Subject: ECOLOG-L Digest - 6 Apr 2003 to 7 Apr 2003 (#2003-94)
There are 8 messages totalling 615 lines in this issue.
Topics of the day:
1. 2 PhD positions - Plant evolutionary ecology
2. Smithsonian GIS Internship
3. Small Mammal Books?
4. grad students/ new features on ESA Student section webpage
5. Internships, Center for Biodiversity and Conservation, NYC
6. Job: seasonal, botanist, Conservation and Research Center, VA
7. BIOPLAN: Biodiversity After Johannesburg: The Critical Role of
Biodiversity & Ecosystem Services in Achieving the UN Millennium
Development Goals (fwd)
8. sex identification
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Date: Mon, 7 Apr 2003 17:02:58 +0100
From: Giorgina Bernasconi <bernasco@UWINST.UNIZH.CH>
Subject: 2 PhD positions - Plant evolutionary ecology
I would be grateful if you could advertize the follwoing add for two
PhD positions in Switzerland.
Thanks, Giorgina Bernasconi
---
2 PhD Positions - Plant Evolutionary Ecology - Zurich
Evolution of male/female interactions in Silene latifolia
Two PhD positions are available at the Institute of Environmental
Sciences of the University of Zurich, starting as soon as possible.
Zurich University (Switzerland) http://www.unizh.ch offers excellent
facilities (library, computing, laboratories) and a very stimulating
scientific environment. Students will be integrated in a Graduate
Program in Ecology and the Plant Science Centre
(http://www.plantscience.unizh.ch/ index_en.cfm). The Institute of
Environmental Sciences (http://www.unizh.ch/uwinst) consists of about
50 members focussing on plant population biology, biodiversity and
community ecology.
The goal of the project is to investigate male/female interactions in
the white campion, Silene latifolia, a dioecious plant with XY-sex
determination. With hand pollinations and analysis of paternity using
molecular markers, we will assess the influence of male and female
genotype on pollen performance, paternity and offspring characters
and conduct experimental manipulations to unravel the mechanisms.
The ideal applicant has a strong interest in evolutionary ecology and
good background in experimental design and statistical analysis,
microsatellites and/or fieldwork. Fluent English is required, as well
as a Master or Diploma Degree (or equivalent) in Ecology, Genetics or
Evolutionary Biology. Please send a CV, a copy of your degree, a
summary of experience and research interests and the addresses of two
referees to Dr. Giorgina Bernasconi. Funding is by the Swiss National
Science Foundation for thee years. Average annual salary is
approximately 34800 CHF (23800 EUR/25700 USD).
For further information, please contact:
Dr. Giorgina Bernasconi
Institute of Environmental Sciences
University of Zurich
Winterthrerstr. 190
CH - 8057 ZURICH
bernasco@uwinst.unizh.ch
Tel +41 1 635 48 07 Fax +41 1 635 57 11
http://www.unizh.ch/uwinst/MonteVerita/ascona
http://www.unizh.ch/uwinst/homepages/giorgina.html
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 7 Apr 2003 17:56:24 +0000
From: Melissa Songer <farandaway@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject: Smithsonian GIS Internship
The Spatial Analysis Lab at the Smithsonian Conservation & Research Center
(CRC) is seeking interns, to start immediately. The Lab focuses on
developing remote sensing and GIS applications to conservation problems.
Projects include:
1. Assess land cover change for the ranges of endangered species, with
special focus on protected areas within these ranges.
2. Mapping habitat for endangered species at different spatial scales. In
the past, we have worked on habitat mapping for golden-cheeked warbler,
Burmese Eld's deer, and Mongolian gazelles.
3. Training of wildlife management professionals in application of GPS, GIS
and remote sensing to every-day management.
Interns will assist in the GIS/remote sensing aspects of these projects,
enter data, help with training courses, and assist with everyday lab
management. We seek interns with a good knowledge of computers, Windows
operating systems, standard office software, and basic knowledge of GIS
(preferably ArcView or ARC/INFO). Additional experience with remote
sensing, ERDAS Imagine (or other image processing software), Adobe
Photoshop, or GPS are a plus. A $500/month stipend and free on-site housing
are provided. Send letter of interest and resume ASAP to Melissa Songer at
songerm@crc.si.edu. Include dates of availability in your letter.
The Conservation and Research Center is located at the north entrance of the
Shenandoah National Park about 60 miles west of Washington, D.C., in Front
Royal, VA.
CRC's mission is to advance conservation of biological diversity. In meeting
the Smithsonian Institution's mandate, CRC increases knowledge through
investigations of threatened species, habitats, and communities, and
disseminates knowledge through advanced studies, professional training, and
public outreach (www.si.edu/crc).
_________________________________________________________________
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------------------------------
Date: Mon, 7 Apr 2003 16:24:40 +0000
From: Scott Fletcher <fletchlives33@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject: Small Mammal Books?
I have been looking for a good book on small mammal ecology and sampling.
Unfortunately, there are not very good descriptions of these books on the
internet. Does anyone have a book they would like to suggest?
Scott Fletcher
Ecologist
Directorate of Public Works
Fort Irwin, NTC
760-380-6713
scott.fletcher@irwin.army.mil
_________________________________________________________________
The new MSN 8: advanced junk mail protection and 2 months FREE*
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------------------------------
Date: Mon, 7 Apr 2003 09:16:50 -0700
From: Colleen Grant <cgrant@UNLSERVE.UNL.EDU>
Subject: grad students/ new features on ESA Student section webpage
Hi all,
If you are a student (graduate or undergraduate) and want other students to
know about your recently published work, you are welcome to list your paper
on the ESA Student Section webpage. Please submit electronic versions
(e.g., pdf, .wpd or .doc) to Alan Wilson via email
alan.wilson@biology.gatech.edu
If you have read a book or paper that you consider important reading for
other ecology students, we are starting a list of such sources and invite
your contribution. You can visit the list at
http://www.esa.org/students/suggestedreading.htm Please send your
contributions to cgrant@unlserve.unl.edu
A listing of events specifically for students attending the ESA Annual
meeting is at http://www.esa.org/students/annualactivities.htm and the
roommate finder is at http://www.esa.org/students/roommates.htm
If you have suggestions for ESA Student Section webpage, please email me.
Colleen
Colleen Grant
cgrant@unlserve.unl.edu
University of Nebraska, Lincoln
348 Manter Hall
Lincoln NE 68588
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 7 Apr 2003 15:57:58 -0400
From: David Inouye <inouye@umd.edu>
Subject: Internships, Center for Biodiversity and Conservation, NYC
The Center for Biodiversity and Conservation at the American Museum of
Natural History in New York City is offering internships for 2003. These
internships generally run during the summer and include a stipend. The
deadline for application is May 15th, 2003. Application forms can be found
at http://research.amnh.org/biodiversity/center/programs/interns
Below are the descriptions of the CBC internships offered this year.
Research in Marine Conservation Science Curriculum Materials
We are seeking an intern (to be based in NYC) to assist with background
research for a number of educational products, including various curriculum
topics for the CBC's Network of Conservation Educators and Practitioners
(NCEP). A largely unappreciated dimension of the biodiversity crisis is the
lack of comprehensive training opportunities and materials for conservation
professionals. NCEP is a far-reaching initiative to design, create, and
foster the implementation of a comprehensive set of teaching and learning
materials in support of biodiversity conservation for educators, graduate
and undergraduate students, and professionals working in
conservation-related disciplines in developing countries. The intern's work
will include compiling existing information and materials for use in marine
science and conservation curriculum, especially focused on the Caribbean
region and/or distance learning. Emphasis will be placed on the reading,
evaluation, and identification of teaching approaches used in these
curriculum materials. The intern will compile this research into a
fully-referenced and searchable database. The work will be incorporated in
the development of marine science and conservation modules for the NCEP
project. We are looking for a candidate with good research skills, a strong
grounding in biology (prefer marine science/policy background), an
enthusiasm for conservation biology and education, and excellent
organizational abilities. Library and Internet search skills, excellent
writing skills, familiarity with Word, EndNote, and Excel is essential.
Biodiversity Outreach - Invertebrate Conservation Symposium
The intern will assist with background research and developing promotional
strategies for an upcoming symposium on invertebrate biodiversity and
conservation. The symposium will highlight the diversity of invertebrates,
their importance to ecological and economic systems, and the emerging
topics of how to manage and conserve invertebrate species and assemblages.
Candidates should have experience in outreach or communication and an
interest in biodiversity conservation. Library and Internet search skills,
excellent writing skills, familiarity with Word and Excel are essential.
Familiarity with Quark and EndNote a plus.
Biodiversity Outreach - Bolivia Exhibit
>From the spectacular mountain landscapes of the Andes to the dense
tropical forests of the Amazon and the savannas of the Chaco, Bolivia has
widely varying topography and climatic conditions, and harbors many species
of plants and animals that are found nowhere else in the world. Amongst the
country's diverse natural areas and resources, the traditions of Bolivia's
diverse peoples have evolved over centuries. In 2004 the Museum plans to
mount a temporary photographic exhibition exploring Bolivia's biodiversity
through the relationship between Bolivian peoples and nature. The intern
will be responsible for compiling a bibliography and images for this
exhibit. Candidates should have good library and Internet search skills;
familiarity with Word, Excel and other computer software programs; and
excellent organizational abilities. An ability to read and write Spanish is
a big plus.
--
Rosemarie Gnam, Ph.D.
Assistant Director
Center for Biodiversity and Conservation
American Museum of Natural History
Central Park West at 79th Street
New York, NY 10024
Phone: 212 313 7076
Fax: 212 769 5292
For more information on the Museum's Center for Biodiversity &
Conservation, visit our website at http://research.amnh.org/biodiversity/
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 7 Apr 2003 16:06:21 -0400
From: David Inouye <inouye@umd.edu>
Subject: Job: seasonal, botanist, Conservation and Research Center, VA
Seasonal Botanist Position with Smithsonian CRC
A botanist position is currently open with the Smithsonian Conservation &
Research Center, Front Royal, VA from May 5 - September 5, 2003
The Smithsonian CRC is conducting a large white-tailed deer damage
assessment project in the Potomac River Basin for the National Park Service.
Some sites are also located within Shenandoah National Park and on CRC land
in Front Royal, VA.
Job duties:
Monitor species diversity and forest regeneration inside and outside deer
exclosures. Collection and entry of data.
Qualifications:
Ability to identify woody seedlings and herbaceous plants in the Appalachian
region. Must be able to work independently and as part of a field crew.
Minimum B.S. degree preferred.
Benefits:
$1,200/month and housing provided. Possibility of extended work after
ending date. Starting and ending dates are somewhat flexible.
How to apply:
Send via e-mail a cover letter, resume, and contact information for 3
references to:
Brian Piccolo
piccolob@crc.si.edu
Deadline for applications is April 25, 2003
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 4 Apr 2003 19:13:47 -0800
From: Ashwani Vasishth <vasishth@USC.EDU>
Subject: BIOPLAN: Biodiversity After Johannesburg: The Critical Role of
Biodiversity & Ecosystem Services in Achieving the UN Millennium
Development Goals (fwd)
I thought the following might be of general interest.
