RUI: The Importance of Shade Tolerance and Plasticity in the Persistence of Invasive Shrub Populations

小行星9306217 阿穆尔忍冬（Amur忍冬，学名：Amura maackii）是一种原产于东北亚的灌木，但在美国中西部许多州已成为一种入侵性杂草。 它最初在一系列受干扰的栖息地定居。 在北方肯塔基州，目前存在的森林中，林下植被是一个密集的灌木丛的阿穆尔金银花与少数其他植物存在。 后代也可以在亲本植物的阴影下建立和生长。 目前尚不清楚这种在深荫下建立的能力是耐荫性自然选择的结果，还是高表型可塑性（非遗传驯化）的结果。 本研究将评估在森林林下植被中生长在亲本植物阴影下的黑龙江忍冬后代在耐荫性和可塑性方面与其亲本的差异。 这项工作不仅对理解这种引入物种的基本生物学有意义，而且对更好地理解入侵杂草能够主宰自然和农业地区的机制也有意义。

9306217 Luke Amur honeysuckle, Lonicera maackii, is a shrub native to northeastern Asia but has become an invasive weed in many midwestern states. It initially colonizes a wide range of disturbed habitats. In northern Kentucky, forests presently exist in which the understory is a dense thicket of Amur honeysuckle with few other plants present. Succeeding generations can also become established and grow in the shade of parent plants. It is not known whether this ability to become established in deep shade is the result of natural selection for shade tolerance, or of high phenotypic plasticity (non- genetic acclimation). This research will assess how succeeding generations of Amur honeysuckle growing in the shade of parent plants in forest understories differ from their parents in shade tolerance and plasticity. %%% This work will have implications not only for understanding the basic biology of this introduced species, but for better understanding of the mechanisms by which invasive weeds are able to dominate natural and agricultural areas.***