Dissertation Research: A Preliminary Ethnobotanical Investigation of the Identification of Trees by the Aguaruna Jivaro of the Peruvian Amazon

本文研究了秘鲁亚马逊地区土著部落Aguaruna Jivaro的树木识别方法。轶事证据表明，许多热带森林民族可以简单地通过观察树干和树皮的视觉、嗅觉和味觉特征来识别树种，这与西方分类关键所概述的识别方法形成鲜明对比，这些方法严重依赖于花、果和叶的特征来识别树木。在新世界热带地区的树木中，果实和花的特征显示出高度的相似性，这使得在识别这些树木时更加困难。此外，它们往往是季节性出现的，如果它们位于树冠的高处，可能很难到达。因此，本土的树木鉴定方法，特别是那些涉及树干特征的方法，将有助于研究。然而，迄今为止，关于土著人民在当地环境中认识和识别生物的方式的深入研究很少。这个项目将解决这个问题：什么是感知和生态线索，让阿瓜鲁纳认识和识别热带森林树木？更广泛的影响：除了有助于培养一名年轻的社会科学家外，研究结果还将有助于秘鲁和邻近国家的热带林业和保护项目，因为它有助于寻找基于不育特性识别新世界热带树木的更容易方法。

This dissertation research studies tree identification methods among the Aguaruna Jivaro, an indigenous group of the Peruvian Amazon. Anecdotal evidence indicates that many tropical forest peoples can identify tree species simply by observing the visual, olfactory and gustatory characteristics of the trunk and bark This stands in contrast to the identification methods outlined in Western taxonomic keys that rely heavily on floral, fruit and leaf characteristics to make tree identifications. Fruit and floral characteristics show a high degree of similarity among trees of the new world tropics, making them more problematic for use in identifying these trees. Additionally, they tend to appear seasonally, and may be difficult to reach if they are high up in the canopy. For this reason, indigenous methods of tree identification, especially those involving trunk characteristics, would be useful to study. However, to date, little in depth research exists on the ways that indigenous peoples recognize and identify the organisms in their local environments. This project will address the question: What are the perceptual and ecological clues that allow the Aguaruna to recognize and identify tropical forest trees? Broader impacts: Aside from contributing to the education of a young social scientist, the research findings will also be beneficial for tropical forestry and conservation projects in the Peru and adjacent countries by adding to efforts to find easier methods for identifying new world tropical trees based on sterile characteristics.