF file, 54 p, 2009. http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=1694433071&sid=2&Fmt=2&clientId=8331&RQT=309&VName=PQD.

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Ackermann, Rau Sabine. "Einblicke in die "Ecology of Medical Care" in der Schweiz : Anrufgründe in einem medizinischen Call Center /." Zürich, 2007. http://www.public-health-edu.ch/new/Abstracts/ARS_04.03.08.pdf.

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Morris, Benjamin Alan. "Culture après le déluge : heritage ecology after disaster." Thesis, University of Cambridge, 2010. https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/226856.

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This PhD dissertation examines the relationships between cultural heritage and the environment, focusing specifically on the devastation and rebuilding of New Orleans, Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Departing from conventional approaches to the natural world (such as documentation- and conservation-based approaches), this thesis adopts a developmental-systems based approach to cultural heritage in order to construct a new way of interpreting it, within the specific context of natural disaster. This new approach, termed 'heritage ecology', reinterprets cultural heritage in two ways: first, as a physical assemblage of sites, materials, traditions, beliefs, and practices that are constructed in significant ways by their natural environments; and second, as a metaphorical ecosystem which impacts back on the assessment and construction of that natural environment in turn. In order to construct this approach, the thesis poses three interrelated questions: how is cultural heritage transformed as a result of disaster, how do societies rebuild their heritage after disaster, and how does heritage contribute to the rebuilding process? Examining a rebuilding process in real-time provides a unique window on these processes; events and developments in New Orleans taken from the first four years of recovery (2005-2009) suggest that prior understandings of how societies rebuild themselves after disaster have neglected crucial aspects of cultural heritage that are integral to that process. The examination of data from the case study - data of diverse forms, such as historiography, the culinary arts, music, the built environment, and memorial sites and landscapes - reveals the limitations of traditional approaches to heritage and prompts a reassessment of a range of issues central to heritage research, issues such as materiality, authenticity, and commodification. This study moreover incorporates into heritage research concepts previously unconsidered, such as infrastructure and policy. In the coming century of global climate change and increased environmental hazards, this last theme will become increasingly central to heritage policy and research; the dissertation concludes accordingly, with a reflection on contingency and future disaster.

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Burrell, Gregory P. "Hyporheic ecology of alluvial rivers in Canterbury, New Zealand." Thesis, University of Canterbury. Zoology, 2001. http://hdl.handle.net/10092/4805.

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Aspects of the ecology of hyporheic river communities in Canterbury, New Zealand were examined using field surveys in association with field and laboratory experiments. Seasonal pump-sampling of Ashley River tributaries revealed an invertebrate fauna dominated numerically by harpacticoid copepods, although insects (particularly Chironomidae and Polycentropodidae) dominated biomass. Dissolved oxygen (minimum concentration = 2.1 mg 1-1) was negatively related to invertebrate abundance in reaches receiving upwelling groundwater in summer, but not winter. Thus, seasonal limitation of dissolved oxygen may occur in river reaches where upwelling is prevalent. Colonisation pots embedded in the Waipara River collected a high proportion of epigean taxa, notably the snail Potamopyrgus antipodarum, whereas pump-samples were biased towards collecting non-insect taxa, including harpacticoids and mites. In colonisation pots, the hyporheic biota (15-45 cm depth) represented about 50% of total (0-45 cm) invertebrate abundance and community respiration. Willow leaves added to colonisation pot gravels increased invertebrate abundance and community respiration, but their effect declined with depth. Low concentrations of silt (<2.5 g per litre of sediment) appeared to enhance the food resource for some collector-filtering taxa (particularly oligochaetes and ostracods), whilst lessening its value to the grazers P. antipodarum and Hydora sp. (Elmidae). The epilithic microbial community found in the hyporheic zone was similar to that of heavily-shaded surface epilithon, and both had lower biomass and a less diverse microbiota (algae and fungi) than epilithon grown in full light. While the epigean caddisfly 0. Feredayi ingested hyporheic foods, it did not grow in the absence of either higher quality light-grown epilithon, or particulate organic matter. Fine sediment (<2 mm diameter) added to colonisation pot gravels (up to 23% of total sediment dry weight) reduced invertebrate abundance and community respiration (CR) at all depths (0-45 cm). However, invertebrate community composition was influenced more strongly by fine sediment at depths below 15 cm, indicating that conventional stream sampling may provide an inadequate measure of sediment effects on the benthos. Finally, my data indicate that the hyporheic zone is likely to be sensitive to human activities. Therefore, water managers need to consider the biota of surface and subsurface waters concomitantly, so that freshwater ecosystems can be understood, maintained and protected, effectively.

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Collier, Kevin J. "Ecology of acid brownwater streams in Westland, New Zealand." Thesis, University of Canterbury. Zoology, 1988. http://hdl.handle.net/10092/4809.

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Effects of water chemistry and catchment afforestation on benthic invertebrates were investigated in acid brownwater and circumneutral clearwater streams in Westland, South Island, New Zealand. Annual dissolved organic carbon (DOC) budgets calculated for three North Westland wetland catchments (zero, two and five years post-afforestation) showed that forestry development resulted in a reduction of DOC export by up to 24 % and that recovery of DOC dynamics was linked to the time elapsed since the onset of development. The presence of high DOC concentrations in stream water (up to 41 g.m-3) resulted in lowering of pH to about 4.0. These highly acidic waters also contained high concentrations of dissolved aluminium, but only a small proportion (< 80 mg.m -3) was in the toxic labile (inorganic) monomeric form.

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Poupart, Timothée. "Foraging ecology of winter-breeding seabirds in New Zealand." Thesis, La Rochelle, 2019. http://www.theses.fr/2019LAROS016.

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Bien que le coût énergétique de la reproduction contraigne les animaux à élever leur(s) jeune(s) pendant le pic d’abondance de ressource alimentaire au printemps et/ou en été, certaines espèces font exception en se reproduisant en hiver. Comment leurs besoins énergétiques élevés peuvent-ils être satisfaits pendant une période traditionnellement décrite par des conditions environnementales difficiles réduisant les ressources alimentaires ? Cette question a été peu étudiée jusqu’à présent. Cette stratégie originale de reproduction hivernale est adoptée par davantage d’espèces d’oiseaux marins en Nouvelle-Zélande qu’ailleurs dans le monde, avec une concentration sur la côte ouest de l’île du Sud. Dans ce contexte, cette thèse a eu trois objectifs. Tout d’abord, décrire le comportement de recherche alimentaire à fine échelle d’espèces d’oiseaux marins nicheuses en hiver clés du réseau trophique, sur la côte ouest de l’ile du Sud de la Nouvelle-Zélande. Ensuite, examiner les facteurs intrinsèques et extrinsèques déterminant leur comportement. Enfin, quantifier le recouvrement de leurs niches écologiques sur leur zone d’alimentation durant la période d’élevage du(des) jeune(s). Nous avons étudié la stratégie de recherche alimentaire sur une communauté d’espèces constituée de deux guildes : les oiseaux plongeurs (manchot du Fiordland Eudyptes pachyrhynchus) et de surface (pétrel de Westland Procellaria westlandica, albatros de Buller Thalassarche bulleri bulleri). L’approche s’est basée sur le déploiement de bio-loggers sur ces oiseaux (GPS, accéléromètre, enregistreur de plongée) et l’analyse isotopique (carbone, azote) de sang prélevé après leur voyage en mer. Les individus équipés se sont moins éloignés de leur colonie que leurs espèces congénères nichant en été, en utilisant majoritairement les eaux du talus continental et néritiques. Mâles et femelles ont eu des comportements de recherche alimentaire semblables, avec des différences spatiales concernant l’albatros de Buller. Des taux de rencontre de proies élevés ont été enregistrés chez les trois espèces, permettant un élevage du(des) jeune(s) avec un taux de succès élevé, et sans effort supérieur par rapport aux espèces nichant en été. Ces résultats suggèrent que les oiseaux marins nichant en hiver sur l’île du Sud de la Nouvelle-Zélande ont une phénologie de reproduction concordant avec des ressources alimentaires hivernales locales suffisantes. Des données supplémentaires issues de la littérature ont permis d’inclure le manchot bleu Eudyptula minor et le Cormoran tacheté Stictocarbo punctatus (espèces nichant aussi en hiver sur la même côte) dans l’étude de ségrégation de niche écologique. Cette communauté a montré un recoupement partiel de leur niche écologique, mais aussi un faisceau de divergences sur le plan des déplacements horizontaux, verticaux, de la distribution temporelle de l’activité de recherche alimentaire, du régime alimentaire et de la niche isotopique. Cette ségrégation écologique explique la coexistence de cette communauté avienne dans un même habitat. Par conséquent, la stratégie de reproduction hivernale peut être favorable aux oiseaux marins prédateurs supérieurs, lorsque des processus océanographiques locaux sont favorables. Sur le plan océanographique, un mélange vertical des eaux attire et garantit la persistance de proies au cours de l’hiver. En outre, la phénologie hivernale de la reproduction contribue aussi à l’émancipation du poussin au printemps. Ainsi, elle concorde avec le pic local de productivité primaire, en accord avec les prédictions. Ces espèces présentes en populations modestes, peuvent ainsi terminer leur cycle de reproduction hivernal avant que d’autres espèces beaucoup plus abondantes (comme les millions de Puffin fuligineux Puffinus griseus) rentrent de migration et s’engagent à leur tour dans leur reproduction estivale
Although the cost of reproduction constrains animals to breed during spring/summer when food availability peaks, exception exist in seabirds with few species engaged in breeding during winter months. How their elevated energy needs can be sustained during a period traditionally reported for food shortage and challenging at-sea conditions is poorly understood. In addition, this unusual breeding phenology is adopted by more species in New Zealand than elsewhere in the world, with a concentration on the South island west coast where several winter breeding species are reported to forage with overlap. Therefore, the objectives of this thesis were to: 1) describe the fine-scale foraging behaviour of winter-breeding species from the west coast of New Zealand’s South Island, 2) investigate the intrinsic and extrinsic factors driving their foraging, and 3) quantify their niche overlap as they exploit similar areas during elevated energetically demand. Using bio-logging data (GPS, accelerometer, dive recorder) combined with stable isotopes (carbon and nitrogen from whole blood), the winter foraging strategies of breeding males and females were investigated in a deep diver (Fiordland penguin Eudyptes pachyrhynchus) and two surface-feeders / shallow divers (Westland petrel Procellaria westlandica and southern Buller’s albatross Thalassarche b. bulleri). The tracked individuals foraged close to their colony compared to their summer breeding congenerics, using primarily the nearby shelf-slope and neritic waters. Males and females displayed similar foraging behaviour in penguins and petrels, while spatial sexual differences occurred for albatross. All three species encountered prey at a high rate, allowing raising offspring with good success and without higher foraging effort than their summer-breeding congeners.These findings suggest that winter-breeding species have a phenology matching a winter prey resource on the shelf of the west coast of New Zealand’s South Island. With additional data from literature for little penguin Eudyptula minor and spotted shag Stictocarbo punctatus, this winter-breeding community showed partial overlap of their foraging niche, but an accumulation of small divergences in home ranges, diving behaviour, temporal pattern of foraging, diet and trophic level is likely to explain their coexistence. Hence, winter-breeding can be a favourable phenology for high-level predators, which exploit shelf-slope and inshore waters undergoing winter mixing that insure fish and squids persistence through winter. In addition, winter-breeding also allow the matching of chick-fledging period with the spring (local primary production peak), and before the elevated needs of millions of summer-breeding species back from migration

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22

Collins, Bridget M. "Northern bobwhite breeding season ecology in southern New Jersey." Access to citation, abstract and download form provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company; downloadable PDF file, 71 p, 2008. http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=1654489871&sid=3&Fmt=2&clientId=8331&RQT=309&VName=PQD.

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23

O'Donnell, M. A. (Margaret Anne). "The ecology and early life history of the intertidal tubeworm Galeolaria caespitosa." Phd thesis, Faculty of Arts, 1986. http://hdl.handle.net/2123/12045.

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24

Ebbett, R. L. "The ecology of lowland totara in South Island, New Zealand." Thesis, University of Canterbury. Forestry, 1998. http://hdl.handle.net/10092/4833.

