Spatial and temporal analysis of recent drought using vegetation temperature condition index: case of Somali regional state of Ethiopia

Dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Geospatial Technologies.

Evaluation of drought tolerance in several genotypes of spelt (Triticum aestivum Var. Spelta)

Domestication of plants and plant breeding have dramatically eroded the allelic variations of crop species which led to an increasing susceptibility of crop plants to environmental stresses, diseases and pests. Drought is a major environmental stress factor that affects the growth and development of plants so the selection of tolerant genotypes becomes increasingly important with respect to the predicted effects of global warming. In this study, several genotypes of Spelt (Triticum aestivum var. spelta) were tested under low water supply in soil with the aim of to find Spelt genotypes more resistant than wheat to these conditions, and select them so that in future may be used to improve wheat crops. Morphological analyses were performed and mineral and enzymatic analyses and also dry matter production were calculated. Our results suggests that the genotypes Sp53, Sp96, Sp912, Sp757 and Sp804 are a potential ones to use in breeding programs to improve wheat production. Under drought, these genotypes had growth efficiency of 38%, 45%, 64%, 37%, and 31% respectively and also showed higher biomass than modern wheat and were also mineralogical richer. The genotypes Sp96 and Sp912 showed highest activity of all antioxidants enzymes tested. This work proves that Spelt is a good wheat to continue to study in order to improve wheat crops in dry areas and consequently increase the quality of life and health of the populations living in those areas.

A percepção da ordem e a consciência do tempo em Mari no período Paleo-Babilónico (séc. XIX- XVIII a. C.)

O presente estudo tem como objectivo estudar as questões do tempo e da ordem no reino de Mari. A análise destas questões evidencia dois aspectos importantes: por um lado, a convergência de duas culturas distintas – uma cultura acádica, tipicamente mesopotâmica, e uma cultura amorrita, mais ocidental – num mesmo espaço e, por outro lado, a importância do reino de Mari como um estudo de caso que retrata, por vezes com grande pormenor, a influência da penetração dos povos nómadas nas terras da Mesopotâmia e as suas repercussões nos vários domínios da vida pública. Estudar a ordem implica compreender a organização do mundo e da sociedade, bem como a relação entre as esferas humana e celeste. Estudar o tempo implica, por sua vez, entender como o homem se posiciona no espaço, como entende a sua história e o seu destino. Uma análise focada nestes dois temas permitir-nos-á, pois, compreender qual era o verdadeiro sentido da vida e do mundo para o homem de Mari. Como veremos, para o mariota, a vida assentava numa intensa dinâmica na qual a família detinha o papel principal: era ela que o enquadrava na sociedade, que lhe permitia participar nos destinos da vida pública e receber as devidas honras após a morte. Nesta perspectiva, a família e os laços de sangue adquiriam um papel preponderante em vários domínios da vida humana. Eram os laços consanguíneos que imperavam aquando da escolha de aliados e partidários. Por outro lado, o culto do parentesco impunha uma visão da história segundo a qual o tempo passado se afirmava como o grande modelo teórico das acções desenvolvidas no quotidiano (no presente). Paralelamente à família, o homem de Mari acreditava que no mundo divino residia a sua verdadeira esperança de levar uma vida feliz. A imagem de uma teocracia, onde homem e deus partilhavam o mesmo destino, é transversal a todo o pensamento e acção do homem de Mari. Nesta tese, propomos desenvolver um estudo de conjunto, uma análise transversal que abranja todos os aspectos da vida social e humana: a religião, a política, a cultura e a sociedade

Assessment of NDVI, land surface temperature and precipitation anomalies for drought monitoring in Bayankhongor province, Mongolia

During the last decade Mongolia’s region was characterized by a rapid increase of both severity and frequency of drought events, leading to pasture reduction. Drought monitoring and assessment plays an important role in the region’s early warning systems as a way to mitigate the negative impacts in social, economic and environmental sectors. Nowadays it is possible to access information related to the hydrologic cycle through remote sensing, which provides a continuous monitoring of variables over very large areas where the weather stations are sparse. The present thesis aimed to explore the possibility of using NDVI as a potential drought indicator by studying anomaly patterns and correlations with other two climate variables, LST and precipitation. The study covered the growing season (March to September) of a fifteen year period, between 2000 and 2014, for Bayankhongor province in southwest Mongolia. The datasets used were MODIS NDVI, LST and TRMM Precipitation, which processing and analysis was supported by QGIS software and Python programming language. Monthly anomaly correlations between NDVI-LST and NDVI-Precipitation were generated as well as temporal correlations for the growing season for known drought years (2001, 2002 and 2009). The results show that the three variables follow a seasonal pattern expected for a northern hemisphere region, with occurrence of the rainy season in the summer months. The values of both NDVI and precipitation are remarkably low while LST values are high, which is explained by the region’s climate and ecosystems. The NDVI average, generally, reached higher values with high precipitation values and low LST values. The year of 2001 was the driest year of the time-series, while 2003 was the wet year with healthier vegetation. Monthly correlations registered weak results with low significance, with exception of NDVI-LST and NDVI-Precipitation correlations for June, July and August of 2002. The temporal correlations for the growing season also revealed weak results. The overall relationship between the variables anomalies showed weak correlation results with low significance, which suggests that an accurate answer for predicting drought using the relation between NDVI, LST and Precipitation cannot be given. Additional research should take place in order to achieve more conclusive results. However the NDVI anomaly images show that NDVI is a suitable drought index for Bayankhongor province.

Castor fiber na gruta do Caldeirão. Existência, distribuição e extinção do castor em Portugal

Beaver only had been found in Portugal in a Chalcolithic locality, the Vila Nova de S. Pedro castrum. It has now been identified in the Upper Paleolithic (Solutrean) from Gruta do Caldeirão, near Tomar. The species has been found recently at «Gruta do Almonda»; 4 teeth were collected in bed C, older than a Solutrean sequence (see Anexo for details). The species seems to have been rare, as it was also the case with portuguese Miocene Castoridae Enroxenomys minutus and Chalicomys jaegeri. If account is taken of the presence in the Middle Ages until Castille of words meaning beaver (relared to the popular latin Fiber/Biber), it is obvious that these animais still existed then. Such nouns were largely predominant over rhe rather erudite latin (greek deríved) words as Castor,-óris and derived ones, as it could be expected. This allowed us to recognize that veiro should be the corresponding word with Fiber affinities in archaic portuguese. It was previously supposed to mean only expensive furs then imported into Portugal. Indeed it was also a zoonym. Anywày, beaver should be scarce by XIIIth century since it is not included in the quite detailed price list imposed by the «Lei da Almotaçaria» from December 26, 1253 (see Quadro II). Toponyms in veiro and derived words (fig. 2; Quadro III) (plural, feminines, diminutives, inhabited places) give a resrrictive view of rhe Middle Age distribution. Some of them are certainly older than Portugal itself (firsr half of XIlth cenrury); others existed by the XIVth century bur were probably older. Some rare toponyms seem to be derived from the erudite latin Castor,-óris. Nothing suggests that these words were still in use as zoonyms during the Middle Ages. All toponyms are located in regions near rivers and other freshwaters ecologically suitable for beavers, so we can approximately retrace its former, Middle Age disrribution in Portugal (fig. 2; Quadro III). Most of them are locared in the Center-West and Northwest of Portugal, with a suitable c1imate (rainfall in general over 800 mílimerers per year); the only sure geographical exception is Veiros, in Alto Alentejo province, in a region with comparable precipitations and less dry climate conditions than mosr of the territories South of rhe Tagus. There are less and less of these toponyms towards rhe South and the inner part of the country, and they are enrirely lacking in all drier regions from Trás-os-Montes, Beira, Alentejo beyond Tagus' basin, and in Algarve. Nothing suggests beavers lived there, No post-medieval toponym is known, nor any reference after middle XVth century. No such locality was at, or close by to, any frontier. Hence the hypothesis of veiro (et al.} as meaning but points where expensive furs (supposedly known as veiros in general but without c1early saying from what animal they were obrained from) is to be discarded. During the Middle Ages, beaver discriburion concerned all the main river basins from Minho to Tagus ones. Quite rarefied in rhe XIIIth, the beavers may have disappeared from Portugal during the XVth century. Ecological requiremenrs restricted their former distriburion. Vulnerability to natural causes (i.e., severe drought) and to human pressure may have accounted heavily for this species' extinction. Last (1446) reference for Portugal known to us suggests the species was by then almost extinct.

Castor fiber na gruta do Caldeirão Existência, distribuição e extinção do castor em Portugal

Beaver only had been found in Portugal in a Chalcolithic locality, the Vila Nova de S. Pedro castrum. It has now been idenrified in the Upper Paleolithic (Solurrean) from Gruta do Caldeirão, near Tomar. The species has been found recently at «Gruta do Almonda»; 4 teeth were collected in bed C, older than a Solutrean sequence (see Anexo for details). The species seems to have been rare, as it was also the case with portuguese miocene Castoridae Enroxenomys minutus and Chalicomys jaegeri. If account is taken of the presence in the Middle Ages until Castille of words meaning beaver (related to the popular latin Fiber/Biber), it is obvious that these animals still existed then. Such nouns were largely predominant over the rather erudite larin (greek derived) words as Castor, -óris and derived ones, as it could be expected. This allowed us to recognize that veiro should be the corresponding word with Fiber affinities in archaic portuguese. It was previously supposed to mean only expensive furs then imported into Portugal. Indeed it was also a zoonym. Anyway, beaver should be scarce by XIIIth century since it is not included in the quite detailed price list imposed by the «Lei da Almotaçaria» from December 26, 1253 (see Quadro II). Toponyms in veiro and derived words (fig. 2; Quadro III) (plural, feminines, diminutives, inhabited places) give a restrictive view of the Middle Age distribution. Some of them are certainly older than Portugal itself (first half of XIIth century); others existed by the XIVth century but were probably older. Some rare toponyms seem to be derived from rhe erudite latin Castor, -óris. Nothing suggests that these words were still in use as zoonyms during the Middle Ages. All toponyms are located in regions near rivers and other freshwaters ecologically suitable for beavers, so wecan approximately retrace irs former, Middle Age distribution in Portugal (fig. 2; Quadro III). Most of them are located in the Center-West and Northwest of Portugal, with a suitable c1imate (rainfall in general over 800 milimeters per year); the only sure geographical exception is Veiros, in Alto Alentejo province, in a region with comparable precipitations and less dry climare conditions than most of the territories South of the Tagus. There are less and less of these toponyms towards the South and the inner part of the country, and they are enrirely lacking in ali drier regions from Trás-os-Montes, Beira, Alentejo beyond Tagus' basin, and in Algarve. Nothing suggests beavers lived there, No pose-medieval toponym is known, nor any reference after middle XVth century. No such locality was at, or close by to, any frontier. Hence the hypothesis of veiro (e: al.) as meaning but points where expensive furs(supposedly known as veiros in general but without clearly saying from what animal they were obtained from) is to be discarded. During the Middle Ages, beaver distribution concerned all the main river basins from Minho to Tagus ones. Quice racefied in the XIIIth, the beavers may have disappeared from Portugal during the XVth century. Ecological requirements restricted their former distribution. Vulnerability to natural causes (i.e., severe drought) and to human pressure may have accounted heavily for this species extinction. Last (1446) reference for Portugal known to us suggests the species was by then almost extinct.

Transformation of Medicago truncatula with the arginine decarboxylase gene to modify polyamine metabolism toward water deficit resistance

Dissertation submitted to obtain a Ph.D. (Doutoramento) degree in Biology at the Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica da Universidade Nova de Lisboa

Biochemistry of grape berries: post-genomics approaches to uncover the effects of water deficits on ripening

Dissertation presented to obtain the Ph.D degree in Biochemistry, Plant Physiology

Natural antioxidants extraction and their incorporation into model pharmaceutical systems

Dissertation to obtain a Master Degree in Biotechnology

Novel transcription factors regulating the expression of the rice gene OsDREB1B

Dissertation presented to obtain the Ph.D degree in Biology

Recent droughts and the impact of North Atlantic Oscillation in Iberia; a spatiotemporal analysis based on vegetation temperature condition Index (VTCI)

Dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Geospatial Technologies.

Regulation of the rice gene OsRMC under salt stress: identification and functional characterization of novel transcription factors

Dissertation presented to obtain the Ph.D degree in Biology

Safe reuse of treated urban wastewater in Praia, Cape Verde: a case study

Dissertação para a obtenção do Grau de Mestre em Engenharia e Gestão da Água

Towards modification of Medicago truncatula epigenome: genome editing with engineered nucleases

Periodic drought is the primary limitation of plant growth and crop yield. The rise of water demand caused by the increase in world population and climate change, leads to one of the biggest challenges of modern agriculture: to increase food and feed production. De novo DNA methylation is a process regulated by small interfering RNA (siRNAs), which play a role in plant response and adaptation to abiotic stress. In the particular case of water deficit, growing evidences suggest a link between the siRNA pathways and drought response in the model legume Medicago truncatula. As a first step to understand the role of DNA methylation under water stress, we have set up several bioinformatics and molecular methodologies allowing the design of Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/Cas9 systems and the assembly of TALENs (transcription activator-like effector nucleases), to target both dicer-like 3 (MtDCL3) and RNA-Dependent RNA polymerase (MtRDR2), enzymes of the RNA-directed DNA methylation pathway. TALENs efficiency was evaluated prior to plant transformation by a yeast-based assay using two different strategies to test TALENs activity: Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) and Single strand conformation polymorphisms (SSCP). In this assay, yeast cells triple transformation emerged as good and rapid alternative to laborious yeast mating strategies. PAGE analysis might be a valuable tool to test TALENs efficacy in vivo if we could increase TALENs activity. SSCP-based approach proved to be ineffective due to the generation of several false positives. TALENs and CRISPR/Cas9 system constructed and designed in this work will in the future certainly enable the successful disruption of DCL3 and RDR2 genes and shed the light on the relationship between plant stress resistance and epigenetic regulation mediated by siRNAs in M.truncatula.