Teosinte inflorescence phytolith assemblages mirror Zea taxonomy.
PLoS One
; 6(3): e18349, 2011 Mar 30.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-21479186
Molecular DNA analyses of the New World grass (Poaceae) genus Zea, comprising five species, has resolved taxonomic issues including the most likely teosinte progenitor (Zea mays ssp. parviglumis) of maize (Zea mays ssp. mays). However, archaeologically, little is known about the use of teosinte by humans both prior to and after the domestication of maize. One potential line of evidence to explore these relationships is opaline phytoliths produced in teosinte fruit cases. Here we use multidimensional scaling and multiple discriminant analyses to determine if rondel phytolith assemblages from teosinte fruitcases reflect teosinte taxonomy. Our results indicate that rondel phytolith assemblages from the various taxa, including subspecies, can be statistically discriminated. This indicates that it will be possible to investigate the archaeological histories of teosinte use pending the recovery of appropriate samples.
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Dióxido de Silício
/
Zea mays
/
Inflorescência
Limite:
Humans
País/Região como assunto:
Mexico
Idioma:
En
Revista:
PLoS One
Assunto da revista:
CIENCIA
/
MEDICINA
Ano de publicação:
2011
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Estados Unidos
País de publicação:
Estados Unidos