Data from: A Mesoamerican origin of cherimoya (Annona cherimola Mill.). Implications for the conservation of plant genetic resources

Knowledge on the structure and distribution of genetic diversity is a key aspect in order to plan and execute an efficient conservation and utilization of the genetic resources of any crop as well as for determining historical demographic inferences. In this work, a large data set of 1765 accessions of cherimoya (Annona cherimola Mill, Annonaceae), an underutilized fruit tree crop native to the neotropics and used as a food source by pre-Columbian cultures, was collected from 6 different countries across the American continent and amplified with 9 highly informative microsatellite markers. The structure analyses, fine representation of the genetic diversity and an ABC approach suggest a Mesoamerican origin of the crop, contrary to previous reports, with clear implications for the dispersion of plant germplasm between Central and South America in pre-Columbian times. These results together with the potential distribution of the species in a climatic change context using two different climate models provide new insights for the history and conservation of extant genetic resources of cherimoya that can be applied to other currently underutilized woody perennial crops.

阐明遗传多样性的结构与分布特征，是规划并高效保护与利用作物遗传资源，以及开展历史种群人口统计学推断的核心环节。本研究从美洲大陆6个国家采集了1765份毛叶番荔枝（Annona cherimola Mill.，番荔枝科）种质资源（accessions），该作物为原产于新热带区的未充分利用果树，曾在前哥伦布时期被原住民文明用作食物来源；研究采用9个高信息性微卫星标记（microsatellite markers）对其进行扩增分析。群体结构分析、精细的遗传多样性解析以及近似贝叶斯计算（Approximate Bayesian Computation，ABC）方法结果表明，该作物的起源地为中美洲，这与此前的研究结论相悖，该结果对明确前哥伦布时期美洲中部与南部之间的植物种质扩散模式具有重要启示。本研究结合两种不同气候模型，模拟了该物种在气候变化情景下的潜在分布区；上述研究结果为毛叶番荔枝现存遗传资源的演化历史与保护策略提供了新的认识，该研究思路与成果可推广应用于其他目前尚未充分开发利用的多年生木本作物。