Evolutionary Approaches to Ethnobiology

Phylogenies reconstruct species’ evolutionary relationships and phylogenetic methods provide a comparative framework when traits correlate with evolutionary relationships. This study reviews the applications of these methods in ethnobiological research, particularly ethnobotany and ethnopharmacology. We discuss the advantages of phylogenetic methods for the exploration of medicinal plant diversity and cross-cultural ethnobiology. We conclude that, despite current limitations, phylogenies can be used to reveal and interpret patterns of traditional use of plants and bring together the fields of ethnobiology and pharmacology, synthesising biochemical, pharmacological and ethnopharmacological data. The evolutionary approach to ethnobiology will require further collaboration between evolutionary biologists and ethnobiologists to answer long-standing questions about the relationship of humans with the natural environment.