Year: 2017
Type: article
Abstract: The most widely accepted theories as to how primates select medicinal organisms are based on smelling-tasting bitter, and most of the times toxic, plants (Etkin & Ross, 1982; Johns, 1990). In primates, however, the senses of smell and taste are not as dominant as vision, an evolutionary trait which has been proven to be one of the most favored. I present a perspective claiming that aposematism, the conspicuous coloration displayed by toxic organisms, may play an important role in human recognition of medicinal organisms. This paper represents an open invitation for ecological anthropologists and ethnobiologists to generate empirical data that can support the aposematic hypothesis of medicine selection.
Authors: Centro de Estudios en Geografía Humana, El Colegio de Michoacán, Nemer Narchi
Language: English
Subfield: Plant Science
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W4252493219