Re: [ECOLOG-L] Ecology Centralized organization of the discipline driving research or ?
So the thing is, there's this whole body of literature that each of us follows given our interests and/or sub-discipline, in addition to a core knowledge that we all share at some level. There most certainly is discipline in ecology, but you have to be engaged (as with anything) to get it. To say that the field of ecology is haphazard makes me think that you are simply trolling. Mike -- Michael Sears, Ph.D. Department of Biological Sciences Clemson University 132 Long Hall Clemson, SC 29630 phone: 864-506-5174 fax: 864-656-0435 Sears Lab: http://www.thermalecology.org Ecology at Clemson: http://www.clemson.edu/cafls/ecology On Jul 3, 2013, at 10:15 PM, Wayne Tyson landr...@cox.net wrote: Honorable Forum: Would someone inform me about the state of ecology as a discipline? I am particularly interested if there is any organized approach and the kind of disciplined sequencing of research efforts, and the degree to which such discipline might be lacking in the field of ecology. I'll appreciate any comments in this whole area, as my present perspective is not well enough informed. For some reason I get the impression (I hope quite incorrect) that the organization of the study of ecology is, well, possibly even haphazard and lacking in clear goals, continuity, and focus, so chopped up into specialties that frustrate coherence and integration of those sub-disciplines. I'd like to get a better handle on the Big Picture. WT
[ECOLOG-L] Job Announcement: Assistant Professor in Ecology at Bryn Mawr College
The Department of Biology at Bryn Mawr College invites applications for a full-time, tenure-track position in Ecology at the rank of Assistant Professor to begin July 1, 2012. We are searching for an individual who will thrive in an environment that combines teaching and research. We are particularly interested in candidates who use experimental approaches as a core of their research at any level of ecological organization. The successful candidate is expected to teach at all levels of the curriculum, establish an externally funded research program that provides rigorous collaborative research projects for undergraduates, and participate in the College’s interdisciplinary program in Environmental Studies. Teaching responsibilities include courses in ecology and in the candidate’s area of expertise, as well as involvement in the team-taught introductory biology sequence. A doctorate and at least one year of postdoctoral research experience are required. Submit a cover letter, curriculum vitae, teaching philosophy and research statement as a single pdf document by October 7, 2011 to Ecologist Search Committee c/o jjac...@brynmawr.edu. In addition arrange for three letters of recommendation to be sent via email. Located in suburban Philadelphia, Bryn Mawr College is a highly selective liberal arts college for women who share an intense commitment to intellectual inquiry, an independent and purposeful vision of their lives, and a desire to make meaningful contributions to the world. Bryn Mawr comprises an undergraduate college with 1,300 students, as well as coeducational graduate schools in social work and in some humanities and sciences. The College supports faculty excellence in both research and teaching, and has strong consortial relationships with Haverford College, Swarthmore College, and the University of Pennsylvania. Bryn Mawr College is an equal-opportunity employer; minority candidates and women are especially encouraged to apply. Feel free to contact me for any further information. Cheers, Mike Michael W. Sears, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Program in Environmental Studies Department of Biology Bryn Mawr College Bryn Mawr, PA 19010 office: 610-526-7576 lab: 610-526-7577 cell: 484-535-2116 web: http://www.thermalecology.com
Re: [ECOLOG-L] a good, free R text editor for mac
Hi Emma, BBEdit, Text Wrangler, or TextMate are all decent choices for editing text/code on the Mac. R highlighting (as well as for many other languages) is available for all of these editors. Cheers, Mike Michael W. Sears, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Biology Program in Environmental Studies Bryn Mawr College Bryn Mawr, PA 19010 http://www.thermal ecology.org On Wednesday, September 22, 2010 10:05:28 pm Emma L Aronson wrote: Hey Ecolog, I am looking for a great text editor for R for Mac. I hear that features like split screens and highlighting are particularly nice. I would be willing to pay for a good one, as I think it should last me several years. However, if someone knows of a free or a low-cost editor, I would be very appreciative. Thanks! Emma Aronson
Re: [ECOLOG-L] Graphing Software for Macs
Of course, I expect that you'll get 99 emails telling you the virtues of R (!), so I won't bother being the 100th (though I could). That said, one program that seems fairly good is DataGraph (http://www.visualdatatools.com/DataGraph/), and it's not too pricey. I've also tried Abel (http://www.gigawiz.com/Aabel.html), which appears feature rich, but is not as straight forward as SigmaPlot...and will set you back nearly as much as Sigma Plot, if you like paying for software (which I don't). Cheers, Mike Michael W. Sears, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Program in Environmental Studies Department of Biology Bryn Mawr College Bryn Mawr, PA 19010 office: 610-526-7576 lab: 610-526-7577 cell: 484-535-2116 web: http://www.thermalecology.com On Sep 19, 2010, at 06:32 PM, Murphy, Cheryl Ann murp...@ku.edu wrote: Hello, I was curious if anyone has found good graphing software that is compatible with macs - I'm looking to have graphs that would be suitable for publications. I've used Sigma Plot in the past but it is only windows-based. Thanks! Cheryl Murphy Ph.D. Candidate Dept. Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of Kansas murp...@ku.edu 423-208-1165
[ECOLOG-L] Tenure track position in Environmental Biology
Tenure-Track Search in Environmental Biology Biology/Environmental Biology: Haverford College (http://www.haverford.edu) seeks outstanding candidates for a tenure-track appointment in Environmental Biology at the assistant or associate professor level, to begin Fall 2011. Applicants using molecular and/or computational approaches to study fundamental questions in ecology, biodiversity, and/or plant biology are encouraged to apply. The successful candidate will contribute to a vibrant curriculum in cell and molecular biology, participate in an interdisciplinary Environmental Studies program that engages colleagues at Bryn Mawr and Swarthmore Colleges, and establish a vigorous, externally funded research program involving undergraduate students. Post-doctoral experience required. Apply by submitting a single PDF file containing cover letter, curriculum vitae, statements of research plans and teaching interests to hc-environ...@haverford.edu. Three formal recommendations, submitted separately by referees, are also required and should be sent to Merleen Macdonald, Haverford College, 370 Lancaster Avenue, Haverford, Pennsylvania 19041. Review of completed applications begins October 1st. Specific questions may be directed to Karl Johnson, Chair, Biology Department, 610-896-1306. Haverford is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action employer, committed to excellence through diversity, and strongly encourages applications and nominations of persons of color, women, and members of other under-represented groups. Michael W. Sears, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Program in Environmental Studies Department of Biology Bryn Mawr College Bryn Mawr, PA 19010 office: 610-526-7576 lab: 610-526-7577 cell: 484-535-2116 web: http://www.thermalecology.com
Re: [ECOLOG-L] Statistic program question
I want to sit down and learn R. Where is the best place to start? At your computer! ;) If you are looking for a book, good ones are Michael Crawley's Statistics: An Introduction Using R or Peter Dalgaard's Introductory Statistics with R. Crawley is a biologist, and his book might be a little more accessible to ecologists. He has also written a much more comprehensive book on R, The R Book, which is useful. Cheers, Mike Malcolm On Tue, Jun 2, 2009 at 4:58 PM, Gavin Simpson gavin.simp...@ucl.ac.uk wrote: On Tue, 2009-06-02 at 14:15 -0700, AdRiAnA HuMaNeS wrote: Dear Listers: I am writing to ask if anyone knows a statistical program besides PERMANOVA= that can do ANOVAS of mixed designs with four factors (two orthogonals and= two nested) and unbalanced data, Best Regards Adriana Humanes Function adonis() in the vegan package for R can fit this type of model. You can find out more here: http://cran.r-project.org/package=vegan HTH, G -- %~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~% Dr. Gavin Simpson [t] +44 (0)20 7679 0522 ECRC, UCL Geography, [f] +44 (0)20 7679 0565 Pearson Building, [e] gavin.simpsonATNOSPAMucl.ac.uk Gower Street, London [w] http://www.ucl.ac.uk/~ucfagls/ UK. WC1E 6BT. [w] http://www.freshwaters.org.uk %~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~% -- Michael W. Sears, Ph.D. Department of Biology Bryn Mawr College 101 N. Merion Ave Bryn Mawr, PA 19010 http://www.brynmawr.edu/biology http://www.zoology.siu.edu/sears/mike_sears_home.html
[ECOLOG-L] REU position, thermoregulation
Please forward to potentially interested undergrads: A Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) position is available in Mike Sears's Ecology Lab at Southern Illinois University/Bryn Mawr College for the summer of 2009. Projects for this position will be related to ongoing experimental mesocosm studies of behavioral thermoregulation in lizards. The participant would gain valuable experience in both the laboratory and field. This experience could potentially lay the groundwork for a senior thesis as well as prepare students for future graduate careers. Our work takes place at the Sevilleta Long Term Ecological Research field station (http://sev.lternet.edu/) in New Mexico. As a part of this experience, participants will have the opportunity to interact with other REUs, researchers, and graduate students from many different universities. Further, this participant will be a part of a dynamic group of researchers from the labs of Mike Sears (http://www.zoology.siu.edu/sears/mike_sears_home.html) and Mike Angilletta (http://www.indstate.edu/biology/faculty/angilletta.htm). Housing and a stipend will be provided as well as travel costs to the field station. It should be noted that, because of the location and timing of this work, participants should be prepared to work for some long days under hot dry conditions. Eligible candidates must be currently enrolled undergraduates, who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents. Students from under-represented groups as well as from small colleges are encouraged to apply. We are especially interested in students who plan to pursue graduate studies in ecology, behavior, or evolution. Please send a letter of interest, current CV or resume, and the name of a reference via email to Mike Sears (mse...@brynmawr.edu). Also feel free to contact Mike Sears (mse...@brynmawr.edu) or Mike Angilletta (mangille...@isugw.indstate.edu) for further information regarding this position. Review of applications will begin immediately. Preference will be given to candidate that can start on or before June 1. -- Michael W. Sears, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Department of Zoology Center for Ecology Southern Illinois University Carbondale, IL 62901 http://www.zoology.siu.edu/sears/mike_sears_home.html Mailing address after July 1, 2009: Department of Biology Bryn Mawr College 101 N. Merion Ave Bryn Mawr, PA 19010
Re: quoted anti-evolution statements retracted
