Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Lotic ecosystems'

Non-native invasive species are major drivers of biodiversity loss and ecosystemlevel modification. The signal crayfish (Pacifastacus leniusculus) is a highly successful invasive species and demonstrates traits often seen in keystone species, including top-down predatory effects, a high degree of omnivory, and an ability to physically modify its habitat. From field surveys, and in situ and artificial channel experiments, I show that signal crayfish have direct and indirect impacts on the benthos, as well as ecosystem process rates, in lowland, chalk stream ecosystems. Furthermore, I show that these effects are often dependent on crayfish life stage. I demonstrate that two native fish species (chub, Leuciscus cephalus and bullhead, Cottus gobio) may be affected positively, as well as negatively, by signal crayfish invasion. In addition, population genetics reveals overall high levels of genetic diversity in populations of signal crayfish in the UK.

Hydrologic and material dynamics of ephemeral rivers were investigated in the Namib Desert to assess how hydrologic regimes shape the physical habitat template of these river ecosystems. An analysis of long-term hydrologic records revealed that the variation in mean annual runoff and peak discharge were nearly four times higher than the global average, rendering the rivers among the most variable fluvial systems yet described. Further, a pronounced downstream hydrologic decay characterized all of the rivers. The high spatio-temporal variability in flow was reflected in patterns of material transport. Retention of woody debris increased downstream, in contrast to patterns typically reported from more mesic systems, largely attributable to hydrologic decay. Woody debris piles were the principal retentive obstacles and played an important role in channel dynamics. They were also key microhabitats for various organisms, forming "hotspots" of heterotrophic activity analogous to patterns reported from perennial streams. Large amounts of fine particulate and dissolved organic matter (FPOM and DOM) deposited in the lower reaches of the rivers serve to fuel this heterotrophic biota. As a result of the hydrologic decay, sediment concentration (both organic and inorganic) increased downstream and the lower reaches of these rivers acted as sinks for material exported from their catchments. FPOM and DOM concentrations were among the highest reported for any aquatic system, and, contrary to patterns reported from more mesic systems, FPOM dominated the total organic load transported in these rivers. Inorganic solute concentration also increased downstream, resulting in a downstream increase in soluble salt content in floodplain soils. Soils within the river's lower reaches served as effective long-term integrators of hydrologic variability. The mean extent of floods entering the lower river was defined by an alluviation zone, evident from the convexity exhibited in the lower section of the rivers' longitudinal profiles. A downstream increase in the proportion of silt within floodplain soils is associated with increased sediment deposition. Silt deposition had a positive influence on moisture availability, plant rooting, and habitat suitability for various organisms, including fungi and invertebrates. In addition, a strong positive correlation was observed between silt, organic matter, and macronutrients. Thus, the hydrologic control of transport and deposition patterns has important implications for the structure and function of ephemeral river ecosystems. Finally, an examination of the influence of elephants upon riverine vegetation highlighted the importance of these systems as isolated resource patches interspersed in an arid and hostile landscape. Further, it illustrated that flooding was a key ecological process and that hydrologic alterations would affect the fluvial ecosystem as well as the regional landscape they drain.
Ph. D.

This thesis investigates long-term effects of forest fires on morphology and functioning of Portuguese streams via burned wood. Wildfires influenced the landscape dynamics across three regions examined, towards increases in shrublands encroaching into previously forested areas. Large wood amounts within 27 streams were low and are expected to decline in the future owing to wildfire. Likewise, wildfire was promoting wood lacking structural complexity, thus likely reducing habitat heterogeneity that improves conditions for aquatic organisms. The effect of fire providing wood with greater diameter will increase its probability for stream functions such as pool formation. However, this functionality may not persist because most of this wood was decayed and less stable in the channel. It is critical for aquatic communities if fire-derived wood falls directly into the river or if it is previously conditioned for some time on the forest floor; Efeitos a longo prazo dos fogos florestais na morfologia e estrutura do habitat em ecossistemas lóticos de Portugal ### Esta tese avalia os efeitos a longo prazo dos fogos florestais na morfologia e funcionamento de rios portugueses através da madeira ardida. O fogo influenciou a dinâmica da paisagem em três regiões estudadas, favorecendo a invasão por matos de áreas previamente florestadas. A quantidade de pedaços de madeira em 27 rios foi baixa e prevê-se a sua diminuição futura por influência do fogo. O fogo promoveu também a presença de madeira com menor complexidade estrutural, reduzindo provavelmente a heterogeneidade de habitat que melhora as condições para os organismos aquáticos. A madeira queimada tinha maior diâmetro, aumentando a probabilidade de função no rio, como a criação de fundões. Esta funcionalidade pode não persistir porque esta madeira estava degradada e menos estável no canal. É determinante para as comunidades aquáticas se a madeira dos fogos cai directamente no rio ou se é previamente condicionada durante algum tempo no solo da floresta.

Doutoramento em Biologia
The effects of wildfires in Mediterranean lotic communities are still poorly documented. Despite some progress in recent years, the published data refer mainly to studies conducted in North America, with little information on European rivers. Given the importance of regional geographic context, both on the effects of fire and on the resilience of the communities, the gap in the biogeographical knowledge represent a limitation to the implementation of appropriate management measures. This thesis consists in a systematic study of the effects of fire on the macroinvertebrate communities of streams of North and Central Portugal. A chronosequence survey was conducted in order to analyze long-term effects of wildfires (1-18 years) and provide chronological information on the ecological recovery of macroinvertebrate communities. The results indicated that the macroinvertebrate communities recover in abundance and taxa richness and in terms of community structure about two years after the fire impact. A short-term survey was also carried out, where the initial response of macroinvertebrates to fire disturbance was documented, in streams recently affected by wildfires. The parameters analyzed were compared with reference sites without fire impact for the last 20 years. In all sampling periods, lower abundance and lower species richness were recorded in impacted streams, and differences in community structure were found between burnt sites and reference sites. In our study, both on long -term and short-term surveys, the environmental features that conditioned the response of biological communities were evaluated. River size, the extent of the burnt area, conductivity, along with channel characteristics and riparian vegetation, were considered determinant in the response of macroinvertebrates communities to fire impact, and can influence the susceptibility of stream ecosystems. We also analyzed the data of the short-term survey on a trait approach. Differences on functional diversity and on frequency of several trait modalities were analyzed. Specific differences in the food group and reproductive strategies between burned and not burned sites were recorded. Despite the unequivocal negative impact of wildfire on macroinvertebrate communities of Portuguese streams, the recovery seems to be rapid, demonstrating their resilience to this type of disturbance.
Os efeitos dos fogos nas comunidades lóticas mediterrânicas estão ainda mal documentados. Apesar do progresso verificado nos últimos anos, os dados publicados referem-se principalmente a estudos efetuados na América do Norte, sendo escassa a informação relativa aos rios Europeus. Dada a importância do contexto geográfico regional, quer nos efeitos do fogo no meio ambiente quer na resiliência das comunidades, a lacuna no conhecimento biogeográfico representa uma limitação à implementação de medidas de gestão adequadas. A presente tese consiste um estudo sistemático dos efeitos do fogo nas comunidades de macroinvertebrados dos ribeiros do Norte e Centro de Portugal. Foi analisada uma cronosequência para averiguar o efeito do fogo numa escala temporal mais alargada (1 a 18 anos) providenciando informação cronológica sobre a recuperação ecológica das comunidades de macroinvertebrados a longo prazo. Os resultados indicaram que as comunidades de macroinvertebrados recuperam em abundância, riqueza taxonómica e em termos de estrutura das comunidades cerca de dois anos após o impacto Num estudo a curto prazo, em ribeiros recentemente afetados por fogos florestais, foi documentada a resposta inicial dos macroinvertebrados à perturbação pelo fogo e os parâmetros analisados foram comparados com locais de referência onde não ocorreram fogos nos últimos 20 anos. Em todos os períodos amostrados registou-se menor abundância e menor riqueza específica nos ribeiros impactados, bem como diferenças ao nível da estrutura das comunidades entre locais ardidos e os locais de referência. Tanto no estudo a longo prazo como no estudo a curto prazo, foram avaliados os fatores ambientais que condicionaram a resposta das comunidades biológicas. O tamanho do rio, a extensão da área ardida, condutividade, bem como as características do canal e da vegetação ripária, são determinantes na resposta dos macroinvertebrados ao impacto do fogo, e podem influenciar o grau de susceptibilidade dos ecossistemas lóticos. Foram ainda analisados os resultados dos levantamentos a curto prazo numa abordagem do ponto de vista funcional. Foram analisadas as diferenças ao nível da diversidade funcional e ao nível da frequência das várias características funcionais dos organismos. Foram registadas diferenças pontuais em termos do grupo alimentar e estratégias de reprodução, entre locais ardidos e não ardidos. Apesar do inequívoco impacto negativo do fogo nas comunidades de macroinvertebrados aquáticos, a recuperação parece ser rápida, demonstrando a sua resiliência perante este tipo de perturbação.

