Living in two worlds: Evolutionary mechanisms act differently in the native and introduced ranges of an invasive plant.

ABSTRACT: Identifying the factors that influence spatial genetic structure among populations can provide insights into the evolution of invasive plants. In this study, we used the common reed (Phragmites australis), a grass native in Europe and invading North America, to examine the relative importance of geographic, environmental (represented by climate here), and human effects on population genetic structure and its changes during invasion. We collected samples of P. australis from both the invaded North American and native European ranges and used molecular markers to investigate the population genetic structure within and between ranges. We used path analysis to identify the contributions of each of the three factors-geographic, environmental, and human-related-to the formation of

SUBMITTER: Guo WY 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5838077 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature