- Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazonia
Av. Andre Araujo, 2936 - Petrópolis
69067-375 Manaus, AM, Brasil
and
Rua Padre Antonio Vieira, 126 - Dom Pedro
69040-370 Manaus, AM, Brasil - (55-92) 3238-3838 home
Microcenters of diversity of crop plants are small geographic areas, while regions of diversity are large and relatively diffuse areas that conserve high or moderate genetic diversity, respectively. This study aimed to identify... more
Microcenters of diversity of crop plants are small geographic areas, while regions of diversity are large and relatively diffuse areas that conserve high or moderate genetic diversity, respectively. This study aimed to identify microcenters and regions of maize diversity in different areas of lowland South America, in Brazil and Uruguay, proposing a new methodological approach based on ethnobotanical, morphological, and molecular indicators and genetic diversity indices. The collection areas considered microcenters were surrounded by a buffer of 50 km (area: 7,850 km 2) and the regions by buffers of 150 km (area: 70,650 km 2) to 300 km (area: 282,600 km 2). The study was carried out in parts of the biomes of Amazonia, Caatinga, Cerrado, Atlantic Forest, and Pampa. A total of 261 farmers participated, of whom 129 were interviewed. Four microcenters and four regions of maize diversity were identified, showing: (i) richness and genetic diversity of landraces (mostly unique to each region) and richness of maize races; (ii) the presence of landraces under diversification by current human action as diagnosed by sociocultural aspects and diversity of uses attributed to landraces; and, (iii) maize germplasm conservation areas, on microregional and regional geographic scales. Indicators of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats were identified in the areas involved in the study.
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The Paiter Suruí people in the southwestern Brazilian Amazon have a complex food system that includes insects and crustaceans. We designed our study to systematize data about the invertebrates they incorporate into their traditional diet.... more
The Paiter Suruí people in the southwestern Brazilian Amazon have a complex food system that includes insects and crustaceans. We designed our study to systematize data about the invertebrates they incorporate into their traditional diet. After conducting a review of the literature, we verified and expanded the data through semi-structured interviews with Paiter Suruí volunteers, and traced trends in their consumption of invertebrates. We identified 61 invertebrates, including 58 insects of the orders Coleoptera, Lepidoptera, Hymenoptera, and three crustaceans. While beetle larvae remain a popular choice, consumption of other insects and crustaceans seems to have diminished over time.
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Indigenous perspectives on forest management are grounded in traditional ecological knowledge (TEK), so that socioculture influences the ways Indigenous Peoples transform their landscapes. However, how socioculture structures Indigenous... more
Indigenous perspectives on forest management are grounded in traditional ecological knowledge (TEK), so that socioculture influences the ways Indigenous Peoples transform their landscapes. However, how socioculture structures Indigenous perspectives on forest management is unclear. Moreover, little is known about the influence of Indigenous landscape transformations on forest succession and floristic diversity. Here, we test hypotheses from biocultural and ecological theories suggesting that: (i) key social-ecological relationships with specific taxa structure Indigenous perspectives on forest management; (ii) such relationships guide sustainable management that generates resilient forest regrowth; and (iii) this management promotes floristic diversity by acting as an intermediate disturbance. We collected information about cosmology, occupation history and management among the Zoʻé, in Brazilian Amazonia. We also carried out floristic inventories in old-growth forests and in old Zoʻé swidden-fallow areas to analyze forest structure and alpha-and beta-diversity along a gradient of forest successional stages. We show that the Zoʻé perspective on forest management is structured by an ethical principle involving a social-ecological relationship with different beings, especially the spider monkey (Ateles sp.). This relationship generates mobility among the Zoʻé that allows forest regrowth in their fallow areas, so that in 28 years, forest basal area may equal that of old-growth forests. Also, Zoʻé forest management has increased alpha-and beta-diversity by increasing species richness and diversity in intermediate secondary forests and promoting floristic turnover at the landscape-level. These results show that some aspects of Zoʻé cosmology influence forest disturbance regimes that generate a sustainable social-ecological system, therefore being key for Zoʻé well-being and local biodiversity conservation. We believe that Indigenous perspectives about forest management should be included in forest conservation efforts aimed at protecting Amazonian biocultural diversity, thus valuing TEK and engendering sustainable social-ecological systems.
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The tropical South American savannas have been occupied and manipulated by humans since the late Pleistocene. Ecologists consider that soils, hydrology, and seasonal precipitation influence the structure and composition of plants and the... more
The tropical South American savannas have been occupied and manipulated by humans since the late Pleistocene. Ecologists consider that soils, hydrology, and seasonal precipitation influence the structure and composition of plants and the fire-proneness of savannas. However, the human influence on these dynamics remains uncertain. This is because little is known about human activities and what influence they have on the diversity of ecosystems. Considering this, our study sought to synthesize the management practices used by small-scale societies of the South American savannas, compile the species that are the focus of direct management, and demonstrate the role of this management in maintaining the diverse ecosystems that make up the savannas. We also set out to test the hypotheses that forms of management differ depending on the ecosystem and cultural matrices. To do so, we conducted a systematic review, in which we collected 51 articles with information about the management carried out by small-scale societies. From this, we categorized 10 management practices directed to ecosystems: protection of the ecosystem, enrichment of species, topographic changes, increased soil fertility, cleaning, prevention of fire, resource promotion, driving of game, swidden-fallow, and maintenance of ecosystem structure. We identified 19 native plant species whose populations are managed in-situ. These management practices have proven capable of keeping savanna and grassland ecosystems open and increasing the occurrence of forest
ecosystems in the mosaic, as well as favoring plants of human interest in general. We note that there is a relationship between management practices with ecosystems and cultures, which suggests that both factors influence the management of landscapes. We conclude that management practices of small-scale societies are responsible for domesticating
South American tropical savannas and that these savannas are composed of a mosaic of culturally constructed niches. The small-scale societies that inhabit these environments have important traditional ecological knowledge and strategies that enable the use, conservation, and restoration of savannas, extremely threatened by agribusiness today.
ecosystems in the mosaic, as well as favoring plants of human interest in general. We note that there is a relationship between management practices with ecosystems and cultures, which suggests that both factors influence the management of landscapes. We conclude that management practices of small-scale societies are responsible for domesticating
South American tropical savannas and that these savannas are composed of a mosaic of culturally constructed niches. The small-scale societies that inhabit these environments have important traditional ecological knowledge and strategies that enable the use, conservation, and restoration of savannas, extremely threatened by agribusiness today.
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World conservation discourse concentrates on forests of high naturalness, which are variously termed intact forest landscapes, primary forests, pristine forests, and wilderness. In this essay, we bring Amazonian Indigenous perspectives to... more
World conservation discourse concentrates on forests of high naturalness, which are variously termed intact forest landscapes, primary forests, pristine forests, and wilderness. In this essay, we bring Amazonian Indigenous perspectives to this discussion, both because Amazonian Indigenous Peoples have the right to be in the discussion and because they have a lot to teach us about naturalness. It is essential to understand that Indigenous ontologies do not distinguish culture from nature, since all beings, humans and non-humans, are part of a network of social-ecological interactions. Hence, forests are not natural, but the domus of different beings who inhabit, care for and cultivate them. Each part of the forest mosaic in different stages of socialecological succession has different owners: when people open swiddens, they must respect other – non-human – forest residents to do so, and when they fallow their swiddens, these other forest residents reassume their original roles as managers and conservers of that part of the mosaic. Each stage of the succession also contains cultivated and domesticated plant populations, so we can think of a different kind of conservation: that of genetic resources. From this perspective, swidden-fallow represents on farm conservation, while less anthropogenic parts of the forest mosaic represent in situ conservation.We believe that reframing forest conservation and learning from Indigenous People can inspire innovative conservation science and policies.
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Plants have been used in Amazonian forests for millennia and some of these plants are disproportionally abundant (hyperdominant). At local scales, people generally use the most abundant plants, which may be abundant as the result of... more
Plants have been used in Amazonian forests for millennia and some of these plants are disproportionally abundant (hyperdominant). At local scales, people generally use the most abundant plants, which may be abundant as the result of management of indigenous peoples and local communities. However, it is unknown whether plant use is also associated with abundance at larger scales. We used the population sizes of 4,454 arboreal species (trees and palms) estimated from 1946 forest plots and compiled information about uses from 29 Amazonian ethnobotany books and articles published between 1926 and 2013 to investigate the relationship between species usefulness and their population sizes, and how this relationship is influenced by the degree of domestication of arboreal species across Amazonia. We found that half of the arboreal species (2,253) are useful to humans, which represents 84% of the estimated individuals in Amazonian forests. Useful species have mean populations sizes six times larger than non-useful species, and their abundance is related with the probability of usefulness. Incipiently domesticated species are the most abundant. Population size was weakly related to specific uses, but strongly related with the multiplicity of uses. This study highlights the enormous usefulness of Amazonian arboreal species for local peoples. Our findings support the hypothesis that the most abundant plant species have a greater chance to be useful at both local and larger scales, and suggest that although people use the most abundant plants, indigenous people and local communities have contributed to plant abundance through long-term management.
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Indigenous peoples and local communities (IPLC) manage over half of the world’s landscapes, and this management involves landscape transformations associated with their sociocultures. Although anthropologists have shown that IPLC... more
Indigenous peoples and local communities (IPLC) manage over half of the world’s landscapes, and this management involves landscape transformations associated with their sociocultures. Although anthropologists have shown that IPLC sociocultures influence management, and historical-ecological studies have shown that this management influences environments, how interactions between IPLC sociocultures and environments influence landscape transformations is less clear. Here we use a historical-ecological approach and a cultural niche construction perspective to present an IPLC landscape transformation framework that identifies and integrates sociocultural and environmental elements. Our framework shows that IPLC’ landscape transformations occur through cultural niche construction and are influenced by historical events. IPLC sociocultures influence ecological processes and patterns through interactions that create sociocultural and ecological inheritances. These inheritances involve IPLC worldviews and associated norms, practices and knowledge which influence ecological processes that, in turn, engender ecological patterns. On the other hand, ecological processes and patterns influence IPLC sociocultures as they are perceived and processed according to local worldviews, so gener-ating sociocultural–environmental feedbacks. To exemplify our framework, we present cases of cultural niche construction by Amazonian IPLC that show how interactions between sociocultures and environments influence landscape transformations. We argue that understanding how IPLC sociocultures have interacted with environments can help scientists, conservation practitioners and policymakers to combine scientific knowledge production, biodiversity protection and IPLC’ well-being.
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Amazonian rainforests, once thought to be pristine wilderness, are increasingly known to have been widely inhabited, modified, and managed prior to European arrival, by human populations with diverse cultural backgrounds. Amazonian Dark... more
Amazonian rainforests, once thought to be pristine wilderness, are increasingly known to have been widely inhabited, modified, and managed prior to European arrival, by human populations with diverse cultural backgrounds. Amazonian Dark Earths (ADEs) are fertile soils found throughout the Amazon Basin, created by pre-Columbian societies with sedentary habits. Much is known about the chemistry of these soils, yet their zoology has been neglected. Hence, we characterized soil fertility, macroinvertebrate communities, and their activity at nine archeological sites in three Amazonian regions in ADEs and adjacent reference soils under native forest (young and old) and agricultural systems. We found 673 morphospecies and, despite similar richness in ADEs (385 spp.) and reference soils (399 spp.), we identified a tenacious pre-Columbian footprint, with 49% of morphospecies found exclusively in ADEs. Termite and total macroinvertebrate abundance were higher in reference soils, while soil fertility and macroinvertebrate activity were higher in the ADEs, and associated with larger earthworm quantities and biomass. We show that ADE habitats have a unique pool of species, but that modern land use of ADEs decreases their populations, diversity, and
contributions to soil functioning. These findings support the idea that humans created and sustained high-fertility ecosystems that persist today, altering biodiversity patterns in Amazonia.
contributions to soil functioning. These findings support the idea that humans created and sustained high-fertility ecosystems that persist today, altering biodiversity patterns in Amazonia.
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Contents 1 Introduction 2 The Long-Term Mutualistic Relationships Between Indigenous Peoples and Plants 3 Cultural Meals and Cultural Landscapes 4 Archaeobotany: Tools for Assessing the Long-Term History of Food Plant Consumption and... more
Contents
1 Introduction
2 The Long-Term Mutualistic Relationships Between Indigenous Peoples and Plants
3 Cultural Meals and Cultural Landscapes
4 Archaeobotany: Tools for Assessing the Long-Term History of Food Plant Consumption and Management
5 Food Plant Remains in Brazilian Archaeological Sites
5.1 Rock Shelters
5.2 Coastal and Fluvial Shell Mounds
5.3 Open-Air Sites in Brazilian Amazonia
5.4 Pit Houses in the Southern Brazilian Highlands
6 Brazilian Food Plants and Their Migrations
7 Final Considerations
References
1 Introduction
2 The Long-Term Mutualistic Relationships Between Indigenous Peoples and Plants
3 Cultural Meals and Cultural Landscapes
4 Archaeobotany: Tools for Assessing the Long-Term History of Food Plant Consumption and Management
5 Food Plant Remains in Brazilian Archaeological Sites
5.1 Rock Shelters
5.2 Coastal and Fluvial Shell Mounds
5.3 Open-Air Sites in Brazilian Amazonia
5.4 Pit Houses in the Southern Brazilian Highlands
6 Brazilian Food Plants and Their Migrations
7 Final Considerations
References
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Historical ecology draws on a wide range of disciplines to unveil the ancient ecological history of ecosystems and to understand how humans interacted with their environment. Recent advances in Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) techniques... more
Historical ecology draws on a wide range of disciplines to unveil the ancient ecological history of ecosystems and to understand how humans interacted with their environment. Recent advances in Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) techniques and genomics greatly expand the scope and power of genetic approaches to better characterize present-day biodiversity patterns in (meta-)communites, to infer the evolutionary history of species, and to identify genes associated with adaptive or domestication trait variations.
In this chapter, we introduce historical genomics as the use of modern genomics to understand how natural and human-mediated processes jointly influenced the micro-evolutionary trajectories of populations and present-day patterns of biodiversity. We further illustrate this emergent field that has much to offer to historical ecology by reviewing some of the interactions between human societies and their landscapes - both ‘one-on-one’ and ‘one-with-many’ - from an evolutionary point of view.
In this chapter, we introduce historical genomics as the use of modern genomics to understand how natural and human-mediated processes jointly influenced the micro-evolutionary trajectories of populations and present-day patterns of biodiversity. We further illustrate this emergent field that has much to offer to historical ecology by reviewing some of the interactions between human societies and their landscapes - both ‘one-on-one’ and ‘one-with-many’ - from an evolutionary point of view.
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William Denevan argued that pristine landscapes are a myth, including in Amazonia—imagined by many as one of the last bastions of pristine Nature. During the last century, evidence accumulated to show that humans domesticated Nature... more
William Denevan argued that pristine landscapes are a myth, including in Amazonia—imagined by many as one of the last bastions of pristine Nature. During the last century, evidence accumulated to show that humans domesticated Nature during the Holocene by creating cultural niches in all habitable regions of the planet. This process of cultural niche construction is the result of human agency, grounded on culturally transmitted ecological knowledge to domesticate landscapes, and plant and animal populations, thus increasing human carrying capacity. The expansion of culturally constructed niches during the Holocene does not mean that every inch of the habitable planet became a garden; rather, there is a mosaic of landscapes domesticated to different degrees, especially forests. Consequently, domesticated landscapes depend upon their humans, even though humans can also degrade these landscapes, which gave rise to the Anthropocene concept. As a result, Edward O. Wilson proposed that half of the biosphere be set aside for Nature. Many prime areas for the half-Earth proposal are tropical forests, all with high linguistic diversity; Borneo, New Guinea, the Congo, and Amazonia are examples. Since all of Nature in the habitable regions of the planet is cultural to some degree, setting aside half requires partnership with local human populations, rather than their exclusion, which is too common today. Their participation is essential, because it is their niche construction activities that resulted in what we call Nature and without them Nature will change—through natural processes—into something different from that which we plan to conserve.
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Aims: The extent and persistence of pre-Columbian human legacies in old-growth Amazonian forests are still controversial, partly because modern societies reoccupied old settlements, challenging the distinction between pre- and... more
Aims: The extent and persistence of pre-Columbian human legacies in old-growth Amazonian forests are still controversial, partly because modern societies reoccupied old settlements, challenging the distinction between pre- and post-Columbian legacies. Here, we compared the effects of pre-Columbian vs. recent landscape domestication processes on soils and vegetation in two Amazonian regions.
Methods: We studied forest landscapes at varying distances from pre-Columbian and current settlements inside protected areas occupied by traditional and indigenous peoples in the lower Tapajós and the upper-middle Madeira river basins. By conducting 69 free-listing interviews, participatory mappings, guided-tours, 27 forest inventories, and soil analysis, we assessed the influences of pre-Columbian and current activities in soils and plant resources surrounding the settlements.
Results: In both regions, we found that pre-Columbian villages were more densely distributed across the landscape than current villages. Soil nutrients (mainly Ca and P) were higher closer to pre-Columbian villages but were generally not related to current villages, suggesting past soil fertilization. Soil charcoal was frequent in all forests, suggesting frequent fire events. The density of domesticated plants used for food increased in phosphorus enriched soils. In contrast, the density of plants used for construction decreased near current villages.
Conclusions: We detected a significant effect of past soil fertilization on food resources over extensive areas, supporting the hypothesis that pre-Columbian landscape domestication left persistent marks on Amazonian landscapes. Our results suggest that a combination of pre-
Columbian phosphorus fertilization with past and current management drives plant resource availability in old-growth forests.
Methods: We studied forest landscapes at varying distances from pre-Columbian and current settlements inside protected areas occupied by traditional and indigenous peoples in the lower Tapajós and the upper-middle Madeira river basins. By conducting 69 free-listing interviews, participatory mappings, guided-tours, 27 forest inventories, and soil analysis, we assessed the influences of pre-Columbian and current activities in soils and plant resources surrounding the settlements.
Results: In both regions, we found that pre-Columbian villages were more densely distributed across the landscape than current villages. Soil nutrients (mainly Ca and P) were higher closer to pre-Columbian villages but were generally not related to current villages, suggesting past soil fertilization. Soil charcoal was frequent in all forests, suggesting frequent fire events. The density of domesticated plants used for food increased in phosphorus enriched soils. In contrast, the density of plants used for construction decreased near current villages.
Conclusions: We detected a significant effect of past soil fertilization on food resources over extensive areas, supporting the hypothesis that pre-Columbian landscape domestication left persistent marks on Amazonian landscapes. Our results suggest that a combination of pre-
Columbian phosphorus fertilization with past and current management drives plant resource availability in old-growth forests.
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The tropical lowlands of South America were long thought of as a "counterfeit paradise," a vast expanse of mostly pristine rainforests with poor soils for farming, limited protein resources, and environmental conditions inimical to the... more
The tropical lowlands of South America were long thought of as a "counterfeit paradise," a vast expanse of mostly pristine rainforests with poor soils for farming, limited protein resources, and environmental conditions inimical to the endogenous development of hier archical human societies. These misconceptions derived largely from a fundamental mis understanding of the unique characteristics of ancient and indigenous farming and envi ronmental management in lowland South America, which are in turn closely related to the cultural baggage surrounding the term "agriculture." Archaeological and archaeobotanical discoveries made in the early 21st century have overturned these misconceptions and revealed the true nature of the ancient and tradi tional food production systems of lowland South America, which involve a complex combi nation of horticulture, agroforestry, and the management of non-domesticated or incipi ently domesticated species in cultural forest landscapes. In this sense, lowland South America breaks the mould of the Old World "farming hypothesis" by revealing cultivation without domestication and domestication without agriculture, a syndrome that has been referred to as "anti-domestication". These discoveries have contributed to a better under standing of the cultural history of South America, while also suggesting new paradigms of environmental management and food production for the future of this critical and threatened biome.
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Starting in the late Pleistocene and continuing until European conquest, Native Amazonians domesticated forest landscapes and numerous crops, especially tree crops, to enhance carrying capacity. European conquest and colonization caused... more
Starting in the late Pleistocene and continuing until European conquest, Native Amazonians domesticated forest landscapes and numerous crops, especially tree crops, to enhance carrying capacity. European conquest and colonization caused population decimation and loss of accumulated traditional knowledge. Population decimation emptied landscapes and allowed forest regrowth, which hid indigenous legacies. The conquest of Amazonia by Brazil in 1823 led to a new and different period of colonization, imposed by the Brazilian Army during the Cabanagen, which decimated Amazonian populations again. The region became partially integrated into global trade with the rubber boom, although "Brazilian" Amazonians looked to Europe for capital and culture more than to the Brazilian capital in Rio de Janeiro. After collapse of the rubber economy, Amazonia continued as a peripheral colony until the military dictatorship, when the current policies of resource extraction and inappropriate development models were imposed from Brasilia. The current under-development of the region and its lack of voice in national affairs can be traced to these policies, which are still in place.
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Amazonian dark earths (ADE) are anthropogenic soils mostly created between 500 and 2500 years ago by pre-Columbian populations. ADE are currently used by local people for different agricultural and agroforestry systems. Because of their... more
Amazonian dark earths (ADE) are anthropogenic soils mostly created between 500 and 2500 years ago by pre-Columbian populations. ADE are currently used by local people for different agricultural and agroforestry systems. Because of their high fertility they may play an important role in the conservation of non-native agrobiodiversity. This study aimed to investigate the variation in richness and abundance of exotic and native species in homegardens along the ADE-background soil continuum. We conducted floristic inventories in 70 homegardens located in 7 riverside communities along the lower and middle Madeira River, Central Amazonia. Each species sampled was classified according to its origin: native Amazonian, American (from outside Amazonia) and non-American, and each individual was classified according to its form of establishment: cultivated or spontaneous. The floristic diversity was significantly related to soil fertility, texture and homegarden size. We found a positive relationship between soil fertility and richness of species and landraces. Homegardens on more fertile soils tended to have a higher richness and abundance of cultivated non-American species, as well as a higher richness and abundance of spontaneously established American species. Homegardens at the fertile end of the fertility gradient provided conditions for the establishment and growth of many species, especially exotic species, that are generally more nutrient-demanding than Amazonian species. Our results show that homegarden
agroecosystems on ADE favour experimentation with the introduction of a wide range of species from various regions of the globe.
agroecosystems on ADE favour experimentation with the introduction of a wide range of species from various regions of the globe.
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Amazonian peoples use and manage plant populations in previously domesticated landscapes, but the extent of landscape transformation remains uncertain, especially in interfl uvial areas. We tested the hypothesis that useful plant... more
Amazonian peoples use and manage plant populations in previously domesticated landscapes, but the extent of landscape transformation remains uncertain, especially in interfl uvial areas. We tested the hypothesis that useful plant communities vary in richness, abundance and basal area around pre-Columbian and current settlements independent of the distance to a major river. Nine plots were established at diff erent distances from settlements in the Humaitá National Forest and the Jiahui Indigenous Land, where trees and palms with DBH ≥ 10 cm were sampled. Interviews were used to identify species, their uses and management practices. We found high values of richness, abundance and basal area of useful species around settlements both close to and 70 km from the major river. Diff erent use categories presented diff erent responses to current management, which shows that management by current and past populations is selective. We showed that areas of intensive management and landscape transformation are not limited to the margins of major rivers, but also occur in interfl uvial areas within a radius of 5 km from pre-Columbian and current settlements. Indigenous people and local communities manage forests around their settlements over time, showing that they are key actors in the sustainable use of Amazonia.
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Past human modification of forests has been documented in central, southwestern, and eastern Amazonia, especially near large rivers. Northwestern Amazonia, and interfluvial forests there in particular, are assumed to exhibit little past... more
Past human modification of forests has been documented in central, southwestern, and eastern Amazonia, especially near large rivers. Northwestern Amazonia, and interfluvial forests there in particular, are assumed to exhibit little past human impact. We analyzed soils and floristic structure and composition of interfluvial forests located in the Içana River basin, northwestern Amazonia, to assess their degree of past human modification. Ancient Baniwa village sites, abandoned centuries ago, have given rise to "ancestral forests" with as much as 57% of all trees/palms belonging to a group of species managed currently by the Baniwa, compared to only 10% of such species in old-growth forests that are not remembered as having been inhabited or managed in Baniwa oral tradition. Participatory mapping and direct observations revealed ancestral forests to be widely distributed throughout the region, whereas old-growth forests are rare. Managed species in ancestral forests contributed 5-fold more to total tree/palm biomass than in old-growth forests. Human management has produced lasting changes in floristic composition, maintained total tree/palm biomass, and improved soil quality. This is the first study to demonstrate past human modification in Amazonian interfluvial forests, while explicitly isolating historical human management from edaphic effects on floristic structure and composition. Despite environmental limitations on human population size, posed by nutrient-poor black water rivers and acidic, sandy soils, indigenous peoples of northwestern Amazonia left a clear, lasting cultural legacy in ancestral forests. Given legal changes that threaten indigenous peoples' land rights currently under debate in Brazil, we call for a reconsideration of biodiversity conservation policies and indigenous rights in areas that show enduring legacies of management by indigenous populations.
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The Brazil nut tree (Bertholletia excelsa) is an iconic and economically valuable species that dominates vast swathes of the Amazon Basin. This species seems to have been an important part of human subsistence strategies in the region... more
The Brazil nut tree (Bertholletia excelsa) is an iconic and economically valuable species that dominates vast swathes of the Amazon Basin. This species seems to have been an important part of human subsistence strategies in the region from at least the Early Holocene, and its current distribution may be a legacy of past human settlement. Because B. excelsa is a long-lived pioneer tree it requires natural or human disturbances to increase light availability in the understory for a successful establishment. However, it remains unclear how the long-term population dynamics of this species have been shaped by pre-colonial and post-colonial human practices. Here, we use tree-ring analyses to look at changes in growing conditions over the past 400 years in a Brazil nut tree population in Central Amazonia. We identify changes in tree recruitment and growth rates associated not only with regional climatic variability , but also major political and socioeconomic activities recorded by historical documents in the vicinity of Manaus. We demonstrate that the expansion of a post-colonial political center (Manaus) from the middle of the 18 th century onwards coincided with a reduction in recruitment of B. excelsa. We argue that this hiatus suggests the interruption of indigenous management practices, probably due to the collapse of pre-Columbian societies. A second recruitment pulse, and unprecedented cycles of growth release and suppression, aligns with a shift to modern exploitation of the forest into the 20 th century. Our findings shed light on how past histories of human-forest interactions can be revealed by the growth rings of trees in Amazonia. Future interdisciplinary analysis of these trees should enable more detailed investigation of how human forest management has changed in this part of the world, through pre-colonial, colonial, and industrial periods of human activity, with potential implications for conservation. PLOS ONE | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.
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Encyclopedia entry without abstract
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For millennia, Amazonian peoples have managed forest resources, modifying the natural environment in subtle and persistent ways. Legacies of past human occupation are striking near archaeological sites, yet we still lack a clear picture... more
For millennia, Amazonian peoples have managed forest resources, modifying the natural environment in subtle and persistent ways. Legacies of past human occupation are striking near archaeological sites, yet we still lack a clear picture of how human management practices resulted in the domestication of Amazonian forests. The general view is that domesticated forests are recognizable by the presence of forest patches dominated by one or a few useful species favored by long-term human activities. Here, we used three complementary approaches to understand the long-term domestication of Amazonian forests. First, we compiled information from the literature about how indigenous and traditional Amazonian peoples manage forest resources to promote useful plant species that are mainly used as food resources. Then, we developed an interdisciplinary conceptual model of how interactions between these management practices across space and time may form domesticated forests. Finally, we collected field data from 30 contemporary villages located on and near archaeological sites, along four major Amazonian rivers, to compare with the management practices synthesized in our conceptual model. We identified eight distinct categories of management practices that contribute to form forest patches of useful plants: (1) removal of non-useful plants, (2) protection of useful plants, (3) attraction of non-human animal dispersers, (4) transportation of useful plants, (5) selection of phenotypes, (6) fire management, (7) planting of useful plants, and (8) soil improvement. Our conceptual model, when ethnographically projected into the past, reveals how the interaction of these multiple management practices interferes with natural ecological processes, resulting in the domestication of Amazonian forest patches dominated by useful species. Our model suggests that management practices became more frequent as human population increased during the Holocene. In the field, we found that useful perennial plants occur in multi-species patches around archaeological sites, and that the dominant species are still
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McMichael et al. state that we overlooked the effects of post-Columbian human activities in shaping current floristic patterns in Amazonian forests. We formally show that post-Columbian human influences on Amazonian forests are indeed... more
McMichael et al. state that we overlooked the effects of post-Columbian human activities in shaping current floristic patterns in Amazonian forests. We formally show that post-Columbian human influences on Amazonian forests are indeed important, but they have played a smaller role when compared to the persistent effects of pre-Columbian human activities on current forest composition.
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The extent to which pre-Columbian societies altered Amazonian landscapes is hotly debated. We performed a basin-wide analysis of pre-Columbian impacts on Amazonian forests by overlaying known archaeological sites in Amazonia with the... more
The extent to which pre-Columbian societies altered Amazonian landscapes is hotly debated. We performed a basin-wide analysis of pre-Columbian impacts on Amazonian forests by overlaying known archaeological sites in Amazonia with the distributions and abundances of 85 woody species domesticated by pre-Columbian peoples. Domesticated species are five times more likely than nondomesticated species to be hyperdominant. Across the basin, the relative abundance and richness of domesticated species increase in forests on and around archaeological sites. In southwestern and eastern Amazonia, distance to archaeological sites strongly influences the relative abundance and richness of domesticated species. Our analyses indicate that modern tree communities in Amazonia are structured to an important extent by a long history of plant domestication by Amazonian peoples.
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Crystal McMichael, Dolores Piperno and Mark Bush commented on our paper "The domestication of Amazonia before European conquest", Proc. R. Soc. B 282: 20150813. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2015.0813 See their comment at... more
Crystal McMichael, Dolores Piperno and Mark Bush commented on our paper "The domestication of Amazonia before European conquest", Proc. R. Soc. B 282: 20150813. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2015.0813
See their comment at http:/dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2015.1837
See their comment at http:/dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2015.1837
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During the twentieth century, Amazonia was widely regarded as relatively pristine nature, little impacted by human history. This view remains popular despite mounting evidence of substantial human influence over millennial scales across... more
During the twentieth century, Amazonia was widely regarded as relatively pristine nature, little impacted by human history. This view remains popular despite mounting evidence of substantial human influence over millennial scales across the region. Here, we review the evidence of an anthropogenic Amazonia in response to claims of sparse populations across broad portions of the region. Amazonia was a major centre of crop domestication, with at least 83 native species containing populations domesticated to some degree. Plant domestication occurs in domesticated landscapes, including highly modified Amazonian dark earths (ADEs) associated with large settled populations and that may cover greater than 0.1% of the region. Populations and food production expanded rapidly within land management systems in the mid-Holocene, and complex societies expanded in resource-rich areas creating domesticated landscapes with profound impacts on local and regional ecology. ADE food production projections support estimates of at least eight million people in 1492. By this time, highly diverse regional systems had developed across Amazonia where subsistence resources were created with plant and landscape domestication, including earthworks. This review argues that the Amazonian anthrome was no less socio-culturally diverse or populous than other tropical forested areas of the world prior to European conquest.
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Historical ecologists have demonstrated legacy effects in apparently wild landscapes in Europe, North America, Mesoamerica, Amazonia, Africa and Oceania. People live and farm in archaeological sites today in many parts of the world, but... more
Historical ecologists have demonstrated legacy effects in apparently wild landscapes in Europe, North America, Mesoamerica, Amazonia, Africa and Oceania. People live and farm in archaeological sites today in many parts of the world, but nobody has looked for the legacies of past human occupations in the most dynamic areas in these sites: homegardens. Here we show that the useful flora of modern homegardens is partially a legacy of pre-Columbian
occupations in Central Amazonia: the more complex the archaeological context, the more variable the floristic composition of useful native plants in homegardens cultivated
there today. Species diversity was 10% higher in homegardens situated in multi-occupational archaeological contexts compared with homegardens situated in single-occupational
ones. Species heterogeneity (β-diversity) among archaeological contexts was similar for the whole set of species, but markedly different when only native Amazonian species were included, suggesting the influence of pre-conquest indigenous occupations on current homegarden species composition. Our findings show that the legacy of pre-Columbian occupations
is visible in the most dynamic of all agroecosystems, adding another dimension to the human footprint in the Amazonian landscape.
occupations in Central Amazonia: the more complex the archaeological context, the more variable the floristic composition of useful native plants in homegardens cultivated
there today. Species diversity was 10% higher in homegardens situated in multi-occupational archaeological contexts compared with homegardens situated in single-occupational
ones. Species heterogeneity (β-diversity) among archaeological contexts was similar for the whole set of species, but markedly different when only native Amazonian species were included, suggesting the influence of pre-conquest indigenous occupations on current homegarden species composition. Our findings show that the legacy of pre-Columbian occupations
is visible in the most dynamic of all agroecosystems, adding another dimension to the human footprint in the Amazonian landscape.
Research Interests:
The Amazonas River and its larger western tributaries transport huge sediment loads from the Andes with nutrient-rich waters in their fertile floodplains. Conversely, most of the northern and southern tributaries have black or clear... more
The Amazonas River and its larger western tributaries transport huge sediment loads from the Andes with nutrient-rich waters in their fertile floodplains. Conversely, most of the northern and southern tributaries have black or clear nutrient-poor waters and less fertile floodplains. Because of this, there is a long-held but unproven tendency in the archaeological literature to consider white-water várzeas more suitable for past human occupation than hinterlands or areas along black or clear-water rivers. Such assumptions then migrated from Archaeology to Ecology in current debates about the extent of precolonial human impacts on shaping the composition and structure of Amazonian landscapes. The aims of this study are to: 1) show the presence of ADEs along tributary rives; and 2) test the hypothesis that the density of ADEs along black or clear-water tributaries is comparable to that along the major white-water rivers nearby. Finally, we discuss the implications of ADEs along tributaries to understand the past human impact on current Amazonian landscapes. In this study, ADEs were mapped along 12-km long river sections of 14 tributaries of the Madeira, Solimões and Negro Rivers. Where we investigated, we found many ADE sites along tributaries and confirmed our hypothesis. Hence, the lower resource availability of tributaries may not have been a limiting factor for pre-Columbian occupation. We found that past sedentary populations established on bluffs of the lower courses of tributaries. If there were so many people along tributaries, adjacent forests on the interfluves were also manipulated in some degree by people who settled on their margins. We also suggest some attenuation of the impact left by pre-Colombian people in forests of Central Amazonia from the mouth of tributaries toward their headwaters. Our data indicate that if research projects focus more on tributaries, a significantly larger number of ADEs and other signs of past human impact in inter-fluvial areas of Amazonia will be found. We conclude that the overall density of pre-Columbian occupation and landscape intervention in Central Amazonia is being underestimated.
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Paleobiolinguistics is used to determine when and where the common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) developed significance for prehistoric groups of Native America. Dates and locations of proto‐languages for which common bean terms... more
Paleobiolinguistics is used to determine when and where the common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) developed significance for prehistoric groups of Native America. Dates and locations of proto‐languages for which common bean terms reconstruct generally accord with crop‐origin and dispersal information from plant genetics and archaeobotany. Paleobiolinguistic and other lines of evidence indicate that human interest in the common bean became significant primarily with the widespread development of a village‐farming way of life in the New World rather than earlier when squash and maize and a
few other crops became important.
few other crops became important.
Research Interests:
It has been clearly established that the Portuguese introduced coconuts to the Cape Verde islands in 1499, and these supplied the Atlantic coasts and the Caribbean in the 1500s. By contrast, early 16th century reports of coconuts on the... more
It has been clearly established that the Portuguese introduced coconuts to the Cape Verde islands in 1499, and these supplied the Atlantic coasts and the Caribbean in the 1500s. By contrast, early 16th century reports of coconuts on the Pacific coast of Panama are controversial. Recent DNA analysis of modern coconut populations there shows them to be similar to Philippine varieties, agreeing with morphometric analysis. Hence, coconuts must have been brought by boat from the western Pacific, but no archaeological, ethnobotanical or linguistic evidence for pre-Columbian coconuts has been found. Thus, the most parsimonious explanation is that coconuts were introduced to Panama after Spanish conquest, as supported by DNA analysis and historical records of Spanish voyages. New collections along the Pacific coast, from Mexico to Colombia, are increasing the sampling for genetic analysis, and further work in the Philippines is suggested to test probable origins. Unless new archaeological discoveries prove otherwise, the strong hypothesis of Philippine origin should direct future research on the sources of American Pacific coast coconuts.
Research Interests:
Paleobiolinguistics is used to determine when and where maize (Zea mays L.) developed significance for different prehistoric groups of Native America. Dates and locations of proto‐languages for which maize terms reconstruct generally... more
Paleobiolinguistics is used to determine when and where maize (Zea mays L.) developed significance for different prehistoric groups of Native America. Dates and locations of proto‐languages for which maize terms reconstruct generally accord with crop‐origin and dispersal information from plant genetics and archaeobotany. Paleobiolinguistic and other lines of evidence indicate that human interest in maize was extensive millennia before the widespread development of a village farming way of life in the New World,
Research Interests:
Paleobiolinguistics employs the comparative method of historical linguistics to reconstruct the biodiversity known to human groups of the remote, unrecorded past. Comparison of words for biological species from languages of the same... more
Paleobiolinguistics employs the comparative method of historical linguistics to reconstruct the biodiversity known to human groups of the remote, unrecorded past. Comparison of words for biological species from languages of the same language family facilitates reconstruction of the biological vocabulary of the family’s ancient proto‐language. This study uses paleobiolinguistics to establish where and when chili peppers (Capsicum spp.) developed significance for different prehistoric Native American groups. This entails mapping in both time and gographic space proto‐languages for which words for chili pepper reconstruct. Maps show the broad distribution of Capsicum through Mesoamerica and South America mirroring its likely independent domestication in these regions. Proto‐language dates indicate that human interest in chili pepper had developed in most of Latin America at least a millennium before a village‐farming way of life became widespread.
Research Interests:
Paleobiolinguistics is used to identify on maps where and when manioc (Manihot esculenta) developed importance for different prehistoric groups of Native Americans. This information indicates, among other things, that significant interest... more
Paleobiolinguistics is used to identify on maps where and when manioc (Manihot esculenta) developed importance for different prehistoric groups of Native Americans. This information indicates, among other things, that significant interest in manioc developed at least a millennium before a village‐farming way of life became widespread in the New World.
Research Interests:
Os solos antrópicos são ambientes muito particulares na paisagem Amazônica, pois surgiram a partir da intensa atividade humana nos tempos pré-Colombianos. Essa atividade, juntamente com a utilização e manejo desses ambientes pelas... more
Os solos antrópicos são ambientes muito particulares na paisagem Amazônica, pois surgiram a partir da intensa atividade humana nos tempos pré-Colombianos. Essa atividade, juntamente com a utilização e manejo desses ambientes pelas populações atuais, deu origem a uma agrobiodiversidade específica, que difere em vários aspectos da agrobiodiversidade associada a solos não-antrópicos. Essas diferenças têm sido demonstradas por uma série de evidências de diversas disciplinas, porém muitos processos relacionados a esse assunto são ainda muito pouco conhecidos. Nesse capítulo, são apresentados e discutidos em detalhe alguns estudos recentes realizados na região do médio Rio Madeira, Amazonas, que têm contribuído para o conhecimento da relação entre solos antrópicos e a agrobiodiversidade.
Research Interests:
Introduction Etnobotânica dos solos antrópicos - Pomares caseiros - Quintais urbanos em TPI - Roças ativas - Roças em pousio - Florestas secundárias Dinâmica de sucessão ecológica - Dinâmica em roças ativas e em pousio - Dinâmica... more
Introduction
Etnobotânica dos solos antrópicos
- Pomares caseiros
- Quintais urbanos em TPI
- Roças ativas
- Roças em pousio
- Florestas secundárias
Dinâmica de sucessão ecológica
- Dinâmica em roças ativas e em pousio
- Dinâmica entre pousio novo, pousio velho e abandono
- Efeito reservatório frente à sucessão ecológica
Implicações e Padrões
- Padrões biológicos
- Padrões biogeográficos
- Efeitos de mercados
- O futuro dos reservatórios genéticos
- O futuro dos laboratórios experimentais
- A herança biológica e a herança cultural
Direções para a Pesquisa
Etnobotânica dos solos antrópicos
- Pomares caseiros
- Quintais urbanos em TPI
- Roças ativas
- Roças em pousio
- Florestas secundárias
Dinâmica de sucessão ecológica
- Dinâmica em roças ativas e em pousio
- Dinâmica entre pousio novo, pousio velho e abandono
- Efeito reservatório frente à sucessão ecológica
Implicações e Padrões
- Padrões biológicos
- Padrões biogeográficos
- Efeitos de mercados
- O futuro dos reservatórios genéticos
- O futuro dos laboratórios experimentais
- A herança biológica e a herança cultural
Direções para a Pesquisa
Research Interests:
There may have been 4-5 million people in Amazonia at the time of European contact. These people cultivated or managed at least 138 plant species in 1492. Many of these crop genetic resources were human artifacts that required human... more
There may have been 4-5 million people in Amazonia at the time of European contact. These people cultivated or managed at least 138 plant species in 1492. Many of these crop genetic resources were human artifacts that required human intervention for their maintenance, i.e., they were in an advanced state of domestication. Consequently, there was a relationship between the decline of Amazonian Amerindian populations and the loss of their crop genetic heritage after contact. This relationship was influenced by the crop’s degree of domestication, its life history, the degree of landscape domestication where it was grown, the number of human societies that used it, and its importance to these societies. Amazonian crop genetic erosion probably reflects an order of magnitude loss and the losses continue today.
Fifty seven percent of the 138 cultivated plant species present in Amazonia at contact probably originated in the Amazon Basin and another 27% originated in lowland northern South America. The relationship between probable indigenous... more
Fifty seven percent of the 138 cultivated plant species present in Amazonia at contact probably originated in the Amazon Basin and
another 27% originated in lowland northern South America. The relationship between probable indigenous human population density and resultant agricultural intensification and crop diversity is used to propose the existence of a mosaic of crop genetic resource concentrations in Amazonia at contact, including two centers of diversity, four outlying minor centers, and five regions of diversity. This methodology is extrapolated to present a synthesis of South American crop genetic biogeography at contact.
another 27% originated in lowland northern South America. The relationship between probable indigenous human population density and resultant agricultural intensification and crop diversity is used to propose the existence of a mosaic of crop genetic resource concentrations in Amazonia at contact, including two centers of diversity, four outlying minor centers, and five regions of diversity. This methodology is extrapolated to present a synthesis of South American crop genetic biogeography at contact.
"Abstract Background: Native Amazonian populations managed forest resources in numerous ways, often creating oligarchic forests dominated by useful trees. The scale and spatial distribution of forest modification beyond pre-Columbian... more
"Abstract
Background: Native Amazonian populations managed forest resources in numerous ways, often creating oligarchic forests
dominated by useful trees. The scale and spatial distribution of forest modification beyond pre-Columbian settlements is
still unknown, although recent studies propose that human impact away from rivers was minimal. We tested the hypothesis
that past human management of the useful tree community decreases with distance from rivers.
Methodology/Principal Findings: In six sites, we inventoried trees and palms with DBH$10 cm and collected soil for
charcoal analysis; we also mapped archaeological evidence around the sites. To quantify forest manipulation, we measured
the relative abundance, richness and basal area of useful trees and palms. We found a strong negative exponential
relationship between forest manipulation and distance to large rivers. Plots located from 10 to 20 km from a main river had
20–40% useful arboreal species, plots between 20 and 40 km had 12–23%, plots more than 40 km had less than 15%. Soil
charcoal abundance was high in the two sites closest to secondary rivers, suggesting past agricultural practices. The
shortest distance between archaeological evidence and plots was found in sites near rivers.
Conclusions/Significance: These results strongly suggest that past forest manipulation was not limited to the pre-
Columbian settlements along major rivers, but extended over interfluvial areas considered to be primary forest today. The
sustainable use of Amazonian forests will be most effective if it considers the degree of past landscape domestication, as
human-modified landscapes concentrate useful plants for human sustainable use and management today."
Background: Native Amazonian populations managed forest resources in numerous ways, often creating oligarchic forests
dominated by useful trees. The scale and spatial distribution of forest modification beyond pre-Columbian settlements is
still unknown, although recent studies propose that human impact away from rivers was minimal. We tested the hypothesis
that past human management of the useful tree community decreases with distance from rivers.
Methodology/Principal Findings: In six sites, we inventoried trees and palms with DBH$10 cm and collected soil for
charcoal analysis; we also mapped archaeological evidence around the sites. To quantify forest manipulation, we measured
the relative abundance, richness and basal area of useful trees and palms. We found a strong negative exponential
relationship between forest manipulation and distance to large rivers. Plots located from 10 to 20 km from a main river had
20–40% useful arboreal species, plots between 20 and 40 km had 12–23%, plots more than 40 km had less than 15%. Soil
charcoal abundance was high in the two sites closest to secondary rivers, suggesting past agricultural practices. The
shortest distance between archaeological evidence and plots was found in sites near rivers.
Conclusions/Significance: These results strongly suggest that past forest manipulation was not limited to the pre-
Columbian settlements along major rivers, but extended over interfluvial areas considered to be primary forest today. The
sustainable use of Amazonian forests will be most effective if it considers the degree of past landscape domestication, as
human-modified landscapes concentrate useful plants for human sustainable use and management today."
