The Genetic History and Diffusion Routes of Early Maize in North America

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Frontiers of Plant Domestication" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Archaeological and genetic evidence from modern and ancient maize (Zea mays) samples indicate that maize initially reached the southwestern United States (U.S.) by around 4,000 years ago via a highland Mexican route, followed by a second introduction via the Pacific coast, around 2,000 years ago. However, maize diffusion routes northward from the domestication center from southern Mexico up to the U.S. Southwest and Southeast remain contentious. To explore the potential diffusion routes, we generated high-throughput sequencing data from 24 ancient maize cobs and kernels from three archaeological sites dated to different time periods: the Romero Cave in northeastern Mexico (n=2; 2,450-2,750 BP), the Three Fir Shelter in the southwestern U.S. (n=6; 2,075-2,500 BP) and the Ozarks Shelter in the southeastern U.S. (n=16; 70-1,120 BP). By comparing these data to a reference data set composed of modern maize land races and previously published ancient maize samples, we assess the genetic ancestry of early maize in North America and identify potential dispersion routes north from the domestication center into northeastern Mexico and the southeastern U.S.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Frontiers of Plant Domestication   •
• Society for American Archaeology 84th Annual Meeting, Albuquerque, NM (2019)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 25118