Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Geographic distribution and genotypic composition of invasive hybrid watermilfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum × M. sibiricum) populations in North America

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Biological Invasions Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The recent recognition of invasive hybrid watermilfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum × M. sibiricum) in North America has necessitated a more thorough evaluation of its overall distribution and occurrence in natural populations. A comprehensive survey of watermilfoil populations was conducted in five Minnesota lakes, three of which were suspected a priori to contain hybrid watermilfoil. DNA sequence data verified that hybrid plants between the nonindigenous M. spicatum L. and indigenous M. sibiricum Kom. occurred in three of the five lakes sampled. Myriophyllum spicatum was not detected in lakes where hybrids were prevalent. Further sampling of lakes in Idaho, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Washington identified 30 additional hybrid watermilfoil populations. In only three of these populations the hybrid watermilfoil was found to co-occur with M. spicatum. To facilitate the field identification of the two parental species and their hybrid, morphological data from watermilfoil specimens collected across the United States were evaluated. We determined that leaf segment/leaf length measurements can effectively distinguish M. spicatum and M. sibiricum; however, hybrids are intermediate for these characters and such measurements frequently overlap with respect to their parental taxa. By incorporating a combined molecular and morphological approach to identifying watermilfoils, the hybrids can be identified readily and their distributions elucidated both within and between lakes. Because hybrids may respond differently to local ecological conditions than their parents, information on their presence and distribution should be of particular importance to management and conservation programs.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Aiken SG (1981) A conspectus of Myriophyllum (Haloragaceae) in North America. Brittonia 33:57–69

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Aiken SG (1978) [Counts on Haloragaceae] p. 522. In: A. Love, IOPB Chromosome number reports LXII. Taxon 27:519–535

    Google Scholar 

  • Anderson E (1948) Hybridization of the habitat. Evolution 2:1–9

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bartodziej W, Ludlow L (1998) Aquatic vegetation monitoring by natural resources agencies in the United States. Aquatics 20:15–18

    Google Scholar 

  • Campbell CS, Wojciechowski MA, Baldwin BG, Alice LA, Donoghue MJ (1997) Persistent nuclear ribosomal DNA sequence polymorphism in the Amelanchier agamic complex. Mol Biol Evol 14:81–90

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Creed RP Jr, Sheldon SP (1995) Use of a native insect as a biological control for an introduced weed. Ecol Appl 5:1122–1132

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cronk JK, Fennessy MS (2001) Wetland plants: biology and ecology. Lewis Publishers, Boca Raton, Florida

    Google Scholar 

  • Cronn R, Cedroni M, Haselkorn T, Grover C, Wendel JF (2002) PCR-mediated recombination in amplification products derived from polyploid cotton. Theor Appl Genet 104:482–489

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Crow GE, Hellquist CB (2000) Aquatic and wetland plants of Northeastern North America Vol. 1. The University of Wisconsin Press, Madison, Wisconsin

    Google Scholar 

  • Doyle JJ, Doyle JL (1987) A rapid DNA isolation procedure for small quantities of fresh leaf tissue. Phytochem Bul Bot Soc Am 19:11–15

    Google Scholar 

  • Ellstrand NC, Schierenbeck KA (2000) Hybridization as a stimulus for the evolution of invasiveness in plants? Proc Nat Acad Sci USA 97:7043–7050

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Emms SK, Arnold ML (1997) The effect of habitat on parental and hybrid fitness: Transplant experiments with Louisiana irises. Evolution 51:1111–1119

    Google Scholar 

  • Fernald ML (1919) Two new Myriophyllum and a species new to the United States. Rhodora 21:121–124

    Google Scholar 

  • Figueroa ME, Castillo JM, Redondo S, Luque T, Castellanos EM, Nieva FJ, Luque CJ, Rubio-Casal AE, Davy AJ (2003) Facilitated invasion by hybridization of Sarcocornia species in a salt-marsh succession. J Ecol 91:616–626

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Floate KD, Whitham TG (1994) Aphid–ant interaction reduces chrysomelid herbivory in a cottonwood hybrid zone. Oecologia 97:215–221

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fritz RS, Nichols-Orians CM, Brunsfeld SJ (1994) Interspecific hybridization of plants and resistance to herbivores: hypotheses, genetics, and variable responses in adverse herbivore community. Oecologia 97:106–117

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Furnier GR, Olfelt JP, Stolz AM (1995) Genetic variation in Eurasian watermilfoil. Report submitted as deliverables C2.4.1 and C3.1.1. Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Ecological Services, St. Paul, MN

    Google Scholar 

  • Galatowitsch SM, Anderson NO, Ascher PD (1999) Invasiveness in wetland plants in temperate North America. Wetlands 19:733–755

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hershkovitz MA, Zimmer EA, Hahn WJ (1999) Ribosomal DNA sequences and angiosperm systematics. In: Hollingsworth PM, Bateman RM, Gornall RJ (eds) Molecular systematics and plant evolution. Taylor & Francis, London, UK, pp 268–326

