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The topic for this quantitative correlational study was the low proficiency in reading comprehension of graduates in the Jacksonville metropolitan area of North Florida. The research problem explored a statistically significant correlation between the Emotional Quotient score of the Emotional Intelligence inventory and individualized outcome scores on the Evidence-Based Reading and Writing portion of the SAT as a high-stakes examination used as a concordant score for graduation. The population included 18-20-year-old graduate participants who had completed a standard diploma from the Florida Department of Education. Participants were accepted regardless of gender, race, or socio-economic status. The research method was a non-experimental quantitative correlation design using recent graduates' archived data from the SAT (ERBW) and the results of a Rotterdam Emotional Intelligence Scale questionnaire to determine their current level of Emotional Intelligence. The results of the study concluded through five separate bi-variant (2-tailed) Pearson's correlation r analyses that there exists a statistically significant correlational relationship between a concordant score of a graduate's Emotional Quotient numerical score of Emotional Intelligence and their outcomes on the SAT(EBRW). In addition, a more statistically significant relationship exists between the fourth pillar of Self-Focused Regulation of Emotional Intelligence over the three other branches with the concordant score of a graduate's Emotional Quotient numerical score and their outcomes on the SAT(EBRW). Therefore, it is recommended that school systems with low-proficiency scores in reading comprehension redirect resources to investigate individual students' current state of Emotional Intelligence and enact methods and best practices to progress their Emotional Quotient throughout all levels of education. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

This thesis examines the archaeobotanical evidence for settlement, cultivation, and woodland management in England during the early medieval period, here defined as the era between the 5th and 11th centuries AD. The research provides new perspectives on how the landscape and woodlands were managed for fuel and building materials and provides evidence of horticultural cultivation of food, craft, and medicinal plants. A multidisciplinary approach is taken combining carpological and anthracological analysis of primary archaeological material using the evidence from the settlements at Dando Close, Higham Ferrers and Flixborough in the East Midlands of England as principal case studies. This was supported by the creation of an extensive comparative data collection study of archaeobotanical records from early medieval Britain, as a whole. This research also provides the first application of a quantitative dendro-anthracological approach to English sites, exploring patterns of oak use in early medieval England. The outcomes of the dendro-anthracological study have yielded ground-breaking high-resolution evidence of timber and fuel wood collection strategies and woodland management regimes. The exceptionally well-preserved charcoal from the early medieval settlement of Flixborough has allowed a unique insight into the selection of timber for the renovation of buildings and possible long-term woodland management strategies undertaken in the area during the mid 8th to 9th century AD. To further support the research into horticulture and woodland management an experimental early medieval rural garden was created, with the purpose of providing essential experimental data to compliment the analytical research and to allow observations of the plants' growth habit as well as providing material to conduct reference analysis for the methodology and interpretation. The garden also functioned as an open-air laboratory for public engagement and outreach activities that were supported by a range of hands-on STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and maths) laboratory workshops. To help contextualise the archaeobotanical evidence, selected medieval textual sources are assessed, to explore documented horticultural and silvicultural strategies from the early medieval period, as well as the uses of wild and domestic plants for medicine.

