ABSTRACT
Human history has traditionally been presented as a series of actions undertaken by people, with all other living organisms as non-causative agents. Yet the human species is but one of the many species competing to succeed in reproducing themselves and passing their genes to the next generation. In this struggle, however, not all species are equivalent. Plants are capable of producing their own food through photosynthesis and are therefore not dependent on other living organisms, but humans do depend on plants for food and many other resources. Consequently, humans have engaged in many violent conflicts with each other over the control of plant resources, often to the evolutionary benefits of the plants involved. Thus, the histories of humans and plants are closely intertwined. A better understanding of plant traits valuable to people and the interactions between people and plants caused by these valuable plant traits should allow us a better scientific understanding of human history.
