The Face of Extinction: Are Charismatic Species More Vulnerable To Endangerment?

Conservationists have suggested extinction is non-random; some species are more prone to extinction than others. Multiple traits (e.g., large bodied, long-lived, slow-reproducing, migratory, habitat and/or dietary specialists) have been cited as contributing to the endangerment of species. Due to global anthropogenic demand for wild species (e.g., sport, trade, fashion, medicine, religion, food), I propose charisma as an additional trait of endangerment. This predicts charismatic species are more often targets of direct exploitation than less charismatic species, and that global demand will continue to increase with world population and development. These species represent our most iconic and animated organisms. I quantified charisma through color, ornamentation, and vocalizations in 1609 Old and New World species of passerine and psittaciform birds; this represents approximately 1/6 of all extant avian species worldwide. Color and ornamentation correlate significantly with both exploitation and endangerment, while melodious song, occurring only in passerines, correlates significantly with endangerment only. Mimicry did not appear to have an effect on either exploitation or endangerment. Additionally, an increase in number of variables (e.g., color, ornamentation, mimicry, song), number of colors, and proportion of color increased exploitation and endangerment overall. These charismatic traits, which also represent the exaggerated traits resulting from sexual selection, have been hypothesized as potential contributors to speciation. I propose overexploitation is removing charismatic species from the Earth’s biota as well as negatively influencing speciation rates, thereby accelerating homogenization of global biodiversity. This study might be valuable in identification of species that are potential targets of exploitation, and suggests a need for conservation of charismatic species in the future

A Case Study of the Baldock Restoration Project

Since the 1980s, homelessness has become an increasingly visible and seemingly intransigent part of American society. It affects not only those who experience it directly, as a condition in their own lives, but also a broad spectrum of interests that deal with its effects. One such interest is owners and managers of public land, where homeless individuals commonly seek refuge, sometimes forming communities. Although their business may be transportation, natural resources management, recreation or some other public service, managers of public land are called upon to deal with this complex environmental, legal and human problem. This is a case study of the Baldock Restoration Project, in which a team of people from the travel, transportation, law enforcement and social services professions came together to help homeless individuals leave their long-standing community located in an Oregon highway rest area, thus restoring the rest area to its original function. This case study is part of a larger project to analyze ways in which transportation agencies address the challenge of homeless encampments on public rights of way. A best practices guide of potential strategies and interventions for a variety of contexts will also be prepared. The case study was prepared over a six-month period that began approximately one year after the conclusion of the project. Primary sources included semi-structured interviews with eleven key informants who were part of the team working on the project and three former members of the homeless community. Documentary sources included media accounts, meeting minutes and reports written by key informants. Sources were triangulated to promote accuracy

Evidence for multiple structural genes for the γ chain of human fetal hemoglobin

A sequence with a specific residue at each position was proposed for the γ chain of human fetal hemoglobin by Schroeder et al. (1) after a study in which hemoglobin from a number of individual infants was used. We have now examined in part the fetal hemoglobin components of 17 additional infants and have observed that position 136 of the γ chain may be occupied not only by a glycyl residue, as previously reported, but also by an alanyl residue

New Learners, New Models: Information Literacy at the University of Rhode Island

Powerpoint slides for a presentation, New Learners, New Models: Information Literacy at the University of Rhode Island, at the ACRL New England Bibliographic Instruction Committee (NEBIC) Annual Program 2000, Information Literacy Into the Curriculum: Methods and Models for Librarians. The program took place on June 9, 2000 in Boston, MA

Information Literacy: Challenges for the Future

Report produced by the Public Services Department, University Library, University of Rhode Island, May 2002. Provides an overview of the information literacy program at the University of Rhode Island

Challenges in Building an Incremental, Multi-Year Information Literacy Plan

The authors discuss the plan for building an incremental, multi-year information literacy program at the University of Rhode Island. Review of the current library instruction program leads to why and how they plan to change the program by focusing on the concepts of understanding what information is in addition to learning how to gather, evaluate, and use information. The Draft Plan for Information Literacy at the University of Rhode Island Libraries addresses the information and research needs of undergraduate and graduate students as well as faculty needs. The development of credit-bearing courses in information literacy, the creation of information literacy modules for specific disciplines and the Draft Plan for Information Literacy are discussed. This article received the Outstanding Paper Award for Excellence for 2001 from the journal Reference Services Review. The article was chosen by the Editor and the Editorial Advisory Board as best meeting the editorial and readership objectives of the Journal

Information Literacy: Time for a Comprehensive Plan

Presentation slides and additional materials for a workshop, Information Literacy: Time for a Comprehensive Plan, held as part of the Association of College and Research Libraries 11th National Conference, Learning to Make a Difference. The workshop took place on April 11, 2003 in Charlotte, North Carolina

New Learners, New Models: Cultivating an Information Literacy Program

This is the authors\u27 manuscript of chapter 21 in the book Library User Education: Powerful Learning, Powerful Partnerships, ed. Barbara I. Dewey, Scarecrow Press, 2001. It is posted here with publisher permission

New Learners, New Models: Cultivating an Information Literacy Program. A presentation for the University of Rhode Island Council of Deans.

Powerpoint slides for a presentation on information literacy to the University of Rhode Island Deans\u27 Council on January 19, 2000

Endemic microorganisms of a Drosophila simulans strain and their relationships with the non-mendelian transmission of a character

International audienc