Final answer:
It is true that the Southeastern United States was one of the independent centers for plant domestication in the world. This region provided a conducive environment for Indigenous peoples to cultivate various important crops which supported the development of complex societies.
Step-by-step explanation:
The notion that the region of the present-day Southeastern United States was likely one of the world's independent centers for plant domestication is indeed true. This area, which encompasses a wide range of environments from wetlands to woodlands, provided a rich setting where the Indigenous peoples of the region could experiment with and cultivate various plant species. Over thousands of years, they domesticated several important crops, such as sunflowers, certain types of squash, and Chenopodium, a form of goosefoot.
These domestication activities contributed to the development of complex societies by providing stable food sources. The evidence of plant domestication in the Southeast is part of a larger picture indicating that agriculture arose independently in multiple areas around the world, each with its unique suite of domesticated plants.