    Google Scholar 

  • Hughes CE, Bailey CD, Harris SA (2002) Divergent and reticulate species relationships in Leucaena (Fabaceae) inferred from multiple data sources: insights into polyploid origins and nrDNA polymorphism. Am J Bot 89:1057–1073

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jacono CC, Richerson MM (2003) http://nas.er.usgs.gov/taxgroup/plants/docs/my_spica.html

  • Jester LL, Bozek MA, Helsel DR, Sheldon SP (2000) Euhrychiopsis lecontei distribution abundance and experimental augmentations for Eurasian watermilfoil control in Wisconsin lakes. J Aquat Plant Manag 38:88–97

    Google Scholar 

  • Kim AS (2005) Milfoil campaign spreading. Portland Press Herald, Monday, February 14, 2005

  • Love A, Love D (1958) The American element in the flora of the British Isles. Bot Notes 3:373–388

    Google Scholar 

  • Love A, Ritchie JG (1966) Chromosome numbers from central and northern Canada. Can J Bot 44:429–439

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Maddison DR, Maddison WP (2001) MacClade. Analysis of phylogeny and character evolution. 4.01. Sinauer, Sunderland, MA

    Google Scholar 

  • Moody ML, Les DH (2002) Evidence of hybridity in invasive watermilfoil (Myriophyllum) populations. Proc Nat Acad Sci USA 99:14867–14871

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Newman RM (2004) Biological control of Eurasian Watermilfoil completion report for 2001–2004 submitted to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Ecological Services, St. Paul, MN

    Google Scholar 

  • Newman RM, Borman ME, Castro SW (1997) Developmental performance of the weevil Euhrychiopsis lecontei on native and exotic watermilfoil host plants. J North Am Benthol Soc 16:627–634

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Orchard AE (1981) A revision of South American Myriophyllum (Haloragaceae), and its repercussion on some Australian and North American species. Brunonia 4:27–65

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Patten BC (1954) The status of some American species of Myriophyllum as revealed by the discovery of intergrade material between M. exalbescens and M. spicatum in New Jersey. Rhodora 56:213–225

    Google Scholar 

  • Rieseberg LH (2001) Chromosomal rearrangements and speciation. Trends Ecol Evol 16:351–358

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rieseberg LH, Raymond O, Rosenthal DM, Lai Z, Livingstone K, Nakazato T, Durphy JL, Schwarzbach AE, Donovan LA, Lexer C (2003) Major ecological transitions in wild sunflowers facilitated by hybridization. Science 301:1211–1216

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Roley SS, Newman RM (2006) Developmental performance of the milfoil weevil, Euhrychiopsis lecontei (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), on northern watermilfoil, Eurasian watermilfoil and hybrid (northern × eurasian) watermilfoil. Environ Entomol 35:121–126

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rogstad SH (1992) Saturated NaCl-CTAB solution as a means of field preservation of leaves for DNA analyses. Taxon 41:701–708

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schwarzbach AE, Donovan LA, Rieseberg LH (2001) Transgressive character expression in a hybrid sunflower species. Am J Bot 88:270–277

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Swofford DL (2000) Phylogenetic analysis using parsimony. Version 4.0. Sinauer Associates, Sunderland

    Google Scholar 

  • Taberlet P, Gielly L, Pautou G, Bouvet J (1991) Universal primers for amplification of three non-coding regions of chloroplast DNA. Plant Mol Biol 17:1105–1109

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • White TJ, Bruns SL, Taylor J (1990) Amplification and direct sequencing of fungal ribosomal RNA genes for phylogenetics. In: Innis M, Gelfand D, Sninsky J, White TJ (eds) PCR protocols: a guide to methods and applications. Academic Press, San Diego, California, USA, pp 315–322

    Google Scholar 

  • Whitham TG, Martinsen GD, Floate KD, Dungey HS, Potts BM, Keim P (1999) Plant hybrid zones affect biodiversity: tools for a genetic-based understanding of community structure. Ecology 80:416–428

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We acknowledge the Department of Natural Resources in Minnesota (esp. Chip Welling), Wisconsin (esp. Laura Herman), and Washington (esp. Jenifer Parsons), and also B. Pullman for their assistance in collecting specimens for this study. Funding for this project has been provided by NEBC Graduate Student Research Award Program, CAWS Michael Lefor Wetland Science Research Grant, Karling Graduate Student Research award (BSA), William R. Anderson Student Research Grant (ASPT), University of Connecticut Bamford Endowment Fund, Minnesota Dept. of Natural Resources and NSF DDIG 0309123.

Author information

Author notes

  1. M. L. Moody

    Present address: Department of Biology, Indiana University, Jordan Hall 142, 1001 E. 3rd St., Bloomington, IN, 47405, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, 06269-3043, USA

    M. L. Moody & D. H. Les

Authors
  1. M. L. Moody
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. D. H. Les
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to M. L. Moody.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Moody, M.L., Les, D.H. Geographic distribution and genotypic composition of invasive hybrid watermilfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum × M. sibiricum) populations in North America. Biol Invasions 9, 559–570 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-006-9058-9

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-006-9058-9

Keywords

Search

Navigation