Microbotanical and macrobotanical evidence of plant use and the transition to agriculture in panama

Abstract

Many studies over the past few decades have demonstrated the importance of using multiple lines of data when studying ancient plant use in a given region. This is especially true in the humid tropics, where plant taxonomic diversity is high and organic preservation is often poor due to accelerated rates of biological and chemical decay. The post-depositional preservation of each major type of botanical artifact-macrobotanical remains, phytoliths, pollen, and starch grains-is affected differently by human behavior and natural factors (see Wright, this volume). Therefore, using several techniques for identifying plant remains significantly improves the chances of reconstructing a more inclusive paleoethnobotanical record because the taxonomic assemblages generated by each technique can be considerably different. © 2010 Springer-Verlag New York.