Identifying the areas to preserve passion fruit pollination service in Brazilian Tropical Savannas under climate change

The aim of this study was to identify future distribution areas and propose actions to preserve passion fruit pollination service under a scenario of future climate change. We used four species of Xylocopa bees that are important for passion fruit pollination in Brazilian Tropical Savannas. We also used the known forage plant species (33 species) that are associated with this same area, since passion fruit flowers provide only nectar for bees and only during their blossoming period. We used species distribution modeling to predict the potential areas of occurrence for each bee and plant based on the current day distribution and a future climate scenario (moderate projections of climate change to 2050). We used a geographic information system to classify the models and to analyze the future areas for both groups of species. The current day distribution map showed that Xylocopa and plant species occurred primarily in the southern and central-eastern areas of the Brazilian Tropical Savannas. In the north, Xylocopa species only occurred in a small area between the states of Maranhão and Piauí while forage plant species were only observed in the northern part of the Tocantins State. However, both future scenarios (bees and plants) showed a shift in distribution, with occurrence predominantly detected in the northern areas of Brazilian Tropical Savannas. Possible conservation areas and the use of appropriate agricultural practices were suggested to ensure the maintenance of the bee/plant focal species.

Aerosols in Amazonia: Natural Biogenic Particles and Large Scale Biomass Burning Impacts.

The Large Scale Biosphere Atmosphere Experiment in Amazonia (LBA) is a long term (20 years) research effort aimed at the understanding of the functioning of the Amazonian ecosystem. In particular, the strong biosphere-atmosphere interaction is a key component looking at the exchange processes between vegetation and the atmosphere, focusing on aerosol particles. Two aerosol components are the most visible: The natural biogenic emissions of aerosols and VOCs, and the biomass burning emissions. A large effort was done to characterize natural biogenic aerosols that showed detailed organic characterization and optical properties. The biomass burning component in Amazonia is important in term of aerosol and trace gases emissions, with deforestation rates decreasing, from 27,000 Km2 in 2004 to about 5,000 Km2 in 2011. Biomass burning emissions in Amazonia increases concentrations of aerosol particles, CO, ozone and other species, and also change the surface radiation balance in a significant way. Long term monitoring of aerosols and trace gases were performed in two sites: a background site in Central Amazonia, 55 Km North of Manaus (called ZF2 ecological reservation) and a monitoring station in Porto Velho, Rondonia state, a site heavily impacted by biomass burning smoke. Several instruments were operated to measured aerosol size distribution, optical properties (absorption and scattering at several wavelengths), composition of organic (OC/EC) and inorganic components among other measurements. AERONET and MODIS measurements from 5 long term sites show a large year-to year variability due to climatic and socio-economic issues. Aerosol optical depths of more than 4 at 550nm was observed frequently over biomass burning areas. In the pristine Amazonian atmosphere, aerosol scattering coefficients ranged between 1 and 200 Mm-1 at 450 nm, while absorption ranged between 1 and 20 Mm-1 at 637 nm. A strong seasonal behavior was observed, with greater aerosol loadings during the dry season (Jul-Nov) as compared to the wet season (Dec-Jun). During the wet season in Manaus, aerosol scattering (450 nm) and absorption (637 nm) coefficients averaged, respectively, 14 and 0.9 Mm-1. Angstrom exponents for scattering were lower during the wet season (1.6) in comparison to the dry season (1.9), which is consistent with the shift from biomass burning aerosols, predominant in the fine mode, to biogenic aerosols, predominant in the coarse mode. Single scattering albedo, calculated at 637 nm, did not show a significant seasonal variation, averaging 0.86. In Porto Velho, even in the wet season it was possible to observe an impact from anthropogenic aerosol. Black Carbon was measured at a high 20 ug/m³ in the dry season, showing strong aerosol absorption. This work presents a general description of the aerosol optical properties in Amazonia, both during the Amazonian wet and dry seasons.

Restoration of Cymodocea nodosa (Uchria) Ascherson seagrass prairies through seed propagation. Germination in vitro, plantlet acclimation and transplanting to natural meadows.

