Phytochemical Diversity in Tracing Convergent Evolution in Apiaceae
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Phytochemical Diversity in Tracing Convergent Evolution in Apiaceae Saubhik Das1
Received: 1 June 2017 / Revised: 3 January 2020 / Accepted: 11 January 2020 Ó The National Academy of Sciences, India 2020
Abstract In Apiaceae particularly in the subfamily Apioideae, molecular data provide little support for interpretation on phylogeny. The application of phytochemical components as individual character or character state is rare in taxonomy, not evidenced in Apiaceae. In the present investigation, phytochemical diversity along with general plant morphology including seedling morphology was considered to study the relative closeness among ten selected members of Apiaceae, as a sample study. Long Coriander and Coriander belonging to two different subfamilies of Apiaceae appeared morphologically quite divergent but phytochemically much alike having similar aroma indicating a classical example of convergent evolution. Keywords Apiaceae Phytochemical diversity Morphology Dendrograms Convergent evolution
The family Apiaceae traditionally is divided into three subfamilies (Hydrocotyloideae, Saniculoideae and Apioideae) and 12 tribes as proposed by Drude [1]. A recent cladistic analysis of data derived from nuclear ribosomal DNA internal transcribed spacer [2], rbcL [3] and matK [4] sequences provided little support for Drude’s system of classification, based largely on morphological and anatomical characters of the fruits.
& Saubhik Das [email protected] 1
Department of Botany, Taki Government College (Affiliated to West Bengal State University), Taki, North 24 Parganas, WB, India
Beside morphological and molecular parameters, phytochemical components present in the essential oil fractions can be used as good chemo-taxonomical markers to classify as well as trace the evolutionary trend in aromatic Apiaceae, especially in Apioideae. Capillary gas chromatographic fingerprinting of the fatty acid composition of seed oil, particularly the presence of peaks representing usual fatty acids, can be used in chemotaxonomic studies [5]. In the present investigation, ten different aromatic members of Apiaceae have been selected to study their interrelationship and probable phylogeny employing the parameters like general plant morphology, seedling morphology and GC-MS analysis of essential oil fractions extracted from dried leaves. The materials considered in the present investigation were—Long Coriander or Culantro (Eryngium foetidum L.) belonging to Apiaceae subfamily Saniculoideae, Coriander or Cilantro (Coriandrum sativum L.), Parsley (Petroselinum crispum [Mill.] Nyman ex A.W. Hill), Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare Mill.), Ajwain (Trachyspermum ammi Sprague), Radhuni (Trachyspermum roxburghianum (DC) Craib), Cumin (Cuminum cyminum L.), Carrot (Daucus carota L.), Celery (Apium graveolens var. dulce (Mill.) Pers.) and Dill (Anethum graveolens L.) all belonging to Apiaceae subfamily Apioideae. Two-week-old seedlings of each member were studied, and data were taken in terms of cotyledon shape, apex, coty
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