Uncovering the genomic basis of an extraordinary plant invasion

• DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abo5115
• Publication Date: 2022-08-24T17:57:32Z
• Authors: Vanessa C. Bieker; Paul Battlay; Bent Petersen; Xin Sun; Jonathan Wilson; Jaelle C. Brealey; François Bretagnolle; Kristin Nurkowski; Chris Lee; Fátima Sánchez Ba...; Gregory L. Owens; Jacqueline Y. Lee; Fabian L. Kellner; Lotte van Boheemen; Shyam Gopalakrishnan; Myriam Gaudeul; Heinz Mueller-Sch...; Suzanne Lommen; Gerhard Karrer; Bruno Chauvel; Yan Sun; Bojan Kostantinovic; Love Dalén; Péter Poczai; Loren H. Rieseberg; M. Thomas P. Gilbert; Kathryn A. Hodgins; Michael D. Martin
• Keywords: 570; EUROPE; 03 medical and health sciences; HISTORY; SOIL MICROBES; CAP-BINDING PROTEIN; 580; 0303 health sciences; [SDV.GEN.GPO]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Genetics/Populations and Evolution [q-bio.PE]; COMMON RAGWEED AMBROSIA; DNA; Genomics; Sequence Analysis, DNA; 15. Life on land; [SDE.BE] Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology; ADAPTIVE EVOLUTION; ADMIXTURE; Europe; ARTEMISIIFOLIA; Ecology, evolutionary biology; [SDV.GEN.GPO] Life Sciences [q-bio]/Genetics/Populations and Evolution [q-bio.PE]; Biomedicine and Life Sciences; [SDE.BE]Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology; SPREAD; Ambrosia; Introduced Species

Invasive species are a key driver of the global biodiversity crisis, but the drivers of invasiveness, including the role of pathogens, remain debated. We investigated the genomic basis of invasiveness in Ambrosia artemisiifolia (common ragweed), introduced to Europe in the late 19th century, by resequencing 655 ragweed genomes, including 308 herbarium specimens collected up to 190 years ago. In invasive European populations, we found selection signatures in defense genes and lower prevalence of disease-inducing plant pathogens. Together with temporal changes in population structure associated with introgression from closely related Ambrosia species, escape from specific microbial enemies likely favored the plant’s remarkable success as an invasive species.