Wang Hua, Caetano-Andrade Victor, Boivin Nicole, Clement Charles R, Ayala Wellyngton Espindola, Melinski Ramiro Dario, da Silva Costa Francislaide, Weigel Detlef, Roberts Patrick
Department of Molecular Biology, Max Planck Institute for Biology Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany; College of Horticulture and Forestry sciences, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, Hubei, China.
Department of Coevolution of Land Use and Urbanisation, Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology, 07745 Jena, Germany; Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology, 07745 Jena, Germany.
Curr Biol. 2025 Feb 3;35(3):629-639.e4. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2024.12.023. Epub 2025 Jan 24.
The Amazon rainforest is characterized by a limited number of hyperdominant trees that play an oversized role in its ecosystems, nutrient cycle, and rainfall production. Some of these, such as the Brazil nut, appear to have been intensively exploited and dispersed by Indigenous populations since their earliest arrival in this part of South America around 13,000 years ago. However, the genetic diversity-and geographic structure-of these species remains poorly understood, as does their exact relationship with past human land use. We use a new genome assembly for Brazil nut to analyze 270 individuals sampled at areas with varying intensities of archaeological evidence. We demonstrate that overall low genetic diversity, with a notable decrease since the Late Pleistocene, is accompanied by significant geographic structure, where evidence for improved gene flow and regeneration by long-term traditional human management is linked to increased genetic diversity. We argue that historical perspectives on the genetic diversity of key tree species, such as the Brazil nut, can support the development of more active management strategies today.
亚马逊雨林的特点是少数超级优势树种在其生态系统、养分循环和降雨形成中发挥着超大作用。其中一些树种，如巴西坚果，自约13000年前首批原住民抵达南美洲这一地区以来，似乎就受到了他们的大量开发和传播。然而，这些物种的遗传多样性和地理结构，以及它们与过去人类土地利用的确切关系，仍然鲜为人知。我们利用新组装的巴西坚果基因组，分析了在考古证据强度不同的地区采集的270个个体。我们证明，总体遗传多样性较低，自晚更新世以来显著下降，同时伴随着显著的地理结构，长期传统人类管理促进基因流动和再生的证据与遗传多样性增加有关。我们认为，对巴西坚果等关键树种遗传多样性的历史观点，有助于当今制定更积极的管理策略。