Cheers,
Ashwani
Vasishth vasishth@usc.edu (213) 236-1908
http://www-rcf.usc.edu/~vasishth
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Wed, 05 Mar 2003 17:35:10 +0300
From: David Duthie <David.Duthie@unep.org>
To: bioplan@undp.org
Subject: BIOPLAN: Biodiversity After Johannesburg: The Critical Role of
Biodiversity & Ecosystem Services in Achieving the UN Millennium
Development Goals
bioplan
"David Duthie" <David.Duthie@unep.org>
Dear BIOPLANNERS,
Maybe John Hough, our BIOPLAN moderator, can provide more details of the
recent London meeting on Biodiversity After Johannesburg: The Critical Role
of Biodiversity & Ecosystem Services in Achieving the UN Millennium
Development Goals which took place from 3-4 March 2003 in London, UK, (he
attended the meeting) but below I am pasting two pieces associated with the
meeting:
(i) a summary of the presentation made by Jeffrey Sachs on biodiversity
and the Millenium Development Goals; and
(ii) a editorial by David Dickson of SciDev.Net covering the same
territory.
Interesting reading!
David Duthie
UNEP/GEF Biodiversity Enabling Activities
E-mail: david.duthie@unep.org
****************************************************************************
********************
UN adviser urges focus on environmental 'hotspots' David Dickson
[LONDON] A top adviser to UN secretary general Kofi Annan has warned that
the importance of preserving biodiversity in poor countries is not being
adequately conveyed to those responsible for implementing economic
development policies, and suggests that a global system of environmental
'hotspots' could help to focus their attention.
The warning has come from Jeffrey Sachs, director of the Earth Institute
at Columbia University in New York, who heads a team advising Annan on how
to achieve the so-called Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) that were
endorsed by more than 150 heads of state three years ago.
Speaking at a meeting in London yesterday (2 March), Sachs said that those
keen to promote the preservation of biodiversity in poor countries have not
yet found a way to get this issue taken seriously by senior economic
advisors and policy makers in the world's leading development finance
institutions.
Unless ecologists and environmental scientists were able to express their
concerns in ways that were easily accessible to policy makers and could
immediately be used by them, they were unlikely to make a major impact on
decision-making.
One way of doing this, he suggested, would be to develop a global system
for identifying and monitoring environmental 'hotspots'. The approach would
be similar to that developed by ecologists to identify regions of high
biological diversity; however the assessment of such hotspots would also
take account of environmental degradation and local social and economic
conditions.
"It would be very interesting to have a biodiversity 'hotspot' analysis
that combined high [species diversity] with objective indicators of
deteriorating conditions; we could then point to a region and say that a
crisis existed because various indicators demonstrated that it was on a
path to destruction," he said.
Sachs reported attending a meeting last week with leading development
economists to discuss the next edition of the human development report to
be published by the Unites Nations Development Programme (UNDP). This will
focus on the steps needed to achieve the MDGs, which include specific
targets for improving the health and living conditions of the world's poor
"The issue of the environment did not come up once during the discussion,"
Sachs told the London meeting, which was organised by the UNDP jointly with
a number of environmental actions groups. "That is an indication of how
disconnected the issues of biodiversity and environmental management are
from the way that development issues are talked about by many development
practitioners."
Sachs said that he was personally convinced that the biodiversity agenda
was critical not only in its own right, but also for the future of the
world's poorer people, many of whom depended on the environment for their
livelihood.
He argued that the ecological setting in which people live has a profound
impact on their economic prosperity, pointing out for example that most of
the world's richer countries are in temperate regions, and do not face the
extra burdens of disease and food production that face those living in
tropical areas.
Furthermore, said Sachs, environmental stresses degrade the life support
systems on which the very poor depend for their survival. It is in order to
raise the profile of this issue in the eyes of decision-makers that he
suggests using a modified version of the concept of biodiversity 'hotspots'
that is used by ecologists.
"Our 'hotspots' are places that are both poor and not achieving economic
development," Sachs said. "They are below a certain income threshold, which
means that people are living in miserable conditions that are not
improving. We are talking about places that are falling backward."
Such 'hotspots' would include much of tropical Africa, parts of the Andes
(such as Bolivia and Ecuador), parts of Central America, and countries in
the Middle East such as Afghanistan and Pakistan. "Absolutely nothing
happens economically in these places except that people survive, their
environment gets degraded, and other countries fight over their oil
resources," Sachs said.