[EN] The seagrass Cymodocea nodosa (Ucria) Ascherson is the most abundant seagrass species in the Canary Islands (Spain), where it forms dense submerged, ecologically relevant communities as stable and protected habitats. As with other seagrasses, concern has arisen due to a decline in the number and extension of the communities as the result of adverse activities in coastal areas. Seed germination and planting are assumed as cost-effective method for restoration. In the frame of the restoration of natural populations of Cymodocea nodosa, pilot experiences not tested so far in the Canary Islands have been carried out to developed in vitro techniques to produce viable seedlings and its transference to the natural environment.

Valoración ecológica del Área Marina Protegida de la Bahía de Murdeira, Isla de Sal, Cabo Verde

Programa de doctorado: Ecología y Gestión de los Recursos Vivos Marinos

Assessment of the population structure and temporal changes in spatial dynamics and genetic characteristics of the Atlantic bluefin tuna under a fishery independent framework.

As a large and long-lived species with high economic value, restricted spawning areas and short spawning periods, the Atlantic bluefin tuna (BFT; Thunnus thynnus) is particularly susceptible to over-exploitation. Although BFT have been targeted by fisheries in the Mediterranean Sea for thousands of years, it has only been in these last decades that the exploitation rate has reached far beyond sustainable levels. An understanding of the population structure, spatial dynamics, exploitation rates and the environmental variables that affect BFT is crucial for the conservation of the species. The aims of this PhD project were 1) to assess the accuracy of larval identification methods, 2) determine the genetic structure of modern BFT populations, 3) assess the self-recruitment rate in the Gulf of Mexico and Mediterranean spawning areas, 4) estimate the immigration rate of BFT to feeding aggregations from the various spawning areas, and 5) develop tools capable of investigating the temporal stability of population structuring in the Mediterranean Sea. Several weaknesses in modern morphology-based taxonomy including demographic decline of expert taxonomists, flawed identification keys, reluctance of the taxonomic community to embrace advances in digital communications and a general scarcity of modern user-friendly materials are reviewed. Barcoding of scombrid larvae revealed important differences in the accuracy of the taxonomic identifications carried out by different ichthyoplanktologists following morphology-based methods. Using a Genotyping-by-Sequencing a panel of 95 SNPs was developed and used to characterize the population structuring of BFT and composition of adult feeding aggregations. Using novel molecular techniques, DNA was extracted from bluefin tuna vertebrae excavated from late iron age, ancient roman settlements Byzantine-era Constantinople and a 20th century collection. A second panel of 96 SNPs was developed to genotype historical and modern samples in order to elucidate changes in population structuring and allele frequencies of loci associated with selective traits.