Fishes are widely used by biologist as ecological indicators that measure key elements of complex systems, without having to capture the full complexity of a specific system. The Vaal River in South Africa is classified as Africa’s hardest working river and is home to, two yellowfish species that are socially and economically important. Both these yellowfish species are considered to be sensitive to changes in water quantity and quality, habitat destruction and utilisation pressure and are often used as ecological indicators to manage aquatic ecosystems. Very little however, is known about their movement, response to changing environmental variables and interspecies habitat preferences. This study therefore aims to use radio telemetry as a method to characterise and evaluate how yellowfish behaviour is influenced by changing environmental variables. To characterise the behavioural ecology of the Vaal-Orange River yellowfish species in lentic and lotic ecosystems, Labeobarbus aeneus (n=18) and L. kimberleyensis (n=3) were fitted with externally attached radio transmitters in Boskop Dam (L. aeneus, n=4) and the Vaal River (L. aeneus, n=14) (L. kimberleyensis, n=3). Various methods were used to collect yellowfish species including: gill nets, to target mobile individuals, in deep habitats, electro-fishing (electro-narcosis) to collect yellowfish in shallow habitats and angling techniques in a wide variety of habitats. Thereafter yellowfish species were sedated and tagged with externally attached radio transmitters, before being released back into the system. Yellowfish were monitored for eleven months using a remote monitoring system together with manual monitoring surveys. Analyses of data collected showed that L. aeneus follows distinct behavioural patterns, with some individual variations in behaviour. Labeobarbus aeneus exhibited higher movement that are associated with deeper water during daylight hours (04:00-16:00). During nocturnal periods (20:00-04:00) L. aeneus showed a decrease in movement activity and preferred shallower water compared to daytime. However, L. aeneus in the Vaal River seems to be less influenced by bright daylight and this might be due to the turbidity of the river water. Labeobarbus aeneus in Boskop Dam showed higher movement counts during full moon phases whereas L. aeneus in the Vaal River showed higher movement counts during new moon phases. All tagged fishes in Boskop Dam and in the Vaal River preferred deeper water during full moon phases than during new moon phases. Movement were significantly higher (P<0.05) with increased temperatures and shallower water in summer whereas movement significantly decreased (P<0.05) with a decrease in temperature and increased depth in autumn and winter. Seasonal movement data were, however, limited. This study confirms that radio telemetry methods can be used to characterise the behavioural ecology of yellowfish species. In addition, the study has improved the knowledge of how environmental variables may affect the behaviour of yellowfish species. However, due to limited data and our understanding of these species, it is still uncertain how behaviour of yellowfish species can be applied as an ecological indicator of aquatic ecosystems.
Thesis (MSc (Zoology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013

A presente dissertação de mestrado resume-se a um estudo da diversidade de Leptoceridae e Hydropsychidae (Insecta, Trichoptera) do Parque Estadual Intervales, Estado de São Paulo, objetivando diminuir as lacunas distribucionais das espécies e facilitar o acesso de tais informações a outros pesquisadores, fornecendo subsídios taxonômicos para futuros trabalhos ecológicos ou de cunho conservacionista, aumentando assim, o conhecimento sobre as famílias Leptoceridae e Hydropsychidae e, consequentemente, sobre a ordem Trichoptera. A coleta foi realizada em dez riachos entre os meses de julho e agosto de 2010. O material coletado foi triado, preparado e identificado até o nível taxonômico de espécie. Análises quantitativas e testes estatísticos foram realizados para a determinação da riqueza e a abundância das duas famílias, além de, a partir das informações bióticas e abióticas nos diferentes riachos e das localidades de coleta, tentar inferir quais fatores ambientais são determinantes na distribuição faunística de tricópteros entre os diferentes riachos. Foi criada também uma checklist para as espécies de Leptoceridae e Hydropsychidae que ocorrem no Parque Estadual Intervales. Com a análise do material coletado, foi possível o reconhecimento de novas espécies e novos registros de espécies para o Estado de São Paulo. As novas espécies foram descritas ou encaminhadas para tricopterólogos especialistas, aumentando assim o conhecimento taxonômico do grupo em questão e contribuindo diretamente para a diminuição entre a diferença no número de espécies descritas na literatura e as estimativas do número de espécies existentes.
This dissertation summarizes a study of the diversity of Leptoceridae and Hydropsychidae (Insecta, Trichoptera) in Parque Estadual Intervales streams, State of São Paulo, aiming to reduce the distributional gaps of species and facilitate the access of such information to other researchers, providing subsidies for future taxonomic or ecological studies and for nature conservation, and increasing the knowledge about the families Leptoceridae and Hydropsychidae and, consequently, of the order Trichoptera. Data were obtained between July and August 2010, when ten streams were sampled. The collected material was sorted, prepared and identified to the taxonomic level of species. Quantitative analysis and statistical tests were performed to determine the richness and abundance of the two families. Biotic and abiotic information from different streams and sampling localities were also analysed, trying to infer which environmental factors are determinant in the distribution of the fauna of caddisflies. A checklist of the species of Leptoceridae and Hydropsychidae from Parque Estadual Intervales is also presented. The analysis of the collected material showed the presence of new species; these were described or sent to experts, thus increasing the taxonomic knowledge of the Trichoptera and contributing to decrease the difference between the number of described species and estimates of the number of existing species.

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Coordena??o de Aperfei?oamento de Pessoal de N?vel Superior - CAPES
Ingoldian fungi are aquatic hyphomycetes that presents conidia sigmoid or branch and occur in lotic and lentic environment, being easily found in foam of water bodies. Aiming to contribute to the knowledge of the biodiversity of Ingoldian fungi in semiarid region, was conducted an inventory in water bodies of areas of extreme biological importance of the Brazilian semiarid. In a single expedition, samples of foam and submerged leaves were collected in water bodies of four localities in semiarid region (Brejo Paraibano-PB, Serra da Jib?ia-BA, Chapada do Araripe and Serra de Ibiapaba-CE). The samples of foam were collected and packaged in plastic bottles of 250 mL and the submerged leaves were packaged in plastic bags. In ?Laborat?rio de Micologia?(LAMIC), the foam was homogenized and 200 ?L of each sample were transferred to 30 slides, which were exposed at room temperature to evaporation. After evaporation, was addition of one drop of lactic acid and sealed with nail polish. Samples of submerged leaves were subjected to the technique of washing in flowing water and cut into pieces of 1 cm?, that were placed in petri dishes containing distilled sterile water for observation of fungi. The bottles and slides were deposited in the ?Herb?rio da Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana? (HUEFS). The pure cultures were deposited in the ?Cole??o de Cultura de Micro-organismos da Bahia? (CCMB). The first chapter presents all 27 taxa of Ingoldian fungi found in the study, 23 of these taxa present description, geographic distribution, taxonomic comments and illustration; 22 are new records: american continent (3), Neotropics (1), South America (3), Brazil (5), Brazilian semiarid region (7), Cear? (2) and Para?ba (1). The second chapter shows all species of the genus Campylospora with descriptions, comments, geographical distribution, a key to the genus and illustrations. The water body with the highest number of taxa of Ingoldian fungi was the river Miss?o velha.
Os fungos ingoldianos s?o hifomicetos aqu?ticos que apresentam con?dios sigmoides ou ramificados e ocorrem em ambientes l?ticos e l?nticos, sendo encontrados facilmente nas espumas de corpos d??gua. Visando contribuir com o conhecimento da biodiversidade de fungos ingoldianos na regi?o semi?rida foi realizado um invent?rio em corpos d??gua de ?reas de extrema import?ncia biol?gica do semi?rido brasileiro. Em uma expedi??o, amostras de espuma e folhas submersas foram coletadas em corpos d??gua de quatro localidades na regi?o semi?rida (Brejo Paraibano-PB, Serra da Jib?ia-BA, Chapada do Araripe e Serra de Ibiapaba-CE). As amostras de espuma foram coletadas e acondicionadas em frascos pl?sticos de 250 mL e as amostras de folhas submersas foram acondicionadas em sacos pl?sticos. No Laborat?rio de Micologia (LAMIC), a espuma foi homogeneizada e 200 ?L de cada amostra foram transferidos para 30 l?minas, as quais ficaram expostas ? temperatura ambiente para evapora??o. Ap?s a evapora??o, foi adicionada uma gota de ?cido l?ctico e vedada com esmalte. Amostras de folhas submersas foram submetidas ? t?cnica de lavagem em ?gua corrente e cortadas em peda?os de 1 cm?, os quais foram colocados em placas de Petri com ?gua destilada esterilizada para observa??o dos fungos. Os frascos e l?minas foram depositados no Herb?rio da Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana (HUEFS). As culturas puras foram depositadas na Cole??o de Cultura de Microrganismos da Bahia (CCMB). O primeiro cap?tulo apresenta todos os 27 t?xons de fungos ingoldianos encontrados no estudo, 23 destes t?xons apresentam descri??o, distribui??o geogr?fica, coment?rios taxon?micos e ilustra??o; 22 representam novos registros: continente americano (3), Neotr?pico (1), Am?rica do Sul (3), Brasil (5), regi?o semi?rida brasileira (7), Cear? (2), Para?ba (1). O segundo cap?tulo apresenta todas as esp?cies do g?nero Campylospora, com descri??es, coment?rios taxon?micos, distribui??o geogr?fica, chave taxon?mica para o g?nero e ilustra??es. O corpo d? ?gua que apresentou o maior n?mero de t?xons de fungos ingoldianos foi o rio Miss?o Velha.

It is important for humans to understand how ecosystems work because we depend on them for a variety of products and services. For example, rivers and streams provide fisheries, improved water quality, and recreational opportunities to many individuals. In rivers, interactions among fishes, other stream plants and animals, and the physical river environment can influence continued provision of these valuable services. However, the role played by many freshwater fishes in the provision of these services remains unknown. Additionally, it is important to identify different factors that affect the outcome of interactions involving riverine fishes. To address these issues, I evaluated how fishes influence different properties of rivers and streams, using a combined approach that summarized previous studies of fish effects on trophic structure and organic matter processing and incorporated field work in natural systems. Overall, my work demonstrated that fishes can play important roles in rivers and streams. In particular, fish spawning migrations from lakes to streams can introduce nutrients to streams. Compared with other nutrient sources for streams, nutrients delivered by fish migrations can be substantial, and they may be used by other plants and animals in the stream to increase productivity. Beyond nutrient introduction, the physical disturbance of river sediments caused by the spawning activity of large migratory fishes can influence the availability of food resources for other stream animals. Additionally, my summary of previous fish studies indicated the consistent influence of fishes on nutrient dynamics and other stream organisms. While the role of riverine fishes varies, natural resource managers and researchers should focus on understanding how these widespread organisms influence valuable ecosystem services derived from freshwater resources.

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Headwater streams biodiversity is very important to the maintenance of the biological integrity found in the whole hydrological basin. Therefore, understanding the processes generating and/or influencing biodiversity in such environments may contribute to future aquatic integrity monitoring programs and to the strategic planning for both species and community conservation found within the every stream networks. The main goals of the current study were to: i) identify landscape and spatial environmental predictors responsible for the structure of aquatic insects communities (Trichoptera); ii) identify which hierarchical scale within the hydrologic basins is responsible for the highest biodiversity variation, what may provide subsidies for future studies and planned conservation of lotic environments. In order to achieve such goals, we did different studies with specific objectives directed to (i) measure the contribution of environmental and spatial variables while determining species richness and composition within Trichoptera communities, separately considering species with wide and narrow spatial distribution; (ii) measure the influence of landscape attributes such as vegetation cover in different spatial scales on species richness and bet diversity, as well on the different trophic functional groups found within the Trichoptera community; (iii) evaluate the effects of nested headwater streams community structure embedded within superior hierarchical levels (e.g. microbasins, subbasins, and the whole catchment), as well as the effects of the environmental and spatial predictors on alpha, beta and gamaTrichoptera diversity considering different spatial scales. All studies were performed with a set of biological data sampled in 48 headwater streams within two hydrographic basins locate within the state of Goiás, Brazil, with different land use regimes. Within those streams, local environmental variables (physical-chemical variables and habtat integrity), landscape attributes (vegetation cover, and land use classification), and also the biological data regarding the Trichoptera insects were sampled. In the first study, we observed that compositional changes within the Trichoptera communities was determined by local processes, especially for genus with wider distribution, while the communities of those species with narrower distribution were probably structured by other factors not measured here. This study reinforces that the use of community deconstruction related to specific species attributes (e.g. spatial distribution) contributes to a better comprehension of the processes determining the metacommunities structure. In the second study, we verified that landscape attributes within the hydrologic basin, such as vegetation quality around the streamlet and vegetation cover up to 200m from the streamlet, are important predictors to the structure and functioning of Trichoptera communities. In the third study, results indicate that the variation in alpha, beta and gama diversities depend on the spatial scale considered and that the environmental degradation affects distinctly such patterns. We were able to verify that the structure of Trichoptera communities is determined by environmental factors, mainly in the local scales, such as water physical-chemical parameters and vegetation cover. Additionally, we observed that that the spatial scale within which the diversity is maximized is on catchment scale, reinforcing the need to increase the spatial scales considered in such studies in order to obtain a higher diversity for the Trichoptera in headwater streams. Finally, these studies confirm the vulnerability of Trichoptera communities to the variability on water quality and landscape changes, supporting the use of these organisms as indicators and reinforcing the need of conservation strategies which consider the aquatic diversity within each streamlet embedded in hydrologic basin elsewhere.
A diversidade biológica em riachos de cabeceira é muito importante para a manutenção da integridade de toda a bacia hidrográfica. Então, entender os processos que geram e/ou influenciam a diversidade nestes ambientes pode contribuir para futuros programas de monitoramento da integridade aquática e para o planejamento estratégico para a conservação de espécies e de comunidades das redes hidrográficas. O presente estudo teve por objetivo principal identificar os preditores ambientais locais, de paisagem e espaciais em múltiplas escalas responsáveis pela estruturação das comunidades de insetos aquáticos (Trichoptera). Além disso, objetivou verificar a escala hierárquica de bacias hidrográficas responsável pela maior variação da diversidade e desta forma, subsidiar futuros estudos e planejamento para conservação de ambientes lóticos. Para tanto, foramrealizados diferentes estudos com objetivos específicos direcionados a(i)medir a contribuição relativa de variáveis ambientais e espaciais na determinação da riqueza e composição taxonômica das comunidades de Trichoptera, considerando separadamente os táxons com distribuição ampla e restrita em riachos de nascente do bioma Cerrado, (ii)medir a influência dos atributos da paisagem como cobertura vegetal em diferentes escalas espaciais sobre a riqueza e diversidade beta, bem como sobre diferentes grupos tróficos funcionais da comunidade de Trichoptera, (iii) avaliar o efeito da estrutura aninhada de pequenos riachos de cabeceira inseridos dentro de níveis hierarquicamente superiores (microbacias, sub-bacias e bacias), bem como o efeito dos preditores ambientais e espaciais na diversidade alfa, beta e gama de insetos aquáticos. Todos os estudos foram realizados com o conjunto de dados amostrados em 48 riachos de nascente em duas bacias hidrográficas em Goiás, Brasil, com padrões de uso do solo distintos. Nestes riachos amostramos variáveis ambientais locais (físico-química e integridade de habitat) e de paisagem (índice de cobertura vegetal e uso do solo), assim como os insetos aquáticos da ordem Trichoptera.No primeiro estudo, observamos queamudança na composição das comunidades de Trichoptera foi determinada por processos locais, principalmente para os gêneros de distribuição mais ampla, enquanto os restritos provavelmente foram estruturados por outros fatores aqui não investigados. Este estudo reforça que o uso da abordagem de desconstrução da comunidade em função dos atributos das espécies contribui para uma melhor compreensão dos processos determinantes das metacomunidades. No segundo estudo, verificamos que as características da paisagem dentro da bacia de drenagem, como qualidade da mata em torno do riacho e da cobertura vegetal em escalas de até 200m do riacho, são importantes preditores da estrutura e funcionamento das comunidades de Trichoptera. No terceiro capítulo, os resultados indicam que a variação na diversidade alfa, beta e gama é dependente da escala espacial, e que o grau de degradação regional afeta distintamente estes padrões. Desta forma, podemos verificar que a estrutura das comunidades de Trichoptera é determinada por fatores ambientais, principalmente, na escala local, tanto as características da água como de cobertura vegetal. Além disso, observamos que a escala espacial em que a diversidade é maximizada é na escala de sub-bacia, reforçando a necessidade de ampliar as escalas espaciais para se obter a maior diversidade deste grupo em riachos de cabeceira. Por fim, estes trabalhos confirmam a vulnerabilidade das comunidades de Trichoptera à variações na qualidada de água e de modificações na paisagem como intensificação do uso do solo, o que suporta o uso destes como indicadores, além de reforçar a necessidade de estratégias para conservação que considere a diversidade aquática em riachos pertencentes a redes hidrográficas.

It is widely acknowledged that logic programming is very well suited for concurrency and a lot of research exists on this topic. However, despite the many contributions laying under the umbrella of concurrent logic programming, only a small amount of technologies survived the passage of time. Survivors, in turn, are tailored on an ancient way of designing (and implementing) concurrent systems. Accordingly, in this thesis we address the problem of designing and implementing a concurrent LP solution taking advantage of modern concurrent programming facilities such as co-routines and non-blocking I/O. In doing so, we leverage upon the 2P-Kt ecosystem for symbolic AI, following the purpose of enriching it towards concurrency. Along this line, the contribution of this thesis is three-folded. First, we review the state of the art of concurrent logic programming, providing an overview of its most important aspects and problems. We then formally model the behaviour of an OR-concurrent Prolog solver as a state machine which we adopt to extend the 2P-Kt ecosystem with concurrent Prolog support. Finally, we design, implement and validate an OR-concurrent Prolog solution reifying the aforementioned model into some actually usable technology. We put a lot of effort in the validation of our solver and then we assess the speedup of our concurrent Prolog solver via comparative benchmark with respect to sequential Prolog. Notably, our solution achieves some good results in terms of speedup and memory usage with respect to the sequential case.

Rivers have long been considered physically driven ecosystems, and the physical environment varies between streams and large rivers. The objective of this thesis was to investigate the importance of river size for suspended algal development. In the first chapter, I examine the seasonal variability of discharge, water chemistry, and suspended algal abundance to evaluate the accepted (but rarely tested) assumption that streams are more temporally variable than large rivers. Temporal variance of discharge and water quality parameters was determined for 114 stations on 104 rivers in eastern United States with data measured between May to October of 1978 by the U.S. National Stream Water Quality Accounting Network (NASQAN). In the second chapter, I examine suspended algal communities in 46 rivers in Ontario and Quebec to determine the influence of river size and nutrient status on algal biomass and size structure. Chlorophyll a estimates of size structure were compared with greatest axial linear dimension estimates (GALD) determined by microscope enumeration of suspended algal samples collected in 31 Ontario and Quebec rivers. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

Consumers value health and a sense of well-being. The health care system cannot supply these values, but only "products" such as hospitalization, ambulatory care, medications, procedures, and preventative care. These components of health care represent neither the value within the system nor the desired final output. Nonetheless, the health care system has focused inordinately on the products, to the point of suggesting that they have intrinsic value. We link this situation to the concept of goods-dominant logic, which has dominated business and managerial thinking since the Industrial Revolution. We then explain why and how moving to service-dominant logic is essential for consumers and providers to better cocreate value from products which are not intrinsically valuable. The challenge of cocreating value is confounded by information asymmetry, and by the myriad factors in the health care ecosystem that contribute to or detract from health and well-being. A new lexicon, emanating from service-dominant logic, is suggested to facilitate the move away from a goods-dominant mindset.

I investigated how anthropogenic acidification influences stream metabolism and nitrogen (N) cycling by considering the stress response of microbial compartments responsible for these ecosystem processes. Microcosm incubations of leaf biofilms from streams of differing pH revealed greater rates of fungal biomass-specific respiration (i.e. the stress metric qCO₂) and biomass-specific N uptake (i.e. qN) with increasing acidity. The positive relationship between qCO₂ and qN indicated alternate fates for N other than structural biomass, possibly related to increased exoenzyme production as part of the stress response. Whole-stream ¹⁵N experiments and measurements of respiration and fungal standing crop across the pH gradient resulted in similar patterns in qCO₂ and qN found in microcosm experiments, supporting qCO₂ as an ecosystem-level stress indicator and providing insight towards controls over N cycling across the pH gradient. Fungal biomass and ecosystem respiration declined with increasing acidity while N uptake metrics were not related to pH, which suggested qN in acid streams was sufficiently high to counteract declines in fungal abundance. During spring, chlorophyll a standing crops were higher in more acidic streams despite lower nutrient concentrations. However, N uptake rates and gross primary production differed little between acid and circumneutral streams. Reduced heterotrophy in acid streams was apparent in lower whole-stream respiration rates, less ability to process organic carbon, and little response of N uptake to added carbon resources. Overall, acid-induced stress in streams was found to impair decomposer activity and caused a decoupling of carbon and nitrogen cycles in these systems.
Ph. D.

As Artificial Intelligence (AI) progressively conquers the software industry at a fast pace, the demand for more transparent and pervasive technologies increases accordingly. In this scenario, novel approaches to Logic Programming (LP) and symbolic AI have the potential to satisfy the requirements of modern software environments. However, traditional logic-based approaches often fail to match present-day planning and learning workflows, which natively deal with uncertainty. Accordingly, Probabilistic Logic Programming (PLP) is emerging as a modern research field that investigates the combination of LP with the probability theory. Although research efforts at the state of the art demonstrate encouraging results, they are usually either developed as proof of concepts or bound to specific platforms, often having inconvenient constraints. In this dissertation, we introduce an elastic and platform-agnostic approach to PLP aimed to surpass the usability and portability limitations of current proposals. We design our solution as an extension of the 2P-Kt symbolic AI ecosystem, thus endorsing the mission of the project and inheriting its multi-platform and multi-paradigm nature. Additionally, our proposal comprehends an object-oriented and pure-Kotlin library for manipulating Binary Decision Diagrams (BDDs), which are notoriously relevant in the context of probabilistic computation. As a Kotlin multi-platform architecture, our BDD module aims to surpass the usability constraints of existing packages, which typically rely on low level C/C++ bindings for performance reasons. Overall, our project explores novel directions towards more usable, portable, and accessible PLP technologies, which we expect to grow in popularity both in the research community and in the software industry over the next few years.

This paper explores the value propositions that exist within ecosystems comprised of organizational and individual actors. The concept of value in general and how value is cocreated in multi-actor networks is explored by using service-dominant logic. The ecosystem is further framed by the intrinsic traits of digital technology as portrayed in The Layered Architecture of Digital Technology. Together, both of these framing conventions create what the paper refers to as a digital service ecosystem. In order to understand the important characteristics of a digital service ecosystem this paper analyzes a case study involving several actors participating in an ecosystem project in northern Sweden. This paper identifies six overarching themes that serve as the basis for three value propositions. A model is introduced as a way to simplify the understanding of each value proposition and how they interact with one another.