Research Interests:
We test the hypothesis that the agrobiodiversity associated with homegardens on three different soils—upland Amazonian Dark Earths (ADE) and Oxisols (OX), and Fluvent Entisols (FL)—commonly found along the middle Madeira River in the... more
We test the hypothesis that the agrobiodiversity associated with homegardens on three different soils—upland Amazonian Dark Earths (ADE) and Oxisols (OX), and Fluvent Entisols (FL)—commonly found along the middle Madeira River in the municipality of Manicoré, Amazonas State, Brazil, is different due to the contrasting biotic, abiotic, and cultural settings specific to each of these soils. Using data from interviews with 63 farmers about food and utility species, we compare structural and floristic characteristics of homegarden agrobiodiversity. The density of
individuals is higher on ADE than on the other soils (mean ± standard deviation: 715±363 on ADE, 474±283 on OX, 642±399 on FL). ADE and OX have higher species richness (28.2±5.6 on ADE, 25±3.7on OX, 23.6±5 on FL), while ADE and FL have a greater degree of domestication (2±0.6 on ADE, 1.3±0.5 on OX, 2.3±0.6 on FL). ADE and OX have greater proportions of richness, density, and coverage composed of South American species, while FL has greater proportions of richness and density composed of Old World species. ADE has higher proportions of density and coverage of Mesoamerican species. Floristic composition is also different between soils: ADE occupies an intermediate position, composed of species associated with each of the other soil types and species that are most common on ADE. These differences in agrobiodiversity emerge through the interaction of human agency, plant responses, and the unique properties of soils in relation to socioeconomic and historical trajectories over time.
individuals is higher on ADE than on the other soils (mean ± standard deviation: 715±363 on ADE, 474±283 on OX, 642±399 on FL). ADE and OX have higher species richness (28.2±5.6 on ADE, 25±3.7on OX, 23.6±5 on FL), while ADE and FL have a greater degree of domestication (2±0.6 on ADE, 1.3±0.5 on OX, 2.3±0.6 on FL). ADE and OX have greater proportions of richness, density, and coverage composed of South American species, while FL has greater proportions of richness and density composed of Old World species. ADE has higher proportions of density and coverage of Mesoamerican species. Floristic composition is also different between soils: ADE occupies an intermediate position, composed of species associated with each of the other soil types and species that are most common on ADE. These differences in agrobiodiversity emerge through the interaction of human agency, plant responses, and the unique properties of soils in relation to socioeconomic and historical trajectories over time.
A recent archaeological survey demonstrates that one of the most durable of all forms of pre-Columbian landscape transformation, Amazonian Dark Earths (ADE; soils formed by pre-Columbian settlement), are widespread along the course of the... more
A recent archaeological survey demonstrates that one of the most durable of all forms of pre-Columbian landscape transformation, Amazonian Dark Earths (ADE; soils formed by pre-Columbian settlement), are widespread along the course of the Madeira River, Central Amazonia, Brazil. We hypothesize that processes of crop cultivation and management by human populations today in landscapes that were intensively transformed during the pre-
Columbian period will diverge from those in environments where human agency has not left such a heavy footprint. In order to test this hypothesis, we compare bitter manioc fields, homegardens and secondary forests on ADE with those on non-anthropogenic soils along the lower and middle Madeira River. We demonstrate that crop species and landrace populations diverge on anthropogenic and non-anthropogenic soils as a result of the interaction between human selection and management, soil physical and chemical properties, and plant responses over time.
Hence, crop species selection and abundance and therefore agrobiodiversity is contingent on anthropogenic soils in Central Amazonia.
Columbian period will diverge from those in environments where human agency has not left such a heavy footprint. In order to test this hypothesis, we compare bitter manioc fields, homegardens and secondary forests on ADE with those on non-anthropogenic soils along the lower and middle Madeira River. We demonstrate that crop species and landrace populations diverge on anthropogenic and non-anthropogenic soils as a result of the interaction between human selection and management, soil physical and chemical properties, and plant responses over time.
Hence, crop species selection and abundance and therefore agrobiodiversity is contingent on anthropogenic soils in Central Amazonia.
Throughout Brazilian Amazonia anthropogenic soils that are the product of pre-Columbian settlements are called Terra Preta de Indio (Indian Dark Earths, TPI). These soils are dramatically different from surrounding soils due to long-term... more
Throughout Brazilian Amazonia anthropogenic soils that are the product of pre-Columbian settlements are called Terra Preta de Indio (Indian Dark Earths, TPI). These soils are dramatically different from surrounding soils due to long-term human activity, but there is little information about how secondary forest succession is affected by these differences. We tested if community structure (density, richness and basal area), floristic composition and domesticated species’ richness and density were similar between TPI and non-anthropogenic soils (NAS) in 52 25 x 10 m secondary forest plots in different successional stages near three traditional communities along the middle Madeira River, Central Amazonia. We sampled 858 woody individuals on TPI (77 domesticated) and 1095 on NAS (27 domesticated); 550 understory palms on TPI (169 domesticated) and 778 on NAS (123 domesticated). We found 179 species on TPI (10 domesticated), 190 on NAS (8 domesticated), and 74 (25%) in both environments. Although community structure on TPI and NAS was fairly similar, they showed significantly distinctive floristic compositions, both for woody individuals and understory palms. The density and richness of domesticated species was significantly higher on TPI than on NAS for woody individuals, but not for palms. The intimate long-term association of TPI with human activity has lead to the formation of distinct secondary forests and has favored the concentration of domesticated populations of crop species. Hence, secondary forests on anthropogenic soils concentrate agrobiodiversity, offering advantages for in situ conservation of genetic resources, and are unique ecosystems that should be considered in conservation efforts.
Research Interests:
Many commentators highlight the fertility of Anthropogenic Dark Earths (ADE), emphasizing their potential for sustainable agriculture. Some scholars believe that terra mulata (the less fertile, more extensive form of ADE) was created by... more
Many commentators highlight the fertility of Anthropogenic Dark Earths (ADE), emphasizing their potential for sustainable agriculture. Some scholars believe that terra mulata (the less fertile, more extensive form of ADE) was created by means of agricultural practices used by large settled populations of pre-Columbian farmers. But what was it that these Amerindian farmers were growing? Until recently, scholarly consensus held that manioc does not perform well on ADE. New research on the middle Madeira River is showing, however, that this consensus was premature. In this region, the most common crop in ADE fields is bitter manioc. Farmers there have various landraces of manioc that they believe yield particularly well on ADE, and logically plant more of these varieties on ADE. Aspects of the behaviour and perception of manioc cultivation among 52 farmers at the community of Barro Alto were measured quantitatively on four terra firme soil types (Terra Preta, Terra Mulata, Oxisols and Ultisols). These farmers plant different configurations of landraces in different soils, according to their perception of the suitability of particular landraces and their characteristics to certain soil types and successional processes. This, in turn, shapes selective pressures on these varieties, as new genetic material incorporated from volunteer seedlings is more likely to contain traits present in the most prevalent landrace(s) in each soil type. Owing to localized population pressure at Barro Alto, manioc is under more intensive cultivation systems, with shorter cropping periods (5-10 months) and shorter fallow periods (1-2 years). The outcome of these processes is different co-evolutionary dynamics on ADE as opposed to non-anthropogenic soils. Further anthropological study of manioc swiddening in one of the richest agricultural environments in Amazonia can fill a gap in the literature, thus opening an additional window on the pre-Columbian period.
Early European naturalists saw Amazonian landscapes as pristine, but modern research has found a complex historical ecology, similar to that of other tropical and temperate regions. Although the pristine myth has been thoroughly debunked,... more
Early European naturalists saw Amazonian landscapes as pristine, but modern research has found a complex historical ecology, similar to that of other tropical and temperate regions. Although the pristine myth has been thoroughly debunked, too many biodiversity researchers fail to incorporate historical ecology into their analyses. For a world society out of balance with its natural resource base, careful interpretation is essential to understand trends, including impoverishment of planetary biodiversity. If world society avoids civilizational collapse, parts of Amazonia’s historical ecology can contribute to future sustainability and improved survival of its biodiversity.
Background: Biribá (Annona mucosa Jacq.) is a fruit tree domesticated in Amazonia and has polyploid populations. The species presents ample phenotypic variation in fruit characteristics, including weight (100-4,000 g) and differences in... more
Background: Biribá (Annona mucosa Jacq.) is a fruit tree domesticated in Amazonia and has polyploid populations. The species presents ample phenotypic variation in fruit characteristics, including weight (100-4,000 g) and differences in carpel protrusions. Two cytotypes are recorded in the literature (2n = 28, 42) and genome size records are divergent (2C = 4.77, 5.42 and 6.00 pg). To decipher the role of polyploidy in the domestication of A. mucosa, we examined the relationships among phenotypic variation, chromosome number and genome size, and which came first, polyploidization or domestication. Methodology: We performed chromosome counts of A. mucosa from central and western Brazilian Amazonia, and estimated genome size by flow cytometry. We performed phylogenetic reconstruction with publicly available data using a Bayesian framework, time divergence analysis and reconstructed the ancestral chromosome number for the genus Annona and for A. mucosa. Results: We observed that variation in fruit phenotypes is not associated with variation in chromosome number and genome size. The most recent common ancestor of A. mucosa is inferred to be polyploid and diverged before domestication. Conclusions: We conclude that, when domesticated, A. mucosa was already polyploid and we suggest that human selection is the main evolutionary force behind fruit size and fruit morphological variation in Annona mucosa.
Research Interests:
• Background and Aims The lowlands of South America appear to be remarkably important in the evolutionary history of maize, due to new evidence that suggests that maize dispersed from Mexico and arrived in this region in a state of... more
• Background and Aims The lowlands of South America appear to be remarkably important in the evolutionary history of maize, due to new evidence that suggests that maize dispersed from Mexico and arrived in this region in a state of partial domestication. This study aimed to identify dispersal patterns of maize genetic diversity in this part of the continent.
• Methods A total of 170 maize accessions were characterized with 4398 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and analysed to determine if maize dispersal was associated with types of endosperm and indigenous language families.
• Key Results Four genetic groups were identified in the discriminant analysis of principal components and five groups in the cluster analysis (neighbour-joining method). The groups were structured according to the predominance of endosperm types (popcorn, floury, flint/semi-flint). Spatial principal component analysis of genetic
variation suggests different dispersal patterns for each endosperm type and can be associated with hypotheses of expansions of different indigenous groups.
• Conclusions From a possible origin in Southwestern Amazonia, different maize dispersal routes emerged: (1) towards Northern Amazonia, which continued towards the Caatinga and south-eastern Atlantic Forest (Floury); (2) towards Southern Brazil, passing through the Cerrado and Southern Atlantic Forest reaching the Pampa region
(Floury); and (3) along the Atlantic Coast, following Tupi movements originating from two separate expansions: one (Tupinamba) from north to south, and the other (Guarani) in the opposite direction, from south to north (flint, floury and popcorn).
• Methods A total of 170 maize accessions were characterized with 4398 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and analysed to determine if maize dispersal was associated with types of endosperm and indigenous language families.
• Key Results Four genetic groups were identified in the discriminant analysis of principal components and five groups in the cluster analysis (neighbour-joining method). The groups were structured according to the predominance of endosperm types (popcorn, floury, flint/semi-flint). Spatial principal component analysis of genetic
variation suggests different dispersal patterns for each endosperm type and can be associated with hypotheses of expansions of different indigenous groups.
• Conclusions From a possible origin in Southwestern Amazonia, different maize dispersal routes emerged: (1) towards Northern Amazonia, which continued towards the Caatinga and south-eastern Atlantic Forest (Floury); (2) towards Southern Brazil, passing through the Cerrado and Southern Atlantic Forest reaching the Pampa region
(Floury); and (3) along the Atlantic Coast, following Tupi movements originating from two separate expansions: one (Tupinamba) from north to south, and the other (Guarani) in the opposite direction, from south to north (flint, floury and popcorn).
Research Interests:
Guava (Psidium guajava L., Myrtaceae) is a Neotropical fruit that is widely consumed around the world. However, its evolutionary history and domestication process are unknown. Here we examine available ecological, taxonomic, genetic,... more
Guava (Psidium guajava L., Myrtaceae) is a Neotropical fruit that is widely consumed around the world. However, its evolutionary history and domestication process are unknown. Here we examine available ecological, taxonomic, genetic, archeological, and historical evidence about guava. Guava needs full sunlight, warm temperatures, and well-distributed rainfall throughout the year to grow, but tolerates drought. Zoochory and anthropochory are the main forms of dispersal. Guava’s phylogenetic relationships with other species of the genus Psidium are unclear. A group of six species that share several morphological characteristics are tentatively accepted as the Psidium guajava complex. DNA analyses are limited to the characterization of crop genetic diversity within localities and do not account for possible evolutionary and domestication scenarios. A significant amount of archeological information exists, with a greater number and older records in South America than in Mesoamerica, where there are also numerous historical records. From this information, we propose that: (1) the guava ancestor
may have originated during the Middle or Late Miocene, and the savannas and semideciduous forests of South America formed during the Late Pleistocene would have been the most appropriate ecosystems for its growth, (2) the megafauna were important dispersers for guava, (3) dispersal by humans during the Holocene expanded guava’s geographic range, including to the southwestern Amazonian lowlands, (4) where its domestication may have started, and (5) with the European conquest of the Neotropics, accompanied by their domestic animals, new contact routes between previously remote guava populations were established. These proposals could direct future research on the evolutionary and domestication process of guava.
may have originated during the Middle or Late Miocene, and the savannas and semideciduous forests of South America formed during the Late Pleistocene would have been the most appropriate ecosystems for its growth, (2) the megafauna were important dispersers for guava, (3) dispersal by humans during the Holocene expanded guava’s geographic range, including to the southwestern Amazonian lowlands, (4) where its domestication may have started, and (5) with the European conquest of the Neotropics, accompanied by their domestic animals, new contact routes between previously remote guava populations were established. These proposals could direct future research on the evolutionary and domestication process of guava.
Research Interests:
In Amazonia there are at least 85 arboreal species with domesticated populations, among which piquia´ [Caryocar villosum (Aubl.) Pers.] is widely distributed. In some regions, there is ethnobotanical evidence of domestication for its... more
In Amazonia there are at least 85 arboreal species with domesticated populations, among which piquia´ [Caryocar villosum (Aubl.) Pers.] is widely distributed. In some regions, there is ethnobotanical evidence of domestication for its fruit. To understand more about piquia´ domestication, we evaluated genetic diversity and structure of two regions, sampling 130 trees in forests and homegardens (92 trees in the Tapajo´s National Forest and 38 in the Rio Ouro Preto Extractive Reserve), using seven microsatellite markers. In Tapajo´s, piquia´ trees form large aggregations near archaeological sites, while in Ouro Preto the aggregations are smaller. The Tapajo´s presented higher effective number of alleles, allelic richness and expected heterozygosity, with lower observed heterozygosity and, consequently, a higher fixation index and lower apparent outcrossing rate. Genetic structure exists between regions, forming four probable groups: one that corresponds mainly to Ouro Preto and the others in the Tapajo´s. When the Tapajo´s was analyzed separately, we found four genetic groups that do not correspond to homegarden and forest systems. In the homegardens we found lower number of effective alleles, allelic richness and observed heterozygosity. These subtle differences in genetic diversity between homegarden and forest trees identify piquia´’s incipient domestication, agreeing with ethnobotanical evidence. The piquia´ stands near archaeological sites and the existence of four genetic groups suggest that piquia´ was introduced into the Tapajo´s during pre-Columbian times from at least three different sources.
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The Neolithic Revolution narrative associates early-mid Holocene domestications with the development of agriculture that fueled the rise of late Holocene civilizations. This narrative continues to be influential, even though it has been... more
The Neolithic Revolution narrative associates early-mid Holocene domestications with the development of agriculture that fueled the rise of late Holocene civilizations. This narrative continues to be influential, even though it has been deconstructed by archaeologists and geneticists in its homeland. To further disentangle domestication from reliance on food production systems, such as agriculture, we revisit definitions of domestication and food production systems, review the late Pleistocene–early Holocene archaeobotanical record, and quantify the use, management and domestication of Neotropical plants to provide insights about the past. Neotropical plant do-mestication relies on common human behaviors (selection, accumulation and caring) within agroecological systems that focus on individual plants, rather than populations—as is typical of agriculture. The early archaeobotanical record includes numerous perennial and annual species, many of which later became domesticated. Some of this evidence identifies dispersal with probable cultivation, suggesting incipient domestication by 10,000 years ago. Since the Pleistocene, more than 6500, 1206 and 6261 native plant species have been used in Mesoamerica, the Central Andes and lowland South America, respectively. At least 1555, 428 and 742 are managed outside and inside food production systems, and at least 1148, 428 and 600 are cultivated, respectively, suggesting at least incipient domestication. Full native domesticates are more numerous in Mesoamerica (251) than the Andes (124) and the lowlands (45). This synthesis reveals that domestication is more common in the Neotropics than previously recognized and started much earlier than reliance on food production systems. Hundreds of ethnic groups had, and some still have, alternative strategies that do involve domestication, although they do not rely principally on food production systems, such as agriculture.
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Maize (Zea mays spp. mays L.) is the major domesticated cereal of the Americas and is of great relevance for global food security. For a long time, Amazonia represented an empty space in the racial distribution maps of this species, due... more
Maize (Zea mays spp. mays L.) is the major domesticated cereal of the Americas and is of great relevance for global food security. For a long time, Amazonia represented an empty space in the racial distribution maps of this species, due to the lack of collections and the idea that locally developed races became extinct during European colonization. However , a native race had been described in Brazilian Amazonia, the Entrelaçado race, and a new study placed Amazonia on the map again, with a proposal for a center of diversification in Southwestern Ama-zonia. We prospected maize in the Brazilian states of Acre and Rondônia (Southwestern Brazilian Amazo-nia) and found floury landraces belonging to the Entrelaçado race, rare in existing collections and often considered extinct in the field. We collected indigenous and local names, general and specific uses for Entrelaçado, and characterized these accessions to compare them with other Brazilian floury maize races, based on data from the literature. Floury maize from the Southwest formed a coherent group in the cluster analysis, which grouped with Entrelaçado from the literature, confirming its identification and Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (https://doi.
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The megabiodiversity of Brazil created opportunities for the domestication of a number of crop species, including some of major global importance. Considering the economic value of many Brazilian native crops, the genetic characterization... more
The megabiodiversity of Brazil created opportunities for the domestication of a number of crop species, including some of major global importance. Considering the economic value of many Brazilian native crops, the genetic characterization of their populations is fundamental to support the utilization and conservation of their genetic resources, currently threatened by deforestation and the intensification of monuculture of exotic crops. Recent advances in DNA sequencing technologies have promoted the rapid genomic evaluation of non-model species, including those of only local importance. In this context, we evaluated the genomic diversity of three native Brazilian crops: manioc (Manihot esculenta), annatto (Bixa orellana) and the juçara palm (Euterpe edulis). Double-digest restriction site-associated DNA sequencing (ddRAD) was employed to identify thousands of SNP markers in each crop species (1952 in manioc, 3362 in annatto and 1040 in juçara). Population genomic analyses identified many loci putatively under selection, but the unavailability of genome sequences for annatto and juçara hampers further characterization for these crops. Nonetheless, the SNP markers identified were effective in the characterization of the genomic diversity and population structure. The levels of genomic diversity and inbreeding were compatible with the biology of each species. While wild and cultivated manioc were remarkably genetically divergent, the same was not observed between accessions of wild and cultivated annatto, and genetic differentiation was observed among juçara samples from different environments. The application of population genomic approaches may be valuable for the establishment of better practices of management of these crops, promoting the conservation and valorization of Brazilian native genetic resources.
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Although many important crops originated in Amazonia, the general patterns of their evolutionary histories are still obscure. Currently a major global food crop, manioc originated in southwestern Amazonia and was dispersed throughout the... more
Although many important crops originated in Amazonia, the general patterns of their evolutionary histories are still obscure. Currently a major global food crop, manioc originated in southwestern Amazonia and was dispersed throughout the lowland Neotropics before the European conquest. However, little is known about the origin of the bitter and sweet landraces, nor the routes by which these were dispersed in Brazil and beyond. We used a nonsystematic Brazil-wide sample of 494 manioc landraces from 11 geographic regions, and ten nuclear microsatellite markers to analyze the genetic diversity of sweet and bitter manioc. Bayesian simulations highlighted the bitter–sweet divergence and also suggested the existence of two groups of sweet manioc (circum-Cerrado and general Brazil) and two groups of bitter manioc (upper Negro River and general Brazil), while the relationships among geographic regions were depicted with clustering analysis. Overall we suggest that: (1) manioc was initially domesticated to be sweet, was then dispersed from southwestern Amazonia into both the Amazon basin and the Cerrado; (2) that bitter manioc arose from the general Brazilian sweet manioc landraces, almost certainly in Amazonia, where bitter manioc became most important and was dispersed both throughout Amazonia and along the Brazilian coast, but especially to the upper Negro River, where it became most diverse. Our study adds insights to the knowledge about how native Amazonian crops have been managed across their history of domestication.
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Cassava and Domestication
Domestication studies traditionally focus on the differences in morphological characteristics between wild and domesticated populations that are under direct selection, the components of the domestication syndrome. Here, we consider that... more
Domestication studies traditionally focus on the differences in morphological characteristics between wild and domesticated populations that are under direct selection, the components of the domestication syndrome. Here, we consider that other aspects can be modified, because of the interdependence between plant characteristics and the forces of natural selection. We investigated the ongoing domestication of Pourouma cecropiifolia populations cultivated by the Ticuna people in Western Amazonia, using traditional and ecological approaches. We compared fruit characteristics between wild and domesticated populations to quantify the direct effects of domestication. To examine the characteristics that are not under direct selection and the correlated effects of human selection and natural selection, we investigated the differences in vegetative characteristics, changes in seed:fruit allometric relations and the relations of these characteristics with variation in environmental conditions summarized in a principal component analysis. Domestication generated great changes in fruit characteristics, as expected in fruit crops. The fruits of domesticated plants had 20× greater mass and twice as much edible pulp as wild fruits. The plant height:DBH ratio and wood density were, respectively, 42% and 22% smaller in domesticated populations, probably in response to greater luminosity and higher sand content of the cultivated landscapes. Seed:fruit allometry was modified by domestication: although domesticated plants have heavier seeds, the domesticated fruits have proportionally (46%) smaller seed mass compared to wild fruits. The high light availability and poor soils of cultivated landscapes may have contributed to seed mass reduction, while human selection promoted seed mass increase in correlation with fruit mass increase. These contrasting effects generated a proportionately smaller increase in seed mass in domesticated plants. In this study, it was not possible to clearly dissociate the environmental effects from the domestication effects in changes in morphological characteristics, because the environmental conditions were intensively modified by human management, showing that plant domestication is intrinsically related to landscape domestication. Our results suggest that evaluation of environmental conditions together with human selection on domesticated phenotypes provide a better understanding of the changes generated by domestication in plants.
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• Background and Aims Amazonia is a major world centre of plant domestication, but little is known about how the crops were dispersed across the region. Manioc (Manihot esculenta) was domesticated in the southwestern Amazon basin, and is... more
• Background and Aims Amazonia is a major world centre of plant domestication, but little is known about how the crops were dispersed across the region. Manioc (Manihot esculenta) was domesticated in the southwestern Amazon basin, and is the most important staple food crop that originated in Amazonia. Current contrasting distributions may reflect distinct histories of dispersal of bitter and sweet manioc landraces. To produce new insights into the evolutionary history of the crop, we investigated the contemporary genetic diversity and structure of bitter and sweet manioc along major Amazonian rivers. • Methods The patterns of genetic structure and diversity of wild and cultivated sweet and bitter manioc with four chloroplast and 14 nuclear microsatellite markers were evaluated. Results were interpreted in terms of the crop's dispersal. • Key results No phylogeographic patterns among rivers were detected, and genetic structure among rivers was confounded by the bitter–sweet divergence. However, differences in the distribution of nuclear diversity and somewhat distinctive patterns of genetic structure across rivers were observed within bitter and sweet manioc. • Conclusions Various pre-Columbian and post-European conquest events in the history of Amazonian occupation may explain the absence of clearer patterns of genetic structure. However, the wide distribution of the most common chloroplast haplotype agrees with an early dispersal of manioc across Brazilian Amazonia. Furthermore, differences in genetic structure and in the spatial distribution of genetic diversity suggest that bitter and sweet manioc had distinct dispersal histories. Knowledge about how prehistoric and contemporary Amazonian peoples manage their crops is valuable for the maintenance and conservation of the impressive diversity of their native crops.