Systematics, phylogeny and biogeography of Juncaginaceae

I investigated the systematics, phylogeny and biogeographical history of Juncaginaceae, a small family of the early-diverging monocot order Alismatales which comprises about 30 species of annual and perennial herbs. A wide range of methods from classical taxonomy to molecular systematic and biogeographic approaches was used. rnrnIn Chapter 1, a phylogenetic analysis of the family and members of Alismatales was conducted to clarify the circumscription of Juncaginaceae and intrafamilial relationships. For the first time, all accepted genera and those associated with the family in the past were analysed together. Phylogenetic analysis of three molecular markers (rbcL, matK, and atpA) showed that Juncaginaceae are not monophyletic. As a consequence the family is re-circumscribed to exclude Maundia which is pro-posed to belong to a separate family Maundiaceae, reducing Juncaginaceae to include Tetroncium, Cycnogeton and Triglochin. Tetroncium is weakly supported as sister to the rest of the family. The reinstated Cycnogeton (formerly included in Triglochin) is highly supported as sister to Triglochin s.str. Lilaea is nested within Triglochin s. str. and highly supported as sister to the T. bulbosa complex. The results of the molecular analysis are discussed in combination with morphological characters, a key to the genera of the family is given, and several new combinations are made.rnrnIn Chapter 2, phylogenetic relationships in Triglochin were investigated. A species-level phylogeny was constructed based on molecular data obtained from nuclear (ITS, internal transcribed spacer) and chloroplast sequence data (psbA-trnH, matK). Based on the phylogeny of the group, divergence times were estimated and ancestral distribution areas reconstructed. The monophyly of Triglochin is confirmed and relationships between the major lineages of the genus were resolved. A clade comprising the Mediterranean/African T. bulbosa complex and the American T. scilloides (= Lilaea s.) is sister to the rest of the genus which contains two main clades. In the first, the widespread T. striata is sister to a clade comprising annual Triglochin species from Australia. The second clade comprises T. palustris as sister to the T. maritima complex, of which the latter is further divided into a Eurasian and an American subclade. Diversification in Triglochin began in the Miocene or Oligocene, and most disjunctions in Triglochin were dated to the Miocene. Taxonomic diversity in some clades is strongly linked to habitat shifts and can not be observed in old but ecologically invariable lineages such as the non-monophyletic T. maritima.rnrnChapter 3 is a collaborative revision of the Triglochin bulbosa complex, a monophyletic group from the Mediterranean region and Africa. One new species, Triglochin buchenaui, and two new subspecies, T. bulbosa subsp. calcicola and subsp. quarcicola, from South Africa were described. Furthermore, two taxa were elevated to species rank and two reinstated. Altogether, seven species and four subspecies are recognised. An identification key, detailed descriptions and accounts of the ecology and distribution of the taxa are provided. An IUCN conservation status is proposed for each taxon.rnrnChapter 4 deals with the monotypic Tetroncium from southern South America. Tetroncium magellanicum is the only dioecious species in the family. The taxonomic history of the species is described, type material is traced, and a lectotype for the name is designated. Based on an extensive study of herbarium specimens and literature, a detailed description of the species and notes on its ecology and conservation status are provided. A detailed map showing the known distribution area of T. magellanicum is presented. rnrnIn Chapter 5, the flower structure of the rare Australian endemic Maundia triglochinoides (Maundiaceae, see Chapter 1) was studied in a collaborative project. As the morphology of Maundia is poorly known and some characters were described differently in the literature, inflorescences, flowers and fruits were studied using serial mictrotome sections and scanning electron microscopy. The phylogenetic placement, affinities to other taxa, and the evolution of certain characters are discussed. As Maundia exhibits a mosaic of characters of other families of tepaloid core Alismatales, its segregation as a separate family seems plausible.

Long-term effects of watershed management on surface runoff and sediment loss in the Ethiopian Highlands

Data on rainfall, runoff and sediment loss from different land use types have been collected by the Soil Conservation Research Programme in seven small catchments (73-673 hectares) throughout the Ethiopian Highlands since the early 1980s. Monitoring was carried out on a storm-to-storm basis for extended periods of 10-20 years, and the data are analysed here to assess long-term effects of changes. Soil and water conservation technologies were introduced in the early years in the catchments in view of their capacity to reduce runoff and sediment yield. Results indicate that rainfall did not substantially change over the observation periods. Land use changes and land degradation, however, altered runoff, as shown by the data from small test plots (30 m2), which were not altered by conservation measures during the monitoring periods. Sediment delivery from the catchments may have decreased due to soil and water conservation, while runoff rates did not change significantly. Extrapolation of the results in the highlands, however, showed that expansion of cultivated and grazing land induced by population growth may have increased the overall surface runoff. Watershed management in the catchments, finally, had beneficial effects on ecosystem services by reducing soil erosion, restoring soil fertility, enhancing agricultural production, and maintaining overall runoff to the benefit of lowland areas and neighbouring countries.

