Inferring ancientAgavecultivation practices from contemporary genetic patterns

Abstract

Several Agave species have played an important ethnobotanical role since prehistory in Mesoamerica and semiarid areas to the north, including central Arizona. We examined genetic variation in relict Agave parryi populations northeast of the Mogollon Rim in Arizona, remnants from anthropogenic manipulation over 600 years ago. We used both allozymes and microsatellites to compare genetic variability and structure in anthropogenically manipulated populations with putative wild populations, to assess whether they were actively cultivated or the result of inadvertent manipulation, and to determine probable source locations for anthropogenic populations. Wild populations were more genetically diverse than anthropogenic populations, with greater expected heterozygosity, polymorphic loci, effective number of alleles and allelic richness. Anthropogenic populations exhibited many traits indicative of past active cultivation: fixed heterozygosity for several loci in all populations (nonexistent in wild populations); fewer multilocus genotypes, which differed by fewer alleles; and greater differentiation among populations than was characteristic of wild populations. Furthermore, manipulated populations date from a period when changes in the cultural context may have favoured active cultivation near dwellings. Patterns of genetic similarity among populations suggest a complex anthropogenic history. Anthropogenic populations were not simply derived from the closest wild A. parryi stock; instead they evidently came from more distant, often more diverse, wild populations, perhaps obtained through trade networks in existence at the time of cultivation.

Forest Restoration in a Fog Oasis: Evidence Indicates Need for Cultural Awareness in Constructing the Reference

“…Trees vegetatively propagated by man often exhibit a low reduction in genetic diversity relative to wild ancestors [44]. Alternatively, cultivation practices may have locally increased genetic diversity, as farmers enable hybridization between sympatric plants, or introduce new stock from wild populations by trading, or by including landraces for different uses, or simply to hedge their bets [45], [46].…”

Genomic resources and transcriptome mining in Agave tequilana

“…More recently, molecular-genetic techniques have been employed to study the taxonomy, diversity and evolution of the Agavaceae (Colunga-GarciaMarin et al, 1999;Eguiarte et al, 1999;Martinez-Palacios et al, 1999;Piven et al, 2001;Navarro-Quezada et al, 2003;Gil-Vega et al, 2006;Good-Avila et al, 2006;Bousios et al, 2007;Gil-Vega 2007;Abraham-Juarez et al, 2009;Parker et al, 2010). Concerns have been raised over the very narrow germplasm pool exploited for Agave plants used in commercial applications, since plants are asexually propagated and for tequila production by law only a single genotype (A. tequilana Weber var.…”

Molecular characterization of beast’s maguey (Agave antillarum Descourt), in the Dominican Republic

“…Although there are no reports of the genetic characteristics of the species of Agave in the Dominican Republic and their molecular characterization, the reports on these issues are abundant in the scientific literature for many species of this genus that grow in several areas of the world [3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13].…”