Poster Session 1.3 Biodiversity and ecosystem services Lisa Stefanie Lautz from Kassel University, Germany, presented her poster about the Mexican local crop ‘Nance’ (Byrsonima crassifolia) today. This plant is cultivated in home gardens and the tropical fruits are eaten and sold on local markets. Byrsonima occurs in Central and South America and is a member of the “acerola” family of Malpighiaceae. In Yucatán it has nearly disappeared from the wild... Main Points: - Nance in Yucatán is rare in the wild today because of overexploitation and other impact factors - It is still conserved in home gardens - The research project carried out genetic (microsatellite) and morphological investigations - Even in the investigation area, the genetic and morphological diversity is so high that two different groups can be distinguished - Further studies are needed and would be interesting Key Messages: - We (humans) protect what we eat (in this case plants) - Endangered species can survive in local home gardens - Genetic diversity can save species from extinction in face of environmental changes - New subspecies may be undiscovered, and their genes may help us breed new resistant food varieties More information about Nance
#foodsecurity #agrobiodiversity #conservation #wildcrop #tropicalfruittree