Population growth as a driver of initial domestication in Eastern North America.

ABSTRACT: The transition to agriculture is one of the most significant events in human prehistory; yet, explaining why people initially domesticated plants and animals remains a contentious research problem in archaeology. Two competing hypotheses dominate current debates. The first draws on niche construction theory to emphasize how intentional management of wild resources should lead to domestication regardless of Malthusian population-resource imbalances. The second relies on models from behavioural ecology (BE) to highlight how individuals should only exert selective pressure on wild resources during times of population-resource imbalance. We examine these hypotheses to explain the domestication event which occurred in Eastern North America approximately 5000 years ago. Using radiocarbon date de

SUBMITTER: Weitzel EM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5108960 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature