Event Title
Invasive Hybrid Watermilfoils are Sexually Viable: Evidence from Laboratory Crosses and Genetic Analysis of Matural Populations
Presentation Type
Poster/Portfolio
Presenter Major(s)
Cell and Molecular Biology
Mentor Information
Ryan Thum
Department
Annis Water Resource Institute (AWRI)
Location
Kirkhof Center KC22
Start Date
10-4-2013 9:00 AM
End Date
10-4-2013 10:00 AM
Keywords
Life Science
Abstract
The hybrid offspring of invasive Eurasian watermilfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum) and native northern watermilfoil (Myriophyllum sibiricum) are highly invasive, but little is known about their reproductive biology. Hybrid watermilfoils can reproduce asexually via fragmentation, but sexual viability is unknown. The capacity for sexual reproduction has important implications for the invasive potential and management of hybrid watermilfoils. We investigate whether hybrids are sexually viable using laboratory hybrid crosses and estimate hybrid classes from natural populations with molecular tools. We show that hybrids can produce viable seeds under laboratory conditions and with Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphisms and a Bayesian genetic assignment method we estimate that natural populations contain later generation hybrids. Our study shows hybrids have the ability to reproduce via sexual reproduction, and that later generation hybrids can grow to maturity in natural populations.
Invasive Hybrid Watermilfoils are Sexually Viable: Evidence from Laboratory Crosses and Genetic Analysis of Matural Populations
Kirkhof Center KC22
The hybrid offspring of invasive Eurasian watermilfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum) and native northern watermilfoil (Myriophyllum sibiricum) are highly invasive, but little is known about their reproductive biology. Hybrid watermilfoils can reproduce asexually via fragmentation, but sexual viability is unknown. The capacity for sexual reproduction has important implications for the invasive potential and management of hybrid watermilfoils. We investigate whether hybrids are sexually viable using laboratory hybrid crosses and estimate hybrid classes from natural populations with molecular tools. We show that hybrids can produce viable seeds under laboratory conditions and with Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphisms and a Bayesian genetic assignment method we estimate that natural populations contain later generation hybrids. Our study shows hybrids have the ability to reproduce via sexual reproduction, and that later generation hybrids can grow to maturity in natural populations.