@phdthesis{Blankenburg2013,
  author    = {Blankenburg, Stefanie},
  title     = {Charakterisierung der GABAB-Rezeptor Subtypen 1 und 2 der Amerikanischen Großschabe Periplaneta americana},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-69648},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam},
  year      = {2013},
  abstract  = {Die nichtproteinogene Aminos{\"a}ure GABA (γ-Aminobutters{\"a}ure) gilt als der wichtigste inhibitorische Neurotransmitter im Zentralnervensystem von Vertebraten sowie Invertebraten und vermittelt ihre Wirkung u. a. {\"u}ber die metabotropen GABAB-Rezeptoren. Bisher sind diese Rezeptoren bei Insekten nur rudiment{\"a}r untersucht. F{\"u}r die Amerikanische Großschabe als etablierter Modellorganismus konnte pharmakologisch eine modulatorische Rolle der GABAB-Rezeptoren bei der Bildung von Prim{\"a}rspeichel nachgewiesen werden. Ziel dieser Arbeit war eine umfassende Charakterisierung der GABAB-Rezeptor-Subtypen 1 und 2 von Periplaneta americana. Unter Verwendung verschiedenster Klonierungsstrategien sowie der Kooperationsm{\"o}glichkeit mit der Arbeitsgruppe von Prof. Dr. T. Miura (Hokkaido, Japan) in Hinsicht auf eine dort etablierte P. americana EST-Datenbank gelang die Klonierung von zwei Rezeptor-cDNAs. Die Analyse der abgeleiteten Aminos{\"a}uresequenzen auf GB-spezifische Dom{\"a}nen und konservierte Aminos{\"a}ure-Reste, sowie der Vergleich zu bekannten GB Sequenzen anderer Arten legen nahe, dass es sich bei den isolierten Sequenzen um die GABAB-Rezeptor-Subtypen 1 und 2 (PeaGB1 und PeaGB2) handelt. F{\"u}r die funktionelle und pharmakologische Charakterisierung des Heteromers aus PeaGB1 und PeaGB2 wurden Expressionskonstrukte f{\"u}r die Transfektion in HEK-flpTM-Zellen hergestellt. Das Heteromer aus PeaGB1 und PeaGB2 hemmt bei steigenden GABA-Konzentrationen die cAMP-Produktion. Die Substanzen SKF97541 und 3-APPA konnten als Agonisten identifiziert werden. CGP55845 und CGP54626 wirken als vollwertige Antagonisten. Das in vitro ermittelte pharmakologische Profil im Vergleich zur Pharmakologie an der isolierten Dr{\"u}se best{\"a}tigt, dass die GABA-Wirkung in der Speicheldr{\"u}se tats{\"a}chlich von GBs vermittelt wird. F{\"u}r die immunhistochemische Charakterisierung konnte ein spezifischer polyklonaler Antik{\"o}rper gegen die extrazellul{\"a}re Schleife 2 des PeaGB1 generiert werden. Ein weiterer Antik{\"o}rper, welcher gegen den PeaGB2 gerichtet ist, erwies sich hingegen nicht als ausreichend spezifisch. Western-Blot-Analysen best{\"a}tigen das Vorkommen beider Subtypen im Zentralnervensystem von P. americana. Zudem wird der PeaGB1 in der Speicheldr{\"u}se und in den Geschlechtsdr{\"u}sen der Schabenm{\"a}nnchen exprimiert. Immunhistochemische Analysen zeigen eine PeaGB1-{\"a}hnliche Markierung in den GABAergen Fasern der Speicheldr{\"u}se auf. Demnach fungiert der PeaGB1 hier als Autorezeptor. Weiterhin konnte eine PeaGB1-{\"a}hnliche Markierung in nahezu allen Gehirnneuropilen festgestellt werden. Auch die akzessorischen Dr{\"u}sen der M{\"a}nnchen, Pilzdr{\"u}se und Phallusdr{\"u}se, sind PeaGB1-immunreaktiv.},
  language  = {de}
}
@phdthesis{Froemmel2013,
  author    = {Fr{\"o}mmel, Ulrike},
  title     = {Vergleichende geno- und ph{\"a}notypische Charakterisierung von Escherichia coli aus Menschen, Hausschweinen und Wildtieren},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-69147},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam},
  year      = {2013},
  abstract  = {Escherichia (E.) coli ist als kommensales Bakterium ein wichtiger Bestandteil des Mikrobioms von S{\"a}ugern, jedoch zudem der h{\"a}ufigste Infektionserreger des Menschen. Entsprechend des Infektionsortes werden intestinal (InPEC) und extraintestinal pathogene E. coli (ExPEC) unterschieden. Die Pathogenese von E. coli-Infektionen ist durch Virulenzfaktoren determiniert, welche von jeweils spezifischen virulenzassoziierten Genen (inVAGs und exVAGs) kodiert werden. H{\"a}ufig werden exVAGs auch in E. coli-Isolaten aus dem Darm gesunder Wirte nachgewiesen. Dies f{\"u}hrte zu der Vermutung, dass exVAGs die intestinale Kolonisierung des Wirtes durch E. coli unterst{\"u}tzen. Das Hauptziel dieser Arbeit bestand darin, das Wissen {\"u}ber den Einfluss von exVAGs auf die Besiedlung und damit die Adh{\"a}sion von E. coli an Epithelzellen des Darmtraktes zu erweitern. Die Durchf{\"u}hrung einer solch umfassenden E. coli-Populationsstudie erforderte die Etablierung neuer Screeningmethoden. F{\"u}r die genotypische Charakterisierung wurden mikropartikelbasierte Multiplex-PCR-Assays zum Nachweis von 44 VAGs und der Phylogenie