Behavioral Ecology

I am still on the first stretch of this nomadic exploration, but I think I can begin to answer the question that is guiding this exploration—'how can the Natural-Indigenous Worldview support our understandings of the potential for an anarchist society (i.e. for social order without hierarchical domination)?' The key of Natural-Indigenous Worldview that opens the lock of an anarchist society, of a society without hierarchical domination, comes in the Natural-Indigenous Worldview's spiritual ecology. When we develop the four R's (responsibility, reciprocity, respect, relationships [Young 2015]) through relating to the world in a manner that is facilitated by the spiritual ecology that rises from the Natural-Indigenous Worldview and thus ascribes spirit to all things without regard for the Colonial Modernist Worldview's distinction between 'animate' and 'inanimate', we come to see the world as a single, living, conscious being. The illusion of a discrete distinction between self and other breaks down and we come to see the self (and other selves) as strands in the unified, conscious web of creation. We come to care for all of creation as we would care for our children, for our partners, for our parents and for our self. Transcending the illusion of discrete individuality we develop a lovingly reciprocal, responsible, respectful and relational orientation to the world that begets virtuous thought, feeling, behavior and being without recourse to hierarchical authority (to punishment and fear of punishment). Engaging with the world through the spiritual ecology that rises from the Natural-Indigenous Worldview allows the sprouts of human nature to grow to fruition without recourse to hierarchical domination (i.e. without recourse to attempts to 'help sprouts grow' by pulling on them and the death of the sprouts of human nature portended by such hierarchical folly [Meng Zi 2016, 2A2]).

The evolution of agricultural economies requires two processes: 1) the domestication of plants and 2) specialization in agricultural practices at the expense of alternative subsistence pursuits. Yet, in the literature, domestication receives the lion's share of attention while theories of specialization lag behind. In this paper, we integrate ideas from human behavioral ecology (HBE) with tools from dynamical systems theory to study the effects of ecological inheritance on levels of investment in foraging and farming. Ecological inheritance is an outcome of niche construction and our study provides a formal link between foraging theory and niche construction. Our analysis of a dynamic model of foraging and farming illustrates that the optimal allocation of effort to foraging and farming can lead to the emergence of multiple stable states. The consequence of this is that low-level farming optimizes subsistence (e.g., minimizing the effort required to meet a subsistence goal) in a forager-resource system over a few years but makes the whole system vulnerable to punctuated change over decades due to rare events. We use the insights of our model to propose a general ecological framework to explain the evolution and diversity of transitions from foraging to farming. Link to Final: http://authors.elsevier.com/a/1RS9W-JVbUUYA

Birds’ ecological functions cover a wide spectrum, from creating soil to shaping primate behavior, and many species play key ecological roles, such as decomposition, predation, pollination, nutrient deposition, and seed dispersal. From an ecosystem functional perspective, birds are mobile links that are crucial for maintaining ecosystem function, memory, and resilience. The three main types of mobile links, genetic, process, and resource linkers, encompass all major avian ecosystem services. Rapid losses of tropical bird species may cause substantial reductions in certain ecosystem processes before we have time to study and understand the underlying mechanisms.

We are offering an outstanding opportunity for an expert in Behaviour Change to grow and develop research in the unique context of an N8 Food consortium. Leading the 'Improved Nutrition and Consumer Behaviours' theme at Leeds, you will be encouraged and supported to build fresh research collaborations which can capitalise on the innovative application of behaviour change work. As a strategic appointment at either Associate Professor or Chair in the area of Behaviour Change, you will be based in the School of Psychology, where we are ready to consolidate and grow behaviour change expertise. The role is part of the £16 million; five-year Agri-Food Resilience Programme funded by the N8 and HEFCE, the role offers unrivalled opportunities for cross-disciplinary relationships, spanning academia and industry across the N8 nationally and internationally. Many of these relationships are nascent, and ripe for creative growth. Potential directions for cross-disciplinary collaborations include research to change behaviour at the farm, supply chain or consumer level to increase resilience and improve nutrition with benefits for public health, reducing environmental impacts and increasing sustainability. A key partnership for the appointed candidate will be with the N8 theme lead, Professor Jason Halford at the University of Liverpool. You will have an international reputation in behaviour change, with clear enthusiasm and capacity for large, multidisciplinary grant applications and for publications of international standard with potential for impact. Our behaviour change team in the School of Psychology offer support, capacity and a creative environment to keep research forward-thinking, relevant and inclusive. Demonstrating an interest and ability to deliver engaging, research-led teaching to educate and inspire students is also essential. We encourage applications from people who are seeking a supportive, ambitious research environment with exciting opportunities for the application of behaviour change within and across disciplines. You will have secured significant research income, and published extensively with a significant number of 3* and 4* REF equivalent outputs, and have a track record of excellence in teaching and leadership. The University of Leeds is committed to providing equal opportunities for all. The University is a charter member of Athena SWAN and holds the Bronze award. We will be happy to consider job share applications and are committed to flexible working for all our employees.

