Multiple introductions and efficient propagule dispersion can lead to high genetic variability in an invasive clonal species.

Barbosa, Cristiana; Trevisan, Rafael; Estevinho, Tairine Freisleben; Castellani, Tânia Tarabini; Silva-Pereira, Viviane

Furcraea foetida (L.) Haw. (Asparagaceae) is an invasive plant in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. In Brazil, this species is mainly invasive along the Atlantic coast. The sexual reproduction is unknown in native and invaded regions, and individuals efficiently produce thousands of vegetative propagules by clonal reproduction. The actual distribution of F. foetida seems to be related to its historical use as a cultivated species and human-driven propagule pressure. Our hypotheses are that the multiple historical introduction events could originate high genetic diversity in invaded areas, and the posterior recurrent propagules migration could maintain the variability and produce strong cohesion among clonal populations along coastal environments in South America. To test these hypotheses, we used inter-simple sequence repeat molecular markers to investigate: (1) the level of genetic diversity of clonal populations; (2) the distribution of genetic diversity among native and invaded areas; and (3) the genetic structure of populations in invaded areas in the southeast and southern Brazil. Invasive populations showed similar levels of genetic diversity to the native populations, and in both areas was explained by the variation among individuals within populations instead of between populations and between regions. Based on the history of human use we believe that, in a larger time–space scale, the introduction from multiple sources is the main factor related to the high genetic diversity of this clonal species and a mixed genetic composition is reinforced by the efficient water dispersion of propagules among islands and coastal environments in South America.

BRAZIL; SOUTH America; INTRODUCED species; SPECIES diversity; DISPERSION (Chemistry); INVASIVE plants; TROPICAL plants

Biological Invasions, 2019, Vol 21, Issue 11, p3427

1387-3547

Academic Journal

10.1007/s10530-019-02057-y