BIO220H1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 20: John Bennet Lawes, Homo Sapiens, Anatomically Modern Human
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BIO220H1 Full Course Notes
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Lecture 20: ecology of ancient and modern food production. Early humans: evolved and migrated as hunter/gathers: no agriculture until homo sapiens, multiple branches +/- independent. One theory of hominid evolution and dispersal. There was hybridization between homo neanderthals and homo sapiens. Anatomically modern humans are relatively recent: came late to americas (colonization) Staple plant foods: primitive diet probably opportunistic and unreliable, humans not adapted for folivory, plant foods need to be higher quality/less defended: we focused on fruits, seeds and tubers. If fruits and seeds are tasty, they are naturally dispersed. It is better for the plant to attract dispersers. Seeds and tubers are energy storage, potatoes are dense, resource rich source for carbs and sugars. Crops of antiquity: artificial selection on native plants. Key cultural innovations: store seeds, plant, cultivate: grasses. Key evolutionary innovations: non-shattering seed heads, amylase evolution.
