Diversity In World Research Articles

The World in Venice: Print, the City, and Early Modern Identity (review)

Reviewed by Evelyn Lincoln The World in Venice: Print, the City, and Early Modern Identity. By Bronwen Wilson. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2005. Pp. xvvii+406. $70. Operating in different ways, early modern Venetian prints reinforced the inhabitants' identification with their miraculous city, its social types, and rank in the societal order. In this discussion of the activity of the Venetian press, Bronwen Wilson shows how the heterogeneous population of Venetians found and articulated a collective identity in the printed production of maps of Venice, costume books, ephemeral celebrations, and portraits. The monumental icon of Venetian map printing, Jacopo de' Barbari's woodcut of 1500, instantiated in a modern format the well-developed legend of the city's physical circumstances as a topographical wonder. It has been a major source of information about the layout of Renaissance Venice and technologies of surveying and diagramming. Wilson interrogates it as a progenitor of smaller engraved maps in which increasing amounts of text render the image of Venice subservient to the decorative images in their frames and the proliferation of written legends surrounding them. The author distinguishes between attitudes toward disembodied viewing of the city's topography—associated with sight—and relating its history and magnificence in time, experienced in moving through the city. Discussing this change in terms of the city's decline as a market force, Wilson shows how later images of Venice, such as Giacomo Franco's engraved frontispiece for a 1610 costume book, "reassert the city's status as a metropole" with "space and time—the abstract gaze of the geographer and the embodied experience of moving through the city—hav[ing] been taken apart" (p. 69). Costume books and a type of traveler's scrapbook (the album amicorum) classified foreignness and sameness in relation to places of origin, with subjects separated by gender. Making analogies with contemporary methods of natural-history classification, Wilson argues that "the costume [End Page 842] book was a vehicle of classification, a means to diagram the world's diversity . . . these artists combine the art of the tailor with that of the scientific illustrator in a display of feathers, pleats, slashes, and ruffs . . . enab[ling] costume to define the species, as it were, of the human genus" (p. 93). Pursuing the formal connections in printed illustrations among geography, costume, and natural history illustration, Wilson points to habits of learning that might explain why information about dress was included in printed maps and atlases that began to appear at that time. Printed processions and civic celebrations also became occasions both for forming an image of Venetians for foreign consumption, and for Venetians to see themselves as players on a global printed stage in time and space. They also provided a means of circulating images of the most infamous of all Others, the Turk. Describing the effect of decorated floats and ephemeral architectural apparati known through paintings and written descriptions, Wilson then discusses the presence of elaborately dressed women in these prints (if not necessarily at the events) that made these celebrations seem so magnificent and memorable. Returning to the book's theme of identity, the author shows that for the types of women pictured in costume books and festival prints, "self" was defined in "the gap between the role and how it was performed" (p. 184). The last chapter treats portraits as expressions of individuality, newly located in images of faces. In her discussion of the fascination Turks and Japanese ambassadors held for the Venetian, Wilson emphasizes physiognomy as a differentiating factor in stereotyping how these groups acted (violent, lazy, and so on). Since Wilson claims that these were not "racialized" attitudes, it would have been instructive to define what racialized might have meant in this context as opposed to that of the eighteenth century, and how racialized discourse did different work than the visual and textual stereotyping we see here. For Wilson, representations of Muslim rulers rounded out cycles of classification of the world, which was...

Theoretical Limology: Postmodern Analytical Approaches

In the field of geographical limology, the new science of international borders, it is possible to distinguish several consecutive theoretical approaches that can be seen as either traditional or postmodern. At each consecutive stage new approaches have been applied together with, not in place of, the traditional, in order to continue to perfect the discipline (see, for instance, Minghi, 1963; Rumley and Minghi, 1991). Traditional approaches, such as historical mapping, the typological, the functional and the political, have been described in previous theoretical works (e.g. Kolossov and O'Loughlin, 1998; Kolossov and Turovsky, 1998; Kolossov and Mironenko, 2001). Here we are concerned with the postmodern approaches, which have been emerging mostly during the 1990s and the present decade.

Conservation: Losing Biodiversity by Reverse Speciation

A large fraction of the world's species diversity is of recent evolutionary origin, and has evolved as a by-product of divergent adaptation in heterogeneous environments. Recent research provides a dire warning that homogenizing environments may cause the rapid loss of such species through a reversal of the speciation process.

Atmospheric nitrogen deposition in world biodiversity hotspots: the need for a greater global perspective in assessing N deposition impacts

AbstractIncreased atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition is known to reduce plant diversity in natural and semi‐natural ecosystems, yet our understanding of these impacts comes almost entirely from studies in northern Europe and North America. Currently, we lack an understanding of the threat of N deposition to biodiversity at the global scale. In particular, rates of N deposition within the newly defined 34 world biodiversity hotspots, to which 50% of the world's floristic diversity is restricted, has not been quantified previously. Using output from global chemistry transport models, here we provide the first estimates of recent (mid‐1990s) and future (2050) rates and distributions of N deposition within biodiversity hotspots. Our analysis shows that the average deposition rate across these areas was 50% greater than the global terrestrial average in the mid‐1990s and could more than double by 2050, with 33 of 34 hotspots receiving greater N deposition in 2050 compared with 1990. By this time, 17 hotspots could have between 10% and 100% of their area receiving greater than 15 kg N ha−1 yr−1, a rate exceeding critical loads set for many sensitive European ecosystems. Average deposition in four hotspots is predicted to be greater than 20 kg N ha−1 yr−1. This elevated N deposition within areas of high plant diversity and endemism may exacerbate significantly the global threat of N deposition to world floristic diversity. Overall, we highlight the need for a greater global approach to assessing the impacts of N deposition.

From natural history to biodiversity: collections of discovery

The Natural History Museum, London, houses more than 70,000 jars with more than 5 million specimens of marine animals that constitute the Discovery collections. The Discovery collections are the specimens from the twentieth-century expeditions of British oceanographic ships, a series that began in 1904 with the return of the SY Discovery from the Antarctic. These marine collections are an irreplaceable asset in the history of biological oceanography, spanning a time of changes – change in the use of such collections and dramatic global environmental change. Collections of animals have graduated from being objects of wonder to satisfy curiosity to be essential reference collections for the taxonomy and nomenclature of the world's diversity, underpinning attempts to decipher patterns of marine biodiversity and evolutionary relationships. The Discovery collections offer a record of oceanic life as it was, before the demise of the great whales, before the ozone “hole” and before global warming. The foresight of the collectors of this unique archive can be rewarded by their use as an active research tool, using modern molecular and analytical techniques, and others yet to be imagined.

PATTERNS AND PROCESSES OF LATEST ORDOVICIAN GRAPTOLITE EXTINCTION AND RECOVERY BASED ON DATA FROM SOUTH CHINA

We have studied the pattern of graptolite species turnover during the latest Ordovician mass extinction based on four continuous Ashgillian to earliest Llandovery sections together with data from more than 30 other published sections. The studied sections represent relatively shallow-water and deeper-water belts in the Yangtze Platform region. Using temporally scaled range data, species diversities and extinction and origination probabilities have been calculated using several analytical methods, including a capture- mark-recapture method. We test the statistical significance of these results and the apparent taxonomic selectivity of extinction and origination via Monte Carlo simulations and contingency analysis. Graptolite species diversity within the Yangtze Platform rose steadily during the late Ashgill, until in the mid-late Paraorthograptus pacificusChron, when rising extinction risk overtook origination. Diversity dropped to very low levels during the early Hirnantian when extinction probabilities attained significantly elevated rates for a period of 600-900 Ky. The period of high extinction risk was followed immediately by a short period of very high origination probability. A second, short period of high extinction risk occurred at the end of Hirnantian time. The Hirnantian extinction events marked a change from relatively low, steady origination and extinction probabilities to a prolonged period of elevated extinction risk and highly variable origination probability that extended well into the Rhuddanian. Extinction and origination was highly selective during the Hirnantian and favored both the survival and diversification of the Normalograptidae relative to the Dicranograptidae, Diplograptidae, and Orthograptidae. The main phase of extinction in the latest Rawtheyan and early Hirnantian was coincident with continental glaciation in the Southern Hemisphere. The resulting changes in ocean circulation and oxygenation appear to have almost completely eliminated the preferred habitat for most graptolite species. The Yangtze Platform region, however, may have served as a refugium for many taxa that disappeared earlier in other regions as well as a host site for the initiation of graptolite rediversification. Following the end of the glaciation, conditions favorable for graptolite proliferation were restored but graptolite communities remained unstable for much of the late Hirnantian and early Rhuddanian. Accordingly, the Hirnantian mass extinction appears to have fundamentally altered graptolite species dynamics as well as clade dominance patterns. A full understanding of the history of life requires an expanded, hierarchical theory of evolution that gives to mass extinctions (and other levels of selection) an appropriate role in determining clade and diversity histories. INCE THE beginning of the scientific study of the fossil record it has been evident that the history of life is intermittently interrupted by widely spaced extinction events during which large fractions of the world's species diversity became extinct. The Late Ordovician was one such event, and graptolites were among the organisms that showed high rates of taxonomic turnover during this interval. Most previous studies of the Late Ordovician grap- tolite extinction (e.g., Melchin and Mitchell, 1991; Koren', 1991; Koren' and Bjerreskov, 1999) were based on attempts at global compilation of data from many separate sections and different zonal schemes. The range data themselves were gathered primar- ily from the published literature, and necessarily involved many different (and in some cases contradictory) systematic treatments of the graptolite faunas, as well as varying sampling intervals and intensities. However, more precise, quantitative data on the rate and magnitude of extinction are essential to understand the pro- cesses that underlay the extinction event. These data require a finely resolved chronology and consistent systematic treatment of the faunas. The present paper employs a large and revised compilation of graptolite species ranges based on our recollection and published data from 37 densely sampled sections in South China. These include four continuous sections (Wangjiawan and Fenxiang of

American Folklore Society Recommendations to the WIPO Intergovernmental Committee on Intellectual Property and Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge, and Folklore

In pursuing its mandate, the Intergovernmental Committee (IGC) on Intellectual Property and Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge, and Folklore (GRTKF) of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) must confront a wide range of issues of interest to folklorists and the individuals and communities with which they work. These issues range from basic definitions of folklore and traditional knowledge to the rights of traditional knowledge and folklore bearers and from the relationships between folklorists and the people they collaborate with in their work to the relevancy of current legal regimes of national and international intellectual property to the needs and local processes developed through customary and traditional systems. The American Folklore Society (AFS) is an association of scholars and other professionals who create and communicate knowledge about folklore. Our more than 1,200 members are scholars and teachers at colleges and universities, professionals in arts and cultural organizations, and community members involved in folklore work. Members of the American Folklore Society live and work throughout the world. I. General IGC Processes and Participation The American Folklore Society believes that the issues in front of the IGC are deserving of international assessment, and we applaud the work of the IGC in addressing issues of considerable concern to communities and peoples throughout the world. In order that the IGC best achieve its objectives in a process that provides input from all relevant stakeholders, the AFS recommends the following: WIPO should take the necessary steps (including the provision of financial support) to ensure the equitable and meaningful participation of indigenous peoples and traditional knowledge communities in discussions of the IGC—GRTKF. WIPO should recognize that the needs of member states are not necessarily synonymous with those of the indigenous and traditional knowledge communities that reside within their [End Page 296] boundaries and that the rights and interests of these groups may run counter to those of member nations. WIPO should take the necessary steps to ensure that conclusions of the IGC—GRTKF and similar bodies incorporate the identified needs of indigenous peoples and traditional knowledge communities who are the primary guardians and interpreters of their cultures. The peoples and communities affected by the work of the IGC—GRTKF should have a major role in determining the results of that work. WIPO should recognize that traditional knowledge and folklore are part of the culture of both indigenous peoples and nonindigenous peoples. The latter includes groups who have developed significant traditional knowledge and folklore over the course of generations in locations different from their historical places of origin. WIPO must comprehensively communicate the results of this committee's work, as well as all WIPO laws dealing with intellectual property rights and traditional knowledge and folklore, to indigenous peoples and traditional knowledge communities. II. Traditional Knowledge and Folklore Of particular concern to the AFS is the consideration of the impacts of intellectual property regimes on traditional knowledge and folklore, and especially on those individuals and groups who actively maintain the dynamic traditions and lore that contribute to the world's knowledge and diversity. This knowledge has been, and continues to be, a significant source of social, cultural, economic, and political power. The AFS believes that the IGC—GRTKF must consistently strive to be sensitive to the needs of diverse knowledge systems and communities, as well as to issues of social and political justice bound up in diverse forms of expressive culture. The AFS thus recommends the following steps as intrinsic to maintaining sensitivity and respect of traditional knowledge and folklore and the bearers of these traditions: WIPO and other relevant intergovernmental organizations should provide assistance and capacity building to developing nations, indigenous peoples, and traditional knowledge communities through the provision of (1) technical assistance on matters relating to intellectual property, traditional knowledge, and folklore; (2) technical assistance on the documentation and conservation of traditional knowledge and folklore; and...

