Integrated Approaches to Polar Bear (Ursus Maritimus) Conservation: Exploring the Potential of Photogrammetric Research Techniques and Citizen Science in Tourism Settings

Rapid environmental change can be seen in many ecosystems today. The Arctic ecosystem is especially being altered by global climate change. It is important to monitor the health of not only the Arctic ecosystem but also the wildlife within it. Wildlife research has been the foundation of many management programs and conservation initiatives. Polar bears (Ursus maritimus) are apex predators and have been extensively studied in some regions of the Arctic. However, there are some populations that have not been as well studied, and thus we know little about. The development of new research techniques can contribute to an improved understanding of less-studied populations. Photogrammetric techniques have been used to estimate morphological traits in various species. I investigated the use of digital photogrammetry for polar bears in the western Hudson Bay subpopulation, using a laser rangefinder and camera to obtain photographs with exact distances to measure seven morphological traits. I collected non-invasive morphological measurements from tourist tundra vehicles outside of Churchill, Manitoba during the months of October and November. Non-invasive methods of obtaining measurements and determining relationship to body condition are valuable for monitoring polar bear populations, as many of these populations are being adversely affected by anthropogenic global climate change. The technique I developed shows potential to become a foundation for a non-invasive polar bear body condition-monitoring program for both tourism and community based monitoring practices. In addition to ecological research, environmental education initiatives can also support and enhance conservation outcomes. Providing educational opportunities for citizens to connect to the natural world can deepen their understanding, appreciation and overall desire to protect it. Citizen science is an avenue to achieve both environmental education and research goals, and can also be conducted in tourism settings. Integrating citizen science into mainstream tourism can encourage the creation of educational ecotourism that contributes to wildlife conservation. The educational components in ecotourism may increase the knowledge of tourists and their respect for the environment, hopefully inspiring them to make more sustainable choices

Inflammatory cytokines and their receptors in psoriatic skin : emphasis on the epidermal interleukin 1 system

Nearly two centuries have passed since the first accurate description of psoriasis by Wilan in the year 1808. Psoriasis is a common, well-defined skin disease featuring the interplay of genetic, environmental, and immunological factors. Extensive reviews on psoriasis are given elsewhere. Despite numerous reports, the exact etiology is still unknown. Moreover, 70 % of psoriatic patients are not satisfied with the currently available anti-psoriatic treatments (Gottlieb AB, oral presentation, Psoriasis Meeting, Dec 4-5 1995, Lake Buena Vista, FL), which stresses the contemporary societal interest of psoriasis research. Recent studies have identified a dysregulated crosstalk between resident skin cells and infiltrating leukocytes in psoriasis. Several lines of evidence point to the cytokine interleukin 1 (IL-l) as an integral component of the cellular immune basis of psoriasis. The regulation of cytokine activity in general, and that of epidermal IL-l in particular, is described in chapter 1.1. Skin as a site of immune responses, exemplified by the cutaneous inflammatory response, is described in chapter 1.2. Finally, the cellular immunopathogenesis of psoriasis, with special emphasis on IL-l, is reviewed in chapter 1.3

Identification of the het-r vegetative incompatibility gene of Podospora anserina as a member of the fast evolving HNWD gene family

In fungi, vegetative incompatibility is a conspecific non-self recognition mechanism that restricts formation of viable heterokaryons when incompatible alleles of specific het loci interact. In Podospora anserina, three non-allelic incompatibility systems have been genetically defined involving interactions between het-c and het-d, het-c and het-e, het-r and het-v. het-d and het-e are paralogues belonging to the HNWD gene family that encode proteins of the STAND class. HET-D and HET-E proteins comprise an N-terminal HET effector domain, a central GTP binding site and a C-terminal WD repeat domain constituted of tandem repeats of highly conserved WD40 repeat units that define the specificity of alleles during incompatibility. The WD40 repeat units of the members of this HNWD family are undergoing concerted evolution. By combining genetic analysis and gain of function experiments, we demonstrate that an additional member of this family, HNWD2, corresponds to the het-r non-allelic incompatibility gene. As for het-d and het-e, allele specificity at the het-r locus is determined by the WD repeat domain. Natural isolates show allelic variation for het-