etabliert. F{\"u}r die ph{\"a}notypische Charakterisierung wurden Adh{\"a}sions- und Zytotoxizit{\"a}tsassays etabliert. Die Screeningmethoden basieren auf der VideoScan-Technologie, einem automatisierten bildbasierten Multifluoreszenzdetektionssystem. Es wurden 398 E. coli-Isolate aus 13 Wilds{\"a}ugerarten und 5 Wildvogelarten sowie aus gesunden und harnwegserkrankten Menschen und Hausschweinen charakterisiert. Die Adh{\"a}sionsassays hatten zum Ziel, sowohl die Adh{\"a}sionsraten als auch die Adh{\"a}sionsmuster der 317 nicht h{\"a}molytischen Isolate auf 5 Epithelzelllinien zu bestimmen. Die Zytotoxizit{\"a}t der 81 h{\"a}molytischen Isolate wurde in Abh{\"a}ngigkeit der Inkubationszeit auf 4 Epithelzelllinien gepr{\"u}ft. In den E. coli-Isolaten wurde eine Reihe von VAGs nachgewiesen. Potentielle InPEC, insbesondere shigatoxinproduzierende und enteropathogene E. coli wurden aus Menschen, Hausschweinen und Wildtieren, vor allem aus Rehen und Feldhasen isoliert. exVAGs wurden mit stark variierender Pr{\"a}valenz in Isolaten aus allen Arten detektiert. Die gr{\"o}ßte Anzahl und das breiteste Spektrum an exVAGs wurde in Isolaten aus Urin harnwegserkrankter Menschen, gefolgt von Isolaten aus Dachsen und Rehen nachgewiesen. In Isolaten der phylogenetischen Gruppe B2 wurden mehr exVAGs detektiert als in den Isolaten der phylogenetischen Gruppen A, B1 und D. Die Ergebnisse der Adh{\"a}sionsassays zeigten, dass die meisten Isolate zelllinien-, gewebe- oder wirtsspezifisch adh{\"a}rierten. Ein Drittel der Isolate adh{\"a}rierte an keiner Zelllinie und nur zwei Isolate adh{\"a}rierten stark an allen Zelllinien. Grunds{\"a}tzlich adh{\"a}rierten mehr Isolate an humanen sowie an intestinalen Zelllinien. Besonders Isolate aus Eichh{\"o}rnchen und Amseln sowie aus Urin harnwegserkrankter Menschen und Hausschweine waren in der Lage, stark zu adh{\"a}rieren. Hierbei bildeten die Isolate als Adh{\"a}sionsmuster diffuse Adh{\"a}sion, Mikrokolonien, Ketten und Agglomerationen. Mittels statistischer Analysen wurden Assoziationen zwischen exVAGs und einer hohen Adh{\"a}sionsrate ersichtlich. So war beispielsweise das Vorkommen von afa/dra mit einer h{\"o}heren Adh{\"a}sionsrate auf Caco-2- und 5637-Zellen und von sfa/foc auf IPEC-J2-Zellen assoziiert. Die Ergebnisse der Zytotoxizit{\"a}tsassays zeigten eine sehr starke und zeitabh{\"a}ngige Zerst{\"o}rung der Monolayer aller Epithelzelllinien durch die α-H{\"a}molysin-positiven Isolate. Auffallend war die hohe Toxizit{\"a}t h{\"a}molytischer Isolate aus Wildtieren gegen{\"u}ber den humanen Zelllinien. Mit den innerhalb dieser Arbeit entwickelten Screeningmethoden war es m{\"o}glich, große Mengen an Bakterien zu charakterisieren. Es konnte ein {\"U}berblick {\"u}ber die Verbreitung von VAGs in E. coli aus unterschiedlichen Wirten gewonnen werden. Besonders Wildtiere wurden sowohl durch den Nachweis von VAGs in den entsprechenden Isolaten, verbunden mit deren Adh{\"a}sionsf{\"a}higkeit und ausgepr{\"a}gter Zytotoxizit{\"a}t als Reservoire pathogener E. coli identifiziert. Ebenso wurde eine zelllinienspezifische Adh{\"a}sion von Isolaten mit bestimmten exVAGs deutlich. Damit konnte der m{\"o}gliche Einfluss von exVAGs auf die intestinale Kolonisierung best{\"a}tigt werden. In weiterf{\"u}hrenden Arbeiten sind jedoch Expressions- und Funktionsanalysen der entsprechenden Proteine unerl{\"a}sslich. Es wird anhand der Mikrokoloniebildung durch kommensale E. coli vermutet, dass Adh{\"a}sionsmuster und demzufolge Kolonisierungsstrategien, die bisher pathogenen E. coli zugeschrieben wurden, eher als generelle Kolonisierungsstrategien zu betrachten sind. Das E. coli-α-H{\"a}molysin wirkt im Allgemeinen zytotoxisch auf Epithelzellen. Ein in der Fachliteratur diskutierter adh{\"a}sionsunterst{\"u}tzender Mechanismus dieses Toxins ist demnach fragw{\"u}rdig. Innerhalb dieser Arbeit konnte gezeigt werden, dass die entwickelten Screeningmethoden umfassende Analysen einer großen Anzahl an E. coli-Isolaten erm{\"o}glichen.},
  language  = {de}
}
@phdthesis{May2013,
  author    = {May, Felix},
  title     = {Spatial models of plant diversity and plant functional traits : towards a better understanding of plant community dynamics in fragmented landscapes},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-68444},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam},
  year      = {2013},