Yes, but we should be careful not to remove origins from the realm of science. Seriously, at what nanosecond after the first spark of life was ignited did evolution begin? Personally, I choose not to separate the two, and can't really think of a good reason why anyone should. Mike On Friday 26 October 2007 10:17:13 am Elizabeth Rich wrote: Jacobson's retraction of his fifty year-old statements also shows how the topic of evolution is often linked to the origin of life when they are in fact two different discussions. It seems to be a creationist tactic to position them as the same. -- Michael W. Sears, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Department of Zoology Center for Ecology Soutern Illinois University Carbondale, IL 62901 phone: 618-453-4137 cell: 618-528-0348 web: http://www.science.siu.edu/zoology/people/sears.html Without deviation from the norm, 'progress' is not possible. Frank Zappa
Re: OpenOffice bug hits multiple operating systems
So does this mean that when a similar exploit is found in Microsoft Office, that it is still a more secure application because it affects fewer operating systems? (...because the folks in Redmond don't offer a Linux version of Microsoft Office). And note the source...CNET sites (e.g., ZDNET) are typically more sympathetic to Micro$oft. And I notice a Microsoft bias in your email address as well! My 2 cents. Mike On Wednesday 26 September 2007 03:02:59 pm Sharif Branham wrote: This article seems relevant in light of some of the recent conversations about alternatives to MS Excel. Security experts have discovered vulnerabilities in OpenOffice.org that could allow attackers to remotely execute code on Linux, Windows or Apple Mac-based computers. http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1009_22-6209919.html?tag=nl.e550 Date: Wed, 26 Sep 2007 11:19:09 -0400 From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Call for Papers: Remote Sensing of Terrestrial Carbon Fluxes and Vegetation Biophysical Properties To: ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU Apologies for cross posting. Call for Papers Remote Sensing of Terrestrial Carbon Fluxes and Vegetation Biophysical Properties Special Paper Session for the 2008 Annual Meeting of the Association of American Geographers (AAG) April 15-19, Boston, Massachusetts The estimation of carbon fluxes between the terrestrial biosphere and the atmosphere has important scientific and political implications. Remote sensing has proven a valuable tool for directly or indirectly estimating terrestrial carbon fluxes at landscape, regional, continental, and global scales. Remote sensing is also effective in estimating vegetation biophysical properties including vegetation biomass, leaf area index (LAI), fractional vegetation cover, and phenology that are explicitly used for estimating ecosystem carbon fluxes in empirical approaches or process-based biogeochemistry models. This session will focus on the use of remote sensing data and techniques for estimating ecosystem carbon fluxes and vegetation biophysical properties at various spatial and temporal scales. This session will include, but not limited to, the following topics: (1) Scaling-up site-level measurements on ecosystem carbon fluxes (e.g., eddy covariance measurements) to regional or continental scales using remote sensing data; (2) Quantifying ecosystem carbon fluxes at landscape, regional, or continental scales using remote sensing data and techniques; (3) Detecting land use/land cover change, disturbances (e.g., fires, and insect defoliation), and extreme climate events (e.g., droughts) and understanding their impacts on regional carbon budgets by combining remote sensing and other techniques; (4) Estimating vegetation biophysical properties including vegetation biomass, LAI, fractional vegetation cover, and vegetation phenology at landscape, regional, or continental scales using optical or microwave remote sensing. We also encourage submissions simulating ecosystem carbon fluxes at regional or continental scales using empirical or biogeochemistry models driven by remote sensing data (e.g., vegetation indices, LAI, vegetation phenology). Abstract submission details are available at the AAG website (http://www.aag.org/annualmeetings/2008/papers.htm). If you are interested in participating in this special session, please submit your abstract through the online submission system by October 31, 2007. After you submit you abstract, please send me an email containing: (1) Your name, affiliation, presentation title, and abstract; (2) The PIN number assigned to you by the online submission system. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions for the special session or the abstract submission procedures. Dr. Jingfeng Xiao Department of Earth Atmospheric Sciences Purdue University CIVIL 550 Stadium Mall Drive West Lafayette, IN 47907-2051 Tel: (765) 496-8678; Fax: (765) 496-1210 Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://web.ics.purdue.edu/~xiao3 _ Discover the new Windows Vista http://search.msn.com/results.aspx?q=windows+vistamkt=en-USform=QBRE -- Michael W. Sears, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Department of Zoology Center for Ecology Soutern Illinois University Carbondale, IL 62901 phone: 618-453-4137 cell: 618-528-0348 web: http://www.science.siu.edu/zoology/people/sears.html Without deviation from the norm, 'progress' is not possible. Frank Zappa
Re: Christianity survey
