Interdisciplinary insights into the cultural and chronological context of chili pepper ( Capsicum annuum var. annuum L.) domestication in Mexico

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Chiou, Katherine L.; Lira-Noriega, Andres; Gallaga, Emiliano; Hastorf, Christine A.; Aguilar-Melendez, Araceli
• 署名单位: University of Alabama System; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa; Instituto de Ecologia - Mexico; University of California System; University of California Berkeley; Universidad Veracruzana
• 刊物名称: PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0027-12525
• DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2413764121
• 发表日期: 2024-11-19
• 关键词: plant domestication; genetic diversity; solanaceae; wild; EVOLUTION; selection; patterns

摘要

This study investigates the temporal and spatial factors driving the domestication of Capsicum annuum var. annuum L. in Mexico. This species exhibits the greatest morphological diversity in fruit among Capsicum species-a characteristic that is even more pronounced in contemporary landraces cultivated by indigenous communities. Despite the chili pepper's integral role in regional culinary traditions, its domestication history in this region remains poorly understood, often subject to scholarly interpretations that marginalize or oversimplify archaeological evidence. To address this gap, our interdisciplinary team of archaeologists, botanists, and ecologists combine modern and archaeological Capsicum seed data, diachronic archaeological site locations, and ecological niche modeling to identify potential regions where early human populations and the closest wild ancestors may have coexisted. Our results show spatial correlations between early Capsicum distribution and archaeological site prevalence, suggesting that the beginning of the domestication process occurred in ecologically suitable areas for both wild Capsicum and human settlement. These findings challenge previous hypotheses regarding highland/dry cave domestication regions, as our data indicate that lowland regions-specifically the Yucat & aacute;n Peninsula and southern coastal Guerrero-were more conducive to early encounters between wild Capsicum and humans. We propose a geographically diffuse and protracted model of chili pepper domestication-driven by a ruderal pathway-which involved at least two asynchronous events across Mexico.