Economy professor Kjell Nordström argued at the Nordic Business forum Sweden, that regions such as Värmland would turn into wastelands in the aftermath of digitalization and urbanization. Digitalization has rapidly changed service provision effecting the provider-user interaction and service options available. To stay competitive, a sustainability report on the region recommends local actors to find common goals to enhance the value-proposition providing advantages not offered by larger elsewhere controlled or e-commerce actors. Previous studies regarding value co-creation conclude that due to macro level influences such as digitalization, a systemic approach is vital. Hence, this thesis uses a service ecosystem, approach addressing the problem and research inquiries regarding relationship market influence in and among various levels and relationship construction for mutual member goals capturing value. The aim of this thesis is to explore how actors can increase their resilience towards macro level influences. The empirical data was gathered through conducting a qualitative exploratory case study using non-probability sampling to map the service ecosystem around a resilient actor. The data collection comprised of field observation, a brief document analysis and seven semi-structured interviews. Five interviews with different actors supported by two interviews with key customers. The data was processed and thematically analyzed through coding and grouping. Findings was then compared to the theoretical framework and discussed in relation to the background and problem. The study concluded that actors were unable of making an impact individually and essentially need goal alignment for institutional change. However, depending on actor size, type, level of digitalization, and market aim, the importance varies. Actors primarily targeting a regional market were considered dependent on goal alignment and institutional change for resilience. By accomplishing collective goals ecosystem members indirectly achieve individual goals increasing competitiveness, enhancing the business climate. Through institutional change members counteract and restructure the ecosystem adjusting to macro level changes affecting the meso and micro interaction creating resilience.

MedTech firms experience barriers when entering the healthcare sector, although their solutions could solve healthcare challenges. The study provides a conceptual framework for MedTech firms' business environment including institutional alignments and misalignments. These insights support MedTech firms' business model development when aiming for successful commercialization. The research is conducted with a multiple case study analyzing MedTech firms' and healthcare organizations' perspective regarding the business environment and relationship dynamics. The study generated three main findings. Firstly, an organizational and institutional logic analysis outlined essential problem areas where MedTech firms and healthcare organizations align differently. Secondly, suggestions on how the MedTech firm can respond to the identified problem areas through their business model are presented. Thirdly, the study provides an example of how social- and business literature can be connected to understand complex business environments. In contrast to a majority of prior research, the study is designed for the MedTech firm's perspective where the final result answering how the business model can be improved based on healthcare organizational and business insights.

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Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior
This work aimed to analyze the composition variation and structure of phytoplankton community upstream and downstream of the Iguaçu Falls, Iguaçu River, investigating the influence of these waterfalls and environmental variables on this community. Samples of phytoplankton material were carried out in two sampling stations in Iguaçu River (25° 35' S; 54° 23' W e 25° 38' S; 54° 27' W), from May 2010 to May 2011 (except November). A total of 408 taxa were identified, and Bacillariophyceae was the best represented group. There was a large difference in phytoplankton composition between the sampled stations. The total richness and density of phytoplankton groups were very low in both collection sites, and it was represented by the classes Bacillariophyceae, Chlorophyceae and Cyanobacteria. The Shannon diversity was classified as very low. The equitability, in general, was high. The Multivariate Analysis of Variance showed no significant spatial or seasonal difference for total density, total richness, equitability and Shannon diversity. However, when measured densities and richness classes (Bacillariophyceae, Chlorophyceae, Cyanobacteria) separately, significant seasonal differences were observed. The heterogeneity of the characteristics of the Iguaçu River between the sampling sites did not cause a longitudinal compartmentalization of the river regarding to the attributes of the phytoplankton community, while the seasonal variation of weather conditions influenced in a significant way the composition and structure of this community in the studied environment.
Este trabalho objetivou analisar a variação da composição e estrutura da comunidade fitoplanctônica a montante e a jusante das Cataratas do Iguaçu, rio Iguaçu, observando a influência destas quedas d água e das variáveis ambientais sobre esta comunidade. As coletas do material fitoplanctônico foram realizadas em duas estações de amostragem no rio Iguaçu (25° 35' S; 54° 23' W e 25° 38' S; 54° 27' W), entre maio de 2010 e maio de 2011 (exceto novembro). Um total de 408 táxons foram identificados, sendo Bacillariophyceae o grupo melhor representado. Observou-se uma grande diferenciação na composição do fitoplâncton entre as estações amostradas. A riqueza total e densidade dos grupos fitoplanctônicos foram muito baixas em ambos os locais de coleta, estando representadas pelas classes Bacillariophyceae, Chlorophyceae e Cyanobacteria. A diversidade de Shannon foi classificada como muito baixa à média. A equitabilidade, de uma maneira geral, foi alta. A Análise Multivariada de Variância mostrou que não houve diferença sazonal nem espacial significativa para densidade total, riqueza total, equitabilidade e diversidade de Shannon. No entanto, quando avaliadas as densidades e riquezas das classes (Bacillariophyceae, Chlorophyceae, Cyanobacteria) separadamente, diferenças sazonais significativas foram observadas. A heterogeneidade das características do rio Iguaçu entre os locais amostrados não causaram uma compartimentalização longitudinal do rio no que diz respeito aos atributos da comunidade fitoplanctônica, enquanto que a variação sazonal das condições climáticas influenciou significativamente a composição e estrutura dessa comunidade no ambiente estudado.

This study is grounded in the evolving perspective of Service Marketing, Service-Dominant-Logic and ServiceLogic and aims to provide a holistic view of how the digitalization of interactions affects the service provided by the restaurant and in turn the customers’ value creation processes. More exactly, the study examines a digital system for information exchange, order placements and payments in a restaurant on the Swedish market. The study adopts a qualitative approach and data has been collected through the use of unstructured observations and semi-structured interviews. The findings are that the system for digital interactions has both positive and negative effects on valuecreation. It also changes other aspects of the service not directly linked to the system. If this ultimately creates more or less value for the customers is believed to depend on the customers’ individual differences, but if the system is used as a complement to the already existing service rather than as a substitute of the human interaction there are opportunities for a successful implementation.

