Cultural Motives of Plant Management and Domestication

Abstract

We analysed the diversity of forms in which human communities of the Tehuacan Valley manage their plant resource, as well as the motivations and factors infl uencing how such management forms are and how intensely held. We explored and identifi ed ecological, sociocultural, economic and technological factors that infl uence how the management forms and their intensity are, as well as the causal relationships between these factors and management decisions. Particularly, the factors mentioned were analysed in the context of scarcity and uncertainty in the availability of edible plant resources, as well as individual and collective responses that implement human beings to ensure their use. It was analysed with particular depth how people perceive uncertainty in availability of edible resources and the various ways in which they face it, how they build their decisions and develop techniques to mitigate the effects of such uncertainty. Most management forms involve artifi cial selection at different intensity levels. We characterized the type and intensity of management based on the following indicators: (1) complexity of the practices involved, (2) occurrence of artifi cial selection, (3) strategies, techniques and collective social regulations implemented in management, (4) energy invested in terms of labor, fossil energy and (5) amount of resources obtained per area unit. We found that the lowest values of management intensity corresponded to species under simple gathering or tolerance, mostly annual abundant plants occasionally consumed by few people. In contrast, the highest levels of management intensity were recorded in species with economic importance, mostly perennial with recognized variants whose management requires using tools, and which are protected by collective regulations. Nearly 67.6 % of variation of the management intensity was explained by risk variables, such as length-span of life cycle, reproductive system type, distribution, number of plant parts used, number of management forms and using regulations. Thus, people make decisions at individual or community levels involving strategies for controlling ecological and/or cultural factors in order to decrease uncertainty. Understanding current management processes seeks a better understanding of the history that led to the management and domestication of nature. It aims at providing more arguments for interpretations of archaeological data about the origin of management, domestication and agriculture. But also, it aims at contributing to the design and construction of future sustainable management strategies.

Phylogeographic and population genetic analyses ofCucurbita moschatareveal divergence of two mitochondrial lineages linked to an elevational gradient

“…argyrosperma might be associated with cultural preferences regarding fruit and seed selection associated with native American groups. In other domesticated species, genetic structure and morphological differentiation could be associated with fruit selection for a particular morphology (see Aguirre‐Dugua et al., ; Blancas et al., ), and also with differences among human cultural management (Casas et al., ; Blancas et al., ; Sánchez‐de la Vega et al., ). Future morphological and ethnobotanical analyses should be conducted to corroborate this hypothesis.…”

“…), and squashes ( Cucurbita spp. )—have been associated with differences among human cultural management (Casas et al., ; Blancas et al., ; Sánchez‐de la Vega et al., ) and to fruit or seed selection, with favored traits resulting in a particular morphology (Aguirre‐Dugua et al., ; Blancas et al., ). In addition, patterns of genetic structure have been attributed to ecological factors such as elevation gradients in the case of barley and maize (Tanto et al., ; Van Heerwaarden et al., ).…”

Sociocultural and ecological factors influencing management of edible and non-edible plants: the case of Ixcatlán, Mexico

“…Collective regulations importantly influence the management intensity, but differently to that proposed for a general model of management intensity [ 46 ], the highest complexity of such regulations was observed in plants that are only gathered in areas of common access, such as the most valuable medicinal and ceremonial plants. For the contrary, edible species are mainly managed in AFS, where managers have higher control of access to plant resources.…”

“…dulcis and A . potatorum ), which indicates a relation between management intensity and the economic role of plants in subsistence [ 46 ].…”

Exploring How Land Tenure Affects Farmers’ Landscape Values: Evidence from a Choice Experiment

“…Some studies have shown that landscape elements are valued by farmers according to the roles that they play in the farming strategy [13][14][15][16]. Landscapes are the result of interactions between the natural elements (climate, geomorphology, water, vegetation, fauna), the actors that modify that nature, and the institutional and social context in which these actors are embedded.…”