For a counterexample to this tired argument for irreducible complexity, check out : Bridgham, Carroll, and Thornton. 2006. Evolution of hormone-receptor complexity by molecular exploitation. Science 312:97-101. Turns out all the parts don't have to be there simultaneously afterall. Cheers, Mike On Sunday 26 August 2007 09:08:38 pm Carissa Shipman wrote: I am a biology student at Temple University and I have conducted an NSF funded systematics project for the order Hymenoptera at the American Museum of Natural History. My question is why is the scientific community so convinced of evolution? There are very few publications concerning evolution at the molecular or biochemical level. Most scientists are baffled at how such molecular systems such as blood clotting actual evolved in a step by step manner. It looks to me like many of the molecular inter workings all needed to be there simultaneously for the end product to function properly. The biosynthesis of AMP is just as baffling. How could that have happened in a step by step fashion? You can speculate, but no evolutionist has the answer. So if you can not explain how the most nitty gritty machines of life molecules learned to function in the intricate ways that they do why are you so certain that everything evolved? Science is looking at the details. All science textbooks I have read have relayed very little evidence of evolution at the molecular level. They just say it happened. Since Darwinian evolution has published very few papers concerning molecular evolution it should perish. Systematics addresses genetic similarities between species, but it does not address exactly how those genetic differences and similarities came to be. There maybe fossils and genes, but you need more than this. I am not convinced of evolution, but still choose to educate myself in what it teaches and believes. How do scientists explain how even the slightest mutation in the human genome is highly detrimental most of the time? If even the slightest change occurs in our genome it is oftentimes fatal. Believing that this mechanism lead to all the species we see today takes a great deal of faith.For instance if even one step of the blood clotting process were disturbed the effects would be disastrous. Also, why does evolution leave out mathematical statistics of how each mutation arose. TPA a component of blood clotting has 4 domains. If we attempted to shuffle the genes for these four domains the odds of getting all four domains together is 30,000 to the fourth power, and that is just for TPA! Calculating mutation rates and the odds of getting certain genes to match up perfectly for the ultimate function shows us that it takes more faith to believe that we evolved from primordial slime. The earth has had thousands of lightning bolts hit it every year and we have not seen life spawn from molecules. If evolution happened we would see it reoccuring time and time again from the bottom. Why have we not seen it, because conditions have not been perfect? I do not deny adaptation within species, but this is far different than the assumptions of macro evolution. If an evolutionist can challenge my arguments I would gladly like to hear your rebuttal. Publications for molecular evolution use many words such as unleashed. How was it unleashed, what were the step by step mechanisms that you can say for certain occurred, leaving macro leapages out of the picture? You see fossils, but you have no detailed explanations as to how one may have turned into the other at the molecular level. If you can not explain it at the molecular level you have nothing to base your assumptions on. Also all the breeds of dogs are very different from one another and some of their skeletal structures look unrelated. The different types of dogs that you see arrived through intelligent interaction, not evolutionary processes. Change occurs in nature to a limited extent. That is all. Sincerely, Carissa Shipman -- Michael W. Sears, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Department of Zoology Center for Ecology Soutern Illinois University Carbondale, IL 62901 phone: 618-453-4137 cell: 618-528-0348 web: http://www.science.siu.edu/zoology/people/sears.html
Re: Christianity survey
Not to start yet another holy war here, but I'd say that although the evidence is overwhelming in support of evolution as the mechanism responsible for the diversity of life we see today, there is NO evidence that the hand of any deity or supernatural power had anything to do with it (...not even the fairies in my garden...go ahead, prove they don't exist!). Although I probably can't change the mind of anyone with a predisposition to faith, I'd hope that such a belief doesn't make it into the classroom where teaching science is concerned. Our country is far enough behind in the sciences without that baggage. I believe that it truly is irrational and incompatible that anything supernatural could or should be used to explain observable phenomena Cheers, Mike p.s. I find it very peculiar that your god (Yahweh, I assume) is always refered to as masculine (e.g., 'He' and 'His' in the email below). Is this because man was created in God's image (after most of the rest of evolutionary history took place) and woman was created later? And if so, where is my missing rib? ;) On Wednesday 22 August 2007 07:26:22 Tom Mosca III wrote: He has a hard time understanding how Christians can reconcile their beliefs with teaching science, specifically evolution. Yes, I believe he is a Creationist. This has never been a conflict for me. As I do not claim to know more than God, I do not deny him any tools He wishes to use. If God wishes to use evolution, who am I to say He can't? The common counter-argument to this postion is that the Bible doesn't support the time line of evolution. But, the Bible was not written by God, it was written by men. If at a time prior to the evolution of mankind God wished a day to be of a longer duration, who am I do deny Him that permission? It is my position that God used evolution to create the lifeforms that populate this small portion of His universe. The evidence is compelling. Unlike the Bible, the fossil record was written by God. I don't believe that God would have made such a mistake as to create a flawed fossil record. Take care, Tom Tom Mosca III, Ph.D. -- Michael W. Sears, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Department of Zoology Center for Ecology Southern Illinois University Carbondale, IL 62901 phone: 618-453-4137 web:http://www.science.siu.edu/zoology/people/sears.html http://www.ecology.siu.edu Natural selection is a mechanism for generating an exceedingly high degree of improbability Sir Ronald A. Fisher (1890-1962)
