Expansion of acai fruit and heart-of-palm production promotes hybridization and introgression in Euterpe palms.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Palms of the genus Euterpe have multiple uses and hold great ecological and socioeconomic importance. Euterpe edulis is a key species in the Atlantic Forest, providing food for many animal species. The açaí palms, E. oleracea and E. precatoria, are essential in traditional Amazonian food and medicine. However, increasing demand for açaí fruit and heart-of-palm has led to the expansion of E. oleracea plantations into both the Amazon and the Atlantic Forest, raising concerns about hybridization and introgression among species.

Results

Using single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers, we found that putative Euterpe hybrids exhibit higher genomic diversity than their parental species. Population structure analyses revealed that these individuals occupy intermediate

SUBMITTER: Francisconi AF 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12751509 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature