ABSTRACT
This chapter presents a position paper in the area of regional ecology and identifies the principal themes characterizing the literature since 1950, and summarizes the basic research contributions. It focuses on ecological studies in homogeneous populations according to the following themes: the division of labor, differentiation by ascription, organizational change and demographic response, and other studies. Treating population size as dependent and sustenance organization as independent, one can hypothesize that change in sustenance organization, to the extent that it produces change in the opportunities for living, will necessitate a change in population size. The influence is almost always in terms of one or more features or characteristics of sustenance organization. The complementary nature of the node-hinterland relationship is itself a topic of ecological research, and there has been considerable attention directed by scholars specifically to the degree of influence that the hinterland has upon the node.
