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opencc-zeroDec 2012View details →

Data from: An exotic invader drives the evolution of plant traits that determine mycorrhizal fungal diversity in a native competitor.

The symbiosis between land plants and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) is one of the most widespread and ancient mutualisms on the planet. However, relatively little is known about the evolution of these symbiotic plant-fungal interactions in natural communities. In this study, we investigated the symbiotic AMF communities of populations of the native plant species Pilea pumila (Urticaceae) with varying histories of coexistence with an non-mycorrhizal invasive species, Alliaria petiolata (Brassicaceae), known to affect mycorrhizal communities. We found that native populations of P. pumila with a long history of coexistence with the invasive species developed more diverse symbiotic AMF communities. This effect was strongest when A. petiolata plants were actively growing with the natives, and in soils with the longest history of A. petiolata growth. These results suggest that despite the ancient and widespread nature of the plant-AMF symbiosis, the plant traits responsible for symbiotic preferences can nevertheless evolve rapidly in response to environmental changes.

opencc-zeroDec 2015View details →

Data from: Linking native and invader traits explains native spider population responses to plant invasion

Theoretically, the functional traits of native species should determine how natives respond to invader-driven changes. To explore this idea, we simulated a large-scale plant invasion using dead spotted knapweed (Centaurea stoebe) stems to determine if native spiders' web-building behaviors could explain differences in spider population responses to structural changes arising from C. stoebe invasion. After two years, irregular web-spiders were >30 times more abundant and orb weavers were >23 times more abundant on simulated invasion plots compared to controls. Additionally, irregular web-spiders on simulated invasion plots built webs that were 4.4 times larger and 5.0 times more likely to capture prey, leading to >2-fold increases in recruitment. Orb-weavers showed no differences in web size or prey captures between treatments. Web-spider responses to simulated invasion mimicked patterns following natural invasions, confirming that C. stoebe's architecture is likely the primary attribute driving native spider responses to these invasions. Differences in spider responses were attributable to differences in web construction behaviors relative to historic web substrate constraints. Orb-weavers in this system constructed webs between multiple plants, so they were limited by the overall quantity of native substrates but not by the architecture of individual native plant species. Irregular web-spiders built their webs within individual plants and were greatly constrained by the diminutive architecture of native plant substrates, so they were limited both by quantity and quality of native substrates. Evaluating native species traits in the context of invader-driven change can explain invasion outcomes and help to identify factors limiting native populations.

opencc-zeroDec 2009View details →

Data from: The making of a rapid plant invader: genetic diversity and differentiation in the native and invaded range of Senecio inaequidens

To become invasive, exotic species have to succeed in the consecutive phases of introduction, naturalization and invasion. Each of these phases leaves traces in genetic structure, which may affect the species' success in subsequent phases. We examine this interplay of genetic structure and invasion dynamics in the South African Ragwort (Senecio inaequidens), one of Europe's fastest plant invaders. We used AFLP and microsatellite markers to analyze 19 native African and 32 invasive European populations. In combination with historic data, we distinguished invasion routes and traced them back to the native source areas. This revealed that different introduction sites had markedly different success in the three invasion phases. Notably, an observed lag-phase in Northern Germany was evidently not terminated by factors increasing the invasiveness of the resident population but by invasive spread from another introduction centre. The lineage invading Central Europe was introduced to sites in which winters are more benign than in the native source region. Subsequently, this lineage spread into areas in which winter temperatures match the native climate more closely. Genetic diversity clearly increases with population age in Europe and less clearly decreases with spread rate up to population establishment. This indicates that gene flow along well-connected invasion routes counteracted losses of genetic diversity during rapid spread. In summary, this study suggests that multiple introductions, environmental preadaptation and high gene flow along invasion routes contributed to the success of this rapid invader. More generally, it demonstrates the benefit of combining genetic, historical and climatic data for understanding biological invasions.

FIGURE 3 in DNA analysis of a non-native lineage of Sinanodonta woodiana species complex (Bivalvia: Unionidae) from Middle Asia supports the Chinese origin of the European invaders

FIGURE 3. Shell of a specimen of Sinanodonta cf. gibba (Benson in Cantor, 1842) from the Amu Darya River. Scale bar = 3 cm. (Photo: Ekaterina Konopleva).

FIGURE 5 in DNA analysis of a non-native lineage of Sinanodonta woodiana species complex (Bivalvia: Unionidae) from Middle Asia supports the Chinese origin of the European invaders

FIGURE 5. Majority-rule consensus Bayesian phylogenetic tree based on the COI haplotypes of Sinanodonta spp. and related taxa. Numbers close to nodes are Bayesian posterior probabilities. The scale bar indicates the branch length.

FIGURE 4 in DNA analysis of a non-native lineage of Sinanodonta woodiana species complex (Bivalvia: Unionidae) from Middle Asia supports the Chinese origin of the European invaders

FIGURE 4. Median-joining network of the COI sequences of Sinanodonta cf. gibba (Benson in Cantor, 1842) (N = 53; list of additional sequences in Appendix 1). The red numbers near branches indicate the numbers of nucleotide substitutions between haplotypes. Size of circles corresponds to the number of available sequences for each haplotype (smallest circle = 1 sequence).

FIGURE 2 in DNA analysis of a non-native lineage of Sinanodonta woodiana species complex (Bivalvia: Unionidae) from Middle Asia supports the Chinese origin of the European invaders

FIGURE 2. Habitat of Sinanodonta cf. gibba (Benson in Cantor, 1842) from Uzbekistan: a floodplain lake of the Amu Darya River near the town of Xonqa. (Photo: Alexey Chernyak).

FIGURE 1 in DNA analysis of a non-native lineage of Sinanodonta woodiana species complex (Bivalvia: Unionidae) from Middle Asia supports the Chinese origin of the European invaders

FIGURE 1. Distribution range of Sinanodonta cf. gibba (Benson in Cantor, 1842) in Uzbekistan. The red circle indicates our sequenced record from the Amu Darya River and the blue circles indicate published records (Appendix 2). The color hatching indicates the corresponding river drainage basins.

opencc-zeroDec 2015View details →

Data from: Introduced Scotch broom (Cytisus scoparius) invades the genome of native populations in vulnerable heathland habitats

Cytisus scoparius is a global invasive species that affects local flora and fauna at the intercontinental level. Its natural distribution spans across Europe, but seeds have also been moved among countries, mixing plants of native and non-native genetic origins. Hybridization between the introduced and native gene pool is likely to threaten both the native gene pool and the local flora. In this study, we address the potential threat of invasive C. scoparius to local gene pools in vulnerable heathlands. We used nuclear single nucleotide polymorphic (SNP) and simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers together with plastid SSR and indel markers to investigate the level and direction of gene flow between invasive and native heathland C. scoparius. Analyses of population structures confirmed the presence of two gene pools: one native and the other invasive. The nuclear genome of the native types was highly introgressed with the invasive genome, and we observed advanced-generation hybrids, suggesting that hybridization has been occurring for several generations. There is asymmetrical gene flow from the invasive to the native gene pool, which can be attributed to higher fecundity in the invasive individuals, measured by the number of flowers and seed pods. Strong spatial genetic structure in plastid markers and weaker structure in nuclear markers suggest that seeds spread over relatively short distances and that gene flow over longer distances is mainly facilitated by pollen dispersal. We further show that the growth habits of heathland plants become more vigorous with increased introgression from the invaders. Implications of the findings are discussed in relation to future management of invading C. scoparius.