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Vandebroek I, West J, Otero-Walker K, Maldonado Silvestrini S. Fostering greater recognition of Caribbean traditional plant knowledge. Trends Ecol Evol 2024; 39:9-12. [PMID: 37949793 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2023.10.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2023] [Revised: 10/12/2023] [Accepted: 10/13/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023]
Abstract
The Caribbean is a hotspot of biological and cultural diversity, manifested in traditional plant knowledge of Afrodescendant peoples and other ethnicities. To strengthen the visibility of this knowledge in research, education, and policy making, we propose an eight-step action plan centered on reciprocal relationships with Caribbean plant stewards, especially subsistence farmers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ina Vandebroek
- Department of Life Sciences and Natural Products Institute, Faculty of Science and Technology, The University of the West Indies, Mona, Kingston 7, Jamaica.
| | - Jason West
- Community of Windsor Forest, Portland, Jamaica
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2
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Kralick AE, Canington SL, Eller AR, McGrath K. Specimens as individuals: Four interventions and recommendations for great ape skeletal collections research and curation. Evol Anthropol 2023; 32:336-355. [PMID: 37750542 DOI: 10.1002/evan.22002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2022] [Revised: 04/14/2023] [Accepted: 08/01/2023] [Indexed: 09/27/2023]
Abstract
Extensive discourse surrounds the ethics of human skeletal research and curation, but there has yet to be a similar discussion of the treatment of great ape skeletal remains, despite the clear interest in their ethical treatment when alive. Here we trace the history of apes who were killed and collected for natural history museums during the early 20th century and showcase how the guiding research questions of the colonial era continue to influence scholarship. We discuss best practices for improving industry and academic standards of research on, and the curation of, ape remains. The suggested interventions involve restoring individual identity and narrative to great apes while engaging with contextual reflexivity and decolonial theory. The resulting recommendations include contextualizing the individual, piecing individuals back together, challenging/questioning the captive-wild dichotomy, and collaborative international conversations. Our objective is to encourage a conversation regarding ethical and theoretical considerations in great ape skeletal remains research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra E Kralick
- Department of Anthropology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Stephanie L Canington
- Center for Functional Anatomy and Evolution, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Department of Basic and Translational Sciences, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Andrea R Eller
- Department of Anthropology, Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
| | - Kate McGrath
- Department of Anthropology, SUNY Oneonta, Oneonta, New York, USA
- Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, The George Washington University, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
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3
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Dillon EM, Dunne EM, Womack TM, Kouvari M, Larina E, Claytor JR, Ivkić A, Juhn M, Carmona PSM, Robson SV, Saha A, Villafaña JA, Zill ME. Challenges and directions in analytical paleobiology. PALEOBIOLOGY 2023; 49:377-393. [PMID: 37809321 PMCID: PMC7615171 DOI: 10.1017/pab.2023.3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/10/2023]
Abstract
Over the last 50 years, access to new data and analytical tools has expanded the study of analytical paleobiology, contributing to innovative analyses of biodiversity dynamics over Earth's history. Despite-or even spurred by-this growing availability of resources, analytical paleobiology faces deep-rooted obstacles that stem from the need for more equitable access to data and best practices to guide analyses of the fossil record. Recent progress has been accelerated by a collective push toward more collaborative, interdisciplinary, and open science, especially by early-career researchers. Here, we survey four challenges facing analytical paleobiology from an early-career perspective: (1) accounting for biases when interpreting the fossil record; (2) integrating fossil and modern biodiversity data; (3) building data science skills; and (4) increasing data accessibility and equity. We discuss recent efforts to address each challenge, highlight persisting barriers, and identify tools that have advanced analytical work. Given the inherent linkages between these challenges, we encourage discourse across disciplines to find common solutions. We also affirm the need for systemic changes that reevaluate how we conduct and share paleobiological research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erin M. Dillon
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106, U.S.A.; Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Republic of Panama
| | - Emma M. Dunne
- GeoZentrum Nordbayern, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), 91054 Erlangen, Germany; School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, United Kingdom
| | - Tom M. Womack
- School of Geography, Environment and Earth Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, P.O. Box 600, Wellington, New Zealand
| | - Miranta Kouvari
- Department of Earth Sciences, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom; Life Sciences Department, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, United Kingdom
| | - Ekaterina Larina
- Jackson School of Geosciences, University of Texas, Austin, Texas 78712, U.S.A
| | - Jordan Ray Claytor
- Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, U.S.A; Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, Seattle, Washington 98195, U.S.A
| | - Angelina Ivkić
- Department of Palaeontology, University of Vienna, Josef-Holaubek-Platz 2,1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Mark Juhn
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, U.S.A
| | - Pablo S. Milla Carmona