Soil conservation in Swiss agriculture - Approaching abstract and symbolic meanings in farmers' life-worlds

This paper explores the significance of ‘life-worlds’ for better understanding why farmers adopt or reject soil conservation measures and for identifying basic dimensions to be covered by social learning processes in Swiss agricultural soil protection. The study showed that farmers interpret soil erosion and soil conservation measures against the background of their entire life-world. By doing so, farmers consider abstract and symbolic meanings of soil conservation. This is, soil conservation measures have to be feasible and practical in the everyday farming routine, however, they also have to correspond with their aesthetic perception, their value system and their personal and professional identities. Consequently, by switching to soil conservation measures such as no-tillage farmers have to adapt not only the routines of their daily farming life, but also their perception of the aesthetics of cultivated land, underlying values and images of themselves. Major differences between farmers who adopt and farmers who reject no-tillage were found to depend on the degree of coherence they could create between the abstract and symbolic meanings of the soil conservation measure. From this perspective, implementation of soil protection measures faces the challenge of facilitating interactions between farmers, experts and scientists at a ‘deeper’ level, with an awareness of all significant dimensions that characterise the life-world. The paper argues that a certain level of shared symbolic meaning is essential to achieving mutual understanding in social learning processes.

A VEGETATION RECONSTRUCTION OF UNION COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA DURING THE EARLY HISTORICAL PERIOD (1755-1855)

This thesis assesses relationships between vegetation and topography and the impact of human tree-cutting on the vegetation of Union County during the early historical era (1755-1855). I use early warrant maps and forestry maps from the Pennsylvania historical archives and a warrantee map from the Union County courthouse depicting the distribution of witness trees and non-tree surveyed markers (posts and stones) in early European settlement land surveys to reconstruct the vegetation and compare vegetation by broad scale (mountains and valleys) and local scale (topographic classes with mountains and valleys) topography. I calculated marker density based on 2 km x 2 km grid cells to assess tree-cutting impacts. Valleys were mostly forests dominated by white oak (Quercus alba) with abundant hickory (Carya spp.), pine (Pinus spp.), and black oak (Quercus velutina), while pine dominated what were mostly pine-oak forests in the mountains. Within the valleys, pine was strongly associated with hilltops, eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) was abundant on north slopes, hickory was associated with south slopes, and riparian zones had high frequencies of ash (Fraxinus spp.) and hickory. In the mountains, white oak was infrequent on south slopes, chestnut (Castanea dentata) was more abundant on south slopes and ridgetops than north slopes and mountain coves, and white oak and maple (Acer spp.) were common in riparian zones. Marker density analysis suggests that trees were still common over most of the landscape by 1855. The findings suggest there were large differences in vegetation between valleys and mountains due in part to differences in elevation, and vegetation differed more by topographic classes in the valleys than in the mountains. Possible areas of tree-cutting were evenly distributed by topographic classes, suggesting Europeans settlers were clearing land and harvesting timber in most areas of Union County.

Urban Expansion and its impact on urban agriculture - remote sensing based change analysis of Kizinga and Mzinga Valley - Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania

Urban agriculture is a phenomenon that can be observed world-wide, particularly in cities of devel- oping countries. It is contributing significantly to food security and food safety and has sustained livelihood of the urban and peri-urban low income dwe llers in developing countries for many years. Population increase due to rural-urban migration and natural - formal as well as informal - urbani- sation are competing with urban farming for available space and scarce water resources. A mul- titemporal and multisensoral urban change analysis over the period of 25 years (1982-2007) was performed in order to measure and visualise the urban expansion along the Kizinga and Mzinga valley in the south of Dar Es Salaam. Airphotos and VHR satellite data were analysed by using a combination of a composition of anisotropic textural measures and spectral information. The study revealed that unplanned built-up area is expanding continuously, and vegetation covers and agricultural lands decline at a fast rate. The validation showed that the overall classification accuracy varied depending on the database. The extracted built-up areas were used for visual in- terpretation mapping purposes and served as information source for another research project. The maps visualise an urban congestion and expansion of nearly 18% of the total analysed area that had taken place in the Kizinga valley between 1982 and 2007. The same development can be ob- served in the less developed and more remote Mzinga valley between 1981 and 2002. Both areas underwent fast changes where land prices still tend to go up and an influx of people both from rural and urban areas continuously increase the density with the consequence of increasing multiple land use interests.

