On the origins and spread of Olea europaea L. (olive) domestication: evidence for shape variation of olive stones at Ugarit, Late Bronze Age, Syria—a window on the Mediterranean Basin and on the westward diffusion of olive varieties

Newton, Claire; Lorre, Christine; Sauvage, Caroline; Ivorra, Sarah; Terral, Jean‐Frédéric

doi:10.1007/s00334-013-0412-4

Cited by 61 publications

(44 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…Genetic and archaeobotanical studies support the hypothesis of a domestication in the Levant with subsequent dispersal and some introgression from wild populations in the western Mediterranean (Murphy 2014;Newton et al 2014;Diez et al 2015;Dighton et al 2017). Archaeobotanically olives show a gradual increase, starting in the fourth or even fifth millennium bc up to the Iron Age (Fig.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 65%

“…All specimens in the UCL archaeobotanical reference collection; scale bars 1 cm that wild and domesticated populations fall towards different ends of a morphological spectrum seems clear. Indeed, studies employing geometric morphometrics (GMM) on grapes (Vitis vinifera) (Pagnoux et al 2015;Bacilieri et al 2017), as well as on other taxa such as olives (Olea europaea) (Terral et al 2004;Newton et al 2014), plums (Prunus domestica) (Ucchesu et al 2017) and dates (Phoenix dactylifera) (Rivera et al 2014;Gros-Balthazard et al 2016), which factor out size and focus instead on shape, demonstrate statistically shape differences between wild and cultivated forms of these fruits, as well as among different cultivar groups. Domesticated forms have higher L:W ratios and tend to have more pointed (acute to acuminate) ends.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Long and attenuated: comparative trends in the domestication of tree fruits

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2017

Veget Hist Archaeobot

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This paper asks whether we can identify a recurrent domestication syndrome for tree crops (fruits, nuts) and track archaeologically the evolution of domestication of fruits from woody perennials. While archaeobotany has made major contributions to documenting the domestication process in cereals and other annual grains, long-lived perennials have received less comparative attention. Drawing on examples from across Eurasia, comparisons suggest a tendency for the larger domesticated fruits to contain seeds that are proportionally longer, thinner and with more pointed (acute to attenuated) apices. Therefore, although changes in flavour, such as increased sweetness, are not recoverable, seed metrics and shape provide an archaeological basis for tracking domestication episodes in fruits from woody perennials. Where available, metrical data suggest length increases, as well as size diversification over time, with examples drawn from the Jomon of Japan (Castanea crenata), Neolithic China (Prunus persica) and the later Neolithic of the Near East (Olea europaea, Phoenix dactylifera) to estimate rates of change. More limited data allow us to also compare Mesoamerica avocado (Persea americana) and western Pacific Canarium sp. nuts and Spondias sp. fruits. Data from modern Indian jujube (Ziziphus mauritiana) are also considered in relation to seed length:width trends in relation to fruit contents (flesh proportion, sugar content). Despite the long generation time in tree fruits, rates of change in their seeds are generally comparable to rates of phenotypic evolution in annual grain crops, suggesting that gradual evolution via unconscious selection played a key role in initial processes of tree domestication, and that this had begun in the later Neolithic once annual crops had been domesticated, in both west and east Asia.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 65%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Long and attenuated: comparative trends in the domestication of tree fruits

Fuller

2017

Veget Hist Archaeobot

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“…Molecular, archaeobotanical, and paleoenvironmental data are acknowledged as essential for reconstructing the history of the domesticated olive tree (Zohary and Hopf, 2000;Newton et al, 2014). Together with the walnut and chestnut trees, the present geographical distribution of genetic diversity in Olea europaea L. was perhaps more influenced by human activities than by its natural migration and colonization (Bottema and Woldring, 1990;Baldoni et al, 2006), a view confirmed by the frequent recovery of this pollen in the deposits from archeological sites .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 93%

