Adaptive strategies in western Panama

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Abstract
An example of prehistoric ‘adaptive radiation’ in western Panama is explored by comparing two allotropic types of tropical forest agriculturalists: those occupying the Bocas del Toro province on the Atlantic side of the isthmus and those living in Chiriqui province on the Pacific side. The two populations appear to be descended from common ancestors who once settled the highlands separating these two coastal provinces. Using the method of controlled comparison and the biological concept of radiation, the possible effects of the vegeculture and seed culture agricultural systems of these peoples on their social and political arrangements are explored. The model developed during the course of discussion is parallel to models built by biogeo‐graphers to deal with processes of migration, colonization, population change, divergence and adaptation in the humid versus the seasonal tropics.