Ryan Haasl, Real-time invasion dynamics and genetics of Japanese hop

TL;DR

Japanese Hop is an aggressive invasive plant that primarily spreads through waterborne dispersal and is a threat to native plant communities.

Transcript

all rights a good afternoon everyone and thank you for sticking around and thanks for the invite it's been a pleasurable couple days and I really appreciate it so I was trained as a population geneticist in the laboratory of Brett pay sewer where I did primarily computational work analyzing data doing simulations as a way of doing statistical infer... Read More

Key Insights

• 🌱 Japanese Hop is an aggressive invasive species that displaces native plants in riparian zones.
• 🖐️ Its spread is primarily facilitated through waterborne dispersal, but animal-mediated dispersal also plays a role.
• 👹 The genetic diversity of Japanese Hop varies along the river, with the highest diversity at the initial introduction site.
• 👶 Pioneer sites exhibit a founder effect initially, but genetic diversity increases over time due to new seeds from upstream.

Questions & Answers

Q: What factors contribute to the aggressiveness of Japanese Hop as an invasive species?

Japanese Hop's ability to climb and outcompete other species, its preference for riparian zones, and its strong vine-like growth make it a highly aggressive competitor.

Q: How was the initial introduction of Japanese Hop in Wisconsin likely a result of human-mediated dispersal?

The location and pattern of infestations, along with the absence of the plant upstream and downstream of the initial introduction site, indicate that a construction project in 1999 likely placed the seeds there.

Q: How is genetic diversity affected at pioneer sites of Japanese Hop?

Pioneer sites initially exhibit a founder effect, where rare alleles are either lost or increased in frequency. However, over time, as new seeds from upstream contribute to the population, genetic diversity expands at these sites.

Q: Why is Japanese Hop a useful model system for studying the genetics of range expansion?

Japanese Hop's restriction to riparian zones makes it easy to track its range expansion over time. The recentness of the invasion and the use of small genomic datasets also make it feasible to study genetic patterns.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Japanese Hop is an invasive plant species that prefers riparian zones in Wisconsin and is a strong competitor due to its vine-like growth.

• The plant has been spreading rapidly since its initial introduction in 1999 and has displaced native plant communities in various areas.

• Researchers are using spatially explicit simulations and genetic data to study the range expansion and genetic diversity of Japanese Hop.