  abstract  = {The fragmentation of natural habitat caused by anthropogenic land use changes is one of the main drivers of the current rapid loss of biodiversity. In face of this threat, ecological research needs to provide predictions of communities' responses to fragmentation as a prerequisite for the effective mitigation of further biodiversity loss. However, predictions of communities' responses to fragmentation require a thorough understanding of ecological processes, such as species dispersal and persistence. Therefore, this thesis seeks an improved understanding of community dynamics in fragmented landscapes. In order to approach this overall aim, I identified key questions on the response of plant diversity and plant functional traits to variations in species' dispersal capability, habitat fragmentation and local environmental conditions. All questions were addressed using spatially explicit simulations or statistical models. In chapter 2, I addressed scale-dependent relationships between dispersal capability and species diversity using a grid-based neutral model. I found that the ratio of survey area to landscape size is an important determinant of scale-dependent dispersal-diversity relationships. With small ratios, the model predicted increasing dispersal-diversity relationships, while decreasing dispersal-diversity relationships emerged, when the ratio approached one, i.e. when the survey area approached the landscape size. For intermediate ratios, I found a U-shaped pattern that has not been reported before. With this study, I unified and extended previous work on dispersal-diversity relationships. In chapter 3, I assessed the type of regional plant community dynamics for the study area in the Southern Judean Lowlands (SJL). For this purpose, I parameterised a multi-species incidence-function model (IFM) with vegetation data using approximate Bayesian computation (ABC). I found that the type of regional plant community dynamics in the SJL is best characterized as a set of isolated "island communities" with very low connectivity between local communities. Model predictions indicated a significant extinction debt with 33\% - 60\% of all species going extinct within 1000 years. In general, this study introduces a novel approach for combining a spatially explicit simulation model with field data from species-rich communities. In chapter 4, I first analysed, if plant functional traits in the SJL indicate trait convergence by habitat filtering and trait divergence by interspecific competition, as predicted by community assembly theory. Second, I assessed the interactive effects of fragmentation and the south-north precipitation gradient in the SJL on community-mean plant traits. I found clear evidence for trait convergence, but the evidence for trait divergence fundamentally depended on the chosen null-model. All community-mean traits were significantly associated with the precipitation gradient in the SJL. The trait associations with fragmentation indices (patch size and connectivity) were generally weaker, but statistically significant for all traits. Specific leaf area (SLA) and plant height were consistently associated with fragmentation indices along the precipitation gradient. In contrast, seed mass and seed number were interactively influenced by fragmentation and precipitation. In general, this study provides the first analysis of the interactive effects of climate and fragmentation on plant functional traits. Overall, I conclude that the spatially explicit perspective adopted in this thesis is crucial for a thorough understanding of plant community dynamics in fragmented landscapes. The finding of contrasting responses of local diversity to variations in dispersal capability stresses the importance of considering the diversity and composition of the metacommunity, prior to implementing conservation measures that aim at increased habitat connectivity. The model predictions derived with the IFM highlight the importance of additional natural habitat for the mitigation of future species extinctions. In general, the approach of combining a spatially explicit IFM with extensive species occupancy data provides a novel and promising tool to assess the consequences of different management scenarios. The analysis of plant functional traits in the SJL points to important knowledge gaps in community assembly theory with respect to the simultaneous consequences of habitat filtering and competition. In particular, it demonstrates the importance of investigating the synergistic consequences of fragmentation, climate change and land use change on plant communities. I suggest that the integration of plant functional traits and of species interactions into spatially explicit, dynamic simulation models offers a promising approach, which will further improve our understanding of plant communities and our ability to predict their dynamics in fragmented and changing landscapes.},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{Duensing2013,
