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.

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Apr 10th, 9:00 AM Apr 10th, 10:00 AM

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.