Biodiversity in Agriculture
Domestication, Evolution, and Sustainability
- Edited by: Paul Gepts, University of California, Davis
- Edited by: Thomas R. Famula, University of California, Davis
- Edited by: Robert L. Bettinger, University of California, Davis
- Edited by: Stephen B. Brush, University of California, Davis
- Edited by: Ardeshir B. Damania, University of California, Davis
- Edited by: Patrick E. McGuire, University of California, Davis
- Edited by: Calvin O. Qualset, University of California, Davis
- Bruce D. Smith, Paul Gepts, Robert Bettinger, Stephen Brush, Ardeshir Damania, Thomas Famula, Patrick McGuire, Calvin Qualset, Jared Diamond, David R. Harris, Ofer Bar-Yosef, George Willcox, Dorian Q. Fuller, Dolores R. Piperno, Peter Bellwood, M. Kat Anderson, Eric Wohlgemuth, Melinda A. Zeder, Leif Andersson, Bridgett M. vonHoldt, Melissa M. Gray, Robert K. Wayne, Loren Cordain, Mathew S. Hickley, Kami Kim, Susan R. McCouch, Michael J. Kovach, Megan Sweeney, Hui Jiang, Mande Semon, M. I. Chacón S., J. R. Motta-Aldana, M. L. Serrano S., D. G. Debouck, Elizabeth A. Veasey, Eduardo A. Bressan, Marcos V. B. M. Siqueira, Aline Borges, Jurema R. Queiroz-Silva, Kayo J. C. Pereira, Gustavo H. Recchia, Lin Chau Ming, C. L. Laxmipathi Gowda, K. B. Saxena, R. K. Srivastava, H. D. Upadhyaya, S. N. Silim, D. B. McKey, M. Elias, B. Pujol, A. Duputié, Gary Paul Nabhan, Ken Wilson, Ogonazar Aknazarov, Karim-Aly Kassam, Laurie Monti, David Cavagnaro, Shawn Kelly, Tai Johnson, Ferrell Sekacucu, Jan Salick, B. L. Turner II, Deborah Lawrence, Karl S. Zimmerer, Roger R. B. Leakey, James Lapsley, Charles W. Bamforth, Robbin W. Thorp, Dennis Hedgecock, Juan F. Medrano
- ISBN:9780521170871
- Publication date:February 2012
- 111 b/w illus. 10 colour illus. 34 tables
The introduction of plant and animal agriculture represents one of the most important milestones in human evolution. It contributed to the development of cities, alphabets, new technologies, and ultimately to civilizations, but it has also presented a threat to both human health and the environment. Bringing together research from a range of fields including anthropology, archaeology, ecology, economics, entomology, ethnobiology, genetics and geography, this book addresses key questions relating to agriculture. Why did agriculture develop and where did it originate? What are the patterns of domestication for plants and animals? How did agroecosystems originate and spread from their locations of origin? Exploring the cultural aspects of the development of agricultural ecosystems, the book also highlights how these topics can be applied to our understanding of contemporary agriculture, its long-term sustainability, the co-existence of agriculture and the environment, and the development of new crops and varieties.