  author    = {Duensing, Nina},
  title     = {Transport processes in the arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-68210},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam},
  year      = {2013},
  abstract  = {The nutrient exchange between plant and fungus is the key element of the arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) symbiosis. The fungus improves the plant's uptake of mineral nutrients, mainly phosphate, and water, while the plant provides the fungus with photosynthetically assimilated carbohydrates. Still, the knowledge about the mechanisms of the nutrient exchange between the symbiotic partners is very limited. Therefore, transport processes of both, the plant and the fungal partner, are investigated in this study. In order to enhance the understanding of the molecular basis underlying this tight interaction between the roots of Medicago truncatula and the AM fungus Rhizophagus irregularis, genes involved in transport processes of both symbiotic partners are analysed here. The AM-specific regulation and cell-specific expression of potential transporter genes of M. truncatula that were found to be specifically regulated in arbuscule-containing cells and in non-arbusculated cells of mycorrhizal roots was confirmed. A model for the carbon allocation in mycorrhizal roots is suggested, in which carbohydrates are mobilized in non-arbusculated cells and symplastically provided to the arbuscule-containing cells. New insights into the mechanisms of the carbohydrate allocation were gained by the analysis of hexose/H+ symporter MtHxt1 which is regulated in distinct cells of mycorrhizal roots. Metabolite profiling of leaves and roots of a knock-out mutant, hxt1, showed that it indeed does have an impact on the carbohydrate balance in the course of the symbiosis throughout the whole plant, and on the interaction with the fungal partner. The primary metabolite profile of M. truncatula was shown to be altered significantly in response to mycorrhizal colonization. Additionally, molecular mechanisms determining the progress of the interaction in the fungal partner of the AM symbiosis were investigated. The R. irregularis transcriptome in planta and in extraradical tissues gave new insight into genes that are differentially expressed in these two fungal tissues. Over 3200 fungal transcripts with a significantly altered expression level in laser capture microdissection-collected arbuscules compared to extraradical tissues were identified. Among them, six previously unknown specifically regulated potential transporter genes were found. These are likely to play a role in the nutrient exchange between plant and fungus. While the substrates of three potential MFS transporters are as yet unknown, two potential sugar transporters are might play a role in the carbohydrate flow towards the fungal partner. In summary, this study provides new insights into transport processes between plant and fungus in the course of the AM symbiosis, analysing M. truncatula on the transcript and metabolite level, and provides a dataset of the R. irregularis transcriptome in planta, providing a high amount of new information for future works.},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{Brothers2013,
  author    = {Brothers, Soren M.},
  title     = {Carbon gains, losses, and feedbacks in shallow, eutrophic lakes of phytoplankton and macrophyte dominance},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-68200},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam},
  year      = {2013},
  abstract  = {Lakes are increasingly being recognized as an important component of the global carbon cycle, yet anthropogenic activities that alter their community structure may change the way they transport and process carbon. This research focuses on the relationship between carbon cycling and community structure of primary producers in small, shallow lakes, which are the most abundant lake type in the world, and furthermore subject to intense terrestrial-aquatic coupling due to their high perimeter:area ratio. Shifts between macrophyte and phytoplankton dominance are widespread and common in shallow lakes, with potentially large consequences to regional carbon cycling. I thus compared a lake with clear-water conditions and a submerged macrophyte community to a turbid, phytoplankton-dominated lake, describing differences in the availability, processing, and export of organic and inorganic carbon. I