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Midson, Scott Adam. "The cyborg and the human : origins, creatureliness, and hybridity in theological anthropology." Thesis, University of Manchester, 2015. https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/the-cyborg-and-the-human-origins-creatureliness-and-hybridity-in-theological-anthropology(da0cf017-3900-46a3-be69-0a348d7809bc).html.
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Are we cyborgs or humans? This question is at the heart of this investigation, and the implications of it are all around us. In Christian theology, humans are seen as uniquely made in the image of God (imago dei). This has been taken to mean various things, but broadly, it suggests an understanding of humans as somehow discrete from, and elevated above, other creatures in how they resemble God. Cyborgs mark a provocative attempt to challenge such notions, especially in the work of Donna Haraway, whose influential ‘Cyborg Manifesto’ (1991) elaborated a way of understanding cyborgs as figures for the way we live our lives not as discrete or elevated, but as deeply hybridised and involved in complex ways with technologies, as well as with other beings. Significantly, Haraway uses the cyborg to critique notions of the human rooted in theological anthropology and anthropogeny: the cyborg was not created in Eden. This assertion is the starting point of my investigation of cyborgs and humans in theological anthropology. Analysis of this position is broken down into three key concepts throughout the investigation that form the three main parts of the structure: (1) What is the significance of Eden, specifically as a point of origin? What ideas do we inherit from Genesis mythologies, and how do they influence our multitudinous understandings of not only humans, but also cyborgs, that range from the Terminator, to astronauts, to hospital patients? What does it mean to say that the cyborg cannot recognise Eden or even dream of the possibility of return?(2) If the cyborg was not created in Eden, then is it still to be considered as creaturely? How does this figure tessellate into, or challenge, notions of human nature and sin in the absence of an origin or teleology in a Garden? What commentaries of the human as created in God’s image can we compare this to, and how do all of these readings bear on how we see ourselves and technologies? (3) More constructively, given that the cyborg amalgamates the organic and the mechanic, and discusses hybridity, how might this be appropriated by theological anthropology? What does it mean to say that we are hybrids? From these questions, I reflect on tensions between the cyborg and the human, and make suggestions for a theological appropriation of the cyborg figure that takes heed of the emphasis on hybridity by applying it to notions of Eden and imago dei. The overarching aim is to decentre and destabilise the human, and to refigure it within its broader networks that are inclusive of other creatures, technologies, and God.
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Höll, Bettina Susanne. "Die Rolle des Porenraums im Kohlenstoffhaushalt anthropogen beeinflusster Niedermoore des Donaurieds Carbon turnover in fen areas of the Donauried : the role of the pore space and the different anthropogenic use /." [S.l. : s.n.], 2007. http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bsz:100-opus-1872.
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Kammann, Claudia. "Die Auswirkung steigender atmosphärischer CO2-Konzentrationen auf die Flüsse der Klimaspurengase N2O und CH4 in einem Grünlandökosystem." [S.l. : s.n.], 2001. http://deposit.ddb.de/cgi-bin/dokserv?idn=962722340.
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Kattge, Jens. "Zur Bedeutung von Stickstoff für den CO2-Düngeeffekt." [S.l. : s.n.], 2002. http://deposit.ddb.de/cgi-bin/dokserv?idn=965180948.
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Form, Armin [Verfasser]. "Influence of Anthropogenic Climate Change on the Ecophysiology of the Cold-Water Coral Lophelia pertusa = Einfluss des anthropogenen Klimawandels auf die Ökophysiologie der Kaltwasserkoralle Lophelia pertusa / Armin Form." Kiel : Universitätsbibliothek Kiel, 2011. http://d-nb.info/1020167122/34.
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Joisten, Holger, and Mathias Mehlhorn. "Anthropogene Böden - Hortisol (Gartenboden) aus aufgetragenem Lehm." Landesamt für Umwelt, Landwirtschaft und Geologie, 2001. https://slub.qucosa.de/id/qucosa%3A32231.
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Der Steckbrief informiert über den ˈHortisolˈ (Gartenboden).
Der ˈHortisolˈ zählt zur Bodenklasse der `Terrestrischen anthropogenen Böden` und ist in Sachsen überregional vertreten. Er ist ein seit Jahrhunderten intensiv genutzter Boden, der sich durch die Gartenbewirtschaftung aus einem früheren, nicht mehr erkennbaren Boden entwickelt hat. Die Steckbrief ˈHortisolˈ richtet sich an alle Interessierte, die sich über die Entstehung Verbreitung und das Erscheinungsbild typischer, repräsentativer Böden Sachsens informieren möchten.
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Muskolus, Andreas. "Anthropogenic plant nutrients as fertiliser." Doctoral thesis, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Landwirtschaftlich-Gärtnerische Fakultät, 2008. http://dx.doi.org/10.18452/15774.
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Nachhaltige Landbewirtschaftung impliziert ausgeglichene Pflanzennährstoffflüsse ohne die Abhängigkeit von Düngern aus nicht erneuerbaren Quellen. Stickstoff, Phosphor und Kalium aus der menschlichen Nahrung werden in Mitteleuropa im Allgemeinen in Schwemmkanalisationen gesammelt und dabei mit Schadstoffen vermengt. Neuartige stoffstromtrennende Sanitärsysteme ermöglichen die Bereitstellung von Humanurin und Fäkalien zur Verwendung als Düngemittel. In der vorliegenden Arbeit wurden praxisrelevante Aspekte der Verwendung von Düngemitteln anthropogener Herkunft untersucht. Die in Gefäß- und Feldversuchen in Berlin Dahlem ermittelte Ertragswirkung zeigte, dass Urin in dieser Hinsicht äquivalenten Mineraldüngern grundsätzlich gleichwertig ist. Bei sehr hohen Konzentrationen kam es abhängig von der Pflanzenart zu Depressionseffekten, welche vermutlich auf den Salz- und Ammoniumgehalt von Urin zurückzuführen sind. Unter Freilandbedingungen traten diese Effekte nicht auf. Bodenbiologische Auswirkungen von Düngerapplikationen sind entscheidend für die Abschätzung ihrer langfristigen Bodenfruchtbarkeitserhaltung. Sowohl in Labor-versuchen als auch im Freiland zeigten sich Regenwürmer durch menschlichen Urin aus Trenntoiletten deutlich beeinträchtigt. Die Ursache der Schädigung konnte nicht geklärt werden. Von einer langfristigen bodenfruchtbarkeitsreduzierenden Beein-trächtigung wird jedoch nicht ausgegangen. Mikrobielle Enzymaktivitäten im Boden wurden im Freiland durch Urinapplikation nicht beeinflusst. Für die Praxis wird empfohlen Urin während der Ausbringung einzuarbeiten, da die Tiere dann weniger mit der Flüssigkeit in Kontakt kommen. Da es ein umweltpolitisches Ziel ist, die Ammoniakemissionen der Landwirtschaft zu minimieren, wurden diese nach der Urinausbringung im Freiland gemessen. Auf Grund der sehr geringen Trockensubstanzgehalte von Humanurin emittierte deutlich weniger NH3 als üblicherweise nach Ausbringung von Schweine- oder Rindergülle. Verbraucherumfragen bestätigten eine hohe Bereitschaft pflanzliche Nahrung, welche mit Urin als Dünger erzeugt wurde, zu kaufen und zu verzehren. Praktizierende Landwirte reagierten dagegen deutlich reservierter. Die Ausbringung von Urin aus Trenntoiletten kann im Sinne einer nachhaltigen Landwirtschaft grundsätzlich empfohlen werden. Es besteht aber weiterer Forschungsbedarf.Sustainable agriculture implies balanced nutrient flows and independence from fertiliser made from non renewable resources. In Europe, plant nutrients excreted by humans are commonly collected in water borne sewage systems and thus mixed with potentially harmful substances. Novel segregating sanitation techniques can collect separated urine and faeces in a form which enables their use as fertiliser. In the presented thesis selected aspects concerning the use of anthropogenic plant nutrients relevant to farming were investigated. Pot and field experiments indicated that equal yields can be gained if urine instead of mineral fertiliser is applied. Very high concentrations of urine led to reduced growth, presumably caused by the presence of ammonium or salt. However, this was not found under field conditions. Soil biological effects caused by the application of a fertiliser must be considered when assessing its long term contribution to soil fertility. Laboratory experiments as well as field investigations showed that human urine application severely affects earthworms, however, the harmful components were not identified. The results suggest that the effect is of short term only. Soil microbial enzyme activities were not influenced by urine fertiliser. For farming practice it is recommended to inject or incorporate urine to prevent earthworms from coming into direct contact with the infiltrating fertiliser. Gaseous ammonia loss was measured after urine application on fields as reducing harmful emissions from agriculture is a goal of European environmental policy. Because of the very low Dry Matter contents of urine, far less ammonia was emitted to the atmosphere than usually occurs after application of cattle or pig slurry. A consumer acceptance study showed a general high public willingness to accept urine as fertiliser even if used on crops for food production. The reaction of farmers was mainly reserved as a result of the present legal regulations in Germany. Within the context of sustainable agriculture the use of human urine as fertiliser can be recommended. Further research is necessary, especially concerning any effects resulting from residues of pharmaceutical substances contained in human excreta.
