Comment on "Persistent effects of pre-Columbian plant domestication on Amazonian forest composition".

McMichael, Crystal H; Feeley, Kenneth J; Dick, Christopher W; Piperno, Dolores R; Bush, Mark B · Science · 2017

editorial · Level V

Where this comes from

Abstract

Levis <i>et al</i> (Research Articles, 3 March 2017, p. 925) concluded that pre-Columbian tree domestication has shaped present-day Amazonian forest composition. The study, however, downplays five centuries of human influence following European arrival to the Americas. We show that the effects of post-Columbian activities in Amazonia are likely to have played a larger role than pre-Columbian ones in shaping the observed floristic patterns.

Medical subject headings