▁and ▁volunt ary ▁for ▁most ▁participants . ▁ ▁Syn opsis ▁ ▁Chapter ▁ 1 . ▁The ▁Dom estic ation ▁of ▁Fire , ▁Pl ants , ▁Anim als , ▁and ... ▁Us ▁▁ ▁Scott ▁describes ▁the ▁grad ual ▁process ▁of ▁transform ing ▁their ▁environment ▁that ▁was ▁undert aken ▁by ▁early ▁humans . ▁He ▁begins ▁by ▁rec ount ing ▁the ▁impact ▁of ▁man kind ' s ▁use ▁of ▁fire , ▁calling ▁it ▁" a ▁species ▁mon opol y ▁and ▁a ▁tr ump ▁card " ▁and ▁detail ing ▁its ▁des ira b ility ▁for ▁its ▁capacity ▁to ▁reduce ▁the ▁radius ▁of ▁a ▁me al ▁by ▁concentr ating ▁food st uff s ▁in ▁a ▁smaller ▁area ▁around ▁human ▁enc amp ments . ▁ ▁Scott ▁describes ▁the ▁beg inn ings ▁of ▁sed ent ism ▁in ▁wet lands ▁prior ▁to ▁the ▁cultiv ation ▁of ▁c ere al ▁gra ins . ▁ ▁He ▁then ▁tack les ▁the ▁ 4 , 0 0 0 - year ▁" g ap " ▁between ▁the ▁cultiv ation ▁of ▁domestic ated ▁gra ins ▁and ▁the ▁emer gence ▁agricult ural ▁soci eties , ▁claim ing ▁that ▁it ▁was ▁in ▁the ▁best ▁interests ▁of ▁early ▁people ▁to ▁supp lement ▁their ▁existing ▁di ets ▁with ▁c ere al ▁gra ins ▁and ▁other ▁domestic ated ▁cro ps ▁rather ▁than ▁to ▁rely ▁upon ▁cro ps ▁exclus ively . ▁ ▁He ▁thinks ▁adapt ability ▁in ▁subs istence ▁strateg ies ▁was ▁a ▁better ▁option ▁than ▁early ▁agricult ure ▁for ▁our ▁ancest ors . ▁ ▁Chapter ▁ 2 . ▁Land sc aping ▁the