This project explores the following research questions: How might Black Country fiction illuminate the possible connections - in theory and practice - between the post-industrial liminality of the region and queer identity or experience; and, in what ways might a close analysis of contemporary Black Country fiction function as an enabling or energising factor in the production of a new creative work about the region? Using Environmental Psychology and Psychogeography, I critically examine the ways the literature of the region depict its geography and the impact this has on the identity of its characters. Freudian and post-Freudian psychoanalysis is utilised to discuss ideas of liminal states of being - focusing on the uncanny, the abject and Lacan's Lamella. These ideas are set within the framework of Queer Theory, connecting place and identity with non-normative sexualities. Psychogeography and environmental psychology illustrate how one's culture, heritage and environment help form communal identity and sense of place. I examine sense of place in the region's literature and investigate the liminal aspects of its geography and socio-politics, exposing how liminal place affects the inhabiting cultures and communities, and how liminal place forges liminal experience and identity. I investigate identity by looking at literary depictions of abjection and the uncanny; using Freud, Lacan and Kristeva, this project looks at notions of coming into being, and the anxieties formed from the return of the repressed. Queer Theory focuses on non-normative desire and sexuality. I discuss how queer experience and identity can be read as liminal, uncanny and abject. These theories are set against the landscape of the Black Country, examining how the region can be used as a fruitful backdrop for dealing with identity politics and how the Black Country, in its borderlessness, plays a significant role in specifically local types of queerness. An important thematic thread of contemporary Black Country literature deals with notions of identity in a post-industrial landscape. The region can be identified as post-industrial in several ways. I examine how Black Country writers deal with it as a borderless place - a place difficult to map, a place where new meets old, where rural life sits next to heavy industry, a place geographically and socio-politically liminal. This thesis is a piece of literary criticism of existing Black Country Literature, an original piece of creative writing and a reflective commentary on my creative practices. Queering the Black Country investigates the research questions through three different methodologies, resulting in an overall conclusion that draws on three distinct academic / creative practices. The critical output sets out how Black Country writing can be read as examples of liminal, post-industrial and queer literature. This also develops the theoretical framework the creative element uses. The creative output develops and adds to the existing dialogue of these ideas of liminality and queer experience, offering an original creative perspective on the traditions of this region's literature. My reflective commentary explores how creative writing practices and processes, in terms of narrative devices, add to the ways one produces liminal and queer literature. This part critical - part creative project investigates slippery notions of liminality through criticism of existing Black Country literature and through production of an original piece of creative fiction.

Within the active zone of rivers, riparian vegetation dynamics are controlled by ecological and hydro geomorphological processes and their interactions. Within Europe, understanding of natural riparian tree establishment has been limited by a lack of unregulated, natural river systems. This thesis examines key biotic and abiotic factors influencing the establishment of three riparian tree species, Populus nigra, Salix elaeagnos and Alnus incana, that grow within the active zone of the River Tagliamento, a morphologically-intact alpine/mediterranean river in Northeast Italy. Field observation, field experimentation and greenhouse experiments indicate: (i) Interspecific and propagule form variations in survival and growth response to hydrogeomorphic conditions: P. nigra cuttings performed best in low free-draining sites with a small proportion of fine sediment but which were not subject to prolonged inundation, while seedlings preferred fine sediments and higher elevations. Salix elaeagnos cuttings performed best at lower elevations, with a preference for mixed sediments, and proved tolerant to drought and inundation. S. elaeagnos seedlings grew best at higher elevations and in coarse/mixed substrates. Alnus incana cuttings only grew in fine sediments under stable water levels in greenhouse experiments; mortality was total in field experiments. Deposited trees of an species survived better at lower elevations. (ii) Differences in growth rates according to propagule type: cuttings grew twice as fast as seedlings in the first year but not in the second, and whole deposited trees produced far higher levels of shoot growth and biomass. (iii) Timing of deposition in the growing season and size of propagule also significantly affected performance. These results suggest that species and propagule form directly influence the rate of vegetation establishment within the active zone of rivers and that plant physiology alongside hydrogeomorphology is critical to riparian vegetation dynamics. These results are explored in the context of the development of river islands, an endangered but ecologically important type of landform once common within natural, braided European rivers.