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Annatto (Bixa orellana) is a tropical crop native to the Americas with Amazonia as the likely center of origin of domestication. Annatto is important because it produces the dye bixin, which is widely used in the pharmaceutical, food,... more
Annatto (Bixa orellana) is a tropical crop native to the Americas with Amazonia as the likely center of origin of domestication. Annatto is important because it produces the dye bixin, which is widely used in the pharmaceutical, food, cosmetic and textile industries. A total of 32 microsatellite loci were isolated from a microsatellite-enriched genomic library, of which 12 polymorphic loci were used to characterize four populations of B. orellana and B. orellana var. urucurana, the wild relative. Higher genetic diversity estimates were detected for the wild populations when compared to the cultivated populations. Also, higher apparent outcrossing rates were found for the two wild than the cultivated populations. These results indicate a mixed mating system for the species. All markers described herein have potential to be used in further studies evaluating the genetic diversity, population dynamics, domestication, breeding, and conservation genetics of annatto.
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Annatto (Bixa orellana L.) is a tropical crop indigenous to the Americas, probably Amazonia. Annatto is commercially valuable in the food and cosmetics industries as a natural dye used instead of synthetic dyes. In addition, annatto... more
Annatto (Bixa orellana L.) is a tropical crop indigenous to the Americas, probably Amazonia. Annatto is commercially valuable in the food and cosmetics industries as a natural dye used instead of synthetic dyes. In addition, annatto contains other important substances for human health, such as geranylgeraniol, tocotrienols and other carotenoids. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the genetic diversity of 63 accessions from the annatto germplasm bank at the Agronomic Institute (IAC), Sao Paulo, Brazil, using four phytochemical compounds and 16 microsatellite markers. Significant variation was observed for the phytochemical compounds, ranging from 2 to 7.31 g (100 g dry matter—DM)-1 for bixin, 2.14–7.11 g (100 g DM)-1 for lipids, 0.25–1.05 g (100 gDM)-1 for tocotrienols, and 0.49–2.61 g (100 g DM)-1 for geranylgeraniol content. A total of 73 alleles was observed in the molecular characterization with 16 microsatellite loci. We found higher expected heterozygosity than
observed heterozygosity for all loci, indicating strong deficits of heterozygotes. For both molecular and phytochemical compounds, cluster and PCoA analyses tended to separate the accessions from
Rondonia, northern Brazil, with only a few exceptions, from the Southwestern accessions. The same two groups were found in the Bayesian analysis with molecular data. Rondonia accessions showed higher values for all the phytochemical compounds and higher levels of genetic diversity. Some accessions presented bixin levels well above the average and are promising materials to be used in genetic improvement
programs.
observed heterozygosity for all loci, indicating strong deficits of heterozygotes. For both molecular and phytochemical compounds, cluster and PCoA analyses tended to separate the accessions from
Rondonia, northern Brazil, with only a few exceptions, from the Southwestern accessions. The same two groups were found in the Bayesian analysis with molecular data. Rondonia accessions showed higher values for all the phytochemical compounds and higher levels of genetic diversity. Some accessions presented bixin levels well above the average and are promising materials to be used in genetic improvement
programs.
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The use and dispersal of domesticated plants may reflect patterns of early human diffusion of technologies and lifestyles. Treegourd (Crescentia cujete) has fruits with ancient utilitarian and symbolic value in the Neotropics. We assessed... more
The use and dispersal of domesticated plants may reflect patterns of early human diffusion of technologies and lifestyles. Treegourd (Crescentia cujete) has fruits with ancient utilitarian and symbolic value in the Neotropics. We assessed diversity based on chloroplast (SNPs), nuclear (SSR) markers, and fruit shapes of cultivated treegourds and wild relatives across Amazonia and Mesoamerica in order to discuss hypothesis of dispersal routes and diversification of fruits along its distribution. The haplotype network showed three distinct groups: Crescentia amazonica, wild Mesoamerican C. cujete, and cultivated C. cujete from Brazilian Amazonia and Mexico. Mexico and Brazil shared two haplotypes, with slightly different distributions in Amazonia. The most divergent haplotype is well-represented in Eastern Amazonia. Nuclear differentiation between Mesoamerican wild and cultivated C. cujete is relatively low (F ST = 0.35), compared with Amazonian cultivated (F ST = 0.45–0.61). Differentiation is also higher between wild C. amazonica and cultivated C. cujete (F ST = 0.57), but modest within cultivated C. cujete from Amazonia and Mexico (F ST = 0.04), with higher genetic similarity in northwestern Amazonia. Mexico and Amazonia showed similar chloroplast nucleotide diversity (4.66 × 10 −2 and 5.31 × 10 −2 , respectively), although sample sizes are very different. Except in Northwestern and Eastern Amazonia, we found ample genetic homogeneity of cultivated C. cujete across Amazonia, but highest morphological diversity in the Northwest, with fruit shapes that are absent in Mexico. We conclude that treegourds introduced into the Amazon Basin and Mexico share a common ancestry with a currently unknown origin. The patterns of genetic diversity across Amazonia allow two hypotheses of the routes of introduction: a northwestern introduction into the Negro and Solimões Rivers, and an eastern introduction from the coastal Guianas into the Amazonas River. The dispersal into Amazonia followed previously proposed routes of human and plant migrations. The contrasting fruit shape diversity suggests different utilitarian demands and cultural preferences for treegourd fruits between Mexico and Amazonia.
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Knowledge of agro-morphological and genetic variability of germplasm diversity is a prerequisite for its use in breeding. The aim of this study was to characterize the genetic diversity of the manioc (Manihot esculenta) Active Germplasm... more
Knowledge of agro-morphological and genetic variability of germplasm diversity is a prerequisite for its use in breeding. The aim of this study was to characterize the genetic diversity of the manioc (Manihot esculenta) Active Germplasm Bank (AGB) at Embrapa Amazônia Ocidental using microsatellite markers. We evaluated 470 accessions collected along five of the main rivers of the Amazon basin: Solimões, Purus, Madeira, Negro, and Amazon. The ten SSR loci used showed high levels of genetic diversity, the polymorphism information content ranged from 0.35 to 0.84, and the mean number of alleles per locus was 11.3. Accessions from the Madeira River had a higher Shannon index (1.52), as well as the largest number of private alleles (19). Bayesian inference of genetic structure implemented in the Structure software suggested the existence of two groups of accessions without clear association with river basins. The accumulated variation in the first two axes of the principal coordinate analysis revealed low genetic divergence between these groups, while AMOVA identified
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Although manioc is well adapted to nutrient-poor Oxisols of Amazonia, ethnobotanical observations show that bitter manioc is also frequently cultivated in the highly fertile soils of the floodplains and Amazonian dark earths (ADE) along... more
Although manioc is well adapted to nutrient-poor Oxisols of Amazonia, ethnobotanical observations show that bitter manioc is also frequently cultivated in the highly fertile soils of the floodplains and Amazonian dark earths (ADE) along the middle Madeira River. Because different sets of varieties are grown in each soil type, and there are agro-nomic similarities between ADE and floodplain varieties, it was hypothesized that varieties grown in ADE and floodplain were more closely related to each other than either is to varieties grown in Oxisols. We tested this hypothesis evaluating the intra-varietal genetic diversity and the genetic relationships among manioc varieties commonly cultivated in Oxisols, ADE and floodplain soils. Genetic results did not agree with ethnobotanical expectation, since the relationships between varieties were variable and most individuals of varieties with the same vernacular name, but grown in ADE and floodplain, were distinct. Although the same vernacular name could not always be associated with genetic similarities, there is still a great amount of variation among the varieties. Many ecological and genetic processes may explain the high genetic diversity and differentiation found for bitter manioc varieties, but all contribute to the maintenance and amplification of genetic diversity within the manioc in Central Amazonia.
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Local people's perceptions of cultivated and wild agrobiodiversity, as well as their management of hybridization are still understudied in Amazonia. Here we analyze domesticated treegourd (Crescentia cujete), whose versatile fruits have... more
Local people's perceptions of cultivated and wild agrobiodiversity, as well as their management of hybridization are still understudied in Amazonia. Here we analyze domesticated treegourd (Crescentia cujete), whose versatile fruits have technological, symbolic, and medicinal uses. A wild relative (C. amazonica) of the cultivated species grows spontaneously in Amazonian flooded forests. We demonstrated, using whole chloroplast sequences and nuclear microsatellites, that the two species are strongly differentiated. Nonetheless, they hybridize readily throughout Amazonia and the proportions of admixture correlate with fruit size variation of cultivated trees. New mor-photypes arise from hybridization, which are recognized by people and named as local varieties. Small hybrid fruits are used to make the important symbolic rattle (maracá), suggesting that management of hybrid trees is an ancient human practice in Amazonia. Effective conservation of Amazonian agrobiodiversity needs to incorporate this interaction between wild and cultivated populations that is managed by smallholder families. Beyond treegourd, our study clearly shows that hybridization plays an important role in tree crop phenotypic diversification and that the integration of molecular analyses and farmers' perceptions of diversity help disentangle crop domestication history.
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• Premise of the study: Crescentia cujete (Bignoniaceae) fruit rinds are traditionally used for storage vessels and handicrafts. We assembled its chloroplast genome and identified single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). • Methods and... more
• Premise of the study: Crescentia cujete (Bignoniaceae) fruit rinds are traditionally used for storage vessels and handicrafts.
We assembled its chloroplast genome and identified single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs).
• Methods and Results: Using a genome skimming approach, the whole chloroplast of C. cujete was assembled using 3,106,928
sequence reads of 150 bp. The chloroplast is 154,662 bp in length, structurally divided into a large single copy region (84,788 bp),
a small single copy region (18,299 bp), and two inverted repeat regions (51,575 bp) with 88 genes annotated. By resequencing
the whole chloroplast, we identified 66 SNPs in C. cujete (N = 30) and 68 SNPs in C. amazonica (N = 6). Nucleotide diversity
was estimated at 1.1 × 10−3 and 3.5 × 10−3 for C. cujete and C. amazonica, respectively.
• Conclusions: This broadened C. cujete genetic toolkit will be important to study the origin, domestication, diversity, and phylogeography
of treegourds in the Neotropics.
We assembled its chloroplast genome and identified single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs).
• Methods and Results: Using a genome skimming approach, the whole chloroplast of C. cujete was assembled using 3,106,928
sequence reads of 150 bp. The chloroplast is 154,662 bp in length, structurally divided into a large single copy region (84,788 bp),
a small single copy region (18,299 bp), and two inverted repeat regions (51,575 bp) with 88 genes annotated. By resequencing
the whole chloroplast, we identified 66 SNPs in C. cujete (N = 30) and 68 SNPs in C. amazonica (N = 6). Nucleotide diversity
was estimated at 1.1 × 10−3 and 3.5 × 10−3 for C. cujete and C. amazonica, respectively.
• Conclusions: This broadened C. cujete genetic toolkit will be important to study the origin, domestication, diversity, and phylogeography
of treegourds in the Neotropics.
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This is a note, so no Abstract.
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Most native Amazonian crops were domesticated in the periphery of the basin. The upper Madeira River basin is an important part of this periphery where several important crops were domesticated and others are suspected to have been... more
Most native Amazonian crops were domesticated in the periphery of the basin. The upper Madeira River basin is an important part of this periphery where several important crops were domesticated and others are suspected to have been domesticated or arrived early. Some of these crops have been reasonably well studied, such as manioc, peanut, peach palm, coca and tobacco, while others are not as well known, such as the hot peppers Capsicum baccatum and C. frutescens, and still others need confirmation, such as cocoyam and annatto. We review the information available for manioc, peach palm, Capsicum, peanut, annatto and cocoyam. The state-of-the-art for Capsicum frutescens, annatto and cocoyam is insufficient to conclude definitively that they were domesticated in the upper Madeira, while all the others have at least one of their origins or centers of diversity in the upper Madeira. Resumo: A maioria dos cultivos nativos da Amazônia foi domesticada na periferia da bacia. A bacia do alto rio Madeira é uma parte importante dessa periferia, onde se suspeita que vários cultivos importantes foram domesticados, alguns são confirmados e outros possivelmente chegaram há muito tempo na região. Alguns destes cultivos foram razoavelmente bem estudados, tais como mandioca, amendoim, pupunha, coca e tabaco, enquanto outros não são tão bem conhecidos, como as pimentas Capsicum baccatum e C. frutescens, e ainda outros precisam de confirmação, como taioba e urucum. Revisamos as informações disponíveis para a mandioca, pupunha, Capsicum, amendoim, urucum e taioba. O estado da arte de Capsicum frutescens, urucum e taioba é insuficiente para concluir definitivamente que eles foram domesticados no alto rio Madeira, enquanto todos os outros têm pelo menos uma das suas origens ou centros de diversidade na região.
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Introduction When did the domestications start? Where did the domestications start? How many were domesticated to some degree? Where were the domesticated crops at the time of European conquest? Which were the most important crops at... more
Introduction
When did the domestications start?
Where did the domestications start?
How many were domesticated to some degree?
Where were the domesticated crops at the time of European conquest?
Which were the most important crops at conquest?
Which are important today?
When did the domestications start?
Where did the domestications start?
How many were domesticated to some degree?
Where were the domesticated crops at the time of European conquest?
Which were the most important crops at conquest?
Which are important today?
Research Interests:
1. Introdução 1.1. Os comportamentos: ferramentas, artes, deuses e domesticações 1.2. A domesticação da paisagem e a domesticação de populações de plantas 1.3. As síndromes de domesticação 2. A linha do tempo na América do Sul 2.1. As... more
1. Introdução
1.1. Os comportamentos: ferramentas, artes, deuses e domesticações
1.2. A domesticação da paisagem e a domesticação de populações de plantas
1.3. As síndromes de domesticação
2. A linha do tempo na América do Sul
2.1. As primeiras domesticações - no final do Pleistoceno
2.2. Espécies domesticadas na América do Sul
2.3.1. Os Andes
2.3.2. A Amazônia
2.3.3. Outras locais das terras baixas
3. O patrimônio genético perdido e conservado
4. Referências
1.1. Os comportamentos: ferramentas, artes, deuses e domesticações
1.2. A domesticação da paisagem e a domesticação de populações de plantas
1.3. As síndromes de domesticação
2. A linha do tempo na América do Sul
2.1. As primeiras domesticações - no final do Pleistoceno
2.2. Espécies domesticadas na América do Sul
2.3.1. Os Andes
2.3.2. A Amazônia
2.3.3. Outras locais das terras baixas
3. O patrimônio genético perdido e conservado
4. Referências
Research Interests:
Annatto (Bixa orellana) is an important colorant domesticated in the Neotropics, although it is not clear where or from which wild populations. We reviewed the available biological, archaeological, and ethnographic information about... more
Annatto (Bixa orellana) is an important colorant domesticated in the Neotropics, although it is not clear where or from which wild populations. We reviewed the available biological, archaeological, and ethnographic information about annatto, and integrated this with our recent ethnobotanical observations of cultivated and non–cultivated populations in order to evaluate the hypothesis that what is classified as Bixa urucurana is the wild ancestor of cultivated annatto, Bixa orellana. Most B. urucurana populations we found in Amazonia occurred in open forests or anthropogenic landscapes, although never cultivated, and always associated with riparian environments. While cultivated annatto always produces abundant pigment, B. urucurana populations that we observed contained variable amounts of pigment, from very little to nearly the amount of cultivated annatto, suggesting gene flow from cultivated to non–cultivated. Bixa urucurana has indehiscent fruits, which indicate changes in dehiscence during annatto domestication, a notable feature rarely found in other tree species. Local residents identified the non–cultivated populations as wild annatto (urucum bravo), and they emphasized their smaller fruits with less pigment, their
spontaneous regeneration, their non–use, and that they hybridize with cultivated annatto. Ethnography identified the symbolic importance of annatto, but an explicit mention of origin only comes from southern Amazonia. Although the oldest annatto archaeological record came from the Caribbean, domestication occurred in northern South America, since B. urucurana does not occur in the Caribbean. Traditional ecological knowledge and morphology identified the close relationship between B. urucurana (never cultivated) and B. orellana (always cultivated). Evidence reported here strongly supports Kuntze’s (1925) suggestion that Bixa urucurana Willd. is a variety of B. orellana L., thus identifying the wild ancestor of cultivated annatto.
spontaneous regeneration, their non–use, and that they hybridize with cultivated annatto. Ethnography identified the symbolic importance of annatto, but an explicit mention of origin only comes from southern Amazonia. Although the oldest annatto archaeological record came from the Caribbean, domestication occurred in northern South America, since B. urucurana does not occur in the Caribbean. Traditional ecological knowledge and morphology identified the close relationship between B. urucurana (never cultivated) and B. orellana (always cultivated). Evidence reported here strongly supports Kuntze’s (1925) suggestion that Bixa urucurana Willd. is a variety of B. orellana L., thus identifying the wild ancestor of cultivated annatto.
Research Interests:
Recent decades have witnessed the rapid expansion of interest in and research on the domestication of crop plants worldwide. These species are the basis of the rise to dominance of Homo sapiens over the last 10,000 years. New techniques... more
Recent decades have witnessed the rapid expansion of interest in and research on the domestication of crop plants worldwide. These species are the basis of the rise to dominance of Homo sapiens over the last 10,000 years. New techniques in archaeology and the expansion of molecular genetics are uncovering abundant evidence to support or refute old hypotheses about human domestication of crops and creation of food production systems that fueled population expansions and linguistic diasporas, and to raise new hypotheses. In Amazonia and elsewhere in lowland South America, archaeologists are starting to examine these hypotheses in earnest, and geneticists are starting to generate data to identify crop origins and dispersals. Archaeologists now generally agree that Amazonia was inhabited by numerous advanced societies before
European conquest, especially along the major white water rivers and in other favorable locations for food production, and that these societies had domesticated significant areas of numerous landscapes. This special section of Tipití summarizes a set of presentations given during the recent 2nd International Meeting on Amazonian Archaeology, held in Manaus, Amazonas, in September 2010. An overview of plant domestication opens the
sequence, followed by new archaeobotanical evidence from the southeastern Colombian and central Brazilian Amazonia and from the southern savannas of Brazil, and new molecular genetic evidence about the origins of peach palm (Bactris gasipaes) and the dispersal of manioc (Manihot esculenta), maize (Zea mays), and peach palm in lowland South America. See full issue at http://digitalcommons.trinity.edu/tipiti/vol11/iss2/
European conquest, especially along the major white water rivers and in other favorable locations for food production, and that these societies had domesticated significant areas of numerous landscapes. This special section of Tipití summarizes a set of presentations given during the recent 2nd International Meeting on Amazonian Archaeology, held in Manaus, Amazonas, in September 2010. An overview of plant domestication opens the
sequence, followed by new archaeobotanical evidence from the southeastern Colombian and central Brazilian Amazonia and from the southern savannas of Brazil, and new molecular genetic evidence about the origins of peach palm (Bactris gasipaes) and the dispersal of manioc (Manihot esculenta), maize (Zea mays), and peach palm in lowland South America. See full issue at http://digitalcommons.trinity.edu/tipiti/vol11/iss2/
Research Interests:
The peach palm (Bactris gasipaes Kunth) is the only Neotropical palm domesticated by Native Americans. Its place of origin as a crop (B. gasipaes var. gasipaes) has been debated for more than a century, with three hypotheses currently in... more
The peach palm (Bactris gasipaes Kunth) is the only Neotropical palm domesticated by Native Americans. Its place of origin as a crop (B. gasipaes var. gasipaes) has been debated for more than a century, with three hypotheses currently in discussion: southwestern Amazonia; northwestern South America; or multiple origins in the distribution of the wild relatives (B. gasipaes var. chichagui). The small amount of archaeological data available supports the second hypothesis, but they contrast dramatically with the molecular-genetic analyses that support the first or the third, depending on how they are interpreted. On morphological grounds, two of the three types of var. chichagui are plausible candidates for wild ancestral populations. All the molecular-genetic analyses have identified a deep division between the landraces of cultivated peach palm in western Amazonia to Central America and those in southwestern to eastern Amazonia. The first analysis using isoenzymes linked the Tembe population (Bolivia) with the Pará landrace (eastern Amazonia), and these were distant from the western landraces. Multiple RAPD and SSR analyses identified the same deep division, which was interpreted by the group of researchers in Brazil as a single domestication in southwestern Amazonia with two dispersals, while another group working in Costa Rica interpreted it as three domestication events. Analysis with nuclear markers does not allow discrimination among the hypotheses, because gene flow may occur via pollen and seed. A new analysis with two sequences from the chloroplast genome, which has maternal inheritance and is therefore more appropriate to test the hypothesis, suggests that the cultivated peach palm was domesticated once in southwestern Amazonia, with two dispersals. One dispersal started in the upper Ucayali River basin, in southeastern Peru, and then throughout western Amazonia, northwestern South America and southern Central America. Another dispersal started in the upper Madeira River basin and then along the Madeira River into eastern Amazonia. New explorations in southwestern Amazonia are critical to identify the exact location of the original events.
Research Interests:
Manioc (Manihot esculenta Crantz) originated in Amazonia and is the main staple for more than 800 million people worldwide; it also had a fundamental role as a source of calories for many pre-Columbian peoples, especially in Amazonia,... more
Manioc (Manihot esculenta Crantz) originated in Amazonia and is the main staple for more than 800 million people worldwide; it also had a fundamental role as a source of calories for many pre-Columbian peoples, especially in Amazonia, where it was domesticated. There are two major groups of manioc varieties: sweet varieties have low amounts of toxic substances (cyanogenic glycosides) and may be consumed with minimum processing, while bitter varieties have a high degree of toxicity and must be detoxified to be safe before consumption. These groups are outcomes of divergent selective pressures. Natural selection probably maintains large amounts of cyanogenic glycosides to serve as a plant defense when in cultivation. Human selection may reduce the toxicity of the plants when roots are directly consumed, but may be neutral when the roots are consumed after some kind of processing. Although farmers recognize the distinction of the two groups of varieties, the variation of cyanogenic glycosides is continuous among different varieties. Genetic differentiation between sweet and bitter varieties was detected with molecular markers, as well as different patterns of groupings of varieties from different regions of Brazil. The genetic distinctions suggest that the sweet varieties originated during the initial domestication in southwestern Amazonia and bitter varieties arose later during cultivation in Amazonia, as hypothesized by Arroyo-Kalin in a recent paper. They also suggest that these groups of varieties were dispersed independently, even though they are cultivated complementarily today, with sweet varieties in homegardens and bitter varieties in swiddens.
