Evidence for fine-scale habitat specialisation in an invasive weed

Atwater, Daniel Z.; Fletcher, Rebecca A.; Dickinson, Christopher C.; Paterson, Andrew H.; Barney, Jacob N.

doi:10.1093/jpe/rtw124

Cited by 5 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 59 publications

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“…Such SGS likely arises as an outcome of the breeding system and life form of T. recurvata , which present limited local gene flow, resulting in a significant isolation-by-distance, persistence of private alleles in six out of 14 studied subpopulations, as well as high turnover of multi-locus genotypes (MLGs). Indeed, SGS at fine scales often results from limited gene flow (Vekemans and Hardy 2004; Ward 2006), and other studies have reported similar genetic patterns for selfing (e.g., Pettengill et al 2016; Atwater et al 2018), cloning (e.g., Li and Dong 2009; Atwater et al 2018), epiphytic (e.g., Trapnell et al 2004; Ren et al 2017; Torres et al 2018), and fast-growing plants (e.g., Barluenga et al 2011; Charbonneau et al 2018). Our results indicate that specific habits and breeding systems can foster the structuring of populations, even for opportunistic and widespread plants.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 85%

Deforestation reduces the genetic structure of an epiphytic weed across space and time: an IBM approach

Chaves

Leal

Rossatto

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Deforestation has allowed the massive dispersal and reproduction of some plants that are commonly referred to as weeds. The rapid spread of many weeds into newly disturbed landscapes is often boosted by clonal growth and self-fertilization strategies, which conversely increases the spatial genetic structure (SGS) of populations and reduces the genetic diversity. Here, we use empirical and modeling approaches to evaluate the spatio-temporal SGS dynamics of Tillandsia recurvata (L.) L., a common epiphytic weed with selfing reproduction and clonal growth widespread in dry forests and anthropically deforested landscapes in North and South America. We constructed an individual-based model (IBM) and adjusted the parameters according to empirical genetic data, to simulate the spreading of T. recurvata over time and across random landscapes with distinct tree densities. From empirical data, we observed a strong SGS among T. recurvata subpopulations hosted on neighbor trees and a contemporary spread from several population sources. Our model shows that the highest SGS appear in landscapes with more than 200 trees/ha and up to the 5th year of colonization of open landscapes (ca. 100 trees/ha) when SGS starts to reduce drastically. These results suggest that the deforestation commonly observed in anthropically transformed landscapes may reduce the dispersal limitation and genetic structure of T. recurvata subpopulations, creating suitable conditions for the rapid spread of T. recurvata from multiple surrounding sources. The combination of clonal growth and self-fertilization with the optimal conditions created by anthropogenic transformations may explain the spreading success of T. recurvata and other weeds into new landscapes. Our results indicate that the drastic reductions in tree densities induced by human-modifications in natural landscapes may lead to a partial loss of resistance for dispersal by wind and increased the conditions for T. recurvata to develop massive populations in anthropogenic landscapes.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 85%

Deforestation reduces the genetic structure of an epiphytic weed across space and time: an IBM approach

Chaves

Leal

Rossatto

et al. 2020

Preprint

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“…To release seeds from dormancy, we treated them with commercial strength sodium hypochlorite (Clorox Regular-Bleach, The Clorox Company, Oakland, CA, USA) for 4 h followed by a 1-h water rinse ( Atwater et al 2018 ). The prepared seeds were then placed in Petri dishes (one dish per population) with four saturated sheets of filter paper (Whatman 1003-055, GE Healthcare, Chicago, IL, USA).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…those that exhibit rapid rates of colonization, establishment and spread) have proven to be excellent models for studying adaptation to climate and competition ( Engel et al 2011 ; Atwater et al . 2016 , 2018 ). This is, in part, due to the need for considering multiple drivers when studying invasions ( Kueffer et al 2013 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Previous studies of intraspecific variation in Johnsongrass have largely focused on climatic and large-scale geographic origin as predictors of performance ( McWhorter 1971 ; Burt 1974 ). Stimulated by the discovery of genomic patterns over the course of the invasion ( Sezen et al 2016 ), recent work has examined the differences in stress and competition response between agricultural and non-agricultural populations ( Atwater et al 2018 ). The findings of differential response based on ecotype identity (i.e.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Given the observed phenotypic differences in Johnsongrass from agricultural and non-agricultural populations and associated population genetic differences ( Atwater et al . 2016 , 2018 ; Sezen et al 2016 ), our objective was to test whether ecotypic origin (i.e. agricultural vs. non-agricultural) and environmental selection pressures would predict biomass accumulation and allocation in a common greenhouse experiment during seedling establishment—the most critical stage in population establishment and invasion ( Leguizamón et al 2011 ; Postma and Ågren 2016 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Home climate and habitat drive ecotypic stress response differences in an invasive grass

