研究人员的群体遗传分析表明，现代玉米的起源可以追溯到驯化开始约4000年后，墨西哥高地的古代玉米和墨西哥玉米之间的混杂。研究分析表明，掺杂变异是玉米多样性的关键组成部分，无论是在单个基因位点上，还是在农艺性状的加性遗传变异上都是如此。这些研究结果澄清了现代玉米的起源，并提出了有关在整个美洲扩散的人为机制的新问题。
研究人员表示，近一个世纪以来，玉米的起源一直是激烈争论的话题，但目前的遗传模式和早期的考古模式都无法解释现有的全部数据，而最近的工作则强调了野生近缘种玉米（Zea mays ssp. mexicana）的潜在贡献。
附：英文原文
Title: Two teosintes made modern maize
Author: Ning Yang, Yuebin Wang, Xiangguo Liu, Minliang Jin, Miguel Vallebueno-Estrada, Erin Calfee, Lu Chen, Brian P. Dilkes, Songtao Gui, Xingming Fan, Thomas K. Harper, Douglas J. Kennett, Wenqiang Li, Yanli Lu, Junqiang Ding, Ziqi Chen, Jingyun Luo, Sowmya Mambakkam, Mitra Menon, Samantha Snodgrass, Carl Veller, Shenshen Wu, Siying Wu, Lin Zhuo, Yingjie Xiao, Xiaohong Yang, Michelle C. Stitzer, Daniel Runcie, Jianbing Yan, Jeffrey Ross-Ibarra
Issue&Volume: 2023-12-01
Abstract: The origins of maize were the topic of vigorous debate for nearly a century, but neither the current genetic model nor earlier archaeological models account for the totality of available data, and recent work has highlighted the potential contribution of a wild relative, Zea mays ssp. mexicana. Our population genetic analysis reveals that the origin of modern maize can be traced to an admixture between ancient maize and Zea mays ssp. mexicana in the highlands of Mexico some 4000 years after domestication began. We show that variation in admixture is a key component of maize diversity, both at individual loci and for additive genetic variation underlying agronomic traits. Our results clarify the origin of modern maize and raise new questions about the anthropogenic mechanisms underlying dispersal throughout the Americas.
DOI: adg8940
Source: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adg8940