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 on HSC survival and determine whether this effect was through effects on inhibition of MMP activity. In vivo studies of experimental liver fibrosis demonstrated a correlation between resolution of fibrosis, falling, TIMP-1 mRNA, loss of HSC and transient increase in collagenolytic activity. This data suggested that TIMP-1 was likely to have an effect promoting HSC survival. In vitro studies of culture activated HSC demonstrated that neither TIMP-1 nor TIMP-2 regulated HSC proliferation suggesting that the pro survival effect was likely to be via inhibition of apoptosis. Incubation with TIMP-1 or TIMP-2 significantly reduced apoptosis of HSC induced by a number of stimuli in a dose-dependent manner. Neutralising antibodies to TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 increased HSC apoptosis compared non-immune IgG control. Whilst both a synthetic selective inhibitor of MMP-2 and a broad spectrum synthetic MMP inhibitor reduced HSC apoptosis, a non-functional mutated TIMP-1 (T2G mutant) had no effect indicating that the inhibition of apoptosis by TIMP-1 was via inhibition of MMP activity. MMP-2 like TIMP-1 is expressed by activated HSC. Addition of recombinant active MMP-2 to HSC resulted in significantly enhanced apoptosis and was associated with cleavage of N-cadherin which could be reduced by co-incubation with recombinant TIMP-1 but not by the non-functional T2G mutant TIMP-1. Furthermore, selective MMP-2 inhibitors protected N-cadherin from cleavage. Active MMP-2 cleaves intact N-cadherin into similar sized fragments in vitro. Blockade of N-cadherin binding with blocking antibody or HAVDI blocking peptide promoted HSC apoptosis, suggesting N-cadherin is a potential target mechanism for the regulation of survival and apoptosis of HSC via active MMP-2 mediated cleavage. Finally, to determine if effects on apoptosis by TIMP-1 were through changes in cell-matrix interactions, HSC plated onto a mutated collagen that is resistant to degradation by MMP-2 were more resistant to apoptosis induced by active MMP-2 than HSCs plated onto normal wild type collagen-1.

This thesis starts by constructing a complex line bundle for a simple 3-parameter family of 2 x 2 Hermitian matrices and explicitly computing its first Chern number. This example illustrates in the simplest possible context the connection between topology and degenerate eigenvalues of matrices. The central part of this thesis then follows. We present a geometric, vector bundle view of a large class of parameter-dependent boundary-value problems. In particular, we consider holomorphic families of linear ordinary differential equation systems on a finite interval which are subjected to prescribed parameter-dependent boundary conditions. The Gardner-Jones bundle, which was introduced for linearized reaction-diffusion equations, is generalized and applied to this abstract class of lambda-dependent boundary-value problems, where lambda is a complex eigenvalue parameter. The fundamental analytical object of such lambda-dependent BVP's is the characteristic determinant, and it is proved that any characteristic determinant on a Jordan curve that contains no eigenvalues of the problem can be characterized geometrically as the determinant of a transition function associated with the generalized Gardner-Jones bundle. The topology of this vector bundle, represented by its first Chern number, then yields precise information about the total number of eigenvalues of the problem in any prescribed subset of the complex lambda-plane. This result shows that the generalized Gardner-Jones bundle is an intrinsic geometric property of such lambda-dependent BVP's. The thesis then applies the generalized Gardner-Jones bundle framework to various examples, including one from hydrodynamic stability theory and the linearized complex Ginzburg-Landau equation. The final parts of the thesis contain exploratory attempts at understanding the geometric structure of some classes of parameter-dependent periodic linear systems and multiparameter linear systems. In the latter case, we explore curvature 2-forms. The thesis ends by summarising the achievements of this work, and discussing the various possible directions and objectives for future investigations.

