Gourds Afloat: A Dated Phylogeny Reveals An Asian Origin Of The Gourd Family (Cucurbitaceae) And Numerous Oversea Dispersal Events

Main Category: Biology / Biochemistry
Also Included In: Veterinary
Article Date: 26 Nov 2008 - 4:00 PDT

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Knowing the geographic origin of certain plant groups is important for genetic improvement and conservation. We address the history of the economically important gourd family, Cucurbitaceae, using a multi-gene phylogeny for 114 of the 115 genera and 25% of the 960 species.

Our results reveal an Asian origin in the Late Cretaceous, followed by the repeated spread to Africa, America, and Australia via transoceanic long distance dispersal (LDD).

North American cucurbits stem from at least seven range expansions of Central and South American lineages; Madagascar was colonized 13 times from Africa; Australia was reached twelve times from Southeast Asia.

Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences

Proceedings B is the Royal Society's flagship biological research journal, dedicated to the rapid publication and broad dissemination of high-quality research papers, reviews and comment and reply papers. The scope of journal is diverse and is especially strong in organismal biology.

Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences

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