From the neolithic revolution to the first human settlements: the origin of agricultural pests
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.34188/bjaerv9n3-167Palavras-chave:
neolithic revolution, first settlements, agriculture, agricultural pestsResumo
The origin of agricultural pests is closely linked to the profound ecological, social, and economic transformations resulting from the Neolithic Revolution, which was the period in which human groups progressively shifted from predominantly hunter-gatherer societies to sedentary communities based on plant and livestock farming. Plant domestication significantly altered the relationships among plants, herbivores, and humans, creating new ecological conditions that favored the adaptation of specific insect populations to cultivated plants. Artificial plant selection combined with spatial concentration and the relatively predictable availability of food resources modified ecosystem structures and contributed to the formation of the first agroecosystems. The expansion of agriculture transformed the landscape through the replacement of natural vegetation, the simplification of plant diversity, irrigation, soil preparation, and crop concentration, thereby creating favorable conditions for herbivores. Natural selection favored individuals capable of efficiently exploiting cultivated plants, contributing to the establishment of populations subsequently recognized as agricultural pests. Human sedentarization played a decisive role by establishing agricultural villages, generating surpluses, and facilitating the storage of seeds and grains, thus creating resource-rich artificial environments. In this context, insects of the genera Sitophilus and Tribolium, as well as various moth species, found favorable conditions for exploiting stored food. Thus, the study of the origin of agricultural pests—from early domestication processes to the establishment of agricultural and storage systems—is crucial to understanding the ecological and evolutionary foundations of plant health issues. Beyond contributing to the history of agriculture and entomology, this approach provides a basis for understanding why certain species have become persistently associated with crops and food resources produced by human societies.
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