This paper introduces some of the invaluable aspects of, and new perspectives arising in, the field of zooarchaeology. Studying archaeological animal remains provides clear evidence of past human diet, but the contributions zooarchaeology can make to archaeological research have a much broader scope. Zooarchaeological research provides an interesting insight into the study of past environments, animal domestication, biostratigraphy, the social side of food, animal remains as clothing or even as building materials and art manifestations, amongst others. Zooarchaeology is subdivided here into environmental or physical zooarchaeology, which mainly deals with climate, seasonality and dating of a site, and social zooarchaeology, which deals with hunting techniques, animal management, social hierarchy and symbolism. This array of possibilities is illustrated through examples drawn from diverse periods and places. Some of the issues concerning zooarchaeology are analysed in more depth through the site of Cueva Negra del Estrecho del Río Quípar (Murcia, Spain). This case study provides a practical application of zooarchaeological perspectives in the study of human evolution.

The field of zooarchaeology is therefore not limited to the study of past dietary habits. Rather the study of animal remains allows a deeper understanding of complex human-animal interactions and a greater comprehension of archaeological societies and cultures.

There are two images of Sir. Patrick Geddes that have been received by subsequent generations, Geddes the Liberal and Geddes the Mystic. This paper examines the ways in which revived sensitivity to the wisdom and limitations of Geddes the Mystic may help facilitate the process of transforming human-nature relations and staving off the cultural and ecological genocide of Modernity.

Daniel Goleman merupakan pakar yang terkenal dengan konsep Kecerdasan Emosional atau Emotional Quotient (EQ. ) Menurut Goleman (2000 : 44), kecerdasan intelektual (IQ) hanya menyumbang 20% bagi kesuksesan, sedangkan 80% adalah sumbangan faktor kekuatan-kekuatan lain, diantaranya adalah kecerdasan emosional atau Emotional Quotient (EQ) yakni kemampuan memotivasi diri sendiri, mengatasi frustasi, mengontrol desakan hati, mengatur suasana hati (mood), berempati serta kemampuan bekerja sama.

This paper highlights two of the ways in which an abundance of frequent and high-quality information can nonetheless lead an economic agent to failure. I begin with the problem of frequent information, continue with the problem of abundant high-quality information, and end with a general reflection about the lesson these two problems may offer for economic geographical scholarship.

This study aimed to investigate the construct of utang na loob from the Ilonggo perspective and to distinguish the Filipino concept of utang na loob from Trivers' model of reciprocal altruism. This research is an exploratory study which made use of focus group discussion for data collection. The data was analyzed using category pattern analysis. Based on the results, utang na loob in the Ilonggo perspective is utang na kabalaslan. Its process is parallel but not equivalent to utang na loob in the Kapwa perspective and partly in reciprocal altruism. However, differences lie in the concept, construct, dimensions and repayment. Also, utang na loob in Kapwa differs with reciprocal altruism in terms of reason for helping, repayment and extent of the process.

Environmental uncertainty and uncontrollability cause psycho-physiological distress to organisms, often impeding normal functioning. A common response involves ritualization, that is, the limitation of behavioral expressions to predictable stereotypic and repetitive motor patterns. In humans, such behaviors are also symptomatic of psychopathologies like obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). Although these reactions might be mediated by different neural pathways, they serve to regain a sense of control over an uncertain situation by engaging in behavioral patterns characterized by redundancy (superfluous actions that exceed the functional requirements of a goal), repetitiveness (recurrent behaviors or utterances), and rigidity (emphasis on fidelity and invariance). We examined whether ritualized behavior will manifest spontaneously as a dominant behavioral strategy in anxiogenic situations. Manipulating anxiety, we used motion-capture technology to quantify various characteristics of hand movements. We found that induced anxiety led to an increase in repetitiveness and rigidity, but not redundancy. However, examination of both psychological and physiological pathways revealed that repetitiveness and rigidity were predicted by an increase in heart rate, while self-perceived anxiety was a marginally significant predictor of redundancy. We suggest that these findings are in accordance with an entropy model of uncertainty, in which anxiety motivates organisms to return to familiar low-entropy states in order to regain a sense of control. Our results might inform a better understanding of ritual behavior and psychiatric disorders whose symptoms include over-ritualization.

The human race faces many global to local challenges in the near future. Among these are massive biodiversity losses. The 2012 IUCN/SSC Red List reported evaluations of *56 % of all vertebrates. This included 97 % of amphibians, mammals, birds, cartilaginous fishes, and hagfishes. It also contained evaluations of *50 % of lampreys, *38 % of reptiles, and *29 % of bony fishes. A cursory examination of extinction magnitudes does not immediately reveal the severity of current biodiversity
losses because the extinctions we see today have happened in such a short time compared to earlier events in the fossil record. So, we still must ask how current losses of species
compare to losses in mass extinctions from the geological past. The most recent and best understood mass extinction is the Cretaceous terminal extinction which ends at the Cretaceous–
Paleogene (K–Pg) border, 65 MYA. This event had massive losses of biodiversity (*17 % of families, [50 % of genera, and [70 % of species) and exterminated the dinosaurs. Extinction estimates for non-dinosaurian vertebrates at the K–Pg boundary range from 36 to 43 %. However, there remains much uncertainty regarding the completeness, preservation rates, and extinction magnitudes of the different classes of vertebrates. Fuzzy arithmetic was used to compare recent vertebrate extinction reported in the 2012 IUCN/SSC Red List with biodiversity losses at the end of K–Pg. Comparisons
followed 16 different approaches to data compilation and 288 separate calculations. I tabulated the number of extant and extinct species (extinct ? extinct in the wild), extant island endemics, data deficient species, and so-called impaired species [species with IUCN/SSC Red List designations from vulnerable (VU) to critically endangered (CR)]. Species that went extinct since 1500 and since 1980 were tabulated. Vertebrate extinction moved forward 24–85 times faster since 1500 than during the Cretaceous mass extinction. The magnitude of extinction has exploded since 1980, with losses about 71–297 times larger than during the K–Pg event. If species identified by the IUCN/SSC as critically endangered through vulnerable, and those that are data deficient are assumed extinct by geological
standards, then vertebrate extinction approaches 8900–18,500 times the magnitude during that mass extinction. These extreme values and the great speed with which vertebrate
biodiversity is being decimated are comparable to the devastation of previous extinction events. If recent levels of extinction were to continue, the magnitude is sufficient to drive
these groups extinct in less than a century.

