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Conservation biology uses various tools including spatial ecology and molecular ecology to provide better understanding of species that can be used to support and design effective conservation strategies. Many wetland bird species in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) are poorly known, and we lack detailed knowledge about their breeding ecology, spatial distribution and genetic differentiation. The first objective of my PhD research was to investigate the parental behaviour of an understudied endemic shorebird to the Middle East, the Crab Plover Dromas ardeola to record parental behaviour at the burrows over a 24-hour period. Since adult males and females look identical, I used molecular markers for sex determination. Molecular sexing was conducted using two different markers applied for 66 Crab Plover blood samples. I demonstrated that both males and females fed chicks, and that females brought food to chicks more frequently than did males (Chapter 2). The second objective was to investigate the breeding distribution of Crab Plovers along the Red Sea coast of Saudi Arabia and to compare the results with the last comprehensive survey conducted in 1996. I showed that the Red Sea coast of Saudi Arabia has approximately 35% of the Arabian breeding population of Crab Plovers. The major threats to this species along the Red Sea coast were also discussed (Chapter 3). The third objective was to model the spatial distribution of 22 wetland bird species along the Red Sea coast of Saudi Arabia using maximum entropy (MaxEnt) based on occurrence data and 10 environmental variables and then to determine sites with high species richness. This analysis identified 17 areas predicted to be suitable for supporting high species richness. I recommended using this model of areas with high wetland bird species richness as a guide for monitoring and surveys to inform conservation strategies in the Red Sea region of the KSA (Chapter 4). The fourth objective was to use microsatellite markers to investigate the genetics and morphometric differentiations of a wide-spread shorebird species, the Kentish Plover, between islands and mainland sites. The main result of the latter investigation was that breeding populations are genetically and morphometrically differentiated between mainland sites and islands, as well as between different archipelagos. This finding calls for a reconsideration of the current conservation status of this species (Chapter 5). Finally, my PhD research has generated several research lines that warrant further investigation (Chapter 6).

The Rivelin and Limb Valleys in Sheffield have a long history of Industrial activity and were chosen as acidic environments. The first aim was to analyse the microbial diversity present in the collected water samples from both sites using batch cultures. Two bacterial strains (Bacillus cereus and Micrococcus luteus) and two yeast strains (Aureobasidium pullulans and Debaryomyces hansenii) were successfully isolated and identified using 16S and 18S rDNA molecular identification techniques. Physiological characterisations were carried out on all four strains to examine their response to different pH values and high salinity. On the basis of these results, D. hansenii and M. luteus were chosen for further study based on their growth at high salinity at pH 3. Further physiological studies showed that D. hansenii was well adapted to grow at different, extreme conditions in M9 minimal and rich YPD media, while M. luteus required rich LB medium to successfully adapt to combined acid and salt stress. NMR spectroscopy showed when subject to high salinities, M. luteus accumulated betaine as the main compatible solute while D. hansenii accumulated glycerol. Most importantly, glycine betaine was identified as an additional compatible solute in D. hansenii. This is the first report of glycine betaine acting as a compatible solute in a yeast cell. D. hansenii was shown to maintain an internal pH of 6.7 when grown in pH 3 medium and unlike most acid tolerant microorganisms, their membrane potential remained negative when grown at pH 3. pH shock experiments (varying external pH between 3 and 7) suggested that it takes longer than 30 minutes for the D. hansenii cells to return their internal pH to pre-stress levels.

Parental involvement is an important component in education that is linked to positiveoutcomes in terms of academic performance and achievement. Much of the literature on parental involvement consists of studies located in the United States, while comparatively few studies pertain to parental involvement in the Gulf Nations, especially in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). To address the current gaps in the literature, the present study sought to investigate the current status of parental involvement, including obstacles to parental involvement and attitudes towards parental involvement and parental empowerment, from the perspectives of teachers in Jazan province, KSA. A comprehensive survey was distributed through the Department of Education in Jazan province to elementary school teachers who work with students with learning disabilities (LD) in the region, and 50 teachers completed the digital survey. Descriptive analysis and inferential statistics were conducted to answer the study research questions. Results suggested that digital communication through apps like WhatsApp represented the most common form of parental involvement experience reported by teachers in this study, whereas in-person and school-based forms of parental involvement represented the least common forms of parental involvement experience reported by these teachers. In addition, teachers rated parent-related obstacles (e.g., parents’ limited knowledge of their own parental rights) as being substantially greater impediments to parental involvement compared to school/teacher-related obstacles (e.g., teachers’ limited time). In terms of attitudes towards parental involvement and parental empowerment, teachers most strongly agreed with the belief that parental involvement is critical to the academic and behavioral development of children with LD, and parents should be included in the decision-making process. Implications of these findings, as well as suggestions for future research, are discussed at-length in this study.