furthermore examined the effects of increasing terrestrial carbon inputs on internal carbon cycling processes. Pelagic diel (24-hour) oxygen curves and independent fluorometric approaches of individual primary producers together indicated that the presence of a submerged macrophyte community facilitated higher annual rates of gross primary production than could be supported in a phytoplankton-dominated lake at similar nutrient concentrations. A simple model constructed from the empirical data suggested that this difference between regime types could be common in moderately eutrophic lakes with mean depths under three to four meters, where benthic primary production is a potentially major contributor to the whole-lake primary production. It thus appears likely that a regime shift from macrophyte to phytoplankton dominance in shallow lakes would typically decrease the quantity of autochthonous organic carbon available to lake food webs. Sediment core analyses indicated that a regime shift from macrophyte to phytoplankton dominance was associated with a four-fold increase in carbon burial rates, signalling a major change in lake carbon cycling dynamics. Carbon mass balances suggested that increasing carbon burial rates were not due to an increase in primary production or allochthonous loading, but instead were due to a higher carbon burial efficiency (carbon burial / carbon deposition). This, in turn, was associated with diminished benthic mineralization rates and an increase in calcite precipitation, together resulting in lower surface carbon dioxide emissions. Finally, a period of unusually high precipitation led to rising water levels, resulting in a feedback loop linking increasing concentrations of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) to severely anoxic conditions in the phytoplankton-dominated system. High water levels and DOC concentrations diminished benthic primary production (via shading) and boosted pelagic respiration rates, diminishing the hypolimnetic oxygen supply. The resulting anoxia created redox conditions which led to a major release of nutrients, DOC, and iron from the sediments. This further transformed the lake metabolism, providing a prolonged summertime anoxia below a water depth of 1 m, and leading to the near-complete loss of fish and macroinvertebrates. Pelagic pH levels also decreased significantly, increasing surface carbon dioxide emissions by an order of magnitude compared to previous years. Altogether, this thesis adds an important body of knowledge to our understanding of the significance of the benthic zone to carbon cycling in shallow lakes. The contribution of the benthic zone towards whole-lake primary production was quantified, and was identified as an important but vulnerable site for primary production. Benthic mineralization rates were furthermore found to influence carbon burial and surface emission rates, and benthic primary productivity played an important role in determining hypolimnetic oxygen availability, thus controlling the internal sediment loading of nutrients and carbon. This thesis also uniquely demonstrates that the ecological community structure (i.e. stable regime) of a eutrophic, shallow lake can significantly influence carbon availability and processing. By changing carbon cycling pathways, regime shifts in shallow lakes may significantly alter the role of these ecosystems with respect to the global carbon cycle.},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{Nitschke2013,
  author    = {Nitschke, Felix},
  title     = {Phosphorylation of polyglycans, especially glycogen and starch},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-67396},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam},
  year      = {2013},
  abstract  = {Functional metabolism of storage carbohydrates is vital to plants and animals. The water-soluble glycogen in animal cells and the amylopectin which is the major component of water-insoluble starch granules residing in plant plastids are chemically similar as they consist of α-1,6 branched α-1,4 glucan chains. Synthesis and degradation of transitory starch and of glycogen are accomplished by a set of enzymatic activities that to some extend are also similar in plants and animals. Chain elongation, branching, and debranching are achieved by synthases, branching enzymes, and debranching enzymes, respectively. Similarly, both types of polyglucans contain low amounts of phosphate esters whose abundance varies depending on species and organs. Starch is selectively phosphorylated by at least two dikinases (GWD and PWD) at the glucosyl carbons C6 