Re: Video Analysis Software
Beth, I'm not sure what your price range is, but Noldus ObserverXT might be what you are looking for (http://www.noldus.com). Cheers, Mike On Wednesday 06 June 2007 16:57:26 Beth Holbrook wrote: Hello Ecologers, I am looking for software suggestions. I am analyzing videotape of foraging fish to measure distance of attack, swimming speed prior to attack, and angle of attack. Currently, I am using Microsoft Moviemaker to take still images which I import into ImageJ to make the measurements. This process is tedious and time-consuming, and I am hoping that there is some software out there where I can import the video and make measurements directly. Any suggestions?? Many thanks, Beth ___ Beth Holbrook Ph.D. Student Water Resources Science University of Minnesota Duluth 218-726-7079 [EMAIL PROTECTED] ___ _ Building a website is a piece of cake. Yahoo! Small Business gives you all the tools to get online. http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/webhosting -- Michael W. Sears, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Department of Zoology Center for Ecology Southern Illinois University Carbondale, IL 62901 phone: 618-453-4137 web:http://www.science.siu.edu/zoology/people/sears.html http://www.ecology.siu.edu Natural selection is a mechanism for generating an exceedingly high degree of improbability Sir Ronald A. Fisher (1890-1962)
Behavioral Ecologist--Southern Illinois University Carbondale
Behavioral Ecologist--Southern Illinois University Carbondale The Department of Zoology at Southern Illinois University Carbondale seeks a promising scientist in the general area of behavioral ecology. Applications are invited for a tenure-track position as an Assistant Professor with a start date of August 16, 2007. Applicants must hold a Ph.D. in Zoology or a closely related field, and have a record of relevant postdoctoral research training, an externally funded research program or the potential for developing one, and a significant record of peer-reviewed publications. The successful candidate will enhance and complement existing programmatic strengths in the areas of ecology, environmental biology, conservation, biodiversity, and evolutionary biology with a basic research program in some aspect of behavioral ecology. Areas of emphasis in which the Department seeks to develop further expertise include, but are not limited to, species interactions (competition, predator-prey relationships), and avian biology. Teaching responsibilities will include Animal Behavior and undergraduate/graduate courses dependent upon the individualâs expertise and program needs. SIUC is committed to becoming a leading public research university (http://news.siu.edu/s150/ ). It is a large, public, comprehensive research-intensive university situated in a pleasant small-town setting two hours southeast of St. Louis. The Department of Zoology, with a faculty of 25, offers B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Zoology (http://www.science.siu.edu/zoology/ ). SIUC is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer that strives to develop a diverse faculty and staff and to increase its potential to serve a diverse student population. All applications are encouraged and will receive consideration. Applications: Review of applications will begin Dec. 1, 2006 and continue until the position is filled. Applicants should submit a curriculum vitae, a statement of teaching and research interests, and the names and addresses of at least three references, to: Behavioral Ecology Search Committee, Department of Zoology, Mail Code 6501, 1125 Lincoln Dr., Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Carbondale, IL 62901. E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: How Steve Irwin Could Have Used Entertainment in a Better Way
Regardless of my thoughts on Steve Irwin, there is at least one big difference between the harassment that Irwin imposed on animals and that imposed by researchers employing the various methods listed by Sharif...we researchers must have our methods approved by Animal Care and Use Committees, meaning that a group of peers and laypeople review our protocols to determine whether the welfare of the animal is endangered, whether the methods are ethical, and that the scientific discovery merits the means used to collect the information. I doubt the the croc hunter had to follow the same stringent guidelines that many of us on the list must go through. Mike On Wednesday 27 September 2006 03:25, Sharif Branham wrote: Tana has a really good point. I was very suprised once I learned how mch trauma a scientist can cause an animal in the name of science. I think catching bats and birds in nets, removing chicks from nest, opening snakes and putting tracking devices inside their bodies, cutting notches or holes in the carpace of turtles and many other common research methods cause as much if not more truama than anything Steve Irwin did. Stan I have to disagree with your statement..Steve Irwin, as far as I know, did not conduct meaningful research of any kind, and his conservationism was more self-serving than beneficial to wildlife in the real world. Steve Irwin had a reserach vessel CROC1 that was used for doing research. He was doing ground breaking crocodile research. He was also involved with shark research as well as the many breeding projects he did at the zoo. He also preserved a lot of land in the name of widlife conservation. Steve, along with his wife, also started the organization Wildlife Warriors Worldwide. I wouldn't say he was all that self serving. He had a passion for conservation and he lived full throttle. Sharif Original Message Follows From: Tana Wood [EMAIL