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Conselho Nacional de Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico - CNPq
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It has been observed worldwide that the indiscriminate use of freshwater ecosystems by human activities alters the quality of water resources causing to a variety of environmental impacts. In Pernambuco state, the population increase, especially in more developed centres, is responsible for a marked urban pressure. At this condition are the municipalities located on the borders of the watershed of the Capibaribe River leading to numerous impacts on the river, which is a major river of the State. As a detrimental consequence of this intimate relationship between man and this resource eutrophication occurs, with increased productivity and the consequent proliferation of certain species of aquatic macrophytes. The present study aimed to analyze the effects of urbanization on the composition and community structure of aquatic macrophytes occurring in different areas of the Capibaribe River. The sampling sites were selected in four municipalities, two of them located in the Agreste zone (Santa Cruz do Capibaribe and Toritama) and two located in the metropolitan area (São Lourenço and Recife) considering urbanized and non-urbanized areas. These sites were visited bimonthly between January and July 2013 to observe the seasonal variation (wet and dry seasons). In the field, individuals of each species found were collected, pressed, identified and included in the collection of the Herbarium Professor Vasconcelos Sobrinho (PEUFR) of the Federal Rural University of Pernambuco. For the biomass analysis at each sampling site three transects measuring 9.75 m long each were plotted on the margins, spaced 10 meters from each other. The botanical material was collected at one meter from the margins along each transect, using three quadrats (0,25 m x 0,25 m), spaced three meters from each other. All plants within the quadrats were collected, placed in labelled plastic bags and transported to the Laboratory of Phycology (LABOFIC) of the Post-Graduation Program in Botany at the Federal Rural University of Pernambuco (PPGB/UFRPE). In the laboratory, the material was washed, sorted and taken to the oven (70° C) to obtain the average values of biomass (g.PS/m2). For the evaluation of the influence of environmental factors on the aquatic macrophytes community hydrological variables (transparency, temperature, turbidity, salinity and nutrients) were analyzed. Space-time distribution of plants and their frequency of occurrence was analyzed. For a better interpretation of the data, specific statistical tests were performed. 31 species of aquatic macrophytes were identified. The Division Monilophyta was represented by Salvinia auriculata and Azolla caroliniana, both belonging to the family Salviniaceae. Poaceae was the most abundant family of the Division Magnoliophyta, with four species, followed by Amaranthaceae, Araceae, Asteraceae, Cyperaceae, Nymphaeaceae, Onagraceae and Polygonaceae, with two species each. In the municipality of Santa Cruz do Capibaribe the urbanized area had a higher occurrence of species (five spp.) when compared to the non- urbanized area in the same city (one spp.). In the Metropolitan Region of Recife the number of species was similar between the non-urbanized area (11 spp.) and urban area (12 spp.). In Toritama the non urbanized area also showed a higher number of species (17 spp.) comparing to the urbanized area (three spp.). With respect to the frequency of occurrence only Ipomoea asarifolia (58.3 %), Eichhornia crassipes (54.2 %), and Paspalum sp1. (50%) were considered as being frequent. The species E. crassipes (637.39 g.PS/m2) and Paspalum sp2. (559.70 g.PS/m2) showed the highest biomass values. Multivariate analyzes based on biomass data indicated significant overall differences between urbanized and non-urbanized areas (R = 0.044, p = 0.001) and also between the dry and rainy seasons (R = 0.018, p = 0.019). Given the heterogeneity of the studied ecosystem, due to the large variation in physical, chemical and biological aspects between the urbanized and non-urbanized areas studied, it was observed that the urbanization factor influenced significantly on the floristic composition and structure of the macrophyte communities along the Capibaribe River.
Em todo o planeta vem sendo observado que a utilização indiscriminada dos ecossistemas aquáticos continentais, por ações antrópicas, altera a qualidade dos recursos hídricos, conduzindo a diversos impactos ambientais. No estado de Pernambuco, o aumento populacional, principalmente, em centros mais desenvolvidos, é responsável por uma marcada pressão urbana. Nesta condição se encontram os municípios localizados as margens da bacia hidrográfica do rio Capibaribe acarretando, com isto, numa série de impactos no referido rio, um dos principais do referido Estado. Como consequência danosa dessa íntima relação entre o homem e este recurso ocorre a eutrofização, com o aumento da produtividade e, consequente, proliferação de determinadas espécies de macrófitas aquáticas. O presente estudo teve como objetivo analisar os efeitos da urbanização sobre a composição e estrutura das comunidades de macrófitas aquáticas ocorrentes em diferentes trechos do rio Capibaribe. Os pontos de coleta foram selecionados em quatro municípios, dois localizados na zona do Agreste (Santa Cruz do Capibaribe e Toritama) e dois localizados na região metropolitana (São Lourenço e Recife) levando em consideração áreas urbanizadas e não urbanizadas. Estes pontos foram visitados bimestralmente entre os meses de janeiro e julho de 2013 para a observação da variação estacional (Estações seca e chuvosa). Em campo, indivíduos de cada espécie encontrados foram coletados, prensados, identificados e inseridos no acervo do Herbário Professor Vasconcelos Sobrinho (PEUFR) da Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco. Para a análise da biomassa, em cada Ponto de Coleta foram plotados, na região litorânea, três transectos, com 9,75m de comprimento cada, equidistantes 10 metros. O material botânico foi coletado a um metro da margem e, em cada transecto, lançados três quadrados (0,25m x 0,25m), equidistantes três metros. Todas as plantas contidas nos quadrados foram coletadas, acondicionadas em sacos plásticos devidamente etiquetados e transportadas ao Laboratório de Ficologia (LABOFIC) do Programa de Pós Graduação em Botânica da Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco (PPGB/UFRPE). Em laboratório, o material foi lavado, triado e levados a estufa (70°C) para obtenção dos valores médios de biomassa (g.PS/m2). Para a avaliação da influência de fatores ambientais sobre a comunidade de macrófitas aquáticas, foram analisados variáveis hidrológicas (transparência, temperatura, turbidez, salinidade e nutrientes). Foi analisada a distribuição espaço temporal das plantas e sua frequência de ocorrência. Para uma melhor interpretação dos dados obtidos, serão realizados testes estatísticos específicos. Foram identificadas 31 espécies de macrófitas aquáticas. A Divisão Monilophyta esteve representada por Salvinia auriculata e Azolla caroliniana, ambas pertencentes à família Salviniaceae. A família mais representativa da Divisão Magnoliophyta foi Poaceae, com quatro espécies, seguida de Amaranthaceae, Araceae, Asteraceae, Cyperaceae, Nymphaeaceae, Onagraceae e Polygonaceae, cada uma com duas espécies. No município de Santa Cruz do Capibaribe, a área urbanizada teve uma maior ocorrência de espécies (cinco spp.), quando comparado à área não urbanizada do mesmo município (uma spp.). Na Região Metropolitana do Recife houve um número de espécies próximo entre a área não urbanizada (11 spp.) e a área urbanizada (12 spp.). Em Toritama, a área não urbanizada também apresentou um número de espécies superior (17 spp.) à área urbanizada (três spp.). Com relação à frequência de ocorrência, apenas Ipomoea asarifolia (58,3%), Eichhornia crassipes (54,2%), e Paspalum sp1. (50%), foram consideradas como frequentes. As espécies E. crassipes (637,39 g.PS/m2)e Paspalum sp2. (559,70 g.PS/m2) foram as que apresentaram maiores valores de biomassa. As análises multivariadas baseadas nos dados de biomassa indicaram diferenças globais significativas entre áreas urbanizadas e não urbanizadas (R = 0.044, p = 0.001) e também entre os períodos seco e chuvoso (R = 0.018; p = 0.019). Diante da heterogeneidade apresentada no ecossistema estudado, devido à grande variação física, química e biológica entre as áreas urbanizadas e não urbanizadas estudadas, observou-se que o fator urbanização influenciou significativamente na composição florística e na estrutura das comunidades de macrófitas ao longo do rio Capibaribe.

