Why are plants domesticated?

Plants have not only been domesticated for food. Cotton plants were domesticated for fiber, which is used in cloth. Some flowers, such as tulips, were domesticated for ornamental, or decorative, reasons. About the same time they domesticated plants, people in Mesopotamia began to tame animals for meat, milk, and hides.21-Jan-2011

What are the benefits of plant domestication?

Domesticating wild plant species will increase the diversity of food sources, increase their productivity, enabling a better valorization of their nutritional potential, and enhance their contribution to smallholders' income.

What does it mean for a plant to be domesticated?

Domestication. Domestication implies plants under cultivation that have undergone actual genetic changes resulting from human selection or by adaptations by the plant to the human-manipulated environment.

Why did domestication of plants and animals occur?

The domestication of animals and plants was triggered by the climatic and environmental changes that occurred after the peak of the Last Glacial Maximum around 21,000 years ago and which continue to this present day. These changes made obtaining food difficult.

When did humans domesticate plants?

Dogs were first domesticated in Central Asia by at least 15,000 years ago by people who engaged in hunting and gathering wild edible plants. The first successful domestication of plants, as well as goats, cattle, and other animals—which heralded the onset of the Neolithic Period—occurred sometime before 9500 bce.

Is plant domestication good or bad?

Plant domestication has increased litter quality, encouraging litter decomposability (36% and 44% increase in the microbial-rich and microbial-poor soils, respectively), higher soil NO3 — availability and lower soil C : N ratios.

What is the relationship between plant selection and domestication?

Selection after domestication has led to the immense diversity in varieties that characterizes many domesticated plant species, which, as Darwin pointed out, can exceed the range of phenotypic variation in their wild ancestors6.

How are plants domesticated?

Plant Domestication People collected and planted the seeds of wild plants. They made sure the plants had as much water as they needed to grow, and planted them in areas with the right amount of sun. Weeks or months later, when the plants blossomed, people harvested the food crops.

How can you tell if a plant is domesticated?

Plants are considered domesticated when their life cycle, behavior, or appearance has been significantly altered as a result of being under artificial selection by humans for multiple generations (see the main article on domestication for more information).

Why was the ability to domesticate plants and animals a revolution?

As human populations increased, the pressure to survive caused humans to look for alternative ways to provide for themselves without moving. Over the next few centuries, domestication of plants and animals would drastically change the lives of humans around the world.