Collaborative Research (RUI): The Evolutionary Genetics of Invasiveness in Silene latifolia

生物入侵是保护生物多样性的最大威胁之一。此外，破坏和控制外来生物(例如斑马贻贝、葛根)每年给美国造成的经济损失超过1000亿美元。令人惊讶的是，人们几乎不知道为什么通常是良性的物种在被引入另一个国家或大陆后会突然变成有害的害虫。虽然以往文献中的研究重点都集中在生态力量上，但本研究的目的是探索遗传变化在入侵过程中所起的作用。Taylor和Wolfe结合多种方法，建议研究从欧洲引入北美的宽叶木兰的遗传和入侵起源。这项研究有三个目标：1)考察入侵过程的历史，并从遗传变异的数量和分布方面阐明入侵过程的遗传后果。2)在实验上测试北美独特的环境模式，这可能会促进杂草物种的成功。3)使用复制的实验种群来测试北美种群是否在遗传上更具侵袭性，以及天敌在欧洲限制入侵的程度。本研究对于了解侵袭性的来源，为本科生、研究生和博士后的职业发展提供机会，都具有广泛的意义。

Biological invasions represent one of the greatest threats to the preservation of biodiversity. In addition, the economic costs to the USA resulting from damage and control of alien organisms (e.g., zebra mussel, kudzu) amount to more than $100 billion annually. Surprisingly, very little is known about why species that are normally benign may suddenly become noxious pests following their introduction to another country or continent. While the emphasis of previous research recorded in the literature has been on ecological forces, the goal of this research is to explore the role that genetic changes play in the invasion process.Using a combination of approaches, Taylor and Wolfe propose to study the genetics and origin of invasiveness in Silene latifolia, a plant that was introduced to North America from Europe. There are three goals to this research: 1) To examine the history of the invasion process and clarify the genetic consequences of the invasion process in terms of the amount and distribution of genetic variation. 2) To experimentally test for unique environmental patterns in North America that might promote the success of weedy species. 3) To use replicated experimental populations to test whether North American populations are genetically more invasive and the extent to which natural enemies limit invasiveness in Europe. This research will have broad significance for both understanding the origin of invasiveness and providing opportunities for career development of undergraduate students, graduate students and post-docs.