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Kao, Alice (Alice Hsuan-jung). "Anthropogenic landscapes : Owens Lake, CA." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/108940.
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Thesis: M. Arch., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Architecture, 2017.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 107-108).
In the Age of the Anthropocene, human activities have greatly altered and transformed all aspects of the geological environment, typically extracting what is considered valuable and leaving behind degraded landscapes. Often existing in between the city and wilderness nature, these landscapes are largely forgotten and assumed to always have been like that. How can we re-engage with these landscapes and can they become a meaningful part of our culture? A prime example is Owens Lake in eastern California. It has a rich history: earliest agricultural domestication, silver and salt mining, death by a greedy neighbor far south, worst particulate matter pollution, and a surprising resurrection. Starting in the early 2000s, Owens Lake was carved up into 'cells' and a new infrastructure of pipes, roads, sensors, and dust monitoring equipment was overlaid. Each cell was re-tilled, re-watered, re-planted, or re-paved, resulting in a strange yet fascinating ecology where multiple "natures" (wild, artificial, and reconstructed) co-exist uncannily. As state-owned land, public engagement was a required part of the dust mitigation efforts. Architecture, an important contributor to anthropogenic change, offers the opportunity to re-engage with the site. Stan Allen writes that "any work of architecture is (first) a transformation of the landscape." [1] Inevitably, architecture sits on and interacts with land, is composed of materials extracted from the land, and most importantly, reorders the landscape through artificial constructs. Here, a network of architectural interventions draw people, whether casual passerby, adventure seekers, or scientific researchers, to key areas around Owens Lake to discover the human and non-human dynamics that shape this particular place and whose presence re-shape the landscape they are situated in.
by Alice Kao.
M. Arch.
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McClees, Whitney Elizabeth. "Anthropogenic Effects on the Fouling Community: Impacts of Biological Invasions and Anthropogenic Structures on Community Structure." PDXScholar, 2017. https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/open_access_etds/3883.
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Coastal anthropogenic infrastructure has significantly modified nearshore environments. Because these structures often have a strong association with shipping as would be found in ports and harbors, they have been identified as invasion hotspots. Due to propagule pressure from shipping and recreational boating and suitable uncolonized substrate that provides a refuge from native predators, a greater number of non-native species have been found on these structures compared to nearby natural substrate. The mechanisms that limit the spread of non-native species from anthropogenic structures to natural substrate have been explored for several taxa at a species-specific level, but less so from an overall community perspective. Predation has been identified as one of the biotic interactions limiting invasion success. In addition to predation, dispersal ability may also prevent the spread of non-native species from anthropogenic structures to natural substrate.
This thesis addresses how these two mechanisms interact to limit the spread of non-native species from anthropogenic structures to natural substrate and how that alters overall community composition. I aimed to explore differences between communities inside and outside of a marina and determine the extent to which predator and dispersal limitation were structuring these communities. I used a three-factor design, deploying seven unglazed ceramic tiles per each treatment combination of 1) inside versus outside a marina in Yaquina Bay, Oregon; 2) cage keeping out predators greater than the mesh size, no cage, or partial cage; 3) fixed near the substrata (benthic) versus suspended 1 meter below the surface. I also transplanted caged, suspended tiles of either adults or recruits from inside the marina to benthic and suspended caging treatments outside of the marina. These tiles allowed me to examine predation when dispersal limitation was not a factor for the community inside the marina, i.e. what happens to both recruits and adults if they can get outside of the marina. I found that the communities inside and outside of the marina were different and the data suggest that both predation and dispersal limitation interact to limit the spread of non-native species. Additionally, I found that mesopredators that could fit through the caging may be influencing predation results and community structure.
This research addresses gaps in scientific knowledge regarding the mechanisms that prevent or facilitate the spread of non-native species. Future work could include the further exploration of mesopredation as an important factor in limiting the spread of non-native species and exploring dispersal limitation more in depth as well as broadening the geographic scope to see if the same trends hold true across bays and bioregions.
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Bigsby, Kevin M. "Anthropogenic Drivers of Gypsy Moth Dispersal." NCSU, 2009. http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/theses/available/etd-03202009-173827/.
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Gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar: Linnaeus) is a polyphagous non-native forest pest first introduced to Medford, Massachusetts in 1869. It has since spread as far south as North Carolina and as far west as Wisconsin. Gypsy moth is responsible for defoliating approximately 100,000 hectares of forest annually, resulting in mortality in a small percentage of trees, averting behavior by recreators, and creating a nuisance to the general public. Limiting the spread of gypsy moth is beneficial because it delays the onset of costs and losses associated with quarantine, tree defoliation and mortality, and nuisance. Gypsy moth is believed to disperse naturally up to 2.5 km/yr (e.g. early instar ballooning) but has been observed to disperse much greater distances. The scientific consensus is that this longer distance dispersal occurs through anthropogenic vectors (e.g. egg masses being transported on firewood). Despite the resources that United States Department of Agriculture and state agencies dedicate to eliminating and managing new infestations resulting from long distance dispersal, there has been limited empirical research on the relationship between the dispersal of gypsy moth and the movement of people and their goods. This thesis develops a conceptual framework of the anthropogenic factors that could affect dispersal, measures these factors with secondary data at the county level from a variety of sources, and estimates the presence or absence of gypsy moth using logistic regression models. The dependent variable is drawn from trap catch records archived by the United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service program, Slow-the-Spread, in areas distal to the 1 moth/trap line between 1999 and 2007. Through step-wise logistic regression estimating sub-models that include variables representing each broad anthropogenic factor, a final empirical model is specified. The variables of the model are estimated independently for each year from 1999 to 2007, resulting in a mean Pseudo R square of 0.568. Consistently significant ( ) anthropogenic variables are the number of households using wood for heating fuel and mean household income. These findings are discussed with regard to invasion theory and quarantine policy. One key implication is the continual importance of regulating and raising awareness about the risk of moving firewood from infested to uninfested zones.
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Christie, Andrew Leigh. "Investigating anthropogenic existential risks through art." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/91396.
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Thesis: S.M. in Art, Culture and Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Architecture, 2014.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 55-56).
Through the creation of an art installation called Local Warming, and by analyzing energy-related art works by other artists, I was able to develop a methodology in my attempt to answer the question of what can be done about anthropogenic threats to humankind. Local Warming is a large array of 72 collimated infrared emitting robotic heaters that provide a "bubble" of heat energy around the user as they pass through the installation. This project serves as an example of how energy-technology development can seem threatening and can also be interpreted as the exact opposite: a system that provides us with direct control over our own energy. This serves as a metaphor for our relationship with energy on a global scale. While we may feel that anthropogenic existential threats, such as global warming, are beyond our control, I would argue that these threats are actually opportunities to improve our own understanding of the universe around us. Ultimately, the presence of a global risk can act as a common-cause around which humankind can rally and thrive. More specifically, my primary interest is provoking a conversation on how anthropogenic existential-risks can be thwarted. My methodology has five repeating stages, in no particular order: identifying motivations, creating physical artwork, developing or borrowing a framework, establishing provocations, and reviewing the artwork of other artists who are creating similar work. For my motivations I make assertions that I do not intend to prove such as "human life is important" or "extinction is an undesirable outcome." The purpose of stating my motivations is not to create an argument about the meaning of life, but to help the reader understand my artistic practice as it relates to the topic of anthropogenic existential risks. The creation of a framework serves as a rudder to help guide the creative process. The questions that arise from the creation of this framework are then used as provocations. These provocations need not be iron clad or consistent in their logical makeup, and they often conflict in a way that produces tension. Lastly, the review of works by other artists enables me to put my own work into context.
by Andrew Leigh Christie.
S.M. in Art, Culture and Technology
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Menefee, Dorothy. "Anthropogenic influences on soil microbial properties." Thesis, Kansas State University, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/2097/32657.
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Master of ScienceDepartment of Agronomy
Ganga M. Hettiarachchi
Human activities have the potential to alter soil biochemical properties in a number of different ways. This thesis will focus on how agricultural practices (tillage and cropping system), climate change, and urban soil pollution (primarily lead and arsenic) affect soil biochemical properties. Two incubation studies were conducted to determine how human activities influence soil biochemical properties. The first study focused on how altered temperature and moisture regimes affected soil properties from four different agroecosystems. Four different soils were incubated under two different soil preparation methods (sieved <4mm and <0.25 mm), three different temperature treatments (12, 24, and 36°C), and two different moisture treatments (field capacity and 80% of field capacity) for 180 days. Destructive samples were taken at 7, 30, 60, 120, and 180 days and the soil microbial community was analyzed using phospholipid fatty acid analysis (PLFA). The second study investigated how soil amendment treatments (Mushroom Compost and Composted Biosolids) of an industrially contaminated site affected the biochemical properties of that soil. Surface soil samples collected 435 days after compost addition from urban garden test plots located adjacent to a former rail yard in Monon, Indiana. Soils were incubated for 30 days to stimulate microbial activity. Following incubation, the soil was analyzed for PLFA, soil enzymes, and available metal fractions. In the first study the greatest differences were found between the <4mm and the <0.25 mm size fractions – which highlights the effect of soil aggregation and structure on microbial populations. After aggregation effects, temperature treatment had the next largest effect on microbial populations, with the greatest biomass in the middle (24°C) treatment. The second study assessed different soil amendments on soil microbial properties and metal availability. Composted biosolids reduced metal availability and increased microbial enzyme activity and biomass.
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Utschakowski, Sven. "Anthropogene organische Spurenstoffe im Arktischen Ozean : Untersuchungen chlorierter Biphenyle und Pestizide in der Laptevsee, technische und methodische Entwicklungen zur Probenahme in der Arktis und zur Spurenstoffanalyse = Anthropogenic organic trace compounds in the Arctic Ocean /." Bremerhaven : Alfred-Wegener-Inst. für Polar- und Meeresforschung, 1998. http://www.gbv.de/dms/bs/toc/253422019.pdf.
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Schmidt, Martina. "Messung und Bilanzierung anthropogener Treibhausgase in Deutschland." [S.l. : s.n.], 1999. http://deposit.ddb.de/cgi-bin/dokserv?idn=961378409.
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Heim, Sabine. "Geochronology of anthropogenic contaminants in fluvial sediments /." Aachen : Shaker, 2005. http://bvbr.bib-bvb.de:8991/F?func=service&doc_library=BVB01&doc_number=014779100&line_number=0001&func_code=DB_RECORDS&service_type=MEDIA.
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Pollmann, Olaf. "Optimierung anthropogener Stoffströme am Beispiel des Papierrecyclings /." Darmstadt : Inst. WAR, 2007. http://bvbr.bib-bvb.de:8991/F?func=service&doc_library=BVB01&doc_number=016261417&line_number=0001&func_code=DB_RECORDS&service_type=MEDIA.
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Voellmy, Irene Katharina. "Effects of anthropogenic noise on fish behaviour." Thesis, University of Bristol, 2013. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.629001.
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Human activities have considerably increased environmental noise levels in air and underwater. This can negatively affect physiology and behaviour in animals of all taxa. However, few studies considered behaviours crucial for survival and reproduction, on which detrimental effects could lead directly to negative fitness consequences. Moreover, although noise effects will most likely be species specific due to different adaptations, few comparative studies exist. In my PhD thesis, I focused on the impact of increased noise levels on fish, as they are highly diverse and an important factor in ecosystems and human economy. In Chapters 2 and 3, I investigated impacts of exposures to playbacks of ship-noise recordings on anti-predator and foraging behaviour of two sympatric fish species, the three spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) and European minnow (Phoxinus phoxinus). Both species showed impaired anti-predator behaviour and decreased food consumption in response to ship-noise playbacks. However, ways of effects differed between species. Animals kept in captivity are also exposed to various sound sources, often exceeding natural sound levels. Elevated noise levels in animal facilities can affect animal welfare, but their potential to modify conclusions drawn from experiments has not been investigated. In Chapter 4, I explored tank modifications reducing vibrations and noise fluctuations. Modifications of water filters, aeration and tank substrate achieved substantial noise reductions. In Chapter 5, I investigated how different noise levels in holding tanks affected responses in minnows to experimental ship-playbacks and thus research conclusions. These experiments showed that behavioural responses to experimental playbacks indeed depended on holding conditions. My findings show that fish anti-predator and foraging behaviour can be impaired by noise species-specifically. If fish could not compensate for noise impacts, species communities may be affected. My findings also show that previous exposure to elevated noise levels can affect research conclusions and is therefore a vital consideration when designing experiments.
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Begg, Fiona H. "Anthropogenic '1'4C in the natural (aquatic) environment." Thesis, University of Glasgow, 1992. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.300458.
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Baker, Jonathan M. "Natural and anthropogenic sources of methyl bromide." Thesis, University of East Anglia, 1998. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.266714.
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Fulda, Christian. "Untersuchungen junger Grundwässer mit Hilfe anthropogener Spurenstoffe." [S.l. : s.n.], 2003. http://www.bsz-bw.de/cgi-bin/xvms.cgi?SWB10605055.
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Vale, Rita Ribeiro de Sousa Lacerda do. "Carnivores and anthropogenic habitats : threats or opportunities?" Master's thesis, Universidade de Aveiro, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/10773/22662.
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Mestrado em Ecologia AplicadaO crescimento da população humana tem levado a alterações globais pela transformação de habitats naturais em explorações agrícolas, florestais e áreas urbanizadas. V arias espécies, nomeadamente Carnívoros, encontraram uma forma de se adaptarem a zonas urbanas. Com este estudo pretendemos perceber se os habitats antropogénicos podem ser ameaças ou oportunidades para duas espécies de carnívoros, raposa vermelha (Vulpes vulpes) e gineta comum (Genetta genetta). Para tal, foram recolhidos dados de fatores ambientais dentro de duas áreas circulares de diâmetros fixos, correspondendo á área vital mínima e média de cada espécie e divididos em quatro hipóteses. A influência das variáveis ambientais sobre as duas espécies de carnívoros foi avaliada com base nos dados de abundância relativa e presenç - ausência de raposa e gineta. Os carnívoros foram amostrados com armadilhagem fotográfica. Os resultados mostram que o modelo de perturbação o que melhor explica os padrões de abundância das raposas, e que o modelo híbrido melhor explica a abundância relativa das ginetas. Foram também incluídas variáveis temporais para testar os padrões de atividade das espécies. A nossa hipótese de que a disponibilidade de recursos iria afetar positivamente as espécies foi refutada por não termos considerados os hábitos generalistas destas espécies. A nossa previsão de que zonas de eucalipto e folhosas iriam oferecer refúgio foi contrariada pela escolha de zonas urbanas pela raposa, possivelmente relacionada com a disponibilidade de refúgio e alimento, e a escolha de zonas próximas a eucalipto pela gineta, o que pode ser um falso positivo uma vez que pelo seu comportamento arborícola podem não ser tão facilmente registadas em locais com maior complexidade vegetal. Nós esperávamos que as variáveis antropogénicas tivessem um influência negativa na abundância relativa das espécies. No entanto, os nossos resultados mostram uma associação da raposa a zonas urbanas. A gineta está menos ativa durante o pôr do sol quando há maior atividade humana. A altitude teve um efeito significativo na abundância e presença de ginetas, talvez por estes animais estarem a usar vales, associados a cursos de água. No geral, a raposa parece ser menos afetada por habitats antropogénicos do que a gineta, provavelmente devido a sua capacidade de adaptação. Os habitats antropogénicos podem funcionar como ameaças mas podem ser melhorados para minimizar o seu efeito na vida selvagem e tornarem-se oportunidades. A amostragem de vida selvagem deve ser feita regularmente para a correta implementação de medidas de mitigação, que podem passar por passagens superiores e inferiores nas rodovias, reconfiguração da oresta e educação ambiental.
Human population growth is leading to global changes as natural habitat is transformed into farmlands, industrial forestry stands and urban areas with a negative impact on biodiversity. Several species, including carnivores, found a way to adapt to urban areas. This study aims to understand if anthropogenic habitat are threats or opportunities for two carnivore species: red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) and common genet (Genetta genetta). Data on environmental factor was collected within the average and minimum core area bu er of each species and pertaining to four hypothesis. The in uence of these environmental drivers on the two carnivore species was evaluated using the relative abundance and presence-absence data of red foxes and genets. Carnivores were sampled using camera-trap. Our results show that within both bu ers, the best model in the disturbance category best explains the relative abundance patterns of red foxes, while the the hybrid model (which comprises all best models of all categories) best explained the relative abundance of genets. A category including temporal variables was added to test species activity patterns. This category explained more of the deviance to the null model than spatial variables. We hypothesised that resources availability would have a positive e ect on species but failed to consider red foxes' and genets' generalists feeding behaviour. We predicted that both eucalyptus and broadleaf tree areas would provide refuge for both species. However,red foxes seem to explore urban areas, which can o er food, as genets chose eucalyptus areas as refuge. The latter can be a misleading results as the arboreal behaviour of this species can in uence records. We expected that anthropogenic variables would negatively in uence species' relative abundance and presence. Genets are less active during higher human activity periods, showing higher activity around dawn than around dusk, during most of the year. Altitude had a signi cant e ect on genets' relative abundance and presence. Perhaps because these animals are using river valleys. In general, red foxes seem to be less a ect by anthropogenic habitats then genets, probably because of this species high adaptability. Anthropogenic habitats can work as both threats and opportunities but can be improved in order to minimize its e ect on wildlife. Wildlife surveys should happen frequently in order to implement mitigation measures, such as under or over road passages, forest recon guration and environmental education. With these and other policies, habitats can become opportunities for wildlife.
