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Climate and Habitat Diversity

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Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science
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Synonyms

environmental heterogeneity; ancestral environment; evolving environments; environment of evolutionary adaptedness; unstable environments

Definition

The various environmental conditions and forces that ultimately guided and shaped the evolution of humans.

Introduction

Environmental changes can be fatal to any biological life form. Each and every living organism is essentially a biological response to both its ancestral and present environmental pressures. Every facet of the environment and climate can influence an organism’s nature, and many anthropologists claim that the human species is a result of an extensive and diverse environmental history. Evolutionary theory is founded upon an organism’s ability to adapt to its environment, whether natural or artificial. Evolutionary psychology assesses both prehistoric and present environmental conditions, which contribute to the development of the field’s hypotheses and theories.

General Climates and Habitats of Human Evolution

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Correspondence to Richard Holler .

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© 2018 Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature

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Holler, R. (2018). Climate and Habitat Diversity. In: Shackelford, T., Weekes-Shackelford, V. (eds) Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_348-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_348-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-16999-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-16999-6

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Behavioral Science and PsychologyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences

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