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

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).

More: continued here

Filed under: Biology on November 27th, 2008