Lakoba

Barney

2020

AoB PLANTS

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Invasive plants and agricultural weeds are a ubiquitous and ever-expanding threat to biosecurity, biodiversity, and ecosystem services. Many of these species are known to succeed through rapid adaptation to biotic and abiotic stress regimes, often in highly disturbed systems. Given the current state of evidence for selection of weedy genotypes via primary physiological stresses like drought, flooding, heat, cold, and nutrient deficiency, we posit that adaptation to land management regimes which comprise suites of these stresses can also be expected. To establish this link, we tested adaptation to water and nutrient stresses in five non-agricultural and five agricultural populations of the invader Johnsongrass (Sorghum halepense) sampled across a broad range of climates in the USA. We subjected seedlings from each population to factorial drought and nutrient stresses in a common garden greenhouse experiment. Agricultural and non-agricultural ecotypes did not respond differently to experimentally applied stresses. However, non-agricultural populations from more drought-prone and nutrient-poor locations outperformed their agricultural counterparts in shoot allocation and chlorophyll production, respectively. We also found evidence for root allocation adaptation to hotter climates, in line with other C4 grasses, while greater adaptation to drought treatment was associate with soil organic carbon (SOC) rich habitats. These findings imply that adaptation to land use types can interact with other macrohabitat parameters, which will be fluctuating in a changing climate and resource-needy world. We see that invasive plants are poised to take on novel habitats within their introduced ranges, leading to complications in the prevention and management of their spread.

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Deforestation is the turning point for the spreading of a weedy epiphyte: an IBM approach

Chaves

Leal

Rossatto

et al. 2021

Sci Rep

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The rapid spread of many weeds into intensely disturbed landscapes is boosted by clonal growth and self-fertilization strategies, which conversely increases the genetic structure of populations. Here, we use empirical and modeling approaches to evaluate the spreading dynamics of Tillandsia recurvata (L.) L. populations, a common epiphytic weed with self-reproduction and clonal growth widespread in dry forests and deforested landscapes in the American continent. We introduce the TRec model, an individual-based approach to simulate the spreading of T. recurvata over time and across landscapes subjected to abrupt changes in tree density with the parameters adjusted according to the empirical genetic data based on microsatellites genotypes. Simulations with this model showed that the strong spatial genetic structure observed from empirical data in T. recurvata can be explained by a rapid increase in abundance and gene flow followed by stabilization after ca. 25 years. TRec model’s results also indicate that deforestation is a turning point for the rapid increase in both individual abundance and gene flow among T. recurvata subpopulations occurring in formerly dense forests. Active reforestation can, in turn, reverse such a scenario, although with a milder intensity. The genetic-based study suggests that anthropogenic changes in landscapes may strongly affect the population dynamics of species with ‘weedy’ traits.

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Evidence for fine-scale habitat specialisation in an invasive weed

Cited by 5 publications

References 59 publications

Deforestation reduces the genetic structure of an epiphytic weed across space and time: an IBM approach

Deforestation reduces the genetic structure of an epiphytic weed across space and time: an IBM approach

Home climate and habitat drive ecotypic stress response differences in an invasive grass

Deforestation is the turning point for the spreading of a weedy epiphyte: an IBM approach

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