and C3 and dephosphorylated by the phosphatase SEX4 and SEX4-like enzymes. In Arabidopsis insufficiency in starch phosphorylation or dephosphorylation results in largely impaired starch turnover, starch accumulation, and often in retardation of growth. In humans the progressive neurodegenerative epilepsy, Lafora disease, is the result of a defective enzyme (laforin) that is functional equivalent to the starch phosphatase SEX4 and capable of glycogen dephosphorylation. Patients lacking laforin progressively accumulate unphysiologically structured insoluble glycogen-derived particles (Lafora bodies) in many tissues including brain. Previous results concerning the carbon position of glycogen phosphate are contradictory. Currently it is believed that glycogen is esterified exclusively at the carbon positions C2 and C3 and that the monophosphate esters, being incorporated via a side reaction of glycogen synthase (GS), lack any specific function but are rather an enzymatic error that needs to be corrected. In this study a versatile and highly sensitive enzymatic cycling assay was established that enables quantification of very small G6P amounts in the presence of high concentrations of non-target compounds as present in hydrolysates of polysaccharides, such as starch, glycogen, or cytosolic heteroglycans in plants. Following validation of the G6P determination by analyzing previously characterized starches G6P was quantified in hydrolysates of various glycogen samples and in plant heteroglycans. Interestingly, glucosyl C6 phosphate is present in all glycogen preparations examined, the abundance varying between glycogens of different sources. Additionally, it was shown that carbon C6 is severely hyperphosphorylated in glycogen of Lafora disease mouse model and that laforin is capable of removing C6 phosphate from glycogen. After enrichment of phosphoglucans from amylolytically degraded glycogen, several techniques of two-dimensional NMR were applied that independently proved the existence of 6-phosphoglucosyl residues in glycogen and confirmed the recently described phosphorylation sites C2 and C3. C6 phosphate is neither Lafora disease- nor species-, or organ-specific as it was demonstrated in liver glycogen from laforin-deficient mice and in that of wild type rabbit skeletal muscle. The distribution of 6-phosphoglucosyl residues was analyzed in glycogen molecules and has been found to be uneven. Gradual degradation experiments revealed that C6 phosphate is more abundant in central parts of the glycogen molecules and in molecules possessing longer glucan chains. Glycogen of Lafora disease mice consistently contains a higher proportion of longer chains while most short chains were reduced as compared to wild type. Together with results recently published (Nitschke et al., 2013) the findings of this work completely unhinge the hypothesis of GS-mediated phosphate incorporation as the respective reaction mechanism excludes phosphorylation of this glucosyl carbon, and as it is difficult to explain an uneven distribution of C6 phosphate by a stochastic event. Indeed the results rather point to a specific function of 6-phosphoglucosyl residues in the metabolism of polysaccharides as they are present in starch, glycogen, and, as described in this study, in heteroglycans of Arabidopsis. In the latter the function of phosphate remains unclear but this study provides evidence that in starch and glycogen it is related to branching. Moreover a role of C6 phosphate in the early stages of glycogen synthesis is suggested. By rejecting the current view on glycogen phosphate to be a stochastic biochemical error the results permit a wider view on putative roles of glycogen phosphate and on alternative biochemical ways of glycogen phosphorylation which for many reasons are likely to be mediated by distinct phosphorylating enzymes as it is realized in starch metabolism of plants. Better understanding of the enzymology underlying glycogen phosphorylation implies new possibilities of Lafora disease treatment.},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{Rietsch2013,
  author    = {Rietsch, Katrin},
  title     = {Body composition especially external skeletal robustness in association with physical activity and recreation in pre-pubertal children : a national and international investigation},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-66913},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam},
  year      = {2013},
