Using Evolutionary Archaeology and Evolutionary Ecology to Explain Cultural Elaboration: The Case of Middle Ohio Valley Woodland Period Ceremonial Subsistence

2010 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 119-154 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin C. Nolan ◽  
Steven P. Howard
Keyword(s):  
Evolutionary Ecology ◽  
Woodland Period ◽  
Evolutionary Archaeology ◽  
Ohio Valley

Some Aspects of Eastern North American Prehistory: a Review 1975

1976 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Don W. Dragoo
Keyword(s):  
North American ◽  
Woodland Period ◽  
Late Prehistoric ◽  
Middle Woodland ◽  
Ohio Valley ◽  
Middle Woodland Period ◽  
North American Archaeology ◽  
Long Time ◽  
Different Populations ◽  
North American Prehistory

Eastern North American was the scene of significant and complex cultural developments which go back to man’s earliest penetration into mid-continent through the ice-free corridor from Alaska probably more than 30,000 years ago. The most extensive remains of Early Man’s culture in the New World are in the Southeast where several stages of development can be demonstrated. Following the Wisconsin Glacial period the descendants of the Early Lithic hunters-gatherers began the gradual adjustment to a variety of ecological environments that gave rise to distinctive regional or zonal Archaic complexes in the East. By late Archaic times burial ceremonialism was a prominent feature of several complexes scattered from the Northeast into the Great Lakes and Ohio Valley. The Woodland cultures of the East such as Adena and Hopewell developed upon a local Archaic base without new and different populations bringing exotic cultural ideas to the East. The major new traits of the Woodland period may be seen as developing internally or as the result of independent diffusion at various times from outside stimuli. The changes from Woodland cultures to those of the Mississipian Late Prehistoric reflect a reorientation of sociocultural institutions resulting from an improved economic base and an increased population. Recent studies document the former existence of extensive trade among various peoples over a long time but especially prominent during the Hopewellian or Middle Woodland period. Increased information on settlement patterns often indicates complex adaptations in habitation and living patterns to insure maximum utilization of natural resources. Clearly much remains to be done in eastern North American archaeology. We are far from knowing the answers to many complex problems in this highly important area. New methods and techniques now being used will greatly increase the efficiency of our data collecting and the inferences that may be drawn from these data.

On Evolutionary Ecology, Selectionist Archaeology, and Behavioral Archaeology

1999 ◽  
Vol 64 (1) ◽  
pp. 153-165 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jack M. Broughton ◽  
James F. O'Connell
Keyword(s):  
Evolutionary Ecology ◽  
Evolutionary Archaeology ◽  
Behavioral Evolution ◽  
American Archaeology ◽  
Behavioral Archaeology ◽  
Research Programs ◽  
Scientific Approach

To promote a dialogue between competing but potentially compatible approaches in American archaeology, Schiffer (1996) examined the relationships between two distinct research programs: "behavioral" archaeology and evolutionary archaeology. An approach grounded in evolutionary ecology was not included in that analysis. In this paper, we reply to Schiffer's call for dialogue by outlining the relationships, as we see them, between evolutionary ecology, selectionist archaeology, and behavioral archaeology. We conclude that evolutionary ecology holds the greatest promise as a scientific approach for the investigation of important problems in human behavioral evolution.

Late Woodland Period Settlement Patterns in the Piedmont Uplands of Pennsylvania: The Evidence from 36CH161

1994 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 245-285
Author(s):  
Paul A. Raber
Keyword(s):  
Raw Materials ◽  
Late Woodland ◽  
Woodland Period ◽  
Late Woodland Period ◽  
Chester County ◽  
Non Local ◽  
Primary Focus ◽  
A Site ◽  
Local Materials ◽  
Early Late

Investigations at 36Ch161, a site in the Piedmont Uplands of Chester County, Pennsylvania, have revealed a series of early Late Woodland Period camps associated with the Minguannan Complex. The use of local quartz seems to have been a primary focus of settlement at the site. Quartz, which formed an overwhelming majority of the assemblage, was used in ways that contrast strongly with that of non-local materials like jasper, a minority component of the assemblage obtained from quarries in the Hardyston Formation. The selection of raw materials suggests restrictions on access to certain materials perhaps imposed by territorial constraints. The combined evidence of artifact assemblage and cultural features indicates that 36Ch161 was inhabited seasonally by small, mobile groups of non-horticulturalists, a reconstruction consistent with that of Custer and others regarding the economy of the Minguannan Complex and related cultures of the Piedmont Uplands.

The Biology of Lakes and Ponds

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christer Brönmark ◽  
Lars-Anders Hansson
Keyword(s):  
Evolutionary Ecology ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Biodiversity Loss ◽  
Environmental Threats ◽  
Freshwater Organisms ◽  
Abiotic Constraints ◽  
Abiotic And Biotic Factors ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Degraded Ecosystems ◽  
Behavioural Adaptations

The Biology of Lakes and Ponds focuses on the interactions between the abiotic frame, such as turbulence, temperature, pH and nutrients, and the organisms, including interactions with and among organisms at the individual, population and community level. The book fills this niche between traditional limnology and evolutionary ecology by focusing on physiological, morphological and behavioural adaptations among organisms to abiotic and biotic factors and how interactions between biotic processes and abiotic constraints determine the structure and dynamics of lake and pond systems. In addition, the book describes and analyses the causes and consequences of human activities on freshwater organisms and ecosystems and covers longstanding environmental threats, such as eutrophication and acidification, as well as novel threats, such as biodiversity loss, use of everyday chemicals and global climate change. However, also signs of improvement and the possibilities to restore degraded ecosystems are discussed and provide hope for future generations.

Introduction

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Graeme D. Ruxton ◽  
William L. Allen ◽  
Thomas N. Sherratt ◽  
Michael P. Speed
Keyword(s):  
Evolutionary Ecology ◽  
The State ◽  
Warning Signals ◽  
The Many

In 2004, the first edition of ‘Avoiding Attack: The Evolutionary Ecology of Crypsis, Warning Signals, and Mimicry’ by Ruxton et al. was published. The book aimed to provide a systematic and up-to-date review and synthesis of widespread anti-predator defences. In it, we focussed on sensorially mediated defences and the many factors that underpin these adaptations, aiming to set out the state-of-understanding in the fascinating world of anti-predator adaptations, and highlight which topics within the field seem most ripe for further investigation....

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