Abstract
AimsWe investigate native and introduced populations of Solanum rostratum, an annual, self-compatible plant that has been introduced around the globe. This study is the first to compare the genetic diversity of Solanum rostratum between native and introduced populations. We aim to (1) determine the level of genetic diversity across the studied regions; (2) explore the likely origins of invasive populations in China; and (3) investigate whether there is the evidence of multiple introductions into China.MethodsWe genotyped 329 individuals at 10 microsatellite loci to determine the levels of genetic diversity and to investigate population structure of native and introduced populations of S. rostratum. We studied five populations in each of three regions across two continents: Mexico, the U.S.A. and China.Important FindingsWe found the highest genetic diversity among Mexican populations of S. rostratum. Genetic diversity was significantly lower in Chinese and U.S.A. populations, but we found no regional difference in inbreeding coefficients (F IS) or population differentiation (F ST). Population structure analyses indicate that Chinese and U.S.A. populations are more closely related to each other than to sampled Mexican populations, revealing that introduced populations in China share an origin with the sampled U.S.A. populations. The distinctiveness between some introduced populations indicates multiple introductions of S. rostratum into China.
Highlights
Studying the genetic diversity and structure of introduced populations is a key component to understand the potential of introduced species to establish and spread in the novel range [1,2]
Genetic diversity across geographic regions A total of 329 individuals belonging to 15 populations in Mexico, the U.S.A. and China were successfully genotyped using the panel of 10 microsatellite loci
The number of private alleles per region showed a strong contrast with nearly 50% (44/89) of alleles across loci being restricted to Mexico, and only between
Summary
Studying the genetic diversity and structure of introduced populations is a key component to understand the potential of introduced species to establish and spread in the novel range [1,2]. Thought to be originated from a region centred on the Mexican highlands [10,11], Solanum rostratum has spread to the U.S.A., Canada [12], Europe, Australia [13], the former Soviet Union [10], South Korea, and China [14,15]. In many of these areas, S. rostratum is treated as a noxious weed as it grows aggressively following habitat disturbance [15,16], and livestock is discouraged from grazing on vegetation where it grows as thorns cover all the plant except the flowers and can cause poisoning if ingested [16]
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