'Domesticability': were some species predisposed for domestication?

Abstract

Crop domestication arises from a coevolutionary process between plants and humans, resulting in predictable and improved resources for humans. Of the thousands of edible species, many were collected or cultivated for food, but only a few became domesticated and even fewer supply the bulk of the plant-based calories consumed by humans. Why so few species became fully domesticated is not understood. Here we propose three aspects of plant genomes and phenotypes that could have promoted the domestication of only a few wild species, namely differences in plasticity, trait linkage, and mutation rates. We can use contemporary biological knowledge to identify factors underlying why only some species are amenable to domestication. Such studies will facilitate future domestication and improvement efforts.

Keywords: agriculture; crops; domestication; evolvability; plasticity.