Plant & Animal Genomes XVII Conference Plant & Animal Genomes XVII ConferenceJanuary 10-14, 2009
Town & Country Convention Center
San Diego, CA
François Anthony , Marie-Christine Combes , Philippe Lashermes
Coffee species belong to the Rubiaceae family, one of the largest tropical angiosperm families. All species are perennial woody bushes or trees, which differ greatly in morphology, size and ecological adaptations. Two genera, Coffea L. and Psilanthus Hook. f., are distinguished based on flowering and flower characteristics. Both genera are naturally found in tropical Africa, Coffea occurring also in Madagascar, Grande Comore and the Mascarenes, and Psilanthus in South-East Asia, Oceania and North Australia. Particular attention has been paid to the Coffea subgenus Coffea (103 species), which comprises the majority of species, including those of economic importance, C. arabica and C. canephora. A molecular phylogenetic analysis of Coffea subgenus Coffea was undertaken using data of plastid DNA sequences. Sequences of intergenic spacers from a total of 69 Coffea species were used for phylogenetic reconstruction using parsimony analyses. The low rate of homoplasy and the low number of characters supporting the main branches confirmed the hypothesis of a rapid and radial mode of speciation in Coffea subgenus Coffea. Distribution of main clades suggested the Lower Guinea as centre of origin of Coffea subgenus Coffea. Based on analyses of colonisation of volcanic islands in Indian Ocean and fossil pollen records in a related genus, a recent divergence time of about 150,000-350,000 yr BP was estimated for Coffea species.