Abstract
The amount and distribution of genetic variation in 51 native (Eurasian and northern African) populations of Bromus tectorum were assessed at 25 loci using starch gel electrophoresis and were compared with our previous results for introduced (North American) populations of this predominantly cleistogamous grass. More alleles and variable loci were detected across populations in the native range than in North American populations. Within populations, however, the level of polymorphism is higher in the introduced range than in the native range. Deviation from Hardy-Weinberg expectation among native populations is almost as severe as for introduced populations. Eurasian populations exhibit greater genetic differentiation than those in North America; populations from Southwest Asia are the most genetically differentiated. Comparison of single-locus genotypes suggests possible source populations in both Europe and Southwest Asia for the populations now so prominent in western North America. Genetic differences between introduced and native populations of B. tectorum stem from two opposing factors: the reduction in genetic variability across populations produced by founder effects combined with an increase in the within-population component of genetic variation from multiple introductions.
Similar content being viewed by others
Article PDF
References
Baker, H G. 1972. Migration of seeds. In: Valentine, D. H. (ed.), Taxonomy, Phytogeography and Evolution, Academic Press, London, pp. 327–347.
Baker, H G, and Stebbins, G L. 1965. The Genetics of Colonizing Species. Academic Press, New York.
Barrett, S C H, and Husband, B C. 1990. The genetics of plant migration and colonization. In: Brown, A. D. H., Clegg, M. T., Kahler, A. L. and Weir, B. S. (eds) Plant Population Genetics, Breeding and Germplasm Resources, Sinauer, Sunderland, MA, pp. 254–277.
Barrett, S C H, and Richardson, B J. 1986. Genetic attributes of invading species. In: Groves, R. H. and Burdon, J. J. (eds) Ecology of Biological Invasions: an Australian Perspective, Australian Academy of Science, Canberra, pp. 21–33.
Barrett, S C H, and Shore, J S. 1989. Isozyme variation in colonizing plants. In: Soltis, D. E. and Soltis, P. S. (eds) Isozymes in Plant Biology, Dioscorides Press, Portland, OR, pp. 106–126.
Brown, A H D. 1979. Enzyme polymorphisms in plant populations. Theoret Popul Biol, 15, 1–42.
Brown, A H D, and Marshall, D R. 1981. Evolutionary changes accompanying colonization in plants. In: Scudder, G. C. E. and Reveal, J. L. (eds) Evolution Today, Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation, Carnegie-Mellon University Press, Pittsburgh, PA, pp. 351–363.
Burcham, L T. 1957. California Range Land, Department of Natural Resources (California) Division of Forestry, Sacramento, CA.
Bryant, E H, Combs, L M, and McCommas, S A. 1986a. Morphometric differentiation among lines of the housefly in relation to a bottleneck. Genetics, 114, 1213–1223.
Bryant, E H, McCommas, S A, and Combs, L M. 1986b. The effect of an experimental bottleneck upon quantitative genetic variation in the housefly. Genetics, 114, 1191–1211.
Clegg, M T, and Allard, R W. 1972. Patterns of genetic differentiation in the slender wild oat species Avena barbata. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, 69, 1820–1824.
Clegg, M T, and Brown, A H D. 1983. The founding of plant populations. In: Schonewald-Cox, C. M., Chambers, S. M., Macbryde, B. and Thomas, W. L. (eds) Genetics and Conservation, Benjamin/Cummings, Menlo Park, CA, pp. 216–228.
Goodnight, C J. 1987. On the effect of founder events on epistatic genetic variance. Evolution, 41, 80–91.
Goodnight, C J. 1988. Epistasis and the effect of founder events on the additive genetic variance. Evolution, 42, 441–454.
Gottlieb, L D. 1982. Conservation and duplication of isozymes in plants. Science, 216, 373–380.
Gray, A J. 1986. Do invading species have definable genetic characteristics? Phil Trans R Soc Lond B, 314, 655–674.
Hamrick, J L, and Godt, M J W. 1990. Allozyme diversity in plant species. In: Brown, A. D. H., Clegg, M. T., Kahler, A. L. and Weir, B. S. (eds) Plant Population Genetics, Breeding, and Germplasm Resources, Sinauer, Sunderland, MA, pp. 43–63.
Hulten, E, and Fries, M. 1986. Atlas of Northern European Vascular Plants North of the Tropic of Cancer I. Koeltz Scientific Books, Konigstein, Germany.
Krzakowa, M, and Kraupe, A. 1981. Isozyme investigation of natural populations of cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum L.). Bot Jahrb Syst, 102, 393–399.