Changes in climate, food abundance and disturbance from humans threaten the ability of species to successfully use stopover sites and migrate between non-breeding and breeding areas. To devise successful conservation strategies for migratory species we need to be able to predict how such changes will affect both individuals and populations. Such predictions should ideally be process-based, focusing on the mechanisms through which changes alter individual physiological state and behavior. In this study we use a process-based model to evaluate how Black Brant (Branta bernicla nigricans) foraging on common eelgrass (Zostera marina) at a stopover site (Humboldt Bay, USA), may be affected by changes in sea level, food abundance and disturbance. The model is individual-based, with empirically based parameters, and incorporates the immigration of birds into the site, tidal changes in availability of eelgrass, seasonal and depth-related changes in eelgrass biomass, foraging behavior and energetics of the birds, and their mass-dependent decisions to emigrate. The model is validated by comparing predictions to observations across a range of system properties including the time birds spent foraging, probability of birds emigrating, mean stopover duration, peak bird numbers, rates of mass gain and distribution of birds within the site: all 11 predictions were within 35% of the observed value, and 8 within 20%. The model predicted that the eelgrass within the site could potentially support up to five times as many birds as currently use the site. Future predictions indicated that the rate of mass gain and mean stopover duration were relatively insensitive to sea level rise over the next 100 years, primarily because eelgrass habitat could redistribute shoreward into intertidal mudflats within the site to compensate for higher sea levels. In contrast, the rate of mass gain and mean stopover duration were sensitive to changes in total eelgrass biomass and the percentage of time for which birds were disturbed. We discuss the consequences of these predictions for Black Brant conservation. A wide range of migratory species responses are expected in response to environmental change. Process-based models are potential tools to predict such responses and understand the mechanisms which underpin them.

This essay expands the rhetoric of economics conversation started by economist Deirdre McCloskey. Through a close engagement with Michel Foucault’s lectures at the Collège de France from 1975 to 1979, concerning the dual problematics of liberalism and biopolitics, we argue for theorizing economic rhetoric as a governmental problem of order, or taxis, which arranges value among divergent subjects beyond the dichotomies of material/cultural and global/local. This approach toward rhetoric, we further contend, takes as its strategic form what Foucault and Agamben have called a dispositif. We demonstrate this premise through a case study of Stephen Dubner and Steven Levitt’s notion of freakonomics, suggesting that it can be understood as a rhetorical dispositif working within the broader political rationality of neoliberal governmentality. We end by gesturing toward a rhetoric of the common as an alternative to the dispositif of freakonomics.

The single most important statement that can be made with regard to the logical status of human and physical geographical reasoning is that it belongs to the class of non-monotonic reasoning. In other words,  geographical reasoning is defeasible (i.e. earlier drawn conclusions can be defeated by the addition of new facts, some of which are generated by the very application of our ideas outside academe) and non-demonstrative (i.e. our beliefs about reality cannot be demonstrated once and for ever; we must do with building provisional arguments based on the current weight of the evidence, which itself changes with the times). Indeed, unlike mathematics, which is a closed world of formalisms that relies heavily on deduction, demonstration, and proof, geography studies and attempts to improve the real, messy world out there. Because that wild, unruly world is always in a process of becoming, the conclusions drawn yesterday may have to be abandoned today, and so on, without end in sight. The core virtue of geographical reasoning is not certainty, but adaptability. As the world changes, so do geography’s entertained beliefs about how to improve it. The point we are trying to make is that an alternative window into the nature of geographical reasoning, besides the one provided by the discipline’s key concepts, offers an opening toward the more subtle problematic of the mechanisms by which the updating of geographical beliefs operate.

Projectile points decrease in size over time in North America, with a
significant decline in size about 1000 BP. Most archaeologists today posit that this sudden change links to the invention or adoption of bow and arrow technology; however, without a large dated sample of preserved wooden bows, arrows, darts, and atlatls it is difficult to know
if this is correct. Via a controlled archery experiment, projectile point performance and function is tested to determine if there is a point at which large projectile points render a bow less functional. Through use of a precisely mounted traditional bow, modern arrows, high speed cameras, and ballistics gel, these performance characteristics were tested. The results of the experiment support the hypothesis that there is a size threshold. However, points of relatively large sizes, comparable in weight to that of Paleoindian lanceolate points, prove to be functional and mostly accurate when fired from a bow. The implications of these results are far reaching, as they may change our perception of projectile point functions based on size, and could suggest an earlier appearance of the bow in the Americas.

