Epigenetics of Colonizing Species? A Study of Japanese Knotweed in Central Europe

Zhang, Yuanye; Parepa, Madalin; Fischer, Markus; Bossdorf, Oliver

doi:10.1002/9781119072799.ch19

Cited by 29 publications

(37 citation statements)

References 72 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Second, individuals of the same species can also differ epigenetically, and there is currently much speculation about the role of epigenetic processes in rapid adaptation (Richards et al 2017). Recent studies on Alternanthera philoxeroides (Gao et al 2010) and Fallopia japonica (Zhang et al 2017) found that genetically identical populations in the introduced ranges are often epigenetically differentiated, and that epigenetic variation can be associated with environment or phenotype.…”

Section: The Way Forward For Research On the Evolution And Genetics Omentioning

confidence: 99%

The Ecology and Evolution of Alien Plants

Kleunen

Bossdorf

Dawson

2018

Annu. Rev. Ecol. Evol. Syst.

Self Cite

175

168

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

We review the state of the art of alien plant research with emphasis on conceptual advances and knowledge gains on general patterns and drivers, biotic interactions, and evolution. Major advances include the identification of different invasion stages and invasiveness dimensions (geographic range, habitat specificity, local abundance) and the identification of appropriate comparators while accounting for propagule pressure and year of introduction. Developments in phylogenetic and functional trait research bear great promise for better understanding of the underlying mechanisms. Global patterns are emerging with propagule pressure, disturbance, increased resource availability, and climate matching as major invasion drivers, but species characteristics also play a role. Biotic interactions with resident communities shape invasion outcomes, with major roles for species diversity, enemies, novel weapons, and mutualists. Mounting evidence has been found for rapid evolution of invasive aliens and evolutionary responses of natives, but a mechanistic understanding requires tighter integration of molecular and phenotypic approaches. We hope the open questions identified in this review will stimulate further research on the ecology and evolution of alien plants.

show abstract

Section: The Way Forward For Research On the Evolution And Genetics Omentioning

confidence: 99%

The Ecology and Evolution of Alien Plants

Kleunen

Bossdorf

Dawson

2018

Annu. Rev. Ecol. Evol. Syst.

Self Cite

175

168

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Indeed, stable transmission over multiple generations has been demonstrated by several studies (Agrawal et al 1999;Anway et al 2006;Rechavi et al 2011;Rechavi et al 2014), but such evidence remains scattered and inconsistent (Shama & Wegner 2014;Walsh et al 2014;Groot et al 2016). Moreover, although epigenetic changes are anticipated to underlie longterm transgenerational effects, there is little evidence for such causality, but see (Rechavi et al 2014;Wang et al 2016;Zhang et al 2016;Zheng et al 2017). It is hence critical to assess the general longevity of transgenerational effects, which is essential to assess the adaptive role of such effects.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Transgenerational effects benefit offspring across diverse environments: a meta‐analysis in plants and animals

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The adaptive value of transgenerational effects (the ancestor environmental effects on offspring) in changing environments has received much attention in recent years, but the related empirical evidence remains equivocal. Here, we conducted a meta‐analysis summarising 139 experimental studies in plants and animals with 1170 effect sizes to investigate the generality of transgenerational effects across taxa, traits, and environmental contexts. It was found that transgenerational effects generally enhanced offspring performance in response to both stressful and benign conditions. The strongest effects are in annual plants and invertebrates, whereas vertebrates appear to benefit mostly under benign conditions, and perennial plants show hardly any transgenerational responses at all. These differences among taxonomic/life‐history groups possibly reflect that vertebrates can avoid stressful conditions through their mobility, and longer‐lived plants have alternative strategies. In addition to environmental contexts and taxonomic/life‐history groups, transgenerational effects also varied among traits and developmental stages of ancestors and offspring, but the effects were similarly strong across three generations of offspring. By way of a more comprehensive data set and a different effect size, our results differ from those of a recent meta‐analysis, suggesting that transgenerational effects are widespread, strong and persistent and can substantially impact the responses of plants and animals to changing environments.

show abstract

“…Thus, because the genetic diversity in the introduced range is less than the epigenetic diversity, it likely originated from the environmental conditions the plants experienced (Richards et al, ). More recently, Zhang, Parepa, Fischer, and Bossdorf () have shown that epigenetic variants in Japanese knotweed are correlated with patterns of phenotypic variability of different clones, providing a link between the environment, epigenetic variation and plant phenotypes.…”

Section: Epigenetic Mechanisms a Component Of The Rapid Response To mentioning

confidence: 98%

Biological invasion: The influence of the hidden side of the (epi)genome

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Understanding the mechanisms underlying biological invasions and rapid adaptation to global change remains a fundamental challenge, particularly in small populations lacking in genetic variation. Two understudied mechanisms that could facilitate adaptive evolution and adaptive plasticity are the increased genetic variation due to transposable elements (TEs), and associated or independent modification of gene expression through epigenetic changes. Here, we focus on the potential role of these genetic and non‐genetic mechanisms for facilitating invasion success. Because novel or stressful environments are known to induce both epigenetic changes and TE activity, these mechanisms may play an underappreciated role in generating phenotypic and genetic variation for selection to act on. We review how these mechanisms operate, the evidence for how they respond to novel or stressful environments, and how these mechanisms can contribute to the success of biological invasions by facilitating adaptive evolution and phenotypic plasticity. Because genetic and phenotypic variations due to TEs and epigenetic changes are often well regulated or “hidden” in the native environment, the independent and combined contribution of these mechanisms may only become important when populations colonize novel environments. A focus on the mechanisms that generate and control the expression of this variation in new environments may provide insights into biological invasions that would otherwise not be obvious. Global changes and human activities impact on ecosystems and allow new opportunities for biological invasions. Invasive species succeed by adapting rapidly to new environments. The degree to which rapid responses to environmental change could be mediated by the epigenome—the regulatory system that integrates how environmental and genomic variation jointly shape phenotypic variation—requires greater attention if we want to understand the mechanisms by which populations successfully colonize and adapt to new environments. A free Plain Language Summary can be found within the Supporting Information of this article.

show abstract

Epigenetics of Colonizing Species? A Study of Japanese Knotweed in Central Europe

Cited by 29 publications

References 72 publications

The Ecology and Evolution of Alien Plants

The Ecology and Evolution of Alien Plants

Transgenerational effects benefit offspring across diverse environments: a meta‐analysis in plants and animals

Biological invasion: The influence of the hidden side of the (epi)genome

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About