Fear of the unknown: local knowledge and perceptions of the Eurasian lynx

The remnant population of Balkan lynx Lynx lynx martinoi is small, isolated and highly threatened. Since 2006 a conservation project has surveyed its status and promoted its recovery in Albania and Macedonia. Eurasian lynx are often associated with conflicts of an economic or social nature, and their conservation requires a focus on the people sharing the landscape with the species. In this study we adopt methods and conceptual frameworks from anthropology to explore the local knowledge and perceptions of lynx among rural hunters and livestock breeders in the western mountains of the Republic of Macedonia in south-east Europe. The main finding was that local people rarely saw or interacted with lynx. As the level of interactions with this species is very low, the lynx doesn?t appear to be a species associated with conflicts in Macedonia. There was also a general lack of both scientific and local knowledge, which has led to somewhat negative attitudes, mainly based on myths and rumours. Poaching of lynx and their prey seem to be the main barriers to lynx conservation.

Differences in Soil Fungal Communities between European Beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) Dominated Forests Are Related to Soil and Understory Vegetation

Fungi are important members of soil microbial communities with a crucial role in biogeochemical processes. Although soil fungi are known to be highly diverse, little is known about factors influencing variations in their diversity and community structure among forests dominated by the same tree species but spread over different regions and under different managements. We analyzed the soil fungal diversity and community composition of managed and unmanaged European beech dominated forests located in three German regions, the Schwäbische Alb in Southwestern, the Hainich-Dün in Central and the Schorfheide Chorin in the Northeastern Germany, using internal transcribed spacer (ITS) rDNA pyrotag sequencing. Multiple sequence quality filtering followed by sequence data normalization revealed 1655 fungal operational taxonomic units. Further analysis based on 722 abundant fungal OTUs revealed the phylum Basidiomycota to be dominant (54%) and its community to comprise 71.4% of ectomycorrhizal taxa. Fungal community structure differed significantly (p≤0.001) among the three regions and was characterized by non-random fungal OTUs co-occurrence. Soil parameters, herbaceous understory vegetation, and litter cover affected fungal community structure. However, within each study region we found no difference in fungal community structure between management types. Our results also showed region specific significant correlation patterns between the dominant ectomycorrhizal fungal genera. This suggests that soil fungal communities are region-specific but nevertheless composed of functionally diverse and complementary taxa.

Carbon pools and poverty peaks in Lao PDR

Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation and enhancing forest carbon stocks in developing countries (REDD+) is heavily promoted in Laos. REDD+ is often perceived as an opportunity to jointly address climate change and poverty and, therefore, could come timely for Laos to combine its prominent national target of poverty eradication with global climate mitigation efforts. Countrywide planning of the right approaches to REDD+ combined with poverty alleviation requires knowledge of the spatial combination of poverty and carbon stocks at the national level. This study combined spatial information on carbon stored in vegetation and on poverty and created carbon-poverty typologies for the whole country at the village level. We found that 11% of the villages of Laos have high to very high average village-level carbon stock densities and a predominantly poor population. These villages cover 20% of the territory and are characterized by low population density. Shifting cultivation areas in the northwestern parts of the country have a higher carbon mitigation potential than areas in the central and eastern highlands due to a more favorable climate. Finally, we found that in Laos the majority (58%) of poor people live in areas with low carbon stock densities without major potential to store carbon. Accordingly, REDD+ cannot be considered a core instrument for poverty alleviation. The carbon-poverty typologies presented here provide answers to basic questions related to planning and managing of REDD+. They could serve as a starting point for the design of systems to monitor both socioeconomic and environmental development at the national level.

Land Management in the Central Highlands of Eritrea: A Participatory Appraisal of Conservation Measures and Soils in Afdeyu and its Vicinity

A comprehensive inventory of local and introduced soil and water conservation (SWC) measures presented in standardized fact sheets and completed with a special focus on the underlying reasons (problems) of acceptance / rejection. Different approaches are analysed and measures identified which are adapted to the specific local context. Second part of the study: soil assessment resulting in a consistent local classification of soil types and soil fertility, comparison with scientific classifications. Different topical maps show the spatial distribution of SWC measures, their condition, degradation hotspots, soil types, soil fertility and interrelations between these parameters. Based on the conclusions and the outcome of a stakeholder workshop recommendations are given for further activities in research and implementation of SWC in the Central Highlands of Eritrea.