Center of diversity

A center of diversity is an area that has a high degree of genetic variation for a particular plant taxon (e.g. family, genus or species) that can also be the center of origin for that group. The two areas often, but not always, coincide; the degree of coincidence remains the subject of debate.^[1][2] In both areas, organisms have had the opportunity over many generations to evolve resistance, via mutation, to their pathogens.^[1]

The term was created by the Russian scientist Nikolai Vavilov and the U.S. scientist Jack Harlan.^[3] Vavilov published a study in 1926 (Studies on the Origin of Cultivated Plants) describing ten such centers:

• 1 - China for lettuce, rhubarb, soybean, and turnip;
• 2 - India for cucumber, rice, mango, and Asian cotton;
• 2a - Indochina for banana, coconut, and rice;
• 3 - Central Asia (north India, Afghanistan, and Turkmenistan) for almond, apple, flax, and lentil;
• 4 - Near East for alfalfa, cabbage, and rye;
• 5 - Coastal and adjacent areas of the Mediterranean Sea for celery, chickpeas, and durum wheat;
• 6 - Ethiopia for coffee, grain sorghum, and pearl millet;
• 7 - Southern Mexico and Middle America for maize, lima bean, papaya, and upland cotton;
• 8 - Northwestern South America (Bolivia, Ecuador, and Peru) for potato, tomato, and long fiber cotton;
• 8a - Isles of Chile for potato.^[3]

Vavilov later modified the concept to include secondary centers of diversity.^[2]

See also

• Biodiversity hotspot
• Coevolution
• Crop diversity
• Domestication

References

1. "Knowledge Test Questions and Answers for Discussion". The American Phytopathological Society. Archived from the original on May 14, 2009. Retrieved 2008-12-18.
2. "Centers of Diversity, Crop Adaptation". Oregon State University. Retrieved 2008-12-18.
3. George Acquaah (2006). Principles of plant genetics and breeding. Blackwell Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4051-3646-4.