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.

Ecological Concepts

Energy Flow in Ecological Systems

House energy-flow

system

Energy Flow in the U.S. Food

Production and Distribution

System

Food Web

House Temperature

Decreases

Furnace Restores House Temperature

Negative Feedback System

Neutron Bomb

Positive Feedback System

M.I.R.V.

I.C.B.M.

Hydrogen Bomb

Atomic Bomb

Energy Subsidy

Range-Fed vs.

FeedlotBeef

Energy subsidies in

U.S. Food Production

System

Energy Drains

Conditions favoring the evolution oftwo or more distinct adaptive strategies: 

(1) Coarse-grained environments 

(2) Resources which require distinct physical or behavioral adaptationsfor their effective exploitation

The Evolution of Ecological Communities