English

This dissertation focuses on the intersectionality between images posted on social media and social rules in the lives of young people. The findings are based on thirty-four qualitative interviews with young social media users where photo-based methodologies were employed. From these interviews, three key themes emerged: 1) Posting and sharing images are connected to identity exploration and formation, 2) Social rules around embodied emotions affect how youth present their emotions in online photographic material, and 3) The conflation of private and public spaces in the digital sphere complicates how social media users interact with images. While the findings presented are clear, this dissertation aims to take a holistic approach to understanding youth digital culture and avoids coming to conclusions that view social media as "good" or "bad" for youth. This tactic allows the findings to acknowledge the complexities of communicative digital spaces and understand the intricacies of social media in the daily lives of young people (boyd, 2014; Tilleczek & Campbell, 2019). This dissertation discusses both challenges youth face on social media when posting and viewing images, as well as how images can be used to defy social norms.

Author Keywords: Affect, Culture, Image, Social Media, Youth

Fungi are a diverse group of organisms that play crucial roles in various ecological processes and have immense economic importance. Understanding the intricate mechanisms underlying fungal growth and development is fundamental to harnessing their potential and exploring their applications in different fields. Signalling molecules, such as hormones, have been identified as key regulators in fungal physiology, orchestrating intricate processes and modulating biological responses to the environment. Phytohormones, commonly associated with plants, have been proposed as potential myco-hormones due to their production in a wide variety of fungi. Metabolomic analyses were performed via LC-MS/MS to investigate the role of phytohormones, specifically cytokinins (CKs) and indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), along with lipids and energetic metabolites such as organic acids during the growth and development of the model fungus Sordaria macrospora. The results revealed a clear switch between CK ribosides and CK free bases during the ascosporegenesis stage, with increased levels of cZ and iP and decreased levels of iPR and cZR. A similar pattern was observed in the mutant strain smgpi1 but demonstrating higher levels of CK free bases and increased fruiting body formation compared to the wild type. These findings provide insights into the regulation of phytohormones especially during fungal fruiting body development. In terms of IAA, the levels increased during the transition to sexual development in all strains, with the per5 mutant, unable to produce lipids via the cytosol, demonstrating a higher concentration than the wild type. The interplay between energetic metabolites and IAA suggests a potential role in the transition to sexual development. Additionally, the dose-dependent effects of exogenous CK application were investigated, showing the potential of low concentrations, from 1 to 10 μM, of CKs in promoting biomass accumulation or sexual development. Furthermore, gene editing in S. macrospora was proposed as a future direction to explore the functions of CKs and other metabolites during fungal development. Overall, this research contributes to our understanding of phytohormone-mediated processes in fungi and opens avenues for future investigations in fungal biology.

Author Keywords: fungi, LC-MS, metabolomics, myco-hormone, phytohormone, sexual development

Mortuary archaeology presents a unique opportunity to compare cultural and biological factors within burial assemblages. This study expands upon the previous bioarchaeological research in the eastern portion of the Southern Maya Lowlands through a comparative mortuary analysis that highlights burial trends between the site of Ka'kabish, Belize, and surrounding settlements. Ka'kabish spans from the Middle Formative through to the Postclassic periods (ca. 800 BC to AD 1500) and signifies a diverse social-strata with burials ranging from a variety of ritual and domestic complexes. Ka'kabish displays a preference for primary interments of non-extended positioning, greater chultun (subterranean chambers) use than displayed regionally, potential ancestor veneration, and demonstrates a transition from public, monumental burials, to private, domestic burials, from the Middle/Late Formative to the Postclassic periods. Inter-site comparisons demonstrate that Ka'kabish's mortuary patterns do not directly fit within a specific regional trend; rather, Ka'kabish displays a wide range of influences from many sites in the surrounding lowlands.

