A model of domestication of  plants in Mesoamerica based  on  selective management  of  plant populations and  communities by silvicultural practices is analyzed. Archaeological and  ethnobotanical information  suggests that  intentional manipulation of vegetation by Mesoamerican peoples has occurred in  past  and present times  in  order to  control availability  of  useful  plants. Forms of  management of  plant communities or  populations have  included tolerance, protection and  enhancement of individual  plants of  particular species  during clearance of  vegetation and  other ways of  perturbation. Processes of  artificial selection  (selection  in situ) may be carried out  through these  forms  of plant  management. These processes may cause significant morphological differences between wild and  managed populations as illustrated by the  cases  discussed here of  Anoda  cristata,  Crotalaria pumila,  Leucaena esculenta and  Stenocereus stellatus. Processes of artificial selection in  situ are mechanisms of  incipient domestication of  plants which  appear to  have  been   carried out  in Mesoamerica, perhaps since pre-agricultural times,  and  that  could contribute  to explain the processes that  led to  the  origins of agriculture in this region.

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The Collection and Sale of Wild Mushrooms in a Community of Tlaxcala, Mexico. In this paper, we characterize the harvest and sale of wild mushrooms in Javier Mina (Tlaxcala state, Mexico) based on observations made during visits to that community during the rainy seasons of 1995 and 2001. While there, we visited the forests with various families of mushroom gatherers and also carried out 16 visits to a local mushroom broker to obtain information on the buying and selling of the mushrooms, including a list of the prices per kilo of the species that are sold commercially. Boletus cf. pinophilus, Lyophyllum cf. decastes, Hebeloma aff. mesophaeum and the Amanita caesarea complex were the highest-priced species, and were those collected in the greatest amounts. Our observations indicate that the gathering of mushrooms, a traditional activity among the people of Javier Mina, contributes, through the sale of the mushrooms, to the income of the community during the rainy season.Recolección y venta de hongos silvestres en una comunidad de Tlaxcala, México. Recolección y venta de hongos silvestres en una comunidad de Tlaxcala, México. El objetivo de este trabajo es describir el proceso de recolección y venta de hongos silvestres en Javier Mina, Tlaxcala. Para describir estas actividades se realizaron visitas a los bosques con varias familias recolectoras de hongos durante las épocas de lluvias de 1995 y 2001. Además, se realizaron 16 visitas a un distribuidor local para registrar información con respecto a la compra y venta de los hongos. Se obtuvo un listado de los precios por kilo de los hongos que se comercializan. Boletus cf. pinophilus, Lyophyllum cf. decastes, Hebeloma aff. mesophaeum y Amanita caesarea complex fueron los hongos recolectados en mayor cantidad durante este estudio, mismos que tuvieron los precios más altos de compra-venta. Se concluye que la recolección de hongos es una actividad tradicional para la gente de Javier Mina; sin embargo, la venta de éstos, contribuye a la obtención de ingresos durante la temporada de lluvias.

Mexico that stands out as a megadiverse country is the fi fth nation in terms of species richness. The country is home to 25,000-30,000 species of plants and currently 7461 useful plants are registered, of which 2168 are edible according to ethnobotanical data base of Mexican useful plants (BADEPLAM). In this chapter, edible plants are divided into six subcategories and describe some of the edible species recorded across different ethnobotanical research conducted in different regions of Mexico. We conclude that although the food habits in the country have undergone drastic changes in recent decades, and not always for the better, numerous food plant resources in Mexico continue to be widely utilized mainly by rural populations.

Amaranth (Amaranthus spp.) is an important food resource for indigenous peoples of M6xico. Grain-producing species are mostly cultivated plants, while the species used as vegetables are commonly encouraged in maize plots. Notable biological differences exist between these two types of amaranths. This study analyzes the morphophysiological variation in some Mexican species of Amaranthus and its relationship to the use and management of this taxa. A sample of individuals grown from 14 field collections representing 3 species and putative hybrid derivatives were grown in experimental plots and 18 morphological and physiological characters were measured. A statistical multivariate analysis was performed on these data. The results show that the grain-producing plants tend to allocate a high proportion of energy to the production of inftorescences while the plants used as vegetables allocate a higher proportion of biomass to the foliage. This suggests that domestication of Mexican species of Amaranthus have taken two different evolutionary paths depending upon the form of use and management by humans.

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