A study of the effect of light on the emission of terpenes from certain woody plants

Terpenes emitted from the intact uncrushed foliage of some common southeastern Virginia plants are identified along with terpene emission rates observed during illumination

Why dictators veto: legislation, legitimation and control in Kazakhstan and Russia

Why do authoritarian presidents still use their legislative power? Although recent studies have argued that authoritarian legislatures are more than “rubberstamps” and can serve as arenas for elite bargaining over policy, there is no evidence that legislators would pass bills that go against presidential preferences. This article investigates this apparent paradox and proposes a theoretical framework to explain presidential activism in authoritarian regimes. It argues that any bills that contravene constraints on policy-making set by the president should generally be stopped or amended by other actors loyal to the regime. Thus, presidents will rather use their veto (1) to protect the regime’s output legitimacy and stability, and/or (2) to reinforce their power vis-à-vis other actors. The argument is tested using two case studies of veto use in Kazakhstan and Russia over the last 10 years. The analysis supports the propositions of the theoretical framework and furthermore highlights the potential use of vetoes as a means of distraction, particularly in relation to international audiences. The article extends research on presidential veto power to authoritarian regimes and its findings contribute to the growing literature on the activities of authoritarian legislatures

Avian response to landscape change in fragmented southern Great Plains grasslands

We examined the dynamics of avian communities associated with fragmented grasslands in Oklahoma, USA, using long-term (1965-1995) raw (stop-level) data from the Breeding Bird Survey (BBS). Aerial photography was used to document changes in land cover type and landscape pattern as affected by woody plant (mostly Juniperus virginiana L.) encroachment and concurrent cropland conversions to agricultural grassland under the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). Rank trend analysis identified species with significant population trends, and canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) was used to identify important environmental gradients from a group of descriptive habitat variables that included land cover type composition and indices of vegetation cover, landscape pattern, and grassland patch structure.Avian community structure shifted along gradients of increasing woody plant cover and indicators of continuing landscape fragmentation. Open-habitat generalists, woodland, and successional scrub species generally increased, whereas many grassland species decreased. In some instances, neotropical migrants responded positively to increasing woody vegetation. Some grassland birds also showed a positive response to increases in agricultural grassland, but only in areas of severe juniper encroachment. Most grassland species exhibited consistent declines related to the influx of woody vegetation and associated landscape changes.Woody plant encroachment into southern Great Plains grasslands already fragmented by agricultural activity represents a conservation management dilemma. Although woody vegetation in remnant native prairies may provide habitat for some declining neotropical migrants that require shrubby areas, grassland structure and suitability is compromised for many declining grassland-endemic birds. Cropland conversion to agricultural grassland does appear to provide suitable habitat for some grassland species. However, this benefit appears to be limited to areas where woody plant invasion into grasslands is relatively advanced, and may have only a temporary effect, as most CRP areas are likely to return to agricultural production in the near future. Changes are needed in grassland management practices to restrict woody plant encroachment and fragmentation; otherwise, continued declines in grassland bird populations can be expected.Peer reviewedRangeland Ecology and ManagementPlant and Soil SciencesForestr

Is the Good Polity Attainable? Measuring the Quality of Democracy

This article introduces a discussion on defining, measuring, and assessing the quality of democracy. Providing a short overview of the papers of the Symposium, it places them within a broader context of current academic debate on various methodological, theoretical, and policy outreach dimensions of the topic

Venezuela, April 2002: Coup or Popular Rebellion? The Myth of a United Venezuela

This article assesses the merits of opposing National Assembly reports into the coup against President Chavez of Venezuela in April 2002. Looking at the historical context and the content of the reports, it argues that the two opposing accounts reflect a class division that has always existed in Venezuela but has been officially denied. It concludes that a possible exit from the stalemate could be that the opposition accept the reality of this class division and therefore the Chavez government as a legitimate representative of the popular classes. This, however, is unlikely in the present circumstances