Author Keywords: Belize, Ka'kabish, Lowlands, Maya, Mortuary, Southern

I tracked summer movements and activity of snowshoe hares (Lepus americanus) in southwestern Yukon, Canada, during their population cycle (2015–2022) to assess the primary drivers of movement. Hares exhibited variable movement and activity during the cycle, exhibiting increased home range size and higher daily displacement during low population densities. Males exhibited more dramatic increases in their home ranges (>3-fold), and had greater and more variable movement rates and time spent travelling than females. The ratio of predators to hares was highest at low hare densities when hares were moving most, and seasonal activity of hares seemed unrelated to that of predators. Differences between sexes imply that reproductive activities likely were the main driver of hare movement variation rather than food availability. These findings reinforce that, even in highly variable environments, potential rewards associated with successful mate search and reproduction may outweigh the risks associated with reproductive behaviour.

Author Keywords: behaviour, boreal forest, GPS telemetry, home range, movement ecology, predation risk

Hybridization contributes to the genetic diversity and can impact speciation. This study investigates the genetic evidence of recent hybridization under climate change in sympatric populations of northern and southern flying squirrels in Ontario. Using low-coverage whole-genome sequences, my research examines the existing population structure and measures the genomic variation of the Glaucomys species. The global estimates of FST (0.308) and DXY (0.141) are indicative of substantial differentiation between the species. Measures of genetic diversity (π), differentiation (FST), and divergence (DXY) across the genome reveal insights into the divergent selection driving speciation. Results indicate an absence of contemporary hybridization or introgression at a site with longstanding sympatry. Across both species' genomes, signatures of selection align with four different scenarios for the formation of genomic landscapes of differentiation, shedding light on the complex speciation history of these flying squirrels. These findings enhance understanding of evolutionary dynamics, adaptation, speciation, and genetic differentiation.

Author Keywords: Genomic differentiation, Glaucomys, northern flying squirrel, southern flying squirrel, speciation

Muskrat populations are declining across North America. In recent decades, hybrid cattail Typha x glauca has been invading wetlands in North America. This invasion is degrading wetland habitat, leading to reduced interspersion of water and vegetation. Muskrats are wetland-obligates and their populations are positively linked to marsh interspersion. Therefore, muskrat populations may be declining due to the invasion of T. x glauca and subsequent reduction in interspersion. To test this hypothesis, I first sampled marshes across south-central Ontario, comparing muskrat densities with the relative frequency of T. x glauca and the degree of interspersion. Second, I measured intensity of use by muskrats in a large wetland along a gradient of interspersion. My findings suggest that reduced interspersion may be contributing to muskrat population declines, but it is unclear to what degree T. x glauca is responsible. Further research is needed to understand the effects of wetland invasions on muskrat populations.

Author Keywords: invasive species, Ondatra zibethicus, Southern Ontario, Typha x glauca, wetlands, wildlife conservation

Eutrophication is an ongoing global problem and agriculture is an important non-point source of nutrient loading. Specifically, nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) losses from agricultural landscapes continue to drive water quality issues. In southern Ontario, agriculture has intensified in recent decades, with major expansions of cash crop production and extensive tile drainage (TD). Through intensive monitoring of 12 tile outlets draining operational fields under the conventional corn-soybean-wheat rotation, this study examined differences in measured and volume-weighted total P, total N, and nitrate-N concentrations and loads over 28 months (October 2020- April 2023) amongst crop covers and between growing (GS; May – September) and non-growing seasons (NGS; October – April). Nitrogen concentrations (i.e., TN and NO3-N) in TD eluent were consistently high both between seasons and were found to be significantly highest from winter wheat (WW) fields in the NGS, and corn fields in the GS. Volume-weighted TP concentrations were not significantly different either amongst crop covers or between seasons, although TP losses tended to be highest from the cover crop (CC) fields in the NGS. Differences in N and P losses between years and amongst crop covers were attributed to differences in legacy soil nutrients, the establishment and decomposition of over-winter cover crops, and physical soil properties. The results of this study can inform agricultural management by addressing the urgent need for improved information around the relationship between agricultural practices and nutrient losses, especially in the NGS.