  abstract  = {In children the way of life, nutrition and recreation changed in recent years and as a consequence body composition shifted as well. It is established that overweight belongs to a global problem. In addition, German children exhibit a less robust skeleton than ten years ago. These developments may elevate the risk of cardiovascular diseases and skeletal modifications. Heredity and environmental factors as nutrition, socioeconomic status, physical activity and inactivity influence fat accumulation and the skeletal system. Based on these negative developments associations between type of body shape, skeletal measures and physical activity; relations between external skeletal robustness, physical activity and inactivity, BMI and body fat and also the progress of body composition especially external skeletal robustness in comparison in Russian and German children were investigated. In a cross-sectional study 691 German boys and girls aged 6 to 10 years were examined. Anthropometric measurements were taken and questionnaires about physical activity and inactivity were answered by parents. Additionally, pedometers were worn to determinate the physical activity in children. To compare the body composition in Russian and German children data from the years 2000 and 2010 were used. The study has shown that pyknomorphic individuals exhibit the highest external skeletal robustness and leptomorphic ones the lowest. Leptomorphic children may have a higher risk for bone diseases in adulthood. Pyknomorphic boys are more physically active by tendency. This is assessed as positive because pyknomorphic types display the highest BMI and body fat. Results showed that physical activity may reduce BMI and body fat. In contrast physical inactivity may lead to an increase of BMI and body fat and may rise with increasing age. Physical activity encourages additionally a robust skeleton. Furthermore external skeletal robustness is associated with BMI in order that BMI as a measure of overweight should be consider critically. The international 10-year comparison has shown an increase of BMI in Russian children and German boys. Currently, Russian children exhibit a higher external skeletal robustness than the Germans. However, in Russian boys skeleton is less robust than ten years ago. This trend should be observed in the future as well in other countries. All in all, several measures should be used to describe health situation in children and adults. Furthermore, in children it is essential to support physical activity in order to reduce the risk of obesity and to maintain a robust skeleton. In this way diseases are able to prevent in adulthood.},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{Martin2013,
  author    = {Martin, Benjamin},
  title     = {Linking individual-based models and dynamic energy budget theory : lessons for ecology and ecotoxicology},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-67001},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam},
  year      = {2013},
  abstract  = {In the context of ecological risk assessment of chemicals, individual-based population models hold great potential to increase the ecological realism of current regulatory risk assessment procedures. However, developing and parameterizing such models is time-consuming and often ad hoc. Using standardized, tested submodels of individual organisms would make individual-based modelling more efficient and coherent. In this thesis, I explored whether Dynamic Energy Budget (DEB) theory is suitable for being used as a standard submodel in individual-based models, both for ecological risk assessment and theoretical population ecology. First, I developed a generic implementation of DEB theory in an individual-based modeling (IBM) context: DEB-IBM. Using the DEB-IBM framework I tested the ability of the DEB theory to predict population-level dynamics from the properties of individuals. We used Daphnia magna as a model species, where data at the individual level was available to parameterize the model, and population-level predictions were compared against independent data from controlled population experiments. We found that DEB theory successfully predicted population growth rates and peak densities of experimental Daphnia populations in multiple experimental settings, but failed to capture the decline phase, when the available food per Daphnia was low. Further assumptions on food-dependent mortality of juveniles were needed to capture the population dynamics after the initial population peak. The resulting model then predicted, without further calibration, characteristic switches between small- and large-amplitude cycles, which have been observed for Daphnia. We conclude that cross-level tests