Question 2 of 21

Political ecologist Dr. Suzanne Hecht (UCLA) has been working in El Salvador to help the country deal with which aspect of climate change?

... El Salvador has been plagued by very bad storms, and work is underway to adapt the land to help lessen storm and flood damage. This work includes increasing the number of forests.

Question 3 of 21

When did the field of political ecology first become known as a distinct discipline?

... During the 1970s, the disciplines of ecology and social science overlapped, and political ecology developed.

Question 4 of 21

Dr. Roy Rappaport was a leading ecological anthropologist. His first professional career, however, was as a/an __________.

... After graduating from the hotel management school at Cornell University, Rappaport opened a successful inn in the Berkshire Mountains of Massachusetts. After pursuing that for almost a decade he returned to school, studying anthropology at Columbia University.

Question 5 of 21

Rappaport studied an indigenous population in New Guinea that maintained a pig population for food as well as rituals. Pigs were sacrificed to mark _________.

... The Tsembaga Maring ritually slaughtered pigs at both betrothals and the cessation of warfare. Rappaport discussed these practices in "Pigs for the Ancestors: Ritual in the Ecology of a New Guinea People."

Question 6 of 21

One area that renowned political ecologist Dr. Arturo Escobar studied was how western nations after World War II helped create _______.

... In "Encountering Development: The Making and Unmaking of the Third World," Escobar proposed that western countries sought to develop Africa, Asia and Latin America in a controlling, yet ineffective manner that allowed poverty and hunger to spread.

Question 7 of 21

Within the field of ecological anthropology, an "ecosystem" includes ________.

... "Ecosystem" refers to a designated environment, with material goods as well as all the organisms functioning within it.

Question 8 of 21

In the 1960s, studying the "flow of energy" became an important area of research within ecological anthropology; it refers to _______.

... The source, amount and types of food eaten (often, protein sources) are examined when analyzing the flow of energy. It can also include a measure of how calories are used by the population.

Question 9 of 21

When ecological anthropologists examine energy flow, the relationship among the amount of time spent on obtaining food, the energy obtained from that food, and the energy expended is important, especially under which circumstances?

... That relationship, called the "net return rate," comes into play especially when there are problems obtaining food due to limited supply, dangerous circumstances or time restraints.

Question 10 of 21

How has the field of ecological anthropology changed since its development?

... Researchers have started to examine how global occurrences affect people's interactions with their local ecosystems, such as the exploitation of raw materials and the misunderstanding of indigenous behavior.

Question 11 of 21

Within the field of ecological anthropology, "latent function" refers to behavior that is primarily ________.

... The latent function of a behavior is not intended by the people engaged in the behavior; they have a separate purpose for the actions (the "manifest function"). The latent function is recognized and identified by an outside observer, such as a researcher.

Question 12 of 21

Since environment is a factor, the Darwinian theory of natural selection is important within ecological anthropology. Which of the following was NOT one of Darwin's assumptions?

... Natural selection suggests that individuals that are most well-suited for their environments will survive. This does not necessarily mean that they must be large and strong. They must have adapted to their particular environmental challenges. The common expression "only the strong survive" may be a memorable phrase, but it misses the Darwinian mark.

Question 13 of 21

"Swidden agriculture" is also known as _________ agriculture.

... Swidden agriculture or shifting cultivation refers to burning woodlands to create planting fields. Once the soil is depleted or pests and weeds interfere, the farmers abandon the field, move to a new area and repeat the process.

Question 14 of 21

Populations can be regulated in many ways; which of the following is considered a "density dependent" factor?

... Density dependent factors are based on the number of members in a population. This can affect competition for resources and predator behavior and, thus, affect populations. It is more typical of vertebrates than insects.

Question 15 of 21

Within the field of ecological anthropology, "environmental determinism" refers to how ________.

... Environmental determinism is a controversial belief that a culture develops specifically because of its environment. An example of this would be an insulated culture that develops on an island that does not engage with the rest of the world.

Question 16 of 21

In a study of the Swiss alpine village of Tšrbel that examined 300 years of data, what was the relationship between fertility and mortality?

... Dr. Robert Netting, from the University of Pennsylvania, found that the population was fairly constant because fertility and mortality varied similarly. For instance, if there was a deadly epidemic, the survivors tended to reproduce at a higher rate.

Question 17 of 21

Within the field of ecological anthropology, "carrying capacity" refers to the _________.

... The carrying capacity of a habitat depends upon what kinds of demands the organisms within the habitat place on it, and the life that can be sustained within it. This can be significantly affected by technological developments.

Question 18 of 21

"Stratification" refers to inequalities based on power, wealth and status; ALL human societies have displayed stratification in regards to __________.

... Age is the one factor that seems to cut across all societies, because members are treated differently based solely on age. Sex stratification is also quite common.

Question 19 of 21

When looking at the ecology of mating, what percentage of human societies participate in polygamy?

... Of the 863 societies recognized by anthropologists, 716 (83 percent) practice polygamy of some sort. It is usually limited to a relatively small number of males.

Question 20 of 21

Ecological anthropologists study how humans obtain food; one method is pastoralism (subsistence based on consuming domesticated animals). Which of the following types is NOT and example of this?

... Virilocal marriage customs (the bride moving in with the husband's family) have no relationship to pastoralism. Nomadic groups move their animals to any available land. Those that are settled keep their animals on one section of land, providing them with food and shelter when necessary. Transhumance pastoralism involves moving animals between a home base and a grazing area depending upon the season.

Question 21 of 21

The University of Kentucky's Political Ecology Working Group (PEWG) sponsors an annual conference with the acronym __________.

... Each year PEWG sponsors a conference entitled "Dimensions of Political Ecology."

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