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Taxonomic implications of the morphological and genetic variation of cultivated and domesticated populations of the Agave angustifolia complex (Agavoideae, Asparagaceae) in Oaxaca, Mexico

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Abstract

The Agave angustifolia complex, distributed from Mexico to Costa Rica, comprises four species and five varieties, including three species used for mescal production. The complex is represented in the Mexican state of Oaxaca by two wild taxa, A. angustifolia var. angustifolia and A. angustifolia var. rubescens, the cultivated form A. angustifolia “Espadín” and the partially cultivated species A. rodacantha. The aims of this study were to investigate the morphological and genetic variation of the A. angustifolia complex in the state of Oaxaca and to identify traits useful for taxonomic delimitation. Four wild and three cultivated populations of A. angustifolia from Oaxaca, one population of A. tequilana from Guanajuato and one population of A. angustifolia from Sonora were sampled for morphological, genetic and cytometric analyses. We showed that cultivated populations of A. angustifolia “Espadin,” A. rhodacantha and A. tequilana could be clearly differentiated from wild populations. Furthermore, the domesticated populations of A. angustifolia, known locally as “Espadin,” had a higher ploidy level and lower genetic variation than their related wild populations. The population of A. angustifolia from Sonora could be recognized as a different entity. Populations of A. rhodacantha need to be studied throughout their entire distribution area to further evaluate their taxonomic delimitation.

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Acknowledgements

The first author thanks the National Council of Science and Technology for the financial support provided toward his Master’s studies (scholarship number: 384834) and the Biological Sciences graduate program at Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México for its support toward the research residency at the Center for Research and Advanced Studies, Irapuato Unit. We also thank the three anonymous reviewers who enriched this work with their comments and suggestions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Jardín Botánico, Instituto de Biología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico

    Miguel Rivera-Lugo & Abisaí García-Mendoza

  2. Department of Genetic Engineering, Centro de Investigaciones y Estudios Avanzados (Cinvestav), Unidad Irapuato, Mexico

    June Simpson & Katia Gil-Vega

  3. Unidad de investigación en Sistemática Vegetal y Suelo, Facultad de Estudios Superiores Zaragoza, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico

    Eloy Solano

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  1. Miguel Rivera-Lugo
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  2. Abisaí García-Mendoza
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  5. Katia Gil-Vega
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Correspondence to Miguel Rivera-Lugo.

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Handling editor: Ricarda Riina.

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Supplementary material 2 (PDF 132 kb)

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Online resource 1 Table showing the ploidy levels of the taxa analyzed.

Online resource 2 Figure showing the relative DNA content in two of the six populations analyzed (a) Zea mays, (b) Agave angustifolia var. angustifolia (diploid) and (c) A. angustifolia “Espadín” (triploid).

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Rivera-Lugo, M., García-Mendoza, A., Simpson, J. et al. Taxonomic implications of the morphological and genetic variation of cultivated and domesticated populations of the Agave angustifolia complex (Agavoideae, Asparagaceae) in Oaxaca, Mexico. Plant Syst Evol 304, 969–979 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00606-018-1525-0

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