학술논문
A revisited history of cacao domestication in pre-Columbian times revealed by archaeogenomic approaches
Document Type
article
Author
Claire Lanaud; Hélène Vignes; José Utge; Gilles Valette; Bénédicte Rhoné; Mariella Garcia Caputi; Natalia Sofía Angarita Nieto; Olivier Fouet; Nilesh Gaikwad; Sonia Zarrillo; Terry G. Powis; Ann Cyphers; Francisco Valdez; S. Quirino Olivera Nunez; Camilla Speller; Michael Blake; Fred Jr. Valdez; Scott Raymond; Sarah M. Rowe; Guy S. Duke; Francisco Ernesto Romano; Rey Gaston Loor Solórzano; Xavier Argout
Source
Scientific Reports, Vol 14, Iss 1, Pp 1-16 (2024)
Subject
Language
English
ISSN
2045-2322
Abstract
Abstract Humans have a long history of transporting and trading plants, contributing to the evolution of domesticated plants. Theobroma cacao originated in the Neotropics from South America. However, little is known about its domestication and use in these regions. In this study, ceramic residues from a large sample of pre-Columbian cultures from South and Central America were analyzed using archaeogenomic and biochemical approaches. Here we show, for the first time, the widespread use of cacao in South America out of its native Amazonian area of origin, extending back 5000 years, likely supported by cultural interactions between the Amazon and the Pacific coast. We observed that strong genetic mixing between geographically distant cacao populations occurred as early as the middle Holocene, in South America, driven by humans, favoring the adaptation of T. cacao to new environments. This complex history of cacao domestication is the basis of today's cacao tree populations and its knowledge can help us better manage their genetic resources.