Biodiversity in Agriculture: Domestication, Evolution, and Sustainability

by Edited by Paul Gepts , Thomas R. Famula , Robert L. Bettinger , Stephen B. Brush , Ardeshir B. Damania , Patrick E. McGuire , Calvin O. Qualset

• ISBN13: 9780521764599
• ISBN10: 0521764599
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2012-03-26
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

The introduction of plant and animal agriculture represents one of the most important milestones in human evolution. It contributed to the development of cities, alphabets, new technologies, and ultimately to civilizations, but it has also presented a threat to both human health and the environment. Bringing together research from a range of fields including anthropology, archaeology, ecology, economics, entomology, ethnobiology, genetics and geography, this book addresses key questions relating to agriculture. Why did agriculture develop and where did it originate? What are the patterns of domestication for plants and animals? How did agroecosystems originate and spread from their locations of origin? Exploring the cultural aspects of the development of agricultural ecosystems, the book also highlights how these topics can be applied to our understanding of contemporary agriculture, its long-term sustainability, the co-existence of agriculture and the environment, and the development of new crops and varieties.

Author Biography

Paul Gepts is Professor of Plant Sciences at the University of California, Davis. Thomas R. Famula is Professor of Animal Science at the University of California, Davis. Robert L. Bettinger is a Professor in the Department of Anthropology, University of California, Davis. Stephen B. Brush is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Human and Community Development, University of California, Davis. Ardeshir B. Damania is an Associate in the Agricultural Experiment Station, Department of Plant Sciences, University of California, Davis. Patrick E. McGuire is Academic Coordinator in the Department of Plant Sciences, University of California, Davis. Calvin O. Qualset is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Plant Sciences, University of California, Davis.

Table of Contents

List of tables	p. viii
List of figures	p. x
Foreword	p. xv
List of contributors	p. xvii
Acknowledgments	p. xxiii
Introduction: The Domestication of Plants and Animals: Ten Unanswered Questions	p. 1
The Local Origins of Domestication	p. 9
Early Steps in Agricultural Domestication
Evolution of Agroecosystems: Biodiversity, Origins, and Differential Development	p. 21
From Foraging to Farming in Western and Eastern Asia	p. 57
Pre-Domestic Cultivation during the Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene in the Northern Levant	p. 92
New Archaeobotanical Information on Plant Domestication from Macro-Remains: Tracking the Evolution of Domestication Syndrome Traits	p. 110
New Archaeobotanical Information on Early Cultivation and Plant Domestication Involving Microplant (Phytolith and Starch Grain) Remains	p. 136
How and Why Did Agriculture Spread?	p. 160
California Indian Proto-Agriculture: Its Characterization and Legacy	p. 190
Domestication of Animals and Impacts on Humans
Pathways to Animal Domestication	p. 227
Genetics of Animal Domestication	p. 260
Genome-Wide Approaches for the Study of Dog Domestication	p. 275
Malaria and Rickets Represent Selective Forces for the Convergent Evolution of Adult Lactase Persistence	p. 299
Issues in Plant Domestication
The Dynamics of Rice Domestication: A Balance between Gene Flow and Genetic Isolation	p. 311
Domestication of Lima Beans: A New Look at an Old Problem	p. 330
Genetic Characterization of Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) and Yam (Dioscorea trifida L) Landraces in Swidden Agriculture Systems in Brazil	p. 344
Pigeonpea: From an Orphan to a Leader in Food Legumes	p. 361
Traditional Management of Biodiversity
Ecological Approaches to Crop Domestication	p. 377
Agrobiodiversity Shifts on Three Continents Since Vavilov and Harlan: Assessing Causes, Processes, and Implications for Food Security	p. 407
Indigenous Peoples Conserving, Managing, and Creating Biodiversity	p. 426
Land Architecture in the Maya Lowlands: Implications for Sustainability	p. 445
Agrobiodiversity and Water Resources in Agricultural Landscape Evolution (Andean Valley Irrigation, Bolivia, 1986 to 2008)	p. 464
Uses of Biodiversity and New and Future Domestications
Participatory Domestication of Indigenous Fruit and Nut Trees: New Crops for Sustainable Agriculture in Developing Countries	p. 479
The Introduction and Dispersal of Vitis vinifera into California: A Case Study of the Interaction of People, Plants, Economics, and Environment	p. 502
Genetic Resources of Yeast and Other Micro-Organisms	p. 515
Biodiversity of Native Bees and Crop Pollination with Emphasis on California	p. 526
Aquaculture, the Next Wave of Domestication	p. 538
Genetic Sustainability and Biodiversity: Challenges to the California Dairy Industry	p. 549
Index	p. 562
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