Globalism and Tolerance in Early Modern Geography

Geography's voice within the debates on cosmopolitan citizenship initiated by Martha Nussbaum's 1994 restatement of Stoic cosmopolitanism has been strangely muted, especially given the significance of spatiality and cultural specificity within recent geographical theory. David Harvey's (2000) contribution is an exception, but while his argument that geographical education should be propaedeutic to cosmopolitanism is politically powerful and timely, his presentation of it begs some historical questions. The principal ones concern his neglect of the neo-Stoic tradition in Renaissance geography and his narrow embrace of geography as a political project. This article addresses these issues through an examination of Abraham Ortelius's Theatrum Orbis Terrarum (1570), a distinctly Renaissance cosmographic project of representing the world's unity and diversity. The work is placed in the context of sixteenth-century neo-Stoicism, humanist rhetoric, and the metaphor of the world theater as a moral space. Knowledge of the world theater involves various forms of “distanciation,” promoting a quest for wisdom and tolerance of difference. Such geography is primarily a moral project that emphasizes the poetics as much as the politics of reason and understanding. Philosophical ideas and practices relating to global knowledge and vision, molded in the context of the early Roman empire, were reworked in the early years of European (especially Iberian) oceanic empire, and also in the context of religious intolerance within Europe itself. The article argues that geography's own contributions to cosmopolitanism are deeper and more complex than a reading confined to post-Enlightenment disciplinary geography would suggest.

Indonesia's threatened birds: over 500 million years of evolutionary heritage at risk

AbstractUsing published IUCN red‐lists for the threatened bird species of Indonesia (Stattersfield & Capper, 2000), we document that the species at risk in Indonesia are not a taxonomically random sample, consistent with patterns seen at the global scale (Purvis et al., 2000). This implies that a greater than random proportion of Indonesia's and the world's (through the loss of endemics) phylogenetic diversity (PD) is at risk (Von Euler, 2001). Using cytochrome b (Johns & Avise, 1998) and a distance‐based taxonomy, we attempt to quantify this projected loss of PD in millions of years and conclude with a brief discussion of the conservation implications for Indonesia, and of the use of ‘evolutionary heritage’ as a measure for conservation at the geopolitical level.