Nas últimas décadas, tem-se observado uma expressiva queda da qualidade ambiental e perda de biodiversidade nos ecossistemas aquáticos em função de múltiplos impactos advindos de atividades antrópicas. Dessa forma, considerando-se que a estrutura das comunidades pode ser alterada por tais perturbações, diversos métodos têm sido propostos para avaliações da qualidade nesses ecossistemas, destacando-se, entre eles, o uso dos macroinvertebrados bentônicos. Alguns estudos empregando estes indicadores defendem a sua identificação ao nível genérico por fornecer maior número de informações, resultar em classificações ambientais mais confiáveis e apresentar melhor capacidade de distinção entre os pontos, quando comparado aos níveis de resolução mais abrangentes. Entretanto, na maioria dos trabalhos a identificação desse grupo restringe-se ao nível de família, principalmente em função da economia nos recursos despendidos durante a identificação o que não se justifica caso este nível não retenha informações suficientes para que os objetivos sejam alcançados. Neste trabalho, esse conflito foi avaliado através da comparação de avaliações biológicas decorrentes da aplicação de índices estruturais baseados na identificação de Chironomidae, ao nível genérico com o de sub-família/tribo. Foram utilizadas amostras de organismos bentônicos, bem como os dados físicos, químicos e microbiológicos coletados em sete pontos de amostragem que fizeram parte de vários projetos da CETESB (Companhia de Tecnologia de Saneamento Ambiental), conduzidos ao longo de diferentes anos e classificados, de acordo com o ICBRIO (Índice da Comunidade Bentônica para rios) em ambientes de qualidade péssima, ruim, regular, boa e ótima. As coletas foram padronizadas em relação ao período (inverno) e ao tipo de hábitat amostrado (margem deposicional). As amostras foram obtidas em triplicata com o auxílio de pegadores (Ponar e Petersen modificado) e o material selecionado em rede com abertura de malha 0,5 mm. A contagem e identificação dos organismos foram feitas com o auxílio de estereomicroscópio, microscópio óptico e bibliografia especializada. Para definir o gradiente de qualidade, as variáveis ambientais foram submetidas a uma Análise de Agrupamento pelo método de Ward, empregando-se a Distância Euclidiana Simples. Já os valores de densidade foram reunidos em uma matriz de distância de Bray-Curtis agrupada pelo método de média de grupo não ponderada a fim de verificar o grau de similaridade entre os pontos e se o nível de identificação taxonômica interfere nas associações formadas. Com o intuito de verificar a sensibilidade do nível taxonômico do dado ao gradiente de qualidade ambiental, bem como testar a possível influência do refinamento taxonômico na sensibilidade do ICBRIO foram empregadas as métricas Riqueza, Diversidade de Shannon-Wiener, Índice de Comparação Seqüencial, Dominância de Grupos Tolerantes e Riqueza de Táxons Sensíveis. Tendo por objetivo o diagnóstico das condições ambientais, com redução de custos e tempo de manipulação das amostras, mas com informações relevantes que subsidiem os tomadores de decisão, o presente trabalho vem descartar o emprego do nível de resolução genérico na identificação das larvas de Chironomidae. Os resultados expostos confirmaram a aplicabilidade do ICBRIO com a identificação deste grupo aos níveis de sub-família/tribo na avaliação da qualidade ambiental, demonstrando não serem necessárias eventuais alterações nos seus moldes.
In the last decades, it has been observed an expressive deterioration of the environmental quality and biodiversity loss in the aquatic ecosystems as function of anthropogenic activities. Considering that communities' structure can be altered by such disturbances, several methods have been proposed for quality assessment in those ecosystems, standing out, among them, the use of the benthic macroinvertebrates. Some studies using these indicators defend the generic level identification as they supply more information, result in more reliable environmental classifications and present better distinction capacity among sites, when compared to broader levels. However, in most of the works the identification of this group is limited to the family level, mainly due to resources saving during the identification, which is not justified in the case this level misses information to classification aims. In this work, comparison of current biological evaluations through Chironomidae identification structural indexes at the generic level with the one at sub-family/tribe was evaluated. Benthic organisms samples, as well as physical, chemical and microbiological data were collected in seven sampling sites, from several projects taken along different years by CETESB (Company of Technology of Environmental Sanitation), which classified the environment as, according to ICBRIO (Benthic Community Index for rivers), worst, bad, regular, good and excellent quality. The collections were standardized to winter period and to type of sample habitat (depositional river margin). Triplicates were obtained with modified Ponar and Petersen grabs on retained material by 0.5mm-mesh sieve. Counting and identification based on specialized literature were done with the stereomicroscope, and optical microscope. To define the quality gradient, the environmental variables were submitted to a Cluster Analysis by the Ward method, using the simple Euclidean Distance. Density values were lumped on a Bray-Curtis distance matrix by the Unweighted Pair Group method in order to verify the similarity degree among the points and the interferences of taxonomic identification level on the formed associations. Aiming to check the sensibility of the data taxonomic level to the environmental quality gradient, as well as to test the possible influence of taxonomic refinement in the ICBRIO's sensibility, several metrics (Richness, Shannon-Wiener Diversity Index, Sequential Comparison Index, Dominance of Tolerant Groups and Richness of Sensitive Taxa) were used. Seeking the diagnosis of the environmental conditions, reducing costs and manipulation time of the samples, but keeping relevant information to subsidize the policy managers, the present work discards the need of the generic resolution level in the Chironomidae larvae identification. The exposed results confirmed the applicability of ICBRIO with the identification of this group at sub-family/tribe levels on the environmental quality assessment, demonstrating no need of eventual modification in the method.

Samtidigt som fokuset på hållbarhetsarbete inom organisationer har ökat, har det även resulterat i frågor om hur företag skapar ett hållbart värde. Hållbarhet har definierats utifrån tre grundpelare: miljömässig-, ekonomisk- och socialhållbarhet. Inom tjänsteteori har intresset för hållbarhetsteorier ökat, men relationen mellan dessa områden är relativt outforskade. Detta är förvånansvärt då många organisationer är beroende av hållbart värdeskapande. Således är syftet med studien att alstra förståelse för hur aktörer skapar värden inom ett hållbart tjänsteekosystem. Studien utgår från ett makroperspektiv eftersom viktiga implikationer för värdeskapande kan upptäckas då hållbarhet genererar värde för flera aktörer. Det teoretiska ramverket omfattar tre delar; teori om tjänsteekosystem, hållbarhet och en sammanföring mellan dessa områden. Eftersom värdeskapande inom hållbara tjänsteekosystem är relativt outforskat valdes en kvalitativ och explorativ ansats för att undersöka hur hållbart arbete inom ett tjänsteekosystem bidrar till att skapa värde.  Analysen förankras i nio semistrukturerade intervjuer som genomfördes med respondenter från olika organisationer som tillhörde företagsklustret Paper Province. Intervjuerna kombineras med teori för att skapa en koppling mellan ett empiriskt fall och teori. Deltagande respondenter hade hög befattning inom respektive organisation, vilket var viktigt för att förstå organisationens struktur. Studien visar att hållbarhet inte bara ligger till grund för organisationers värdeskapande logik utan även skapar en grund för arbetsstrukturer. Genom att utgå från tjänstedominant logik ger analysen ett nytt sätt att se på hållbara aktörers värdeskapande. Inom det hållbara tjänsteekosystemet skapar aktörer förutsättningar för ett högre samhällsvärde till följd av hållbar resursintegration.
At the same time as the focus on sustainability work within organizations has increased, it has also resulted in questions about how companies create sustainable value. Sustainability has been defined based on three pillars: environmental, economic, and social sustainability. In service theory, interest in sustainability theories has increased, but the relationship between these areas is relatively unexplored. This is surprising as many organizations are dependent on sustainable value creation. Thus, the study aims to generate an understanding of how actors create value within a sustainable service ecosystem. The study is based on a macro perspective because important implications for value creation can be discovered as sustainability generates value for several actors. The theoretical framework comprises three parts; theory of service ecosystems, sustainability, and a merger between these areas. Since value creation in sustainable service ecosystems is relatively unexplored, a qualitative and exploratory approach was chosen to investigate how sustainable work in a service ecosystem contributes to creating value.  The analysis is anchored in nine semi-structured interviews conducted with respondents from various organizations that belonged to the Paper Province cluster. The interviews are combined with theory to create a connection between an empirical case and theory. Participating respondents held senior positions within each organization, which was important for understanding the organization's structure. The study shows that sustainability forms the basis for organizations' value-creating logic and creates a basis for work structures. Based on service-dominant logic, the analysis provides a new way of looking at sustainable players' value creation. Within the sustainable service ecosystem, actors create conditions for a higher societal value because of sustainable resource integration.

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Fundação Araucária de Apoio ao Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico do Estado do Paraná (FA)
Phytoplankton traits diversity provides a powerful means to addressing ecology’s questions, and can be 43 adopted to simplify and predict the community structure, in function of the multiples environmental filters 44 that operate in the different ecosystems. Thus, we evaluated the response of phytoplankton functional 45 groups of two subtropical rivers in a temporal scale, identifying the main environmental filters associated 46 with the presence of the different groups and their functional traits during a seasonal cycle. Using 47 multivariate analysis, we found an environmental dissimilarity predicted by the presence of different 48 functional groups in the rivers. Six GFs were recorded: J (chlorophyceans chlorococcales), M (colonial 49 cyanobacteria), N (desmids), W1 (euglenophyceans), X2 (flagellated unicellular chlorophyceans) and F 50 (flagellated colonial chlorophyceans). The GFs J, M and N were exclusive to the first river, while X2 and 51 F were exclusive to the second river. GF W1 was recorded in both rivers, however, its greatest 52 contribution occurred to the second river. Thus, the GFs reflected the environmental dissimilarity, mainly 53 related to the conditions of water flux, conductivity, light availability and depth of the environments. In 54 view of the obtained results, the functional grouping considered a relevant tool in phytoplankton ecology, 55 offers a practical means to investigating the relation between phytoplankton and ecosystem functioning, 56 and consequently can assist in decision-making for the management and conservation of the biodiversity 57 in lotic environments
A diversidade dos traços fitoplanctônicos fornece um poderoso recurso para abordar as questões da 13 ecologia e pode ser adotada para simplificar e prever a estrutura da comunidade, em função dos múltiplos 14 filtros ambientais que operam nos diferentes ecossistemas. Assim, avaliamos a resposta dos grupos 15 funcionais fitoplanctônicos de dois rios subtropicais em escala temporal, identificando os principais filtros 16 ambientais associados à presença dos diferentes grupos e seus traços funcionais durante um ciclo sazonal. 17 Com a análise multivariada, encontramos uma dissimilaridade ambiental prevista pela presença de 18 diferentes grupos funcionais nos rios. Foram registrados seis GFs: J (clorofíceas clorococcales), M 19 (cianobactérias coloniais), N (desmídias), W1 (euglenofíceas), X2 (clorofíceas unicelulares flageladas) e 20 F (clorofíceas coloniais flageladas). Os GFs J, M e N eram exclusivos do primeiro rio, enquanto X2 e F 21 eram exclusivos do segundo rio. GF W1 foi registrado em ambos os rios, no entanto, a maior contribuição 22 ocorreu no segundo rio. Assim, os GFs refletiram a dissimilaridade ambiental, principalmente relacionada 23 às condições de fluxo de água, condutividade, disponibilidade de luz e profundidade dos ambientes. Em 24 vista dos resultados obtidos, o agrupamento funcional considerado uma ferramenta relevante na ecologia 25 do fitoplâncton, oferece um meio prático para investigar a relação entre o fitoplâncton e o funcionamento 26 do ecossistema e consequentemente pode auxiliar na tomada de decisões para a gestão e conservação da 27 biodiversidade em ambientes lótico

