Coetzee, Agamben, and the Passion of Abu Ghraib

In this article, I address J. M. Coetzee's chapter "The Problem of Evil" in Elizabeth Costello (2003); specifically, I discuss the danger of texts that attempt to represent evil letting loose that evil in the world. This insight is pushed by connecting it to the problem of sovereignty as put forth in Agamben's Homo Sacer (1998). To demonstrate the connection of evil and sovereignty, three different sets of images are analyzed that circulated in the global public sphere in 2004: frames from the Mel Gibson movie, The Passion of the Christ (2004); pictures of the abuse and torture of Iraqi prisoners from Abu Ghraib; and beheading videos of U.S. citizens and other nationals working for the U.S.-led occupation forces in Iraq. Different explanations have been given for their circulation, but it is argued, following Agamben's notion of "homo sacer," that they are contestations over sovereignty of Iraq and more widely of the Middle East.     

Pollen morphology of the tribes Naucleeae and Hymenodictyeae (Rubiaceae – Cinchonoideae) and its phylogenetic significance

The tribe Naucleeae has recently been recircumscribed on the basis of both morphological and molecular [ rbcL , trnT-F , internal transcribed spacer (ITS)] evidence, and has been found to be the sister group of the tribe Hymenodictyeae Razafim. & B. Bremer. In order to find pollen morphological support for this new classification, the pollen and orbicules of 65 species, representing 23 Naucleeae and the two Hymenodictyeae genera, were investigated by scanning electron and light microscopy. Naucleeae pollen is very small (< 20 µm) to small (20–30 µm) and its shape in equatorial view is suboblate to spheroidal or, more rarely, subprolate. Three compound apertures are present, each comprising a long and narrow ectocolpus, a circular to slightly lolongate mesoporus, and an often H-shaped endoaperture. The sexine ornamentation is perforate, rugulate, or (micro)reticulate, and supratectal elements are always absent. Apart from the variation in sexine ornamentation, the tribe is rather stenopalynous. The pollen of Hymenodictyeae is very similar to that of Naucleeae. The H-shaped endoapertures often observed probably form a synapomorphy for the clade comprising Naucleeae and Hymenodictyeae. Our pollen morphological observations are not in conflict with the widened delimitation of Naucleeae. Unambiguous pollen support for the recent subtribal or generic concepts of Naucleeae could not be found because of a lack of variation of pollen characters within the tribe. Orbicules are invariably present in the ten Naucleeae taxa investigated. They are spheroidal and smooth or irregularly folded.  © 2007 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society , 2007, 153 , 329–341.     

Nesting Ecology of Boreal Forest Birds Following a Massive Outbreak of Spruce Beetles

Abstract: We studied breeding dark-eyed juncos (Junco hyemalis), yellow-rumped warblers (Dendroica coronata), and spruce-nesting birds from 1997 to 1998 among forests with different levels of spruce (Picea spp.) mortality following an outbreak of spruce beetles (Dendroctonus rufipennis) in Alaska, USA. We identified species using live and beetle-killed spruce for nest sites and monitored nests to determine how the outbreak influenced avian habitat selection and reproduction. We tested predictions that 1) nesting success of ground-nesting juncos would increase with spruce mortality due to proliferation of understory vegetation available to conceal nests from predators, 2) nesting success of canopy-nesting warblers would decrease with spruce mortality due to fewer live spruce in which to conceal nests, and 3) both species would alter nest-site selection in response to disturbance. Juncos did not benefit from changes in understory vegetation; nesting success in highly disturbed stands (46%) was comparable to that in undisturbed habitats throughout their range. In stands with low spruce mortality, nesting success of juncos was low (5%) and corresponded with high densities of red squirrels (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus). Yellow-rumped warblers nested exclusively in spruce, but success did not vary with spruce mortality. As disturbance increased, nesting warblers switched from selecting forest patches with high densities of live white spruce (Picea glauca) to patches with beetle-killed spruce. Warblers also placed nests in large-diameter live or beetle-killed spruce, depending on which was more abundant in the stand, with no differences in nesting success. Five of the 12 other species of spruce-nesting birds also used beetle-killed spruce as nest sites. Because beetle-killed spruce can remain standing for >50 years, even highly disturbed stands provide an important breeding resource for boreal forest birds. We recommend that boreal forest managers preserve uncut blocks of infested forest within managed forest landscapes and practice partial harvest of beetle-killed spruce rather than commercial clear-cutting of infested stands in order to sustain breeding bird populations until natural reforestation occurs. Because breeding densities do not always reflect fitness, assessing impacts of a massive natural disturbance should include measuring impacts of changes in vegetation on both reproductive success and predator-prey dynamics.     

