Time and complexity in historical ecology : studies in the neotropical lowlands ; [Symposium on Neotropical Historical Ecology, October 2002, New Orleans

This collection of studies by anthropologists, botanists, ecologists, and biologists is an important contribution to the emerging field of historical ecology. The book combines cutting-edge research with new perspectives to emphasize the close relationship between humans and their natural environment. Contributors examine how alterations in the natural world mirror human cultures, societies, and languages. Treating the landscape like a text, these researchers decipher patterns and meaning in the Ecuadorian Andes, Amazonia, the desert coast of Peru, and other regions in the neotropics. They show how local peoples have changed the landscape over time to fit their needs by managing and modifying species diversity, enhancing landscape heterogeneity, and controlling ecological disturbance. In turn, the environment itself becomes a form of architecture rich with historical and archaeological significance. __Time and Complexity in Historical Ecology__ explores thousands of years of ecological history while also addressing important contemporary issues, such as biodiversity and genetic variation and change. Engagingly written and expertly researched, this book introduces and exemplifies a unique method for better understanding the link between humans and the biosphere. Annotation. Like the cracking of the genetic code and the creation of the atomic bomb, the discovery of how the brain's neurons work is one of the fundamental scientific developments of the twentieth century. The discovery of neurotransmitters revolutionized the way we think about the brain and what it means to be human yet few people know how they were discovered, the scientists involved, or the fierce controversy about whether they even existed. The War of the Soups and the Sparks tells the saga of the dispute between the pharmacologists, who had uncovered the first evidence that nerves communicate by releasing chemicals, and the neurophysiologists, experts on the nervous system, who dismissed the evidence and remained committed to electrical explanations. The protagonists of this story are Otto Loewi and Henry Dale, who received Nobel Prizes for their work, and Walter Cannon, who would have shared the prize with them if he had not been persuaded to adopt a controversial theory (how that happened is an important part of this history). Valenstein sets his story of scientific discovery against the backdrop of two world wars and examines the fascinating lives of several scientists whose work was affected by the social and political events of their time. He recounts such stories as Loewi's arrest by Nazi storm troopers and Dale's efforts at helping key scientists escape Germany. The War of the Soups and the Sparks reveals how science and scientists work. Valenstein describes the observations and experiments that led to the discovery of neurotransmitters and sheds light on what determines whether a novel concept will gain acceptance among the scientific community. His work also explains the immense importance of Loewi, Dale, and Cannon's achievements in our understanding of the human brain and the way mental illnesses are conceptualized and treated Table of Contents Preface Contributors Time, Complexity, and Historical Ecology, by William Balee and Clark L. Erickson Part 1 1. The Feral Forests of the Eastern Peten, by David G. Campbell, Anabel Ford, Karen S. Lowell, Jay Walker, Jeffrey K . Lake, Constanza Ocampo-Raeder, Andrew Townesmith, and Michael Balick 2. A Neotropical Framework for Terra Preta, by Elizabeth Graham 3. Domesticated Food and Society in Early Coastal Peru, by Christine A. Hastorf 4. Microvertebrate Synecology and Anthropogenic Footprints in the Forested Neotropics, by Peter W. Stahl Part 2 5. Pre-European Forest Cultivation in Amazonia, by William M. Denevan 6. Fruit Trees and the Transition to Food Production in Amazonia, by Charles R. Clement 7. The Historical Ecology of a Complex Landscape in Bolivia, Clark L. Erickson and William Balee 8. The Domesticated Landscapes of the Bolivian Amazon, by Clark L. Erickson 9. Political Economy and Pre-Columbian Landscape Transformations in Central Amazonia, by Eduardo G. Neves and James B. Petersen 10. History, Ecology, and Alterity: Visualizing Polity in Ancient Amazonia, by Michael Heckenberger 11. Between the Ship and the Bulldozer: Historical Ecology of Guaja Subsistence, Sociality, and Symbolism After 1500, by Loretta A. Cormier 12. Landscapes of the Past, Footprints of the Future: Historical Ecology and the Study of Contemporary Land-Use Change in the Amazon, by Eduardo S. Brondizio Index

this Collection Of Studies By Anthropologists, Botanists, Ecologists, And Biologists Is An Important Contribution To The Emerging Field Of Historical Ecology. The Book Combines Cutting-edge Research With New Perspectives To Emphasize The Close Relationship Between Humans And Their Natural Environment.

contributors Examine How Alterations In The Natural World Mirror Human Cultures, Societies, And Languages. Treating The Landscape Like A Text, These Researchers Decipher Patterns And Meaning In The Ecuadorian Andes, Amazonia, The Desert Coast Of Peru, And Other Regions In The Neotropics. They Show How Local Peoples Have Changed The Landscape Over Time To Fit Their Needs By Managing And Modifying Species Diversity, Enhancing Landscape Heterogeneity, And Controlling Ecological Disturbance. In Turn, The Environment Itself Becomes A Form Of Architecture Rich With Historical And Archaeological Significance.

time And Complexity In Historical Ecology Explores Thousands Of Years Of Ecological History While Also Addressing Important Contemporary Issues, Such As Biodiversity And Genetic Variation And Change. Engagingly Written And Expertly Researched, This Book Introduces And Exemplifies A Unique Method For Better Understanding The Link Between Humans And The Biosphere.

Placing emphasis on the close relationship between humans and their natural environment, this book examines how alterations in the natural world mirror human cultures, societies, and languages. It explores thousands of years of ecological history while addressing important contemporary issues, such as biodiversity and genetic variation and change. An important contribution to the emerging field of historical ecology, this volume illuminates the ways in which the landscape reflects human history and culture. The book combines cutting-edge research with new perspectives on the effects of human societies on the neotropical lowlands of South and Central America