Increasing diet breadth, a distinguishing characteristic of human foraging strategies at the end of the Pleistocene and in the early Holocene, is known to be a key development contributing to domestication and the spread of agriculture and pastoralism. Many scholars have focused on broad-spectrum foraging as a result of resource depression due to demographic stress and/or environmental degradation. However, these factors are absent in an increasing number of cases. New research in the Gobi Desert shows that a dramatic change in organizational strategies, including the intensified use of low-ranked foods from dune-field and wetland habitats, is closely correlated with the establishment of dispersed patches boasting high species diversity and a concentrated abundance of small prey. According to a global suite of paleoenvironmental and archaeological data, it appears that the fragmentation of more homogeneous grassland habitats coincided with the rise of broad-spectrum foraging and that these fragmented ecosystems were ideally suited to the unique set of foraging strategies employed by modern humans. This study shows how broad spectrum foraging, increased human population density, and the shift toward food production should be considered by-products of major environmental changes that created an ecological setting ideal for enhanced human reproduction.

Applications of modern evolutionary theory to human culture have generated several different theoretical approaches that challenge traditional anthropological perspectives. "Cultural selection" and "mind parasite" theories model culture as an independent evolutionary system because transmission of cultural traits via social learning is distinct from transmission of genes vla DNA replication. "Dual-inheritance" and "co-evolution" theories model culture as an intermediary evolutionary process that involves information from two inheritance systems: genetics and social learning. "Evolutionary psychology" theories emphasize that the evolutionary history of natural selection on mental processes links culture and biological adaptation; hence, cultural information is viewed as part of the organic phenotype and not an independent evolutionary system. Cross-cultural universals and scenarios of the "environment of evolutionary adaptedness" are used to identify characteristics of the "evolved mind" (human nature). "Behavioral ecology" theories examine relations between behavior and environmental context. Behavioral/cultural variations are viewed as products of flexible decision-making processes (evolved mind) that may respond adaptively to micro-environmental differences. It is difficult to devise empirical tests that distinguish among these theories, because they share many basic premises and make similar predictions about human behavior. Indeed, some of the apparent differences may be more semantic than substantive.

Killer whales (Orcinus orca) were found to use different physiographic regions of their habitat in unique ways. Resident whales fed more in areas of high relief subsurface topography along salmon migratory routes, and may use these geographic features to increase feeding efficiency. Transient whales fed in shallow protected areas around concentrations of their prey, harbor seals (Phoca vitulina). Whales traveled across deep, featureless areas in moving from one feeding area to another. Whales rested depending on the previous sequence of behaviors and played in open water areas or adjacent to feeding areas. The location of food resources and habitats suitable for prey capture appears to be the prime determining factor in the behavioral ecology of these whales. These patterns of behavior most likely represent cultural mechanisms that have been learned through trial and error experiences leading to successful foraging strategies.

More than half a century of cross-cultural research has demonstrated group-level differences in psychological and behavioral phenomena, from values to attention to neural responses. However, cultures are not static, with several specific changes documented for cultural products, practices, and values. How and why do societies change? Here we juxtapose theory and insights from cultural evolution and social ecology. Evolutionary approaches enable an understanding of the how of cultural change, suggesting transmission mechanisms by which the contents of culture may change. Ecological approaches provide insights into the why of cultural change: They identify specific environmental pressures, which evoke shifts in psychology and thereby enable greater precision in predictions of specific cultural changes based on changes in ecological conditions. Complementary insights from the ecological and cultural evolutionary approaches can jointly clarify the process by which cultures change. We end by discussing the relevance of cultural change research for the contemporary societal shifts, and by highlighting several critical challenges and future directions for the emerging field of cross-temporal research on culture and psychology.

"Home range behaviour is a common pattern of space use, having fundamental consequences for ecological processes. However, a general mechanistic explanation is still lacking. Research is split into three separate areas of inquiry – movement models based on random walks, individual-based models based on optimal foraging theory, and a statistical modelling approach – which have developed without much productive contact. Here we review recent advances in modelling home range behaviour, focusing particularly on the problem of identifying mechanisms that lead to the emergence of stable home ranges from unbounded movement paths. We discuss the issue of spatiotemporal scale, which is rarely considered in modelling studies, as well as highlighting the need to consider more closely the dynamical nature of home ranges. Recent methodological and theoretical advances may soon lead to a unified approach, however, conceptually unifying our understanding of linkages among home range
behaviour and ecological or evolutionary processes."