Since recent times the importance of wireless communications has experienced a phenomenal growth, thus incurring a considerable increase in usage of the frequency spectrum available for communications and hence creating the need for efficient methods for its utilisation. Multiple-access is one efficient method, which enables several users to share a common frequency bandwidth. A multiple-access technique known as Collaborative Coding Multiple Access (CCMA) has been theoretically investigated and has been shown to give an increase in channel capacity and bandwidth efficiency. This technique uses a special type of codes known as collaborative codes to enable multiple users to communicate simultaneously over a common frequency bandwidth, thus eliminating the use of time, frequency and orthogonal code divisions. However to implement this technique practically, requires a multiple access channel (MAC) that coherently combines the signals originating from different users to give a composite signal. The combining of signals to implement a CCMA scheme can be easily achieved in baseband channels, where signals can be represented as voltages or currents which can add, to give uniquely identifiable code combinations. However when extended to bandpass carrier channels, the combining of signals over radio channels involves the addition of signals of differing, and, in the mobile situation particularly, varying relative phases and amplitudes. This can give rise to a major detection problem due to the resulting destructive signal combining and thus making CCMA non- practical over radio channels. This thesis describes a novel multiple-access scheme known as Complex-Valued Collaborative Coding Multiple Access (CV-CCMA), to provide a practical system over radio channels that achieves the theoretical promises of CCMA. CV_CCMA overcomes the problem associated with the non-coherent combining of multiple signals over radio channels by employing a complex-valued collaborative code and a combined detection and channel estimation process to estimate the data of each user as well as their associated amplitude and phase variations induced by the channel. The research is initiated with the principles and the theoretical foundations of the CV_CCMA technique. A combined signal detection and channel estimation process is presented. The choice of a suitable collaborative coding scheme is investigated. The conditions for the selection of valid codesets are established for a given number of users, modulation levels and code length. In addition, the effect of channel fading is also investigated. AT-user M-PSK CV_CCMA system operating in Rayleigh and Rician fading channels, is modelled and simulated to establish the error-performance. The results from this investigation are obtained for different number of users and modulation levels. The effect of varying signal power levels is also investigated. Observing the obtained results an additional code selection condition is established for a Rician channel, with an improved error performance. The channel capacity of the CV_CCMA scheme operating in a flat Rayleigh fading channel is obtained. In a given T-user M-PSK CV_CCMA scheme the channel outputs result in multi-level signals. Therefore the channel capacity of CV_CCMA is compared with equivalent multi-level single access schemes. It is shown that the channel capacity of CV_CCMA is greater than the corresponding multi-level schemes. The theoretical channel capacity limits of CV_CCMA is also compared with the limits of TDMA, FDMA and CDMA operating in a flat Rayleigh fading channel. The enhancement of the error performance of CV_CCMA in fading channels is investigated by using space diversity reception and error-control coding. It is found that by using these techniques the error performance of CV_CCMA can be greatly enhanced. For example with a dual-diversity scheme in a flat Rayleigh fading channel, the achieved gain is in the order of 20 dB. Using error-control coding, a coding gain is achieved depending on the type of code used. It is also found that using both of these techniques contributes towards further performance gains depending on the number of diversity paths and the coding scheme. The thesis is finally concluded with an overview of the contributions of this thesis, the achieved results and their implications and suggestions for future work in this subject.

A survey of 50 randomly selected, full-time, day students at Herkimer County Community College, New York, was conducted to identify those areas of college governance that students felt they should be involved in and to determine the percentage of students who actually participated in student government. The students were asked to indicate: (1) their desire for involvement in 27 governance activities, (2) their overall feelings about student participation, and (3) their familiarity and involvement with the college governance structure and its officers. Major findings indicate that while 84% of the students felt that participation in governance "makes a difference," only 2% were actually involved in the governance process. While students did not desire complete control in any area of college administration, they desired at least an equal voice with administrators in 15 of the 27 areas surveyed, including the establishment of degree requirements and the regulation of student conduct. Those areas in which students did not favor strong participation were related to faculty, such as hiring, promotion, and the determination of workload. The study report reviews the literature dealing with student participation in college governance and provides recommendations for increasing that participation. The questionnaire is appended. (JP)