Revitalising Indigenous Languages in Homogenising Times

The world's linguistic and cultural diversity is endangered by the forces of globalisation, which work to homogenise and standardise even as they segregate and marginalise. Here, I focus on the struggle to conserve linguistic and cultural diversity among Indigenous groups in the United States. Native languages are in drastic decline. Yet even as more Native American children come to school speaking English, they are likely to be stigmatised as 'limited English proficient' and placed in remedial programmes. This situation has motivated bold new approaches to Indigenous schooling that emphasise immersion in the heritage language. This article presents data on these developments and their impacts on students' self-efficacy and school performance, analysing these data in light of critical theory and current knowledge in the field of bilingual education. Indigenous language reclamation efforts must not only confront a legacy of colonialism, but also mounting pressures for standardisation and English monolingualism. I conclude with an examination of these power relations as they are manifest in the struggle for Indigenous self-determination and linguistic human rights.

Genes, morphology and agreement: congruence in Australian anthracine bee flies (Diptera : Bombyliidae : Anthracinae)

Almost half of the 4547 described bee flies (Bombyliidae : Diptera) in the world belong to the subfamily Anthracinae, with most of the world's diversity in three cosmopolitan tribes: Villini, Anthracini and Exoprosopini. Molecular data from 815 base pairs of 16S mitochondrial DNA and morphological characters from species-groups of these tribes in Australia were analysed cladistically. The results show that the relationships between the anthracine tribes reflect those found in a previous morphological analysis. The genera of the Anthracinae in Australia are monophyletic, except for Ligyra Newman, and are assigned to tribes. Although simultaneous analysis of the combined molecular and morphological data produced clades found in both separate analyses, the different data sources are significantly incongruent. We use phylogenetic measures to examine support for the relationships among the Australian Anthracinae inferred by the molecular and morphological data.

Hotspots: Earth's Biologically Richest and Most Endangered Terrestrial Ecoregions

Polynesia, the mountains of south-central China, the coastal forest of Tanzania, New Zealand - all are breathtakingly beautiful sites with a crucial fact in common. They are four of the Earth's 25 geographical areas which, according to scientists and naturalists, are home to the world's greatest plant and animal diversity. The numbers are staggering: fully 60 percent of all terrestrial animal and plant species are found in these hotspots, which are themselves only 1.4 percent of the Earth's surface; they contain 54 percent of amphibian species and nearly half of all the plant species on Earth. They are the richest and most threatened reservoirs of plant and animal life on Earth. Hotspots is the definitive compilation and status report on these 25 areas. Russell Mittermeier, Cristina Goettsch Mittermeier and Norman Myers, who pioneered the hotspots concept, take you through each of these regions, describing the various ecosystems and the threats to their existence. They have gathered the work of more than one hundred international experts on plant and animal life together with hundreds of spectacular colour photographs, essentially creating a tour of the magnificent array of life found in each region. How we address and reverse the tide of destruction in coming decades will determine the planet's course for centuries to come, and Hotspots actually offers hope that this destruction can be slowed. By showcasing the specific areas that contain the greatest diversity, it demonstrates that we can conserve a major share of this terrestrial biodiversity by focusing efforts on relatively small geographical areas. Hotspots is not only an important work for conservationists; it is also an extraordinary view of life on Earth.

Fostering the Scientific Practice of Vocational Psychology

A strong measurement tradition has produced useful knowledge about individual differences in abilities, interests, personality, and work environments. Vocational psychologists apply this knowledge to assist persons develop their potential or overcome difficulties, and we assist people develop plans, make decisions, and pursue goals by employing products of research on decision making, plans, goals, and feedback. The historical strengths delivered of our research ethos are diminishing today as opinion substitutes for evidence, complex explanations are sought rather than eschewed, and postmodern confusion encroaches on vocational psychology. The Balkanization of the larger discipline contributes to this weakening. The integrity of vocational psychology is threatened by poorly trained “career professionals” and by the World Wide Web, which facilitates the delivery of career assistance without measurement or scientific foundation. Nevertheless, the field's foothold in colleges and universities, the world's population diversity, and the need for people to play ever more productive roles in the economy position the field to renew its momentum. In seizing these opportunities we should (a) renew our linkages with kindred fields; (b) embrace the goals of individuals, employers, and social groups; (c) restore training in psychological measurement; and (d) select and train students who will pursue science in the service of organizational goals and human welfare.

