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