Final answer:
The nature of domestication and cultivation in eastern North America involved regional specificity, independent development, and gradual adoption of agricultural practices.
Step-by-step explanation:
The nature of domestication and cultivation in eastern North America can be best described as a gradual and regionally specific process that developed independently. While the earliest evidence of agriculture in the Americas is found in the Andean region, there is also evidence of independent plant domestication in the eastern portions of North America. Cultigens such as marshelder, chenopod, squash, and sunflower were likely domesticated first in this region.
Unlike in the Andean region where domestication developed piecemeal, the domestication in eastern North America is believed to have taken place through a process called diffusion, where agricultural practices spread from one region to another. However, it is important to note that the eastern Woodlands peoples also cultivated their own native plants, such as squash and sunflower, by around 2000 BCE.
Overall, the domestication and cultivation in eastern North America were characterized by regional specificity, independent development, and the gradual adoption of agricultural practices.