Human biologists remain invested in the prospect of developing a ‘biocultural synthesis.’ The primary concerns identified in major touchstones of this effort include the presentation of biological function in terms of social relations, understanding the role that humans play in constructing their own environments for development and evolution, and linking local and macro-scale processes in analysis. In this dissertation, I explore three ‘modeling problems’ in human evolutionary ecology with the goal of utilizing these case studies to illustrate such biocultural themes. These case studies include: an overview of advances in evolutionary ecological theory (life history theory and considerations of the role of plasticity in the evolutionary process) and their application to models of the evolution of human post-reproductive lifespans as a life history ‘stage’; the implications of the cooperative breeding model of human evolution and the process of niche construction for estimations of human ‘lifetime reproductive effort’; and the question of the delineation of the ‘units’ of human evolution and development in light of biocultural dynamics. These case studies serve as opportunities to explore core biocultural concepts in the context of discussions of human evolution and adaptation. The goal of this endeavor is to illustrate the unity between political-economic and adaptive/evolutionary frameworks, in the service of integrative biocultural anthropology.

Creator

• Bragg, Jared

DOI

• https://doi.org/10.21985/n2-jpkm-j815

Subject

• Physical anthropology

Language

• en

Alternate Identifier

• etdadmin_upload_788891
• http://dissertations.umi.com/northwestern:15439

Date created

• 2020-01-01

Resource type

• Dissertation

Rights statement

• In Copyright