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Historically, lowland totara was a common forest tree throughout much of lowland New Zealand but is now confined to small, mainly protected, areas usually as the dominant species in mixed podocarp forest with matai and kahikatea. Lowland podocarp forest has suffered the most extensive reduction of all New Zealand forest types, with only circa 1% of the original forest cover remaining. The lowland totara dominated stands remaining therefore represent an highly fragmented population with relatively few individuals, making the collection of large data sets difficult. Sample sizes are small in some stands due to the limited area of to tara dominated forest (circa 1 hectare). The present study aims to describe the natural extent of lowland totara forest, document its reduction and current status, and to provide for the long-term survival of this species in the now fragmented forest environment. Literature relating to the ecology of Podocarpus totara is reviewed with respect to vegetative morphology and growth, reproductive biology, timber properties and· utilisation, and population dynamics. The ecological niche of lowland totara is defined, examining site characteristics and soil type. The distribution of lowland totara dominated stands is a function of several interlinked site characteristics such as climate, landform, drainage, disturbance regime, soil type, and altitude. Lowland totara appears to be confined to semi-fertile or fertile soils which are the result of landform and disturbance e.g. flood events on a river plain. Stand descriptions identify lowland totara forest as ranging from pure totara, to totara - matai, to totara - matai - kahikatea, to dense mixedpodocarps. The relative proportions of totara, matai, and kahikatea appear to be due to edaphic features such as fertility and drainage. In dense mixed podocarp forest, totara is confined in small populations to optimal sites such as terraces and ridges. The podocarps have differing nutrient, light, and disturbance regime requirements and these factors work together to partition the environment into optimal areas for the regeneration and persistence of each species. Totara dominated stands require high light to initiate and capture a high fertility site, and relatively free-draining ABSTRACT 3 fertile soils to remain dominant. Sub-optimal totara sites will see the dominance of other species such as rimu. Totara and kahlkatea dominate in catastrophically disturbed areas, miro responds to medium levels of disturbance such as tree fall, and rimu dominates in areas subject to continual disturbance such as canopy collapse. Regeneration of lowland totara dominated forest is seen to be a consequence of seedling dispersal to preferred microsites, and disturbance history. The broad scale forest pattern is detennined by the level of disturbance and the finer scale pattern of tree distribution is a result of light levels, parent and perch trees, and edaphic properties. There is no evidence that totara dominated stands are older than first generation, indicating that periodic catastrophic regeneration is required to reinitiate stands. The alteration of the natural disturbance regime by humans may pose problems for the future of lowland totara. There is no evidence that totara forest regenerates under a senescing totara canopy. Presently protected areas are therefore likely to undergo floristic composition change away from totara/matai/kahlkatea in the absence of disturbance. A landscape management plan is proposed as a mechanism for appropriate land use using ecological principles at catchment scale and to provide adequate areas for the long-term survival of totara dominated forest in a fragmented landscape. New Zealand's natural environment has been radically altered with the invasion of humans, introduced weeds and pests, and alteration of the natural disturbance regime. Restoration and revegetation are therefore options for the future survival of lowland totara in a fragmented landscape. Silvicultural plantations can provide timber (to tara heartwood being highly prized), income, and seed sources for regeneration. Land values such as water and soil quality will also benefit from artificial plantations. Stand spacing and age structure is described and can be used in the future when revegetation projects have the aim of approximating natural stands.

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Bruy, David. "Diversity, ecology and evolution of monocaulous plants in New Caledonia." Thesis, Montpellier, 2018. http://www.theses.fr/2018MONTG087/document.

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L’évolution convergente des formes de croissance est un phénomène fondamental reliant l’écologie et l’évolution des plantes. Remarquablement illustré dans plusieurs systèmes insulaires, ce phénomène n’a jamais été identifié en Nouvelle-Calédonie, pourtant connue pour la richesse et l’originalité de sa flore. Par une approche combinant architecture des plantes, traits fonctionnels, taxonomie, phylogénie et données environnementales, cette thèse analyse l’histoire évolutive de la monocaulie, une forme de croissance mal connue, en Nouvelle-Calédonie. Les monocaules sont des plantes autoportantes ligneuses dont les fonctions majeures sont assurées par une seule tige apparente. En Nouvelle-Calédonie, elles sont représentées par 182 espèces dicotylédones appartenant à 41 genres et 30 familles et sont gravement menacées d’extinction. L’évolution répétée de la monocaulie en Nouvelle-Calédonie, issue d’au moins 31 événements d’apparition, est l’un des cas les plus remarquables de convergence en milieu insulaire. Dans le genre Atractocarpus, la monocaulie est apparue récemment deux à trois fois via diverses réductions des branches en inflorescences, montrant l’importance des processus hétérochroniques dans l’évolution des formes de croissance. La monocaulie est fortement corrélée à plusieurs traits démontrant des contraintes majeures dans la coordination fonctionnelle. L’évolution de la monocaulie est fortement associée aux forêts denses humides et au substrat ultramafique, et semble avoir contribué à la diversification des lignées par des phénomènes de partitionnement de niche. La remarquable convergence de la monocaulie en Nouvelle-Calédonie peut s’expliquer par quatre hypothèses majeures liées (i) à la structure particulière des forêts denses humides (en lien avec les cyclones) favorisant l’exploration unidirectionnelle de l’espace, (ii) aux contraintes édaphiques liées aux substrats ultramafiques favorisant la paupérisation architecturale, (iii) à l’absence historique de grands brouteurs, auxquels les monocaules sont particulièrement sensibles, et (iv) à la persistance des forêts denses humides lors des épisodes glaciaires (servant de refuges pour ces espèces sensibles) et leur expansion post-glaciaire (fournissant de nombreuses opportunités écologiques)
The convergent evolution in growth habit is a fundamental phenomenon linking plant ecology and evolution. Remarkably illustrated in island biotas, this phenomenon has never been identified in the original and megadiverse New Caledonian biodiversity hotspot. Through an approach combining plant architecture, functional traits, taxonomy, phylogeny and environmental data, this thesis analyses the evolutionary history of the scarcely known monocaulous growth habit in New Caledonia. Monocauls are self-supporting woody plants whose cardinal functions rely on a single visible stem. In New Caledonia, they are represented by 182 dicotyledonous species belonging to 41 genera and 30 families and are critically endangered. The repeated evolution of the monocaulie in New Caledonia, resulting from at least 31 independent events, is one of the most remarkable cases of convergence in insular environments. In the genus Atractocarpus (Rubiaceae), monocauly evolved recently two to three times through branch reductions into inflorescences, emphasizing the importance of heterochronic processes in the evolution of growth habit. Monocauly is strongly correlated with several traits illustrating major constraints in functional coordination. The evolution of monocauly is strongly associated with rainforests and ultramafic substrate, and seems to have contributed to the diversification of lineages by niche partitioning. The remarkable convergence toward monocauly in New Caledonia can be explained by four major hypotheses: (i) the structural features of rainforests (related to cyclone frequency and intensity) favoring unidirectional exploration of space, (ii) the edaphic constraints associated with ultramafic substrate favoring architectural pauperization, (iii) the historical absence of large native browsers to which monocauls are particularly sensitive, and (iv) the persistence of rainforest during – and spread-out after – glacial episodes that served as refugia and further provided ecological opportunities

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Gray, Brandan L. "Ecology, Morphology, and Behavior in the New World Wood Warblers." Ohio University / OhioLINK, 2019. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1565180087270449.

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Jacka, Jerry K. "God, gold, and the ground : place-based political ecology in a New Guinea borderlands /." view abstract or download file of text, 2003. http://wwwlib.umi.com/cr/uoregon/fullcit?p3095254.

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Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Oregon, 2003.
Typescript. Includes vita and abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 367-396). Also available for download via the World Wide Web; free to University of Oregon users.

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McClellan, Rachel Katherine, and n/a. "The ecology and management of Southland's black-billed gulls." University of Otago. Department of Zoology, 2009. http://adt.otago.ac.nz./public/adt-NZDU20090827.110233.

