Convergent Evolution of Agriculture in Insects and Humans II - Questions and Hypotheses

Working Group Navigation Home Agenda Participants Related Papers Questions and Hypotheses Data and Results

Preconditions for Agriculture

1. Generalized foragers
2. Pre-adapted domesticate part of foraging regime
3. Sedentarism (or rotation between established settlements)
4. High degree of sociability
5. Cross-generation communication (=distributed cognition for gathering and processing information)
6. Ability to rapidly replicate mutations/innovations (=high level of transmission events per generation)
7. Relatively stable climate

Evolutionary Benefits of Agriculture

1. Security/reliability/predictability of food source
2. Control over food production
3. Unique niche so reduced competition

Predicted Impacts of Agriculture

1. Increased division of labor [results from Humans, Attini, and Termitidae support this hypothesis}
2. Increased social control [results from Humans, Attini, and Termitidae support this hypothesis]
3. Increased population [results from Humans, Attini, and Termitidae do not support this hypothesis]
4. Increased inter-community violence [results from Humans, Attini, and Termitidae do not support this hypothesis]

Some Questions

1. Are humans eusocial? If so, is eusociality a precondition or co-condition of agriculture?
2. Once agricultural, do humans become obligate agriculturalists?
3. Can human infants be considered "larvae"? If so, is a larval stage of development a precondition of agriculture?