Publications
Here you find all publications of the NICHE project and papers that are associated with related activities. By clicking on the links, you will be directed to the online publications on the journal websites. In case you do not have access to the publications, please contact Alexander Weide (see "Team" menu).
This paper in Nature Plants presents the functional ecological model we developed in context of the NICHE project. The model focuses on mechanical soil disturbance factors - mainly soil tillage - and shows that tillage as an agricultural practice developed much later than previously assumed.
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41477-022-01161-7
This paper in Environmental Archaeology presents the results of vegetation surveys we conducted in spring 2019. We compare the floristic composition of wild cereal habitats with that of local arable weed floras and find a large overlap in species. This indicates that many typical arable weeds of traditional Levantine agriculture originated in local grasslands and cannot be used not identify the earliest cultivation activities.
https://doi.org/10.1080/14614103.2021.1882715
This paper in agronomy proposes a theoretical model for understanding the pace and trajectories of early cereal domestication in southwest Asia. The model considers biological, social, and economic factors that are associated with early cereal management systems and selection for domestication traits such as non-shattering ears.
https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy11122432 (open access)