The Evolution of an Invasive Plant: An Experimental Study With Silene Latifolia

Blair, Amy C.; Wolfe, Lorne M.

doi:10.1890/04-0341

Cited by 240 publications

(247 citation statements)

References 47 publications

(46 reference statements)

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“…Interestingly, most of the evidence for phenotypic clines with climate was in Europe, with very few variables approaching significance in North America. Previous studies in S. latifolia have reported divergence in life history traits among European populations (Delph et al, 2002;Wolfe et al, 2004), and one trait (age at first flowering) has previously been shown to exhibit clinal variation with latitude ( Jolivet & Bernasconi, 2007). There is also phenotypic divergence between Europe and North America consistent with adaptive evolution, although not expressly clinal in nature (Blair & Wolfe, 2004;Wolfe et al, 2004).…”

Section: Species Differences In Clinal Differentiationmentioning

confidence: 83%

Adaptation and colonization history affect the evolution of clines in two introduced species

et al. 2009

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Summary• Phenotypic and genetic clines have long been synonymous with adaptive evolution. However, other processes (for example, migration, range expansion, invasion) may generate clines in traits or loci across geographical and environmental gradients. It is therefore important to distinguish between clines that represent adaptive evolution and those that result from selectively neutral demographic or genetic processes.• We tested for the differentiation of phenotypic traits along environmental gradients using two species in the genus Silene, whilst statistically controlling for colonization history and founder effects. We sampled seed families from across the native and introduced ranges, genotyped individuals and estimated phenotypic differentiation in replicated common gardens.• The results suggest that post-glacial expansion of S. vulgaris and S. latifolia involved both neutral and adaptive genetic differentiation (clines) of life history traits along major axes of environmental variation in Europe and North America. Phenotypic clines generally persisted when tested against the neutral expectation, although some clines disappeared (and one cline emerged) when the effects of genetic ancestry were statistically removed.• Colonization history, estimated using genetic markers, is a useful null model for tests of adaptive trait divergence, especially during range expansion and invasion when selection and gene flow may not have reached equilibrium.

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Section: Species Differences In Clinal Differentiationmentioning

confidence: 83%

Adaptation and colonization history affect the evolution of clines in two introduced species

et al. 2009

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“…One explanation is that natural selection in the absence of enemies shifts the optimal investment of resources from defence to enhanced growth and reproduction. S. latifolia was introduced to North America approximately 200 years ago, and there are large differences in the species' biology between the two continents: (1) S. latifolia has escaped some specialist enemies during colonization, and damage levels are higher in Europe (Wolfe, 2002); (2) North American plants are 'weedier' and more reproductively prolific (Blair and Wolfe, 2004), and they invest less in defence and have lower resistance to fungal infection and fruit predation . The development of genomic tools for Silene will soon allow dissection of the genetic changes associated with successful invasions.…”

Section: Biological Invasionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Silene as a model system in ecology and evolution

et al. 2009

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The genus Silene, studied by Darwin, Mendel and other early scientists, is re-emerging as a system for studying interrelated questions in ecology, evolution and developmental biology. These questions include sex chromosome evolution, epigenetic control of sex expression, genomic conflict and speciation. Its well-studied interactions with the pathogen Microbotryum has made Silene a model for the evolution and dynamics of disease in natural systems, and its interactions with herbivores have increased our understanding of multi-trophic ecological processes and the evolution of invasiveness. Molecular tools are now providing new approaches to many of these classical yet unresolved problems, and new progress is being made through combining phylogenetic, genomic and molecular evolutionary studies with ecological and phenotypic data. The model role of a non-model organismThe genus Silene (Caryophyllaceae), with a tradition of genetical and ecological studies dating back to Mendel and Darwin, has remarkably many interesting features. First, the species in the genus vary widely in their breeding systems and ecology. Second, several members of this mainly holarctic genus can be easily bred, and have short life cycles, and are thus convenient for experimental and field studies. Genomic resources are now becoming increasingly available in Silene, making genetic, quantitative genetic and molecular studies possible. A strength of Silene as a model system, compared with many classical model organisms, is that researchers can rely on a large number of ecological studies encompassing biotic interactions with sexually transmitted fungi, pollinators and herbivores. It is the wealth of ecological and other earlier knowledge that makes the genus Silene important for studying many biological questions, including the suppression of recombination during sex chromosome evolution, sexually antagonistic selection in an organism that is not an animal, epigenetic processes in flower development, speciation and reproductive isolation, multi-trophic interactions, disease ecology and biological invasions.Thanks to the classical genetic and ecological work on Silene, new progress can now be made in studying some of these important unresolved questions in biology with the aid of modern molecular tools. That new model systems with accessible and well-studied ecology open fruitful avenues for investigation is illustrated also by Mimulus (Wu et al., 2008) and the ongoing efforts to develop genomic resources in an increasing number of different systems. In the following, we outline the unique features of the Silene system, and describe active research areas and future directions, highlighting new advances and work in progress. Evolution of sexual systemsPlants show remarkable diversity in their sexual and mating systems, ranging from hermaphroditism to dioecy, from self-incompatible hermaphroditism to hermaphroditism in which individuals possess a capacity to self-fertilize, but which often show complex mechanisms to promote outcrossing (Darwin, 18...

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“…Yet, many introduced species have expanding range margins and thus can provide insights into important evolutionary processes that drive adaptation and range expansion (9,10). Over a relatively short time interval, some invasive plants have evolved higher growth and reduced anti-herbivore defenses (11,12), higher sexual and/or clonal reproductive rates (13,14), and have adapted to local climatic conditions (15,16). Thus far, the influence of species immigration history on such high adaptive potential of newly founded populations has been little investigated.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Increased genetic variation and evolutionary potential drive the success of an invasive grass

Lavergne

Molofsky

2007

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

831

857

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Despite the increasing biological and economic impacts of invasive species, little is known about the evolutionary mechanisms that favor geographic range expansion and evolution of invasiveness in introduced species. Here, we focus on the invasive wetland grass Phalaris arundinacea L. and document the evolutionary consequences that resulted from multiple and uncontrolled introductions into North America of genetic material native to different European regions. Continental-scale genetic variation occurring in reed canarygrass' European range has been reshuffled and recombined within North American introduced populations, giving rise to a number of novel genotypes. This process alleviated genetic bottlenecks throughout reed canarygrass' introduced range, including in peripheral populations, where depletion of genetic diversity is expected and is observed in the native range. Moreover, reed canarygrass had higher genetic diversity and heritable phenotypic variation in its invasive range relative to its native range. The resulting high evolutionary potential of invasive populations allowed for rapid selection of genotypes with higher vegetative colonization ability and phenotypic plasticity. Our results show that repeated introductions of a single species may inadvertently create harmful invaders with high adaptive potential. Such invasive species may be able to evolve in response to changing climate, allowing them to have increasing impact on native communities and ecosystems in the future. More generally, multiple immigration events may thus trigger future adaptation and geographic spread of a species population by preventing genetic bottlenecks and generating genetic novelties through recombination.biological invasion ͉ genotypic diversity ͉ multiple immigration ͉ range expansion ͉ phenotypic plasticity

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The Evolution of an Invasive Plant: An Experimental Study With Silene Latifolia

Cited by 240 publications

References 47 publications

Adaptation and colonization history affect the evolution of clines in two introduced species

Adaptation and colonization history affect the evolution of clines in two introduced species

Silene as a model system in ecology and evolution

Increased genetic variation and evolutionary potential drive the success of an invasive grass

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