After the determination that the Principles of Accounting course offered at Herkimer County Community College, New York, had a higher attrition rate than other introductory courses, a study was conducted to develop a computer-assisted diagnostic system which could identify the learning deficiences of accounting students and prescribe corrective assignments on a week-to-week basis. The study involved: (1) the establishment of behavioral objectives for each instructional unit in the accounting course; (2) the development of diagnostic surveys for each instructional unit, utilizing multiple-choice and true/false questions; (3) the creation of individually tailored assignments directed toward specific student responses for each question on the surveys; (4) the development of a computer program to match survey responses with appropriate assignments; (5) the implementation of the diagnostic system in the accounting class; (6) the identification of student attitudes toward the system through questionnaires administered to course completers and to those students who withdrew from the course; and (7) the eventual comparison of course attrition rates after system implementation with rates experienced prior to implementation. The study report includes a review of the literature and examples of the behavioral objectives and prescriptive reinforcement assignments. (JP)

Flooding impacts a huge number of people every year and is projected to worsen as land use change and climate change progress. Restoring nature to help protect and mitigate these impacts is increasingly advocated. This thesis takes an ecosystem services approach to evaluate the flood mitigation services provided by Natural Infrastructure such as canopy, soil, wetlands, water bodies and floodplains, to select global cities now and under climate change. The study is focused on the catchments upstream of six cities: Guayaquil in Ecuador, Bogotá in Colombia, London in the UK, Nairobi in Kenya, Chennai in India and Jakarta in Indonesia. A spatially explicit hydrological modelling tool called WaterWorld is used to conduct the analyses. The first objective was to quantify (map and measure) the role of Natural Infrastructure in flood risk reduction under current conditions. This is achieved by calculating the water storage capacity of the Natural Infrastructure features relative to the water inputs (runoff) to generate so-called 'flood risk ratios' (FRR). The second objective was to measure how these flood risk ratios change under different scenarios of climate change as a result of projected changes in precipitation. This is achieved for three RCPs and two time periods each, for a total of six multi-GCM scenarios. The last objective examines how different forestation scenarios impact the FRR in two of the case study basins: Guayaquil and Bogotá. Different levels of forestation and geographic targeting of forestation (focusing on low-value land) are compared for their effect on the FRR. Finally, these changes are compared to the previously measured climate change FRR to determine to what extent forestation alone can mitigate climate induced flood risk. The main findings were: • Heavy reliance on more vulnerable green natural water storage (soils, tree canopy and wetlands) in some basins, the lack of protection for this storage, and where protected, its remoteness from downstream beneficiaries. • The upstream basins of Nairobi, Chennai, Bogotá, and Guayaquil are projected to have increased rainfall and water balance on an annual scale compared to baseline conditions, and thus increases in FRR. In contrast, the upstream basins of London and Jakarta are projected to decrease for these same variables. • Lowlands may have a greater role in flood risk reduction than the uplands. This is contrary to current practices of preferentially foresting uplands. • 100% forestation (outside protected areas) will not completely offset the current flood risk ratios, i.e., there would still be more annual rainfall than the capacity to store it in parts of the landscape. • Focusing only on reforesting areas of recent forest loss is not sufficient to achieve meaningful flood risk reduction, both currently and under climate scenarios. • This analysis, and the methods described, can assist in establishing the amount and locations of green storage to be protected, restored, or enhanced. Equally, it points to adding additional criteria, such as natural flood protection potential, for the establishment of protected or safe-guarded land, other than species richness or habitat distinctiveness. Most often, flood modelling and ecosystem assessments require complex data and software, technical expertise, and data rich environments for the inputs. This study has made use of a simple to use but sophisticated modelling platform that can be used in any basin globally, allowing standardised comparison between multiple basins. Taking an ecosystem approach, by measuring the contribution of Natural Infrastructure to flood regulation, is important for highlighting their importance relative to grey infrastructure, advocating for their protection, and in some cases, enhancement, as Nature-based Solutions for climate change adaptation.

Urban settings contribute to multiple nutrient sources of urban rivers. Excessive nutrient concentrations can cause water environment problems and have negative impacts on the ecological functions of rivers. To deeply understand the responses and mechanisms of river ecological processes to high concentrations of nutrients and environmental changes, this thesis investigated the spatiotemporal variations of nutrient concentrations (i.e., nitrate (NO3-), ammonium (NH4+), phosphate (PO43-), dissolved organic carbon (DOC)), their fluxes (i.e., uptake and regeneration) at water-sediment interface and river ecosystem metabolism (REM) in which these nutrients participate. The River Wandle, a tributary of the River Thames in London, and the three tributaries of the River Beiyun in Beijing - the River Liangshui, the River Tonghui and the River Wenyu were selected in this study. They all receive wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluents and tributary inflows, providing natural conditions with high nutrient loads. Using chamber techniques, water-specific nutrient concentrations were measured at two exposures (3 and 10 min) to calculate flux. The WWTP effluents or the tributary inflow contributed to elevated concentrations and modified flux rates, resulting in significant differences among the study sites. Under the actions of physical and biological processes, the fluxes of NO3- and NH4+ are primarily controlled by equilibrium concentration and nitrogen form transformation within the N-cycle. The mean NO3- concentration was the lowest in summer and the highest in winter, and the mean NH4+ concentration was on the contrary. Dissolved oxygen (DO) and bioabsorption mainly affected PO43- and DOC fluxes, respectively, resulting in the highest mean concentrations of both in winter. Specifically, in London, NO3- was -0.01 to +0.02 mg/(m2·s), NH4+ was -29 to +2 μg/(m2·s), PO43- was -2.0 to +0.5 μg/(m2·s), and DOC was -0.01 to +0.05 mg/(m2·s). Among all sites in Beijing, NO3- was -0.31 to +0.30 mg/(m2·s), NH4+ was -0.01 to +0.05 mg/(m2·s), PO43- was -0.01 to +0.01 mg/(m2·s), and DOC was -0.04 to +0.13 mg/(m2·s). Regarding REM, a holistic measure of ecological function which integrates gross primary production (GPP) and ecosystem respiration (ER), I applied the nighttime slope modelling (NSM) to estimate diurnal and seasonal REM patterns at each site, and structural equation modelling (SEM) revealed that nutrient supply, water temperature and light availability were the main factors driving REM, which was also confirmed by the metabolism review of China's major rivers and coastal ecosystems during 2000-2020. Overall GPP and ER were similar to those of urban impacted rivers in other countries. GPP was similar at each study site, but ER was significantly higher at the sites affected by the WWTP effluents and the tributary inflow. In summer, the mean net ecosystem production (NEP) was greater than 0 at each site, indicating that the study reaches were autotrophic as overall sinks of atmospheric CO2, while the mean NEP less than 0 in other seasons indicated that these reaches were transformed into heterotrophic as sources of CO2. Our results provide further evidence to show that reductions in river nutrients are paramount for improving river ecological conditions and highlight the response of aquatic ecosystem metabolism to environment and climate change, which allows for a holistic understanding of the mechanisms and influencing factors of important river ecological processes, so as to suggest options for in-stream management.

This PhD explores the global patterns of alien invasive species (IAS) and their interactions with natural hazards. The aim is to bring together the fields of invasion ecology and natural hazards research to (i) provide information that will help “find ways” to mitigate the negative impacts of both invasive alien species and natural hazards, and (ii) increase our understanding of the effects of humans on ecosystems and of the processes that drive ecological patterns. Chapter 2 provides a broad overview of how invasive alien species are defined, the invasion process and reviews the type and quantity of data available in the public domain. It covers indices, monitoring/modelling methods and scrutiny of available databases to determine their potential for data mining and applications. Chapter 3 is based on a published paper, which use IAS global databases to provide a visualization of global geographical patterns of species invasions, origins and pathways and depict the international uptake of legislative and policy responses to invasive alien species. Chapter 4 presents a broad overview of natural hazards processes; intensity measures and discusses theoretical interactions with alien species. Chapter 5 uses data gathered from Web of Science to systematically map the state of evidence on interactions between invasive alien species (IAS) and natural hazards (NH) and identifies regions most susceptible to invasive species and natural hazard interactions. Interactions considered include increased and decreased probability relationships. Country susceptibility to IAS and NH interactions was determined using indices of IAS (NH) exposure and k-means clustering. Chapter 6 combines a review of the published literature and commentary to develop a theoretical framework on the influence of invasive alien plants on the fuel structure of invaded landscapes. It provides an introduction to fire ecology and the geography of fire in the context setting of invasive alien plants and fire interactions and presents further analysis of the systematic map produced in Chapter 5. Chapter 7 combines species distribution modelling (SMD) and the invasive alien plant-fire interaction framework developed in Chapter 6 to identify potential changes in fire hazard due to changes in fuel structure brought about by a shrub (Ulex europaeus) invasion globally. Species data for the SDMs are acquired from GBIF and analysed using the BIOMOD2 R package. This thesis provides maps and compiled databases on invasive species and their interactions with natural hazards as well as a framework to evaluate landscape fire hazard changes following potential invasions. These tools can be used to increase our understanding of the influence of humans on ecosystems, as well as contribute to the quantification and management of IAS impacts, risk assessments of NH, and inform broad policy goals.

