My research question was “which traits have humans artificially selected for in

commercial strawberries?” To examine this I first researched the origin of the strawberry.
The strawberry belongs to the Fragaria genus, which is believed to have originated
approximately 7.99 million years ago. Genetic diversity exploded around 3.98 million
years ago due to a vicariance event of a rapid uplift of a plateau in East Asia (Qioa et al.
2010). One study synthesized transcriptomes of 7 members of the Fragaria genus and
constructed a phylogenetic tree with the results. The results showed strawberries
originated in East Asia because that was the center of genetic diversity for the Fragaria
genus. Members of the genus also showed positively selected genes for traits of high
abiotic stress tolerance and pathogen resistance (Diamanti et al. 2012). The first
commercial, or cultivated, strawberry was hybridized 250 years ago in a botanical
garden by chance in France. It resulted from a cross between two wild diploid species:
Fragaria chiloensis and Fragaria virgiana. The resulting hybrid offspring became
known as Fragaria xananassa, today’s commercial strawberry (Lerceteau-Köhler et al.
2012).
The wild parent species and the hybrid offspring differ in several ways. First, the
wild parents are diploid while the offspring is octoploid. Linkage maps showed this
polyploidy is a result of four subgenomes inherited from the parents (Qioa et al. 2010).
Other differences are a result of human intervention. Humans commonly select for
desirable agronomic traits, nutritional components, sweeter flavor, aroma, and fruit
quality. Agronomic traits are those that make growing and harvesting the crop easier.
Nutritional components include phytochemical and antioxidant levels. Fruit quality
includes fruit shape, size, and color. One study specifically looked at flavor components.
The study analyzed microarray data that compared gene expression at different stages of
development. The genes analyzed encoded proteins that synthesize terpenoids in wild and
cultivated species. Terpenoid components contribute to the flavor profile of soft fruits.
The study saw that a wide diversity of fruit flavors exist as a result of changing enzyme
localization. As localization changes, different substrates are available to the enzyme,
which results in different products of the enzymatic reaction. Therefore, allowing many
different flavors to exist (Aharoni et al. 2004). In practice, strawberry breeders select
against terpenoid components that give off a turpentine, woody odor in cultivated species.
These components are still present in wild species. Instead, breeders select for terpenoid
components responsible for a citrusy aroma and flavor (Aharoni et al. 2004).
Ideally, breeders wish to grow strawberries efficiently, make them appealing to
consumers, and offer the consumer health benefits. However, this can be difficult to
execute. Genetic diversity is currently lacking in cultivated strawberries, which has led to
an accumulation of deleterious mutations. To combat this, breeders are performing
backcrosses to reintroduce evolved traits of the wild parent species, such as abiotic stress
tolerance and pathogen resistance, into the hybrid species that contains the artificially
selected traits, such as improved flavor, nutritional components, and agronomic traits.
(Diamanti et al. 2012). Another obstacle breeders face is trade-offs. Trade-offs exist
between desirable and undesirable sensorial qualities and nutritional qualities (Diamanti
et al. 2012). Future research should be aimed at limiting the amount of trade-offs present
during fruit breeding, as well as focus on ways to reintroduce genetic diversity back into
the cultivated strawberry species. Without genetic diversity, the fruit is more prone to
extinctions due to infection or predation.
 Works Cited

Aharoni, A., Giri, A., et al. Gain and Loss of Fruit Flavor Compounds Produced by Wild
and Cultivated Strawberry Species. The Plant Cell, American Society of Plant
Biology. November 2004; 16 (11): 3110-3131.

Bombarely, A., Merchante, C., et al. Generation and analysis of ESTs from Strawberry
(Fragaria xananassa) fruits and evaluation of their utility in genetic and
molecular studies. BMC Genomics. 2010; 11: 503.

Diamanti, J., Capocasa, F., et al. Increasing Strawberry Fruit Sensorial and Nutritional
Quality Using Wild and Cultivated Germplasm. Public Library of Science. 3
October 2012: 7 (10).

Lerceteau-Köhler, E., Moing, A. et al. Genetic dissection of fruit quality traits in the
octoploid cultivated strawberry highlights role of homoeo-QTL in their control.
Theoretical and Applied Genetics. 4 January 2012; 124 (6): 1059-1077.

Qioa, Q, Xue, L. et al. Comparative Transciptomics of Strawberries Provides Insights

into Evolutionary Patterns. Frontiers in Plant Science. 17 September 2010; 7
(1839).