UN protects crop diversity

At the beginning of July, the UN reached a landmark agreement to protect and promote the seed banks that hold the world's diversity of agricultural crops. Under the agreement, plant breeders and geneticists developing new crop varieties must make mandatory payments for access to public seed banks. The pact promotes the need for farmers to keep and sell farm-saved seed. Representatives of 161 countries reached a consensus agreement at the UN Food and Agriculture Organization's headquarters in Rome (Italy). Officials did not include issues related to seed patenting in the current agreement. [Brough, D. (2001) Toronto Star 2 July, D06 (Business section)] TS

Cladistics of a Sampling of the World's Diversity of Whiteflies of the Genus Dialeurodes (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae)

The cladistic relationships were examined within a large sample of the world's diversity of Dialeurodes Cockerell. Forty-one species were analyzed, including 27 species placed in Dialeurodes, 1 previously misclassified species, Dialeurodes fici Takahashi stat. rev., 2 undescribed species of Dialeurodes, 3 species of Rusostigma Quaintance & Baker, 4 Kanakarajiella David & Sundararaj, and 2 species of Dialeuronomada Quaintance & Baker, with 2 species of Cockerelliella Sundararaj & David used as outgroups. The analysis found 2,068 equally parsimonious trees of length 183. Several well-defined groups were present in all these trees. The important characters that define these groups are discussed, and the distinctness of these groups from the type species of the genus Dialeurodes is noted.

Election, Pluralism, and the Missiology of Scripture in a Postmodern Age

Mission theologians once held that Scripture had a unified, objective meaning that could be directly conveyed on the mission field. That view has given way to a recognition of diverse scriptural voices and the claim that this biblical diversity might be a clue toward a theological embrace of the world's diversity. This article examines that process, and then finds a similarity between this theological development and the secular movement called “postmodernism,” with its concern for situatedness and textual interpretation. Postmodernist ideas suggest a new basis for the authority of Scripture but would profit from the experience on the mission field.

Feminism, Future Hope, and the Crisis of Modernity

Current cultural forms, shaped by patriarchy, cannot accommodate feminist aspirations for inclusive justice and must be modified. We need to search across world's diversity of cultures for a new synthesis of forms that can accommodate those aspirations that should be common to all people. is usually understood to mean both a point of view and a social movement that stresses equality of women with men. Feminism affirms equivalent personhood of women with men and seeks to overcome disabilities that women suffer in religious, cultural, and social structures that have been shaped by patriarchy. As such, feminism might not suggest a global vision of future hope, but simply inclusion of women in liberal ideologies that stress human and in democratic social systems that stress equality of opportunities. There are different views of feminism depending on how radically one sees prevalent social systems and ideologies to be determined by male hegemony and hence radicality of social and cultural transformations necessary to really overcome it. I agree with those perspectives that believe feminist aspiration (or any aspiration for inclusive justice) cannot be fully accommodated within prevalent liberal/capitalist socioeconomic system and cultural ideologies. Feminism calls for a profound transformation of classical and modern western ways of understanding reality and organizing social relations. This does not mean I reject incremental reforms in existing social systems. Yet these incremental reforms need to be defined in ways that open way to more far-reaching vistas. To understand fuller vision of future hope called for by feminism, one must first recognize how deeply has structured classical and modern Western Christian culture and social relations. I speak here only of Christianity and Western Europe/North America as my context, but clearly women from other cultures and contexts may have parallel critiques of their contexts, such as, for example, South Korean women shaped by ShaBuddhist-Christian Studies 18 (1998). ? by University of Hawai'i Press. All rights reserved. This content downloaded from 157.55.39.144 on Wed, 07 Sep 2016 05:01:21 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms ROSEMARY REDFORD RUETHER manism, Confucianism, Buddhism, American Christianity, neocolonialism, and capitalism. The term patriarchy means the rule of father. This refers not just to male power over females but a comprehensive social system based on domination of patriarch or male head of family-clan over all persons and things over whom he rules, who are defined in various ways as dependent on him and serving him: wife (wives), children, clients, dependent relatives, servants, slaves, animals, and land. Classical patriarchal societies linked such clans together in a political system in which patriarchs formed a ruling class in public assemblies, with a king ruling over

