Extension of niche theory in human ecology: three patterns of niche occupation

Auteurs :
EIGHMY, J. L.
BROOKE-JACOBSEN, R.

Description :
Human ecologists have recently adopted a concept of niche as developed by Hutchinson (1957) that has become useful and operational in the study of human social behavior. This article extends this theory of niche by showing that the occupation of a human niche should theoretically grow in a logistic fashion, and that four empirical data sets conform to the expectation of logistic growth. Three patterns, all variants of a logistic curve, are recognized: the formative, S-shaped, and mature.


Type de document :
Article de périodique

Source :
American Ethnologist. A Journal of American Anthropological Association Durham, N. C., 1980, vol. 7, n°. 2, p. 286-299

Date :
1980