Harvest Timing, Transhumance, and the Process of Domestication 1

The structures which control harvesting qualities are critical in the domestication and improvement of many plants. Imperfect timing of harvests, an essential characteristic of transhumant hunting and gathering, puts heavy selective pressure on the genetic factors which control maturation and harvesting qualities. Genetic variants are most likely to be transported to new habitats under conditions of low latitude, mountain transhumance. The beginnings of American agriculture appear to coincide in time and area with such lifeways.