The researchers looked at Theobroma cacao, the source of chocolate, and analyzed both its chloroplasts and nuclear DNA. They found that the genus Theobroma split from the genus Herrania around 12.7 Ma, and that Theobroma had a faster rate of diversification compared to other branches in its family.
The study also found that T. cacao diversified from its “most recent common ancestor” 9.9 Ma, and said that this means that it has had a lot of time to end up with a significant diversity within its own species.
This finding means good news for the chocolate industry and agriculture—most plantations only use a small percentage of the diversity available, and this lack of variation in cultivated cacao plants means that they’re vulnerable to pests and diseases and may not be able to adapt to climate change.
“Studies of the evolutionary history of economically important groups are vital to develop agricultural industries, and demonstrate the importance of conserving biodiversity to contribute towards sustainable development,” said Dr. James Richardson, lead author of the study and a tropical botanist at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. “Here we show for the first time that the source of chocolate, Theobroma cacao, is remarkably old for an Amazonian plant species.”
The study said that wild varieties of T. cacao could be used to introduce greater diversity in plantations. — Bea Montenegro/TJD, GMA News
source: gmanetwork.com
