Territorial Behavior and Ecology

Human territorial behavior encompasses a broad range of variation. While basic territory development may begin simply by excluding others through the habitual or persistent use of the same location, such behaviors can extend to the active defense of resource patches and the emergence of stable boundaries. Anthropologists have long relied on ecological models to help explain this variation, and new approaches from behavioral ecology are beginning to expand our understanding of territorial behavior, its causes, and its effects. Here we assemble researchers focused on explaining variation in territorial behavior across Western North America through ethnographic and archaeological case studies. Papers in this session will offer new insights on territorial behavior, providing a foundation for future work on the subject.