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Extension of niche theory in human ecology: three patterns of niche occupation
Author(s) -
EIGHMY JEFFREY L.,
JACOBSEN R. BROOKE
Publication year - 1980
Publication title -
american ethnologist
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.875
H-Index - 78
eISSN - 1548-1425
pISSN - 0094-0496
DOI - 10.1525/ae.1980.7.2.02a00040
Subject(s) - niche , niche construction , ecology , niche segregation , extension (predicate logic) , logistic function , formative assessment , ecological niche , environmental niche modelling , human ecology , logistic regression , biology , mathematics , computer science , statistics , habitat , programming language
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. [niche, density dependent growth, mathematical analysis, time series data, human ecology]