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

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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.***