Movido por las alarmantes informaciones sobre las actuales condiciones del Proceso de Cambio Climático, sobre el que lamentablemente por más de 25 años y después de cuatro (4) cumbres internacionales, nuestros líderes y  dirigentes, no han podido ponerse de acuerdo para confrontar con algún éxito  los dramáticos efectos que dicho cambio supone para  la SUPERVIVENCIA DE LA ESPECIE HUMANA.
Y atendiendo  la amable solicitud de mis amigos, el Mamʉ Menjawin y otros Mamʉs Arhuacos, decidí realizar esta compilación, que contiene fundamentalmente conversaciones, mensajes, entrevistas, documentos e historias de los Mamʉs hechas  por ellos mismos y por otros miembros de las comunidades indígenas de la Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta a lo largo de los últimos años.
Especialmente motivado por mis convicciones religiosas, por el amor y respeto por la vida y la dignidad humana, y con el apoyo y aliento de varios amigos  de la Sierra Nevada y otras personas y/o grupos interesados en divulgar la sabiduría ancestral y profunda espiritualidad de sus habitantes, incluyo en este libro, las ideas y conocimientos sobre la historia y la cultura indígena, bajo la óptica dela ciencia occidental, que he obtenido mediante lecturas de estudios, ensayos y publicaciones, realizadas por arqueólogos, etnólogos, sociólogos, geógrafos, exploradores e instituciones gubernamentales y otros escritos como reportajes periodísticos.
Estoy convencido, que esta publicación y su divulgación, contribuirá para que las nuevas generaciones de indígenas y de hombres blancos (bunachis), se informen y logren reconocer la importancia de la existencia de culturas y civilizaciones  que, afortunadamente para todos, continúan presentes en el mundo como faros de luz frente a las graves crisis ambientales que se avecinan.
Emprendo esta labor con la esperanza de que la misma contribuya a que los habitantes originales de la Sierra Nevada, nuestro Hermanos Mayores, y los Mamʉs que los guían, sigan orando y cumpliendo con su misión de preservar el equilibrio y sostenibilidad del mundo que conocemos.
GERARDO MORALES DOMÍNGUEZ
COLOMBIA, SUR AMÉRICA, 2015

Temporal and caloric costs associated with building common hunter-gatherer residential features – housefloors, housepits, storage pits, rock rings, and various types of wickiups – are presented based on experimental construction of these types of features. For subsurface features, excavation rates and associated labor costs are consistent regardless of feature type, soil type, or feature size. Labor costs for surface features are largely dependent on feature size, complexity, and availability of raw materials. In total, the per-family costs of building a single-family hunter-gatherer residential base are just under one 8-h day and approximately 2500 kcal per person. Combined, these data indicate relatively low costs are associated with hunter-gatherer investments in persistent places and in residential facilities made from locally-available resources. Implied by the study is that initial use of a place might reduce the costs of and thus encourage subsequent reoccupations and that raw material availability may have played as much of a role in decisions about when to move as density and distribution of subsistence resources.

Learning about potential threats is critical for survival. Learned fear responses are acquired either through direct experiences or indirectly through social transmission. Social fear learning (SFL), also known as vicarious fear learning, is a paradigm successfully used for studying the transmission of threat information between individuals. Animal and human studies have begun to elucidate the behavioral, neural and molecular mechanisms of SFL. Recent research suggests that social learning mechanisms underlie a wide range of adaptive and maladaptive phenomena, from supporting flexible avoidance in dynamic environments to intergenerational transmission of trauma and anxiety disorders. This review discusses recent advances in SFL studies and their implications for basic, social and clinical sciences.

In July 2017, a team of researchers and practitioners came together to embark upon a month-long situated research residency based at Arebyte Gallery in Hackney Wick, East London. Connecting visual, digital and performance art practices with contemporary scientific research, law and urban design, the project – Crowd Control – explored the mechanisms of collective behaviour through observation, simulation and experimentation.

Through studying group dynamics across differing scales and systems, Crowd Control aimed to observe and understand how groups move together, transfer information, make decisions, and respond to their environment. The question of ‘control’ was explored at three levels: within the body (the internal mechanisms that affect individual behaviour – such as stress response and personality); between bodies (the interactions between individuals – such as social cues, sensory communication, and unwritten patterns of behaviour); and beyond bodies (the external factors that set out to permit, persuade or prohibit behaviours – such as urban infrastructure, legal norms or technological interventions).

Sibudu in KwaZulu-Natal (South Africa) with its rich and high-resolution archaeological sequence provides an ideal case study to examine the causes and consequences of shortterm variation in the behavior of modern humans during the Middle Stone Age (MSA). We present the results from a technological analysis of 11 stratified lithic assemblages which overlie the Howiesons Poort deposits and all date to~58 ka. Based on technological and typological attributes, we conducted inter-assemblage comparisons to characterize the nature and tempo of cultural change in successive occupations. This work identified considerable short-term variation with clear temporal trends throughout the sequence, demonstrating that knappers at Sibudu varied their technology over short time spans. The lithic assemblages can be grouped into three cohesive units which differ from each other in the procurement of raw materials, the frequency in the methods of core reduction, the kind of blanks produced, and in the nature of tools the inhabitants of Sibudu made and used. These groups of assemblages represent different strategies of lithic technology, which build upon each other in a gradual, cumulative manner. We also identify a clear pattern of development toward what we have previously defined as the Sibudan cultural taxonomic unit. Contextualizing these results on larger geographical scales shows that the later phase of the MSA during MIS 3 in KwaZulu-Natal and southern Africa is one of dynamic cultural change rather than of stasis or stagnation as has at times been claimed. In combination with environmental, subsistence and contextual information, our high-resolution data on lithic technology suggest that short-term behavioral variability at Sibudu can be best explained by changes in technological organization and socio-economic dynamics instead of environmental forcing.

Anthropological theories have discussed the efffects of participation in high-arousal rituals in the formation of autobiographical memory; however, precise measurements for such efffects are lacking. In this study, we examined episodic recall among participants in a highly arousing fire- walking ritual. To assess arousal, we used heart rate measurements. To assess the dynamics of episodic memories, we obtained reports immediately after the event and two months later. We evaluated memory accuracy from video footage. Immediately after the event, participants’ reports revealed limited recall, low confijidence and high accuracy. Two months later we found more inaccurate memories and higher confijidence. Whereas cognitive theories of ritual have predicted flashbulb memories for highly arousing rituals, we found that memories were strongly suppressed immediately after the event and only later evolved confijidence and detail. Physiological measurements revealed a spectacular discrepancy between actual heart rates and self-reported arousal. This dissociation between subjective reports and objective measurements of arousal is consistent with a cognitive resource depletion model. We argue that expressive suppression may provide a link between individual memories and cultural understandings of high-arousal rituals.