The primary objective of this project was to conduct quantitative investigations on impacts of non-native 'quagga mussel,' Dreissena rostriformis bugensis in the UK range. A freshwater bivalve mollusc from the Ponto Caspian region, the quagga mussel was considered, prior to first record, a threatening invasive species to UK biodiversity. Given lack of regional knowledge regarding the influence of D. r. bugensis on native ecology, quantitative research into observable and potential impacts of the species was considered important. Following a general introduction and statement of project aims, this dissertation was divided into three parts. Part 1, titled 'observable impacts,' comprised two data chapters; each explored influences of D. r. bugensis on invertebrate communities in situ. The first chapter presented an annual-scale benthic survey to compare invertebrate communities between invaded and uninvaded lotic reaches within the UK range. The second described benthos colonisation experiments testing the influence of mussel shells at higher densities than found at the time. Part 2 was titled 'impact mechanisms' and contained three chapters. The first presented results from laboratory flume experiments to assess geomorphic impacts of D. r. bugensis in rivers. The second chapter provided extended discussion on the impacts of suspension feeding Dreissena spp. in rivers, incorporating a series of ex situ and in situ experiments on D. r. bugensis in the the UK invaded range. The third chapter was derived following first record of invasive shrimp Dikerogammarus haemobaphes within the D. r. bugensis range. Possible commensalism between Dreissena spp. and other Ponto Caspian species was investigated in the context of Invasional Meltdown Hypothesis (Simberloff and Von Holle 1999). Part 3 of the dissertation, titled 'likelihood of impacts,' included two final chapters. The first aimed to assess the preferred habitats of D. r. bugensis within the known invaded range. Additionally, this work analysed change in reach-scale mussel densities since the annual-term survey of part 1. Further, discussing whether other regional environments could be at risk of future invasion. The final dissertation chapter contained a summary of project conclusions with synthesis of all findings to comment on potential impacts of D. r. bugensis in the invasive range and other UK freshwaters.

As urban populations continue to grow around the world, cities and their residents become increasingly vulnerable to climate change risks. Detrimental impacts on natural ecosystems have been observed in the built environment, as well as poorer quality of life. As urban areas are characterised by complex adaptive systems, the concept of ecosystem services represents an important tool for the management of urban socio-environmental quality and can be applied to climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies. This thesis investigates London’s potential resilience to climate changes through ecosystem services management. In particular, the socioecological capacity of the All London Green Grid for contributing to climate change resilience via patterns of green spaces, and carbon storage and sequestration through urban street trees, will be the central focus in the research. This capacity was assessed firstly by conducting an evaluation of the landscape metrics of Greater London’s green spaces to determine the extent and quality of green infrastructure, and how this varies according to relevant socioeconomic variables. This was achieved using GIS and the spatial analysis programme FRAGSTATS. This broad-scale evaluation was then supported by greater in-depth field measurements, focusing specifically on street trees, within selected eleven Business Improvement Districts (BIDs), which are an important vehicle for the local management of the ALGG and thereby climate resilience. This local-scale assessment also incorporated greater evaluation of ecosystem service provision by vegetation, and in particular street trees and their capacity for carbon storage and sequestration. Finally, governance of green spaces within BIDs and broader understanding of resilience and climate change was assessed with qualitative research methods, including semi-structured interviews of different agents and agencies involved in the ALGG network. This included investigation of decision-makers’ perspectives on vulnerabilities and the prospects for further developing London green spaces, to determine the feasibility of different management options.

