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On the origin and genetic variability of the two invasive biotypes of Chromolaena odorata

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Abstract

Chromolaena odorata (L.) R. M. King and H. Robinson (Asteraceae), originally from the Neotropics, has become a serious weed in the humid tropics and subtropics of Southeast Asia, Africa and Pacific Islands. In its introduced distributions, C. odorata has been recognised as two biotypes, the Asian/West African (AWA) biotype and South African (SA) biotype, with independent distribution, morphology and ecological characters. To characterise the genetic variability and identify the likely source regions in the native distributions of the two biotypes, we carried out an extensive phylogeographic study using chloroplast and nuclear DNA sequences and microsatellite DNA markers. The analysis of both DNA sequences and nuclear markers showed that native populations possessed high genetic diversity, while both the AWA and SA biotypes in invaded regions appeared to have low genetic diversity. The AWA and SA biotypes were genetically distinct. Strong competitive ability and environmental adaptability may have facilitated the invasion AWA and SA biotypes in its respective invasive regions. We conclude that the source of AWA biotype may be Trinidad and Tobago, while the SA biotype was from Cuba and Jamaica. For a better outcome of biocontrol, the potential biological control agents for the two biotypes should be collected from these native regions, respectively.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank Iain D. Paterson for providing genetic specimen, and thank Costas Zachariades, Nontembeko Dube, Osariyekemwen O. Uyi, Yanqiong Peng, Jianli Zhao and Zhilong Liu for their assistance with field sampling. Xiangqin Yu, Xiuyan Feng and Meng Wang are thanked for their help in data analyses. This research was supported by National Science Foundation of China (No. 31370267).

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  1. Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650201, Yunnan, China

    Xiaona Shao, Qiaoming Li & Luxiang Lin

  2. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China

    Xiaona Shao

  3. Southeast Asia Biodiversity Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Mengla, 666303, Yunnan, China

    Luxiang Lin

  4. School of Molecular and Life Sciences, Curtin University, GPO Box U1987, Perth, WA, 6845, Australia

    Tianhua He

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  1. Xiaona Shao
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Correspondence to Qiaoming Li.

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Shao, X., Li, Q., Lin, L. et al. On the origin and genetic variability of the two invasive biotypes of Chromolaena odorata. Biol Invasions 20, 2033–2046 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-018-1677-4

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