Herding Ecologies and Ongoing Plant Domestication Processes in the Americas

Area of Science:

• * Interdisciplinary study integrating ethnography, biology, and agricultural science.
• * Focus on pastoral socioecological systems and biocultural diversity.

Background:

• * Domestication and agricultural practices are complex, interdisciplinary fields.
• * Ethnographic research aids in reconstructing past events and understanding cultural-biological diversity links.
• * Knowledge is vital for food production innovation and sustainability.

Purpose of the Study:

• * To review ethnographic case studies of pastoral systems in the Americas.
• * To analyze the role of Old World herbivores in introducing new plant uses and livelihoods.
• * To explore human-animal-plant relationships and their impact on plant selection and domestication.

Main Methods:

• * Review of six ethnographic case studies from diverse pastoral socioecological systems in the Americas.
• * Inclusion of livestock species: native South American camelids, Arctic reindeer, goats, sheep, and cattle.
• * Analysis of ethnobotanical and ethnozoological data to infer human-plant and human-animal interactions.

Main Results:

• * New World pastoralist societies have continuously expanded humanity's portfolio of useful plants.
• * Livestock have played a significant role in facilitating these plant discoveries and uses.
• * Observed human-animal-plant relationships offer analogies for understanding prehistoric multispecies interactions.

Conclusions:

• * Pastoralists act as crucial plant managers, with animals as agents in human-plant interactions.
• * Domestication is a dynamic, multispecies behavioral complex with ongoing relevance.
• * Understanding these relationships is fundamental for conservation, governance, and biocultural diversity management.