Research Interests:
Introduction From the domestication of fire to the domestication of landscape From domesticated landscapes to domesticated plants The origin of domesticated populations The question of intentionality From plant domestication to... more
Introduction
From the domestication of fire to the domestication of landscape
From domesticated landscapes to domesticated plants
The origin of domesticated populations
The question of intentionality
From plant domestication to pre-Darwinian selection
"The origin of species" and Mendel's contributions
From analysis of individuals to population analysis
From simple to complex trait analysis
Development of breeding methods
Genomic improvement
Advances in genomics
Molecular marker-assisted breeding
Genetic engineering and the central dogma
From domestication to breeding: native Brazilian plants
References
From the domestication of fire to the domestication of landscape
From domesticated landscapes to domesticated plants
The origin of domesticated populations
The question of intentionality
From plant domestication to pre-Darwinian selection
"The origin of species" and Mendel's contributions
From analysis of individuals to population analysis
From simple to complex trait analysis
Development of breeding methods
Genomic improvement
Advances in genomics
Molecular marker-assisted breeding
Genetic engineering and the central dogma
From domestication to breeding: native Brazilian plants
References
Research Interests:
Introduction Taxonomy Reproductive biology Origin Domestication Landraces Genetic resource collections Breeding for fruit - National Research Institute for Amazonia (INPA) Breeding for fruit - Embrapa Amazonia Oriental... more
Introduction
Taxonomy
Reproductive biology
Origin
Domestication
Landraces
Genetic resource collections
Breeding for fruit - National Research Institute for Amazonia (INPA)
Breeding for fruit - Embrapa Amazonia Oriental
Participatory breeding for fruit
Breeding for hearts-of-palm - Campinas Agronomic Institute
Breeding for hearts-of-palm - INPA
Outstanding progeny traits
Future strategies
Breeding for hearts-of-palm - Embrapa
The peach palm breeding network
The next 10 years
References
Taxonomy
Reproductive biology
Origin
Domestication
Landraces
Genetic resource collections
Breeding for fruit - National Research Institute for Amazonia (INPA)
Breeding for fruit - Embrapa Amazonia Oriental
Participatory breeding for fruit
Breeding for hearts-of-palm - Campinas Agronomic Institute
Breeding for hearts-of-palm - INPA
Outstanding progeny traits
Future strategies
Breeding for hearts-of-palm - Embrapa
The peach palm breeding network
The next 10 years
References
Research Interests:
"Molecular analyses are providing new elements to decipher the origin, domestication and dispersal of native Amazonian crops in an expanding archaeological context. Solid molecular data are available for manioc (Manihot esculenta), cacao... more
"Molecular analyses are providing new elements to decipher the origin, domestication and dispersal of native Amazonian crops in an expanding archaeological context. Solid molecular data are available for manioc (Manihot esculenta), cacao (Theobroma cacao), pineapple (Ananas comosus), peach palm (Bactris gasipaes) and guaraná (Paullinia cupana), while hot peppers (Capsicum spp.), inga (Inga edulis), Brazil nut (Bertholletia excelsa) and cupuassu (Theobroma grandiflorum) are being studied. Emergent patterns include the relationships among domestication, antiquity (terminal Pleistocene to early Holocene), origin in the periphery, ample pre-Columbian dispersal and clear phylogeographic population structure for manioc, pineapple, peach palm and, perhaps, Capsicum peppers. Cacao represents the special case of an Amazonian species possibly brought into domestication in Mesoamerica, but close scrutiny of molecular data suggests that it may also have some incipiently domesticated populations in Amazonia. Another pattern includes the relationships among species with incipiently domesticated populations or very recently domesticated populations, rapid pre- or post-conquest dispersal and lack of phylogeographic population structure, e.g., Brazil nut, cupuassu and guaraná. These patterns contrast the peripheral origin of most species with domesticated populations with the subsequent concentration of their genetic resources in the center of the basin, along the major white water rivers where high pre-conquest population densities
developed. Additional molecular genetic analyses on these and other species will allow better examination of these processes and will enable us to relate them to other historical ecological patterns in Amazonia."
developed. Additional molecular genetic analyses on these and other species will allow better examination of these processes and will enable us to relate them to other historical ecological patterns in Amazonia."
Research Interests:
Introduction
A General Model
A Little Biology and Ethnobotany
Huaorani Peach Palm Management
Peasant Peach Palm Management
Extrapolating into the Past
Diffusion via Migration
Conclusions
References
A General Model
A Little Biology and Ethnobotany
Huaorani Peach Palm Management
Peasant Peach Palm Management
Extrapolating into the Past
Diffusion via Migration
Conclusions
References
Research Interests:
Background: The Arc of Fire across southern Amazonia seasonally attracts worldwide attention as forests are cut and burned for agricultural expansion. These forests contain numerous wild relatives of native South American crops, such as... more
Background: The Arc of Fire across southern Amazonia seasonally attracts worldwide attention as forests are cut and burned for agricultural expansion. These forests contain numerous wild relatives of native South American crops, such as peach palm.
Methodology/Principal Findings: Our prospecting expeditions examined critical areas for wild peach palm in the Arc of Fire in Mato Grosso, Pará, Maranhão and Tocantins, as well as areas not previously examined in Amazonas and Amapá states. Recent digitization of the RADAM Brasil project permitted comparison among RADAM’s parataxonomists’ observations, previous botanical collections and our prospecting. Mapping on soils and vegetation types enabled us to hypothesize a set of ecological preferences. Wild peach palm is best adapted to Ultisols (Acrisols) in open forests across the Arc of Fire and westward into the more humid western Amazonia. Populations are generally small (fewer than 10 plants) on slopes above watercourses. In northern Mato Grosso and southern Pará soybean fields and pastures now occupy numerous areas where RADAM identified wild peach palm. The controversial BR-163 Highway is already eroding wild peach palm as deforestation expands.
Conclusions/Significance: Many of these populations are now isolated by increasing forest fragmentation, which will lead to decreased reproduction via inbreeding depression and eventual extinction even without complete deforestation. Federal conservation areas are less numerous in the Arc of Fire than in other parts of Brazilian Amazonia, although there are indigenous lands; these conservation areas contain viable populations of wild peach palm and require better protection than they are currently receiving. Ex situ conservation of these populations is not viable given the relative lack of importance of domesticated peach palm and the difficulty of maintaining even economically interesting genetic resources.
Methodology/Principal Findings: Our prospecting expeditions examined critical areas for wild peach palm in the Arc of Fire in Mato Grosso, Pará, Maranhão and Tocantins, as well as areas not previously examined in Amazonas and Amapá states. Recent digitization of the RADAM Brasil project permitted comparison among RADAM’s parataxonomists’ observations, previous botanical collections and our prospecting. Mapping on soils and vegetation types enabled us to hypothesize a set of ecological preferences. Wild peach palm is best adapted to Ultisols (Acrisols) in open forests across the Arc of Fire and westward into the more humid western Amazonia. Populations are generally small (fewer than 10 plants) on slopes above watercourses. In northern Mato Grosso and southern Pará soybean fields and pastures now occupy numerous areas where RADAM identified wild peach palm. The controversial BR-163 Highway is already eroding wild peach palm as deforestation expands.
Conclusions/Significance: Many of these populations are now isolated by increasing forest fragmentation, which will lead to decreased reproduction via inbreeding depression and eventual extinction even without complete deforestation. Federal conservation areas are less numerous in the Arc of Fire than in other parts of Brazilian Amazonia, although there are indigenous lands; these conservation areas contain viable populations of wild peach palm and require better protection than they are currently receiving. Ex situ conservation of these populations is not viable given the relative lack of importance of domesticated peach palm and the difficulty of maintaining even economically interesting genetic resources.
Research Interests:
Peach palm is a native Amazonian fruit species with broad genetic diversity in its wild and domesticated populations. This study completed the molecular characterization and genetic analysis of the accessions in the Peach Palm Active... more
Peach palm is a native Amazonian fruit species with broad genetic diversity in its wild and domesticated populations. This study completed the molecular characterization and genetic analysis of the accessions in the Peach Palm Active Germplasm Bank, Brazil, using RAPD markers. Eight primers generated 132 markers, of which 128 were polymorphic. Average heterozigosity was 0.35, with 95.5% polymorphism. The genetic variability within the landraces (HS) was 0.32, while genetic divergence (GST) was 0.09 among the four well-represented landraces. The average gene flow was 5.0, with high gene flow between the Solimões and Pampa Hermosa (Nm=10.07), and between the Putumayo and Solimões (Nm=10.73) landraces, all western landraces. The dendrograms of the Nei’s and Rogers’ genetic distances of the well-represented landraces presented similar groupings to previous analyses, with the Solimões, Putumayo and Pampa Hermosa landraces grouped together in western Amazonia, and distant from the Pará landrace in central and eastern Amazonia.
Research Interests:
The hybrid populations of peach palm (Bactris gasipaes Kunth) have accumulated genetic variability from adjacent landraces, which is expected to increase their variability. To test this hypothesis, 176 plants maintained in the peach palm... more
The hybrid populations of peach palm (Bactris gasipaes Kunth) have accumulated genetic variability from adjacent landraces, which is expected to increase their variability. To test this hypothesis, 176 plants maintained in the peach palm Germplasm Bank at INPA, including four hybrid populations [Belém (n=26); Manaus (n=38); Iquitos, Peru (n=41); Yurimáguas, Peru (n=41)], two wild populations (B. gasipaes variety chichagui) types 1 (n=21) and 3 (n=7), and two samples of a related species, B. riparia, were genotyped with RAPD markers and compared to adjacent landraces reported in other studies. Eight RAPD primers generated 88 polymorphic and 11 monomorphic markers. The replicability test presented a Dice similarity of 0.67, considered acceptable. The average heterozygosity of the hybrid populations was 0.34 and the polymorphism was 87.9%, greater than in the wild populations (0.31; 74.7%). The dendrogram of Dice similarities did not present groups that clearly correspond to the hybrid populations. The gene flow between Iquitos and Yurimáguas (Nm=12.75), and between Iquitos and Manaus (Nm=9.47) was high, while between Belém and Manaus it was lower than expected (Nm=7.72), probably due to the influence of the Solimões landrace near Manaus. The high value of heterozygosity in Manaus seems to be the result of the union of two dispersals after domestication: the western Amazonian dispersal, with Iquitos and Yurimáguas, and the eastern Amazonian, with Belém, joining in Manaus. However, these hybrid populations did not present an accumulation of genetic variability expressive enough to differentiate them from the landraces.
Research Interests:
The geographical distribution and morpho-genetic variation of wild and domesticated populations of a crop species are essential information for identifying a center of origin. The pejibaye (Bactris gasipaes Kunth) is the only domesticated... more
The geographical distribution and morpho-genetic variation of wild and domesticated populations of a crop species are essential information for identifying a center of origin. The pejibaye (Bactris gasipaes Kunth) is the only domesticated neotropical palm, whose starchy-oily fruits are subsistence products and whose heart-of-palm is an expanding agribusiness. The origin of pejibaye is unresolved, but probably will be found in the distribution of type 1 B. gasipaes var. chichagui in southwestern Amazonia. A new area of occurrence of this type is reported around São Felix do Xingu, Pará, Brazil, 52°41' W 6°34' S, about 600 km northeast of the eastern-most known population, in central Mato Grosso, Brazil. The plants of this population are slightly less robust than other type 1 plants and have small fruit bunches (60-70 fruit), small fruit (0.45 g and 10 by 9 mm) and seed (0.23 g and 6.5 by 7.4 mm), all smaller than previous descriptions. Although this find is disjunct from earlier reports, it is unlikely that other populations are absent between it and central Mato Grosso, expanding type 1 var. chichagui's distribution by 30% and redefining it as a typical element of the transition between humid and semi-humid forests across southern Amazonia, rather than an Andean element expanding into the region.
Research Interests:
Although the first inhabitants of western Amazonia domesticated pejibaye (Bactris gasipaes Kunth, Palmae) or peach palm for its fruits, today it is widely planted for its heart-of-palm. Like other domesticates, pejibaye presents a complex... more
Although the first inhabitants of western Amazonia domesticated pejibaye (Bactris gasipaes Kunth, Palmae) or peach palm for its fruits, today it is widely planted for its heart-of-palm. Like other domesticates, pejibaye presents a complex hierarchy of landraces developed before the conquest of the Americas. The existence of three landraces (Pará, Solimões, Putumayo) was proposed along the Amazonas and Solimões Rivers, Brazil, based on morphological characteristics. There are some questions remaining about the intermediate landrace being an artifact of the morphometric analysis. AFLPs were used to evaluate the relationships among samples of these putative landraces. DNA was extracted from 99 plants representing 13 populations maintained in the Pejibaye Germplasm Bank, Manaus, AM; six primer combinations generated 245 markers via PCR, which were scored in an ABI Prism 310 sequencer and analyzed with GeneScan Software; Jaccard similarities were estimated and a dendrogram was generated with UPGMA. Two groups of plants were observed in the dendrogram instead of three, and were similar at 0.795. Each group contained two subgroups, similar at 0.815. One group (n=41) contained 73% Pará landrace plants, with one subgroup (n=22) containing 91% Pará, and the other (n=19) containing 53% Pará. The other group (n=58) contained 53% Solimões and 40% Putumayo landrace plants, with one subgroup (n=21) containing 52% Solimões and 43% Putumayo, and the other (n=35) containing 57% Solimões and 37% Putumayo. The first group confirmed the Pará landrace. The second group suggested that the Solimões landrace does not exist, but that the Putumayo landrace extends along the Solimões River to Central Amazonia.
Research Interests:
Allozyme variation was examined in three pejtbaye (Bactris gasipaes) populations introduced into Hawaii for use in heart-of-palm improvement: Benjamin Constant (Putumayo landrace), San Carlos (Guataso landrace) and Yurimaguas (Pampa... more
Allozyme variation was examined in three pejtbaye (Bactris gasipaes) populations introduced into Hawaii for use in heart-of-palm improvement: Benjamin Constant (Putumayo landrace), San Carlos (Guataso landrace) and Yurimaguas (Pampa Hermosa landrace). Nine enzymes encoded by 16 putative loci with a total of 38 alleles were resolved from meristem extract. Five loci were fixed in all populations, four additional loci were fixed in SC and one additional locus in BC. Six of the 38 alleles were rare, with three unique to BC and one to Y; two moderately high frequency alleles were unique to SC. Mean number of alleles per locus was lowest (1.6) in SC, with BC and Y having 2.1 alleles. Percentage of polymorphic loci was lowest in SC (44) and highest in Y (69). Observed heterozygosity was lowest in SC (0.051) and BC (0.066) and highest in Y (0.141). Nei's genetic identity was 0.985 between BC and Y and averaged 0.952 between SC and BC-Y. The low heterozygosities are probably due to a long history of selection and inbreeding (sib-mating) during the domestication process, followed by intensive recent selection for spinelessness and more inbreeding. All populations are very closely related, suggesting a single domestication event in Amazonia.
Research Interests:
RAPD markers were used to evaluate the genetic variability and structure of seven morphologically defined landraces of pejibaye (Bactris gasipaes Kunth, Palmae) to determine their validity and phylogenetic relationships. Two hundred and... more
RAPD markers were used to evaluate the genetic variability and structure of seven morphologically defined landraces of pejibaye (Bactris gasipaes Kunth, Palmae) to determine their validity and phylogenetic relationships. Two hundred and twenty plants of four Amazonian and three Central American landraces of var. gasipaes (the domesticate) and 30 plants of var. chichagui (H. Karsten) Henderson (the crop ancestor) maintained at the National Research Institute for Amazonia, Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil, were utilized. Eight RAPD primers yielded 113 markers, with good reproducibility, of which 97 were polymorphic. The four Amazonian landraces had an average heterozygosity of 0.30, with 86% polymorphism, greater than the Central American landraces (0.25; 74.3%) and var. chichagui (0.27; 80%). Among landrace genetic diversity (Gst) was 15%, while within (Hs) was 85%, essentially equivalent to the AMOVA within (82.2%) and among (17.8%) variances. The Jaccard similarities, PCA, gene flow coefficients and Exact tests suggested that only one landrace exists in Central America, called Utilis after the first taxon described there, and that the Solimões landrace is part of the Putumayo landrace, rather than a separate entity. The Pará and Pampa Hermosa landraces were validated in accordance with their morphometric interpretations. The dendrogram of Nei’s genetic distances among valid landraces and var. chichagui supported the hypothesis of a single origin for pejibaye in southwestern Amazonia, with two migration routes: one to the northeast, becoming the Pará landrace, and another to the northwest along the Andes, spreading into western Amazonia (Pampa Hermosa and Putumayo landraces) and across the Andes, reaching Central America (Utilis landrace).
Research Interests:
Shifting cultivation in the humid tropics is incredibly diverse, yet research tends to focus on one type: long-fallow shifting cultivation. While it is a typical adaptation to the highly-weathered nutrient-poor soils of the Amazonian... more
Shifting cultivation in the humid tropics is incredibly diverse, yet research tends to focus on one type: long-fallow shifting cultivation. While it is a typical adaptation to the highly-weathered nutrient-poor soils of the Amazonian terra firme, fertile environments in the region offer opportunities for agricultural intensification. We hypothesized that Amazonian people have developed divergent bitter manioc cultivation systems as adaptations to the properties of different soils. We compared bitter manioc cultivation in two nutrient-rich and two nutrient-poor soils, along the middle Madeira River in Central Amazonia. We interviewed 249 farmers in 6 localities, sampled their manioc fields, and carried out genetic analysis of bitter manioc landraces. While cultivation in the two richer soils at different localities was characterized by fast-maturing, low-starch manioc landraces, with shorter cropping periods and shorter fallows, the predominant manioc landraces in these soils were generally not genetically similar. Rather, predominant landraces in each of these two fertile soils have emerged from separate selective trajectories which produced landraces that converged for fast-maturing low-starch traits adapted to intensified swidden systems in fertile soils. This contrasts with the more extensive cultivation systems found in the two poorer soils at different localities, characterized by the prevalence of slow-maturing high-starch landraces, longer cropping periods and longer fallows, typical of previous studies. Farmers plant different assemblages of bitter manioc landraces in different soils and the most popular landraces were shown to exhibit significantly different yields when planted in different soils. Farmers have selected different sets of landraces with different perceived agronomic characteristics, along with different fallow lengths, as adaptations to the specific properties of each agroecological micro-environment. These findings open up new avenues for research and debate concerning the origins, evolution, history and contemporary cultivation of bitter manioc in Amazonia and beyond.
Theobroma grandiflorum (cupuassu) is an important fruit tree native to the Brazilian Amazon. Establishing the genetic diversity and structure of populations is critical to define long-term strategies for cupuassu conservation presently... more
Theobroma grandiflorum (cupuassu) is an important fruit tree native to the Brazilian Amazon. Establishing the genetic diversity and structure of populations is critical to define long-term strategies for cupuassu conservation presently threatened by rapid deforestation. Three natural populations collected at the putative center of diversity, three groups of accessions established at a germplasm collection, and one derived from commercial plantings were analyzed. The genetic diversity was assessed using 21 polymorphic microsatellite loci originally developed for Theobroma cacao, disclosing a total of 113 alleles. The estimated genetic diversity parameters averaged over cupuassu populations (A=3.53 alleles per locus; He=0.426; Ho=0.346) were lower than the values reported for other Neotropical tree species. The three natural populations presented a positive and significant fixation index (f), ranging from 0.133 to 0.234. Cupuassu apparently adhered to a general pattern of genetic diversity structure of some Neotropical tree species occurring at low densities, with a low intrapopulation genetic diversity and important levels of endogamy, possibly due to biparental inbreeding derived from the presence of spatial genetic structure in the populations. A high level of genetic divergence was detected among the natural populations (θp=0.301), a strong differentiation caused by limited gene flow, and suggesting that human interference in spreading and/or stimulating plantings might have had a smaller effect than expected. The approximate location of the T. grandiflorum center of diversity could not be confirmed by analyzing natural populations from the putative region.
The extraction and commercialization of palm hearts is the most profitable activity involving the peach palm (Bactris gasipaes), while consumption of its fruits is limited to Amazonian communities. The excessive attention paid to the... more
The extraction and commercialization of palm hearts is the most profitable activity involving the peach palm (Bactris gasipaes), while consumption of its fruits is limited to Amazonian communities. The excessive attention paid to the implementation of germplasm banks contributed to the lack of development of high-performance varieties, limiting the production and consumption of peach palm fruits and by-products. In addition, with the fragmentation of the Amazonian rainforest, wild populations are in danger of extinction. The species domestication, initiated by Native Amazonians, generated a large variety of peach palm populations, as evidenced by the diversity in fruit sizes and quality. Some advances in agronomic traits also took place. However, more research needs to be conducted to understand the implications of climatic changes on plant physiological performance. Indeed, the key point is that the exploitation of the full potential of B. gasipaes has not been completely
exploited. Therefore, understanding the state-of-the-art research on the peach palm with a focus on its underutilized resources is essential for expanding plantations and, consequently, promoting the market expansion of the peach palm as a fruit crop.
exploited. Therefore, understanding the state-of-the-art research on the peach palm with a focus on its underutilized resources is essential for expanding plantations and, consequently, promoting the market expansion of the peach palm as a fruit crop.
Research Interests:
The family Arecaceae is distributed throughout tropical and subtropical regions of the world. Among the five subfamilies, Arecoideae is the most species-rich and still contains some ambiguous inter-generic relationships, such as those... more
The family Arecaceae is distributed throughout tropical and subtropical regions of the world. Among the five subfamilies, Arecoideae is the most species-rich and still contains some ambiguous inter-generic relationships, such as those within subtribes Attaleinae and Bactridineae. The hypervariable regions of plastid genomes (plastomes) are interesting tools to clarify unresolved phylogenetic relationships. We sequenced and characterized the plastome of Bactris gasipaes (Bactridinae) and compared it with eight species from the three Cocoseae sub-tribes (Attaleinae, Bactridinae, and Elaeidinae) to perform comparative analysis and to identify hypervariable regions. The Bactris gasipaes plastome has 156,646 bp, with 113 unique genes. Among them, four genes have an alternative start codon (cemA, rps19, rpl2, and ndhD). Plastomes are highly conserved within tribe Cocoseae: 97.3% identity, length variation of~2 kb, and a single~4.5 kb inversion in Astrocaryum plastomes. The LSC/IR and IR/SSC junctions vary among the subtribes: in Bactridinae and Elaeidinae the rps19 gene is completely contained in the IR region; in the subtribe Attaleinae the rps19 gene is only partially contained in the IRs. The hypervariable regions selected according to sequence variation (SV%) and frequency of parsimony informative sites (PIS%) revealed plastome regions with great potential for molecular analysis. The ten regions with greatest SV% showed higher variation than the plastid molecular markers commonly used for phylogenetic analysis in palms. The phylogenetic trees based on the plastomes and the hypervariable regions (SV%) datasets had well-resolved relationships, with consistent topologies within tribe Cocoseae, and confirm the monophyly of the subtribes Bactridinae and Attaleinae.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Abslracl: The pejibaye is in the process of being improved by modem agrogenetic techniques and the breeding programs need reliable methods for manipulating and storing pollen for making controlled crosses. Several tests were run on pollen... more
Abslracl: The pejibaye is in the process of being improved by modem agrogenetic techniques and the breeding programs need reliable methods for manipulating and storing pollen for making controlled crosses. Several tests were run on pollen from two landraces: (1) germination in a glucose solution, with and without boron; (2) germination of fresh pollen in a solution of glucose, sacarose, lactose or galactose; (3) drying in oven, desecator jar and open air: (4) drying time and silica gel quantity in desecator jar: (5) germi n ation of dried pollen in a solution of glucose, sacarose, lactose or galactose; (6) storage at room temperature (""25° C), refrigerator (8° C) and freezer (_8° C) of dried pollen in vacuum sealed vials. Sacarose at 2.5%, with boron at 0.01 %, gave best germination results; drying for 14 hours over 100 g silica gel in 5 liter desicator jars gave best results, storage in freezer gave 40% viability after six months.