Author Keywords: Best management practices, Crop rotation, Over-winter cover crops, Seasonality, Tile drainage, Water quality

It is through spending time outside that we develop the ecological literacy and caring attachments to the land that will lead to greater concern and responsibility for the more-than-human world. But intermediate students in the formal education system are taught almost exclusively indoors, especially in winter. If Canadian teachers remain mostly inside when it is cold, they forego many opportunities to connect their students with the land upon which they live and learn. The purpose of this research is to understand the ways intermediate teachers in the formal education system interact with the outdoors in winter during the school day, how they feel about these interactions, and what influences their decisions when it comes to outdoor learning in winter. Understanding the lived experiences of teachers is essential, as it is they who decide whether instruct indoors or out. In the hierarchical education system, teachers' voices are not always considered in policy making. Photovoice is an ideal methodology for this study because it brings the lived experiences of a group who do not have the authority to make policy changes, to those who do. This photovoice study gave eight intermediate teachers the opportunity to document experiences in their own lives, raise their own consciousness about outdoor learning, and to share their voices with policymakers through their photographic art. This study draws four main conclusions: a) teachers need to develop stronger personal relationships with the outdoors in winter; b) schools need to reconsider the traditional recess model as it is often a time of stress for teachers and students; c) the curriculum needs to expect outdoor learning in all seasons; and d) teachers' voices need to be heard in relation to outdoor learning initiatives in schools. The findings are significant because they can influence policymakers to improve outdoor learning in schools which, in turn, will help teachers and students develop more comfortable and caring relationships with the outdoors in winter.

Keywords: winter, outdoor education, environmental education, outdoor learning, photovoice, intermediate teachers, intermediate students, formal education system

Author Keywords: environmental education, formal education system, outdoor education, outdoor learning, winter

AbstractThe Rise of Property and the Death of the Moral Economy: Enclosure and Social Unrest in Late-Eighteenth Century England – Ewan Martel

Eighteenth-century Great Britain was a kingdom marked by the rise of a property-based and highly individualistic conception of social and economic structures came a doctrine of improvement based upon extracting the most value from a tract of land possible. Parliamentary enclosure was critical to this change, seeing lands converted from something of communal value to individual property. This work argues that the growth and implementation of parliamentary enclosure was a source of immense social unrest in late-eighteenth century Britain as the process and its supporting ideologies were inherently counter-intuitive to traditional systems of communal land ownership and subsistence. This paper utilizes primary sources from both landowners implementing enclosure and the responses of commoners and enclosure's opponents to better understand the agency of the peasantry in their fight against a damaging practice and how forms of unrest were multi-faceted and prevalent, despite the growing power of the land-owing gentry.

Author Keywords: Class, Common Lands, Eighteenth-Century, Enclosure, Great Britain, Social Unrest

Indigenous men are disproportionally incarcerated in the Canadian criminal justice system. A disproportionate number of Indigenous men who are incarcerated have also been through the foster care and adoption system. A good deal of them are disconnected from their cultures, traditions and communities. For many the prisons are the first times that they encounter Indigenous Knowledge (IK), Elders, and Knowledge Holders, and the introduction to IK can be a watershed moment for them. Reconnection is a critical first step in a healing journey that many Indigenous men begin in prisons. The healing journey is about healing from their history, traumas, and the actions that led them to prisons, but healing is also a process of healing towards a better life and better future. It does not stop once they are beyond the prison walls. This research project focuses on the Indigenous Healing Programs and Services that support the men that are on this healing journey. Using the Haudenosaunee framework of Kan'nikonhrí:io (the Good Mind) and Wake'nikonhrèn:ton (the Crooked Mind), this project endeavours to understand how these programs and services understand and support healing, how masculinity factors into the delivery of these programs.

Author Keywords: Community, Good Minds, Haudenosaunee, Healing, Social Programming, Social Work