CloneInvasion · Eco-evolutionary dynamics of biological invasions reconstructed from ancient DNA
Horizon 2020 — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
- Duration
- 2022-01-01 → 2023-12-31
- EU contribution
- €162,806
- Participants
- 1
- Scheme
- MSCA-IF
Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.
Results in brief
Eco-evolutionary dynamics of biological invasions reconstructed from ancient DNA
Invasive species are an important component of global environmental change because they alter ecosystem processes and services and disrupt the communities they invade. Genetic surveys of invasive plant species can provide an evidence-based platform to conduct informed and applied management programs. We combined herbarium genomics and bioinformatics to generate historical DNA sequence information from preserved specimens of Japanese knotweed (a polyploid species complex comprising Reynoutria japonica, R. sachalinensis and their hybrid R. x bohemica, which are among the worst invasive weeds of the temperate world). We conducted population genomic analysis to reconstruct the invasion history and gain insights into the ecological and molecular determinants of the species invasion success.
Data: CORDIS, © European Union
Project objective
Invasive species are one of the major threats to the biodiversity on Earth but despite their bad reputation, they are also essential models for studying rapid evolution and adaptation, species colonization and climate change. Although great progress has been made in many areas of invasion ecology, there are still many open questions about the eco-evolutionary dynamics of invasive species and the evolutionary processes operating at different stages of species spread and invasion. I propose to study the invasive Japanese knotweed species complex to understand species colonization and range expansion by combining museomic (ancient DNA) from herbarium collections with high-throughput DNA sequencing technologies and bioinformatics. Specifically, I will compare data from historical and contemporary individuals to study (1) key transitions and drivers of plant colonization, range expansion, and invasion abilities, across space and time, (2) the role and implications of hybridization and ploidy variation in plant colonization and invasion and (3) identify the presence of genomic regions under selection.
Original text from CORDIS.
Participants
- EBERHARD KARLS UNIVERSITAET TUEBINGEN · TuebingenCoordinatorGermany
Links
Data: CORDIS, © European Union