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Al-Naiema, Ibrahim Mohammed Jasim. "Anthropogenic secondary organic aerosol from aromatic hydrocarbons." Diss., University of Iowa, 2018. https://ir.uiowa.edu/etd/3242.
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Atmospheric aerosols deteriorate visibility and pose a significant risk to human health. The global fluxes of secondary organic aerosols (SOA) that form in the atmosphere from aromatic hydrocarbons are poorly constrained and highly uncertain. The lack of molecular tracers to quantify anthropogenic SOA (ASOA) in part limits the understanding of its abundance and variability, and results in a systematic underestimation of the role of ASOA in the atmosphere. The research presented in this thesis advances the knowledge about ASOA through the i) development of new and advanced methods to quantify potential ASOA tracers, ii) evaluation of their suitability as tracers for ASOA, and iii) application of the validated tracers to assess the spatial, diurnal and seasonal variation of ASOA in three urban environments.
In this research, a greater understanding of the role of ASOA is gained through the expansion of tracers for SOA from aromatic hydrocarbons. An analytical method to quantify furandiones, which are produced in high yields from the photooxidation of aromatic hydrocarbons, was developed and enabled the first ambient measurements of furandiones. The optimized method allows for the simultaneous extraction of primary source tracers (e.g., polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, hopanes, levoglucosan) and other potential ASOA tracers (e.g., 2,3-dihydroxy-4-oxopentanoic acid [DHOPA], benzene dicarboxylic acids, and nitromonoaromatics). The systematic evaluation of potential ASOA tracers by their detectability, gas-particle partitioning, and specificity revealed that DHOPA, phthalic acid, 4-methylphthalic acids, and some nitromonoaromatics are good ASOA tracers because they are specific to aromatic hydrocarbon photooxidation, readily detected in ambient air, and substantially partition to the particle phase under ambient conditions. These tracers are thus recommended for use in field studies to estimate ASOA contributions to atmospheric aerosol relative to other sources.
ASOA was determined to be a significant contributor to PM2.5 organic carbon (OC) in three urban environments. In the industrial Houston Ship Channel area in Houston, TX, ASOA contributed 28% of OC, while biogenic SOA (BSOA) contributed 11%. Diurnally, ASOA peaked during daytime and was largely associated with motor vehicle emissions. In Shenzhen, a megacity in China, 13-23% of OC mass was attributed to ASOA, three folds higher than BSOA. When China controlled the emissions from fossil fuel-related sources, the ASOA contribution to OC reduced by 42-75% and visibility remarkably improved. In downtown Atlanta, GA, ASOA contributed 29% and 16% of OC during summer and winter, respectively. ASOA dominates over BSOA during winter, while high biogenic VOC fluxes made BSOA the major SOA source in Atlanta, GA during summertime. These results indicate the high abundance of ASOA in urban air that has potential to be reduced by modification of anthropogenic activities.
Overall, the work presented in this dissertation advances the knowledge about the abundance and variation of ASOA in urban atmospheres through the development of quantification methods and expansion of ASOA tracers. These tracers improve source apportionment of ASOA in receptor based models, which can ultimately aid in developing and implementing effective strategies for air quality management.
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Hertig, Elke. "Niederschlags- und Temperaturabschätzungen für den Mittelmeerraum unter anthropogen verstärktem Treibhauseffekt." [S.l. : s.n.], 2004. http://deposit.ddb.de/cgi-bin/dokserv?idn=97161475X.
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Cope, David Roger. "The use of individuals-based and depletion models in conservation." Thesis, University College London (University of London), 2002. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.269748.
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Dittrich, Ruth. "Top-down and bottom-up decision-making for climate change adaptation : an application to flooding." Thesis, University of Edinburgh, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/1842/28676.
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There is strong scientific consensus on the evidence of anthropogenic climate change which will increasingly present social, economic and institutional challenges. The Fifth Assessment report (AR5) of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) established that ‘human influence on the climate system is clear’ and that ‘changes in many extreme weather and climate events have been observed since about 1950’ (IPCC 2014a). Associated impacts include sea level rise and increased likelihood of extreme weather worldwide such extreme rainfall, heat waves, hurricanes and tornados (IPCC 2014a; Klijn et al. 2015). Climate change adaptation is the adjustment in natural or human systems in response to actual or expected climatic stimuli or their effects in order to minimise the impacts and to take advantage of new opportunities (IPCC 2007). Many vulnerable countries, regions and cities have accepted that some form of adaptation is inevitable (Swart et al. 2014). This thesis contributes to the research on decision-making for climate change adaptation in order to reduce vulnerability. Both bottom-up and top-down analyses are applied to complement one another with an application to flooding. Flood risk is expected to increase in the UK under climate change (Alfieri et al. 2016; Scottish Government 2016) associated significant economic damage (CEA 2007). From a top-down perspective, the thesis explores how to enhance economic decision-making under climate change uncertainty. In a situation of uncertainty the costs may be clear and immediate whereas the benefits are uncertain and often only realised in the distant future. This impedes the use of standard decision-making tools such as cost-benefit analysis that rely on the quantification of (expected) costs and benefits. The thesis begins on the macro scale with a taxonomy of economic decision-making tools for climate change adaptation, discusses the sector level and subsequently proceeds to the case study micro-scale with applications of adaptation decision-making. First, the potential of alternative decision-making tools, so-called robust decision-making approaches, is examined. The strengths and weaknesses of these tools relative to traditional decision-making processes such as CBA are explored and their future potential in the adaptation process evaluated. It is found that robust decision-making tools under uncertainty provide performance across a range of climate change scenarios, but they may yield lower overall performance if compared with the alternative strategy under the actual climate outturn. Furthermore, they are resource intense and decision makers need to balance the resources required for employing the methods with the added value they can offer. A flow-chart is developed to provide guidance on which decision-making tool should be applied depending on the scale and type of adaptation project. On the sector level, the economic appraisal of adaptation options for agriculture is explored. Agriculture is particularly vulnerable to climate change due to the direct impacts of weather and climate on agricultural output and the sector plays an indispensable role in providing (and improving) food security as well as creating employment. Many of the adaptation options in agriculture involve short-term managerial changes and can be appraised with standard economic decision-making and the options can be carried out after the climate signal has been observed. For those adaptations that do require a longer time to take effect or are long-lived and are (partly) irreversible in nature, robust approaches have a valuable role to play in decision-making. Suggestions are made regarding how robust decisionmaking tools under uncertainty can be practically applied to adaptations in agriculture, outlining the data needs and the steps of the data analysis for three different applications. On the micro level, for a case study in the Eddleston Water catchment in the Scottish borders, UK, two different economic appraisal tools are applied. These include a cost-benefit analysis of afforestation as a flood management measure under different climate change scenarios which can provide important insights for adaptation decisions when robust decision-making tools under uncertainty are not feasible due to resource constraints. It is found that the flood risk under climate change increases substantially in the case study area which needs to be taken into consideration for economic appraisal. The results of the CBA reveal that all modelled scenarios of afforestation have positive NPVs which are driven by further eco-system services (including climate regulation, water quality and recreation) rather than flood regulation benefits. It is concluded that eco-system services beyond flood regulation should be considered for the appraisal of NFM to enable policy-makers to make informed decisions. Second, the Expected values can be used in situations of quantifiable uncertainty, i.e risk. But for climate change we do not have a strong methodology to assess these subjective probabilities. They cannot be fully based on the past, because climate change is a new process for which we have no historical equivalent. Models share common flaws in their assumptions and their dispersion in results cannot be used to assess the real uncertainty (Hallegatte, 2012). The term deep uncertainty (Lempert et al., 2003) or severe uncertainty is used (Ben-Haim, 2006) in these contexts. Such uncertainty is characterised as a condition where decision makers do not know or cannot agree upon a model that adequately describes cause and effect or its key parameters (Walker et al., 2012). This leads to a situation where it is not possible to say with confidence whether one future state of the world is more plausible than another. The robust decision-making tool under uncertainty real option analysis is applied to the same case study to allow for adjusting adaptation options over time by integrating lessons learned about climate change in the appraisal process. A simplified ROA is presented to minimise the life cycle cost of a system that aims to prevent flooding of a return period of 1/20 using tools which should be available to most public authorities. This includes the use of UKCP09 climate data, analysis of changes of peak flow under the measure implemented, cost structures for the measure and damage cost under different outcomes. The analysis can be carried out in an excel spread sheet with the aforementioned types of input. The results of the analysis demonstrate that the obtained strategy is significantly cheaper than planting for the worst case scenario and presents the potential for learning under climate change uncertainty as a way to allocate resources in a more efficient way. The complementing bottom up approach investigates behavioural barriers to decisionmaking for adaptation. Standard economic theory tells us that self-interest will motivate most actors to engage in efficient private adaptation as long as the costs do not exceed the benefits. Thus, we would expect households at flood risk to invest in flood adaptation measures. However, it has been observed that households do not necessarily take action to protect themselves and their assets from flooding. In a study carried out in co-operation with 36 communities around Scotland, protection motivation theory is used to explain the uptake of household flood protection and whether community led flood action groups can increase uptake. It is found that flood action groups directly and indirectly influence the uptake of some flood protection measures positively in particular if tailored information is provided. Overall, it is concluded that both top-down and bottom-up approaches play an important role to move towards an economically efficient adaptation in the context of flooding.From a top-down perspective, uncertainty should be explicitly acknowledged and included in economic decision-making for adaptation (to flooding) to make an informed decision. The type of analysis will depend on the adaptation project and resources at hand. Developing and fostering bottom-up tools such as flood action groups to increase the uptake of the type of household flood protection with a benefit-cost ratio above 1 may also contribute towards the more efficient allocation of resources.
