Documenting Cultural Selection Pressure Changes on Chile Pepper ( Capsicum baccatum L.) Seed Size through Time in Coastal Peru (7,600 B.P.–Present). The chile pepper (Capsicum spp.) was independently domesticated in Mexico, the Amazon region, and the Central Andes of South America, though the exact nature of when, where, and how this process took place is uncertain. Current knowledge of early Capsicum domestication is further hindered by the general reliance on the rare preservation of Capsicum fruit, specifically the calyx morphology, from archaeological sites to chart the presence of various Capsicum species through space and time. Capsicum seeds, which are recovered in greater abundance from archaeological contexts, present a prime opportunity for studying selection pressures on Capsicum. Many plants exhibit signs of morphological change through time related to changes in selection pressures and the process of domestication. In food plants, a common occurrence is the change in seed size, which suggests correlating changes in fruit size. To investigate these changes on a species level, we developed the first systematic identification system based on qualitative and quantitative attributes for domesticated Capsicum seeds. In the course of our analysis, we found that C. baccatum L. seeds from Peru (ca. 7,600 cal. B.P. through modern day) change in size over time, suggesting human–influenced selection. Here, we demonstrate that C. baccatum L. seeds increase in size through pre–Columbian times. Remarkably, following Spanish conquest (post–1532 C.E.), the reduction in the size of seeds back to earlier pre–Columbian times suggests a loss of selective pressure for seed size in this particular Capsicum species.
Documentando los cambios de presiónes selectivas sobre el tamaño de semilla de ají ( Capsicum baccatum L.) a través del tiempo en la costa del Perú (7,600 A.P.–presente). El ají (Capsicum spp.) fue domesticado independientemente en México, la region amazónica, y los Andes centrales del América del sur, aunque la naturaleza exacta de cuándo, dónde, y cómo este proceso se llevó a cabo es incierto. El conocimiento actual de la domesticación temprana del Capsicum se dificulta aún más por la dependencia general de la rara preservación de la fruta Capsicum, específicamente la morfología del cáliz, de los sitios arqueológicos para trazar la presencia de varias especies de Capsicum a través del espacio y el tiempo. Las semillas de Capsicum, que se recuperan en mayor abundancia de los contextos arqueológicos, presentan una oportunidad única para el estudio de las presiones de selección sobre Capsicum. Muchas plantas muestran signos de cambio morfológico a través del tiempo en relación a cambios en las presiones de selección y el proceso de domesticación. En las plantas de alimentos un hecho común es el cambio en el tamaño de la semilla, que sugiere cambios en la correlación de tamaño de la fruta. Para investigar estos cambios a nivel de especies, desarrollamos el primer sistema de identificación sistemática basada en atributos cualitativos y cuantitativos para las semillas de Capsicum domesticados. En el curso de nuestro análisis, encontramos que las semillas de C. baccatum L. de Perú (ca. 7,600 cal. A.P.– presente) cambiaron de tamaño con el tiempo, lo que sugiere la selección por influencia humana. Aquí demostramos que las semillas de C. baccatum L. aumentaron de tamaño durante la época precolombina. Sorprendentemente, después de la conquista española (post–1532 E.C.), la reducción en el tamaño de las semillas de la época precolombina temprana sugiere una pérdida de presión selectiva para el tamaño de las semillas de esta especie de Capsicum en particular.
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Acknowledgements
This project was in part funded by Tom D. Dillehay’s grants from the National Science Foundation, Guggenheim Foundation, National Geographic Society, Vanderbilt University, and the Lupinski and O’Leary families. Victor Vásquez and Teresa Tham of the University Nacional Trujillo identified Capsicum seeds at Huaca Prieta and Paredones. Guangwei Min trained Katherine L. Chiou in SEM imaging. The USDA Germplasm Resources Information Network (USDA–GRIN), Mark Bohning, Bob Jarret, and Tiffany Fields provided modern samples. Andrew H. Knoll and Emily Wood of the Harvard University Herbarium (HUH) helped us access the Margaret A. Towle Collection. Katharina Schreiber provided contextual information on Estaquería in the Nasca region. We thank our peers in the McCown Laboratory including Alan Farahani, Rob Cuthrell, and Theresa Molino. Special thanks to Kenneth L. Chiou for advice concerning statistics and figures. The late Duccio Bonavia, who passed away while working with Tom D. Dillehay at Huaca Prieta, is included as a co–author because he had initiated the Capsicum study with Victor Vásquez. We thank his family for granting the permission to include him as a co–author. We would especially like to acknowledge the helpful comments from our anonymous reviewers contacted by Economic Botany who aided in improving our manuscript.
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Submitted 23 September 2013; Accepted 3 March 2014
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Chiou, K.L., Hastorf, C.A., Bonavia, D. et al. Documenting Cultural Selection Pressure Changes on Chile Pepper (Capsicum baccatum L.) Seed Size Through Time in Coastal Peru (7,600 B.P.–Present). Econ Bot 68, 190–202 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12231-014-9270-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12231-014-9270-y