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The black-billed gull (Larus bulleri) is a small gull that nests in dense colonies on gravel-bedded rivers in southern New Zealand. This dissertation describes research undertaken in Southland in 2004-2006 that investigates black-billed gull population decline and its causes. Historical ground counts of nests were calibrated with aerial photography of colonies and population trends analysed. The decline in breeding birds on Southland's four main rivers was equivalent to 6.0%/year (SE 1.8) or 83.6% in 30 years justifying the species' present listing as Endangered. Aerial monitoring is a poor index of the breeding population and major temporal variation was identified in counts. All re-sighted second-year birds exhibited natal dispersal and -70% left the natal catchment. Forty one percent of birds banded as adults also dispersed to other catchments. Breeding dispersal is apparently unrelated to previous breeding success and the availability of the previous year's colony site, and dispersing birds did not move as groups. Southland's black-billed gulls constitute a single inter-mixing population. Black-billed gulls selected sites on islands and banks according to availability, and selected rivers consistent with the number of gravel patches. Site vulnerability to floods varied significantly. Re-use of colony sites was positively influenced by use in previous years, the extraction of gravel, site stability and low weed cover. Widespread introduced weeds on colony sites preventing nesting and may have increased flooding risk. Colony size was related to colony area, which was related to gravel patch size. Investigation of historical changes in breeding habitat availability in Southland indicated a major reduction in gravel habitat on the Lower Oreti River between 1976 and 2002 due to river works including gravel extraction. On the Waiau River, Manapouri Dam construction in 1970 initially increased gravel areas, since reversed in the mid Waiau, and caused a 75% decline in the number of islands. Gravel patch sizes are still declining on the Lower Oreti and possibly the Mid Waiau. Hundreds of gravel patches remain on Southland rivers. Over 5000 nests in 21 colonies were monitored during incubation. Colony nest success was most influenced by colony location, averaging 90.1% (SE 2.1) on islands within rivers, and 66.8% (SE 2.2) on riverbanks, indicating that terrestrial predators exert the greatest influence on productivity. Breeding success, the mean number of fledglings produced per nest by colony, varied between 0 and 0.88 fledglings (mean 0.32, SE 0.08). Both parameters were positively related to colony size. The three smallest colonies failed to breed successfully, suggesting the presence of an Allee effect. Deterministic matrix models were used to investigate population trends using survival and productivity estimates for the closely related Kaikoura red-billed gull (L. novaehollandiae scopulinus). Adult survival, followed by breeding success and survival of first year birds, had the greatest influence on population projections. Improvements in most parameters are probably required to reverse the decline of Southland's black-billed gulls. Predation and disturbance by introduced mammals and the native black-backed gull (L. dominicanus) had the greatest impact on black-billed gull productivity. Most human disturbance is insignificant compared to predator disturbance, but illegal shooting of large numbers of adult gulls has major impacts in smaller sub-populations. Damming and excessive water abstraction reduces island habitat due to lowering of flows. Major climatic events such as droughts, and chemical ingestion through a diet dominated by agricultural invertebrates, are potential major threats about which little is known. Management actions including the collation and analysis of all unpublished black-billed gull count datasets, a thorough test of the accuracy of aerial monitoring, trialling of decoys to attract colonies to nest on islands, predator control at bank colonies, targeted weed control on high quality sites, advocacy and education and further research are recommended.

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Vesala, Essi. "Practicing Coexistence: Entanglements Between Ecology and Curating Art." Thesis, Stockholms universitet, Institutionen för kultur och estetik, 2019. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:su:diva-170794.

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This thesis formulates ecological thinking in curatorial practices, as a way to act against neoliberal values, far-right politics and find ways to work in a sensitive way in a time of accelerating ecological crisis. The current socio-political landscape, and its oppressive forces, influence profoundly the art world and whole societies at large. This thesis starts by looking how those forces affect artistic and curatorial practices, and suggests, that a counter-action for these threats could be a practice, that is informed by ecological thinking. Different, ecologically motivated curatorial practices are discussed with curators Jenni Nurmenniemi and Nataša Petrešin-Bachelez, as well as collective Laboratory for Aesthetics and Ecology. Some additional examples are drawn from the work of Mustarinda association. What comes clear, is that ecological thinking is much more than thinking about the environment or sustainability, but rather, it has connection points with theories of new materialisms, post-fossil experimentation and decolonial thought, all of which are also interconnected and entangled. This thesis gathers a praxis, that is informed by said ecological thinking, which functions both as a thinking and a doing. Ecological thinking is about radical coexistence and entangled in the materialities of the more than human world. Ecologically informed practice, then, could mean paying attention to material dimensions of practices, slowing down and rethinking exhibition formats.

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Poorbagher, Hadi, and n/a. "Life-history ecology of two New Zealand echinoderms with planktotrophic larvae." University of Otago. Department of Marine Science, 2008. http://adt.otago.ac.nz./public/adt-NZDU20081029.160011.

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The importance of parental nutritional status on planktotrophic larvae was investigated in both laboratory-conditioned and field (populations) parents of two New Zealand echinoderms: the sea urchin Pseudechinus huttoni and the starfish Sclerasterias mollis. Three questions were addressed: (i) Does parental nutritional status affect the reproductive features (gonad index, gametogenesis, fecundity and biochemical composition) both in the laboratory and under natural conditions? (ii) Does parental nutritional status affect egg characteristics (diameter, number, dry weight, fertilization rate and biochemical composition)? (iii) Are the characteristics of larvae (growth, development, morphology, mortality rate and body composition) influenced by parental or larval nutrition (or both)? To answer the first question, adult P. huttoni and S. mollis were maintained in the laboratory with a low or high diet (in terms of quantity and quality for P. huttoni, and in terms of quantity for S. mollis) for one year. The effect of low and high diets on reproductive features was studied and the same parameters were studied in two parental populations with dissimilar food availability (for P. huttoni: Otago Shelf and Doubtful Sound populations; for S. mollis: Otago inshore and offshore populations). To address the second question, egg characteristics of the laboratory-held and field parents were measured. The third question was answered by rearing larvae of the laboratory and field parents with both low and high concentration planktonic diets. P. huttoni reared in the laboratory with a higher food ration had greater gonad indices and lipid concentration and larger oocyte area. Sea urchins from the Doubtful Sound population had higher food availability, greater gonad lipid concentration and larger oocytes. Parental nutrition had some effect on the characteristics of the egg in P. huttoni. The laboratory-held urchins fed a high diet produced larger eggs: P. huttoni from Doubtful Sound produced larger eggs with a greater carbohydrate concentration. P. huttoni larvae from low-fed laboratory and Otago Shelf parents had faster development The effect of larval nutrition was more important than parental food availability on larval growth and development. Feeding parents in the laboratory had no effect on larval morphology but larvae from Doubtful Sound, which had better food availability, had longer arms relative to body width. A higher cell concentration in the planktonic diet led to shorter larval arm relative to body width. In S. mollis reared in the laboratory, a higher food ration led to larger gonad and pyloric caeca indices. The starfish from an Otago inshore population mainly had a higher gonad index than those from an Otago offshore population. In the laboratory-held parents S. mollis, nutrition had no effect on the egg characteristics. In the field, starfish with higher food availability produced smaller eggs with lower carbohydrate concentration. There was no significant difference between development rates of S. mollis larvae from low and high fed laboratory parents. However, those from the Otago inshore parents, with better food availability, had faster development than the larvae from Otago offshore parents. In S. mollis larvae, the origin of the parents (either from the laboratory or the field) had no effect on larval shape. A higher concentration planktonic diet led to longer larvae relative to body width in larvae from high-fed laboratory parents. In both P. huttoni and S. mollis, parental and larval diet had no effect on rate of instantaneous larval mortality. In both P. huttoni and S. mollis larvae, biochemical composition of the larvae and the egg were different to each other. Egg reserves appear not to be a factor which affects larval characteristics in these species.

