Dogs' relationship with humans is pervasive and familiar, and human-dog social bonds serve multiple functions. Yet the breadth and depth of this variation is poorly understood. This study considers our coevolutionary relationship in cross-cultural context as a self-organizing system of mutual-attraction between complementary species. We analyzed Human Relations Area Files (HRAF) texts to develop three scales of dog-human relationships: dogs' utility for humans (DUH), humans' utility for dogs (HUD), and personhood of dogs (PD). Using multilevel regression analyses of data from 844 ethnographers in 144 cultures, we evaluated multiple hypotheses for dog-human coevolution, including: influence of ecological constraints (temperature and pathogen stress), subsistence systems (hunting-agriculture continuum, livestock production), resource defense (intergroup violence, crime), and gendered-relationships (dog affiliation with men and women). Ambient temperature and pathogens showed the strongest and most consistent effects on DUH, HUD, and PD. Mutual-utility and dog-personhood increased as temperature decreased. Pathogens showed non-linear effects: outcomes increased with pathogens up to moderate-high levels, then decreased at higher levels, suggesting zoonotic infection risk. DUH, HUD, and PD were positively associated with hunting and negatively associated with food production. Intergroup violence was positively associated with dog-personhood, but not mutual-utility. Affiliation with adults was positively associated with all three outcomes; however, women showed a significantly stronger effect than men on HUD and personhood. We place these quantitative results in ethnographic context. Together these data suggest dog-human coevolution was constrained by ecological factors, enhanced by cooperative hunting and resource defense, and disproportionately influenced by dogs' relationships with women.

Many Indigenous People value dogs as hunting aides, draft animals, sources of fiber and food, protectors, and as companions. To better understand the close human-dog relationship among the Northern Coast Salish Tla'amin, we bring together several lines of evidence, including ethnographic information, interviews, and ancient DNA of archaeological dog burials. All indicate that dogs were an important part of ancestral Tla'amin culture and society. Local knowledge, including oral traditions, reflects the long-term social importance of dogs in mundane and ritual spheres. Tla'amindog relationships were focused on special breeding and training practices that enhanced the hunting skill of dogs and reinforced the bond between dog and owner. Ancient DNA analysis of 17 skeletal dog remains (3500–430 BP) from six archaeological sites confirmed that domestic dogs have a long and continuous history in Tla'amin territory, culture, and identity. DNA analysis of the D-loop region of mitochondrial DNA revealed haplotypes that were shared across broad regions and others that were unique to more localized culture areas, reflecting gene flow between dog populations via ancient social networks. Our study highlights the value of integrating archaeological data, genetic studies, and local knowledge to achieve a fuller understanding of the close relationship between dogs and humans.

Human-dog interaction has been examined in various sociocultural contexts, but such relationships have not been well explored for contemporary subsistence practices in Neotropical areas. In this study, we document human-dog bonds in terms of their relevance for Maya peasant-hunters' life strategies in a rural community of the Northwest Yucatan Peninsula. To better understand social perceptions of dogs, we gathered ethnographic data through semi-structured and in-depth interviews with Maya peasant-hunters and participant observation in a Maya community. We paid particular attention to the sociocultural dimensions of subsistence hunting, agriculture, and the everyday activities of peasant-hunters and their families. We found that most peasant-hunters recognized the versatility of dogs in hunting and as sentinels for agricultural and home-gardening practices. We also found that dogs transcend their utilitarian value by granting prestige to their owners through hunting and by protecting them from harmful non-human entities of Maya cosmovision. Based on our results, we propose the “hunter-milpa dog” as a category encompassing the unique bond forged between Maya peasant-hunters and their dogs. Our definition contributes to a more substantive understanding of these canines as social actors linked to the subsistence life strategies in rural settings of Mesoamerica.

Livestock guardian dogs (LGDs) in the Romanian Carpathians are as old as the pastoral presence and activity in the region. The main role of these dogs is to protect livestock from predation by large carnivores. The Carpathian Mountains, as opposed to other European mountain ranges, have always had considerable populations of wolf, brown bear, and lynx; conflict with the herders is inevitable. Here, the shepherds rely only on themselves and their dogs to keep their animals safe from predation during pastoral movements. We investigated 12 sites from the historical regions of Banat and Transylvania, where we have collected traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) on the use of native LGDs as an ancient non-lethal method for the prevention of livestock depredation. By monitoring the behavior of their dogs, the shepherds establish a complex ethno-ethological relationship with them, which helps them foretell the movements and presence of large carnivores in their vicinity. We have also investigated the recent positive change of attitude of some of the Romanian nature conservationists towards the Romanian Carpathian Shepherd Dog breed, which is also currently promoted by important international nature conservation NGOs as an ecologically friendly method to mitigate the conflict with large carnivores. The uninterrupted use of endemic LGD breeds by pastoralists in Romania might be one of the main reasons for the survival and conservation of large carnivores here in the past and in the future.

Domestic dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) are estimated to be one of the most globally abundant invasive carnivores that threaten wildlife. Madagascar is home to large populations of free-roaming dogs and is a highly diverse and anthropogenically threatened environment, making it one of the world's top conservation priorities. Comparatively little is known about human-dog relationships in developing countries such as Madagascar. We surveyed non-dog owners and dog owners visiting free mobile veterinary clinics in their communities around Ranomafana National Park (RNP) and Andasibe-Mantadia National Park (AMNP) to understand human-dog relationships, gain insight on free-roaming dog behavior, and to assess the feasibility of humane population control measures. Amongst dog owners, the vast majority of respondents reported owning their dog for protection and a significant number had dogs for companionship. Our results indicate that free-roaming (owned, unconfined) dogs may be an underappreciated threat to endemic wildlife in the National Parks of Madagascar, as nearly half of dog owners reported that their dog killed at least one wild animal a month. Most dog owners in surveyed communities approve of spay/neuter/vaccine programs and state that they would use them if freely available, indicating that veterinary intervention can be an important tool in humanely controlling free-roaming dog populations in these regions.

This meta-analysis uses seven previously published fish assemblages from sites in the northern Maya lowlands to evaluate if environmental or human social factors, such as elite status, provided impetus for the increased emphasis on coastal trade during the Terminal to Postclassic periods. Following the political decline of sites in the central and southern Maya lowlands during the Terminal Classic period, the northern Maya lowlands rose in prominence. As political systems changed, so too did economic systems. Using species area curves, richness, nestedness, non-metric multidimensional scaling, evenness, and differences in habitat, this paper addresses to what degree fish trade in the northern Maya lowlands was driven by habitat differences, site distance from the coast, time period, or social status. The results indicate social factors, rather than environmental, explain more of the variation in the fish taxonomic composition at each site. The different taxonomic communities are explained less by specific environmental factors, recovery methods, or identification procedures than by site distance from the coast and social context of the site (i.e., elite versus non-elite). These data demonstrate that meta-analyses can explain how access-based differences—such as site distance from the coast or due to the social context of a particular assemblage—are expressed among large faunal datasets within complex societies.

We documented harvesting, food preparation, and toxic risks of the poisonous chamal cycad, Dioon edule, in San Luis Potosi state, Mexico—one of a handful of places in Latin America where cycad eating persists. In Xi'iuy ethnic communities of the Pamería region, cycad consumption has long been intimately associated with cultural identity. The chamal food preparation process is protracted and difficult. Cooks seek to fully eliminate deadly toxins while achieving a pleasing taste and satisfying appearance in their cycad food products. Correct preparation is tested by a variety of methods difficult for amateur cooks to master. The complexity of the chamal culinary process, along with the ease of procuring foods more agreeable to the palate and less dangerous, out-migration of younger people, and preference for processed foods are some of the key factors that contribute to erosion of knowledge and use of this ancient wild food resource.

Evidence in the literature suggests that traditional medicinal knowledge (TMK) among Indigenous populations is declining. This study focused on understanding influences underlying the perception of intergenerational erosion of TMK among Kenyan Purko Maasai. Methods included a combination of participant observation and in-depth interviews among 30 participants. Using a political ecology framework, results indicate a number of sociocultural factors contributing to local perceptions of decline in TMK among younger generations. Shifts in land tenure and changes in locality, for example, impact transmission of knowledge. While younger generations described a strong desire to learn TMK, they were at a loss as to how to gain the knowledge. Our findings suggest that limited in-situ learning opportunities within the local environment is a leading factor resulting in perceptions of intergenerational erosion of knowledge. We conclude that, to ensure the transmission of this valuable cultural resource, a shift is needed in educational strategies, both at the school and community level.

Understanding how Indigenous people classify their edible plants enriches current knowledge of food crop diversity. The Huastec Mayan or Tének people in Mexico manage a highly diverse food biota. The aim of this study was to describe and analyze their nomenclature and taxonomy of edible plants in their agroecosystem. We determined descriptor types for the terminal taxa of the different ethnobiological categories. As a novel approach, contrasting descriptors of terminal taxa that represent inter- or intraspecific diversity were analyzed separately. The descriptors, expressed in the names and labels of 347 terminal taxa managed by the Tének, were grouped into descriptor sets. The average number of folk descriptor types that farmers use to distinguish inter- and intraspecific diversity is 1.82 (SD 0.88) and 2.78 (SD 1.68), respectively. A comparison with data from a previous study illustrates how the incorporation of additional species and variants into the Tének farming systems leads to more specification in naming and, thus, to changes in classification. Our results lead to three main postulates: (1) Tének people have a deep and specific knowledge about their edible plant diversity; (2) a high correspondence exists between folk taxonomy and Linnaean taxonomy; and (3) to distinguish inter- and intraspecific diversity, they use a practical and minimalistic classification system. The information provided here can be used as a basis for future agrobiodiversity inventories in the study region (called Huasteca Potosina) and other Indigenous regions in the tropics and subtropics.

Herbaceous wetland plant resources have been widely cultivated and utilized by Indigenous peoples throughout North America since at least the early Holocene. Archaeologists and ethnographers, along with traditional knowledge holders, have documented and reconstructed deep histories of interaction between human communities and coastal plants that provide dietary carbohydrates, medicinal compounds, and craft-fiber. On the Florida peninsula, as elsewhere, paleoethnobotanical researchers face challenging preservation conditions and, despite the ubiquity and vastness of coastal wetlands, the resident flora are conspicuously underrepresented in the archaeological record. In this study, we work toward the recognition of wetland plant use on the Gulf Coast of Florida by integrating analyses of archaeo-molluscan, microfaunal, and palynological assemblages from stratified shell-midden deposits at a village and civic-ceremonial center occupied across the first millennium AD. We identify four particular herbaceous wetland plants as likely subsistence, medicinal, and technological resources. In a brief discussion, we propose that coastal wetland flora likely played key roles within late-Holocene maritime resource intensification, civic-ceremonial aggregation, and village-coalescence.