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Akinyeye, Richard Odunayo. "Nanostructured polypyrrole impedimetric sensors for anthropogenic organic pollutants." Thesis, University of the Western Cape, 2007. http://etd.uwc.ac.za/index.php?module=etd&action=viewtitle&id=gen8Srv25Nme4_5301_1248150815.
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The main aim of this study was to develop a novel strategy for harnessing the properties of electroconductive polymers in sensor technology by using polymeric nanostructured blends in the preparation of high performance sensor devices.
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Lazarev, Vitali. "The cosmogenic and anthropogenic 36Cl in the environment." [S.l. : s.n.], 2003. http://deposit.ddb.de/cgi-bin/dokserv?idn=967546427.
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Eklöf, Johan S. "Anthropogenic Disturbances and Shifts in Tropical Seagrass Ecosystems." Doctoral thesis, Stockholm University, Department of Systems Ecology, 2008. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:su:diva-7285.
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Seagrasses constitute the basis for diverse and productive ecosystems worldwide. In East Africa, they provide important ecosystem services (e.g. fisheries) but are potentially threatened by increasing resource use and lack of enforced management regulations. The major aim of this PhD thesis was to investigate effects of anthropogenic distur-bances, primarily seaweed farming and coastal fishery, in East African seagrass beds. Seaweed farming, often depicted as a sustainable form of aquaculture, had short- and long-term effects on seagrass growth and abundance that cascaded up through the food web to the level of fishery catches. The coastal fishery, a major subsistence activity in the region, can by removing urchin predators indirectly increase densities of the sea urchin Tripneustes gratilla, which has overgrazed seagrasses in several areas. A study using simulated grazing showed that high magnitude leaf removal – typical of grazing urchins – affected seagrasses more than low magnitude removal, typical of fish grazing. Different responses in two co-occurring seagrass species furthermore indicate that high seagrass diversity in tropical seagrass beds could buffer overgrazing effects in the long run. Finally, a literature synthesis suggests that anthropogenic disturbances could drive shifts in seagrass ecosystems to an array of alternative regimes dominated by other or-ganisms (macroalgae, bivalves, burrowing shrimp, polychaetes, etc.). The formation of novel feedback mechanisms makes these regimes resilient to disturbances like seagrass recovery and transplantation projects. Overall, this suggests that resource use activities linked to seagrasses can have large-scale implications if the scale exceeds critical levels. This emphasizes the need for holistic and adaptive management at the seascape level, specifically involving improved techniques for seaweed farming and fisheries, protection of keystone species, and ecosystem-based management approaches.
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Eklöf, Johan S. "Anthropogenic disturbances and shifts in tropical seagrass ecosystems /." Stockholm : Department of Systems Ecology, Stockholm University, 2008. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:su:diva-7285.
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Mohd-Said, Mohd Nizam. "Effects of anthropogenic nitrogen inputs on dune grassland." Thesis, Bangor University, 1999. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.285519.
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Poustie, Andrew. "Quantification of Trace Anthropogenic Compounds in Reclaimed Wastewater." Thesis, University of Nevada, Reno, 2019. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=10979209.
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Reclaimed wastewater contains trace anthropogenic compounds that are poorly removed during conventional wastewater treatment. Notable reclaimed wastewater applications include supplementing drinking water supplies and crop irrigation. This thesis aims to quantify N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), NDMA precursors, and pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) from reclaimed wastewater applications as an indication of anthropogenic impact. The applications include aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) and crop irrigation using gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) analysis. NDMA and NDMA precursors were quantified in a treated wastewater effluent-fed recharge utility applying ASR in two sampling events from March 2017 and August 2018. Lagrangian sampling was applied for microfiltration effluent, reverse osmosis effluent, ultraviolet radiation (UV) feed, and UV product for both events in the recharge utility. Solid-phase extraction (SPE) was applied to concentrate NDMA and NDMA precursors. NDMA formation potential (FP) tests were performed to indirectly determine NDMA precursor concentration. NDMA and NDMA precursor concentration decreased after microfiltration across both events by greater than 93% and 89%, respectively. Permeate from older RO membranes contained 31% more NDMA and 14% more NDMA precursor concentration than newer membrane permeate.
Another reclaimed wastewater scheme studied was crop irrigation. This releases PPCPs to agricultural soils where they can be taken up by plants in the transpiration stream. Dry mass concentration of nine PPCPs were quantified in field-grown alfalfa irrigated with treated wastewater, groundwater-irrigated crops from private farms, and market-sourced produce. For the PPCPs quantified, field-grown alfalfa had a dry mass concentration range of 0.03-54 ng g -1, groundwater-irrigated crops had a range of 0.03-62 ng g -1, and market-sourced produce had a range of 0.04-162 ng g -1. Neutral compounds more readily accumulated compared to compounds that were ionized at environmental pH, indicating that PPCP uptake was likely related to physicochemical properties. Preliminary health impacts associated with consumption of affected market produce were estimated from acceptable daily intake. Negligible health impacts were typically found due to low PPCP concentration in market produce. PPCP transport from crop irrigation to different environmental compartments was estimated using EPI Suite. Compounds with low sorption potential and long half-lives could transport to groundwater whereas compounds with intermediate to high sorption potential were predicted to accumulate in plants or remain in the soil. The approach implemented to quantify NDMA and PPCPs in different environmental media indicates that trace anthropogenic compound transport depends on the reclaimed wastewater application and compound physicochemical properties.
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Cioncoloni, Giacomo. "Towards an anthropogenic nitrogen cycle based on nitrite." Thesis, University of Glasgow, 2018. http://theses.gla.ac.uk/30717/.
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The overall goal of this thesis was to investigate the feasibility of a new route to anthropogenic nitrogen fixation based on the oxidation of nitrogen (to give primarily nitrite), and then electrocatalytic conversion of nitrite to other N-containing species of interest, such as nitrate and nitric oxide (NO). In pursuit of this goal, the synthesis of metal-ligand coordination complexes that could act as electrocatalysts for the oxidation of nitrite to nitrate was attempted, as was the synthesis of metal-ligand coordination complexes that could act as electrocatalysts for the reduction of nitrite to NO. As a corollary to this, routes for the initial fixation reaction were also investigated, of which the ultrasonic generation of nitrite from aerated aqueous solutions was found to be the most promising. The work detailed in this thesis is organized in the following manner: In Chapter 1 we discuss coordination complexes that mimic the enzymes promoting the redox reactions of the nitrogen cycle involving nitrite as a substrate or product. During this introduction we will also give an overview of topics that are relevant to the following chapters, such as proton-coupled-electron transfer and basic kinetic treatment of catalytic reactions. Chapter 2 is a description of the different techniques used throughout this thesis. Once having set the bases, we shall start with the actual research, which corresponds to Chapters 3 to 6. Chapter 3 deals with the synthesis, characterization and catalytic properties of a copper coordination compound mimicking the active site of the copper nitrite reductase (CuNiR) class of enzymes. This chapter includes a detailed study of the kinetics and electrocatalytic properties of this complex towards the mono-electronic reduction of nitrite to nitric oxide. Chapters 4 and 5 deal with the unusual structures and spectroscopic properties of a number of new cobalt complexes that we isolated whilst trying to develop Mo(bis-dithiolene) coordination complexes that might act as analogues of the molybdenum nitrite oxidoreductase (MoNiOR), which oxidises nitrite to nitrate in nature. Our original Mo-containing targets proved impossible to obtain and are not discussed in this thesis. However, we found that cobalt readily makes coordination complexes with these bis-dithiolene ligands, which allowed us to isolate the compounds we present in Chapters 4 and 5. Hence in Chapter 4 we show the synthesis and the solvatochromic properties of mixed-ligand mono-nuclear Co-diimine o-catecholato complexes and compare these complexes with the analogous compounds prepared with o-benzenedithiolato ligands. Chapter 5 then discusses the synthesis and redox properties of a mixed-ligand di-cobalt coordination complex in which the two cobalt centres have (unprecedented) inequivalent metal coordination environments. Finally, in Chapter 6 we describe a much-underexplored way to fix nitrogen based on a sonochemical reaction. After a brief introduction we describe the optimisation of the procedure and comparisons with previous reports.
