Niche construction and the toolkits of hunter–gatherers and food producers

Biological Theory • Vol/Iss. 6(3) • Springer Netherlands • • Published In • Pages: 251-259 •
By Collard, Mark, Buchanan, Briggs, Ruttle, April, O’Brien, Michael J.

Hypothesis

The relationship between population size and toolkit diversity and complexity will be greater among food-producing (i.e. pastoralist, horticulturalist, and agriculturalist) groups than among hunter-gatherers, whereas relationship between risk of resource failure and toolkit diversity and complexity will be greater among hunter-gatherers than among food-producers (253).

Note

The relationship between population size and toolkit complexity (r-squared = 0.268) and diversity (r-squared = 0.236) was significant among food-producers, but insignificant among hunter-gatherers. The relationship between risk of resource failure (proxied by latitude and effective temperature) and toolkit complexity was significant among hunter-gatherers, but insignificant among food-producers.

Test

Test NameSupportSignificanceCoefficientTail
Linear regressionSupportedp < 0.01UNKNOWNUNKNOWN

Variables

Variable NameVariable Type OCM Term(s)
Population SizeIndependentPopulation
Toolkit ComplexityDependentGeneral Tools
Toolkit DiversityDependentGeneral Tools