Food And Evolution: Toward a Theory of Human Food Habits

Glossary

Amino acids, essential and non-essential. Among the organic compounds known as amino acids that are the principal constituents of proteins, the nine or ten that cannot be synthesized by humans from materials nonnally present in the diet, at a rate commensurate with nonnal metabolic needs, are tenned essential. In contrast, a nonessential amino acid, while also required for protein synthesis, can normally be manufactured by the body at an adequate rate to meet all nonnal body needs. Anadromous fish. Fish that spend most of their life cycle in salt water, but migrate upstream to spawn in fresh water. The opposite are catadromous fish. Angiosperms. Flowering plants, characterized by seeds encapsulated in the ovary tissue of the parent plant. Autochthonous. Indigenous, original inhabitants. B. P. Before the present. Basal energy needs (Basal metabolic rate). The minimum food energy needs compatible with life. In common usage, it approximates to resting energy expenditure: the energy expended by an individual in a normal life situation while at rest and under conditions of thennal neutrality. Bovids (Bovidae). A family of ruminants, generally characterized by paired, unbranched horns; includes cattle, goats, and sheep. Brahmin (Brahman) cattle. A number of highly disease- and parasite-resistant varieties of humped cattle that are the result of crosses between South Asian (zebu) breeds and North American animals. C4 metabolic pathway. A photosynthetic pathway common to tropical grasses and related plants. Catadromous fish. Fish that spend most of their life cycle in fresh water but swim downstream to salt water to lay their eggs. Cattle cycle. The fluctuation in the size of the U. S. beef cattle herd that occurs over nine- to twelve-year periods as a result of changes in production costs and market prices. 607 Glossary Central place foraging. Hunting-gathering strategies that involve the return of foods to a central base camp and sharing of harvest in that locale. Cholesterol. A fat-soluble steroid, manufactured in several human organs (chiefly the liver) that is an essential precursor for the synthesis of Vitamin D, various adrenal and sex hormones, bile salts, etc. Cribra orbitalia. A disease attributed to iron deficiency anemias, characterized by porosity and pitting of the skull. Currency. The attribute(s) of a resource used to measure its value on some standardized scale. In foraging theory, often the metabolic energy content of the resource. Diachronic. Through time, in a historical perspective. Dicotyledonous. Pertaining to the largest subclass of angiosperms (Dicotyledones), distinguished by seeds with two leaves in the embryo. Dietary breadth. The total number or range of resources eaten by a given population or a particular predator at anyone point in time. Diet-breadth model. A model chiefly applied to foraging species and human huntergatherers that attempts to predict which types of resources among those available are most likely to be pursued. Eicosapentaenoic acid. A fatty acid found in relatively large concentrations in marine fish, sea-mammals, and shell-fish. Electrolytes. Mineral compounds, often found in salts (such as those of calcium and sodium), that readily dissociate into positive and negative ions in solvents such as water or alcohol. As such, they can conduct an electrical current. Ernic. That which is deemed real, significant, or meaningful from the viewpoint of the participants of a particular culture. Erythrocytic. Pertaining to erythrocytes, or red blood cells, producers of the respiratory pigment hemoglobin. Etic. That which the scientific community of observers in a particular culture recognizes as real, significant, productive of theories that can be tested, and cross-culturally valid. Felids (Felidae). Animals of the cat family of carnivores. Folivore. A leaf-eating animal. 608 Glossary Glutathione. A tripeptide composed of the amino acids cysteine, glycine, and glutamic acid found in most living cells. Green revolution. Programs of the 1960s and 1970s to improve world food output by introducing high-yielding seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, and more advanced irrigation, all extremely capital intensive, into selected Third World countries. Harris lines. Radiometrically opaque lines found in the extremities of long bones, thought to be the result of disruption in growth due to shortages of calories and/or protein and of subsequent compensatory growth. Hemolytic anemia. A subnormal concentration of hemoglobin in the blood caused by hemolysis, or destruction, of red blood cells. Hominoidea. One of the three superfamilies in the suborder Anthropoidea, it is composed of all fossil and living apes and humans. Hylobatids (Hylobatidae). One of the families of Hominoidea that includes gibbons and siamangs. Hypoplasia. Defective...