No abstract

Clonal growth in introduced populations of Japanese Knotweed (Fallopia juponicu) in Britain was assessed using RAPDs (Randomly Amplified Polymorphic DNA). A total of 150 British samples was analysed for genetic variation using ten arbitrary decamer primers, and compared with data from 16 samples of other introduced populations from Europe and the U.S.A. All samples produced an identical multi-primer RAPD profile. Accepting that RAPD profile identity need not equate to genet identity, based on the sensitivity of these markers for detecting genetic diversity in related taxa and on the absence of male fertile individuals of this species in Britain, we interpret this result as consistent with the presence of a single, exceptionally widespread clone. This clone must represent one of the world's largest vascular 8 ZOO0 The Linnean Society of London plants.

The invasion of NW Europe by a single clone of male-sterile Fallopia japonica var. japonica by purely vegetative reproduction has demonstrated that reproduction by seed and the genetic diversity associated with it may not be an essential feature of plant invasions, at least in the short term.

Abstract. The relationship between present climate and the distribution in Europe of the aggressively invasive exotic Fallopia japonica is described by fitting a response surface based on three bioclimatic variables: mean temperature of the coldest month, the annual temperature sum > 5 °C, and the ratio of actual to potential evapotranspiration. The close fit between the observed and simulated distributions suggests that the species' European distribution is climatically determined. The response surface also provides a simulation of the extent of the area of native distribution of F. japonica in Southeast Asia that is generally accurate, confirming the robustness of the static correlative model upon which it is based. Simulations of the potential distribution of F. japonica under two alternative 2 x CO2 climate change scenarios indicate the likelihood of considerable spread into higher latitudes and possible eventual exclusion of the species from central Europe. However, despite the robustness of the response surface with present‐day climate, the reliability of these simulations as forecasts is likely to be limited because no account is taken of the direct effects of CO2 and their interaction with the species' physiological responses to climate. Similarly, no account is taken of the potential impact of interactions with ‘new’ species as ecosystems change in composition in response to climate change. Nevertheless, the simulations indicate both the possible magnitude of the impacts of forecast climate changes and the regions that may be susceptible to invasion by F. japonica.

Japanese knotweeds are among the most invasive organisms in the world. Their recent expansion into salt marsh habitat provides a unique opportunity to investigate how invasives establish in new environments. We used morphology, cytology, and AFLP genotyping to identify taxa and clonal diversity in roadside and salt marsh populations. We conducted a greenhouse study to determine the ability to tolerate salt and whether salt marsh populations are more salt tolerant than roadside populations as measured by the efficiency of PSII, leaf area, succulence, height, root-to-shoot ratio, and total biomass. Clonal diversity was extremely low with one F. japonica clone and five F. ×bohemica genotypes. The two taxa were significantly different in several traits, but did not vary in biomass or plasticity of any trait. All traits were highly plastic in response to salinity, but differed significantly among genets. Despite this variation, plants from the salt marsh habitats did not perform better in the salt treatment, suggesting that they are not better adapted to tolerate salt. Instead, our data support the hypothesis that plasticity in salt tolerance traits may allow these taxa to live in saline habitats without specific adaptation to tolerate salt.

No abstract

Many flowering plants are polyploid, but crosses between individuals of different ploidies produce seeds that develop abnormally and usually abort. Often, seeds from interploidy crosses develop differently depending on whether the mother or father contributes more chromosome sets, suggesting that maternal and paternal genomes are not functionally equivalent. Here we present the first cytological investigation of seed development following interploidy crosses in Arabidopsis thaliana. We find that crosses between diploid and tetraploid plants in either direction, resulting in double the normal dose of maternal or paternal genomes in the seed, produce viable seeds containing triploid embryos. However, development of the seed and in particular the endosperm is abnormal, with maternal and paternal genomic excess producing complementary phenotypes. A double dose of maternal genomes with respect to paternal contribution inhibits endosperm development and ultimately produces a smaller embryo. In contrast, a double dose of paternal genomes promotes growth of the endosperm and embryo. Reciprocal crosses between diploids and hexaploids, resulting in a triple dose of maternal or paternal genomes, produce seeds that begin development with similar but more extreme phenotypes than those with a double dose, but these invariably abort. One explanation of our observations is that seeds with maternal or paternal excess contain different doses of maternally or paternally expressed imprinted loci affecting endosperm development.

Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPDs) and inter‐simple sequence repeats (inter‐SSRs) have been used to study clonal growth and hybridization in some non‐native, gynodioecious, invasive weeds from the genus Fallopia (Polygonaceae). At the study site (the River Kelvin, Glasgow, UK) a single genotype of Japanese knotweed (Fallopia japonica) was detected, consistent with all the individuals sampled being ramets of a single clone. Two genotypes of giant knotweed (F. sachalinensis) were detected, with one genotype accounting for all but one of the samples, again indicative of widespread clonal growth. Five genotypes of the hybrid between Japanese and giant knotweed (F.×bohemica) were recovered. F.×bohemica is the only male‐fertile taxon present at the site and it seems probable that at least some of this genetic variation is attributable to hybrid fertility. A single plant identified using morphological methods as a backcross between F. japonica and F.×bohemica was analysed, and the molecular data were consistent with this theory. A comparison of RAPDs and inter‐SSRs showed that the two techniques gave data that are broadly congruent, and both techniques showed a similar sensitivity in the number of genotypes detected.