Evolutionary Ethnobiology

This work adds an ecological and evolutionary perspective to the study of the relations between humans and natural resources. The first to cover this subject in English, this text studies the branch of ethnobiology that analyzes the evolutionary history of human behavioral patterns and human understanding about biological resources, considering the historical and contemporary aspects that influence these behaviors at both the individual and societal levels.

Ethnobiology aggregates different theoretical, epistemological, and methodological perspectives. While some of these perspectives ignore the ecological and evolutionary nature of ethnobiology, the conventional ecological science insufficiently considers human aspects as topics of theoretical interest. Through exploring theories in ethnobiology, this work examines the interrelationships between people and nature, considering the forces that helped shape this inextricable link.

Autorentext

Ulysses Paulino Albuquerque

Laboratory of Applied and Theoretical Ethnobiology

Department of Biology

Federal Rural University of Pernambuco

Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil

Zusammenfassung
Ethnobiology is a fascinating science. To understand this vocation it needs to be studied under an evolutionary point of view that is very strong and significant, although this aspect is often poorly approached in the literature. This is the first book to compile and discuss information about evolutionary ethnobiology in English.

Inhalt

Evolutionary Ethnobiology.- Ecological-evolutionary Approaches to the Human-environment Relationship: History and Concepts.- Evolution of Humans and by Humans.- Evolutionary Ecology and Ethnobiology.- Evolutionary Approaches to Ethnobiology.- Niche Construction Theory and Ethnobiology.- Knowledge Transmission: The Social Origin of Information and Cultural Evolution.- Resilience and Adaptation in Social-ecological Systems.- Utilitarian Redundancy: Conceptualization and Potential Applications in Ethnobiological Research.- The Influence of the Environment on Natural Resource Use: Evidence of Apparency.- Local Criteria for Medicinal Plant Selection.- Use Patterns of Medicinal Plants by Local Populations.- Biological and Cultural Bases of the Use of Medicinal and Food Plants.- An Evolutionary Perspective on the Use of Hallucinogens.