Plant subsistence shift in the Pearl River Delta from Late Neolithic to Bronze Age

Abstract The transition to agriculture, a crucial theme in global archaeology, is increasingly understood as a complex adaptation mosaic shaped by local ecologies and pre-existing subsistence practices. This study investigates the transition from reliance on indigenous plant resources to cereal-based agriculture in the Pearl River Delta between 4500 and 3500 cal. BP, through integrated phytolith and starch grain analyses at the Jinlansi site. Our results reveal the persistence of a subsistence system centred on the exploitation of underground storage organs during the Late Neolithic, representing a localised adaptation to subtropical forest and wetland environments. This strategy potentially delayed the full-scale adoption of exotic cereals. By the Bronze Age, domesticated cereals prompted a reorganisation of existing subsistence strategies. Our findings show the long-term interaction and co-evolution of distinct plant subsistence systems in southern China, highlighting the role of local adaptations and offering new perspectives on agricultural evolution in subtropical China.