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Fraser, Elizabeth Anne. "Population Ecology of Thelymitra matthewsii Cheeseman Orchidaceae, in Northern New Zealand." The University of Waikato, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/10289/2291.

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The terrestrial orchid Thelymitra matthewsii Cheeseman, uncommon in New Zealand, was studied to increase knowledge of the species life cycle, morphology and ecology. Results will enhance future conservation management for the species. New information related to the morphology of T. matthewsii was obtained. The species was found to emerge in one of four discrete life stages of distinctive morphology and height range that remained constant for the season, not developing into a more advanced life stage. The leaf of the three pre adult life stages designated a hook, a spiral, and a non flowering stage, did not inflate at the base, but rose smoothly from the tuber. Apparent morphological differences in the column between descriptions of the Australian taxon and the small New Zealand sample examined suggested further study was needed. Comprehensive monthly monitoring was carried out at five study sites in three locations in the Te Paki area of the Far North, from 2002 to 2004. No patterns emerged in plant life stage succession, flowering, and presence or absence at labels reinforcing the concept that variability was a common component of the population census. Seasonal and partial absence was a major component of the populations. An average of 32.8% of plants, over five study sites, were present throughout three seasons, while 66.9% were recorded as absent (not visible) at monitoring. New plants appearing in 2003 and 2004 showed a high percentage of subsequent absence (mean 85.7%). To determine population stability, recruitment and absence were compared. Plant absence exceeded recruitment by 7% (mean plant absence 30.5%; mean recruitment 23.4%). Plants continued to appear during the monitoring period, and labeled plants increased two-fold over commencement numbers. Adults recorded as 28% of labeled plants over three seasons, were out numbered by pre-flowering stages. Only 5% of population numbers exhibited succession from a smaller to a flowering plant. Life stage modeling indicated a life stage was more likely to be followed by the same stage than an expected successive stage. Thelymitra matthewsii was found to be present in four substrates in the Far North. The survey of vegetation found the indigenous species Kunzea ericoides and the exotic Hakea gibbosa dominant for both height, and cover. Litter and bare ground dominated ground cover. Differences in vegetation and ground cover, of sites supporting T. matthewsii and comparison sites that did not, were minor and suggested that another factor, for example a suitable fungal partner, influenced the species presence or absence. The results of the study indicated the present threat classification of Thelymitra matthewsii is inadequate in the light of the species relatively circumscribed, widely separated habitats, the small number of reproducing individuals and vulnerability to habitat modification.

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Powell, Scott. "Polymorphism and ecology in the New World army ant genus Eciton." Thesis, University of Bristol, 2005. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.411083.

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Bluff, Lucas. "Tool use, foraging ecology and social dynamics in New Caledonian crows." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2008. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.670047.

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Trueba-Sanchez, Santiago. "Ecology, forms and functions of the basal angiosperms from New Caledonia." Thesis, Montpellier, 2016. http://www.theses.fr/2016MONTT179/document.

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En raison de sa remarquable diversité végétale, de son taux d’endémisme, parmi les plus élevés au niveau mondial (79%) et de son extrême vulnérabilité, la Nouvelle-Calédonie est un des premiers hotspots de la biodiversité mondiale. L’une des remarquables originalités de la flore Calédonienne repose sur la présence de nombreux taxa reconnus, en raison de leurs positions phylogénétiques, comme appartenant aux lignées les plus anciennes des plantes à fleurs. Ces lignées d’Angiospermes « reliques » ont une valeur scientifique et patrimoniale importante, puisqu’elles sont de véritables fenêtres sur le passé. A travers l’étude des traits foliaires, de l’anatomie du bois (e.g. type d’éléments conducteurs, perforations, diamètre et longueur des vaisseaux), de l’architecture (e.g. sympoldialité vs monopodialité, phénomène de réitération, rythmicité de croissance) et de la biomécanique des axes, nous chercherons à caractériser les formes et fonctions de ces taxons. Ce projet de thèse vise à examiner les déterminants structurels et fonctionnels de la répartition spatiale actuelle des Angiospermes basales (grade ANITA + Magnoliidae) en Nouvelle-Calédonie. Dans cette perspective nous chercherons à comprendre quels sont les facteurs qui ont conduit au confinement de certains taxons à des habitats restreints ou au contraire à leur dispersion dans des milieux contrastés. Un premier volet du projet en cours, a pour objectif de caractériser la dynamique de croissance d’Amborella trichopoda et sa plasticité architecturale sous différents régimes lumineux. Certains traits écologiques de ces espèces d’Angiospermes de divergence précoce, s’ils n’ont pas contribué à la radiation des plantes à fleurs actuelles, ont pu permettre son enracinement écologique au sein de la flore du Mésozoïque et fournir un répertoire développemental pour l’explosion subséquente de leur diversité. L’identification et l’étude de ces caractères sont donc déterminantes pour la compréhension de l’évolution structurelle et fonctionnelle des plantes à fleurs
New Caledonia (NC) is one of the main biodiversity hotspots (Myers 1988), this is because of its remarkable plant diversity, its endemism rates, among the highest in the world (79%), and because of the vulnerability of its flora. One of the main originalities of New Caledonia flora is based on the presence of a large number of taxa recognized, due to their phylogenetical positions, as the most ancient extant representatives of angiosperms. For a long time, New Caledonia has been considered as an early upset fragment of the Gondwana (Pelletier 2006) that suffered an interrupted history of isolation which conferred the evolutionary particularities that we observe today. However, recent evidences show that NC has derived from the Australian land during the late Mesozoic (~80 Mya), the island was then submerged during the first half of the Cenozoic (Pelletier 2006) and a reemergence of the island seems to have occurred ~37 Mya (Cluzel et al. 1998). After the reappearance of the island above the sea level, several events of recolonisation occurred and they wrought the biodiversity that we observe nowadays (Pillon 2012). NC presents humid forests which are unique relics; under the influence of climate changes, these forests have virtually disappeared from other regions of the globe (Morat et al. 1986). The lineages of “relictual” angiosperms, mainly subservient to these humid forests, have a great scientific and patrimony value, as they can be considered as genuine windows on the past. These taxa are susceptible to contain primitive characters which have either disappeared in most of the existing flowering plants, or that are still shared by a narrow number of them. The identification and the study of these characters are therefore determinants for the comprehension of angiosperms evolution. Some ecological features of these panchronic species, may have either contributed to the huge radiation of extant angiosperms, or they may have contributed to the ecological settling of angiosperms within the Mesozoic flora, providing them with a developmental repertoire for the subsequent explosion of their diversity. This PhD project aims to study the ecological, anatomical and functional diversity of basal angiosperms and it seeks to analyze the evolutionary patterns of these structural and functional features. We will consider here as “basal” angiosperms a great group of flowering plants that has diverged before the monocot and eudicot node. This group is conformed by the ANITA grade, formed by Amborella (a single species endemic to NC), Nymphaeales (waterlilies and other herbaceous aquatic plants) and Austrobaileyales (aromatic woody plants). The Magnoliid subclass, a clade of flowering of early divergence, which contains plants considered as paleodicots by Cronquist (1988), will be also included in the analysis of the « basal » taxa. More recently, the Magnoliids have been redefined as a clade comprising Chloranthales, Canellales, Laurales, Magnoliales, et Piperales (APG III, 2009). In a second part of the project, a fieldtrip to Mexico will be held in order to include speces belonging to the Chloranthaceae and Schisandraceae, as well as Cabombaceae et Nymphaeaceae, by this means, we will incorporate species belonging to all the orders of the “basal” angiosperms, reinforcing the comparative analysis. This research work will lean on the recent publications of the phylogenetic relations within basal angiosperms

