Morphological Differentiation of Proboscidea Parviflora Ssp. Parviflora (Martyniaceae) Under Domestication

Abstract

Aboriginal groups in the southwestern United States have grown Proboscidea parviflora ssp. parviflora for basketry fiber. It has been hypothesized that cultivated plants of this subspecies with white seeds and long‐clawed fruit (which provide the fiber) have been domesticated. Cluster, multiple discriminant, and unvariate statistical analyses presented here show that the putative domesticate is indeed morphologically distinct from “wild” plants. It has clearly been domesticated, and has diverged from wild populations to the extent that a new variety, var. Hohokamiana, is proposed for the domesticate. Wild and domesticated varieties differ especially in seed color, rostrum, crest, style, and anther lengths. Most characteristics of the wild variety seem to be genetically dominant to those of the domesticate, which may account for absence of a weedy form intermediate between the wild and domesticated varieties. The wild variety is morphologically more variable than the domesticate, probably because of its broader geographical range and its intergradation with another subspecies. Ethnological data and the variational patterns reported here suggest that the domesticate originated in southern Arizonanorthern Sonora, but probably not north of that region.

Trade‐offs in host use by Manduca sexta: plant characters vs natural enemies

“…Like other members of the genus, it has glandular trichomes with a sticky exudate. As well as the natural wild form, there are varieties with different morphologies grown under cultivation by native Americans (Bretting 1982). We studied only the wild plants.…”

Cell differentiation and tissue formation in the unique fruits of devil's claws (Martyniaceae)

“…It must therefore be concluded that the present evolutionary pressure on plants of Ibicella and Proboscidea decreased, and may adapt due to the influence of livestock. Currently, especially Proboscidea is weedy (certainly due to some seeds simply falling out of capsules), and common in disturbed, arid habitats or grassland vegetation (Bretting, 1982; Riffle et al, 1988; Ihlenfeldt, 2004a). Grazing animals such as cattle, desert bighorn sheep, antelope, and deer are proposed as vectors (Armstrong, 1999).…”

“…Reliable data on the plant–animal interactions, however, are scarce. Possible changes in fruit shape must also be considered, as occurred for plants of Proboscidea parviflora under domestication by indigenous people, who used stripped fiber bundles from fruit horns for basketry (Nabhan et al, 1981; Bretting, 1986, 1986; Nabhan and Rea, 1987). The extensions of capsules increased in length, but became smaller in width disproportional to their fruit body.…”

Genética evolutiva del proceso de domesticación en plantas

“…La imp ortancia de este e nfoque resid e e n que profundizan e n e l análi sis d e la variació n mor fo lógica in fraespecífica, pro curand o incluir poblaciones con diferente historia de m an ej o e inte racció n co n poblacion es human as . También ha sido del interés el e este tipo ele estu dios co no ce r la influe n cia de los factores ambie ntales (bióticos y a bióticos) más importantes vincul ad os con ac tividades agríco las y su re lac ión con eventos el e d omesticac ió n. Algun os ejemplos de es te enfoq ue se han realizado co n esp ec ies de l sur de Es tados Unidos y México: Bretting (1982; ele Ries be rg y Seiler ( 1990) con el "girasol" (Helianth:u.s annuu.s L., Asteraceae), para determin ar su ruta ele evolución bajo domesticación y el probable sitio ele domesticación; d e Grun ( 1990) con la "papa" (Solanum tuberoswn L. (Solanaceae), para determinar el origen d e la papa cultivada, y ele Wilson ( 1990) con el género ChenojJodiurn (Chenopocliaceae) analizando la variación e n la morfología foliar, caracteres agronómicos (p.ej., resiste ncia a plagas), estudio que, entre otras cosas, pe1·mitió dete rminar los eve ntos ele diferenciación en tre las poblac iones silvestres/ mal ezas y dom es ti cadas dentro de cada sección del género. Dentro de los e studios biosiste máticos, la citogenética ha constituíclo una herramienta básica para en tende r las relaciones filogenéticas entre las plantas domesticadas y sus parientes silvestres.…”

“…Promedio (] cápsula Para ilustrar las co rrelaciones fenotípicas entre caracteres, tomemos el estudio realizado con la "uña ele gato" (Proboscidea parviflora (Bretting, 1982;, planta de cuyos frutos se obtiene fibra para elaborar cestas (figura l) . Se analizaron bajo condiciones controladas, poblaciones silvestres, malezoides y cultivad as del sur ele Estados Unidos y Norte ele México.…”