An academic genealogy on the history of American field primatologists

In this paper, we present the academic genealogy of American field primatologists. The genealogy has been compiled to formally document the historical record of this young field. Data have been collected from three main sources: 1) e-mail surveys, 2) library and Internet research, and 3) verbal communication through forums such as American Association of Physical Anthropology meetings. Lineages of primatologists have been graphically displayed using Microsoft Visio. As of September 2005, 672 names and 239 affiliated universities, organizations and institutions have been recorded in 19 lineages. Five hundred and thirty-eight of the 672 names, 80.1%, are field primatologists. The Hooton/Washburn lineage is the largest; 60.6% of the recorded field primatologists are linked to this lineage. In addition, four of the five professors who have mentored a comparable number of field primatologists at American universities since Washburn are linked to the Hooton/Washburn lineage; and the school where Washburn mentored a majority of his students, UC-Berkeley, continues to have the highest overall graduation record for this subdiscipline. However, the field of primatology has been diversifying since the 1960s, and different universities are now responsible for graduating a substantial number of primatologists. We conclude that while the Hooton/Washburn lineage has remained remarkably homogenous in its anthropological focus, the field is also becoming increasingly enriched by primatologists who have had training in fields such as zoology, psychology, and ecology both in the United States and abroad.     

Factors Influencing Membership of Federal Wildlife Biologists in The Wildlife Society

ABSTRACT Membership in scientific societies is an avenue wildlife professionals may use to maintain and enhance their professional capabilities. We studied factors influencing United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and United States Geological Survey (USGS) biologists’ membership in scientific societies in general and The Wildlife Society (TWS) in particular. We conducted an internet census survey of 3,755 USFWS professionals and 932 USGS Biological Resource Division professionals. The survey collected data on membership and participation in scientific societies as well as other variables that we theorized could influence membership. We used logistic regressions to identify factors correlated with the membership of wildlife biologists in TWS. A greater proportion of USGS biologists (90.2%) than USFWS biologists (51.8%) were members of scientific societies, and the likelihood of wildlife biologists belonging to TWS was higher in USGS. Factors most consistently correlated with membership in TWS included minimal external constraints (e.g., family responsibilities and costs), supervisor support for membership, and membership of friends, peers, and supervisors in scientific societies. Our results suggest that membership in scientific societies is heavily influenced by the organizational culture of employing agencies. Agencies seeking to increase their employees’ membership, and thus benefits from participation, in scientific societies will be most successful if they create a culture in which involvement in scientific societies is expected and in which peers and supervisors also participate.     

Moving forward with the primate microbiome: Introduction to a special issue of the American Journal of Primatology

Primate microbiome research is a quickly growing field with exciting potential for informing our understanding of primate biology, ecology, and evolution as well as host‐microbe interactions more broadly. This introductory essay to a special section of the American Journal of Primatology provides a cross‐sectional snapshot of current activity in these areas by briefly summarizing the diversity of contributed papers and their relationships to key themes in host‐associated microbiome research. It then uses this survey as a foundation for consolidating a set of key research questions to broadly guide future research. It also argues for the importance of methods standardization to facilitate comparative analyses and the identification of generalizable patterns and relationships. While primatology will benefit greatly from the integration of microbial datasets, it is uniquely positioned to address important questions regarding microbiology and macro‐ecology and evolution more generally. We are eager to see where the primate microbiome leads us.     

Comparison of Primatological Literature in Latin American, European and African Countries

I compare the primatological literature in 4 Latin American (Brazil, Perú, Mexico and Argentina) 2 European (Great Britain and France) and one African (Kenya) countries with regard to: (1) total number of publications; (2) productivity of scientists; (3) quality of the publications; and (4) the range of subjects studied. Data are from Current Primate References (CPR; 1985–1994). Publications included in the sample show an address from the countries considered. The results showed that GB and France had a far larger number of publications than the other countries. They have respectively >7 and 4 times more authors than Brazil, the country with the highest number of authors among Latin American and African countries. But the mean number of publications per author shows little difference among the 7 countries. The quality of publications as measured by the percentage indexed by ISI shows that, GB and France fare much better than the Latin American countries. Kenya did not follow the pattern of the other underdeveloped countries and showed a high percentage of indexed publications. Not all subjects reviewed in CPR were studied by scientists from the 7 countries. GB and France presented the widest range of subjects. Scientists in countries with greater primate diversity concentrated their publications in behavior, ecology and conservation, colony management and general primatology with the exception of Kenya. These results suggest that scientific production in Latin American countries can be increased by increasing the number of scientists, either through educational programs or via incentives for the career. However, more specific action is needed to improve the quality of publications and the range of subjects studied.     

