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Contrasting Perspectives in Human and Cultural Ecology Studies

This article explores the differing viewpoints of ecological anthropologists as human ecologists and cultural ecologists and how they interpret and apply ecological principles in studying human behavior. Human ecologists emphasize a unified theoretical perspective, while cultural ecologists see culture as a distinct mediating force. The text discusses ecological concepts, energy flow systems, food production, adaptive strategies, and the evolution of ecological communities.

stephen-stephens
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Contrasting Perspectives in Human and Cultural Ecology Studies

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  1. Human Ecology vs. Cultural Ecology Ecological anthropologists who view themselves as human ecologists generally see ecology as providing a testable framework for examining both human and nonhuman social behavior within a unified theoretical perspective. Those who view themselves as cultural ecologists, on the other hand, are more likely to reject a strict application of ecological principles to the study of the human condition on the grounds that culture acts as a mediating force which renders human adaptation to the environment analytically distinct from that of all other species. For cultural ecologists, ecology serves more as an orientation for the study of human environmental relations than as an operational set of theoretical principles which can be used to explain specific human social behaviors.

  2. Ecological Concepts

  3. Energy Flow in Ecological Systems

  4. House energy-flow system

  5. Energy Flow in the U.S. Food Production and Distribution System

  6. Food Web

  7. House Temperature Decreases Furnace Restores House Temperature Negative Feedback System

  8. Neutron Bomb • Positive Feedback System • M.I.R.V. • I.C.B.M. • Hydrogen Bomb • Atomic Bomb

  9. Energy Subsidy

  10. Range-Fed vs. Feedlot Beef

  11. Energy subsidies in U.S. Food Production System

  12. Energy Drains

  13. Conditions favoring the evolution of two or more distinct adaptive strategies: (1)Coarse-grained environments (2)Resources which requiredistinct physical or behavioral adaptations for their effective exploitation

  14. The Evolution of Ecological Communities

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