Ecology and Evolution of Plants under Domestication in the Neotropics

Ecology and Evolution of Plants under Domestication in the Neotropics PDF Author: Alejandro Casas
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
ISBN: 2889630471
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 284

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Book Description
The Neotropical area is a main setting of the earliest experiences of domestication ofplants, and evolutionary processes guided by humans, which continue being active inthe area. Studies comprised in this Research Topic show a general panorama aboutsimilarities and particularities of processes of domestication for different plant groupsand regions, some of them illustrate how the domestication processes originated anddiffused, how landscape domestication has operated and continues being practicedand others discuss some of the main challenges for designing policies for biosafetyand conservation of plant genetic resources. It is an attempt to identify main topicsfor research on evolution under domestication, and opportunities that researcherscan find in the Neotropics to understand how and why these processes occurredin the past and present.

Ecology and Evolution of Plants under Domestication in the Neotropics

Ecology and Evolution of Plants under Domestication in the Neotropics PDF Author: Alejandro Casas
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
ISBN: 2889630471
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 284

Get Book

Book Description
The Neotropical area is a main setting of the earliest experiences of domestication ofplants, and evolutionary processes guided by humans, which continue being active inthe area. Studies comprised in this Research Topic show a general panorama aboutsimilarities and particularities of processes of domestication for different plant groupsand regions, some of them illustrate how the domestication processes originated anddiffused, how landscape domestication has operated and continues being practicedand others discuss some of the main challenges for designing policies for biosafetyand conservation of plant genetic resources. It is an attempt to identify main topicsfor research on evolution under domestication, and opportunities that researcherscan find in the Neotropics to understand how and why these processes occurredin the past and present.

Useful Plants of Neotropical Origin

Useful Plants of Neotropical Origin PDF Author: Heinz Brücher
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 3642733131
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 305

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Book Description
This book deals with useful plants of neotropical origin, i.e., plants which have been cultivated in Southern and Central America as well as their wild relatives. Quite a number of these trees and bushes have "conquerred" the world as early as 400 years ago and are nowadays of utmost importance for feeding the increasing world population (e.g., potatoes). It has been estimated that about 150 such useful plants stem from the "New World." This book does not only describe the current theories about their domestication, cultivation, and evolution; it also discusses biotechnological methods for improving their productivity. About the German edition: ..". One of the most interesting and recurring themes of this book concerns some little-known species of potential value which may well become important to a future which is certain to present us with serious problems, at least as far as alimentation is considered. BrA1/4cher's book is absolutely up to date in the taxonomic and nomenclatural sense..." "Excerpta Botanica"#1

A Neotropical Companion

A Neotropical Companion PDF Author: John C. Kricher
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780691085203
Category : Ecology
Languages : en
Pages : 436

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Book Description
A Neotropical Companion introduces armchair travelers, field naturalists, and conservationists to the tropics of Central and South America. In recent years the neotropics have been more and more frequently visited by those interested in rain forests and the exotic birds, mammals, insects, and plants of these ecosystems. At the same time scientific knowledge of the neotropics has bourgeoned. A primer for the student and for the scientific amateur, this well-illustrated volume presents a general and up-to-date view of some of the world's most complex natural environments. In addition, it provides the neotropical specialist with a broad look at the entire field of neotropical biology. After giving an overview of the different kinds of ecosystems in the tropics, the author describes the structure, function, and evolution of tropical rain forests. Tropical trees are then discussed, as are the vast array of vines, orchids, bromeliads, and other plants that live among the branches of the forest giants. A chapter on the "tropical pharmacy" treats the many drugs present in tropical vegetation and the evolutionary influence of these drugs. The book surveys the great diversity of birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and arthropods of the neotropics and provides separate chapters on tropical savannas and on coastal ecosystems. An epilogue deals with the crucially important issues of the conservation of neotropical environments.

Plant Evolution and the Origin of Crop Species

Plant Evolution and the Origin of Crop Species PDF Author: James F. Hancock
Publisher: CABI
ISBN: 9781780641423
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 245

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Book Description
This book is divided into two parts. Part 1 deals with the evolutionary processes, describing the chromosome structure, genetic variation, multifactorial genome, polyploidy, gene duplication and speciation. Part 2 deals with the origins of agriculture and the dynamics of plant domestication, covering some cereal grains, protein plants, starchy staple and sugar crops, as well as fruit, vegetable, fibre and oil crops. A chapter on ex situ and in situ conservation of germplasm resources is included.

Neotropical Diversification: Patterns and Processes

Neotropical Diversification: Patterns and Processes PDF Author: Valentí Rull
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 9783030311698
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
This book provides a comprehensive overview of the patterns of biodiversity in various neotropical ecosystems, as well as a discussion on their historical biogeographies and underlying diversification processes. All chapters were written by prominent researchers in the fields of tropical biology, molecular ecology, climatology, paleoecology, and geography, producing an outstanding collection of essays, synthetic analyses, and novel investigations that describe and improve our understanding of the biodiversity of this unique region. With chapters on the Amazon and Caribbean forests, the Atlantic rainforests, the Andes, the Cerrado savannahs, the Caatinga drylands, the Chaco, and Mesoamerica – along with broad taxonomic coverage – this book summarizes a wide range of hypotheses, views, and methods concerning the processes and mechanisms of neotropical diversification. The range of perspectives presented makes the book a truly comprehensive, state-of-the-art publication on the topic, which will fascinate both scientists and general readers alike.

