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

Demonstrates the importance of prehistoric human activities in the ecology of eastern North America, and its implications for conservation today.

Paul A. Delcourt (Author), Hazel R. Delcourt (Author)

9780521050760, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 4 February 2008

216 pages, 29 b/w illus. 1 table
22.8 x 15.3 x 1.2 cm, 0.333 kg

'… 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

This book shows that Holocene human ecosystems are complex adaptive systems in which humans interacted with their environment in a nested series of spatial and temporal scales. Using panarchy theory, it integrates paleoecological and archaeological research from the Eastern Woodlands of North America providing a paradigm to help resolve long-standing disagreements between ecologists and archaeologists about the importance of prehistoric Native Americans as agents for ecological change. The authors present the concept of a panarchy of complex adaptive cycles as applied to the development of increasingly complex human ecosystems through time. They explore examples of ecological interactions at the level of gene, population, community, landscape and regional hierarchical scales, emphasizing the ecological pattern and process involving the development of human ecosystems. Finally, they offer a perspective on the implications of the legacy of Native Americans as agents of change for conservation and ecological restoration efforts today.

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.

Subject Areas: Social impact of environmental issues [RNT], Human biology [PSX], Ecological science, the Biosphere [PSAF], Physical anthropology [JHMP]