help detecting gaps in current individual-level theories and ultimately will lead to theory development and the establishment of a generic basis for individual-based models and ecology. In addition to theoretical explorations, we tested the potential of DEB theory combined with IBMs to extrapolate effects of chemical stress from the individual to population level. For this we used information at the individual level on the effect of 3,4-dichloroanailine on Daphnia. The individual data suggested direct effects on reproduction but no significant effects on growth. Assuming such direct effects on reproduction, the model was able to accurately predict the population response to increasing concentrations of 3,4-dichloroaniline. We conclude that DEB theory combined with IBMs holds great potential for standardized ecological risk assessment based on ecological models.},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{FrankFahle2013,
  author    = {Frank-Fahle, B{\´e}atrice A.},
  title     = {Methane-cycling microbial communities in permafrost affected soils on Herschel Island and the Yukon Coast, Western Canadian Arctic},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-65345},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam},
  year      = {2013},
  abstract  = {Permafrost-affected ecosystems including peat wetlands are among the most obvious regions in which current microbial controls on organic matter decomposition are likely to change as a result of global warming. Wet tundra ecosystems in particular are ideal sites for increased methane production because of the waterlogged, anoxic conditions that prevail in seasonally increasing thawed layers. The following doctoral research project focused on investigating the abundance and distribution of the methane-cycling microbial communities in four different polygons on Herschel Island and the Yukon Coast. Despite the relevance of the Canadian Western Arctic in the global methane budget, the permafrost microbial communities there have thus far remained insufficiently characterized. Through the study of methanogenic and methanotrophic microbial communities involved in the decomposition of permafrost organic matter and their potential reaction to rising environmental temperatures, the overarching goal of the ensuing thesis is to fill the current gap in understanding the fate of the organic carbon currently stored in Artic environments and its implications regarding the methane cycle in permafrost environments. To attain this goal, a multiproxy approach including community fingerprinting analysis, cloning, quantitative PCR and next generation sequencing was used to describe the bacterial and archaeal community present in the active layer of four polygons and to scrutinize the diversity and distribution of methane-cycling microorganisms at different depths. These methods were combined with soil properties analyses in order to identify the main physico-chemical variables shaping these communities. In addition a climate warming simulation experiment was carried-out on intact active layer cores retrieved from Herschel Island in order to investigate the changes in the methane-cycling communities associated with an increase in soil temperature and to help better predict future methane-fluxes from polygonal wet tundra environments in the context of climate change. Results showed that the microbial community found in the water-saturated and carbon-rich polygons on Herschel Island and the Yukon Coast was diverse and showed a similar distribution with depth in all four polygons sampled. Specifically, the methanogenic community identified resembled the communities found in other similar Arctic study sites and showed comparable potential methane production rates, whereas the methane oxidizing bacterial community differed from what has been found so far, being dominated by type-II rather than type-I methanotrophs. After being subjected to strong increases in soil temperature, the active-layer microbial community demonstrated the ability to quickly adapt and as a result shifts in community composition could be observed. These results contribute to the understanding of carbon dynamics in Arctic permafrost regions and allow an assessment of the potential impact of climate change on methane-cycling microbial communities. This thesis constitutes the first in-depth study of methane-cycling communities in the Canadian Western Arctic, striving to advance our understanding of these communities in degrading permafrost environments by establishing an important new observatory in the Circum-Arctic.},
  language  = {en}
}