Herbert Maschner

Background/Question/Methods The possible roles of people in ecosystems include those of ecosystem engineers, more ordinary members of food webs with larger or smaller influence, or even relatively passive responders to ecosystem change that is driven primarily by climate or other external factors. We examined the ecosystem roles of the Aleut, who have inhabited the Lower Alaska Peninsula and Aleutian Island region for millennia and provide an example of a maritime hunter-gatherer culture that apparently had relatively sustainable patterns of culture and habitation, with a local economy based on ecosystem goods and services. We elucidated the direct and indirect interactions of the Aleut and their biotic resources during the course of their 6000+ year habitation of Sanak Island, AK, using ancient (archaeological), historic, and contemporary data. We focus on the ecology of the Aleut, the mechanisms through which they modified the structure and dynamics of their food webs, and the con...