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Jagger, Jeremy Davis. "Evolving Wilds: Auden, Ecology, and the Formation of a New Poetics." Kent State University / OhioLINK, 2020. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1586272515332334.

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Lobeck, Matthew A. "reBURB : redefining the suburban family unit under a new construction ecology." [Tampa, Fla] : University of South Florida, 2008. http://purl.fcla.edu/usf/dc/et/SFE0002772.

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King, Alison Jane 1974. "Recruitment ecology of fish in floodplain rivers of the southern Murray-Darling Basin, Australia." Monash University, Dept. of Biological Sciences, 2002. http://arrow.monash.edu.au/hdl/1959.1/8391.

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Cipriano, Frank Walter. "Behavior and occurrence patterns, feeding ecology, and life history of dusky dolphins (Lagenorhynchus obscurus) off Kaikoura, New Zealand." Diss., The University of Arizona, 1992. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/186097.

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My dissertation research focused on the behavior, movement patterns, and foraging ecology of dusky dolphins (Lagenorhynchus obscurus) off the east coast of New Zealand's South Island. Information on growth, morphometrics, parasites and life history was also collected. Movement patterns and foraging behavior of New Zealand dusky dolphins were much different from those of dusky dolphins observed off the Argentine coast by Bernd Wursig, the only other study of dusky dolphin behavior. Unlike the Argentine dolphins, which cooperatively herd anchovy to the surface and contain them there for feeding, New Zealand dusky dolphins behave and forage more like Hawaiian spinner dolphins (Stenella longirostris). In summer and fall, New Zealand dusky dolphins remain near shore in morning and early afternoon hours, then move into deeper water with greatly increased activity levels in late afternoon. In winter and spring they remain farther from shore at all times of day, are found in somewhat larger groups, and appear to travel along shore more often than in other seasons. In summer, dive times of radio-tagged dolphins also varied on a daily cycle, most long dives occurring during crepuscular and night periods. Stomach contents of incidentally-netted and beachcast dolphins contained primarily a demersal fish and a few types of mesopelagic fishes and squid. Acoustic surveys along the east coast of South Island show a dense layer of mesopelagic fishes and squid that move to within 50-100 m of the surface at night. Like Hawaiian spinners, New Zealand dusky dolphins feed primarily on prey in and associated with the vertically migrating layer, probably as a means of increasing foraging efficiency. External measurements of L. obscurus specimens were analyzed using canonical variate analysis, which revealed measurements useful in discrimination of age/sex classes, including dorsal fin dimensions, and positioning of dorsal fin and flipper insertions. Tooth-section age analysis of specimens allowed construction of growth curves; life span maximum was about 35 years. The very large size of active testes (over 1 kg each) during summer breeding represents a large proportion of total body weight. Along with observations of group composition variability, this suggests a promiscuous mating system and a fluid, extended-group social system.

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Parsons, Michael Jonathan. "The autecology and biogeography of New Guinea butterflies." Thesis, University of London, 1996. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.243801.

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Lewis, Joshua. "Deltaic Dilemmas : Ecologies of Infrastructure in New Orleans." Doctoral thesis, Stockholms universitet, Stockholm Resilience Centre, 2015. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:su:diva-119390.

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This thesis explores the relationship between water infrastructure, ecological change, and the politics of planning in New Orleans and the Mississippi River Delta, USA. Complex assemblages of water control infrastructure have been embedded in the delta over the last several centuries in an effort to keep its cities protected from floodwaters and maintain its waterways as standardized conduits for maritime transportation. This thesis investigates the historical development of these infrastructural interventions in the delta’s dynamics, and shows how the region’s eco-hydrology is ensnared in the politics and materiality of pipes, pumps, canals, locks, and levees. These historical entanglements complicate contemporary efforts to enact large-scale ecosystem restoration, even while the delta’s landscape is rapidly eroding into the sea. This historical approach is extended into the present through an examination of how waterway standards established at so-called chokepoints in the global maritime transportation system (the Panama Canal, for example) become embedded and contested in coastal landscapes and port cities worldwide. Turning towards urban ecology, the thesis examines socioecological responses to the flooding following Hurricane Katrina in 2005, with a special focus on how infrastructure failures, flooding intensity, and land abandonment are driving changing vegetation patterns in New Orleans over the past decade. The thesis contributes new conceptual language for grappling with the systemic relations bound up in water infrastructure, and develops one of the first studies describing urban ecosystem responses to prolonged flooding and post-disaster land management. This provides insights into the impending planning challenges facing New Orleans and coastal cities globally, where rising sea levels are bringing about renewed attention to how infrastructure is implicated in patterns of ecological change, hazard exposure, resilience, and social inequality.

At the time of the doctoral defense, the following papers were unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 2: Manuscript. Paper 3: Manuscript. Paper 4: Accepted. Paper 5: Manuscript.