This PhD thesis explores the effects of spatial arrangements of riparian landscape elements and food resources on community and population dynamics of small mammals within a braided section of the River Tagliamento in Italy. The main research questions addressed were: (1) Which variables affect small mammal diversity on river islands? (2) Do small mammal populations inhabiting river islands differ in their life histories compared to riparian forest populations (the ‘island syndrome’)? (3) Is there a difference in the spatial behaviour of small mammals inhabiting the riparian forest compared to those on the islands? Three rodent species were used as focal species to address these questions: Apodemus sylvaticus, A. flavicollis and A. agrarius. The expectations were that small mammal dynamics did not fit completely island biogeography and life-history models developed for oceanic islands because islands in the present study are characterised by a low degree of isolation from the surroundings, by an ephemeral nature due to periodical flooding and by a low availability of food resources for small mammals. The main findings confirm these expectations, with the three species only partially following the predictions both at community and population ecology levels. Of the three species, A. sylvaticus was the most insular and more closely followed the predictions, in particular that of the island syndrome. Small mammal diversity on the islands was affected by island area, by the flooding dynamics and by resource availability. Finally, home ranges of A. agrarius were much larger on the islands than in the riparian forest. The findings suggest that river islands in the study area are a lower-quality habitat, partly due to their ephemeral nature, but the presence of habitat heterogeneity introduced by the islands allows for the rich community of small mammals to segregate, hence increasing species diversity at a landscape level.

Human activities are placing unprecedented pressure on natural ecosystems, threatening to push many species into extinction. In response to this, a call for a reduction in the current rate of biodiversity loss by 2010 was made and global biodiversity indicators were adopted to monitor progress. Perhaps the best known of these are the Red List Indices, which are based on temporal changes in extinction risk of species assessed for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. In the case of plants, conservation assessments for globally-representative samples of species have been carried out mainly utilising comprehensive worldwide herbarium resources, and have shown that more than 1 in 5 plant species is threatened with extinction under IUCN Red List Criteria. The aim of this thesis was to provide the scientific bases for an automated procedure to re-assess plant species pan-tropically on a 5-year time frame in order to calculate the change in the IUCN Sampled Red List Index (SRLI) for Plants as a measure of global trends in plants extinction risk. This study has focused first on improving the method used for calculating species ranges using the available IUCN SRLI for Plants data and to develop a new measure of species range, the Extent of Suitable Habitat (ESH). The results show that this new calculation method is effective at reflecting a closer reality of plant distributions on the ground, and that such a simple method can be used to predict the current distribution of species globally. The species ESHs were then assessed through time against the degree of human impact using data from a global monitoring system for deforestation and from a future land use change scenario applied by the Co$ting Nature tool. On the basis that land cover change can be used as a proxy for local extinction risk and that a species’ ESH can be re-calculated to factor in the impact of land cover change (habitat loss), this thesis showed that a species’ ESH could be used for re-assessing the conservation status of plant species under IUCN Criterion B sub-criterion b(iii). This way, more dynamic, comparable and spatially-detailed Red List Index updates could be provided. To test the ESH range calculation this method was also compared with a widely accepted species distribution modelling approach and validated using new species occurrence points. Additionally, ESH derived species richness maps were produced for conservation prioritisation, validated using fieldwork data from previous studies and compared with existing species richness maps for plants.