Effects of Multiple Ecological Drivers on Recruitment and Succession of Coral Reef Macroalgal Communities

The study evaluated the effects of herbivory pressure, nutrient availability and potential propagule supply on recruitment and succession of coral reef macroalgal communities. Recruitment and succession tiles were placed in a nutrient-herbivory factorial experiment and macroalgal abundances were evaluated through time. Proportional abundances of macroalgal form-functional groups on recruitment and succession tiles were similar to field established communities within treatments, evidencing possible effects of adult macroalgae as propagule supply. Macroalgal abundance of recruitment tiles increased with nutrient loading and herbivory reduction combined whereas on succession tiles nutrient loading increased abundance of articulated-calcareous only when herbivores were excluded. Macroalgal field established communities were only affected by herbivory reduction.

Monitoring of Tree Island Condition in the Southern Everglades: Hydrologic Driven Decadal Changes in Tree Island Woody Vegetation Structure and Composition: 2012 Annual Report

This report examines the interaction between hydrology and vegetation over a 10-year period, between 2001/02 and 2012 within six permanent tree island plots located on three tree islands, two plots each per tree island, established in 2001/02, along a hydrologic and productivity gradient. We hypothesize that: (H1) hydrologic differences within plots between census dates will result in marked differences in a) tree and sapling densities, b) tree basal area, and c) forest structure, i.e., canopy volume and height, and (H2) tree island growth, development, and succession is dependent on hydrologic fluxes, particularly during periods of prolonged droughts or below average hydroperiods.

Horizontal genetic transfer in asexual fungi

Four aspects of horizontal genetic transfer during heterokaryon formation were examined in the asexual pathogen Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. cubense (Foc): (1) variability based on method of heterokaryon formation; (2) differences in nuclear and mitochondrial inheritance; (3) the occurrence of recombination without nuclear fusion; (4) the occurrence of horizontal genetic transfer between distantly related isolates. The use of non-pathogenic strains of Fusarium oxysporum as biocontrol agents warrants a closer examination at the reproductive life cycle of this fungus, particularly if drug resistance or pathogenicity genes can be transmitted horizontally. Experiments were divided into three phases. Phase I looked at heterokaryon formation by hyphal anastomosis and protoplast fusion. Phase II was a time course of heterokaryon formation to look at patterns of nuclear and mitochondrial inheritance. Phase III examined the genetic relatedness of the different vegetative compatibility groups using a multilocus analysis approach. Heterokaryon formation was evident within and between vegetative compatibility groups. Observation of non-parental genotypes after heterokaryon formation confirmed that, although a rare event, horizontal genetic transfer occurred during heterokaryon formation. Uniparental mitochondria inheritance was observed in heterokaryons formed either by hyphal anastomosis or protoplast fusion. Drug resistance was expressed during heterokaryon formation, even across greater genetic distances than those distances imposed by vegetative compatibility. Phylogenies inferred from different molecular markers were incongruent at a significant level, challenging the clonal origins of Foc. Mating type genes were identified in this asexual pathogen Polymorphisms were detected within a Vegetative Compatibility Group (VCG) suggesting non-clonal inheritance and/or sexual recombination in Foc. This research was funded in part by a NIH-NIGMS (National Institutes of Health-National Institute of General Medical Sciences) Grant through the MBRS (Minority Biomedical Research Support), the Department of Biological Sciences and the Tropical Biology Program at FIU. ^

The Enchanter's Spell: J.R.R. Tolkien's Mythopoetic Response to Modernism

J.R.R. Tolkien was not only an author of fantasy but also a philologist who theorized about myth. Theorists have employed various methods of analyzing myth, and this thesis integrates several analyses, including Tolkien’s. I address the roles of doctrine, ritual, cross-cultural patterns, mythic expressions in literature, the literary effect of myth, evolution of language and consciousness, and individual invention over inheritance and diffusion. Beyond Tolkien’s English and Catholic background, I argue for eclectic influence on Tolkien, including resonance with Buddhism. Tolkien views mythopoeia, literary mythmaking, in terms of sub-creation, human invention in the image of God as creator. Key mythopoetic tools include eucatastrophe, the happy ending’s sudden turn to poignant joy, and enchantment, the realization of imagined wonder, which is epitomized by the character of Tom Bombadil and contrasted with modernist techno-magic seeking to alter and dominate the world. I conclude by interpreting Tolkien’s mythmaking as a form of mysticism.