The Representativeness of Olea Pollen from Olive Groves and the Late Holocene Landscape Reconstruction in Central Mediterranean

et al. 2017

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Modern pollen spectra are an invaluable reference tool for paleoenvironmental and cultural landscape reconstructions, but the importance of knowing the pollen rain released from orchards remains underexplored. In particular, the role of cultivated trees is in past and current agrarian landscapes has not been fully investigated. Here, we present a pollen analysis of 70 surface soil samples taken from 12 olive groves in Basilicata and Tuscany, two regions of Italy that exemplify this cultivation in the Mediterranean basin. This study was carried out to assess the representativeness of Olea pollen in modern cultivations. Although many variables can influence the amount of pollen observed in soils, it was clear that most of the pollen was deposited below the trees in the olive groves. A rapid decline in the olive pollen percentages (c. 85% on average) was found when comparing samples taken from IN vs. OUT of each grove. The mean percentages of Olea pollen obtained from the archeological sites close to the studied orchards suggest that olive groves were established far from the Roman farmhouses of Tuscany. Further south, in the core of the Mediterranean basin, the cultivation of Olea trees was likely situated ∼500-1,000 m from the rural sites in Basilicata, and dated from the Hellenistic to the Medieval period.

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“…olive tree [15] and grapevine [16]). It is therefore difficult to identify truly wild populations, as demonstrated in olive trees [17]. More strikingly, in date palms ( Phoenix dactylifera L., Arecaceae) no wild population has been characterized to date [18–20].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…in the olive tree [17,35], grapevine [36] or caimito [37]) and detect or suspect feral individuals [17,38]. Focusing on seeds rather than other plant organs is interesting because seeds are easily sampled and stored, and keep well.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Domestication Syndrome in Phoenix dactylifera Seeds: Toward the Identification of Wild Date Palm Populations

et al. 2016

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Investigating crop origins is a priority to understand the evolution of plants under domestication, develop strategies for conservation and valorization of agrobiodiversity and acquire fundamental knowledge for cultivar improvement. The date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) belongs to the genus Phoenix, which comprises 14 species morphologically very close, sometimes hardly distinguishable. It has been cultivated for millennia in the Middle East and in North Africa and constitutes the keystone of oasis agriculture. Yet, its origins remain poorly understood as no wild populations are identified. Uncultivated populations have been described but they might represent feral, i.e. formerly cultivated, abandoned forms rather than truly wild populations. In this context, this study based on morphometrics applied to 1625 Phoenix seeds aims to (1) differentiate Phoenix species and (2) depict the domestication syndrome observed in cultivated date palm seeds using other Phoenix species as a “wild” reference. This will help discriminate truly wild from feral forms, thus providing new insights into the evolutionary history of this species. Seed size was evaluated using four parameters: length, width, thickness and dorsal view surface. Seed shape was quantified using outline analyses based on the Elliptic Fourier Transform method. The size and shape of seeds allowed an accurate differentiation of Phoenix species. The cultivated date palm shows distinctive size and shape features, compared to other Phoenix species: seeds are longer and elongated. This morphological shift may be interpreted as a domestication syndrome, resulting from the long-term history of cultivation, selection and human-mediated dispersion. Based on seed attributes, some uncultivated date palms from Oman may be identified as wild. This opens new prospects regarding the possible existence and characterization of relict wild populations and consequently for the understanding of the date palm origins. Finally, we here describe a pipeline for the identification of the domestication syndrome in seeds that could be used in other crops.

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On the origins and spread of Olea europaea L. (olive) domestication: evidence for shape variation of olive stones at Ugarit, Late Bronze Age, Syria—a window on the Mediterranean Basin and on the westward diffusion of olive varieties

Cited by 61 publications

References 25 publications

Long and attenuated: comparative trends in the domestication of tree fruits

Long and attenuated: comparative trends in the domestication of tree fruits

The Representativeness of Olea Pollen from Olive Groves and the Late Holocene Landscape Reconstruction in Central Mediterranean

The Domestication Syndrome in Phoenix dactylifera Seeds: Toward the Identification of Wild Date Palm Populations

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