Collaborative Research: RAPID: Capturing initial eco-evolutionary dynamics of a novel chemical invader

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Strong human-mediated selection can cause rapid evolution in traits that alter ecological dynamics. Such eco-evolutionary processes may also lead to unpredictable changes in biological systems. The application of herbicides, for example, causes a range of responses in plants such as death, stunted growth, or the alteration of flowering times of survivors. Plant populations exposed to herbicide often evolve resistance. It is not known if these herbicide-induced changes can affect other key ecological components of a community such as plant-pollinator interactions. This research will examine the potential for cascading eco-evolutionary effects of herbicide application within crop associated weed communities. The researchers will take advantage of the impending widespread application of the novel herbicide dicamba. The work is specifically designed to capture the initial dynamics of dicamba's use in agriculture. This research will focus on the crop-associated weed community and its interaction with insect pollinators. Ultimately, this project has broad implications for the health and resilience of agricultural systems following human-mediated influences. The evolution of these wild species may have substantial effects on agricultural sustainability, the economics of food production, and human health.The eco-evolutionary forces studied here are likely to create evolutionary responses that lead to significant ecological change. An understanding of these phenomena is incomplete, however, as few natural systems have so far been examined for direct links between evolving traits and ecological impacts. Moreover, the initial dynamics in such systems are rarely captured. The proposed research takes advantage of the upcoming widespread application of a new herbicide to study its cascading effects on ecological and evolutionary processes in crop-associated weed communities, including important natural pollinators. This work will test four hypotheses concerning the initial ecological and evolutionary processes. Ecological processes to be studied include the role of phenotypic plasticity in invasion dynamics and changes in pollinator abundances and diversity. Evolutionary processes include plant species losses and reductions in genetic diversity. The work will use a combination of field studies and genetic analyses to capture the initial processes in a dynamic that is expected to proceed very rapidly. This research will provide key insight into a critical stage of eco-evolutionary processes that occur at the agro-ecological interface.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.