Do Cultivated Varieties of Native Plants Have the Ability to Outperform Their Wild Relatives?

Abstract

Vast amounts of cultivars of native plants are annually introduced into the semi-natural range of their wild relatives for re-vegetation and restoration. As cultivars are often selected towards enhanced biomass production and might transfer these traits into wild relatives by hybridization, it is suggested that cultivars and the wild × cultivar hybrids are competitively superior to their wild relatives. The release of such varieties may therefore result in unintended changes in native vegetation. In this study we examined for two species frequently used in re-vegetation (Plantago lanceolata and Lotus corniculatus) whether cultivars and artificially generated intra-specific wild × cultivar hybrids may produce a higher vegetative and generative biomass than their wilds. For that purpose a competition experiment was conducted for two growing seasons in a common garden. Every plant type was growing (a.) alone, (b.) in pairwise combination with a similar plant type and (c.) in pairwise interaction with a different plant type. When competing with wilds cultivars of both species showed larger biomass production than their wilds in the first year only and hybrids showed larger biomass production than their wild relatives in both study years. As biomass production is an important factor determining fitness and competitive ability, we conclude that cultivars and hybrids are competitively superior their wild relatives. However, cultivars of both species experienced large fitness reductions (nearly complete mortality in L. corniculatus) due to local climatic conditions. We conclude that cultivars are good competitors only as long as they are not subjected to stressful environmental factors. As hybrids seemed to inherit both the ability to cope with the local climatic conditions from their wild parents as well as the enhanced competitive strength from their cultivars, we regard them as strong competitors and assume that they are able to outperform their wilds at least over the short-term.

Response of bluebunch wheatgrass to invasion: Differences in competitive ability among invader‐experienced and invader‐naïve populations

“…However, this may not be true for all cultivars as competitiveness against invasive species is not an explicit selection criterion during breeding (Shwartz, ). Understanding the potential benefits of cultivars in terms of increased competitiveness in highly invaded areas is critical in determining when their use is appropriate, given concerns that they reduce genetic diversity and result in a loss of locally adapted genotypes in their wild progenitors (Schroder & Prasse, , ).…”

“…competitive ability, cultivar, invasive species, native plant materials, population differentiation, Pseudoroegneria spicata, suppression, tolerance increased competitiveness in highly invaded areas is critical in determining when their use is appropriate, given concerns that they reduce genetic diversity and result in a loss of locally adapted genotypes in their wild progenitors (Schroder & Prasse, 2013a, 2013b.…”

Plant community response to switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) population source in establishing prairies

“…Cultivated varieties (cultivars) are products of deliberate selection on particular traits that, when grown in environments to which they are adapted, consistently express high values of those traits (Lesica and Allendorf 1999). Differences in performance between cultivars and non-selected strains have been documented in various species (Gustafson et al 2004, Jakubowski et al 2011, Schr€ oder and Prasse 2013, Herget et al 2015. Differences in performance between cultivars and non-selected strains have been documented in various species (Gustafson et al 2004, Jakubowski et al 2011, Schr€ oder and Prasse 2013, Herget et al 2015.…”

Phylogenetic diversity reveals hidden patterns related to population source and species pools during restoration

“…The outcome of intraspecific genetic variation between local (ecotypes) and non‐local (cultivar) propagule sources can have ecological consequences on community structure (Bailey et al . ; Johnson, Vellend & Stinchcombe ; Schröder & Prasse ). There are differences between local ecotypes and cultivars in their competitive ability and physiological characteristics (Gustafson, Gibson & Nickrent ; Lambert, Baer & Gibson ; Wilson et al .…”