Biogeography of the Anthropocene

Abstract

The past and present impacts of humans on the biosphere have altered many ecological and evolutionary processes. One of the most dramatic set of examples comes from domestication, which has transformed species, landscapes, and socioeconomic systems over the last 30 millennia. Recent research driven by advances in molecular biology and information sciences, and enriched by whole genome analyses of the main plant and animal domesticates, is now able to elucidate obscure phylogenetic relationships complicated by past hybridization and chromosome rearrangements. These methods also reveal information on the historical events that converted wild species into useful, and in some cases, codependent taxa. A further set of human-domesticate interactions produces the great diversification behind the origin and maintenance of numerous crop landraces, fruit and vegetable variants, and animal breeds. Fashion, taste preferences, and familial dynamics are some of the additional factors involved beyond usefulness that collectively result in human-caused artificial selection. Domestication is an important dimension to consider in understanding the biogeographical implications of the Anthropocene.