Manfred Heun

The role of cult and feasting in the emergence of Neolithic communities. New evidence from Göbekli Tepe, south-eastern Turkey

Göbekli Tepe is one of the most important archaeological discoveries of modern times, pushing back the origins of monumentality beyond the emergence of agriculture. We are pleased to present a summary of work in progress by the excavators of this remarkable site and their latest thoughts about its role and meaning. At the dawn of the Neolithic, hunter-gatherers congregating at Göbekli Tepe created social and ideological cohesion through the carving of decorated pillars, dancing, feasting—and, almost certainly, the drinking of beer made from fermented wild crops.

A comparison of AFLPs and microsatellites to identify the population structure of brown trout (Salmo trutta L.) populations from Hardangervidda, Norway

A total of 495 fish from 11 Hardangervidda lakes were genotyped in order to compare amplified fragment length polymorphisms (AFLP) and microsatellites in terms of their capacity to infer population genetic structure. The 11 microsatellites used in this study gave a greater polymorphism information content and greater gene diversity, with an average of 14.8 alleles per locus, than the six AFLP primer combinations used. However, the AFLPs resulted in 178 polymorphic loci and a 3.1 times larger marker index (effective multiplex ratio multiplied with the gene diversity). Comparable population structuring, for example in terms of distinguishing fish from the different river systems, was obtained with both marker systems. An AFLP and microsatellite multilocus Bayesian assignment test with the structure program divided the fish into six groups largely concurrent with main branches on a population neighbour‐joining tree. Yet, the admixture status of individuals is mostly contradictory in the AFLP and the microsatellite analyses. The results are discussed concerning migration between lake populations.

A critical review of the protracted domestication model for Near-Eastern founder crops: linear regression, long-distance gene flow, archaeological, and archaeobotanical evidence

The recent review by Fuller et al. (2012a) in this journal is part of a series of papers maintaining that plant domestication in the Near East was a slow process lasting circa 4000 years and occurring independently in different locations across the Fertile Crescent. Their protracted domestication scenario is based entirely on linear regression derived from the percentage of domesticated plant remains at specific archaeological sites and the age of these sites themselves. This paper discusses why estimates like haldanes and darwins cannot be applied to the seven founder crops in the Near East (einkorn and emmer wheat, barley, peas, chickpeas, lentils, and bitter vetch). All of these crops are self-fertilizing plants and for this reason they do not fulfil the requirements for performing calculations of this kind. In addition, the percentage of domesticates at any site may be the result of factors other than those that affect the selection for domesticates growing in the surrounding area. These factors are unlikely to have been similar across prehistoric sites of habitation, societies, and millennia. The conclusion here is that single crop analyses are necessary rather than general reviews drawing on regression analyses based on erroneous assumptions. The fact that all seven of these founder crops are self-fertilizers should be incorporated into a comprehensive domestication scenario for the Near East, as self-fertilization naturally isolates domesticates from their wild progenitors.

Genetic variation, taxonomy and mountain-hopping of four bipolar Carex species (Cyperaceae) analysed by AFLP fingerprinting

The bipolar sedges Carex canescens, C. echinata, C. lachenalii and C. magellanica (including C. paupercula) were analysed by amplified fragment length polymorphisms (AFLPs). The genetic variation of Carex populations from northern Europe was compared with those from the farthest locations in the Southern Hemisphere (i.e. Australia, New Zealand and Chile). This DNA fingerprinting of 152 plants yielded 223 AFLP bands, which were scored as present/absent and converted to Jaccard’s dichotomy coefficients. Unweighted pair-group methods using arithmetic averages (UPGMA), neighbour-joining (NJ), and principal coordinate analysis (PCA) were performed. We obtained AFLP-based separations of the four Carex species that were in full agreement with previous morphology-based taxonomy. A large number of species-specific bands occurred. Hemisphere-specific bands were not identified, but all analyses showed a clear distinction between populations collected from the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. The results are discussed in relation to the mountain-hopping hypothesis, which is one possible mechanism underlying the bipolar distribution of those species.

Traditional Knowledge and Genetic Diversity of Opuntia Pilifera (Cactaceae) in the Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Valley, Mexico

Traditional Knowledge and Genetic Diversity of Opuntia pilifera (Cactaceae) in the Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Valley, Mexico. Economic Botany 59(4)366-376, 2005. Most studies of the genusOpuntia have focused on economically important species, and therefore more knowledge concerning the genetic diversity among wild and locally managedOpuntia species is needed for an expanded use of cacti in the future. The present study is part of ongoing ethnobotanical work in the Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Valley of Mexico and focuses on six traditionally classified forms ofOpuntia pilifera used as food by the indigenous Popoloca people in San Juan Atzingo. Traditional knowledge of how to distinguish these forms based on fruit flavor, color, size, and number of spines on the fruits and cladodes is preserved in the local community. Genetic fingerprinting with 129 AFLPs did not correlate with this traditional morphological classification of 67 cacti. Yet, these AFLPs distinguished the analyzed 67Opuntia pilifera cacti easily from the out-group comprising 17 wildOpuntia velutina.RésuméConocimiento Tradicional y Diversidad Genética de Opuntia piLIfera(Cactaceae) en El Valle de Tehuacán-Cuicatlán, Mexico. La mayoría de los estudios sobre genética de poblaciones del géneroOpuntia (Cactaceae) se han enfocado en las especies ecóndmicamente importantes, por lo que es necesario un mayor conocimiento de la diversidad genética cuando se compara entre las especies silvestres y las especies cultivadas localmente, esto con elfin de ampliar a futuro el uso de las cactáceas. El presente trabajo forma parte de un estudio etnobotánico más amplio llevado a cabo en el Valle de Tehuacán-Cuicatlán, México, y se centra en seis formas tradicionales de clasificar aOpuntia pilifera, cactácea usada como alimento por los indígenas Popolocas de San Juan Atzingo. El método tradicional para distinguir entre dichas formas es parte del conocimiento tradicional de la comunidad Popoloca y está basado en el sabor del fruto, el color, el tamaño y en el número de espinas del fruto y de los cladodios. Las huellas genéticas con 129 AFLPs no están correlacionadas con la clasificación morfológica tradicional. No obstante, los AFLPs distinguieron fácilmente entre los 67 individuos deOpuntia pilifera y los 17 individuos silvestres deOpuntia velutina que conformaron al grupo externo.

