Investigating Niche Construction in Dynamic Human-Animal Landscapes: Bridging Ecological and Evolutionary Timescales

• Published in: International journal of primatology Vol. 39; no. 5; pp. 797 - 816
• Main Authors: Ellwanger, Amanda L., Lambert, Joanna E.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01.10.2018; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Animal Ecology; Animal Genetics and Genomics; Animal human relations; Anthropology; Behavioral ecology; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Bridges; Ecological effects; Ecological monitoring; Evolution; Evolutionary Biology; Human behavior; Human Genetics; Human influences; Landscape; Landscape ecology; Life Sciences; Primate behavior; Primates; Zoology; Anthropocene; Human–wildlife conflict and coexistence; Ecology; Ethnoprimatology; Niche construction theory
• ISSN: 0164-0291; 1573-8604
• DOI: 10.1007/s10764-018-0033-y

Human influence on the environment is evident at all landscape and ecological scales, from local to global, shaping both abiotic and biotic processes. Niche construction theory provides a means by which to investigate the consequences of these anthropogenic effects, but primatological research has been slow to integrate ecological and evolutionary timelines. We review methods that can be used to study how human niche construction influences nonhuman primates including phenological assessment, nonhuman primate behavioral observations, and ethnographic interview techniques. We argue that this approach provides a starting place to examine niche construction theory but that scholars of primate behavioral ecology must expand our methodologies to bridge the disconnect between ecological and evolutionary research time frames. We suggest areas of research and methods that have been underused but offer opportunities for integrative, innovative research. We conclude that an integrated, synthetic methodological approach is a major goal and that it will likely require a cross-disciplinary, collaborative effort.