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Context: Diets of subsistence-based Amazonian populations have been linked to local resources, but are changing with market penetration., Objective: To review the available data on traditional Amazonian foods and diets and evaluate their implications for human biology as a step toward understanding nutrition transitions in the region., Methods: This study used the Human Relations Area Files for information on the diets of Amerindian groups in the Amazon Basin from 1950 to the present, and used other published sources and the authors' own data., Results: Data on food use was identified for only nine groups and dietary intake data for individuals in only three of the groups. A diet based on starchy staples (manioc and plantains) and fish, supplemented with a limited variety of other plant and animal foods, was found. Bitter manioc-based foods were associated with the consumption of cyanogens and fish with the consumption of mercury. Diets of adults appear to be adequate in energy and protein and low in fats. Children's diets were not well documented., Conclusion: Based on the limited available data, Amazonian diets are restricted in variety, but appear to be adequate in energy and protein for adults, but likely insufficiently nutrient-dense for children.

The article analyzes three schools that can be understood as central in studies of the evolution of human behavior within the paradigm of evolution by natural selection: human behavioral ecology (HBE), evolutionary psychology, and dual inheritance. These three streams of thought are used to depict the Darwinist landscape and pinpoint its strong suits and limitations. Theoretical gaps were identified that seem to reduce these schools' ability to account for the diversity of human evolutionary behavior. Their weak points include issues related to the concept of reproductive success, types of adaptation, and targets of selection. An interdisciplinary approach is proposed as the solution to this dilemma, where complex adaptive systems would serve as a source.

Background: Local ecological knowledge (LEK) has been discussed in terms of its similarities to and its potential to complement normative scientific knowledge. In this study, we compared the knowledge of a Brazilian quilombola population regarding the habitat use and life habits of large mammals with in situ recordings of the species. We also tested the hypothesis that quilombola LEK has a special focus on the anthropogenic portion of the landscape., Methods: The habitats investigated were anthropogenic secondary forests and mature forests in the southeastern Atlantic coast of Brazil. We conducted the faunal survey using the camera-trap method. The sampling effort consisted of deploying 1,217 cameras/day in the mature forests and 1,189 cameras/day in the secondary forests. Statistical comparisons regarding the habitat use of the species were based on the randomization procedure. We interviewed 36 men who were more than 40 years old in the three communities studied. Informal, semi-structured and structured interviews were used. Two variables were considered in the LEK analyses: level of internal agreement and level of convergence with the scientific data., Results: The camera trap sampling resulted in a total of 981 records. Animals such as opossums, tayras, armadillos and deer showed a non-selective pattern in the use of habitats. In contrast, the coati was more common in mature forests. We found that nearly 40% of the interviewees' responses converged with the scientific data on the use of habitats. However, the LEK on the species' life habits was highly convergent with the scientific data. The hypothesis that secondary forests would have a greater relevance for local knowledge was validated for four of the five analyzed species., Conclusions: We suggest two principal considerations of ecological and ethnoecological interest: (1) In the Atlantic Forest of the Ribeira Valley, the secondary forests resulting from shifting cultivation were as attractive to the species as the mature forests; (2) The LEK has a special focus on the more anthropogenic portion of the landscape studied. Finally, we argue that this environmental focus in LEK is part of what makes it different from scientific knowledge and unique in its approach toward local environments.

Objectives: Amazonian populations are experiencing dietary changes characteristic of the nutrition transition. However, the degree of change appears to vary between urban and rural settings. To investigate this process, we determined carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios in fingernails and dietary intake of Amazonian populations living along a rural to urban continuum along the Solimões River in Brazil., Methods: Carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios were analyzed from the fingernails of 431 volunteer subjects living in different settings ranging from rural villages, small towns to urban centers along the Solimões River. Data from 200 dietary intake surveys were also collected using food frequency questionnaires and 24-h recall interviews in an effort to determine qualitative aspects of diet composition., Results: Fingernail δ(13) C values (mean ± standard deviation) were -23.2 ± 1.3, -20.2 ± 1.5, and -17.4 ± 1.3‰ and δ(15) N values were 11.8 ± 0.6, 10.4 ± 0.8, and 10.8 ± 0.7‰ for those living in rural villages, small towns, and major cities, respectively. We found a gradual increase in the number of food items derived from C(4) plant types (meat and sugar) and the replacement of food items derived from C(3) plant types (fish and manioc flour) with increasing size of urban centers., Conclusion: Increasing urbanization in the Brazilian Amazon is associated with a significant change in food habits with processed and industrialized products playing an increasingly important role in the diet and contributing to the nutrition transition in the region., (Copyright © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.)

Objectives: The goal of this study was to understand the relationship between economic change (wage labor, retirement, and the Bolsa Família program) and dietary patterns in the rural Amazon and to determine the extent to which these changes followed the pattern of the nutrition transition., Methods: The study was longitudinal. The weighed-inventory method and economic interviews were used to collect data on dietary intake and household economics in a sample of 30 and 52 women in 2002 and 2009, respectively. Twenty of the women participated in both years and make-up the longitudinal sub-sample. Comparative statistics were used to identify changes in dietary patterns over time and multiple linear regressions were used to explore the relationship between economics, subsistence strategies, and diet., Results: There was a significant decline in kcal (P < 0.01) and carbohydrate (P < 0.01) but no change in protein intake over time in both the larger and smaller, longitudinal subsample. The percent of energy, carbohydrate, protein, and fat purchased increased in the larger and longitudinal samples (P ≤ 0.02) and there was an increase in refined carbohydrate and processed, fatty-meat consumption over time. The abandonment of manioc gardens was associated with increased dependence on purchased food (P = 0.03) while receipt of the Bolsa Família was associated with increased protein intake and adequacy (P = 0.02)., Conclusions: The dietary changes observed are only in partial agreement with predictions of the nutrition transition literature. The relationship between the economic and diet changes was shaped by the local context which should be considered when implementing CCT programs, like the Bolsa Família., (Copyright © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.)