How far has the Darwinian revolution come? To what extent have evolutionary ideas penetrated into the social sciences and humanities? Are the " science wars " over? Or do whole blocs of disciplines face off over an unbridgeable epistemic gap? To answer questions like these, contributors to top journals in 22 disciplines were surveyed on their beliefs about human nature, culture, and science. More than 600 respondents completed the survey. Scoring patterns divided into two main sets of disciplines. Genetic influences were emphasized in the evolutionary social sciences, evolutionary humanities, psychology, empirical study of the arts, philosophy, economics, and political science. Environmental influences were emphasized in most of the humanities disciplines and in anthropology, sociology, education, and women's or gender studies. Confidence in scientific explanation correlated positively with emphasizing genetic influences on behavior, and negatively with emphasizing environmental influences. Knowing the current actual landscape of belief should help scholars avoid sterile debates and ease the way toward fruitful collaborations with neighboring disciplines.

We present observations of mating by Octopus tetricus Gould, 1852 and Amphioctopus marginatus (Taki, 1964) in the wild. Males of both species mated in the open using the 'reach' position, however one male O. tetricus also incorporated the 'mount' position when copulating with a smaller female. A small male Octopus tetricus copulated by stretching the hectocotylus (= mating arm) over rugged terrain, to a larger female. Direct evidence confirms the existence of inter-sexual aggression during mating in this species. We observed a male A. marginatus mate at close proximity to the smaller female, with minimal stretching of the hectocotylus, and with no evidence of aggression.

The material remains of daily subsistence within Cherokee communities reflect strategies that households enacted while adapting to disruptions associated with European colonialism. Plant subsistence remains dating from the late Pre-Contact period through the end of the Revolutionary War (A. D. 1300–1783) reveal how Cherokee food producers/collectors fed their families as they navigated an increasingly uncertain landscape. Framing our analysis in terms of risk mitigation and future-discounting concepts from human behavioraial ecology, we argue that Cherokee households responded to increasing risk and uncertainty by shifting towards subsistence strategies that had more immediate rewards. Although Cherokee plant subsistence remains exhibit    continuity in how people farmed and foraged, our study shows that households made strategic decisions to alter their food production and collection with respect to looming uncertainty. Archaeobotanical analysis from multiple sites spanning the Colonial period (ca. A. D. 1670-–1783) reveal a stepwise process of declining maize production, increased foraging, and overall diversification of the plant diet. This case underscores the relevance of concepts from human behavioral ecology to complex colonial situations by demonstrating that strategies of risk prevention and mitigation have applicability beyond ecological factors.

"Understanding the causes and consequences of animal movements is of fundamental biological interest because any alteration in movement can have direct and indirect effects on ecosystem structure and function. It is also crucial for assisting spatial wildlife management under variable environmental change scenarios. Recent research has highlighted the need of quantifying individual variability in movement behavior and how it is generated by interactions between individual requirements and environmental conditions, to understand the emergence of population level patterns. Using a multi-annual movement dataset of 213 individual moose (Alces alces) across a latitudinal gradient (from 56° to 67° N) that spans over 1,100 km of varying environmental conditions, we analyze the differences in individual and population level movements. We tested the effect of climate, risk and human presence in the landscape on moose movements. The variation in these factors explained the existence of multiple movements (migration, nomadism, dispersal, sedentary) among individuals and seven populations. Hence, heterogeneity in the immediate environment can result in multiple movements within a species. Population differences were primarily related to latitudinal variation in snow depth and road density. Individuals showed both fixed and flexible behaviors across years, and were less likely to migrate with age in interaction with snow and roads. For the predominant movement strategy, migration, the distance, timing and duration at all latitudes varied between years. Males traveled longer distances and began migrating earlier in spring than females. Our study provides strong quantitative evidence for the dynamics of animal movements in response to changes in environmental conditions along with varying risk from human influence across the landscape. For moose, given its wide distributional range, changes in the distribution and migratory behavior are expected under future warming scenarios.
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We often think of pain as intrinsically bad, and the avoidance of pain is a fundamental evolutionary drive of all species. How can we then explain widespread cultural prac- tices like certain rituals that involve the voluntary infliction of physical pain? In this paper, we argue that inflicting and experiencing pain in a ritual setting may serve important psychological and social functions. By providing psychological relief and leading to stronger identification with the group, such practices may result in a positive feedback loop, which serves both to increase the social cohesion of the community and the continuation of the ritual practices themselves. We argue that although the selec- tive advantage of participation lies at the individual level, the benefits of those practices de facto extend to the group level, thereby allowing extreme rituals to function as effec- tive social technologies.