Mestrado de dupla diplomação com o Institute Agronomic and Veterinary Hassan II
Freshwater ecosystems are threatened by several pressures worldwide. Water pollution and eutrophication, the degradation and fragmentation of aquatic and riparian environments, overexploitation of resources, the dispersion of non-native species and more recently climate change have contributed to the loss of biodiversity and ecological integrity of rivers. For this reason, river conservation and management are essential to guarantee all associated ecosystem goods and services, this taking into account the biotic and biotic factors. Which leads to the objectives of the present study which were: 1) to evaluate the impact of abiotic factors on the biological quality of a watercourse, the river Fervença belonging to the drainage bassin of River Sabor (NE of Portugal), subject to anthropic pressures, and 2) to determine the influence of biotic factors, namely the complex relationship between fish and bivalves, in the ecological integrity of lotic systems. In the spring of 2020, abiotic (i.e. water quality and habitats) and biotic (i.e. macroinvertebrates and fish) characterization of 7 sampling sites were made, using the Water Framework Directive protocols. The results showed a marked decrease in the quality of water, habitats and biota in sampling sites located downstream of the city of Bragança, as a result of the input of contaminants from the urban environment, despite the presence of a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). The degradation of abiotic conditions has led to the disappearance of species sensitive to pollution and to the loss of biodiversity, biotic relationships and ecological functions in the aquatic system. In this context, the relationship between a bivalve, the unionoid Anodonta anatina, and the fish fauna present in the river Sabor was studied. Four native Iberian species (Luciobarbus bocagei, Squalius alburnoides, Squalius carolitertii and Pseudochondrostoma duriense) and one non-native species (Alburnus alburnus) were tested in the laboratory. All fish species functioned as viable hosts for Anodonta anatina due to the wide distribution of this bivalve, although the higher rates of metamorphosis were found for a native species, Squalius carolitertii. For the conservation and management of NE Portugal's aquatic systems, measures for the rehabilitation of disturbed ecosystems and the conservation of priority habitats are essential, namely for threatened native species.
Os ecossistemas de água doce estão ameaçados por várias pressões à escala mundial. A poluição e eutroficação da água, a degradação e fragmentação de ambientes aquáticos e ribeirinhos, a sobreexploração de recursos, a dispersão de espécies não nativas e mais recentemente as alterações climáticas têm contribuído a perda de biodiversidade e integridade ecológica de rios. Por tal motivo, a conservação e gestão de rios é fundamental para garantir todos os bens e serviços ecossistémicos associados. O presente estudo teve como objetivos: 1) avaliar o impacto de fatores abióticos na qualidade biológica de um curso de água, o rio Fervença (NE de Portugal), sujeito a pressões antrópicas, e 2) determinar a influência de fatores bióticos, nomeadamente da relação complexa entre peixes e bivalves, na integridade ecológica dos sistemas lóticos. Na primavera de 2020 foi feita a caracterização abiótica (i.e. qualidade da água e habitats) e biótica (i.e. macroinvertebrados e peixes) de 7 locais de amostragem, com recurso aos protocolos da Diretiva Quadro da Água. Os resultados evidenciaram uma diminuição acentuada da qualidade da água, dos habitats e do biota nos locais situados a jusante da cidade de Bragança, como resultado do input de contaminantes do meio urbano, apesar da presença duma estação de tratamento de águas residuais (ETAR). A degradação das condições abióticas levou ao desaparecimento de espécies sensíveis à poluição e à perda de biodiversidade, relações bióticas e funções ecológicas no sistema aquático. Neste âmbito, foi estudada a relação entre um bivalve, o unionídeo Anodonta anatina, e a fauna piscícola presente no rio Sabor. Foram testadas, em laboratório, quatro espécies nativas da Ibéria (Luciobarbus bocagei, Squalius alburnoides, Squalius carolitertii e Pseudochondrostoma duriense) e uma espécie não nativa (Alburnus alburnus). Todas as espécies piscícolas funcionaram como hospedeiros viáveis de Anodonta anatina em virtude da distribuição alargada deste bivalve, embora as taxas superiores de metamorfose tivessem sido encontradas para uma espécie nativa, o Squalius carolitertii. Para a conservação e gestão dos sistemas aquáticos do NE Portugal são essenciais medidas de reabilitação de ecossistemas perturbados e a conservação de habitats prioritários, nomeadamente para as espécies nativas fortemente ameaçadas.

碩士
國立臺灣大學
國際企業學研究所
103
With the booming development of Internet in China, China’s Internet enterprises are rising, accelerating the construction of business ecosystem. The word “business ecosystem” is based on the theory of ecology. Besides the core competence of an enterprise, it should also take its suppliers, customers, and competitors into consideration. They are interdependent, but they still cooperate, and compete with each other. In this perspective, we regard the ecosystem as a whole. However, as the literature reviewed, there were less cross-sectional and dynamics research. Thus, the study tries to analyze the evolution of business ecosystem, in order to understand how the different use of strategic logics affects the roles of ecosystem through the evolution. According to the degree of openness and health, the study includes three enterprises in China as multiple-cases study, analyze the evolution process of their ecosystems, see the difference competitive advantages from the perspective of strategic logics, and create different business ecosystem model to compares the similarities and differences. As the result shows, different types of business ecosystems use similar strategic logics in the process, and the logics they used echo with stages of evolution. During the evolution, the role of business ecosystem may changed due to the different use of strategic logic, but will follow the same direction, creates values for the whole system, and prospers business ecosystem together.

University of Technology, Sydney. Faculty of Information Technology.
As e-Business has moved from a niche market to a decisive contributor for the success of most companies, some issues need to be solved in order to assist the continued success of e-Business. The challenge, to deploy fully autonomous business service agents which undertake transactions on behalf of their owners, often fails due to lack of trust in the agent and its decisions. Four aspects can overcome this challenge. Firstly, intelligent agents need to be equipped with self-adjusting reputation, trustworthiness and credibility evaluation mechanisms to assess the trustworthiness of potential counterparts prior to a business transaction. Secondly, such evaluation mechanisms must be transparent and easy to comprehend so agent owners develop trust in their agents’ decisions. Thirdly, the calculations of an agent must be highly customisable so that the agent owner can apply his personal experiences and security requirements to govern the decision making process of the intelligent agent. And finally, agents must communicate via standardised and open protocols in order to facilitate interaction between services deployed across different architectures and technologies. This thesis proposes the DEco Arch framework which integrates behavioural trust element relationships into various decision making processes found in e-Business ecosystems. We apply fuzzy-logic based soft computing techniques to increase user confidence and therefore enhance the adoption of the proposed assessment and review methodologies. A proof-of-concept implementation of the DEco Arch framework has been developed to showcase the proposed concepts in a case study and to conduct empirical experiments to evaluate the robustness and practicability of the proposed methodologies.