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Abrahams, Mark. "Wildlife responses to anthropogenic disturbance in Amazonian forests." Thesis, University of East Anglia, 2016. https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/64005/.
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Legally inhabited indigenous, extractive and sustainable use tropical forest reserves, have been lauded as a solution to the intractable problem of how to assure the welfare and secure livelihoods of the world’s diverse forest-dependent people, whilst conserving the world’s most biodiverse terrestrial ecosystems. This strategy has been critiqued by human rights advocates, who assert that legally inhabited reserves paternalistically restrict the livelihood choices and development aspirations of forest-dwellers, and by conservationists, who argue that sustained human presence and resource extraction erodes tropical forest biodiversity. This thesis examines both the anthropogenic impacts on tropical forests at the regional, landscape and household scales and the livelihood challenges faced by semi-subsistence local communities in the Brazilian Amazon. A spatially explicit dataset of 633,721 rural Amazonian households and an array of anthropogenic and environmental variables were used to examine the extent and distribution of structural (deforestation) and non-structural (hunting) human disturbance adjacent to 45 cul-de-sac rivers across the Brazilian states of Amazonas and Pará. At the landscape and household scales, a total of 383 camera trap deployments, 157 quantitative interviews and 164 GPS deployments were made in the agricultural mosaics and forest areas controlled by 63 semi-subsistence communities in the Médio Juruá and Uatumã regions of Central-Western Brazilian Amazonia, in order to quantify and explicate the (i) livelihood costs incurred through the raiding of staple crops by terrestrial forest vertebrates, (ii) degree of depletion that communities exert upon the assemblage of forest vertebrates and (iii) spatial behaviour of hunting dogs and their masters during simulated hunts. Our results indicate that at the regional scale, accessibility, fluvial or otherwise, modulated the drivers, spatial distribution and amount of anthropogenic forest disturbance. Rural household density was highest in the most accessible portions of rivers and adjacent to rivers close to large urban centres. Unlike the low unipolar disturbance evident adjacent to roadless rivers, road-intersected rivers exhibited higher disturbance at multiple loci. At the household and landscape scales semi-subsistence agriculturalists lost 5.5% of their staple crop annually to crop raiders and invested significant resources in lethal and non-lethal strategies to suppress crop raiders, and to avoid losses an order of magnitude higher. Crop raiding was heightened in sparsely settled areas, compounding the economic hardship faced by communities already disadvantaged by isolation from urban centres. A select few harvest-sensitive species were either repelled or depleted by human communities. Diurnal species were detected relatively less frequently in disturbed areas close to communities, but individual species did not shift their activity patterns. Aggregate species biomass was depressed near urban areas rather than communities. Depletion was predicated upon species traits, with large-bodied large-group-living species the worst impacted. Hunting dogs travelled only ~ 13% farther than their masters. Urban hunters travel significantly farther than rural hunters. Hunting dogs were recognised to have deleterious impacts on wildlife, but were commonly used to defend against crop raiders.
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Oliveira, Eva Lima Castro. "Toxicogenomics of natural and anthropogenic effectors in eleutheroembryos." Doctoral thesis, Universidade de Aveiro, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/10773/11753.
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Doutoramento em biologiaThe introduction of chemicals into the environment by human activities may represent a serious risk to environmental and human health. Environmental risk assessment requires the use of efficient and sensitive tools to determine the impact of contaminants on the ecosystems. The use of zebrafish for the toxicity assessment of pharmaceuticals, drugs, and pollutants, is becoming well accepted due to zebrafish unique advantages for the screening of compounds for hazard identification. The aim of the present work is to apply toxicogenomic approaches to identify novel biomarkers and uncovered potential modes of action of classic and emergent contaminants able to disrupt endocrine systems, such as the Retinoic Acid Receptor, Retinoid X Receptor and the Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor. This study relies on different nuclear and cytosolic protein receptors and other conditional (ligand- or stress- activated) transcriptional factors that are intimately involved in the regulation of defensome genes and in mechanisms of chemical toxicity. The transcriptomic effects of organic compounds, endogenous compounds, and nanoparticles were analysed during the early stages of zebrafish development. Studying the gene expression profiles of exposed and unexposed organisms to pollutants using microarrays allowed the identification of specific gene markers and to establish a "genetic code" for the tested compounds. Changes in gene expression were observed at toxicant concentrations that did not cause morphological effects. Even at low toxicant concentrations, the observed changes in transcript levels were robust for some target genes. Microarray responses of selected genes were further complemented by the real time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) methodology. The combination of bio-informatic, toxicological analyses of differential gene expression profiles, and biochemical and phenotypic responses across the treatments allowed the identification of uncovered potential mechanisms of action. In addition, this work provides an integrated set of tools that can be used to aid management-decision making by improving the predictive capability to measure environmental stress of contaminants in freshwater ecosystems. This study also illustrates the potential of zebrafish embryos for the systematic, large-scale analysis of chemical effects on developing vertebrates.
A introdução de compostos químicos no meio ambiente por atividades antropogénicas pode representar um sério risco para a saúde humana e ambiental. A avaliação de risco ambiental requer o uso de ferramentas eficientes e sensíveis para a determinação do impacto dos contaminantes nos ecossistemas. A utilização do peixe-zebra para a avaliação da toxicidade de produtos farmacêuticos, drogas e poluentes é bem aceite, devido às suas características únicas que permitem fazer o rastreio de poluentes e avaliar o seu risco. O principal objetivo deste trabalho consiste na aplicação de metodologias tóxico-genómicas para identificação de novos biomarcadores, e para a compreensão do modo de ação de contaminantes clássicos e emergentes, capazes de desregular o sistema endócrino (nomeadamente através do recetor do ácido retinóico, do recetor X retinoide e do recetor de hidrocarboneto de arilo). O estudo centraliza-se em diferentes recetores proteicos, nucleares, citosólicos e outros fatores de transcrição (ativados por ligandos ou por stressores) que estão intimamente envolvidos na regulação de genes do “defensoma” e de mecanismos de toxicidade química. Os efeitos transcriptómicos de compostos orgânicos, compostos endógenos e nano particulas foram analisados durante vários estadios de desenvolvimento embrionário do peixe-zebra. Recorrendo à utilização de microarrays, os perfiles de expressão génica de organismos expostos e não expostos aos contaminantes foram estudados, o que permitiu a identificação de marcadores genéticos específicos, assim como o estabelecimento de um “código de genes” para os compostos estudados. As alterações na expressão génica foram observadas a concentrações que não causaram efeitos morfológicos. Inclusive a baixas concentrações, as alterações observadas no nível do transcriptoma, foram bastante robustas para alguns dos genes alvo. Para os genes selecionados os resultados dos microarrays foram posteriormente confirmados através da quantificação da reação em cadeia da polimerase em tempo real (qRT-PCR). A combinação de ferramentas de bio-informática, de análises transcripcionais dos perfiles de expressão génica, e das respostas fenotípicas e bioquímicas para os diferentes tratamentos permitiram a identificação de potenciais mecanismos de ação. Além disto, este trabalho fornece um conjunto de ferramentas integradas que poderão auxiliar nas tomadas de decisão dos organismos de gestão, através da melhoria da capacidade preditiva para a determinação do stress ambiental induzido pelos contaminantes nos ecossistemas dulçaquícolas. Este estudo ilustra igualmente o potencial da utilização de embriões de peixe-zebra, para a análise sistemática e em larga escala dos efeitos de compostos químicos no desenvolvimento de vertebrados.
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Lind, Brandon M. "NATURAL AND ANTHROPOGENIC DRIVERS OF TREE EVOLUTIONARY DYNAMICS." VCU Scholars Compass, 2018. https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/etd/5359.
