Thesis
Maternal energy allocation and investment among central African foragers and farmers
Washington State University
Master of Arts (MA), Washington State University
2014
Handle:
https://hdl.handle.net/2376/102380
Abstract
Human life history strategies are unique because we have short interbirth intervals, lengthy childhood, and multiple dependent offspring. This makes reproduction costly for mothers. In order to offset these costs, mothers can increase dietary intake, reduce physical activity, temporarily reduce BMR, or draw on fat stores. If these options are insufficient to offset these costs, mothers may reduce investment in their infants. Which strategies a mother will use are dependent upon local ecology, subsistence, and cultural models of childcare. In this thesis I examine the effects of maternal energy expenditure (EE) and energy intake on maternal investment among Aka foragers and Ngandu farmers. Cultural variation in energy strategies are explored, as well as active and inactive forms of investment. Results indicate that there are differences in Aka and Ngandu EE, but no differences in energy intake. There is an interaction between ethnicity and energy balance. I argue that this is due to differential allomaternal assistance. While energy balance determines the extent of maternal active investment in both populations, inactive investment is unaffected. The implications of delineating variation in maternal strategies cross-culturally are explored.
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Details
- Title
- Maternal energy allocation and investment among central African foragers and farmers
- Creators
- Courtney Danyel Malcom
- Contributors
- Courtney L. Meehan (Degree Supervisor)
- Awarding Institution
- Washington State University
- Academic Unit
- Anthropology, Department of
- Theses and Dissertations
- Master of Arts (MA), Washington State University
- Publisher
- Washington State University; [Pullman, Washington] :
- Identifiers
- 99900525195601842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Thesis