Abstract

Collections of ovicaprid faecal pellets from 4 flocks in diverse environments were undertaken over a year in semi-arid Basilicata, southern Italy. During the initial months of ethnographic field research, I became increasingly aware of the impact of sheep and goats on the landscape, particularly the flora. A number of informants indicated that one particular plant or another had been brought into pastures by their flock. This information and my observations of flocks moving in their daily pasture rounds across the highly varied mosaic of vegetational zones, led me to collect sheep and goat faecal pellets to investigate their contents for evidence of ovicaprids' roles in disseminating plants across environments. It also seemed probable that the effect of the ruminant digestive process on seeds is pivotal to understanding the composition of the local flora. Research undertaken by L. Salamone and E. Gambacorta at the Università degli Studi della Basilicata, and of L. Costantini (IsMEO, Rome) in Baluchistan provide supporting evidence of a mutualistic relationship between plants whose reproduction is largely dependent upon being consumed and digested, and the ovicaprids which consume them. This does not mean that 'coevolution leads to obligate mutualisms' (Blumler 1996:28), but rather that those seeds which survive and benefit from the digestive process have been selected for through grazing by ruminants, in addition to drought and fire. The goal of the faecal pellet analysis is to test the hypothesis that a number of pasture plant species, characterized by their resistance to ruminant digestion and a consequent enhancement of their reproductive success, have been selected for under sustained grazing pressure by ovicaprids. The current study is restricted to investigating which seeds survive intact in the faecal pellets, while a forthcoming study shall investigate the viability of these seeds. Finally, preliminary results from this study are compared to the archaeobotanical record in the area, with a brief discussion of the implications of these results.