- Universidad de Buenos Aires, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Departamento de Ciencias Geológicas, Buenos Aires C1428EGA, Argentina; Instituto de Estudios Andinos “Don Pablo Groeber” (IDEAN, UBA-CONICET), Buenos Aires C1428EGA, Argentina
| | - Selina Viktor Robson
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - Anwesha Saha
- Institute of Palaeobiology, Polish Academy of Sciences, ul. Twarda 51/55, 00-818 Warsaw, Poland; Laboratory of Paleogenetics and Conservation Genetics, Centre of New Technologies (CeNT), University of Warsaw, S. Banacha 2c, 02-097 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Jaime A. Villafaña
- Department of Palaeontology, University of Vienna, Josef-Holaubek-Platz 2, 1090 Vienna, Austria; Centro de Investigación en Recursos Naturales y Sustentabilidad, Universidad Bernardo O ‘Higgins, Santiago 8370993, Chile
| | - Michelle E. Zill
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of California Riverside, Riverside, California 92521, U.S.A
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Salomon AK, Okamoto DK, Wilson ḴBJ, Tommy Happynook H, Mack WA, Allan Davidson SH, Guujaaw G, L Humchitt WWH, Happynook TM, Cox WC, Gillette HF, Christiansen NS, Dragon D, Kobluk HM, Lee LC, Tinker MT, Silver JJ, Armitage D, McKechnie I, MacNeil A, Hillis D, Muhl EK, Gregr EJ, Commander CJC, Augustine A. Disrupting and diversifying the values, voices and governance principles that shape biodiversity science and management. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2023; 378:20220196. [PMID: 37246378 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2022.0196] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2022] [Accepted: 03/01/2023] [Indexed: 05/30/2023] Open
Abstract
With climate, biodiversity and inequity crises squarely upon us, never has there been a more pressing time to rethink how we conceptualize, understand and manage our relationship with Earth's biodiversity. Here, we describe governance principles of 17 Indigenous Nations from the Northwest Coast of North America used to understand and steward relationships among all components of nature, including humans. We then chart the colonial origins of biodiversity science and use the complex case of sea otter recovery to illuminate how ancestral governance principles can be mobilized to characterize, manage and restore biodiversity in more inclusive, integrative and equitable ways. To enhance environmental sustainability, resilience and social justice amid today's crises, we need to broaden who benefits from and participates in the sciences of biodiversity by expanding the values and methodologies that shape such initiatives. In practice, biodiversity conservation and natural resource management need to shift from centralized, siloed approaches to those that can accommodate plurality in values, objectives, governance systems, legal traditions and ways of knowing. In doing so, developing solutions to our planetary crises becomes a shared responsibility. This article is part of the theme issue 'Detecting and attributing the causes of biodiversity change: needs, gaps and solutions'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne K Salomon
- School of Resource and Environmental Management, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada V5A 1S6
| | - Daniel K Okamoto
- Department of Biological Science, Florida State University, 319 Stadium Drive, Tallahassee, FL 32303, USA
| | | | - Hiininaasim Tommy Happynook
- Department of Anthropology, University of Victoria, PO Box 1700 STN CSC, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada V8W 2Y2
| | | | | | - Gidansda Guujaaw
- Haida Nation, Skidegate, Haida Gwaii, British Columbia, Canada V0T 1S1
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Dianna Dragon
- Che:k:tles7et'h' Nation, Kyuquot, British Columbia, Canada VOP 1J0
| | - Hannah M Kobluk
- School of Resource and Environmental Management, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada V5A 1S6
| | - Lynn C Lee
- Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve, National Marine Conservation Area Reserve, and Haida Heritage Site, 60 Second Beach Road, Skidegate, British Columbia, Canada V0T 1S1
| | - M Tim Tinker
- Nhydra Ecological Consulting, 11 Parklea Drive, Head of St Margarets Bay, Nova Scotia, Canada B3Z 2G6
| | - Jennifer J Silver
- Geography, Environment and Geomatics, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph, Ontario, Canada N1G 2W1
| | - Derek Armitage
- School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability, University of Waterloo, 200 University Ave W, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada N2L 3G1
| | - Iain McKechnie
- Department of Anthropology, University of Victoria, PO Box 1700 STN CSC, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada V8W 2Y2
| | - Aaron MacNeil
- Ocean Frontier Institute, Department of Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada B3H 4R2
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada B3H 4R2
| | - Dylan Hillis
- Department of Anthropology, University of Victoria, PO Box 1700 STN CSC, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada V8W 2Y2
| | - Ella-Kari Muhl
- School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability, University of Waterloo, 200 University Ave W, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada N2L 3G1
| | - Edward J Gregr
- Institute for Resources Environment, and Sustainability, University of British Columbia, 2202 Main Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6T 1Z4
- Scitech Environmental Consulting 2136 Napier St., Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V5L 2N9
| | - Christian J C Commander
- Department of Biological Science, Florida State University, 319 Stadium Drive, Tallahassee, FL 32303, USA
| | - Arianna Augustine
- Stz'uminus Nation, 1041-B Trunk Rd, Duncan, British Columbia, Canada V9L 2S4