Research Interests:
The pollen morphology of 12 population samples from three Amazonian landraces [Putumayo (3 samples), Solimões (2), Pará (3)], one Central American landrace [Utilis (1)] and two Amazonian hybrid populations [Belém (1), Yurimaguas (2)] of... more
The pollen morphology of 12 population samples from three Amazonian landraces [Putumayo (3 samples), Solimões (2), Pará (3)], one Central American landrace [Utilis (1)] and two Amazonian hybrid populations [Belém (1), Yurimaguas (2)] of Bactris gasipaes (pejibaye or peach palm) was studied. The pollen grains differed mainly in size, measured from the polar view, with racial averages varying from 59.6 to 73.3 μm. The Utilis landrace population (70.5 μm) and the Yurimaguas hybrid population (73.3 μm) samples had significantly larger pollen grains than the other samples. Exine morphology is typically semitectate, with a columellar infratectum. Numerous perforations are visible in the tectum, except for the Utilis landrace population which had very few perforations. Phenetic relationships are close for the Amazonian landraces, distant for all others.
Research Interests:
Numerous landraces of peach palm (Bactris gasipaes var. gasipaes) have been described in the Neotropics and are conserved in a genebank of INPA. We used RAPD markers to analyze the genetic diversity of eight peach palm landraces and two... more
Numerous landraces of peach palm (Bactris gasipaes var. gasipaes) have been described in the Neotropics and are conserved in a genebank of INPA. We used RAPD markers to analyze the genetic diversity of eight peach palm landraces and two wild populations. Eight primers generated 124 markers; 101 markers were polymorphic (81.5 %). Observed heterozygosity was 0.38 and polymorphism was 93 %, both slightly higher than in previous studies. Amazonian landraces presented high heterozygosity (0.30) and a percentage of polymorphism (87,8 %) similar to Central American landraces (0.29 and 83,5 %, respectively), different from previous studies, which found Central American landraces to have lower values than Amazonian landraces. The structure of the dendrogram with Nei's genetic distance was similar to that of previous studies, with minor differences. The two wild populations were grouped far from the landraces, suggesting that they did not participate in the domestication of the cultivated populations. Resumo Numerosas raças de pupunha (Bactris gasipaes var. gasipaes) são conservadas em um banco de germoplasma do INPA. Utilizaram-se marcadores RAPD para analisar a diversidade genética de oito raças de pupunha e duas populações silvestres. Oito primers geraram 124 marcadores; 101 marcadores foram polimórficos (81,5 %). A heterozigosidade observada foi de 0,38, e o polimorfismo foi de 93 %, ambos ligeiramente superiores aos estudos anteriores. As raças amazônicas apresentaram alta heterozigosidade (0,30) e uma porcentagem de polimorfismo (87,8 %) semelhante a raças da América Central (0,29 e 83,5 %, respectivamente), diferente de estudos anteriores, que descobriram que as raças da América Central têm valores de parâmetros mais baixos do que as raças da Amazônia. A estrutura do dendrograma com a distância genética de Nei foi semelhante à de estudos anteriores, com pequenas diferenças. As duas populações silvestres foram agrupadas longe das raças, sugerindo que não participaram da domesticação das populações cultivadas. Palavras-chave adicionais: caracterização molecular, diversidade genética, fluxo gênico, relações genéticas,
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Peach palm (Bactris gasipaes Kunth) is a Neotropical palm domesticated by Native Americans. Its domestication resulted in a set of landraces (var. gasipaes), some with very starchy fruit used for fermentation, others with an equilibrium... more
Peach palm (Bactris gasipaes Kunth) is a Neotropical palm domesticated by Native Americans. Its domestication resulted in a set of landraces (var. gasipaes), some with very starchy fruit used for fermentation, others with an equilibrium of starch and oil used as snacks. Which of the three wild types (var. chichagui) was involved and where the domestication process began are unclear, with three hypotheses under discussion: an origin in southwestern Amazonia; or in northwestern South America; or multiple origins. We reevaluate one of the wild types, defining it as the incipient domesticate, and then evaluate these hypotheses using the Brazilian peach palm Core Collection and selected herbaria samples to: (1) model the potential distributions of wild and domesticated populations; (2) identify the probable origin of domestication with a phylogeographic analysis of chloroplast DNA sequences; and (3) determine the dispersal routes after domestication using spatial analysis of genetic diversity based on 17 nuclear microsatellite loci. The two very small-fruited wild types have distinct distributions in the northern Andes region and across southern Amazonia, both under moderately humid climates, while the incipient domesticate, partly sympatric with the southern wild type, is also found along the Equatorial Andes, in a more humid climatic envelope, more similar to that of the domesticated landraces. Two distribution models for Last Glacial Maximum conditions (CCSM4, MIROC) also suggest distinct distributions for the two wild populations. The chloroplast DNA phylogeographic network confirms the area of sympatry of the incipient domesticate and the southern wild type in southwestern Amazonia as the origin of domestication. The spatial patterns of genetic diversity confirm the proposal of two dispersals, one along the Ucayali River, into western Amazonia, northwestern South America and finally Central America; the other along the Madeira River into central and then eastern Amazonia. The first dispersal resulted in very starchy fruit for fermentation, while the second may have been later and resulted in snack fruits. Further explorations of southwestern Amazonia are essential for more precise identification of the earliest events, both with new archeological methods and genetic analyses with larger samples.
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The peach palm (Bactris gasipaes Kunth, Arecaceae) is appreciated for its heart-of-palm and its nutritious fruits, which are edible after cooking or used as a culinary ingredient. The objective of this study was to characterize the... more
The peach palm (Bactris gasipaes Kunth, Arecaceae) is appreciated for its heart-of-palm and its nutritious fruits, which are edible after cooking or used as a culinary ingredient. The objective of this study was to characterize the centesimal composition properties of peach palm fruits, to quantify the genetic variability and the relationships among physical and chemical traits related to the classification based on fruit weight [microcarpa (10 to 20 g), mesocarpa (20 to 70 g) and macrocarpa (>70 g)]. To this end, the dimensions and chemical composition of 83 fruit bunches selected in the markets of Porto Velho – Rondônia were evaluated. The relationships among traits were estimated with Pearson's correlation, and the relationships evaluated with principal component and discriminant analysis. Physical dimensions were positively correlated with carbohydrate content and negatively with dry matter, oil, fiber and protein contents. The two first principal components, which accounted for 79.2 % of the total variation, ordered bunches by fruit size and oil content. Discriminant analysis classified the bunches with an apparent error rate of 10.8%.
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Seeds of a plant, supposedly a palm tree known popularly as peach palm (Bactris gasipaes), were seized by the Federal Police in the state of Pará, Brazil, without documentation of legal origin to authorize transportation and marketing in... more
Seeds of a plant, supposedly a palm tree known popularly as peach palm (Bactris gasipaes), were seized by the Federal Police in the state of Pará, Brazil, without documentation of legal origin to authorize transportation and marketing in Brazil. They were alleged to be from the western part of Amazonas, Brazil, near the frontier with Peru and Colombia, justifying the lack of documentation. The species was confirmed to be peach palm. To determine the likely place of origin, a genetic analysis was performed to determine the relationship between the seized seeds and representative populations of peach palm from all of Amazonia, maintained in the Peach palm Core Collection, at the National Research Institute for Amazonia, using nine microsatellite loci. Reynolds' coancestry analysis showed a strong relationship between the seeds and the Pampa Hermosa landrace, around Yurimaguas, Peru. The Structure program, used to infer the probability of an individual belonging to a given population, showed that most seeds grouped with populations close to Yurimaguas, Peru, corroborating the coancestry analysis. The Pampa Hermosa landrace is the main source of spineless peach palm seeds used in the Brazilian heart-of-palm agribusiness, which motivated the smugglers to attempt this biopiracy.
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Numerous pejibaye plants were evaluated in 12 year old second growth on an abandoned farm to determine the extent of natural regeneration. Adults plabts with crowns above the canopy produce fruit. Fruits are predated by man and seeds by... more
Numerous pejibaye plants were evaluated in 12 year old second growth on an abandoned farm to determine the extent of natural regeneration. Adults plabts with crowns above the canopy produce fruit. Fruits are predated by man and seeds by rodents. Lateral shoots grow weell with enough light or show leaf etiolation and reduced number in shade. Two seedlings were found, with low leaf number, riolated petioles and low leaf area, suggesting extremely slow growth in shade. Reproduction appears to depend upon natural or manmade clearings, the former of insuficient duration to permit natural regeneration. This, combined with other modifications, confirms pejibaye's status as a full domesticate.
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RESUMO — A distribuição da biomassa e da área absorvente do sistema radicular da pupunheira (Bactris gasipaes) foram estudadas num latossolo amarelo, textura argilosa, perto de Manaus, Amazonas, Brasil. Aproximadamente 80% da biomassa se... more
RESUMO — A distribuição da biomassa e da área absorvente do sistema radicular da pupunheira (Bactris gasipaes) foram estudadas num latossolo amarelo, textura argilosa, perto de Manaus, Amazonas, Brasil. Aproximadamente 80% da biomassa se encontrava no horizonte Ap, da qual 90% se encontrava dentro da área de projeção da copa. A biomassa total estimada pesou 72 kg, excluindo-se a massa logo abaixo do estipe. A área superficial das raízes aumentou significativamente conforme se afastava do estipe, devido a proporção cada vez maior de raízes terciárias e quartenárias, embora sua abundância por m 3 diminuiu de forma similar à biomassa. A área superficial total estimada chegou a 545 m 2 , da qual se supõe que 50% é ativa na absorção de nutrientes. Supõe-se ainda que existam raízes absorventes até 8-9 m do estipe das plantas. Recomenda-se que a adubação seja feita dentro e logo fora da projeção da copa. ABSTRACT — The distribution of the pejibaye's (Bactris gasipaes) root biomass and absorbtive area was studied in a clay textured, yellow Oxisol, near Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil. Approximately 80% of the biomass was found in the Ap horizon and 90% of this within the crown projection area. Total biomass was estimated at 72 kg, without, however, including the very large mass immediately below the stem. The root surface area increased significantly as distance from the stem increased, due to the increase in the proportion of third and fourth order roots, although its abundance per m 3 diminished like that of the biomass. The total root surface area was estimated at 545 m 2 , of which 50% is probably active in nutrient absorbtion. The observed distribution suggested that there are absorbtive roots at least 8-9 m from the stem. Fertilizer placement should be within and just outside of the crown projection area.
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RESUMO Embora a pupunha possa ser propagada de duas formas, por via seminal ou por via vegetativa, na prática a propagação é quase exclusivamente por sementes. A abundância de relatos entre populações tradicio-nais sugere, entretanto, que... more
RESUMO Embora a pupunha possa ser propagada de duas formas, por via seminal ou por via vegetativa, na prática a propagação é quase exclusivamente por sementes. A abundância de relatos entre populações tradicio-nais sugere, entretanto, que a propagação vegetativa foi usada ocasionalmente, e ainda hoje os povos tradicionais afirmam praticar esta técnica. Em face dessas observações antagônicas, decidiu-se confirmar a veracidade das declarações dos agricultores de duas comunidades caboclas da Amazônia Central com o estudo do DNA usando a técnica molecular RAPD (polimorfismo de DNA amplificado ao acaso). Nessa análise quinze amostras de pupunha foram coletadas junto a quatro produtores do Estado de Amazonas, sendo quatro amostras de dois sítios do Ramal Nova Esperança, Manacapuru e onze amostras de dois sítios da Estrada de Autazes. Os quatro iniciadores geraram 48 produtos de amplificação úteis (bandas), com uma média de 12 bandas por iniciador. As similaridades de Jaccard mostrou um valor de 0,808. O dendrograma baseado nas similaridades de Jaccard e Distância Genética de Nei mostraram dois grandes grupos. Esses grupos se dispuseram a uma distância de 0.55, que é uma distância esperada entre espécies diferentes e não entre raças dentro de uma espécie. Os demais indivíduos formaram subgrupos sem apre-sentar ordem aparente. Palavras-chave: Análise Genética. Distâncias Genéticas. Relaões Filogenéticas. Conhecimento Tradi-cional ABSTRACT Although the peach palm can be spread in two ways, for seminal road or for vegetative road, in the practice the propagation is almost exclusively for seeds. The abundance of reports among traditional populations suggests, however, that the vegetative propagation was used occasionally, and still the traditional people affirm today to practice this technique. In face of those antagonistic observations, decided to confirm the truthfulness of the farmers of two community's caboclas of Central Amazônia declarations with the study of the DNA using the molecular technique RAPD (Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA). In that analysis fifteen peach palm samples they were collected four close to producing of the State of Ama-zonas, being four samples of two ranches of the Extension New Hope, Manacapuru and eleven samples of two ranches of the Highway of Autazes. The four initiators generated 48 useful amplification products (bands), with an average of 12 bands for initiator. The similarities of Jaccard showed a value of 0,808. The dendrograma based on the similarities of Jaccard and Genetic Distance of Nei showed two great groups. Those groups were disposed at a distance of 0. 55, that is a distance waited among different species and don't enter races inside of a species. The other individuals formed subgrups without presenting apparent order.
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Peach palm (Bactris gasipaes) was domesticated as a fruit crop by the first Amazonians in traditional Neotropical agroforestry systems, but research and development (R&D) to date has not transformed its fruit into a modern success story.... more
Peach palm (Bactris gasipaes) was domesticated as a fruit crop by the first Amazonians in traditional Neotropical agroforestry systems, but research and development (R&D) to date has not transformed its fruit into a modern success story. The fruit is really a tree 'potato,' competing with traditional starches rather than with succulent fruits. R&D efforts have focused more on production than on product transformation, commercialization and the consumer, thus failing to fill gaps in the production-to-consumption chain. Consumer demands are only now getting more consideration, and clear identification of the smallholder farmer as the R&D client is not yet generalized. Too many, often large germplasm collections have biased R&D programs away from smallholder farmers and did not pursue the quality and uniformity that consumers want. The general lessons learnt from 25 years of R&D efforts on peach palm that should guide the development of other indigenous agroforestry fruit tree species are: 1) identify market demands, whether subsistence or market-oriented; 2) identify clients and consumers, and their perceptions of the product; 3) work on food and nutritional security aspects of the species and let entrepreneurs be attracted, rather than vice versa; 4) take up species improvement in a moderately sized effort, using a participatory approach tightly focused on clients' demands; and 5) reappraise the priorities from time to time.
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The Guilielma taxon (here considered a sub-genus of Bactris) probably originated in northwestern South America. By the Pleistocene species of this taxon were distributed along the Andes foothills from Bolivia to Panama. One of these... more
The Guilielma taxon (here considered a sub-genus of Bactris) probably originated in northwestern South America. By the Pleistocene species of this taxon were distributed along the Andes foothills from Bolivia to Panama. One of these species, or hybrids between several of them, gave rise to the pejibaye, which was then domesticated by the Amerindians. During the course of centuries, the pejibaye has become the most domesticated palm in the Americas, as attested by the great diversity of names, uses and fruit sizes. The principal use was of the starchy fruit, cooked for direct human consumption, fermented to make chicha, or ground and dried to make flour. Considerable genetic diversity and different Amerindian preferences have given rise to many distinct pejibaye races, varying in fruit size, shape and composition. A summary of what is known about the Amazonian races is presented. Potential modern uses are directed at further exploitation of some Amerindian uses and refinements of these: (1) heart of palm or palmito, and fruit (2) for direct human consumption, (3) for animal ration, (4) for flour and meal, and (5) for oil. The economic potential of each of these is mentioned. The breeding programs in Costa Rica and Brazil are outlined and preliminary plant ideotypes for each breeding objective are presented. The pejibaye has high immediate potential and will be even more useful once the breeding programs now underway are producing selected planting material. International support for these research programs is required however.
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Peach palm (Bactris gasipaes) is cultivated by many indigenous and traditional communities from Amazonia to Central America for its edible fruits, and is currently important for its heart-of-palm. The objective of this study was to... more
Peach palm (Bactris gasipaes) is cultivated by many indigenous and traditional communities from Amazonia to Central America for its edible fruits, and is currently important for its heart-of-palm. The objective of this study was to investigate the mating system of peach palm, as this is important for conservation and breeding. Eight microsatellite loci were used to genotype 24 open-pollinated progenies from three populations of the Pampa Hermosa landrace maintained in a progeny trial for genetic improvement. Both the multi-locus outcrossing rates (0.95 to 0.99) and the progeny level multi-locus outcrossing rates (0.9 to 1.0) were high, indicating that peach palm is predominantly allogamous. The outcrossing rates among relatives were significantly different from zero (0.101 to 0.202), providing evidence for considerable biparental inbreeding within populations, probably due to farmers planting seeds of a small number of open-pollinated progenies in the same plot. The correlations of paternity estimates were low (0.051 to 0.112), suggesting a large number of pollen sources (9 to 20) participating in pollination of individual fruit bunches. Effective population size estimates suggest that current germplasm collections are insufficient for long-term ex situ conservation. As with most underutilized crops, on farm conservation is the most important component of an integrated conservation strategy.
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The Peach palm Active Germplasm Bank has abundant genetic diversity in its holdings. Because it is a live collection, maintenance, characterization and evaluation are expensive, restricting its use. One way to promote more efficient use... more
The Peach palm Active Germplasm Bank has abundant genetic diversity in its holdings. Because it is a live collection, maintenance, characterization and evaluation are expensive, restricting its use. One way to promote more efficient use is to create a Core Collection, a set of accessions with at least 70% of the genetic diversity of the full collection with minimal repetition. The available geographic, molecular marker (RAPD) and morphometric information was systematized and the populations were stratified into wild and domesticated. The Core Collection consists of 10% of the entire collection: 31 accessions of landraces, 5 accessions of non-designated populations and 4 accessions of wild populations. The Core has 92% of the molecular polymorphism and 95% of the heterozygosity of the full collection, with minimal divergence between them by molecular variance. The Core is already receiving priority maintenance, which will contribute to long term conservation.
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Although originally domesticated for its fruit, exploitation of the peach palm (Bactris gasipaes Kunth) in the production of gourmet heart-of-palm has also become an important activity, hence the need for improved material for large-scale... more
Although originally domesticated for its fruit, exploitation of the peach palm (Bactris gasipaes Kunth) in the production of gourmet heart-of-palm has also become an important activity, hence the need for improved material for large-scale production, on employing the Pampa Hermosa landrace as the seed source. In this study 11 microsatellite markers were used to evaluate genetic divergence among 96 elite plants representing four populations of spineless peach palm from the above cited source. Genetic variability was high (HT = 0.82). The low levels of divergence [FST (0.023), GST’ (0.005)] and the high number of migrants (Nm - 3.8 to 52.2) indicated significant interpopulation gene flow. Some of the plants presented high levels of genetic divergence, but the plants were grouped independently of their geographic origins. When combined with morpho-agronomic evaluation, the results found could substantially contribute towards mounting an efficient tool for obtaining superior genotypes with wide genetic variability for improvement programs.
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The percent composition, soluble and insoluble food fibers, oil fatty acids and minerals were determined in the mesocarp of fruits of three peach palm (Bactris gasipaes Kunth) populations grown in Central Amazonia, Brazil. Amino acids... more
The percent composition, soluble and insoluble food fibers, oil fatty acids and minerals were determined in the mesocarp of fruits of three peach palm (Bactris gasipaes Kunth) populations grown in Central Amazonia, Brazil. Amino acids were also determined in one of the populations. The mean protein levels ranged from 1.8 to 2.7%, lipid levels ranged from 3.5 to 11.1%, the nitrogen free fraction ranged from 24.3 to 35%, food fiber ranged from 5.2% to 8.7%, and energy ranged from 179.1 to 207.4 kcal %. All essential, as well as nonessential, amino acids were present, with tryptophan and methionine presenting the lowest mean concentrations. The mono-unsaturated oleic acid predominated in the oil, ranging from 42.8 to 60.8%, and palmitic acid was the most abundant saturated fatty acid, ranging from 24.1 to 42.3%. Among the essential fatty acids, linoleic acid was the most abundant, with a maximum of 5.4% in Pampa-8. The most important mineral elements were potassium, selenium and chromium, respectively corresponding
to 12%, 9% and 9% of daily recommended allowances. Considering the nutritional potential of the fruit, we suggest its more frequent incorporation into the diet of the Amazonian population.
to 12%, 9% and 9% of daily recommended allowances. Considering the nutritional potential of the fruit, we suggest its more frequent incorporation into the diet of the Amazonian population.
It can be difficult to find an equilibrium between genetic resources conservation and genetic improvement. This paper explores this question, based partly on a case study of a participatory improvement programme of peach palm (Bactris... more
It can be difficult to find an equilibrium between genetic resources conservation and genetic improvement. This paper explores this question, based partly on a case study of a participatory improvement programme of peach palm (Bactris gasipaes Kunth, Palmae), implemented in the Peruvian Amazon by the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) and the Peruvian National Institute for Agricultural Research and Extension (INIEA). Peach palm, which was originally domesticated by Amerindians, produces a range of useful subsistence and marketable products, but today the fruit and heart-of-palm are the principal products. The characteristics of clients (subsistence smallholders and agro-industrial plantation companies) for these crop uses are described. Subsequently, the ICRAF-INIEA project is described and the impact on genetic diversity of future management options is explored. This is followed by a wider discussion of the relationships between genetic gain and maintenance of genetic diversity for improvement, and their implications. The ICRAF-INIEA programme was designed to emphasize genetic conservation and timely germplasm delivery rather than genetic gain. The analysis presented here suggests that, with careful management, genetic diversity can be effectively conserved through 20 generations of improvement. Genetic improvement methods and strategies corresponding to different levels of emphasis on gain versus diversity are presented. It is important to recognize that there are fundamental conflicts between genetic gain and genetic conservation, and that no improvement programme can conserve all of the genetic diversity of a landrace or species. Consequently, genetic resource management strategies must be developed which recognize and resolve these conflicts through explicit and informed decisions.
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The study aimed to estimate parameters and breeding values for the traits number of bunches (NC), average weight of bunch (PMC) and total weight of the bunch (PTC) in palm-trees on six years, by the method of mixed models (REML/BLUP). The... more
The study aimed to estimate parameters and breeding values for the traits number of bunches (NC), average weight of bunch (PMC) and total weight of the bunch (PTC) in palm-trees on six years, by the method of mixed models (REML/BLUP). The progeny test was established under a randomized block design with 50 treatments (progeny), 10 blocks and one plant per plot, spaced 5 x 5 m, and an outer boundary to the experiment. Magnitudes of heritability estimates at the individual level and averages in the narrow sense for PTC (0.21 and 0.36) and NC (0.286 and 0.435) were good. The coefficient of genetic variation at the level of individual exhibited moderate values for PTC (19.86) and NC (17.59). The square root of heritability for the average of the progeny results in selective accuracy in the order of 0.60 to 0.66 for PTC and NC, confirming good accuracy and confidence in genetic parameters estimated by promoting security in the selection. The potential fo the population for improvement can be observed by means of genetic gains for PTC that ranged from 8.3 to 19.9 kg, increasing the mean of the new population for the character, after one cycle of selection to 40.4 kg, equivalent to 25.8%.
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Ten new polymorphic microsatellites were isolated and characterized in Bactris gasipaes, using a microsatellite enrichment protocol and selective hybridization with oligonucleotide probes. The loci are highly polymorphic, with a mean of... more
Ten new polymorphic microsatellites were isolated and characterized in Bactris gasipaes, using a microsatellite enrichment protocol and selective hybridization with oligonucleotide probes. The loci are highly polymorphic, with a mean of 14.6 alleles per locus and a mean HO of 0.83 among 62 individuals of the Pampa Hermosa landrace. These microsatellites will be useful for population genetic analysis and germplasm characterization for heart-of-palm breeding.
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The pejibaye's potential for the small holder, especially in an agroforestry environment, is summarized: the fruit can be a significant addition to the family diet and income, both directly and as animal feed; on farm processing of the... more
The pejibaye's potential for the small holder, especially in an agroforestry environment, is summarized: the fruit can be a significant addition to the family diet and income, both directly and as animal feed; on farm processing of the fruit for baking and other culinary uses has great potential and excedents can be marketed; small scale palmito production can also play an important part in the diet and farm income; oil production may be interesting after improved varieties are developed. The pejibaye's ecological requirements and limitations, its agronomic requirements and practices for small-scale production and its role in agroforestry systems are discussed. A list of Latin American researchers and germplasm contacts is given.
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Various factors affect the induction of somatic embryogenesis in peach palm (Bactris gasipaes Kunth). Among these, both the type and level of auxins had the greatest influence on in vitro responses, although the genotype and the... more
Various factors affect the induction of somatic embryogenesis in peach palm (Bactris gasipaes Kunth). Among these, both the type and level of auxins had the greatest influence on in vitro responses, although the genotype and the developmental stage of the explants also influenced results. Younger inflorescences were more competent to respond to SE induction than more mature inflorescences and the use of a pre-treatment with 2,4-D (200 μM) in liquid MS culture medium also increased the embryogenic capacity, and diminished the development of flower buds. Higher oxidation rates were observed in explants maintained on 2,4-D-supplemented culture medium, while on 300 μM or 600 μM Picloram and Dicamba lower oxidation rates were observed. The progression from floral meristem to flower bud occurred at high frequency when low concentrations of auxins were used, independent of the type. Higher concentrations of Picloram or Dicamba reduced or even inhibited flower bud development. Picloram also enhanced the embryogenic induction rate more than 2,4-D and Dicamba, and among the concentrations evaluated 300 μM Picloram enhanced induction for both genotypes, with significant differences between genotypes. The best combination of variables used the least mature inflorescence (Infl1) from genotype I with the 2,4-D pre-treatment and 300 μM Picloram to generate 5 embryogenic calli from 18 explants; 26 embryos were obtained on average from each embryogenic callus. From these, eighteen embryos converted to plantlets and six of these survived transfer to the greenhouse.
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The pejibaye palm was domesticated by the Amerindians as part of their indigenous agroforestry systems. The multiple uses of its fruit make it an attractive food species, while high production makes it an attractive economic proposition.... more
The pejibaye palm was domesticated by the Amerindians as part of their indigenous agroforestry systems. The multiple uses of its fruit make it an attractive food species, while high production makes it an attractive economic proposition. Its growth habit is ideal for a canopy strata in some types of agroforestry schemes and, by controlling the number of stems to be maintained, may be modified to fit different species mixes. Several Brazilian mixed cropping experiments are mentioned, although results are not yet available. The Costa Rican experience with pejibaye * coffee mixed cropping is examined, with special reference to Tucurrique, Cartago. Two hectares of pejibaye, with coffee and banana are shown to lucrative. Research needs are discussed, with special emphasis on the question of multiple versus single stemmed plantings and modifications of the pejibaye ideotype for use in multi-stemmed, multi-species plantations. The pejibaye has significant potential for the small farmer and a greater potential if improved for both agroforestry and monoculture.
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Contents 1 Introduction 7 2 Taxonomy, nomenclature and geographical distribution 8 2.1 Taxonomy 8 2.2 Botanical and vernacular names 10 2.3 Geographical distribution 10 3 Description of the cultivated species 12 3.1 Morphological... more
Contents
1 Introduction 7
2 Taxonomy, nomenclature and geographical distribution 8
2.1 Taxonomy 8
2.2 Botanical and vernacular names 10
2.3 Geographical distribution 10
3 Description of the cultivated species 12
3.1 Morphological description 12
3.2 Ecology 14
3.3 Development of the stem and inflorescence 16
3.4 Reproductive biology 17
4 Uses and properties 20
4.1 Traditional food products 20
4.2 Current food products and their properties 20
4.3 Minor products 24
5 Origin and domestication 26
6 Genetic resources 28
6.1 Diversity among and within landraces 28
6.2 Existing germplasm banks 30
6.3 Useful and unusual phenotypes 32
6.4 Genetic erosion 33
6.5 Germplasm collecting and conservation 33
7 Genetic improvement strategies 36
8 Propagation 39
8.1 Pollen collecting, handling and controlled pollination 39
8.2 Seed 40
8.3 Asexual propagation 42
9 Agronomy of fruit and heart-of-palm production 44
9.1 Fruit: planting density and pruning 44
9.2 Fruit: mineral nutrition 44
9.3 Fruit: harvest and post-harvest handling 45
9.4 Heart-of-palm: planting density and pruning 46
9.5 Heart-of-palm: mineral nutrition 49
9.6 Heart-of-palm: harvest and post-harvest handling 52
9.7 Pests and pathogens 54
10 Production areas and commercial potential 58
10.1 Fruit 58
10.2 Heart-of-palm 59
11 Limitations and prospects of the crops 61
12 Future research needs 63
References 66
1 Introduction 7
2 Taxonomy, nomenclature and geographical distribution 8
2.1 Taxonomy 8
2.2 Botanical and vernacular names 10
2.3 Geographical distribution 10
3 Description of the cultivated species 12
3.1 Morphological description 12
3.2 Ecology 14
3.3 Development of the stem and inflorescence 16
3.4 Reproductive biology 17
4 Uses and properties 20
4.1 Traditional food products 20
4.2 Current food products and their properties 20
4.3 Minor products 24
5 Origin and domestication 26
6 Genetic resources 28
6.1 Diversity among and within landraces 28
6.2 Existing germplasm banks 30
6.3 Useful and unusual phenotypes 32
6.4 Genetic erosion 33
6.5 Germplasm collecting and conservation 33
7 Genetic improvement strategies 36
8 Propagation 39
8.1 Pollen collecting, handling and controlled pollination 39
8.2 Seed 40
8.3 Asexual propagation 42
9 Agronomy of fruit and heart-of-palm production 44
9.1 Fruit: planting density and pruning 44
9.2 Fruit: mineral nutrition 44
9.3 Fruit: harvest and post-harvest handling 45
9.4 Heart-of-palm: planting density and pruning 46
9.5 Heart-of-palm: mineral nutrition 49
9.6 Heart-of-palm: harvest and post-harvest handling 52
9.7 Pests and pathogens 54
10 Production areas and commercial potential 58
10.1 Fruit 58
10.2 Heart-of-palm 59
11 Limitations and prospects of the crops 61
12 Future research needs 63
References 66
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Pejibaye or peach palm (Bactris gasipaes, Kunth) was introduced into Hawai'i to supply the gourmet market with fresh heart of palm. New crop introduction requires evaluation of crop adaptation to its new environment and planning for... more
Pejibaye or peach palm (Bactris gasipaes, Kunth) was introduced into Hawai'i to supply the gourmet market with fresh heart of palm. New crop introduction requires evaluation of crop adaptation to its new environment and planning for future development, including genetic improvement. Leaf number of open pollinated Benjamin Constant (Putumayo landrace) progenies was lower at harvest (6-8) than elsewhere (8-10), and offshoot number
dropped dramatically from first harvest (6.5) to second harvest (2). Allometric equations for estimating whole plant leaf area and biomass were developed, using height and leaf number predictors. No significant plant population (density) effects on individual plant dimensions or growth were found over the range of 3333 to 6666 plants/ha. Relative growth rate (RGR) and unit leaf rate (Ea) between nursery and first harvest were highly correlated (r = -0.99 and -0.95, respectively) with earliness (days to harvest). The early progenies partitioned photoassimilates differently: two had high Ea, while one had moderate Ea and partitioned preferentially to leaf area, resulting in a higher leaf area ratio. Heart of palm yields were close to 900 kg/ha after 12 months of harvest and 1400 kg/ha after 18 months, both comparable to tropical American yields. When edible stem and leaf were added to the yields, these increased to 2.8 and 4.5 t/ha of marketable product, respectively. Quantitative genetic analysis of growth parameters suggested high levels of inbreeding in the germplasm studied, since the narrow-sense heritabilities were double those observed in other perennials. Additive genetic variances for RGR and earliness suggested the potential for significant response to selection, but phenotypic variation varied depending on the interval over which RGR was estimated. The lowest estimate of RGR (over an entire development phase) provided the smallest response to selection but is similar to the response observed in other
crops. Allozyme heterozygosity was remarkably low, ranging from 0.038 to 0.099, with a mean of 0.074, on par with inbred crops, rather than outbreeders. There was a lack of correlation between allozyme heterozygosity and growth parameters and morphological traits.
dropped dramatically from first harvest (6.5) to second harvest (2). Allometric equations for estimating whole plant leaf area and biomass were developed, using height and leaf number predictors. No significant plant population (density) effects on individual plant dimensions or growth were found over the range of 3333 to 6666 plants/ha. Relative growth rate (RGR) and unit leaf rate (Ea) between nursery and first harvest were highly correlated (r = -0.99 and -0.95, respectively) with earliness (days to harvest). The early progenies partitioned photoassimilates differently: two had high Ea, while one had moderate Ea and partitioned preferentially to leaf area, resulting in a higher leaf area ratio. Heart of palm yields were close to 900 kg/ha after 12 months of harvest and 1400 kg/ha after 18 months, both comparable to tropical American yields. When edible stem and leaf were added to the yields, these increased to 2.8 and 4.5 t/ha of marketable product, respectively. Quantitative genetic analysis of growth parameters suggested high levels of inbreeding in the germplasm studied, since the narrow-sense heritabilities were double those observed in other perennials. Additive genetic variances for RGR and earliness suggested the potential for significant response to selection, but phenotypic variation varied depending on the interval over which RGR was estimated. The lowest estimate of RGR (over an entire development phase) provided the smallest response to selection but is similar to the response observed in other
crops. Allozyme heterozygosity was remarkably low, ranging from 0.038 to 0.099, with a mean of 0.074, on par with inbred crops, rather than outbreeders. There was a lack of correlation between allozyme heterozygosity and growth parameters and morphological traits.
Research Interests:
Commercial plantations of pejibaye (Bactris gasipaes Kunth, Palmae) are expanding in tropical America to supply the heart-of-palm market. The heart-of-palm is a gourmet vegetable composed of the tender unexpanded leaves in the palm's... more
Commercial plantations of pejibaye (Bactris gasipaes Kunth, Palmae) are expanding in tropical America to supply the heart-of-palm market. The heart-of-palm is a gourmet vegetable composed of the tender unexpanded leaves in the palm's crown. Both spiny and spineless germplasm is available to growers, but there are no clear data on the superiority of either. Comparisons made among populations, among progenies within populations or among alleles within progenies are of interest for different reasons. In Hawaii, the Yurimaguas population (93% spineless; Pampa Hermosa landrace) is superior in heart-of-palm weight at one site and the Benjamin Constant (BC) population (79% spineless; Putumayo landrace) at another. Within the BC population there is a tendency for spineless plants to be superior in heart weight at one site and spiny to be superior at another. Within BC progenies, spineless plants often have more off-shoots at both sites, but superiority of spineless or spiny in terms of relative growth rates, heart weight and total edible weight depends upon location and seldom exceeds 10%. Although these yield components have low heritabilities there is variation amenable to selection, so that selecting within spineless germplasm should provide gains similar to those for spiny germplasm. Which is better is not a biological question but must be answered based upon comparative costs (management of spiny plants costs marginally to much more) and availability of germplasm at a given location.
Research Interests:
Pejibaye (Bactris gasipaes Kunth, Palmae) is being evaluated for production of fresh heart of palm in Hawaii. Precocity, yields, and weed control were evaluated in response to woven black polypropylene mat (control), oryzalin,... more
Pejibaye (Bactris gasipaes Kunth, Palmae) is being evaluated for production of fresh heart of palm in Hawaii. Precocity, yields, and weed control were evaluated in response to woven black polypropylene mat (control), oryzalin, oxyfluorfen, and paraquat. Control plots attained 100% of plants harvested by 26 months, followed by oxyfluorfen (97.5%), oryzalin (77.5%), and paraquat (60%). Estimated heart of palm yields (3731 plants/ha) were similar with oxyfluorfen 1.2 kg a.i./ha (707 kg•ha–1), polypropylene at (612 kg•ha–1), oxyfluorfen 0.6 kg a.i./ha (600 kg•ha–1), and oryzalin 4.5 kg a.i./ha (478 kg•ha–1). Based on precocity, yields, and weed control efficiency, the performance rating of these weed control treatments was mat » oxyfluorfen > oryzalin > paraquat. Chemical names used: 4-(dipropylamino)-3,5-dinitrobenzenesulfonamide (oryzalin); 2-chloro-1-(3-ethoxy-4-nitrophenoxy)-4-(trifluoromethyl)benzene (oxyfluorfen); 1,1´-dimethyl-4-4´-bibyridinium ion (paraquat).
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Pejibaye (Bactris gasipaes) was domesticated and widely used in the lowland humid Neotropics during pre-Colombian times. Several research programs are underway to study and improve the species for use by farmers in ecologically suitable... more
Pejibaye (Bactris gasipaes) was domesticated and widely used in the lowland humid Neotropics during pre-Colombian times. Several research programs are underway to study and improve the species for use by farmers in ecologically suitable regions. Five breeding programs are outlined, each for a use to which the pejibaye may be put (1) palmito (heart of palm), (2) whole fruit for human consumption, (3) flour and meal production, (4) oil production, and (5) animal ration from residues or purposefully bred varieties. Yield estimates and breeding problems are discussed. It is certain that the pejibaye can again become an important crop for the humid tropics.
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Relatively few of the agronomic basics are known about the peach palm that would permit its rational exploitation. Among these aspects a knowledge of the root distribution is essential for the planning of production systems. In this study... more
Relatively few of the agronomic basics are known about the peach palm that would permit its rational exploitation. Among these aspects a knowledge of the root distribution is essential for the planning of production systems. In this study the authors used an auger sampling method to sample the root system of 7 peach palm trees with two to nine trunks per tree. The samples were separated, washed, dried and weighed in order to characterize the root distribution in a Yellow Oxisol, with medium texture and an Ap horizon. 58% of the weight of all the samples was found to occur in the first 20 cm of the soil, with 53% (48% individual crown) of the total weight found in this layer and within the area of the crown diameter. It was also found that 89% (82% individual crown) of the total weight occurred within the crown diameter to a depth of 200 cm.
Research Interests:
There is a concern that environmental threats that result in local biodiversity loss compromise traditional peoples’ livelihoods and their traditional ecological knowledge (TEK). Nonetheless, studies usually only analyze how people’s... more
There is a concern that environmental threats that result in local biodiversity loss compromise traditional peoples’ livelihoods and their traditional ecological knowledge (TEK). Nonetheless, studies usually only analyze how people’s characteristics influence TEK. Here, we investigated both: how the personal characteristics of local specialists (forest experience, gender, and origin) and environmental threats (deforestation, mining, and fires) influence some components of TEK associated with forests. From 2015 to 2019, we conducted free-listing interviews with 208 specialists from 27 communities in and near 10 protected areas (PAs) in Brazilian Amazonia. We recorded forest trees and palms that the specialists mentioned as used, managed, and traded. Plant knowledge was variable, since 44% of the 795 ethnospecies were mentioned only once. Using Mixed-Effects Models, we identified that people with longer forest experience and men tended to cite more used and traded ethnospecies. Women knew more about human food, while men knew more about construction and animal food. Specialists with greater forest experience knew more about protective management and planting.
Specialists living in communities influenced by mining cited fewer used
ethnospecies, and those in more deforested communities cited proportionally more planting. Environmental threats had smaller effects on TEK than personal characteristics. The components of TEK that we assessed highlight the forest’s great utility and the importance of management of PAs to maintain biodiversity and traditional people's livelihoods. The communities' stocks of TEK persisted in the face of environmental threats to PAs, highlighting the resistance of traditional peoples in the face of adversities. This quantitative approach did not show the trends that are generally imagined, i.e., loss of forest TEK, but demonstrates that if we want to change the Amazonian development model to keep the forest standing, knowledge exists and resists.
Specialists living in communities influenced by mining cited fewer used
ethnospecies, and those in more deforested communities cited proportionally more planting. Environmental threats had smaller effects on TEK than personal characteristics. The components of TEK that we assessed highlight the forest’s great utility and the importance of management of PAs to maintain biodiversity and traditional people's livelihoods. The communities' stocks of TEK persisted in the face of environmental threats to PAs, highlighting the resistance of traditional peoples in the face of adversities. This quantitative approach did not show the trends that are generally imagined, i.e., loss of forest TEK, but demonstrates that if we want to change the Amazonian development model to keep the forest standing, knowledge exists and resists.
Research Interests:
In Amazonia, changes in the frequency and intensity of extreme climate events are occurring and expected to intensify, affecting food security with subsequent social and political problems. We conducted semi-structured interviews in... more
In Amazonia, changes in the frequency and intensity of extreme climate events are occurring and expected to intensify, affecting food security with subsequent social and political problems. We conducted semi-structured interviews in communities of the mid-Solimões River basin (Amazonas, Brazil). Our questions were designed to construct seasonal calendars with residents (ribeirinhos) to understand climatic patterns and changes in livelihood activities, how traditional management is affected by extreme floods and droughts, and to identify their adaptation strategies in new climatic contexts. We studied three floodplain (várzea, n = 59 households) and three paleo-floodplain communities, situated 1-3 m higher than the floodplain (paleovárzea, n = 42 households). We show that these local communities have detailed knowledge of climate patterns and changes, and that they recognize that climatic unpredictability hinders effective planning of subsistence activities because their local knowledge is no longer fully reliable. Extreme climate events have consequences for their farming systems and associated agrobiodiversity, varying according to the degree of exposure of different environments to extreme events. During extreme events, ribeirinhos intensify adaptation strategies, such as avoiding stress to fruit-tree root systems, prioritizing plants that survive flooding, and working in less affected landscapes. Adaptation practices with long histories tend to occur more often in floodplains, and two adaptation practices were specific to floodplains. The impacts of extreme events on local communities are expected to increase, especially in environments more exposed to floods. Local residents suggest the documentation and sharing of adaptation strategies as a way to increase their resilience.
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We examined the distribution and abundance de Acacia mangium (Willd.) in Indigenous Lands in the Serra da Lua Region in Roraima State, Brazil, using semi-structured interviews, participant observation and visits to the principal invaded... more
We examined the distribution and abundance de Acacia mangium (Willd.) in Indigenous Lands in the Serra da Lua Region in Roraima State, Brazil, using semi-structured interviews, participant observation and visits to the principal invaded habitats. Invasive plants were observed in numerous habitats around the three indigenous communities: in Mauritia flexuosa palm stands, near streams and ponds, in agricultural plots, near residences, along roadsides, and in community leisure areas. The greatest abundances of acacias were observed in the agricultural plots of the São Domingos indigenous community, where 1104 individuals were counted in 11.46 hectares. We hypothesized that as the distance between agricultural plots and acacia plantations increased, the numbers of acacias would diminish, which was confirmed by regression analysis. The invasion has been promoted by anthropogenic factors as well as regional environmental conditions.
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Products and services provided by trees in forests and farmland support the needs and promote the wellbeing of hundreds of millions of people in the tropics. Value depends on managing both the diversity of tree species present in... more
Products and services provided by trees in forests and farmland support the needs and promote the wellbeing of hundreds of millions of people in the tropics. Value depends on managing both the diversity of tree species present in landscapes and the genetic variation within these species. The benefits from trees and their genetic resources are, however, often not well quantified because trade is frequently outside formal markets, there is a multiplicity of species and ways in which trees are used and managed, and genetic diversity within species is frequently not given proper consideration. We review here what is known about the value of trees to rural communities through considering three production categories: non-timber products harvested from trees in natural and managed forests and woodlands; the various products and services obtained from a wide range of trees planted and/or retained in smallholders’ agroforestry systems; and the commercial products harvested from cultivated tree commodity crops. Where possible, we focus on the role of intra-specific genetic variation in providing support to livelihoods, and for each of the three production categories we also consider wider conservation and sustainability issues, including the linkages between categories in terms of management. Challenges to ‘conventional wisdom’ on tree resource use, value and management – such as in the posited links between commercialisation, cultivation and conservation – are highlighted, and constraints and opportunities to maintain and enhance value are described.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
We investigated how different soil types and market orientation influence the choice of manioc varieties managed by traditional smallholder farmers along the lower Tapajós River, Brazilian Amazonia. 61 fields of 30 households were studied... more
We investigated how different soil types and market orientation influence the choice of manioc varieties managed by traditional smallholder farmers along the lower Tapajós River, Brazilian Amazonia. 61 fields of 30 households were studied in three riverside communities and 41 manioc varieties were found. We identified three soil categories: terra preta soils, which are nutrient-rich, managed more intensively, with short-cycle manioc varieties, shorter fallows and more consecutive cropping cycles; transitional soils, which have intermediate levels of nutrients, short and long-cycle manioc varieties, intermediate fallow durations and number of cycles; and Oxisols/Ultisols, which are nutrient-poor, have long-cycle manioc varieties, longer fallows and fewer cycles. Farmers´ choices of manioc varieties are influenced by market-oriented agricultural intensification: market-oriented farmers have larger areas cultivated with commercial varieties; less market-oriented farmers have more varieties. The diversity of soils and personal preferences help maintain the diversity of manioc in the face of increasing market orientation.
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Anthropogenic soils of Amazonia, known as Amazonian Dark Earths (ADE), are environments with elevated soil fertility that can produce crops that otherwise yield poorly on the leached and highly acidic Oxisols that dominate much of the... more
Anthropogenic soils of Amazonia, known as Amazonian Dark Earths (ADE), are environments with elevated soil fertility that can produce crops that otherwise yield poorly on the leached and highly acidic Oxisols that dominate much of the basin. While ADE sites near urban centers often attract commercial horticultural production of nutrient–demanding exotics, these soils are also considered possibly unique reservoirs of endemic agrobiodiversity because of their relationship to pre–Columbian indigenous occupation. Through botanical surveys and interviews with smallholder farmers, this study compared useful species richness, proportion of exotic species, and market orientation of farms situated on ADE and non–anthropogenic Oxisols in the municipality of Borba in Central Brazilian Amazonia. Species richness was similar on Amazonian Dark Earth and Oxisol farms (19.6 spp vs. 18.3 spp); however, ADE farms showed significantly
higher proportions of exotic species (39% vs. 26%; p=0.025). Furthermore, ADE farms in Borba demonstrated significantly higher market orientation (61.0% vs. 47.3%; p=0.028), likely a result of the advantage of Amazonian Dark Earths for production of crops that are nutrient–demanding or pH–sensitive crops that have higher values in the nearby regional market of Manaus.
higher proportions of exotic species (39% vs. 26%; p=0.025). Furthermore, ADE farms in Borba demonstrated significantly higher market orientation (61.0% vs. 47.3%; p=0.028), likely a result of the advantage of Amazonian Dark Earths for production of crops that are nutrient–demanding or pH–sensitive crops that have higher values in the nearby regional market of Manaus.
