Digitized collections elucidate invasion history and patterns of awn polymorphism in Microstegium vimineum.

ABSTRACT:

Premise

Digitized collections can help illuminate the mechanisms behind the establishment and spread of invasive plants. These databases provide a record of traits in space and time that allows for investigation of abiotic and biotic factors that influence invasive species.

Methods

Over 1100 digitized herbarium records were examined to investigate the invasion history and trait variation of Microstegium vimineum. Presence-absence of awns was investigated to quantify geographic patterns of this polymorphic trait, which serves several functions in grasses, including diaspore burial and dispersal to germination sites. Floret traits were further quantified, and genomic analyses of contemporary samples were conducted to investigate the history of M. vimineum's introduction and sp

SUBMITTER: Barrett CF 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9327524 | biostudies-literature | 2022 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature