BioScience articles from November 2006

BioScience archives from November 2006

Green plants, fossil fuels, and now biofuels.(Editorial)
November 1, 2006... For 700 million years, green plants contributed to the formation of soil, oil, natural gas, and coal. As the human population increases, so too does the consumption of soil and fossil energy. If this trend continues unabated, humans will...

Teach evolution early.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
November 1, 2006... I share Ross Nehm's concerns (in "Faith-based Evolution Education?" BioScience 56: 638-639) about the deplorable state of public education with respect to the teaching of evolution and the urgency of addressing the problem. However, I believe...

Acknowledging the social and ethical dimensions of science.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
November 1, 2006... I appreciate the attention that BioScience grants to science communication issues. Thus I read with pleasure the BioScience editorial "Framing Biology" (56: 555), where Timothy Beardsley describes the importance of framing the communication...

Environmental protection using DNA barcodes or taxa?(Viewpoint)
November 1, 2006... There is increasing interest among conservation biologists in using DNA barcodes to document biological diversity, and in using the barcode data to replace morphologically based taxonomic data. Taxonomic data, traditionally obtained by...

The millennium assessment: charged with describing the current state of the environment, scientists worldwide collaborated to produce the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. In seven synthesis reports and other technical documents, the assessment summarizes the Earth's present condition and the impacts humans have on critical ecosystem services.
November 1, 2006... On 5 June 1992, governmental representatives from 157 nations, meeting in Rio de Janeiro at what was popularly called the Earth Summit, promised to work harder at protecting the environment. Among many other things, they deplored the "general...

Erratum.(Correction notice)
November 1, 2006... The wrong graphic appeared as figure 1 in the article by Tamas Szekely and colleagues in the printed October issue of BioScience (vol. 56, p. 802). We regret the error. The correct figure is below. [FIGURE 1 OMITTED]

National Academy of Sciences issues gender equity plan.(Washington Watch)
November 1, 2006... Over the past several decades, various agencies, committees, and individual scientists have called for greater gender equity within the ranks of the science and engineering faculty at colleges and universities in the United States. Despite...

From Lilliput to Brobdingnag: extending models of mycorrhizal function across scales.
November 1, 2006... Mycorrhizae occur in nearly all terrestrial ecosystems. Resource exchange between host plants and mycorrhizal fungi influences community, ecosystem, and even global patterns and processes. Understanding the mechanisms and consequences of...

Threats to endangered species in Canada.
November 1, 2006... We quantified the threats facing 488 species in Canada, categorized by COSEWIC (Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada) as extinct, extirpated, endangered, threatened, or of special concern. Habitat loss is the most prevalent...

How many animals do we want to save? The many ways of setting population target levels for conservation.
November 1, 2006... Conservation biologists struggle to decide how many animals to save. In this article, I outline 18 approaches to setting population target levels (PTLs) for animals, with rules of thumb and analytical recommendations for each approach....

The epidemiology of H5N1 avian influenza in wild birds: why we need better ecological data.(Roundtable)
November 1, 2006... In 2005 and 2006, highly pathogenic avian influenza H5NI infected wild birds or poultry in at least 55 countries in Asia, Europe, and Africa. Scientists still have limited understanding of how these wild birds were infected and of how the virus...

Science and economics in the management of an invasive species.(Forum)
November 1, 2006... Estimates of the economic impacts of normative nuisance ("invasive") species must rely on both a sound ecological understanding and the proper application of economic methods. Focusing on the example of the invasive European green crab...

A savage approach to tropical biology.(Ecology and Evolution in the Tropics: A Herpetological Perspective)(Book review)
November 1, 2006... Ecology and Evolution in the Tropics: A Herpetological Perspective. Maureen A. Donnelly, Brian I. Crother, Craig Guyer, Marvalee H. Wake, and Mary E. White, eds. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 2005. 584 pp., illus. $45.00 (ISBN...

A guide for spatial analysis in ecology.(Spatial Analysis: A Guide for Ecologists)(Book review)
November 1, 2006... Spatial Analysis: A Guide for Ecologists. Marie-Josee Fortin and Mark Dale. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom, 2005. 365 pp. $60.00 (ISBN 0521009731 paper). The biosphere is spectacularly diverse and beautiful, thanks to...