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Species of trees inhabit diverse and heterogeneous environments, and often play important ecological roles in such communities. As a result of their vast ecological breadth, trees have become adapted to various environmental pressures. In this dissertation I examine various environmental factors that drive evolutionary dynamics in threePinusspecies in California and Nevada, USA. In chapter two, I assess the role of management influence of thinning, fire, and their interaction on fine-scale gene flow within fire-suppressed populations of Pinus lambertiana, a historically dominant and ecologically important member of mixed-conifer forests of the Sierra Nevada, California. Here, I find evidence that treatment prescription differentially affects fine-scale genetic structure and effective gene flow in this species. In my third chapter, I describe the development of a dense linkage map for Pinus balfouriana which I use in chapter four to assess the quantitative trait locus (QTL) landscape of water-use efficiency across two isolated ranges of the species. I find evidence that precipitation-related variables structure the geographical range of P. balfouriana, that traits related to water-use efficiency are heritable and differentiated across populations, and associated QTLs underlying this phenotypic variation explain large proportions of total variation. In chapter five, I assess evidence for local adaptation to the eastern Sierra Nevada rain shadow within P. albicaulisacross fine spatial scales of the Lake Tahoe Basin, USA. Here, genetic variation of traits related to water availability were structured more so across populations than neutral variation, and loci identified by genome-wide association methods show elevated signals of local adaptation that track soil water availability. In chapter six, I review theory related to polygenic local adaptation and literature of genotype-phenotype associations in trees. I find that evidence suggests a polygenic basis for many traits important to conservation and industry, and I suggest paths forward to best describing such genetic bases in tree species. Overall, my results show that spatial and genetic structure of trees are often driven by their environment, and that ongoing selective pressures driven by environmental change will continue to be important in these systems.
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Hawkins, Carly Elizabeth. "Effects of Anthropogenic Noise on Songbird Social Networks." W&M ScholarWorks, 2018. https://scholarworks.wm.edu/etd/1550153791.
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Anthropogenic noise, which is increasing globally, affects birds from gene expression up through alteration of community composition. as urbanization pushes further into undisturbed habitat, noise often disperses birds away from the point source. The impacts of this dispersal on surrounding quieter areas is not well understood. Therefore, in the first chapter, we sought to understand how noise-related dispersal affected the sociality of groups of songbirds as they moved away from the source of noise. as the displaced birds would likely be forced to occupy a smaller area that may already have resident individuals, we predicted that displaced birds would show a tighter clustered social network that may include new individuals, and that individuals within the flock would have more social connections overall. in the second chapter, we were interested in chronic, inescapable noise, the kind that birds living in urbanized areas might experience, and how that affects sociality. We predicted that birds would distribute themselves along a noise gradient and prefer the quieter areas and that the resulting density of birds would increase both flock clustering and individual sociality. We tested these ideas in two songbird systems, free-living red-backed fairy wrens (Malurus melanocephalus) to study dispersal and captive domesticated zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) to study chronic noise exposure. Contrary to our prediction, the free-living red-backed fairywrens became less social when dispersing from noise, as measured by node strength, during experimental noise treatments. Additionally, these birds tended to shift their space use away from the sound source. in our captive system, our hypothesis was supported that both flock cluster and individual sociality increased with noise treatments. However, the birds did not alter their distribution in accordance to the noise gradient, thus we propose support for the Increased Threat Hypothesis and suggest that increased vigilance was responsible for flock clustering and sociality. If social networks are altered consistently, there may be implications for future breeding success, detection of communication signals, and even for pathways of disease transmission among individuals.
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Ottum, Joshua J. "Anthropogenic Moods: American Functional Music and Environmental Imaginaries." Ohio University / OhioLINK, 2016. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1458123106.
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Clarke, Ciara Marie. "Fungal spores as palaeoenvironmental indicators of anthropogenic activity." Thesis, University of Edinburgh, 1995. http://hdl.handle.net/1842/27805.
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Fungal spores often occur in palynological preparations and have been successfully incorporated in both biostratigraphic and palaeoenvironmental investigations. However, the majority of palynologists choose to ignore such microfossils, primarily because of the difficulties relating to their identification. Where they have been used conventional palynological extraction procedures have been implemented in the preparation of samples. The suitability of such techniques for the recovery of fungal palynomorphs has been assumed in many cases. The objective of this thesis were to study the effect of different processing techniques on the recovery of fungal palynomorphs, to propose a suitable morphological recording system and to investigate the potential of using fungal palynomorphs as palaeonenvironmental indicators of anthropogenic activity. Following the specification of a suitable extraction procedure for fungal palynomorphs and an appropriate morphological recording system 215 types were described. These types were encountered in samples from modern and archaeological situations and across a variety of different environments. The types fall into 19 morphological categories as defined in the recording system. Many of the types are restricted to either modern or archaeological sample sets although some are common to both. 96 types are comparable to known fungal taxa, 8 are considered algal in origin, 4 are parasite eggs and 1 has been identified as a rhizopod species. The remaining 106 can only be classified morphologically until they can be related to known taxa.
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Lehosmaa, K. (Kaisa). "Anthropogenic impacts and restoration of boreal spring ecosystems." Doctoral thesis, Oulun yliopisto, 2018. http://urn.fi/urn:isbn:9789526218533.
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Abstract Human activities have increasingly altered freshwater ecosystems. Land use is a major driver of habitat loss and land use-related input of nutrients and other pollutants from agriculture, forestry and urbanization have deteriorated water quality. Freshwater research has mainly focused on lakes and streams while the effects of anthropogenic stressors on groundwater-dependent ecosystems (GDEs) are poorly known. Likewise, the effectiveness of ecological restoration in mitigating human disturbance in GDEs remains understudied. In this thesis, I studied the effects of two main anthropogenic stressors – land drainage and groundwater contamination – on boreal spring ecosystems and evaluated the recovery of spring biodiversity and ecosystem functioning after habitat restoration. I applied several structural (macroinvertebrates, bryophytes, leaf-decomposing fungi and groundwater bacteria) and functional (organic matter decomposition and primary productivity) measures to provide a comprehensive insight into these issues. Both stressors modified spring ecosystems. Land drainage reduced the key ecosystem processes. Long-term monitoring of drainage-impacted springs showed a marked biodiversity loss and change of spring-dwelling bryophytes, and no signs of recovery were observed after about 20 years since the intial land drainage. Groundwater contamination, indicated by elevated nitrate and chloride concentrations, altered the structure of spring biota, reduced their taxonomic diversity and suppressed primary productivity in the most severely contaminated springs. Spring restoration improved habitat quality by reducing drainage-induced inflow of surface water, thus re-establishing groundwater-dominated hydrological conditions. Restoration increased abundance of habitat-specialist bryophytes and shifted macroinvertebrate composition towards natural conditions, despite the restoration actions being fairly recent. Anthropogenic activities can thus cause severe structural and functional degradation of spring ecosystems, and their self-recovery potential from these stressors seems low. Habitat restoration bears great promise as a cost-effective approach to mitigate drainage-induced impacts on spring ecosystems, but protection and co-management of groundwater resources are urgently needed to secure the role of springs as biodiversity hotspots in the boreal forest landscapeTiivistelmä Ihmistoiminta muuttaa yhä enemmän vesiekosysteemejä. Maankäyttö on johtanut elinympäristöjen häviämiseen, ja siihen liittyvä ravinne- ja haitta-ainekuormitus maa- ja metsätaloudesta sekä kaupunkiympäristöistä on merkittävästi huonontanut veden laatua johtaen maailmanlaajuiseen vesiluonnon monimuotoisuuden heikentymiseen. Vesiekosysteemien tutkimus on keskittynyt pääasiassa järvi- ja jokiympäristöihin, kun ihmistoiminnan vaikutukset pohjavesiriippuvaisiin ekosysteemeihin tunnetaan edelleen huonosti. Samoin kunnostusten merkitys pohjavesiriippuvaisten ekosysteemien tilan parantamiseksi on selvittämättä. Väitöskirjassani tarkastelin kahden keskeisen ihmistoiminnan – metsäojituksen ja pohjaveden laadun heikkenemisen – vaikutuksia lähde-ekosysteemeihin sekä arvioin elinympäristökunnostusten vaikutuksia niiden rakenteeseen ja toimintaan. Sovelsin työssäni rakenteellisia (pohjaeläimet, sammalet, lehtikariketta hajottavat sienet ja pohjavesibakteerit) ja toiminnallisia (eloperäisen aineksen hajoaminen ja perustuotanto) mittareita tuottamaan kattavan käsityksen tutkimuskysymyksiini. Sekä metsäojitukset että pohjaveden laadun heikkeneminen aiheuttavat muutoksia lähteiden rakenteessa ja toiminnassa. Metsäojitukset hidastavat keskeisiä ekosysteemitoimintoja ja johtavat lähdesammallajiston muutokseen ja monimuotoisuuden taantumiseen. Pohjaveden pilaantuminen, jota työssä ilmennettiin kohonneilla nitraatti- ja kloridipitoisuuksilla, heikentää lähdelajiston monimuotoisuutta, muuttaa lajikoostumusta ja johtaa perustuotannon laskuun voimakkaimmin kuormitetuissa lähteissä. Kunnostus parantaa lähde-elinympäristön laatua vähentämällä metsäojien aiheuttamaa pintavesivaikutusta palauttaen pohjavesivaltaisen hydrologisen tilan. Lähdekunnostusten myötä lähdesammaleet runsastuvat ja pohjaeläinyhteisön rakenne palautuu luonnontilaisten lähteiden kaltaiseksi, vaikka kunnostuksista on kulunut vasta muutamia vuosia. Väitöskirjan tulokset osoittavat, että ihmisen toiminta voi aiheuttaa muutoksia lähde-ekosysteemien rakenteessa ja toiminnassa ja lähteiden luontainen palautuminen häiriöstä on hidasta. Lähde-elinympäristöjen kunnostus vaikuttaa lupaavalta suojelutoimenpiteeltä metsäojitusten vaikutusten vähentämisessä, mutta lähteiden säilyttäminen monimuotoisena ja suojelullisesti arvokkaana luontotyyppinä edellyttää pohjavesivarojen hallinnan ja tilan suojelun tehostamista
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Correa, Cano María Eugenia. "Macroecological patterns of plant species and anthropogenic activities." Thesis, University of Exeter, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/10871/22975.