Homegardens may serve as reservoirs of agro-biodiversity on highly fertile, anthropogenic Amazonian Dark Earth (ADE) soils of the Amazon basin. However, as these soils are used more intensively for market-oriented agriculture, we... more
Homegardens may serve as reservoirs of agro-biodiversity on highly fertile, anthropogenic Amazonian Dark Earth (ADE) soils of the Amazon basin. However, as these soils are used more intensively for market-oriented agriculture, we suspected a decrease in their agro-biodiversity. We present data obtained from surveys on 16 farms where ADE was present in the region of Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil. When farms were separated into two groups by market orientation, species richness on the farms was not significantly influenced by market orientation, but there was less dominance (i.e., more diversity) for homegardens in the low-market orientation group (P , 0.1). The proportion of native species was not affected by market orientation. Hence, while the most market-oriented farms retained high species richness, homegardens located on them contained higher proportions of
commercially interesting species.
commercially interesting species.
Smallholder farmers play a critical role in the maintenance of global agrobiodiversity. However, the social and environmental factors that shape agrobiodiversity and its management in rural smallholder communities are still debated among... more
Smallholder farmers play a critical role in the maintenance of global agrobiodiversity. However, the social and environmental factors that shape agrobiodiversity and its management in rural smallholder communities are still debated among scholars. This study examines variation in the diversity of useful plant species (i.e., species richness) managed by households located in three distinct environments along the Lower Madeira River in the Central Brazilian Amazon: Amazonian Dark Earths (ADE), upland Oxisols (OX), and floodplain soils (FP). Among the 106 households studied, those
located on ADE managed a significantly higher number of
useful species than those on floodplain soils but not than those
on Oxisols. A generalized linear mixed effects model indicates
that the age of the household head, number of household
members and adults, and area of land under cultivation are
statistically significant factors that influence species richness
across all households. Ethnographic data are employed to contextualize these findings and discuss other influences on
agrobiodiversity management in rural Amazonian communities, including regional historical ecology and the life histories of individual farmers.
located on ADE managed a significantly higher number of
useful species than those on floodplain soils but not than those
on Oxisols. A generalized linear mixed effects model indicates
that the age of the household head, number of household
members and adults, and area of land under cultivation are
statistically significant factors that influence species richness
across all households. Ethnographic data are employed to contextualize these findings and discuss other influences on
agrobiodiversity management in rural Amazonian communities, including regional historical ecology and the life histories of individual farmers.
Research Interests:
We evaluated farmers' rationales to understand their decision making in relation to the use of fertile anthropogenic soils, i.e., Amazonian dark earths (ADE), and for dealing with changes in shifting cultivation in Central Amazonia. We... more
We evaluated farmers' rationales to understand their decision making in relation to the use of fertile anthropogenic soils, i.e., Amazonian dark earths (ADE), and for dealing with changes in shifting cultivation in Central Amazonia. We analyzed qualitative information from 196 interviews with farmers in 21 riverine villages along the Madeira River. In order to decide about crop management options to attain their livelihood objectives, farmers rely on an integrated and dynamic understanding of their biophysical and social environment. Farmers associate fallow development with higher crop yields and lower weed pressure, but ADE is always associated with high yields and high weeding requirements. Amazonian dark earths are also seen as an opportunity to grow different crops and/or grow crops in more intensified management systems. However, farmers often maintain simultaneously intensive swiddens on ADE and extensive swiddens on nonanthropogenic soils. Farmers acknowledge numerous changes in their socioeconomic environment that affect their shifting cultivation systems, particularly their growing interaction with market economies and the incorporation of modern agricultural practices. Farmers considered that shifting cultivation systems on ADE tend to be more prone to changes leading to intensification, and we identified cases, e.g., swiddens used for watermelon cultivation, in which market demand led to overintensification and resulted in ADE degradation. This shows that increasing intensification can be a potential threat to ADE and can undermine the importance of these soils for agricultural production, for the conservation of agrobiodiversity, and for local livelihoods. Given that farmers have an integrated knowledge of their context and respond to socioeconomic and agro-ecological changes in their environment, we argue that understanding farmers' knowledge and rationales is crucial to identify sustainable pathways for the future of ADE and of smallholder agriculture in Amazonia.
Research Interests:
Products and services provided by trees in forests and farmland support the needs and promote the wellbeing of hundreds of millions of people in the tropics. Value depends on managing both the diversity of tree species present in... more
Products and services provided by trees in forests and farmland support the needs and promote the wellbeing of hundreds of millions of people in the tropics. Value depends on managing both the diversity of tree species present in landscapes and the genetic variation within these species. The benefits from trees and their genetic resources are, however, often not well quantified because trade is frequently outside
formal markets, there is a multiplicity of species and ways in which trees are used and managed, and genetic diversity within species is frequently not given proper consideration. We review here what is known about the value of trees to rural communities through considering three production categories:
non-timber products harvested from trees in natural and managed forests and woodlands; the various products and services obtained from a wide range of trees planted and/or retained in smallholders’ agroforestry systems; and the commercial products harvested from cultivated tree commodity crops. Where possible, we focus on the role of intra-specific genetic variation in providing support to livelihoods, and for each of the three production categories we also consider wider conservation and sustainability issues,
including the linkages between categories in terms of management. Challenges to ‘conventional wisdom’ on tree resource use, value and management – such as in the posited links between commercialisation, cultivation and conservation – are highlighted, and constraints and opportunities to maintain and enhance value are described.
formal markets, there is a multiplicity of species and ways in which trees are used and managed, and genetic diversity within species is frequently not given proper consideration. We review here what is known about the value of trees to rural communities through considering three production categories:
non-timber products harvested from trees in natural and managed forests and woodlands; the various products and services obtained from a wide range of trees planted and/or retained in smallholders’ agroforestry systems; and the commercial products harvested from cultivated tree commodity crops. Where possible, we focus on the role of intra-specific genetic variation in providing support to livelihoods, and for each of the three production categories we also consider wider conservation and sustainability issues,
including the linkages between categories in terms of management. Challenges to ‘conventional wisdom’ on tree resource use, value and management – such as in the posited links between commercialisation, cultivation and conservation – are highlighted, and constraints and opportunities to maintain and enhance value are described.
Research Interests:
Introdução O que é a biodiversidade ? O valor da biodiversidade O valor da biodiversidade no PIB da Amazônia O valor da biodiversidade antes da conquista O valor do conhecimento tradicional no PIB da Amazônia O processo de pesquisa... more
Introdução
O que é a biodiversidade ?
O valor da biodiversidade
O valor da biodiversidade no PIB da Amazônia
O valor da biodiversidade antes da conquista
O valor do conhecimento tradicional no PIB da Amazônia
O processo de pesquisa e desenvolvimento com biodiversidade
Investindo na Amazônia
As reais opções de uso da biodiversidade amazônica no mundo atual
A biodiversidade amazônica e as mudanças climáticas
Referências
O que é a biodiversidade ?
O valor da biodiversidade
O valor da biodiversidade no PIB da Amazônia
O valor da biodiversidade antes da conquista
O valor do conhecimento tradicional no PIB da Amazônia
O processo de pesquisa e desenvolvimento com biodiversidade
Investindo na Amazônia
As reais opções de uso da biodiversidade amazônica no mundo atual
A biodiversidade amazônica e as mudanças climáticas
Referências
Research Interests:
A pot of gold at the end of the rainbow? The value of biodiversity and associated traditional knowledge, and the deficiencies of the access law – a viewpoint and a proposal from Amazonia ABSTRACT: Amazonian biodiversity occupies a... more
A pot of gold at the end of the rainbow? The value of biodiversity and associated traditional knowledge, and the deficiencies of the access law – a viewpoint and a proposal from Amazonia
ABSTRACT: Amazonian biodiversity occupies a special place in the imagination of Brazilians, since it is seen as a strategic resource that represents green gold. This is, of course, a metaphor, like the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, both of which represent potential, defined as the “capacity to come into being, but not actually existing yet.” Different types of value are examined, but only financial value is accepted by all. The financial value of Amazonian biodiversity in 2003 is estimated at R$8,9 billion, which represents 7.8% of the Gross Regional Product (GRP) of Amazonia and 0.57% of the Brazilian GNP. The financial value of associated traditional knowledge is part of the previous estimate, and represents 2.8% of Amazonian GRP and 0.2% of Brazilian GNP. Changing these small values requires investments in research and development (R&D), whose process is examined to determine where the hope of profit occurs, permitting benefit sharing. It is evident that profit can only be expected at the end of the process, unlike the expectations raised in the Provisional Law 2186-16/2001. The metaphors and the history of the PL are examined to understand the origin of the paranoia created around Brazilian biodiversity; it is this paranoia that is responsible for the difficulties of access to biodiversity. An alternative system based on transparency and information flows is proposed to substitute the current system created by the Counsel for the Management of the Genetic Heritage (CGEN), which is based on excessive bureaucratic requirements and coercion. Changing the system is essential to permit access, develop products and processes, and generate benefits that can be shared, returning to the spirit of the Convention on Biological Diversity that has been lost in the regulations created by CGEN. Changing now is essential, as biodiversity is increasingly threatened, both by changes in land use and by increasingly evident climate change.
ABSTRACT: Amazonian biodiversity occupies a special place in the imagination of Brazilians, since it is seen as a strategic resource that represents green gold. This is, of course, a metaphor, like the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, both of which represent potential, defined as the “capacity to come into being, but not actually existing yet.” Different types of value are examined, but only financial value is accepted by all. The financial value of Amazonian biodiversity in 2003 is estimated at R$8,9 billion, which represents 7.8% of the Gross Regional Product (GRP) of Amazonia and 0.57% of the Brazilian GNP. The financial value of associated traditional knowledge is part of the previous estimate, and represents 2.8% of Amazonian GRP and 0.2% of Brazilian GNP. Changing these small values requires investments in research and development (R&D), whose process is examined to determine where the hope of profit occurs, permitting benefit sharing. It is evident that profit can only be expected at the end of the process, unlike the expectations raised in the Provisional Law 2186-16/2001. The metaphors and the history of the PL are examined to understand the origin of the paranoia created around Brazilian biodiversity; it is this paranoia that is responsible for the difficulties of access to biodiversity. An alternative system based on transparency and information flows is proposed to substitute the current system created by the Counsel for the Management of the Genetic Heritage (CGEN), which is based on excessive bureaucratic requirements and coercion. Changing the system is essential to permit access, develop products and processes, and generate benefits that can be shared, returning to the spirit of the Convention on Biological Diversity that has been lost in the regulations created by CGEN. Changing now is essential, as biodiversity is increasingly threatened, both by changes in land use and by increasingly evident climate change.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
This book is out of print. I have a pdf that is too large to be uploaded here (213 Mb), but I can send a Dropbox link via private e-mail. Many of the chapters are translations of those in Clay & Clement (1993) . Selected species and... more
This book is out of print. I have a pdf that is too large to be uploaded here (213 Mb), but I can send a Dropbox link via private e-mail. Many of the chapters are translations of those in Clay & Clement (1993) . Selected species and strategies to enhance income generation from Amazonian forests. FO: Misc/93/6 Working Paper, Forestry Dept., FAO, Rome.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Engagement in the market changes the opportunities and strategies of forest-related peoples. Efforts to support rural development need to better understand the potential importance of markets and the way people respond to them. To this... more
Engagement in the market changes the opportunities and strategies of forest-related peoples. Efforts to support rural development need to better understand the potential importance of markets and the way people respond to them. To this end, we compared 61 case studies of the commercial production and trade of nontimber forest products from Asia, Africa, and Latin America. The results show that product use is shaped by local markets and institutions, resource abundance, and the relative level of development. Larger regional patterns are also important. High-value products tend to be managed intensively by specialized producers and yield substantially higher incomes than those generated by the less specialized producers of less managed, low-value products. We conclude that commercial trade drives a process of intensified production and household specialization among forest peoples.
Research Interests:
Euterpe precatoria is a Neotropical palm from South and Central America and is hyperdominant in Amazonia, where it is increasingly important in the Brazilian market for açaí. Genetic diversity, population structure and mating system of E.... more
Euterpe precatoria is a Neotropical palm from South and Central America and is hyperdominant in Amazonia, where it is increasingly important in the Brazilian market for açaí. Genetic diversity, population structure and mating system of E. precatoria were characterized with 10 microsatellite markers in three localities (Codajás, Manacapuru, and Manaquiri) along the lower Solimões River, Amazonas, Brazil. Leaves of 63 mature palms were collected, as well as fruits from 30 of these to analyze 20 seedlings per progeny. Genetic differentiation across localities was substantial (′ = 0.304) for mature palms, suggesting that gene flow is restricted between localities due to isolation by distance. Inbreeding was significant in progenies from all populations (ranging from 0.059-0.076), but not for mature palms, suggesting selection for heterozygosity during maturation to the adult stage. The outcrossing rate was high (0.917-1.0), confirming that the species is predominantly allogamous. Matings were not random due to the occurrence of biparental inbreeding (0.021-0.079) and correlated matings (0.059-0.424), so open-pollinated progenies present mixtures of self-sibs, half-sibs, full-sibs, and self-half-sibs, resulting in mean effective population size within progenies (2.23-3.06) lower than expected for a random mating population. The mating system's characteristics are those expected in a predominantly allogamous hyper-abundant palm and suggest that human management of these often-anthropogenic
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Annatto (Bixa orellana L.) is an arboreal species domesticated in Amazonia from its wild ancestor (B. orellana var. urucurana). Bixin extracted from its orthodox seeds is a natural dye widely used in the food industry. This study... more
Annatto (Bixa orellana L.) is an arboreal species domesticated in Amazonia from its wild ancestor (B. orellana var. urucurana). Bixin extracted from its orthodox seeds is a natural dye widely used in the food industry. This study evaluated methods to overcome seed dormancy and determine the germination potential, comparing domesticated and wild annatto populations. Seeds from two domesticated type populations and two families of a wild-type population, stored for two year s after field collection, were submitted to five treatments to overcome dormancy: T1 - control; T2 - mechanical scarification (with sandpaper); T3 - mechanical scarification (with sandpaper) + immersion in water at 36 ºC overnight (12 hours); T4 - immersion in water at room temperature (23 ºC, on average) for 24 h; T5 - immersion in concentrated sulfuric acid (95 - 98%) for 15 min + running water for 3 min. Highly significant differences (P < 0.001) were observed in the germination percentage of annatto seeds between wild and domesticated types, and among the treatments tested. Domesticated types showed higher germination percentage (10 - 58%) over all treatments when compared to the wild type (0 - 44%). The best treatments were those performed with mechanical scarification. Given the simplicity, we concluded that mechanical scarification with sandpaper is a good alternative to overcome dormancy of annatto seeds.
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Camu-camu (Myrciaria dubia, Myrtaceae) has the highest reported vitamin C concentrations of any native Amazonian fruit tree species, with increasing demand in domestic and international markets. With the goal of aiding management and... more
Camu-camu (Myrciaria dubia, Myrtaceae) has the highest reported vitamin C concentrations of any native Amazonian fruit tree species, with increasing demand in domestic and international markets. With the goal of aiding management and conservation programs, we studied the diversity of camu-camu in cultivated and uncultivated areas, based on physicochemical characterization of the fruits. We evaluated 2,250 fruits from 87 plants from six localities of the Tarapacá district (Amazonas, Colombia) and from the Amazonian fruit germplasm bank of Agrosavia (Meta, Colombia). We found high physicochemical variability within and among localities, and superior fruits in the localities where non-cultivated plants were sampled, especially Pechiboy. Using correlations and principal component analyses, we identified the variables Brix value, ascorbic acid content, fruit weight and pulp yield as the most useful for intraspecific selection of plants. The most promising plants presented Brix values of 8.2 ± 0.88 (maximum 10.9), fruit mass of 14.4 ± 1.2 g (max. 18.4 g) and pulp yields of 0.82 ± 0.02 (max. 0.87). These plants can be considered as possible sources for future breeding work. We conclude that there are plants in Tarapacá with relevant characteristics for commercialization and improvement of the species. Variabilidade físico-química de frutos de Camu-camu em áreas cultivadas e não cultivadas da Amazônia Colombiana Resumo-O camu-camu (Myrciaria dubia, Myrtaceae) possui as mais altas concentrações de vitamina C relatadas em frutíferas nativas da Amazônia, com uma demanda crescente nos mercados nacional e internacional. Visando aos processos de manejo e à conservação da espécie, estudou-se a diversidade de camu-camu em áreas cultivadas e não cultivadas, a partir da caracterização físico-química de frutos. Foram avaliados 2.250 frutos de 87 plantas procedentes de 6 localidades do distrito de Tarapacá (Amazonas-Colômbia) e do banco de germoplasma de frutíferas amazônicas de Agrosavia (Meta-Colômbia). Encontrou-se alta variabilidade físico-química entre e dentro das localidades, com frutos superiores nas localidades onde foram amostradas plantas não cultivadas, destacando-se Pechiboy. Os resultados por correlações e componentes principais permitiram identificar as variáveis graus Brix, vitamina C, massa de fruto e rendimento de polpa como as mais úteis para a seleção intraespecífica de plantas. Foram identificadas plantas com valores promissores de graus Brix (8,2±0,88; máximo 10,94), massa de fruto (14,4±1,2 g; máx. 18,4 g) e rendimento de polpa (0,82±0,02; máx. 0,87). Essas plantas podem ser consideradas como possíveis matrizes para futuros processos de melhoramento. Concluiu-se que existem em Tarapacá plantas com características relevantes para processos de comercialização e de melhoramento da espécie. Termos para indexação: Tarapacá, Myrciaria dubia, seleção, melhoramento.
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Geastrum is a genus with worldwide distribution and the most species-diverse in the family Geastraceae and is easily recognized by the star-like basidioma in the majority of species. The most recent and accepted classification based on... more
Geastrum is a genus with worldwide distribution and the most species-diverse in the family Geastraceae and is easily recognized by the star-like basidioma in the majority of species. The most recent and accepted classification based on phylogenetic, morphological and chemical data, subdivided the genus into 14 sections. The section Exareolata is formed by eleven species from which only G. echinulatum and G. verrucoramulosum are truly stipitate. During field trips in Brazilian Amazonia, we found a stipitate species of Geastrum. Based on morphological and phylogenetic data, we propose it as a new species for the genus, which forms a sister group of G. verrucoramulosum and is allocated in sect. Exareolata. Geastrum squameoramulosum sp. nov. is characterized by a prominent and well-developed ramified stipe and the presence of scales on the outer surface of the exoperidium. It is known so far only from the Amazon rainforest. We also provide an updated key to the species in this section.
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A recent archaeological survey demonstrates that one of the most durable of all forms of pre-Columbian landscape transformation, Amazonian Dark Earths (ADE; soils formed by pre-Columbian settlement), are widespread along the course of... more
A recent archaeological survey demonstrates that one of the most durable of all forms of pre-Columbian landscape transformation, Amazonian Dark Earths (ADE; soils formed by pre-Columbian settlement), are widespread along the course of the Madeira River, Central Amazonia, Brazil. We hypothesize that processes of crop cultivation and management by human populations today in land- scapes that were intensively transformed during the pre- Columbian period will diverge from those in environments where human agency has not left such a heavy footprint. In order to test this hypothesis, we compare bitter manioc fields, homegardens and secondary forests on ADE with those on non-anthropogenic soils along the lower and middle Madeira River. We demonstrate that crop species and landrace populations diverge on anthropogenic and non-anthropogenic soils as a result of the interaction between human selection and management, soil physicaland chemical properties, and plant responses over time. Hence, crop species selection and abundance and therefore agrobiodiversity is contingent on anthropogenic soils in Central Amazonia.
Keywords Madeira river . Botanical inventory . Historical ecology . Domesticated landscapes . Crop domestication
Keywords Madeira river . Botanical inventory . Historical ecology . Domesticated landscapes . Crop domestication
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Studies have demonstrated that many cosmopolitan species actually consist of divergent clades that present high levels of morphological stasis throughout their evolutionary histories. Phallus indusiatus s.l. has been described as a... more
Studies have demonstrated that many cosmopolitan species actually consist of divergent clades that present high levels of morphological stasis throughout their evolutionary histories. Phallus indusiatus s.l. has been described as a circum-tropical species. However, this distribution may actually reflect the lack of taxonomic resolution due to the small number of diagnostic morphological characters, which leads to the identification of new records as populations of P. indusiatus. Here, we examine the diversity of P. indusia-tus-like species in Brazilian Amazonia. We show a clear congruence between detailed morphological data and ITS, nuc-LSU and atp6 based phylogenetic analyses and three new species are described within the Brazilian indusiate clade. These results highlight the importance of more detailed investigation, with the inclusion of molecular information, in Neotropical fungi.
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Background and aims Climate warming and elevated CO 2 can modify nutrient cycling mediated by enzymes in soils, especially in cold-limited ecosystems with a low availability of nutrients and a high temperature sensitivity of decomposition... more
Background and aims Climate warming and elevated CO 2 can modify nutrient cycling mediated by enzymes in soils, especially in cold-limited ecosystems with a low availability of nutrients and a high temperature sensitivity of decomposition and mineralization. Methods We estimated responses of soil extracellular enzyme activities (EEAs) to 6 years of soil warming and 9 years of CO 2 enrichment at an Alpine treeline site. EEAs were measured in the litter (L), fermentation (F) and humified (H) horizons under Larix decidua and Pinus uncinata trees. Results Soil warming indirectly affected EEAs through altered soil moisture, fine root biomass, and C:N ratio of the organic horizons. Warming increased β-glucosidase and β-xylosidase activities in the F horizon but led to reduced laccase activity in the L horizon, probably caused by drying of the litter horizon associated with the treatment. In the H horizon, previous CO 2 enrichment altered the activity of leucine amino peptidase, N-acetylglucosaminidase, and phosphatase. No interactive effects between warming and CO 2 enrichment were detected. Warming affected the temperature sensitivity of β-xylosidase but not of the other enzymes. Conclusions Altered EEAs after six years of soil warming indicate a sustained stimulation of carbon, nitrogen and nutrient cycling under climatic warming at the alpine treeline.
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Based on morphological and molecular analysis, we describe the new species Geastrum verrucoramulosum, discriminated from other species in the section Exareolata mainly by an elongated, verrucose, branched stipe. This new species is... more
Based on morphological and molecular analysis, we describe the new species Geastrum verrucoramulosum, discriminated from other species in the section Exareolata mainly by an elongated, verrucose, branched stipe. This new species is currently known from two forest locations in central and southwestern Amazonia. Species description, images, and taxo-nomic discussion of both morphological and molecular data are provided.