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How do people select plants for use? Matching the Ecological Apparency Hypothesis with Optimal Foraging Theory

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Abstract

The present study aimed to understand human plant resource usage strategies in the context of the Ecological Apparency Hypothesis and Optimal Foraging Theory. The relationship between plant resource knowledge and availability was tested in a rural community (Palmital) in a dry Atlantic Forest fragment in the state of Minas Gerais, Southeastern Brazil, using data from phytosociological studies and interviews. We considered both total use and separate use categories. Use Value (UV) was significantly associated with all of the analyzed ecological variables, but there was an association with relative dominance and a weak relationship with relative density. When the UVs were separately analyzed for each category, we found that some, i.e., fuel and construction, corroborate the Ecological Apparency Hypothesis, while others do not, particularly the medicinal and food categories. In addition, we found large differences with respect to the ecological variables that best correlated with UV. The data suggest that the cost/benefit relationship predicted by Optimal Foraging Theory can explain the Ecological Apparency Hypothesis when the following factors are considered: (a) resource acquisition optimization and security; (b) a higher probability of acquiring more abundant species during random collection events; and (c) differential utilization patterns (distinct requirements for a specific use) for each use category. Some implications for conservation are also discussed.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank all of the residents of Palmital who participated in this study. We thank the Federal University of Viçosa for the working space provided. Finally, the authors consider this text to be a posthumous tribute to the late Professor Alexandre Francisco da Silva, Federal University of Viçosa, who trained several generations of botanists and participated in the initial design of this investigation. To CNPq for the productivity grant awarded to UPA.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Botânica, Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora, Rua José Lourenço Kelmer, São Pedro, Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais, CEP 36036-900, Brazil

    Gustavo Taboada Soldati & Reinaldo Duque-Brasil

  2. Centro de Ciências Agrárias, Universidade Federal de Alagoas, BR 104, Km 85, s/n, Mata do Rolo, Rio Largo, Alagoas, CEP 57100-000, Brazil

    Patrícia Muniz de Medeiros

  3. Departamento de Economia Rural, Avenida Peter Henry Rolfs, s/n, Campus Universitário, Viçosa, Minas Gerais, CEP 36570-000, Brazil

    France Maria Gontijo Coelho

  4. Laboratory of Ecology and Evolution of Social-Ecological Systems (LEA), Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, Rua Dom Manoel de Medeiros, s/n, Dois Irmãos, Recife, Pernambuco, CEP 52171-900, Brazil

    Ulysses Paulino Albuquerque

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  1. Gustavo Taboada Soldati
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  2. Patrícia Muniz de Medeiros
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Soldati, G.T., de Medeiros, P.M., Duque-Brasil, R. et al. How do people select plants for use? Matching the Ecological Apparency Hypothesis with Optimal Foraging Theory. Environ Dev Sustain 19, 2143–2161 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-016-9844-1

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