La Tourrette, J E, Young, J A, and Evans, R A. 1971. Seed dispersal in relation to rodent activities in several big sagebrush communities. J Range Manage, 24, 118–120.
McCommas, S A, and Bryant, E B. 1990. Loss of electrophoretic variation in serially bottlenecked populations. Heredity, 64, 315–321.
Mack, R N. 1981. Invasion of Bromus tectorum L. into western North America: an ecological chronicle. Agro-Ecosystems, 7, 145–165.
Maruyama, T, and Fuerst, P A. 1985. Population genetics and nonequilibrium models in population genetics. II. Number of alleles in a small population that was formed by a recent bottleneck. Genetics, 111, 675–689.
Nei, M. 1973. Analysis of gene diversity in subdivided populations. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, 70, 3321–3323.
Nei, M. 1977. F-statistics and analysis of gene diversity in subdivided populations. Ann Hum Genet, 41, 225–233.
Nei, M. 1978. Estimation of average heterozygosity and genetic distance from a small number of individuals. Genetics, 89, 583–590.
Nei, M, Maruyama, T, and Chakraborty, R. 1975. The bottleneck effect and genetic variability in populations. Evolution, 29, 1–10.
Novak, S J. 1990. Multiple introduction and founder effects in Bromus tectorum L: an analysis of Eurasian and North American populations. Ph.D Dissertation, Washington State University.
Novak, S J, Mack, R N, and Soltis, D E. 1991. Genetic variation in Bromus tectorum (Poaceae): population differentiation in its North American range. Am J Bot, 78, 1150–1161.
Pierson, E K, and Mack, R N. 1990. The population biology of Bromus tectorum in forests: distinguishing the opportunity for dispersal from environmental restriction. Oecologia, 84, 519–525.
Polans, N O, and Allard, R W. 1989. An experimental evaluation of the recovery potential of ryegrass populations from genetic stress resulting from restriction of population size. Evolution, 43, 1320–1324.
Rodman, J E. 1974. Systematics and evolution of the genus Cakile (Cruciferae). Cont Gray Herb Harv Univ, 205, 3–146.
Rodman, J E. 1976. Differentiation and migration of Cakile (Cruciferae): seed glucosinolate evidence. Syst Bot, 1, 137–148.
Singh, R S, and Jain, S K. 1971. Population biology of Avena II. Isozyme polymorphisms in populations of the Mediterranean region and central California. Theoret Appl Genet, 41, 79–84.
Swofford, D L, and Selander, R K. 1981. BIOSYS-1. A FORTRAN program for the comprehensive analysis of electrophoretic data in population genetics and systematics. J Hered, 72, 281–283.
Upadhyaya, M K, Turkington, R, and McIlvride, D. 1986. The biology of Canadian weeds. 75. Bromus tectorum L. Can J Plant Sci, 66, 689–709.
Wade, M J, and McCauley, D E. 1988. Extinction and recolonization: their effects on the genetic differentiation of local populations. Evolution, 42, 995–1005.
Watterson, G A. 1984. Allele frequency after a bottleneck. Theoret Popul Biol, 26, 387–407.
Weeden, N F, and Wendel, J F. 1989. Genetics of plant isozymes. In: Soltis, D. E. and Soltis, P. S. (eds) Isozymes in Plant Biology, Dioscorides Press, Portland, OR, pp. 46–72.
Whitlock, M C, and McCauley, D E. 1990. Some population genetic consequences of colony formation and extinction: genetic correlations within founding groups. Evolution, 44, 1717–1724.
Workman, P L, and Niswander, J D. 1970. Population studies on southwestern Indian tribes. II. Local genetic differentiation in the Papago. Am J Human Genet, 22, 24–49.
Wright, S. 1965. The interpretation of population structure by F-statistics with special regard to systems of mating. Evolution, 19, 395–420.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Novak, S., Mack, R. Genetic variation in Bromus tectorum (Poaceae): comparison between native and introduced populations. Heredity 71, 167–176 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1038/hdy.1993.121
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/hdy.1993.121
Keywords
This article is cited by
-
Preadapted to adapt: underpinnings of adaptive plasticity revealed by the downy brome genome
Communications Biology (2023)
-
Genetic analysis of Bromus tectorum (Poaceae) in the Mediterranean region: biogeographical pattern of native populations
Heredity (2021)
-
Strategies of the invasive tropical fire ant (Solenopsis geminata) to minimize inbreeding costs
Scientific Reports (2019)
-
Why polyploid exceptionalism is not accompanied by reduced extinction rates
Plant Systematics and Evolution (2019)
-
Evaluation and comparison of the genetic structure of Bunias orientalis populations in their native range and two non-native ranges
Plant Ecology (2018)