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Land use change is one of the greatest threats to biodiversity. Land-use change often results in fragmentation of the landscape, yet this aspect is rarely taken into account in models of how land use affects biodiversity. Additionally, previous biodiversity models have been restricted to large spatial scales, which may not be applicable for conservation practitioners. In this thesis I analyse datasets collated from multiple published studies of how local terrestrial biodiversity responds to human impacts. I start Chapter 2) by modelling how land use, specifically secondary vegetation and plantation forests, impacts tropical biodiversity. My results show that the biodiversity in each continent does respond differently to land use, an aspect that previous studies have not investigated. This difference is most likely due to the nature of the land use being different in each continent. In this first analysis, as is often the case, drivers of biodiversity change were focused on site-level environment, such as land use. Therefore, in Chapter 3 I investigate how the area of habitat surrounding a sampled area might influence the number and abundance of species within the sample. Theory suggests that within-sample species richness would increase with fragment area with an exponent between 0.07 and 0.20, which was found to be the case. Chapter 4 builds on the previous chapters in two ways. Firstly, it applies the previously used methods to create a biodiversity model of habitat change for a smaller area to inform decision making. Secondly, it specifically takes into account how local biodiversity responds to changes in fragment area. I estimated that the planned changes to the small urban area would result in a gain in overall biodiversity, most likely due to an increase is size and number of high diversity habitats. To consider these results at a landscape scale, my final chapter (Chapter 5) investigates how the wider context around a sampled site influences local biodiversity. By studying the impact on biodiversity across this range of spatial scales, I can ascertain the importance of taking these variables into account and determine the implications of my results for previous models of biodiversity. I found that landscape fragmentation, as well as local land use, was a necessary component of models of local biodiversity, and its inclusion greatly improved previous biodiversity models.

Despite the growing body of research on the concept of adaptive capacity, there is an absence of research which investigates adaptive capacity in the field of cultural heritage management. Climatic changes have potentially serious implications for the historic environment, which is itself a non-renewable resource. Cultural heritage sites can be particularly sensitive to severe weather events and to changes in climate, both due to direct impacts on built structures, archaeology and designed landscapes, but also due to changes in visitor behaviour and the potentially adverse implications of adaptive measures on heritage significance. This research investigated the adaptive capacity of the management of cultural heritage sites in the UK, through the assessment of adaptive capacity at selected case study sites. A questionnaire survey of all UK WHS sites, a review of plans and policy, and interviews with key stakeholders at a national level also contribute to the study. An in-depth qualitative analysis of three UK World Heritage Sites was undertaken, which were Ironbridge Gorge, Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal and Blenheim Palace. Fieldwork included site visits, interviews with stakeholders involved in site management such as property managers, conservators and local authority officers, and a thorough documentary review. A conceptual framework of adaptive capacity relevant for heritage management has been developed, which can be used as a tool for analysis, in order to highlight strengths and weaknesses in capacity. The key determinants of adaptive capacity in the framework, identified through the research, are cognitive factors, leadership, learning capacity, access to information, authority and resources. The research makes a contribution to adaptive capacity theory, with adaptive capacity theory being found to be applicable to heritage management, but with certain limitations. Areas of weakness and strengths in adaptive capacity at the case study sites and in wider World Heritage management planning have been identified, and practical recommendations are presented. The study found that whilst progress is being made within the heritage sector on adaptation, there are significant challenges and areas where capacity could be enhanced. Notably, there is a lack of information on best practice and guidance on adaptation within a heritage context. Tools for futures thinking such as climate change scenarios are not being widely used in management planning, and concerns about the uncertainties associated with climate data are prevalent. Although clear top down guidance is needed to provide drivers and a framework for action, this needs to be balanced with local flexibility, in order to allow locally appropriate and sensitive decision making to protect significance. There is also a need for further collaboration and dialogue between different sectors, with sustained cooperation required to combine the approaches and requirements of those from different fields e.g. the integration of heritage concerns into the work of emergency planners.

Post-translational modifications (PTMs) increase the functional diversity of the proteome by the addition or removal of chemical groups. PTMs determine the way a protein functions, from the way it folds to produce its three-dimensional conformation, and its localisation, to its interactions with other proteins and nucleic acids. Therefore, identifying the nature and sites of PTMs is crucial to the study of cell biology and the pathology of diseases. This Thesis presents the development and application of proteomic approaches to study PTMs in a number of biological systems. PTMs are often difficult to study due to their low abundance within a complex sample. Therefore, the development and application of novel approaches to assist in the identification of PTMs will improve our understanding of their role within the proteome. A novel two dimensional peptide separation technique using mixed mode (reversed phase- anion exchange) chromatography in the first dimension in conjunction with RP-LC-MS/MS was developed. This demonstrated improved efficiency of separation, resulting in improved proteome coverage compared to conventional SCX. The mixed-mode separation technique was subsequently used in the shotgun proteomic analysis of the thermophilic archaeon, Sulfolobus solfataricus. An extensive methylproteome was identified, and suggested to play a role in the thermal stability of the S. solfataricus proteome. Mixed-mode chromatography was also utilised in the shotgun proteomic analysis of synovial fluid from a Rheumatoid Arthritis patient. Two sites of protein citrullination were identified, including a previously unidentified site. In addition, proteomic approaches were applied to the study of a mammalian multifunctional nuclear protein, PSF. The effects of arginine methylation on localisation, RNA-binding, and its interaction with p54 were studied. Furthermore, proteomic approaches were utilised to study a novel putative toxin, BPSL1549 from Burkholderia pseudomallei. Burkholderia pseudomallei is the causative agent for melioidosis, a disease that causes pneumonia and septicaemia and is endemic in southeast Asia and northern Australia. Following demonstration of the cytotoxic effects of BPSL1549 by incubation with eukaryotic cells and lethal administration to mice, mass spectrometry was used to identify the substrate for the toxin as eukaryotic initiation factor 4A. Moreover, MS studies were used to demonstrate BPSL 1549 is a glutamine de amidase and is responsible for deamidation of Gln339 to Glu in eukaryotic initiation factor 4A. BPSL1549 is the first cytotoxin to be confirmed in B. pseudomallei.