Phylogeographical Approaches to the Study of Plant Domestication, with Special Emphasis on Perennial Plants

This chapter analyzes the use of phylogeography for the study of plant domestication as an evolutionary process. First, a synthesis of phylogeography is presented, together with an outline of its main tools, scope, and limitations regarding the study of the origin and evolution of domesticated species. Later, these issues are analyzed in the case of domesticated perennial species, mainly trees. For appraising the value of nuclear and organelle DNA data on the study of domestication processes, we review phylogeographical and genetic studies on ten selected domesticated perennial species from the Old and New World, propagated through cuttings or seeds. Bottlenecks and introgression occurrence, identification of geographical origins, and identity of wild parents are particularly discussed. Finally, the phylogeographical patterns of these species are analyzed in the light of plant domestication theory, making special emphasis on the role of ethnobotanical studies for interpreting genetic data and building new hypothesis and models.