This article looks at the evolution of sex differences in sexuality in human beings, and asks whether evolutionary psychology sometimes exaggerates these differences. According to a common understanding of sexual selection theory, females in most species invest more than males in their offspring and, as a result, males compete for as many mates as possible, whereas females choose from among the competing males. The males-compete/females-choose (MCFC) model applies to many species, but is misleading when applied to human beings. This is because males in our species commonly contribute to the rearing of the young, which reduces the sex difference in parental investment. Consequently, sex differences in our species are relatively modest. Rather than males competing and female choosing, humans have a system of mutual courtship: Both sexes are choosy about long-term mates and both sexes compete for desirable mates. We call this the mutual mate choice (MMC) model. Although much of the evolutionary psychology literature is consistent with the MMC model, the traditional MCFC model exerts a strong influence on the field, distorting the emerging picture of the evolved sexual psychology of Homo sapiens. Specifically, it has led to the exaggeration of the magnitude of human sex differences, an overemphasis on men’s short-term mating inclinations, and a relative neglect of male mate choice and female mate competition. We advocate a stronger focus on the MMC model.

Mimicry is a classical example of adaptive signal design. Here, we review the current state of research into vocal mimicry in birds. Avian vocal mimicry is a conspicuous and often spectacular form of animal communication, occurring in many distantly related species. However, the proximate and ultimate causes of vocal mimicry are poorly understood. In the first part of this review, we argue that progress has been impeded by conceptual confusion over what constitutes vocal mimicry. We propose a modified version of Vane-Wright's (1980) widely used definition of mimicry. According to our definition, a vocalisation is mimetic if the behaviour of the receiver changes after perceiving the acoustic resemblance between the mimic and the model, and the behavioural change confers a selective advantage on the mimic. Mimicry is therefore specifically a functional concept where the resemblance between heterospecific sounds is a target of selection. It is distinct from other forms of vocal resemblance including those that are the result of chance or common ancestry, and those that have emerged as a by-product of other processes such as ecological convergence and selection for large song-type repertoires. Thus, our definition provides a general and functionally coherent framework for determining what constitutes vocal mimicry, and takes account of the diversity of vocalisations that incorporate heterospecific sounds. In the second part we assess and revise hypotheses for the evolution of avian vocal mimicry in the light of our new definition. Most of the current evidence is anecdotal, but the diverse contexts and acoustic structures of putative vocal mimicry suggest that mimicry has multiple functions across and within species. There is strong experimental evidence that vocal mimicry can be deceptive, and can facilitate parasitic interactions. There is also increasing support for the use of vocal mimicry in predator defence, although the mechanisms are unclear. Less progress has been made in explaining why many birds incorporate heterospecific sounds into their sexual displays, and in determining whether these vocalisations are functionally mimetic or by-products of sexual selection for other traits such as repertoire size. Overall, this discussion reveals a more central role for vocal mimicry in the behavioural ecology of birds than has previously been appreciated. The final part of this review identifies important areas for future research. Detailed empirical data are needed on individual species, including on the structure of mimetic signals, the contexts in which mimicry is produced, how mimicry is acquired, and the ecological relationships between mimic, model and receiver. At present, there is little information and no consensus about the various costs of vocal mimicry for the protagonists in the mimicry complex. The diversity and complexity of vocal mimicry in birds raises important questions for the study of animal communication and challenges our view of the nature of mimicry itself. Therefore, a better understanding of avian vocal mimicry is essential if we are to account fully for the diversity of animal signals.

Kinship was one of the key areas of research interest among anthropologists in the nineteenth century, one of the most hotly debated areas of theory in the early and mid-twentieth century, and yet an area of waning interest by the end of the twentieth century. Since then, the study of kinship has experienced a revitalization, with concomitant disputes over how best to proceed. This special issue brings together recent studies of kinship by scientific anthropologists employing evolutionary theory and quantitative methods. We argue that the melding of the evolutionary theoretical perspective with quantitative and ethnographic methodologies has strengthened and reinvigorated the study of kinship by synthesizing and extending existing research via rigorous analyses of evidence.

We propose a Darwinian evolutionary model for the development and disappearance of Woodland period cultural elaboration in the Ohio River Valley, and specifically the “climax” of this behavior known as the Hopewell phenomenon. We combine aspects of evolutionary archaeology and evolutionary ecology to provide a model that (1) has testable empirical consequences, and (2) specifically addresses the historical context of development of the phenomenon being explained. Our model builds on Smith’s (1987) coevolutionary scenario for the development of symbiosis between Eastern Agricultural Complex (EAC) crops and the human populations exploiting them. After presenting our model we explore the empirical consequences of ceremonial subsistence and the types of data that would be required to test the model. In our discussion of the extant data we also contrast our scenario with a competing evolutionary explanation for the Hopewell phenomenon: the “waste” hypothesis. The limited available evidence is in line with the empirical expectations of the ceremonial subsistence model and is, to varying degrees, at odds with the empirical expectations for the “waste” explanation. Our ceremonial subsistence model offers a testable alternative that is not falsified by the extant data. However, we recognize the problem is far from solved. Our primary aim is to promote renewed theoretical discussion of the issues raised herein, and to encourage new problem-oriented research to provide empirical evidence to test both explanations.

The article discusses the problem related to sustainable development of territorial units. The introduction covers the theoretical aspects of revitalisation and sustainable development, including the significant role of revitalisation programmes. The primary purpose of the study is to identify and analyse the categories of revitalisation projects in Jelenia Góra Agglomeration municipalities in the context of supporting and deepening sustainable development. Next part of the analysis outlines the establishment and functioning of Jelenia Góra Agglomeration. The presentation of revitalisation projects, carried out in the agglomeration municipalities, grouped by the order of sustainable development remains the core of the study. Five relevant orders were distinguished, i.e. social, economic, environmental, spatial and institutional-political ones. Within the framework of general conclusions it can be stated that the presented revitalisation projects, carried out by the local governments, exert an impact on the implementation of sustainable development principles and their substantive scope corresponds well with its spectrum.

