That's interesting, but we can't ignore the important place meat, including
carrion, seems to have played.

Paul
----- Original Message -----
From: "Amadeus Schmidt" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Monday, November 26, 2001 11:34 AM
Subject: Niches (Re: yams and sweet potatoes [and seeds]


> On Sun, 25 Nov 2001 10:13:20 -0500, Paul Getty <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
> >Our digestive systems are also set up for digesting meat..........so
there
> >is not one "THE" ecological niche for humans.
> >
>
> Yes, it's more the problem to digest some plant items.
> The ecological niche is about the availability of food items.
>
> For example chimps cannot survive in the savanna, because in a dry season
> they lack fallback foods.
> If some hominids can access undergroud roots there, with few competition
> (only with some pigs and mole rats) then that's a ecological niche.
> Which can be filled by creatures with the techniques or genetic adaption
to
> cope with the food. The more difficult to access or digest, the greater
the
> chance to be alone in the niche - and be successfull therefore.
>
> The more unique the technique (like fire or stone tools) the less
> competition, the more success.
> They daytime bipedal moving gains access to more tubers and carrion.
> Fire doubles the calories and scares off predators.
> That's a niche, maybe the explanation for the success of h.erectus.
>
> Amadeus
>
>