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Economic Foraging at a Distance Is Not a Question Of If but When: A Response to Grimstead

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Adrian R. Whitaker  and
Kimberley L. Carpenter
Adrian R. Whitaker
Affiliation:
Far Western Anthropological Research Group, Inc., 2727 Del Rio Place, Suite A., Davis, California 95618 (adie@farwestern.com, kim@farwestern.com)
Kimberley L. Carpenter
Affiliation:
Far Western Anthropological Research Group, Inc., 2727 Del Rio Place, Suite A., Davis, California 95618 (adie@farwestern.com, kim@farwestern.com)
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Abstract

Grimstead (2010) develops a transport model that appears to demonstrate that distant patch hunting is energetically efficient at distances of well over 350 km. However, a close examination of her assumptions raises questions concerning the validity of her approach. Here, we examine the effects of using more ecologically justifiable parameters and consider the cost of time spent away from camp on her model’s outcomes. We find that under revised constraints the model yields much shorter maximum transport distances and argue, therefore, that distant patch hunting may be calorically economical in some cases, but not in others.

Grimstead (2010) desarrolla un modelo de transporte el cual demuestra que la caza en parches distantes es energéticamente eficiente a distancias que superan a los 350 km. Sin embargo, una investigación detallada de su hipótesis plantea cuestiones acerca de la validez de su modelo. En este trabajo, investigamos los efectos del uso de parámetros basados en la ecología y evaluamos los costos de estar lejos del lugar central, dados los resultados del modelo de Grimstead. Sugerimos que revisar a los parámetros del modelo produce estimaciones de distancias máximas de transporte que son mucho más cortas que las citadas por Grimstead y píanteamos entónces que la caza en parche distantes puede ser calóricamente económica en algunos casos, pero no en otros.

Type
Research Article
Information
American Antiquity , Volume 77 , Issue 1 , January 2012 , pp. 160 - 167
Copyright
Copyright © The Society for American Archaeology 2012

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