Abstract

CHACON SANCHEZ, MARÍA ISABEL. Darwin and Plant Domestication in the Americas: The Case of Maize and Bean. Acta biol.Colomb. [online]. 2009, vol.14, suppl.1, pp.351-364. ISSN 0120-548X.

In the present article, the main contributions that Darwin and other scholars, contemporary and posterior to him, made on the subject of plant domestication, in special the geography of crop origins, are reviewed. The article also reviews recent studies where the archaeological and genetic evidence have complemented each other to give a better understanding of the origin of three of the oldest and most important pre-Columbian and current crops: maize, common bean and Lima bean. These crops are examples of contrasting domestication patterns: a single domestication event in the case of maize and multiple and independent domestication events in the case of the common and Lima bean. Finally, the relevance of the phenomenon of multiple domestication in the study of the origin of the domestication syndrome is discussed along with the contribution that the discipline known as Crop Evolution can make in advancing our knowledge about adaptation processes in wild populations and the future of genetic improvement and adoption of new crops relevant for human welfare.

Keywords : archaeology; crop evolution; domestication; genetics; phytogeography.

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