Attempts to focus funding on the needs of these regions has been hampered
by the lack of mechanisms for identifying environmental 'hotspots'
separately to those already identified as particularly rich in
biodiversity. "As a result, we do not have any clear way of pointing out to
economic policy makers that there are regions of great stress that need
attention; here is the kind of attention that they need; and here are the
costs and modalities of approaching those conditions."
Included in this needs to be an assessment of what could be achieved
immediately, and those areas in which new scientific and technological
developments were required in order to meet long-term goals.
He pointed out that this approach was already being developed in the
health field, where there is a focus on the one hand on introducing
effective services to fight diseases such as tuberculosis and AIDS, and at
the same time a commitment to worldwide research efforts, for example on
producing a vaccine for malaria or AIDS.
"For biodiversity it is the same issue," Sachs said. "We need to identify
areas where there is a clear crisis of current management that needs to be
resolved, and those areas where more science or research is needed - and,
if it is needed, ways to get it done".
Š SciDev.Net 2003
************************************************************
Poverty alleviation key to preserving biodiversity
Too often, efforts to conserve biodiversity pay insufficient attention to
human needs. A leading economist is now proposing a strategy by which this
might change.
There was unintended irony in an information note circulated last week by
the secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity. The note
informed recipients that, in line with the spirit of last year's World
Summit on Sustainable Development, the theme of the next 'international
day' on biological diversity ? to be celebrated on 22 May ? had been
changed to 'biodiversity and poverty alleviation'. It then continued that
the secretariat "apologise(s) for the inconvenience caused".
One is tempted to add that no apology is needed. Admittedly the shift may
have caused some inconvenience to those who had already been planning
events around the previously agreed theme, namely 'mountain biodiversity'.
Nevertheless it is a welcome recognition of the fact that, in the words of
Mark Malloch Brown, administrator of the United Nations Development
Programme, "biodiversity is a development issue".
This fact is slowly growing to be acknowledged in the biodiversity
community, many members of which have been making welcome efforts in recent
years to ensure that the social relevance of protecting the environment is
placed high on its agenda. This has included making efforts to ensure that
local communities are fully integrated into biodiversity protection
strategies, and are convinced of their self-interest in helping to promote
such strategies (for example by benefiting from eco-tourism). But it
appears that there is still a long way to go until such insights are
integrated into mainstream development thinking.
One way of achieving this, however, has now been proposed by Jeffrey
Sachs, director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University in New York,
and an adviser to UN secretary-general Kofi Annan on strategies for
achieving the Millennium Development Goals. Sachs' suggestion, as outlined
in a speech in London on Sunday, would be to identify geographical
'hotspots' around the world where environmental degradation and grinding
poverty appeared locked in a downward spiral (see UN adviser urges focus on
environment 'hotspots'). These would then hopefully become top priorities
for international financing by agencies such as the World Bank and the
International Monetary Fund.
Introducing a human dimension
There is much to endorse in such an approach. Firstly, the process of
identifying such 'hotspots' would inevitably require natural scientists and
social scientists to work together in selecting areas in urgent need of
attention. Too often ecologists still fail to introduce the interests of
humans in their ecological models (the more conventional concept of
ecological 'hotspots', from which Sachs has derived his proposal, is a case
in point). Where they do, social behaviour is often still seen as one more
threat to the environment, rather than the prism through which
environmental degradation needs to be assessed and tackled.
Secondly, prioritising actions in this way would, as Sachs suggests,
provide both a rallying call and an "organising principle" for both
economic advisers and political leaders. The most effective aid programmes,
in terms of identifying goals and raising the funds to pursue them, are
often those that can be expressed in a way that those required to fund them
can easily comprehend. The technique is well known to both conservation and
aid groups, from Birdlife International to Oxfam. Extending its
geographical range while maintaining its focus ? as the concept of
'hotspots' would achieve ? makes much sense.
