Photo: Kochia, southwest Montana. © 2020 Delena Norris-Tull
Evolutionary dynamics: Their impact on biological invasions
Summaries of the research and commentary by Dr. Delena Norris-Tull, Professor Emerita of Science Education, University of Montana Western, July 2020.
Zenni, Dickie, Wingfield, Hirsch, Crous, Meyerson, et al., 2017, conducted an extensive review of the research on the evolutionary processes that may impact biological invasions, to better understand the importance of the changes that invasive species undergo after being introduced to a new environment. By better understanding these evolutionary processes, we may better be able to predict and manage invasions. Focusing on tree research, they reviewed studies related to: “pre-introduction evolutionary history, sampling effect, founder effect, genotype-by-environment interactions, admixture, hybridization, polyploidization, rapid evolution, epigenetics and second-genomes.”
Zenni, et al., 2017, noted that, “After introduction, invasive populations originating from the same sources may colonize different environments in the introduced range and, in some instances, adaptations can be surprisingly rapid… Evolutionary factors can operate at different invasion stages, e.g., introduction, establishment, and spread. It is therefore important… to understand the roles that ecological versus evolutionary drivers play in invasion success.”
Zenni, et al., 2017, noted that, while many botanical studies have examined the role of evolutionary dynamics in the success of invasive plants, most studies have been conducted on herbaceous and shrubby plants. They focused their review on studies of invasive trees, which, due to their long lifespans and generation times, are more challenging to study. “Such evolutionary [processes must be] placed within a unified framework…. The unified framework proposed by Blackburn, et al., 2011, mainly focuses at the population-level and combines a suite of barriers (geography, captivity/cultivation, survival, reproduction, dispersal and environmental) that a species must overcome in order to become invasive. Importantly, it also includes those cases where invasions fail or where populations undergo ‘boom and bust cycles.’ The framework, however, does not describe specific mechanisms allowing transitions from stage to stage, mechanisms hindering transitions or mechanisms causing failures.”
Zenni, et al., 2017, summarized the research on tree invasions and suggested strategies for future research. For each research area listed below, they found limited research and, therefore, a lack of knowledge regarding the impact of each evolutionary process on invasion success or failure.
References:
Links to research on Evolutionary Dynamics:
Next Sections on the research on the success of invasive species:
Evolutionary dynamics: Their impact on biological invasions
Summaries of the research and commentary by Dr. Delena Norris-Tull, Professor Emerita of Science Education, University of Montana Western, July 2020.
Zenni, Dickie, Wingfield, Hirsch, Crous, Meyerson, et al., 2017, conducted an extensive review of the research on the evolutionary processes that may impact biological invasions, to better understand the importance of the changes that invasive species undergo after being introduced to a new environment. By better understanding these evolutionary processes, we may better be able to predict and manage invasions. Focusing on tree research, they reviewed studies related to: “pre-introduction evolutionary history, sampling effect, founder effect, genotype-by-environment interactions, admixture, hybridization, polyploidization, rapid evolution, epigenetics and second-genomes.”
Zenni, et al., 2017, noted that, “After introduction, invasive populations originating from the same sources may colonize different environments in the introduced range and, in some instances, adaptations can be surprisingly rapid… Evolutionary factors can operate at different invasion stages, e.g., introduction, establishment, and spread. It is therefore important… to understand the roles that ecological versus evolutionary drivers play in invasion success.”
Zenni, et al., 2017, noted that, while many botanical studies have examined the role of evolutionary dynamics in the success of invasive plants, most studies have been conducted on herbaceous and shrubby plants. They focused their review on studies of invasive trees, which, due to their long lifespans and generation times, are more challenging to study. “Such evolutionary [processes must be] placed within a unified framework…. The unified framework proposed by Blackburn, et al., 2011, mainly focuses at the population-level and combines a suite of barriers (geography, captivity/cultivation, survival, reproduction, dispersal and environmental) that a species must overcome in order to become invasive. Importantly, it also includes those cases where invasions fail or where populations undergo ‘boom and bust cycles.’ The framework, however, does not describe specific mechanisms allowing transitions from stage to stage, mechanisms hindering transitions or mechanisms causing failures.”
Zenni, et al., 2017, summarized the research on tree invasions and suggested strategies for future research. For each research area listed below, they found limited research and, therefore, a lack of knowledge regarding the impact of each evolutionary process on invasion success or failure.
References:
- Blackburn, T.M., Pysek, P., Bacher, S., Carlton, J.T., Duncan, R.P., Jarosik, V., Wilson, J.R.U., & Richardson, D.M. (2011). A proposed unified framework for biological invasions. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 26 (7), 333-339.
- Zenni, R.D., Dickie, I.A., Wingfield, M.J., Hirsch, H., Crous, C.J., Meyerson, L.A., Burgess, T.I., Zimmermann, T.G., Klock, M.M., Siemann, E., Erfmeier, A., Aragon, R., Montti, L, & LeRoux, J.J. (Jan., 2017). Evolutionary dynamics of tree invasions: Complementing the unified framework for biological invasions. AoB Plants, 9 (1), 1-14 [plw085; 10.1093/aobpla/plw085].
Links to research on Evolutionary Dynamics:
- Pre-introduction evolutionary history
- Sampling Effect
- Founder Effect
- Admixture, hybridization and polyploidization
Next Sections on the research on the success of invasive species: