Final answer:
Cultivated wheat, Tritium aestivum, is a crop derived from wild species of grasses, originating around 10,000 years ago through domestication and artificial selection practices by early agriculturalists.
Step-by-step explanation:
Cultivated Wheat Origin
Cultivated wheat, Tritium aestivum, is a crop that was derived from wild species of grasses. This agricultural evolution is a product of domestication, which began when ancestral humans created disturbed habitats that encouraged the growth of certain wild plants. The domestication process involved selecting and planting seeds from plants with favorable characteristics, such as large seeds, which over time led to significant genetic modifications through 'artificial selection'. The transformation of teosinte, a wild grass, into modern maize (corn) through selective breeding is an analogous example of this agricultural development.
Wheat is among the oldest crop species, with evidence pointing to its origins in what is now known as Turkey, dating back to approximately 10,000 years ago. The progression from cultivating wild grasses to developing crops like wheat and barley illustrates the early stages of agriculture. This primitive agricultural practice laid the foundation for the vital food supply we have today.