Thirdly, Sachs is already building an enviable track record in devising
strategies that have been effective in catching the eyes of both headline
writers and policy makers. One of these, for example, has been the Global
Fund on AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, predicated on the basis that a
substantial increase in public funding is required into these diseases if
they are not to undermine the massive investments that the industrialised
world has been putting into promoting development elsewhere. Many ?
including Annan ? are clearly hoping that Sachs can repeat this success in
the biodiversity field.
A need for reliable data
At the same time, there are also several weaknesses in his suggestions.
One of these, as Sachs himself is the first to admit, is the relative lack
of the kind of reliable data that is needed to accurately identify the most
critical 'hotspot's. Despite the massive efforts that have been made in
recent years to collect some types of data ? for example on the impact of
El Niņo on earth surface temperatures, or the level of ozone in the
atmosphere ? other types ? such as the impact of watershed management
practices ? is noticeable by its absence.
A second weakness is that Sachs' approach remains wedded to a model of
globalisation that pays insufficient attention to the power structures that
are embedded in it. It may be a question of "better the devil you know".
But by focusing on the big picture, Sachs has a tendency to give less
weight than others to ways in which modifying the terms of global trade ?
for example by granting developing countries the ownership of their genetic
resources, as enshrined in the biodiversity convention but challenged by
the World Trade Organisation ? could achieve the same goals of linking
development and environment concerns.
A final, related, criticism, is that by promoting strategies that are
designed primarily to appeal to leading economists in institutions such as
the World Bank, Sachs risks paying insufficient attention to securing
grassroots support for his proposed strategy. It is increasingly clear,
however, that such support is essential if strategies that aim to defend
the environment, while promoting social and economic development, are to
succeed.
Meeting the costs of development
None of this, however, detracts significantly from the need to follow a
path that is at least close to the one that Sachs lays out. His proposed
'hotspots' strategy ? which he and his team are already applying to the
Millennium Development Goals, identifying for example the key regions of
the world where high levels of infant mortality require urgent attention ?
seems a sensible attempt to express the human dimensions of biodiversity
preservation in a language that development economists and politicians
alike can integrate into their thinking.
Equally important is Sachs' message that implementing a successful
strategy that blends ecological and development priorities will require a
substantially increased injection of resources, and that these can only
come from the industrialised North. It is many years since these countries
pledged to increase their aid spending to 0.7 per cent of their gross
national product; some are now close to that, but many are not. For the
United States to reach that target, for example, would require an increase
in annual spending of about US$60 billion. An enormous sum, perhaps ? until
one compares it to the amount that going to war with one country alone,
namely Iraq, is expected to cost.
Š SciDev.Net 2003
David Dickson 3 March 2003
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------------------------------
Date: Mon, 7 Apr 2003 19:23:13 -0400
From: Alex Olvido <aolvido@UNAGI.MOREHOUSE.EDU>
Subject: sex identification
Hello, Ecologgers:
I have an undergraduate student who is currently researching the
evolutionary ecology of the jewel wasp, Nasonia vitripennis. He has
posed an innocuously simple question, for which I have no useful
answer: Aside from sex dimorphism in overall body size and
winglength, are there more reliable morphological indicators of sex?
His question came about from the observation that male body size
and female winglength both vary tremendously. An individual jewel
wasp may have comparable (small) body size of males, but have
wings that extend beyond the tip of its abdomen, which would indicate
female sex. More often, an individual may be large (suggesting
female sex), but appear brachypterous (suggesting male sex).
Please send your suggestions/comments to Frank West at (without
quotes) "westfranklin@hotmail.com" (or else to me, if you like).
Thanks a bunch in advance (from both of us).
-- Alex Olvido
------------------------------
End of ECOLOG-L Digest - 6 Apr 2003 to 7 Apr 2003 (#2003-94)
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Thanks to discussion with TVR, I have decided to put a link to back files of the discussion group. This months back files.
The link to complete archives is available elsewhere.
This text was originally an e-mail. It was converted using a program
RUPANTAR- a simple e-mail-to-html converter.
(c)Kolatkar Milind. kmilind@ces.iisc.ernet.in