Amplified fragment length polymorphisms (AFLPs) analysis of species of Solanum section Solanum (Solanaceae ) from Uganda

The taxonomy of species belonging to Solanum section Solanum (sometimes referred to as the Solanum nigrum complex or black nightshades) is known to be difficult and has resulted in extensive synonymy. Yet, these species play a significant role in nutrition and food security, especially in developing countries. The amplified fragment length polymorphisms (AFLPs) technique was used to assess the genetic relationships among 107 accessions representing eight species of the section Solanum and to obtain new insight into the taxonomic status of the S. nigrum complex. Four primer combinations yielded 510 AFLP bands, only 29 of which were monomorphic. Neighbor-joining and principal coordinates analyses were performed. The AFLP data only partially correlated with earlier classifications based on morphology. We have been able to confirm the presence of only 5 out of eight species of this complex previously recognized from Uganda, that is, Solanum americanum, Solanum scabrum, Solanum hirsutum, Solanum florulentum/Solanum tarderemotum and Solanum villosum . In addition, S. villosum did not separate in accordance with previous subspecific ranks. It is likely that neither Solanum grossidentatum, S. nigrum nor Solanum sarrachoides occurred in Uganda. Also, there was no correlation between geographic localities for the Ugandan material and the AFLP results, indicating that most of the studied species are introduced. Key words: Amplified fragment length polymorphisms (AFLPs), Solanum nigum complex, Africa, genetic variation, taxonomy, Uganda.

AFLP-based differentiation of tropical African Festuca species compared to the European Festuca complex

For the first time amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) fingerprinting is applied to classify tropical African Festuca species. Five afro-alpine narrow- and two afro-montane broad-leaved species from Uganda and Ethiopia are compared to ten European grass species. A principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) accounts for 62.5% with its first three coordinates. The PCoA and the neighbor-joining (NJ) distinguish the five narrow-leaved African Festuca species from all other species. The broad-leaved African Festuca africana and Festuca simensis are linked to the broad-leaved European species through Festuca altissima and Festuca gigantea, respectively. The narrow- and broad-leaved European species are separated as expected in the NJ. One narrow-leaved African alpine species recently described appears merged (i.e. Festuca richardii with Festuca abyssinica). We provide chromosome numbers for all seven Ugandan species and compare taxonomy and AFLP classification. Our most striking result is that the narrow-leaved African Festuca species are unique and not clustering with the narrow-leaved European species.

A New Subspecies of Solanum scabrum Miller Found in Uganda

ABSTRACT Solanum scabrum Miller has been reported almost exclusively from cultivation as a vegetable for human consumption. However, molecular and morphological data indicate that a wild taxon exists in Uganda. This wild taxon was previously identified as the poisonous S. nigrum L., but local people use its leaves as food. This taxon is here described as a new subspecies, S. scabrum Miller subsp. laevis Olet. Morphological descriptions and a key to separate the two subspecies of S. scabrum are given.

Brown trout population structure highly affected by multiple stocking and river diversion in a high mountain national park

Stocking is a widely applied practice for enhancement of fish populations exploited for recreational and commercial uses. In the present study, we investigate the genetic consequences of stocking and river diversion by analyzing 18 microsatellites in 440 brown trout (Salmo trutta L.) from three historical and ten contemporary populations from two river systems in a national park in Norway. Eight sources have been recorded for stocking in this area, but not concurrently. These stocking events took place after historical sampling and river diversion by construction of a barrier and a channel. A complete shift in the genetic structure between historical and contemporary populations was revealed. The genetic differentiation can be explained by stocking with just four non-native sources. The constructed barrier has helped to maintain a fraction of the historical genetic profile. Stocking success is discussed in relation to population exploitation, variation in natural recruitment, and reduced discharge due to river diversion. Our study demonstrates a high vulnerability of natural populations to stocking with non-native fish, of particular importance for fishery management and preservation of native fish.

Can Triticum urartu (Poaceae) be identified by pollen analysis? Implications for detecting the ancestor of the extinct two-grained einkorn-like wheat.

The domestication of the one-grained einkorn (Triticum monococcum) in the Near East is relatively well known. However, an independent two-grained einkorn-like domestication has been archaeobotanically detected and scarce information is available. Triticum urartu, a wild wheat, was not fully described until the 1970s because the phenology does not allow it to be distinguished easily from wild einkorn (Triticum boeoticum subsp. thaoudar), although a genetic separation exists. Both species are mostly two grained and could potentially be the relatives of the extinct two-grained form. Pollen grains of several genetically well-identified wheat species, including T. urartu and T. boeoticum subsp. thaoudar, were studied by measuring the grain diameter and examining the exine sculpturing with phase-contrast microscopy and scanning electron microscopy to gain an insight into differences enabling taxonomic identification. This work showed that, although T. urartu pollen is smaller on average, grain diameter is not sufficient because of the size overlap between the species, but T. urartu presents a different exine sculpturing (scabrate) from other Triticum spp. (aerolate). This outcome is useful for taxonomists and archaeobotanists. First, it will allow a simple re-classification of herbarium materials. Second, further research could establish whether T. urartu was cultivated.