Risk-senstive adaptive tactics: Models and evidence from subsistence studies in biology and anthropology

Bruce Winterhalder, Flora Lu, Bram Tucker
1999 Journal of Archaeological Research  
Risk-sensitive analysis of subsistence adaptations is warranted when ( i) outcomes are to some degree unpredictable and (ii) they have nonlinear consequences for fitness and~or utility. Both conditions are likely to be common among peoples studied by ecological anthropologists and archaeologists. We develop a general conceptual model of risk. We then review and summarize the extensive empirical literatures from biology and anthropology for methodological insights and for their comparative
more » ... ial. Risk-sensitive adaptive tactics are diverse and they are taxonomically widespread. However, the anthropological literature rarely makes use of formal models of risk-sensitive adaptation, while the biological literature lacks naturalistic observations of risk-sensitive behavior. Both anthropology and biology could benefit from greater interdisciplinary exchange.
doi:10.1007/bf02446047 fatcat:2qyqwwcuijgj3dskytt2noe7ii