Social scientists and folk views have long had it that there is an association between religiosity and prosocial behaviour, but hard evidence for such a relationship is limited. Studies show that religiosity is correlated with self-reported prosociality, however this relationship is not very clear when it comes to observed prosocial behaviours. Experimental studies reveal a link between religious priming and prosocial behaviours, and remarkably such effects hold irrespectively of degrees of religiosity. Building on and combining the strengths of previous field designs, I report here the results of a field experiment in Mauritius examining the effects of religious environments on cooperation in a naturalistic setting. These results were consistent with previous findings that religious cues may increase cooperation. Importantly, this effect was not dependent on degrees of prior religiosity. Plausible interpretations of such effects are discussed.

Despite decades of effort, around 2.8 billion people still rely on solid fuels to meet domestic energy needs. There is robust evidence this causes premature death, chronic disease as well as wider economic, social and environmental problems. Behavior change interventions are effective to reduce exposure to harm such as HAP, including those using health communications approaches. This article reports the findings of a project that reviewed the effectiveness of behavior change approaches in cleaner cooking interventions in resource-poor settings. The authors synthesized evidence of the use of behavior change techniques (BCTs), along the cleaner cooking value chain, to bring positive health, economic and environmental impacts. 48 articles met the inclusion criteria, which documented 55 interventions carried out in 20 countries. The groupings of BCT most frequently used were “Shaping Knowledge” (n = 47), “Rewards and Threats” (n = 35), “Social Support” (n = 35) and “Comparisons” (n = 16). A scorecard of behavior change effectiveness was developed to analyze a selection of case study interventions. BCTs have been used effectively as part of multilevel programs. Cooking demonstrations, the right product, and understanding of the barriers and benefits along the value chain have all played a role. Often absent are theories and models of behavior change adapted to the target audience and local context. Robust research methods are needed to track and evaluate behavior change and impact, not just technology disseminated. Behavior change approaches could then play a more prominent role as the “special sauce” in cleaner cooking interventions in resource poor settings.

A considerable body of research cross-culturally examines the evolution of religious traditions, beliefs and behaviors. The bulk of this research, however, draws from coded qualitative ethnographies rather than from standardized methods specifically designed to measure religious beliefs and behaviors. Psychological data sets that examine religious thought and behavior in controlled conditions tend to be disproportionately sampled from student populations. Some cross-national databases employ standardized methods at the individual level, but are primarily focused on fully market integrated, state-level societies. The Evolution of Religion and Morality Project sought to generate a data set that systematically probed individual level measures sampling across a wider range of human populations. The set includes data from behavioral economic experiments and detailed surveys of demographics, religious beliefs and practices, material security, and intergroup perceptions. This paper describes the methods and variables, briefly introduces the sites and sampling techniques, notes inconsistencies across sites, and provides some basic reporting for the data set.

The geographical characteristics of a total of 1839 forest fragments surrounded by sugar cane ®elds were studied in the Brazilian Atlantic rain forest region of the northeastern state of Pernambuco. The size and shape of the fragments as well as inter-fragment distances and the eects of varying edge width were examined using a geographical information system. The analyses show that the fragments are relatively small and close to each other. Approximately 48% of the rain forest fragments are <10 hectares, while only about 7% are >100 hectares. Forest fragments are close to each other, as fragments located 50 m or less apart formed groups that included ca. 50% of the total forest area. At 350 m inter-fragment distance, 98% of the rain forest area was included in groups of fragments. Due to the small size and irregular shape of the fragments, the total area of edge zone exceeds that of the interior habitat when the edge width is ca. 60 m. At an edge width of 300 m ca. 94% of the total fragment area is edge zone. For conservation purposes, ways of establishing networks of forest fragments connected by corridors and stepping stone fragments are demonstrated using GIS. Simulations using these techniques show that reforestation of sugar cane ®elds between the forest fragments would considerably increase the area of interior forest habitat and connectivity between fragments.

Male song in birds and mammals is important for repelling rivals, stimulating mates or attracting them to a specific location. Nevertheless, direct experimental evidence for the mate attraction function of male song is limited to a few studies. Here, we provide strong experimental evidence that male songs attract wild female bats (Saccopteryx bilineata). Playbacks of territorial songs reliably elicited phonotaxis in females but not males. Most females captured during playbacks were subadults searching for new colonies to settle in. In S. bilineata, multiple males sing simultaneously at dawn and dusk, thereby creating a conspicuous chorus which encodes information on colony identity and size. Since territorial songs have a large signalling range, male songs constitute acoustic beacons which enable females to localize new colonies. In our playbacks, females strongly preferred local territorial songs over foreign territorial songs from two different locations, indicating that song familiarity influences phonotaxis. Our study provides the first clear experimental evidence that male song elicits female phonotaxis in a non-human mammal. Bats are an especially promising taxon for studying mammalian song since male song has been described in different species with diverse social organisations and natural histories, thus providing exciting opportunities for phylogenetically controlled comparative studies.