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Hoffmann, Nigel, of Western Sydney Hawkesbury University, of Health Humanities and Social Ecology Faculty, and School of Social Ecology. "Goethe's notion of 'theory' : Goethean phenomenology as a new ecological discipline." THESIS_FHHSE_SEL_Hoffmann_N.xml, 1994. http://handle.uws.edu.au:8081/1959.7/234.

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Around two hundred years ago Goethe made the statement: ‘Let us not seek for something behind the phenomena – they themselves are the theory’. This would appear to be the antithesis of the claim of certain contemporary schools of epistemological thought, that a ‘theory’ is a construction of the human mind. Yet Goethe’s scientific aims are resonant with a present day ecological need: to find a form of ‘nature study’ which springs from a desire to care for things rather than merely to explain them, which can help to create a harmony between human and non-human nature. Goethe’s approach is phenomenological in that it seeks to uncover things ‘on their own terms’; it is integral in that it embraces both art and science. A Goethean methodology is used to study four Australian native plants: Grevillea buxifolia, Scaevola remosissima, Banksia integrifolia and Kunzea ambigua. It is suggested that Goethe’s way of ‘nature study’ fulfils the contemporary need for a participatory knowing which is responsible for the thing being researched, and various possibilities are indicated for further research and application – in the biological sciences and in disciplines such as architecture, landscape design and environmental education.
Master of Science (Hons)

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Hoffmann, Nigel R. "Goethe's notion of 'theory' : Goethean phenomenology as a new ecological discipline /." View thesis, 1994. http://library.uws.edu.au/adt-NUWS/public/adt-NUWS20030625.092616/index.html.

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Leduc, Daniel, and n/a. "The ecology and taxonomy of meiofauna at Papanui Inlet, with particular emphasis on nematodes." University of Otago. Department of Marine Science, 2008. http://adt.otago.ac.nz./public/adt-NZDU20081124.143019.

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Meiofauna are an ecologically significant component of marine benthic communities worldwide. Nematodes, in particular, are arguably the most abundant metazoans on Earth and often form highly diverse communities in marine sediments. The study of meiofauna, however, often lags behind that of macrofauna, probably due to the small size of meiofaunal organisms and the paucity of suitably-trained taxonomists or para-taxonomists. Our understanding of basic ecological questions, such as the role of meiofauna in the energetics of benthic communities, as well as the nature and extent of possible relationships between meiofauna and macrofauna in detritus-based communities, is still limited. The present study aimed to address these questions in the context of intertidal seagrass (Zostera muelleri) meadows and adjoining unvegetated sediments in Papanui Inlet, Otago Peninsula. The near absence of taxonomical and ecological studies on free-living marine nematode species in New Zealand also prompted the description of several new species and as well as a comparison of species assemblages from the study sites. Meiofaunal abundance (range: 1325-4979 ind. 10cm�) in the top 5cm of sediments was not significantly different inside and outside the seagrass meadow. Meiofaunal biomass and production estimates were small relative to macrofauna (approx. 1 and 5% of macrofaunal values, respectively), with little variation in both meiofaunal and macrofaunal values between vegetated and unvegetated habitats. Analysis of the isotopic and fatty acid composition of primary producers, sediment organic matter, and consumers at the study sites suggest that a significant proportion of secondary productivity in seagrass meadows is fuelled by macrophyte detritus. These data suggest that secondary productivity in the seagrass meadow was limited by the low palatability of macrophyte detritus compared with microalgal food sources, resulting in lower trophic transfer efficiency in vegetated sediments. These results contrast with previous findings showing a large contribution of meiofauna to the secondary productivity of vegetated sediments, as well as greater secondary productivity inside than outside seagrass meadows. The nature of the sediments (coarse particle size with low organic matter content) is likely to have led to low meiofauna biomass whilst favouring large suspension feeders. The low availability of high quality food sources (i.e. seston, benthic microalgae, and epiphytes) in vegetated sediments may have contributed to the lower than expected secondary productivity inside the seagrass meadow. Most of the dominant nematode species found at the study sites were new to science, and 6 new species were described. Significant differences were found in the nematode assemblages between sites and sediment depths. There was a trend of greater nematode diversity and abundance in vegetated sediments, but this was restricted to the uppermost 2cm of sediments. The effect of seagrass on nematode assemblages is likely to be mediated by the effect of blades on sediment characteristics and the presence of roots. The present study suggests that the presence of Zostera muelleri results in greater biodiversity of sheltered soft-shore communities on a local scale. The addition of ��C-labelled macroalgal detritus (Enteromorpha) to microcosms in a feeding experiment resulted in minimal labelling of harpacticoid copepods and nematodes. Lack of change in the fatty acid composition of the latter also suggests limited assimilation of detritus during the experiment. It is likely that consumers choose benthic microalgae over detritus when both food sources are available in the field. High content of highly unsaturated fatty acids (HUFAs) in nematodes from the field suggests, for the first time, that they are a high quality food source to higher trophic levels. A feeding experiment investigating the effect of bacterivorous nematodes on detritus assimilation rates by amphipods did not support the hypothesis that nematodes increase the trophic transfer efficiency between detritus and macrofaunal detritivores. It is unclear whether amphipods preferentially fed on detritus or whether nematodes escaped predation by burrowing deeper in the sediment. Data obtained in the present study, however, shows that marine bacterivorous nematodes can biosynthesise/accumulate HUFAs in high concentrations despite their low concentrations in their diet. Nematodes could, therefore, provide an important source of these essential nutrients to bulk deposit feeders living in otherwise HUFA-poor sediments.

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Nelson, Leslie B. "The Role of Forest Soils in a Northern New England Effluent Management System." Fogler Library, University of Maine, 2002. http://www.library.umaine.edu/theses/pdf/NelsonLB2002.pdf.

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Sutherland, Darin Lee. "Phylogeography and Ecology of New Zealand Freshwater Amphipoda (Paracalliope, Paraleptamphopus, and Phreatogammarus)." The University of Waikato, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/10289/2650.

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ABSTRACT This thesis examines phylogenetic patterns in three New Zealand amphipod taxa in relation to current geographic distributions and historical climatic (e.g. glaciation, marine inundation) and geological (e.g. mountain building) events using DNA sequencing and distributional data. It also examines how recognition behaviour can be used to delineate potential species boundaries and to assess the role of sexual selection. The endemic genus Phreatogammarus has been found in only a limited number of sites and is not very abundant. An analysis of the genetic variation of two species within the genus using allozyme electrophoresis revealed high levels of genetic differentiation among populations but low levels within populations. This suggested that limited dispersal occurred among habitats with one population possibly representing a cryptic species. The endemic freshwater genus Paraleptamphopus is thought to contain a large number of undescribed species with a number of these existing in small waterbodies such as seepages. Examination of the phylogeographic patterns using both mtDNA (CO1) and nuclear DNA (28S) showed that a number of distinct genetic lineages exist, with CO1 revealing 21 haplotypes with genetic distance of over 20%. Using a molecular clock rate of 2.4%, most haplotypes diverged approximately 8-12 million years ago during the Miocene era, possibly as a result of greater land availability increasing habitat diversity or by allopatric speciation. Morphological and genetic differences were not congruent, with morphologically similar taxa appearing among highly genetically distinct lineages, and some morphologically distinct forms appearing within single lineages. The distribution and habitat variables of 419 sites were analysed to determine what was affecting the presence or absence of Paraleptamphopus. The presence of native vegetation in catchments had a positive affect on Paraleptamphopus distribution suggesting that large anthropogenic changes in catchment vegetation could have a negative effect on their abundance. I found smaller waterbodies to be more important than larger ones highlighting the need to study such sites as rare taxa may be ignored. A better understanding is needed on the role of small waterbodies in promoting overall species diversity in catchments. Examination of Paracalliope fluviatilis phylogenetic patterns using the mtDNA gene CO1 showed that a number of separate clades existed suggesting long term isolation and limited dispersal among catchments. Due to the large genetic divergences among some populations there was the possibility that cryptic species might exist. Species recognition experiments were conducted on seven populations to help determine whether cryptic species were present. For the three most genetically divergent crosses there was bias against inter-population pairings, suggesting that there were between two or three separate species. Using a combined field and laboratory approach, size assortative mating was examined in Paracalliope fluviatilis. The field study showed positive size assortative mating and that larger females carried more eggs, suggesting they were more fecund. A series of laboratory experiments examining four existing theories explaining the phenomenon found that none adequately explained positive size assortative mating in P. fluviatilis. I therefore presented two new explanations to explain size assortative mating: a combination of female resistance and size-related variation in a male's capacity to amplex larger females or a form of indirect intra-sexual competition.

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Casey, Michael Edward. "Anemone distribution and population ecology at Deer Island Archipelago, New Brunswick, Canada." Thesis, National Library of Canada = Bibliothèque nationale du Canada, 1997. http://www.collectionscanada.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk2/ftp04/mq23783.pdf.

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47

Skakoon, Elizabeth M. Allen Barry. "The Recovery Project and artifactual ecology: a new direction for environmental thought /." *McMaster only, 2005.

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48

Lord, Janice M. "The evolutionary ecology of Festuca Novae-Zelandiae in Mid-Canterbury, New Zealand." Thesis, University of Canterbury. Botany, 1992. http://hdl.handle.net/10092/4900.

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Festuca novae-zelandiae (Hack.) Cockayne is a long-lived, caesptiose grass indigenous to New Zealand. It has expanded dramatically in range in 1000 years of human settlement. This study was conducted to determine how generalist life-history attributes and 'adaptive' variation have enabled this species to adjust to environmental change. A range of aspects of the biology of F. novae-zelandiae were investigated. Reproduction in 155 individuals over four seasons was monitored. Only 17.4% of individuals flowered every year and 36.1 % did not flower at all. However, the reproductive output of the population was still relatively consistent between years. Reproduction of individuals and the pre-dispersal fate of seeds was compared among eight sites. Differences existed among sites for most attributes measured. Site factors appeared to mask any effects of tussock density on culm production. Total seed predation was positively related to density and negatively to altitude. A flightless fly, Diplotoxa moorei (Diptera, Chloropidae) was found to be the most common identifiable seed predator, accounting for up to 8% of seeds produced in some populations. Seed germination was compared for eight populations in laboratory trials and most seeds germinated easily. Mean final % germination across all populations was 86%. Seedlings were monitored in the field for 30 months. They commonly established on mat-vegetation, were very slow-growing (mean of 0.6 leaves yr-1) and had a half-life of 12 months. Tillers in 26 tussocks were tagged and monitored for 30 months. Tillering was concentrated in spring, tillers lived on average 15.2 months and the majority (64%) did not produce daughter tillers. Tillering rate was not affected by either position within a tussock or size of the tussock. A stage-based approach was used to investigate population structure. Stages were defined using discriminant analysis. The discriminant function was then used to assign stages to 255 tussocks which had been measured at the beginning and end of a two year period. Transition probabilities were calculated between stages. Transitions were distinctly non-linear and tussock size and condition could vary widely in the space of two years in response to environmental fluctuations. The genetic identity of mapped tussocks was investigated using isozyme electrophoresis and it was found that clonal fragmentation did not contribute significantly to the maintenance of population densities. Patterns of variation at different taxonomic levels were compared using three taxa: F. novae-zelandiae s.s., a distinct high altitude form of F. novae-zelandiae and a closely related species, F. matthewsii. Vegetation composition was investigated using ordination and classification techniques. Environmental gradients in altitude, temperature and rainfall were important in explaining observed patterns. The vegetation composition at "high altitude" F. novae-zelandiae sites was more distinct from that of F. novae-zelandiae s.s. sites than the latter was from F. matthewsii sites. Morphological variation in the same taxa was investigated using Principal Components Analysis. The same environmental factors were important to observed patterns of variation. Populations within F. novae-zelandiae possessed some genetically-determined differentiation that related to habitat. A narrow zone of intermediacy was found between F. novae-zelandiae s.s. and F. matthewsii. Plants from populations of the three taxa were grown in cultivation. Culms of F. matthewsii emerged four weeks prior to F. novae-zelandiae s.s. "High altitude" F. novae-zelandiae was more similar to F. matthewsii in flowering phenology. Levels of biochemical variation in populations of all three taxa were investigated using isozyme electrophoresis. All populations were characterised by high within-population variation and relatively low between-population variation. The differences between the three taxa were small. Variation among populations related to environmental factors but not to the proximity of populations. The adaptiveness of populations to their own environment was tested using reciprocal transplants. No 'home-site' advantage was found. All populations proved to be highly plastic in growth responses. The findings of this study are discussed in terms of generalist versus specialist strategies in long-lived, polyploid, perennial grasses. I conclude that in environments characterised by unpredictable, short-term fluctuations, long-lived species will show adaptation to large-scale, long-term environmental trends only, and adopt a generalist strategy in the face of short-term fluctuations.

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Scarrow, Ryan Matthew. "Hothouse Flowers: Water, the West, and a New Approach to Urban Ecology." The Ohio State University, 2016. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1471483922.

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Redd, Sarah M. "Effects of varying environments on the ecology and evolution of the New Zealand Mud Snail and its interactors." Pullman, Wash. : Washington State University, 2009. http://www.dissertations.wsu.edu/Thesis/Fall2009/s_redd_100109.pdf.

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Thesis (M.S. in zoology)--Washington State University, December 2009.
Title from PDF title page (viewed on Jan. 21, 2010). "Department of School of Biological Sciences." Includes bibliographical references (p. 34-40).

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Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Ecology, NSW'

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