Nest success of Lapwings Vanellus vanellus on organic and conventional arable farms in the Netherlands

Increasing agricultural intensification has put farmland bird populations under great stress. Although organically managed farms tend to have higher densities of farmland birds than conventionally managed holdings, differences in crop management may also lead to differences in breeding success. With the use of agrochemicals prohibited on organic farms, weeds are controlled using mechanical methods that may pose a threat to ground-nesting birds. This study compares the territory densities and nesting success of the Lapwing Vanellus vanellus on organic and conventional arable farms in the Netherlands. Territory densities were generally higher on organic farms, although in one year nesting success was lower on organic than on conventional farms. This was caused by higher nest loss resulting from farming activities on organic farms. There were no differences in predation rates. The results of this study show that breeding Lapwings may face potential threats on organic farms. To sustain or enhance Lapwing populations on these farms, additional conservation measures should be implemented.     

Quantifying soil organic carbon in complex landscapes: an example of grassland undergoing encroachment of woody plants

The invasion of woody plants into grass‐dominated ecosystems has occurred worldwide during the past century with potentially significant impacts on soil organic carbon (SOC) storage, ecosystem carbon sequestration and global climate warming. To date, most studies of tree and shrub encroachment impacts on SOC have been conducted at small scales and results are equivocal. To quantify the effects of woody plant proliferation on SOC at broad spatial scales and to potentially resolve inconsistencies reported from studies conducted at fine spatial scales, information regarding spatial variability and uncertainty of SOC is essential. We used sequential indicator simulation (SIS) to quantify spatial uncertainty of SOC in a grassland undergoing shrub encroachment in the Southern Great Plains, USA. Results showed that both SOC pool size and its spatial uncertainty increased with the development of woody communities in grasslands. Higher uncertainty of SOC in new shrub‐dominated communities may be the result of their relatively recent development, their more complex above‐ and belowground architecture, stronger within‐community gradients, and a greater degree of faunal disturbance. Simulations of alternative sampling designs demonstrated the effects of spatial uncertainty on the accuracy of SOC estimates and enabled us to evaluate the efficiency of sampling strategies aimed at quantifying landscape‐scale SOC pools. An approach combining stratified random sampling with unequal point densities and transect sampling of landscape elements exhibiting strong internal gradients yielded the best estimates. Complete random sampling was less effective and required much higher sampling densities. Results provide novel insights into spatial uncertainty of SOC and its effects on estimates of carbon sequestration in terrestrial ecosystem and suggest effective protocol for the estimating of soil attributes in landscapes with complex vegetation patterns.     

Density‐dependent polyphenism and geographic variation in size among two populations of lubber grasshoppers (Romalea microptera)

1. Density‐dependent phase polyphenism occurs when changes in density during the juvenile stages result in a developmental shift from one phenotype to another. Density‐dependent phase polyphenism is common among locusts (Orthoptera: Acrididae). 2. Previously, we demonstrated a longitudinal geographic cline in adult body size (western populations = small adults; eastern populations = large adults) in the eastern lubber grasshopper (Romalea microptera) in south Florida. As lubbers are confamilial with locusts, we hypothesised that the longitudinal size cline was partly due to density‐dependent phase polyphenism. 3. We tested the effect of density, population, and density×population interaction on life‐history traits (pronotum length, mass, cumulative development time, growth rate) of, and proportion surviving to, each of the five instars and the adult stage in a 2 × 3 factorial laboratory experiment with two lubber populations, each reared from hatchling to adult at three different densities. 4. The effect of density on life history and survival was independent of the effects of population on life history and survival. Higher densities led to larger adult sizes (pronotum, mass) and lower survivorship. The western population had smaller adult masses, fewer cumulative days to the adult stage, and higher survivorship than the eastern population. 5. Our data suggest that lubber grasshoppers exhibit density‐dependent phase polyphenism initiated by the physical presence of conspecifics. However, the plastic response of adult size to density observed in the laboratory is not consistent with the relationship between phenotypes and adult density in the field. Genetic differences between populations observed in the laboratory could contribute to size and life‐history differences among lubber populations in the field.