Prehistoric Native Americans and Ecological Change: Human Ecosystems in Eastern North America Since the Pleistocene

ISBN-13: 9780521662703 / Angielski / Twarda / 2004 / 216 str.

Paul A. Delcourt; Hazel R. Delcourt

Opis

There has long been controversy between ecologists and archaeologists over the role of prehistoric Native Americans as agents of ecological change. Using ecological and archaeological data from the woodlands of eastern North America, Paul and Hazel Delcourt show that Holocene human ecosystems are complex adaptive systems in which humans have interacted with the environment on a series of spatial and time scales. Their work therefore has important implications for the conservation of biological diversity and for ecological restoration today, making it of great interest to ecologists and archaeologists alike.

Recenzje

'… the book is a welcome addition to the study on human ecosystems in prehistoric times … [it] merits attention as an important study in the field of ecology and evolutionary biology.' International Studies

Spis treści

Acknowledgements; Part I. Panarchy as an Integrative Paradigm: Overview; 1. The need for a new synthesis; 2. Panarchy theory and Quaternary ecosystems; 3. Holocene human ecosystems; Part II. Ecological Feedbacks and Processes: Overview; 4. Gene-level interactions; 5. Population-level interactions; 6. Community-level interactions; 7. Landscape-level interactions; 8. Regional-level interactions; Part III. Application and Synthesis: Overview; 9. The ecological legacy of prehistoric Native Americans; References; Index.