The presence of wild things.(Pilgrim on the Great Bird Continent: The Importance of Everything and Other Lessons from Darwin's Lost Notebooks)(Book review)
November 1, 2006... Pilgrim on the Great Bird Continent: The Importance of Everything and Other Lessons from Darwin's Lost Notebooks. Lyanda Lynn Haupt. Little, Brown, New York, 2006. 276 pp. $24.95 (ISBN 0316836648 cloth). The present is brought to us by the...

A blind watchmaker model of human evolution.(Simulating Human Origins and Evolution)(Book review)
November 1, 2006... Simulating Human Origins and Evolution. Ken Wessen. Cambridge University Press, New York, 2005. 241 pp., illus. $120.00 (ISBN 0521843995 cloth). Modeling has become coequal with experimentation and theory building as part of the scientific...

New titles.(Books)(Bibliography)
November 1, 2006... The Altruism Equation: Seven Scientists Search for the Origins of Goodness. Lee Alan Dugatkin. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ, 2006. 208 pp., illus. $24.95 (ISBN 0691125902 cloth). The Atlas of Climate Change: Mapping the World's...

Preliminary program set for 2007 AIBS annual meeting; register now.(AIBS news)(American Institute of Biological Sciences )(Conference notes)
November 1, 2006... The 2007 AIBS annual meeting, on the theme "Evolutionary Biology and Human Health" will be held 14-15 May 2007 in Washington, DC, at the Capital Hilton Hotel. The program chair is 2007 AIBS president Douglas Futuyma, of the State University of...

Presentations at AIBS 2006 annual meeting now online.(AIBS news)(American Institute of Biological Sciences)(Brief article)(Conference notes)
November 1, 2006... Videos, slides, and transcripts of presentations made at the 2006 AIBS annual meeting,"Biodiversity: The Interplay of Science, Valuation, and Policy" are online at http://client.blueskybroadcast.com/AIBS/ (direct link); they can also be found...

AIBS diversity scholars announced.(AIBS news)(American Institute of Biological Sciences)(Brief article)(Conference notes)
November 1, 2006... AIBS is proud to recognize four outstanding students as Diversity Scholars for 2006. The AIBS Diversity Scholars program recognizes outstanding biology students from underrepresented minorities, as well as students with disabilities. Each will...

USGS coalition hosts third annual congressional reception.(AIBS news)(Brief article)
November 1, 2006... On 18 September 2006, the USGS Coalition held its third annual Capitol Hill reception, featuring exhibits that illustrate the biological, geographic, geological, and hydrologic research that scientists at the US Geological Survey conduct. ...

BioOne announces staff changes.(AIBS news)(promotions, appointments and resignations)
November 1, 2006... Mark Kurtz began work as BioOne's director of business development on 30 October. Kurtz will be involved in the business, operational, and strategic management of BioOne as the organization's services and benefits for publishers and subscribers...

Executive director's recent blog entries online at http://blogs.aibs. org/richardogrady.(AIBS news)
November 1, 2006... * Plan to Vote This November * New Online: Evolution, Biodiversity, Politics, and Framing Science

Recent education reports online at www.aibs.org.(AIBS news)
November 1, 2006... * 2006 AIBS/BSCS/NESCent evolution symposium update * 2007 AIBS annual meeting announced: "Evolutionary Biology and Human Health" * AIBS Diversity Scholars announced Improving evolution education * NESCent evolution database for...

Recent articles online at www.actionbioscience.org.(AIBS news)(Correction notice)
November 1, 2006... Original article in English * "Coping with Climate Change," by Anthony Prato, University of Missouri-Columbia, and Dan Fagre, US Geological Surveys Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center in West Glacier, Montana Spanish translations of...

Recent AIBS Public Policy Reports Online at www.aibs.org.(AIBS news)
November 1, 2006... Public Policy Report for 10 October 2006 * Science, Congress, and the midterm elections * Plan to vote this November * Senate approves penalties for animal rights terrorists * National Park Service releases draft EIS on...

Calendar of meetings.(Brief article)(Calendar)
November 1, 2006... November 2-5 American Society for Gravitational and Space Biology, Arlington, VA; http://asgsb.org/ annual_meeting.html 8-10 North American Lake Management Society, Indianapolis, IN; www.nalms.org/symposia/ indianapolis/home.htm ...

The effects of parasitoid behavior.(BioBriefs)
November 1, 2006... CONTROLLING IMPORTED FIRE ANTS For over 60 years now, black imported fire ants (Solenopsis richteri) and the even more aggressive red imported fire ants (Solenopsis invicta) have been spreading through the American South. It was while...