Collaborative Research: The Evolutionary Genetics of Invasiveness in Silene latifolia

生物入侵是对生物多样性保护的最大威胁之一。此外，由于对外来生物（如斑马贻贝、野葛）的破坏和控制，美国每年的经济成本超过1000亿美元。令人惊讶的是，很少有人知道为什么通常是良性的物种在被引入到另一个国家或大陆后突然变成有害的害虫。虽然以往文献中记录的研究重点是生态力量，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。泰勒和沃尔夫建议综合运用多种方法，研究从欧洲引入北美的美洲梧桐树（Silene latifolia）的遗传和入侵起源。本研究的目的有三个：1)研究入侵过程的历史，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)通过实验测试北美独特的环境模式，这些模式可能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基因上更具侵略性，以及天敌在多大程度上限制了欧洲的入侵。本研究对于理解侵入性的起源，以及为本科生、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.