PROTECTED] Reply-To: Tana Wood [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU Subject: Re: How Steve Irwin Could Have Used Entertainment in a Better Way Date: Tue, 26 Sep 2006 18:07:03 -0500 This has been a very interesting thread. Stan, just to make sure that I understand you correctly, it sounds to me like your stance is that the handling of wildlife should be restricted to research purposes only, and that entertainers/educators should limit their handling of wildlife to these instances, or observe from afar due to the possible stress that animals might incur. I am by no means a wildlife biologist; however, I have had some experience conducting research with with frogs, fish, birds, and sea turtles. I would argue that there is a great deal more stress involved in these situations than in the temporary handling of an animal to get interesting, educational and entertaining footage. As scientists, we clip off toes, put heavy collars around their necks, bands around their legs, glue radio tracking devices to their backs, capture them repeatedly, and I know many a herpetologist who has caught snakes for purposes other than pure research. In fact, I'm not sure I know one who hasn't:) I am certainly not disparaging the value of good science... My point is simply that I don't remember hearing of any animals that Steve Irwin harmed in his effort to educate and entertain, but I myself have witnessed much harm in the name of scientific learning. For this reason, I am having a hard time buying your argument that capturing animals solely for educational purposes is unduly stressful in comparison to good scientific research. Currently, I am working in Mexico, where just the other day, a farmer told me that his community has killed as many as six jaguars in the past five years. They were afraid that the jaguars would start attacking them. I hear about people terrified that geckos cause strange illnesses and fevers, and someone came by my house just yesterday to tell me that I should get rid of all of the plants and vegetation in my garden because it could attract mosquitos and snakes. If Steve Irwin holding a venomous snake for 30 minutes captures the attention of people long enough for them to lose just a little bit of that fear and need to destroy, well, I'm not sure I see the harm. Tana Tana Wood Department of Environmental Sciences University of Virginia On Sep 26, 2006, at 4:58 PM, stan moore wrote: There is no doubt that Steve Irwin was a very popular entertainer. We have people in the U.S. who do shows with birds that are also very entertaining and they also claim to be conservationists. But at least in the U.S. there are laws to protect birds and you normally do not see entertaining , bird shows, including raptor shows displaying wild, native birds because it is illegal to do so. Steve Irwin obviously caught the attention of a lot of people and thrilled children in particular. In and of itself, I
Re: How Steve Ir.win Could Have Used Entertainment in a Better Way
I'm sorry, but my response was not mere whineging. I don't believe I could make the case to my university that because students in my class tend to sleep more than take notes that I should be allowed to handle venomous reptiles or wrestle alligators in class. Yes it would be entertaining, just like Steve's show, maybe more so because the alligator would win. But the risk involved would likely be judged nowhere close to the benefit that the students would obtain...and just what would that be again? They likely still wouldn't want to read their texts. So even though the students would be more aware of the danger of handling crocs by seeing their professor eaten (...it might even be must see tv week after week in the dorms), my poor exercise and resultant lack of an arm would be a failure. All that said, as someone that works within the field of herpetology, I do see a certain breed of students (and adults) that feel that they must handle, bag, or keep many animals that would best be left alone. At some level I am sure that Steve and others in his genre encourage this behavior in some of these individuals. To most though, the effects of his show are benign...both with respect to endangering or respecting animals as well as promoting conservation. More than anything here, I am bothered by the fact that some believe any means justifies the end result. Historically, there are many examples to show that this sort of wreckless behavior can backfire. My two cents, Mike On Wednesday 27 September 2006 09:26, David M. Lawrence wrote: As I read this professional criticism (more appropriately referred to as whingeing) about Steve Irwin I have to wonder how much of it is based on envy that people like Irwin are popular and beloved around the world while most of us work in relative obscurity teaching students who spend a lot of time asleep in class. There is room, and a need, for showmanship. We need the Steve Irwins of the world as much as we need those who go through committee review to obtain approval of research protocols. Maybe more, as public support for conservation is essential if we are going to save anything. The public learns via the Irwins, not through us. Most of us, if we attempted to start a television show to educate the public, would be miserable failures. He wasn't, and should be commemorated for that. Dave -- David M. Lawrence| Home: (804) 559-9786 7471 Brook Way Court | Fax: (804) 559-9787 Mechanicsville, VA 23111 | Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] USA | http: http://fuzzo.com -- We have met the enemy and he is us. -- Pogo No trespassing 4/17 of a haiku -- Richard Brautigan -Original Message- From: Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Mike Sears Sent: Tuesday, September 26, 2006 6:52 PM To: ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU Subject: Re: How Steve Irwin Could Have Used Entertainment in a Better Way Regardless of my thoughts on Steve Irwin, there is at least one big difference between the harassment that Irwin imposed on animals and that imposed by researchers employing the various methods listed by Sharif...we researchers must have our methods approved by Animal Care and Use Committees, meaning that a group of peers and laypeople review our protocols to determine whether the welfare of the animal is endangered, whether the methods are ethical, and that the scientific discovery merits the means used to collect the information. I doubt the the croc hunter had to follow the same stringent guidelines that many of us on the list must go through. Mike -- Michael W. Sears, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Department of Zoology Southern Illinois University Carbondale, IL 62901 phone: 618-453-4137 web:http://www.science.siu.edu/zoology/people/sears.html http://www.ecology.siu.edu Natural selection is a mechanism for generating an exceedingly high degree of improbability Sir Ronald A. Fisher (1890-1962)
MS/PhD assistanships available
PhD or MS in Behavioral Thermoregulation I have an NSF-funded research assistantship for a Masters or PhD student available to start either this fall or next spring. Work will involve both experimental and modeling approaches to study behavioral thermoregulation and animal movement strategies through spatially-heterogeneous thermal habitats. Part of the work will require working on lizards in experimental field enclosures, but applicants interested in other organisms (e.g., insects or small mammals) are also encouraged to apply. Competitive applicants will have backgrounds in one or more of the following areas: ecology, biology, physiology, animal behavior, statistics, computer science, GIS, or mathematics. Students with a quantitative background (or an interest in quantitative approaches to biological problems) are especially encouraged to apply. Additional positions may become available, although these will likely be funded through teaching assistantships. Interested applicants should send a letter of interest along with a CV (including GRE scores), and a list of three potential references by email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] or by regular mail to Mike Sears, Department of Zoology, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL 62901. -- Michael W. Sears, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Department of Zoology Center for Ecology Southern Illinois University Carbondale, IL 62901 office: 618-453-4137 lab: 618-435-4190 http://equinox.unr.edu/homepage/msears
Re: Mark-Recapture in R
Hi Ned, First, why not use Program Mark? Second, although I haven't tried it, there is RMark (http://nmml.afsc.noaa.gov/Software/marc/marc.stm), which is an R interface to the Mark procedures from which you should be able to run Pradel models. Mike Ned Dochtermann wrote: Is anyone aware of mark-recapture libraries for R? Specifically Pradel models? I have searched the various listservs via CRAN's recommended search engines as well as the available libraries to no avail. Thanks for any help. Ned Dochtermann * Ned Dochtermann [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.unr.nevada.edu/~dochterm/ 775-784-6781 Graduate Group in Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology Fleischman Agriculture Building, Room 145 University of Nevada, Reno * Beyond such discarded fundamentals as 'matter' and 'force' lies still another amidst the inscrutable arcana of modern science, namely, the category of cause and effect. Karl Pearson
Re: non-metric multi-dimentional scale analysis
I have worked with PC-ORD, and I highly recommend it as well. If you can't afford the price tag, there are several options for performing NMDS and other ordination techniques in R. For instance, check out the labsv package in R (http://cran.r-project.org/src/contrib/Descriptions/labdsv.html and http://ecology.msu.montana.edu/labdsv/R/lab9/lab9.html). Cheers, Mike On Monday 01 May 2006 10:35, L. Brian Patrick wrote: Hello! The best book to use for a better understanding of NMS: McCune, B., and J.B. Grace. 2002. Analysis of Ecological Communities. MjM Software, Gleneden Beach, OR, USA. (NMS is chapter 16, pp. 125-142) Bruce McCune is also one of the authors of the software package PCORD. I cannot begin to tell you how helpful that book is and how great the software is to run the analyses. Both the book and the software can be purchased relatively inexpesively directly from MjM Software: http://home.centurytel.net/~mjm/ Best regards, L. Brian Patrick Ashwini Upadhyay wrote: Dear All, Recently while starting my data analysis for looking at the habitat use comparison between the LIvestock and wild-ungulates. I came across Non-metric multi-dimenstional scaling. I could get the references but could not trace out how to do it, if anyone can help me out it would be nice. I have habitat variables as aspect, slope, distance to escape terrain, altitude, terrain typ in categorical classes. I am using the SPSS software. With regards A.Kumar - Jiyo cricket on Yahoo! India cricket Yahoo! Messenger Mobile Stay in touch with your buddies all the time. -- Michael W. Sears, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Department of Zoology Center for Ecology Southern Illinois University Carbondale, IL 62901 office: 618-453-4137 lab: 618-453-4190 web: http://equinox.unr.edu/homepage/msears
Re: GPS units and accuracy data
Not to be a cheerleader for Trimble, but they do offer another nice handheld unit that is much more accurate than the GeoXT. The unit is the GeoXH (http://www.trimble.com/geoxh.shtml). It offers real time sub-meter accuracy and 30-cm accuracy when post corrected. Also with the purchase of an additional Zephyr antenna, the accuracy can be increased to 20-cm (...but is an extra 10-cm really worth the price of an antenna at ~$2000?!). The unit costs ~$5000...and without the antenna, it doesn't require a backpack, which is really nice. You might also consider the GeoBeacon, which sends realtime corrections to your GeoXT through a Bluetooth connection. I haven't used this product personally, but have heard that it is nice. Cheers, Mike On Thursday 30 March 2006 09:35, Dave Thomson wrote: I would agree that the GeoXT is not a high caliber GPS unit. I was dissuaded from using them by the very helpful techs at GeoPlane Services: http://www.geoplane.com/trimble/pathfinderproxrs.html I have no experience with Leica products, but I wouldn't imagine a handheld unit could rival the data quality of a backpack unit. I have experience with the Trimble TSC1 Asset Surveyor/Pathfinder Pro XR combination (dGPS) but was looking for the ability to utilize orthorectified aerial photography in the field during data collection. I thought that the GeoXT might fit the bill; I was told, unfortunately, that the GeoXT's resolution was poor, and in particular the Z-axis was very poor. Instead, he recommended renting one of their Pathfinder Pro XRS backpack dGPS units, which they can pair with an Allegro CX field PC which takes the place of the Trimble data collector. As you will see in the link below the Allegro can hold up to a gigabite of data and display color images very well. http://www.geoplane.com/junipersystems/allegrocx.html Of course not everyone can afford a Pathfinder Pro XR/S and an Allegro CX. To be honest, I am not even sure how much they would run you currently. I did see used Pathfinder Pro XR backpack units sell on eBay in the $5-10,000 range! The big questions to ask yourself are: 1) do you need this level of precision in your data, and 2) do you need to own one of these setups? If the answers to the above are yes, and no, respectively, then consider renting the units from a business such as GeoPlane. The last quote I had from them for that setup was $1175 a month. The techs at GeoPlane can help you decide what you require without the pressure of a sales department. Hope that helps, David Thomson PS - I noted that one person discussed the ability to hold a lock on satellites underneath a tree canopy with a GPS unit (handheld?). This is not common. In fact I was surprised that someone had been 'offered' data by their GPS unit in such a situation. Perhaps this is because (I believe) most handheld units do not have good data quality assurance functions and will offer any position they 'acquire'. User beware... High quality units will not even offer the user any data in such situations. The Pathfinder Pro XR/TSC1 combination that I have used in the past was only able to acquire a 3D lock in the near absence of canopy; certainly the gap in the canopy had to be quite large (i.e. expose sufficient sky to adequately 'see' enough satellites). In some situations where I needed to acquire whatever data I could, I would alter the settings to acquire the less accurate 2D data. Later, while using the data, I was surprised at it's obvious innacuracies. The techs at GeoPlane did note that they have range poles can cabling that they offer with their backpack units, which allow the user to raise the antenna (what was it?) 10 feet (meters?) - sorry it's been awhile. They said that this can help one acquire a signal in and around tree canopies, but (of course) it is no guarantee. -Original Message- From: Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Malcolm McCallum Sent: Tuesday, March 28, 2006 7:22 AM To: ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU Subject: Re: GPS units and accuracy data I have not used a Leica GS20, how does it compare to the GeoXT? also,=20 =20 Malcolm L. McCallum Assistant Professor Department of Biological Sciences Texas AM University Texarkana 2600 Robison Rd. Texarkana, TX 75501 O: 1-903-233-3134 H: 1-903-791-3843 Homepage: https://www.eagle.tamut.edu/faculty/mmccallum/index.html =20 From: Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news on behalf of = Marlow G. Pellatt Sent: Mon 3/27/2006 11:26 PM To: ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU Subject: Re: GPS units and accuracy data There are several GPS units with as good or better precision than the = GeoXT. You will need to decide what Basic mapping grade handheld units include = the Leica GS20, Trimble Pathfinder series, and several other survey and = mapping level GPS
Ph.D. GRADUATE ASSISTANTSHIP ON TEXAS HORNED LIZARDS
Please post... Ph.D. GRADUATE ASSISTANTSHIP ON TEXAS HORNED LIZARDS: I seek to fill a graduate research assistantship with a student having a M.S. in wildlife science, zoology, biology, or related field to study conservation, ecology, and management of the Texas horned lizard on an urban military installation. Work will include telemetry of horned lizards, sampling of vegetation and ant prey base, habitat modeling, and translocation. Qualifications: independent but able to work well in a team setting and with agency personnel, great work ethic, GIS experience, minimum of 1100 verbal + quantitative GRE score. Incipient interest in ants would be a plus. Graduate stipend is $1,218/mo with complete tuition waiver and health insurance. Starting date: 1 May 2006. Submit letter of interest, resume, copies of GRE scores and transcripts and names and phone numbers of 3 references to: Dr. Eric C. Hellgren, Cooperative Wildlife Research Laboratory, Mailcode 6504, Department of Zoology, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL 62901-6504. 618-453-6941 (phone); 618-453-6944 (fax); E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] E-mail applications are encouraged. Application review will continue until a student is chosen. -- Michael W. Sears, Ph.D. Associate Editor, Herpetologica Assistant Professor Center for Ecology Department of Zoology Southern Illinois University Carbondale, IL 62901 phone: 618-453-4137 web:http://equinox.unr.edu/homepage/msears http://www.ecology.siu.edu Natural selection is a mechanism for generating an exceedingly high degree of improbability Sir Ronald A. Fisher (1890-1962)
