Colonization patterns of the invasive Brazilian peppertree, Schinus terebinthifolius, in Florida

Invasive species are believed to spread through a process of stratified dispersal consisting of short-distance diffusive spread around established foci and human mediated long-distance jumps. Brazilian peppertree (Schinus terebinthifolius), native to South America, was introduced twice as an ornamental plant into Florida, USA, just over 100 years ago. A previous study indicated that these two introductions were from genetically differentiated source populations in the native range. In this study, we took advantage of these contrasting genetic signatures to study the spatial spread of Brazilian peppertree across its entire range in Florida. A combination of spatial genetic and geostatistical analyses using chloroplast and nuclear microsatellite markers revealed evidence for both diffusive dispersal and long-distance jumps. Chloroplast DNA haplotype distributions and extensive bands of intra-specific hybridization revealed extensive dispersal by both introduced populations across the state. The strong genetic signature around the original introduction points, the presence of a general southeast to northwest genetic cline, and evidence for short-distance genetic spatial autocorrelation provided evidence of diffusive dispersal from an advancing front, probably by birds and small mammals. In the northernmost part of the range, there were patches having a high degree of ancestry from each introduction, suggesting long-distance jump dispersal, probably by the movement of humans. The evidence for extensive movement throughout the state suggests that Brazilian peppertree will be capable of rapidly recolonizing areas from which it has been eradicated. Concerted eradication efforts over large areas or the successful establishment of effective biocontrol agents over a wide area will be needed to suppress this species.