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LeFebvre MJ, Mychajliw AM, Harris GB, Oswald JA. Historical DNA from a rediscovered nineteenth-century paratype reveals genetic continuity of a Bahamian hutia ( Geocapromys ingrahami) population. Biol Lett 2023; 19:20220566. [PMID: 37122196 PMCID: PMC10130705 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2022.0566] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Past and ongoing human activities have shaped the geographical ranges and diversity of species. New genomic techniques applied to degraded samples, such as those from natural history collections, can uncover the complex evolutionary consequences of human pressures and generate baselines for interpreting magnitudes of species loss or persistence relevant to conservation. Here we integrate mitogenomic data with historical records from a recently rediscovered Bahamian hutia (Geocapromys ingrahami; (FMP Z02816)) specimen at the Fairbanks Museum & Planetarium (Vermont, USA) to determine when and where the specimen was collected and to place it in a phylogenetic context with specimens that both predate (palaeontological) and postdate (archaeological) human arrival in The Bahamas. We determined that this specimen was part of the same population as the named holotype specimen in 1891 on East Plana Cay (EPC). Bahamian hutia populations were widely extirpated following European colonization. Today, EPC hosts the last remaining natural Bahamian hutia population. Mitogenomic data places the focal specimen within the southern Bahamian hutia population, which is now largely restricted to EPC. The results reveal previously undocumented genetic continuity among the EPC population for at least the past 500 years, highlighting how 'dark' museum specimens inform new conservation-relevant understandings of diversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michelle J LeFebvre
- Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - Alexis M Mychajliw
- Department of Biology, Middlebury College, Middlebury, VT 05753, USA
- Environmental Studies Program, Middlebury College, Middlebury, VT 05753, USA
| | - George B Harris
- Natural History Collections, Fairbanks Museum and Planetarium, St Johnsbury, VT 05819, USA
| | - Jessica A Oswald
- Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
- Department of Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, NV 89557, USA
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Fricke F, Hoerman R. Archaeology and social justice in island worlds. WORLD ARCHAEOLOGY 2023; 54:484-489. [PMID: 37261101 PMCID: PMC10227953 DOI: 10.1080/00438243.2023.2179538] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2022] [Accepted: 01/13/2023] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Ongoing discussions about the problems of white supremacy and colonialism in archaeology are useful but have not, thus far, fully considered the exacerbated effects of these issues on small islands. In this opinion piece, we, two white women academics from the Global North with extensive experience working in the Dutch Caribbean and the Hawaiian Islands, observe these exacerbated effects in governance, academic hegemony, and community relations, and call for more consideration of the effects of our discipline in small island contexts. Ultimately, in line with the observations of local, descendant, and Indigenous scholars, we argue that archaeologists must invest in de-colonial, antiracist, and social justice efforts in heritage fields and industries by foregrounding the wishes and needs of island communities. This may involve modifying or altogether abandoning current motivations and practices to build a discipline that can be a positive rather than a negative in island worlds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felicia Fricke
- Department of History, SAXO Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Rachel Hoerman
- Department of Anthropology, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa/Kaliʻuokapaʻakai Collective/Huliauapaʻa/Nohopapa Hawaiʻi, Honolulu, Hawaiʻi
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7
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Avoid the reproduction of coloniality in decolonial studies in ecology. Nat Ecol Evol 2023; 7:306-309. [PMID: 36627485 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-022-01971-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
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8
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Gadsden GI, Golden N, Harris NC. Place-Based Bias in Environmental Scholarship Derived from Social-Ecological Landscapes of Fear. Bioscience 2022; 73:23-35. [PMID: 36643594 PMCID: PMC9832956 DOI: 10.1093/biosci/biac095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Historical perspectives (e.g., moments of social, political, and economic significance) are increasingly relevant for developing insights into landscape change and ecosystem degradation. However, the question of how to incorporate historical events into ecological inquiry is still under development, owing to the evolving paradigm of transdisciplinary thinking between natural science and the humanities. In the present article, we call for the inclusion of negative human histories (e.g., evictions of communities and environmental injustices) as important factors that drive landscape change and shape research questions relevant to environmental conservation. We outline the detrimental effects of conservationists not addressing negative human histories by likening this social phenomenon to the ecological concept of landscapes of fear, which describes how not acknowledging these histories produces a landscape that constrains where and how research is conducted by scientists. Finally, we provide three positive recommendations for scholars or practitioners to address the manifestation of historic place-based bias in ecological research. What we call the social-ecological landscapes of fear provides a conceptual framework for more inclusive practices in ecology to increase the success of environmental and conservation goals.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Nigel Golden
- Applied Wildlife Ecology (AWE) Lab, School of the Environment, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, United States
| | - Nyeema C Harris
- Applied Wildlife Ecology (AWE) Lab, School of the Environment, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, United States
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9
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Colonialism shaped today's biodiversity. Nat Ecol Evol 2022; 6:1597-1598. [PMID: 36253545 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-022-01903-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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Kamath A, Velocci B, Wesner A, Chen N, Formica V, Subramaniam B, Rebolleda-Gómez M. Nature, Data, and Power: How Hegemonies Shaped this Special Section. Am Nat 2022; 200:81-88. [DOI: 10.1086/720001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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