Species richness and biogeography of non-acarine arachnids in Namibia

A total of 821 species, 296 genera, and 69 families of non-acarine arachnids (Araneae, Solifugae, Scorpiones, Pseudoscorpiones, Opiliones and Amblypygi) are presently known from Namibia. Patterns of spider, solifuge and scorpion species richness and endemism are summarized relative to the 14 major Namibian types of vegetation. Spiders are most speciose in the higher rainfall areas, solifuges in the dry areas, and scorpions in rocky areas. Namibia probably has the world's greatest diversity of solifuges. Many arachnids endemic to Namibia are associated with the Namib Desert sand dunes.

The Iubs-Scope-Unesco Program of Research in Biodiversity.

A planning workshop was called by IUBS (the International Union of Biological Sciences) at the Harvard Forest to develop an international research program in biodiversity, including the inventorying and monitoring of the world's biological diversity. Workshop participants were asked to develop research hypotheses that answer aspects of the question "What is the importance of biodiversity for the proper functioning of biological systems, from populations to ecosystems?" The hypotheses developed dealt with the changes that might be expected in biodiversity as a result of anthropogenic activity and also the complementary issue of how changes in biodiversity will affect the functioning of biological systems. Habitat fragmentation, loss and addition of species, changes in the functional and structural attributes of ecosystems, and the ability of depauperate ecosystems to respond to climatic and other changes, were addressed. Two issues emerged from the workshop as needing serious investigation. The first is the degree to which each species of plants and animals is unique. Many species are similar in appearance; many more perform similar ecological functions (primary producers, herbivores, decomposers, etc.). However, no two species are alike in their genetic structure or in all functional features. A very fundamental question for managers and decision-makers is the degree to which a species can substitute for another in an ecosystem, that is, how much is ecosystem function impaired when a species is lost or gained? Since human activities are resulting in both losses and introductions, a careful and precise answer to this question is essential. The second issue concerns habitat fragmentation. Human activity is creating an unprecedented fragmentation of natural habitats and ecosystems all over the world. Habitat fragmentation disrupts gene flow and propagule dispersal, but can result in increased speciation and differentiation of populations. Much more information is needed before it will be possible to predict the effects of habitat fragmentation. Without this information precise management of natural and artificial ecosystems is not possible. It is one of the issues tagged by the workshop as of crucial importance for future research. The workshop pointed out once more the serious problem that the decline in taxonomic activity is creating. There is a serious shortage of trained systematists all over the world, but particularly in tropical countries where most of the world's diversity is located. A strong recommendation from the workshop is that support for training and research in systematics be increased, that systematic collections be upgraded and supported, and that more employment opportunities for systematists be created.

Seeing Ourselves: Classic Contemporary and Cross-Cultural Readings in Sociology

Drawing on the work of Sociology pioneers as well as that of the men and women conducting today's research, this best-selling collection of readings conveys the diverse viewpoints and methodologies within sociology while capturing the complex social world. This book includes 74 classic, contemporary, or cross-cultural articles across 22 general topic areas: 29 classic articles present sociological statements of recognized importance; 23 contemporary articles cover current issues and controversies; and 22 cross-cultural articles demonstrate the world's cultural diversity. This edition maintains the emphasis on diversity from previous editions. The fourth edition of Seeing Ourselves: Classic, Contemporary, and Cross-Cultural Readings in Sociology includes 22 new selections, including one new classic; 14 new contemporary; and 7 new cross-cultural articles.