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This book explores how seasonal variation in resource abundance might have driven primate and human evolution.
The emergence of the genus Homo is widely linked to the colonization of 'new' highly seasonal savannah habitats. However, until recently, our understanding of the possible impact of seasonality on this shift has been limited because we have little general knowledge of how seasonality affects the lives of primates. This book documents the extent of seasonality in food abundance in tropical woody vegetation, and then presents systematic analyses of the impact of seasonality in food supply on the behavioural ecology of non-human primates. Syntheses in this volume then produce broad generalizations concerning the impact of seasonality on behavioural ecology and reproduction in both human and non-human primates, and apply these insights to primate and human evolution. Written for graduate students and researchers in biological anthropology and behavioural ecology, this is an absorbing account of how seasonality may have affected an important episode in our own evolution.
Seasonality is a severe constraint to sustainable rural livelihoods and a driver of poverty and hunger, particularly in the tropics. Many poor people in developing countries are ill equipped to cope with seasonal variations which can lead to drought or flood and consequences for agriculture, employment, food supply and the spread of disease. The subject has assumed increasing importance as climate change and other forms of development disrupt established seasonal patterns and variations. This book is the first systematic study of seasonality for over twenty years, and it aims to revive academic interest and policy awareness of this crucial but neglected issue. Thematic chapters explore recent shifts with profound implications for seasonality, including climate change, HIV/AIDS, and social protection. Case study chapters explore seasonal dimensions of livelihoods in Africa (Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi), Asia (Bangladesh, China, India), and Latin America (Peru). Others assess policy responses to adverse seasonality, for example through irrigation, migration and seasonally-sensitive education. The book also includes innovative tools for monitoring seasonality, which should enable more appropriate responses.
Seasonality has effects on a wide range of human functions and activities, and is important in the understanding of human-environment relationships. In this volume, distinguished contributors including human biologists, anthropologists, physiologists and nutritionists consider many of the different ways in which seasonality influences human biology and behaviour. Topics addressed include the influence of seasonality on hominid evolution, seasonal climatic effects on human physiology, fertility and physical growth, seasonality in morbidity, mortality and nutritional state, and seasonal factors in food production, modernization and work organization in Third World economies. This book will be of interest to graduate students and researchers in human biology, anthropology and nutrition.
Symposia of the Society for the Study of Human Biology, Volume 9: Human Ecology in the Tropics covers papers related to the impact of human on the natural ecosystems in tropical countries. The volume presents papers about the operation of typical plant-soil systems in relation to human activity in West Africa; the interrelationships of habitat, economy, and society among three Guiana people; tropical health; and the use and production of tropical food potentials. The book also describes papers about the ecology of African schistosomiasis, as well as the interaction between the trypanosome-tsetse-wild fauna ecosystem and the surrounding human communities of southern Busoga in Uganda. The volume concludes by discussing the development of young children in a West African village. Ecologists and biologists will find the book invaluable.
Integrates medical and evolutionary data on the role of body fat in human biology, including the current obesity epidemic.
Human Ecology and Infectious Diseases investigates the interrelationships among human behavior, ecology, and infectious diseases, with emphasis on parasitic and zoonotic diseases. The cultural, behavioral, anthropological, and social factors in the transmission of infectious diseases are discussed, along with methods used to make human ecology a more quantitative predictive science in the global challenge of such diseases. Behavioral patterns that place humans at risk to infections and the nature of risk factors are also analyzed. Comprised of 13 chapters, this book begins with an overview of some of the research into those aspects of human behavior that determine risk of helminth infection. The discussion then turns to studies on hookworm and includes an analysis of human behavior and religions that affect transmission of the parasitoses. Human behavior and transmission of zoonotic diseases in North America and Malaysia are documented as are the habits, customs, and superstitions associated with the epidemic of intestinal capillariasis that occurred in the Philippines. Filarial diseases in Southeast Asia are also reviewed, along with the changing patterns of parasitic infections and the cooperation of government and the private sector to lower infection rates in Japan. Cases from Nigeria and Brazil are considered as well. The volume concludes with an assessment of the importance of behavioral and socialcultural factors in determining regional and national patterns in disease incidence and transmission. This monograph should be valuable to students of tropical diseases and public health and to physicians, epidemiologists, anthropologists, veterinarians, and parasitologists.
The study of human reproductive ecology represents an important new development in human evolutionary biology. Its focus is on the physiology of human reproduction and evidence of adaptation, and hence the action of natural selection, in that domain. But at the same time the study of human reproductive ecology provides an important perspective on the historical process of human evolution, a lens through which we may view the forces that have shaped us as a species. In the end, all actions of natural selection can be reduced to variation in the reproductive success of individuals.Peter Ellison is one of the pioneers in the fast growing area of reproductive ecology. He has collected for this volume the research of thirty-one of the most active and influential scientists in the field. Thanks to recent noninvasive techniques, these contributors can present direct empirical data on the effect of a broad array of ecological, behavioral, and constitutional variables on the reproductive processes of humans as well as wild primates. Because biological evolution is cumulative, however, organisms in the present must be viewed as products of the selective forces of past environments. The study of adaptation thus often involves inferences about formative ecological relationships that may no longer exist, or not in the same form. Making such inferences depends on carefully weighing a broad range of evidence drawn from studies of contemporary ecological variation, comparative studies of related taxonomies, and paleontological and genetic evidence of evolutionary history. The result of this inquiry sheds light not only on the functional aspects of an organism's contemporary biology but also on its evolutionary history and the selective forces that have shaped it through time.Encompassing a range of viewpoints--controversy along with consensus--this far-ranging collection offers an indispensable guide for courses in biological anthropology, human biology, and primatology, along with
Biologically as well as culturally sophisticated and drawing on an impressive array of archaeological and paleontological research, this new edition of a widely adopted primary and supplementary text explores human adaptations to environments over time. Campbell proceeds from earlier, simpler biomes to later, more complex ones, examining in their course selected aspects of the prehistory and history of the human species. Human Ecology offers a succinct introduction to the history of these adaptations within ecosystems, a shared concern among anthropologists, biologists, environmentalists, and the general reader.
The role of nutrition in improving quality of life and combating disease is undeniable — and researchers from different disciplines are bringing their perspectives to bear on this fundamental topic. The 4-volume Encyclopedia of Human Nutrition, Third Edition, is a thorough revision of the previous award-winning version and reflects the scientific advances in the field of human nutrition. It presents the latest understanding on a wide range of nutrition-related topics including food safety, weight management, vitamins, bioengineering of foods, plant based diet and raw foods among others. New articles on organic food, biofortification, nutritional labeling and the effect of religious customs on diet, among many others, reflect the dedication to currency in this revision. It not only contains the most current and thorough information available on the topic, but also contains broader cross-referencing on emerging opportunities for potential treatment and prevention of diseases. An ideal starting point for scientific research, Encyclopedia of Human Nutrition, Third Edition, continues to provide authoritative information in an accessible format, making this complex discipline available to readers at both the professional and non-professional level. Selected for inclusion in Doody's Core Titles 2013, an essential collection development tool for health sciences libraries Approximately 30% new content ensures readers have the latest research information Extensive cross-referencing provides key connections between topics in this multidisciplinary field Presents current information on relationships between disease and nutrition Covers thoroughly topics ranging from nutrient biochemistry and function to clinical nutrition and the epidemiology of diet, health and disease.