Wild edible plants selection of Tibetan and Naxi people in Northwest Yunnan, China

Wild edible plants are important resources for dietary diversity and health worldwide. However, little is known about the selection process of these species for health and nutrition by human communities. We employed negative binomial, Poisson models, and Bayesian approaches to test for a non-random selection of wild edible plants among the Tibetan and Naxi people in Northwest Yunnan, China, and explore biocultural drivers of plant selection process by comparing the similarity and differences of the two cultural groups. Our results support the non-random plant selection theory. 418 (94 families, 226 genera) wild edible species of the 7365 (208 families, 1379 genera) naturally occurring plant species in the study area are used by Tibetan and/or Naxi people. Six families, 16 genera, and 17 species were preferred by both groups, while considerable heterogeneity remains. Ecological and cultural traits are equally important for shaping plant selection process of the two cultural groups; shared plant selection preferences may associate with common nutritional needs and cultural exchanges, while the differences may result from adaptation to particular environments and cultural preferences. It is worth further testing whether socio-cultural or ecological traits are the main drivers for plant selection of various cultural groups living in northwest Yunnan.