Russian-olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia) genetic diversity in the western United States and implications for biological control

• Published in: Invasive plant science and management Vol. 12; no. 2; pp. 89 - 96
• Main Authors: Gaskin, John F, Andrés, Jose A, Bogdanowicz, Steven M, Guilbault, Kimberly R, Hufbauer, Ruth A, Schaffner, Urs, Weyl, Philip, Williams, Livy
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, USA The Weed Science Society of America 01.06.2019; Cambridge University Press
• Subjects: Alleles; Biodiversity; Biological control; biological control agents; Biomonitoring; chloroplast DNA; Clusters; Control methods; Ecological monitoring; efficacy testing; Elaeagnus angustifolia; Genetic diversity; Genetic variation; Genetics; Genotype & phenotype; Haplotypes; Herbivores; Invasive plants; invasive species; Loci; microsatellite; microsatellite repeats; Microsatellites; monitoring; plants (botany); Polymorphism; Population; Population genetics; Population structure; Populations; riparian areas; Seeds; SSR; Trees; Weeds; Western United States; Montana; Wyoming; Asia; United States > US; Europe; Western states; North America; Western United States; microsatellite; genetic diversity; population genetics; SSR; Biological control
• ISSN: 1939-7291; 1929-7291; 1939-747X; 1939-747X
• DOI: 10.1017/inp.2019.16

Invasions can be genetically diverse, and that diversity may have implications for invasion management in terms of resistance or tolerance to control methods. We analyzed the population genetics of Russian-olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia L.), an ecologically important and common invasive tree found in many western U.S. riparian areas. We found three cpDNA haplotypes and, using 11 microsatellite loci, identified three genetic clusters in the 460 plants from 46 populations in the western United States. We found high levels of polymorphism in the micro-satellites (5 to 15 alleles per locus; 106 alleles total). Our native-range sampling was limited, and we did not find a genetic match for the most common cpDNA invasive haplotype or a strong confirmation of origin for the most common microsatellite genetic cluster. We did not find geographic population structure (isolation by distance) across the U.S. invasion, but we did identify invasive populations that had the most diversity, and we suggest these as choices for initial biological control–release monitoring. Accessions from each genetic cluster, which coarsely represent the range of genetic diversity found in the invasion, are now included in potential classical biological control agent efficacy testing.