Phylogeny and Biogeography of Morus (Moraceae)

Abstract

The mulberry genus, Morus L. (Moraceae), has long been taxonomically difficult, and its species circumscription has only been defined recently. This genus comprises ca. 16 species distributed across Asia and the Americas, yet its biogeographic history remains poorly understood. In this study, we reconstructed the phylogeny and explored the biogeographic history of Morus using a combination of newly generated and previously published Hyb-Seq data. Our nuclear phylogeny recovered three well-supported geographic clades of Morus and showed that M. notabilis (China) is sister to the American clade plus the Asian clade. Multiple reticulation events among species of Morus and extensive incomplete lineage sorting (ILS) likely explain the difficulties in inferring phylogenetic relationships within the genus. Divergence time estimation indicated that Morus originated at the Eocene–Oligocene boundary, and current lineages started to diverge during the early Miocene, there is ambiguity surrounding the ancestral area with the two most likely regions being Sino-Himalaya or the Americas. Biogeographic inference and the fossil record suggest that Morus might have experienced extensive local extinction events during the Tertiary. Morus has expanded its distributional range through two dispersals from the Sino-Himalayan and Sino-Japanese regions to Southeast Asia. In summary, our new phylogenetic scheme and the biogeographic history presented here provide an essential foundation for understanding species relationships and the evolutionary history of Morus.

Potential Role and Mechanism of Mulberry Extract in Immune Modulation: Focus on Chemical Compositions, Mechanistic Insights, and Extraction Techniques

“…Mulberry species are found in tropical, subtropical, and temperate climates across the world. However, the plant is more common in Asian nations like China, Japan, Korea, and India [7,8]. Mulberries, as fresh fruits, are edible and collected for food production, including juice, jam, and jelly.…”

Enhancing Efficiency of Enzymatic-Assisted Extraction Method for Evaluating Bioactive Compound Analysis in Mulberry: An Optimization Approach

“…Predominantly indigenous to China, various components of the tree, including its bark, branches, and leaves, have been utilized for medicinal purposes [1,2]. Conversely, in many European countries, the cultivation of mulberries focuses on the production of its fruit [3,4].…”