Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2010 Mar;3(2):157-68.
doi: 10.1111/j.1752-4571.2009.00106.x.

The extent of hybridization and its impact on the genetic diversity and population structure of an invasive tree, Ulmus pumila (Ulmaceae)

Juan E Zalapa  1 , Johanne Brunet  2 , Raymond P Guries  1
Affiliations

The extent of hybridization and its impact on the genetic diversity and population structure of an invasive tree, Ulmus pumila (Ulmaceae)

Juan E Zalapa et al. Evol Appl. 2010 Mar.

Abstract

Ulmus pumila is considered an invasive tree in 41 of the United States. In this study, we examined the extent of hybridization in naturalized populations of U. pumila, its impact on genetic diversity and genetic structure and its potential role in explaining the invasion process of U. pumila. Genetic analyses indicated widespread hybridization with native Ulmus rubra in naturalized U. pumila populations. Hybridization increased the genetic diversity of U. pumila populations and affected their genetic structure. The level of genetic diversity in 'mature' accessions, many of which may represent original plantings throughout the USA, was high and similar to the diversity of East Asian accessions. Hybridization with the native red elm may play an important role in the success of Siberian elm as an invader in temperate regions of the USA.

Keywords: Siberian elm; Ulmus pumila; Ulmus rubra; genetic diversity; hybridization; invasive species.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Classification of putative Ulmus pumila individuals collected from throughout the United States. (Panel A) Identification using species-specific alleles in 13 microsatellite markers. (Panel B) Taxon designations tested by Bayesian admixture (K = 2; Panel B). In the structure plots each individual is represented by a thin vertical line divided into K = 2 colored segments that represent the individual's estimated membership fractions in these two clusters. Black lines separate individuals from different populations.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Principal coordinates analyses (P. coord. 1 and 2; Panel A) of pure Ulmus pumila and hybrids (U. pumila × Ulmus rubra) individuals identified in the United States using species-specific alleles in 13 microsatellite markers (Panel A) and taxon designations tested by Bayesian NewHybrids (Panel B). In the NewHybrids plots, each individual is represented by a thin vertical line divided into eight colored segments that represent the individual's estimated membership fractions to each of the eight cross types.
Figure 3
Figure 3
structure analysis of eight naturalized Ulmus pumila populations (Panel A = hybrids included and Panel B = hybrids excluded) in the United States using 13 microsatellite loci. In the structure plots each individual is represented by a thin vertical line divided into K-colored segments that represent the individual's estimated membership fractions in each of the K clusters. Black lines separate populations (labeled at the bottom). The pie graph for each population represents the overall relative contribution of each of the K clusters to that population (Panel A, K = 8 and Panel B, K = 4).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Allendorf FW, Lundquist LL. Population biology, evolution, and control of invasive species. Conservation Biology. 2003;17:24–30.
    1. Anderson EC, Thompson EA. A model-based method for identifying species hybrids using multilocus genetic data. Genetics. 2002;160:1217–1229. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bacilieri R, Ducousso A, Petit RJ, Kremer A. Mating system and asymmetric hybridization in a mixed stand of European oaks. Evolution. 1996;50:900–908. - PubMed
    1. Baker HB, Stebbins GL. The Genetics of Colonizing Species. New York: Academic Press; 1965.
    1. Blair AC, Wolfe LM. The evolution of an invasive plant: an experimental study with Silene latifolia. Ecology. 2004;85:3035–3042.

LinkOut - more resources