Management and incipient domestication of <i>Chamaedorea tepejilote</i> in agroforestry systems in Mexico

Societal Impact Statement Native wild plants are key elements in addressing global biodiversity loss and supporting sustainable food systems. We investigated how rural communities in Mexico manage Chamaedorea tepejilote , a wild palm with edible male inflorescences, by combining ethnobotanical, genetic, morphological, and ecological approaches. We found that communities sustainably utilize the species by safeguarding the knowledge and practices that facilitate transitioning from wild collection to cultivating palms in agroforestry systems. Our findings contribute to the recognition of these strategies as productive alternatives that can be promoted to help achieve conservation goals related to native biodiversity. Summary Management of wild plants can influence processes at the population, community, and landscape levels. Differential management of intraspecific variation may play a significant role in plant domestication. We examined the management of the dioecious palm Chamaedorea tepejilote in southern Mexico. Its edible male inflorescences have been an important food source for people since pre‐Hispanic times. Through 24 semi‐structured interviews with locals, we documented their management of palm populations in forests and agroforestry systems (AFS). We also conducted censuses of palms in 13 AFS and forests and used generalized linear mixed models to evaluate the impact of management practices on the stage structure of palm populations. To detail the morphological characteristics, we measured vegetative and reproductive traits of 65 male and 68 female palms. We also genotyped 185 individuals using 10 microsatellite markers. Through multivariate analyses we evaluated morphological trait variation and its correspondence with genetic differentiation between morphotypes. Populations in forests and AFS had similar stage structures, though some AFS populations were denser and had a higher abundance of adult individuals. Similarly, male and female palms exhibited distinct abundance patterns in AFS. We identified four palm morphotypes—three solitary and one cespitose—all of which are often integrated into AFS. Plant morphological and genetic differentiation were consistent with each other. Management ranged from wild collection to cultivation. Our findings underscore the pivotal role of human strategies in maximizing the benefits obtained from palms, driving domestication processes, as well as sustainable use and conservation.