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Genetic variation of Spartina alterniflora intentionally introduced to China

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Abstract

Spread of smooth cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora) in China is an exceptional example of unanticipated outcomes arising from intentional introductions. It has been proposed that in China, management strategies used to establish S. alterniflora inadvertently promoted evolutionary outcomes that have contributed to other Spartina invasions. In this study, we assessed whether S. alterniflora in China exhibits genetic signatures of mechanisms known to promote invasion success, including large founding populations, evolved self-fertility, ‘superior source ecotypes’, and post-introduction admixture. This involved comparing microsatellite genotype and chloroplast haplotype variation among Chinese populations to other invasive S. alterniflora populations as well as native range populations, inclusive of samples from all reported source areas. We found distinct signatures of source population contributions to Chinese populations, as well as evidence of post-introduction admixture, and no evidence of limitations from a genetic bottleneck. Measures of inbreeding were well below what has been found in other non-native populations that have evolved self-fertility. Differences in genetic diversity among sites were similar to latitudinal patterns in the native range, but could be attributable to introduction history. Comparisons to other invasive populations indicate that a combination of common and idiosyncratic processes have contributed to the success of S. alterniflora in China and elsewhere, with intentional introductions promoting mechanisms that accelerate rates of spread and widespread invasion.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank J. Derek Hogan and Ryan Walter for assisting with laboratory analyses. We are also grateful for the logistical support provided from Jianjian Lu, Shieh tsing Hsieh, John McLachlan, Douglas Meffert, and Torbjörn Törnqvist through the Tulane University-East China Normal University Ecopartnership. Funding for this work was made available from East China Normal University and the Tulane-Xavier Center for Bioenvironmental Research, Science and Technology Innovation Project of Colleges and Universities in Guangdong Province (No. 2012KJCX0080) and Researching Fund for Professors and Doctors, Guangdong University of Education (No. 11ARF02).

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    Authors and Affiliations

    1. Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Tulane University, 400 Lindy Boggs Building, New Orleans, LA, 70118, USA

      Brittany M. Bernik & Michael J. Blum

    2. Department of Biology, Guangdong University of Education, Guangzhou, 510303, Guangdong, People’s Republic of China

      Haisheng Li

    3. Tulane - Xavier Center for Bioenvironmental Research, Tulane University, 627 Lindy Boggs, New Orleans, LA, 70118, USA

      Michael J. Blum

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    1. Brittany M. Bernik
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    Correspondence to Brittany M. Bernik.

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    Brittany M. Bernik and Haisheng Li have contributed equally to this paper.

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    Bernik, B.M., Li, H. & Blum, M.J. Genetic variation of Spartina alterniflora intentionally introduced to China. Biol Invasions 18, 1485–1498 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-016-1096-3

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