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Evolutionary constraints on adaptive evolution during range expansion in an invasive plant.
Robert I Colautti1, Christopher G Eckert, Spencer C H Barrett
1Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, 25 Willcocks Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. rob.colautti@utoronto.ca
Proceedings. Biological Sciences
|February 19, 2010
Summary
Local adaptation in invasive purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) is limited by genetic constraints on flowering time and size. These trade-offs reduce seed production, potentially slowing the plant's northern spread.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Evolutionary Biology
- Genetics
Background:
- Biological invasions drive local adaptation via climate selection.
- Contemporary evolution faces constraints from genetic variation and trait correlations.
Purpose of the Study:
- Examine local adaptation limits in invasive purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) during northern range expansion.
- Investigate genetic constraints on life-history traits influencing adaptation.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a selection model with a flowering time/size trade-off.
- Conducted common garden experiments on populations across a 1200 km latitudinal gradient in eastern North America.
Main Results:
- A trade-off between early flowering and reproductive size reduced seed production in northern populations.
- Northward spread correlated with decreased genetic variance and increased skew for flowering time and size.
- Limited genetic variation for small, early-flowering genotypes was observed.
Conclusions:
- Selection models predicted observed patterns of local adaptation to shorter growing seasons.
- Genetic constraints on life-history traits, particularly reduced fecundity, may limit purple loosestrife population growth and spread.
- Understanding genetic limitations offers insights into invasion dynamics and range limits.
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