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The study of macroecology not only identifies patterns in the distribution and abundance of species at large spatial and temporal scales, it also gives insight into the processes underlying those patterns. The contribution of this work is not limited to helping develop the field of ecology per se, but also provides important insights into the understanding of large scale processes like climate change, the spread of introduced species, pest control and how increasing pressure from anthropogenic activities threatens biodiversity and ecosystem services. During the first decade following its formal inception, most of the progress in macroecology was made through studies of animal species, and research into plant species continues to lag far behind. This thesis contributes to the study of the macroecology of plant species by examining some selected macroecological patterns that have been studied only for animal species and by including an important issue that might have significant effects on diverse macroecological patterns, namely anthropogenic activities. The second and third chapters of the thesis address the generalised individuals-area relationship (GIAR) and the patch individuals-area relationship (PIAR), two macroecological relationships not previously explored for plant species. I show for the first time the existence of negative GIARs at the intraspecific and interspecific levels in plant species, similar to those documented for animal species. Unlike animal species, I did not find a broadly consistent intraspecific PIAR in plant species; more than half of the tested species showed negative PIARs. The resource concentration hypothesis may help explain those positive PIARs that were observed. The fourth chapter considers the effect of past human activities on current patterns of plant species richness at a landscape scale. Using a detailed database on the historical anthropogenic activities for Cornwall, U.K., I examine the relationship between species richness and the area covered by each historical land-use at two different spatial resolutions (10km x 10km and 2km x 2km). I find that at the 10km x10km scale human activities carried out since the 17th and 19th centuries explain an important proportion of the variation in current plant species richness. In contrast, a model at 2km x 2km scale with upland woods and the total land area of a grid cell explain only 5% of the variation. The fifth and sixth chapters focus on how artificial light at night (ALAN), which has increasingly come to attention as a significant anthropogenic pressure on species, is interacting with the distributions of plant species. In the fourth chapter, I consider the plant family Cactaceae to determine the proportion of the global distribution ranges of species that is being influenced by ALAN, and how this changes with the size of these distribution ranges and over a 21-year period (1992 to 2012). I found that >80% of cacti species are experiencing ALAN somewhere in their distribution range, and that there is a significant upward trend in ALAN in the ranges of the vast majority of species. For the sixth chapter, I consider similar issues for the threatened plant species of Britain, exploiting new remote sensing imagery of nighttime lighting at a very fine spatial resolution (c.340x340m2). Only 8% of Britain is free of artificial light at night and in consequence a high number of threatened plant species have a high proportion of their range under some influence of ALAN.
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Smith, Karen Lesley. "Immunotoxic biomarkers of anthropogenic impact in marine invertebrates." Thesis, University of Plymouth, 2002. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.394702.
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Many chemicals enter the marine environment as a result of human activities where they are available to exert a range of effects upon biota. Research has previously focused on the effects of chemicals upon various biological functions of biota in situ. However the impact of chemicals with immunotoxic functions has received little attention. The current research focused on the immunotoxicity of environmental pollutants on marine invertebrates, primarily Mytilus edulis. The aim of the research was to determine to what extent immune function altered in M edulis following exposure to environmental contaminants and how these alterations could be measured and incorporated into environmental monitoring programmes. Exposure of M edulis to the immunotoxicants copper and tributyltin in the laboratory indicated that biochemical measures of immune function were too sensitive for experimental manipulations to be used as biomarkers of pollution-induced stress. However, cellular analysis of immune function, as measured by an adapted immunotoxicity assay in combination with a measure of cell viability, was responsive to pollution-induced stress in a concentration-dependant manner. Cellular immune activity appeared to be regulated by the cytokine IL-1 and involved the release of lytic factors from haemocyte populations. Field evaluation of the immunotoxicity assay in New Bedford Harbour, USA, indicated that environmental contaminants within the estuary had an immuntoxic effect upon in situ mussel populations. The measure of immunotoxicity in mussel populations in New Bedford Harbour was a more sensitive measure of environmental impact than routinely used biomarkers such as lysosomal neutral red, cardiac monitoring and condition index. The immunotoxicity assay is therefore proposed as a sensitive, low cost and reliable biomarker of effect in mussel populations both in the laboratory and the field.
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Jäckel, Udo. "Der Methankreislauf im Wald- und Reisfeldboden natürliche Prozesse und anthropogene Einflüsse /." [S.l. : s.n.], 2001. http://archiv.ub.uni-marburg.de/diss/z2001/0116/.
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Payne, Rosara Faith. "Investigation of radiological contamination of soil samples from Idaho National Laboratory." Diss., Online access for everyone, 2006. http://www.dissertations.wsu.edu/Dissertations/Summer2006/r%5Fpayne%5F053106.pdf.
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Höll, Bettina S. "Die Rolle des Porenraums im Kohlenstoffhaushalt anthropogen beeinflusster Niedermoore des Donaurieds." Stuttgart Inst. für Bodenkunde und Standortslehre, 2007. http://d-nb.info/997687193/34.
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Miranda, Mary [Verfasser]. "Impact of Anthropogenic Stressors on Marine Benthos : Anthropogenic Stress on Macrobenthic Invertebrate Assemblages along the Southern Coast of Kerala, India / Mary Miranda." München : GRIN Verlag, 2018. http://d-nb.info/1172292272/34.
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Nicholson, Fiona Annabel. "Anthropogenic influences on cadmium in agricultural soil-plant systems." Thesis, Lancaster University, 1995. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.309024.
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Bednarsek, Nina. "Vulnerability of Southern ocean pteropods to anthropogenic ocean acidification." Thesis, University of East Anglia, 2010. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.533722.
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Marshall, Laura. "Statistical developments for understanding anthropogenic impacts on marine ecosystems." Thesis, University of St Andrews, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10023/3172.
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Over the past decades technological developments have both changed and increased human in influence on the marine environment. We now have greater potential than ever before to introduce disturbance and deplete marine resources. Two of the issues currently under public scrutiny are the exploitation of fish stocks worldwide and levels of anthropogenic noise in the marine environment. The aim of this thesis is to investigate and develop novel analyses and simulations to provide additional insight into some of the challenges facing the marine ecosystem today. These methodologies will improve the management of these risks to marine ecosystems. This thesis first addresses the issue of competition between humans and grey seals (Halichoerus grypus) for marine resources, providing compelling evidence that a substantial proportion of the sandeels consumed by grey seals in the North Sea are in fact H. lanceolatus, which is not commercially exploited, rather than the commercially important A. marinus. In addition, we present quantitative results regarding sources of bias when estimating the total biomass of sandeels consumed by grey seals. Secondly, we investigate spatially adaptive 2-dimensional smoothing to improve the prediction of both the presence and density of marine species, information that is often key in the management of marine ecosystems. Particularly, we demonstrate the benefits of such methods in the prediction of sandeel occurrence. Lastly this thesis provides a quantitative assessment of the protocols for real-time monitoring of marine mammal presence, which require that acoustic operations cease when an animal is detected within a certain distance (i.e. the "monitoring zone") of the sound source. We assess monitoring zones of different sizes with regards to their effectiveness in reducing the risks of temporary and permanent damage to the animals' hearing, and demonstrate that a monitoring zone of 2 km is generally recommendable.
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Martin, Thomas Edward. "Avifauna and anthropogenic forest disturbance in two biodiversity hotspots." Thesis, Lancaster University, 2009. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.543999.
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Heim, Sabine [Verfasser]. "Geochronology of Anthropogenic Contaminants in Fluvial Sediments / Sabine Heim." Aachen : Shaker, 2005. http://d-nb.info/118658825X/34.
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