The Origins of Agriculture in the Lowland Neotropics

The Origins of Agriculture in the Lowland Neotropics PDF Author: Dolores R. Piperno
Publisher: Academic Press Incorporated
ISBN: 9780125571807
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 10

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Book Description
This first modern, full-bodied study of early horticulture and agriculture in the Neotropics unites new methods of recovering, identifying, and dating plant remains with a strong case for Optimal Foraging Strategy in this historical context. Drawing upon new approaches to tropical archaeology, Dolores Piperno and Deborah Pearsall argue that the tropical forest habitat is neither as hostile nor as benevolent for human occupation and plant experimentation as researchers have suggested. Among other conclusions, they demonstrate that tropical forest food production emerged concurrent with that in the Near East, that many tropical lowland societies practiced food production for at least 5,000 years before the emergence of village life, and that by 7000 B.P. cultivated plots had been extended into the forest, with the concomitant felling and killing of trees to admit sunlight to seed and tuber beds. Piperno and Pearsall have written a polished study of the low-lying regions between southwestern Mexico and the southern rim of the Amazon Basin. With modern techniques for recording and dating botanical remains from archaeological sites and genetic studies to determine the relationships between wild and domesticated plants, their research pulls together a huge mass of information produced by scholars in various disciplines and provides a strong theoretical framework in which to interpret it. Key features include: arguments that tropical forest food production emerged at approximately the same time as that in the Near East and is earlier than currently demonstrated in highland Mexico and Peru; and contends that the lowland tropics witnessed climatic and vegetational changes between 11,000 BP and 10,000 BP, no less profound than those experienced at higher latitudes. It appeals to anyone concerned with Latin American prehistory. It offers coverage of the development of slash and burn (or swidden) cultivation and, focuses on low and lower mid-elevations.

Behavioral Ecology and the Transition to Agriculture

Behavioral Ecology and the Transition to Agriculture PDF Author: Douglas J. Kennett
Publisher: Univ of California Press
ISBN: 0520246470
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 408

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Book Description
"For the newcomer to the literature and logic of human behavioral ecology, this book is a flat-out bonanza—entirely accessible, self-critical, largely free of polemic, and, above all, stimulating beyond measure. It's an extraordinary contribution. Our understanding of the foraging-farming dynamic may just have changed forever."—David Hurst Thomas, American Museum of Natural History

Evolutionary Ecology Of Plants

Evolutionary Ecology Of Plants PDF Author: Jane H. Bock
Publisher:
ISBN: 9788170891314
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 600

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Book Description
Traditionally, plant ecology has focused on the description of plant communiti- es, on nutrient dynamics within these communities, and on environmental factors affecting the ecology of individuals. In recent years, the need for a more sophisticated look at the interactions within and between species and populations has emerged along with renewed appreciation for the importance of genetic and evolutionary plant ecology. The papers, representing current major research areas, cover plant life histories, evolutionary dynamics, plant breeding systems, evolution and organisation of communities, plant animal interactions, and the interfaces between plants, agriculture and conservation.

Where the Land Meets the Sea

Where the Land Meets the Sea PDF Author: Tom D. Dillehay
Publisher: University of Texas Press
ISBN: 1477313214
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description
Huaca Prieta—one the world's best-known, yet least understood, early maritime mound sites—and other Preceramic sites on the north coast of Peru bear witness to the beginnings of civilization in the Americas. Across more than fourteen millennia of human occupation, the coalescence of maritime, agricultural, and pastoral economies in the north coast settlements set in motion long-term biological and cultural transformations that led to increased social complexity and food production, and later the emergence of preindustrial states and urbanism. These developments make Huaca Prieta a site of global importance in world archaeology. This landmark volume presents the findings of a major archaeological investigation carried out at Huaca Prieta, the nearby mound Paredones, and several Preceramic domestic sites in the lower Chicama Valley between 2006 and 2013 by an interdisciplinary team of more than fifty international specialists. The book's contributors report on and analyze the extensive material records from the sites, including data on the architecture and spatial patterns; floral, faunal, and lithic remains; textiles; basketry; and more. Using this rich data, they build new models of the social, economic, and ontological practices of these early peoples, who appear to have favored cooperation and living in harmony with the environment over the accumulation of power and the development of ruling elites. This discovery adds a crucial new dimension to our understanding of emergent social complexity, cosmology, and religion in the Neolithic period.

Ant-Plant Interactions

Ant-Plant Interactions PDF Author: Paulo S. Oliveira
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 110715975X
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 461

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Book Description
The first volume devoted to anthropogenic effects on interactions between ants and flowering plants, considered major parts of terrestrial ecosystems.