Engineering American society: the lesson of eugenics

We stand at the threshold of a new century, with the whole human genome stretched out before us. Messages from science, the popular media, and the stock market suggest a world of seemingly limitless opportunities to improve human health and productivity. But at the turn of the last century, science and society faced a similar rush to exploit human genetics. The story of eugenics--humankind's first venture into a 'gene age'--holds a cautionary lesson for our current preoccupation with genes.     

Attempt at computer modeling of evolution of the human society

A model of evolution of human society and biosphere, which is based on concepts of V.I. Vernadskii and of L.N. Gumilev about ethnogenesis has been developed and studied. The mathematical apparatus of the model is composition of finite stochastic automats. By using this model, a possibility of the global ecological crisis is demonstrated in the case of preservation of the current tendencies of interaction of the biosphere and the human civilization.     

Locating the post-national activist: migration rights,civil society and the practice of post-nationalism

Theorists of post-nationalism examine the (re)configuration of national identity, membership and rights. Yet while normative scholarship has conceptualized post-nationalism as an ongoing practice of discursive contestation over the role of national group membership in liberal democratic societies, more empirical studies have tended to overlook these features to predominantly focus instead on top-down legal and political institution-building as evidence of post-nationalism. In this article I argue in favour of an empirical conceptualization of post-nationalism which more effectively captures micro-level practices of discursive contestation. Specifically I posit that post-national activists, or actors engaging in post-national practices of contestation from within the state, are a key focus of analysis for scholars of post-nationalism. I develop this claim through the analysis of data collected with individuals working on civil society campaigns for migration rights in Europe, Australia and the USA who – I demonstrate – embody many of the characteristics of the post-national activist.     

Evaluation of Techniques for Categorizing Group Membership of White-Tailed Deer

Abstract: We studied sexual segregation, particularly patterns of group membership for white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), in Lincoln County, Minnesota, USA, to evaluate current techniques used to categorize animals when studying sexual segregation. We categorized group membership according to Hirth (1977) and grouped individuals using our solitary categorization method. Our solitary method was most sensitive to changes in behavior and physiology exhibited by reproductively active females and their association with other deer during sexual segregation.     

中国橡胶树气候适宜度分布特征研究

选取气温、降水、光照、风速四个气象要素,应用气候适宜度方法对中国橡胶树的气候适宜性进行定量评价.结果表明:中国橡胶树的气候适宜度指数均低于0.8,平均值为0.43,变化趋势普遍在±0.05(10a)-1之间,海南岛的大部分地区为橡胶树气候适宜区,广东,广西和福建南部以及云南南部的部分地区为较适宜区;降水适宜度均值为0....     

Our view of islands: Joining the values of science and society

Both the public and the scientific perception of an island's value are important in deciding its future, with regard to the levels of access, protection and funding for research. There is a popular belief that the preservation of islands equates to the slightly idiosyncratic conservation of unique remote habitats, where the value of any island is its isolation. However, by understanding how scientists use islands, a different picture emerges; islands may be seen also as integrated, or representative fragments of the world that contribute to biodiversity and scientific theory far beyond their narrow geographical boundaries. Here, we broadly review the full scope of values science places on islands. We resolve four central perspectives by which scientists view islands, based on how islands are incorporated into their research: (i) species‐level studies; (ii) island‐level studies; (iii) islands as model systems; and (iv) islands as part of a global network. Recognising this diverse value system helps enlarge our understanding of islands and reforges their importance to the public and policy makers.