Invasion vs. expansion - a mysterious origin of widespread weed Urtica dioica (Urticaceae)
| Name: | Invasion vs. expansion - a mysterious origin of widespread weed Urtica dioica (Urticaceae) |
|---|---|
| Researchers: |
Chrtek Jindřich (researcher) Rejlová Ludmila (member in research team) Hořčicová (roz. Svobodová) Šárka (member in research team) Urfus Tomáš (member in research team) Vít Petr (member in research team) Trávníček Pavel (member in research team) |
| Provider: | Grantová agentura ČR |
| Number: | GA 17-20201S |
| Realization from: | 2017 |
| Realization to: | 2019 |
| Summary: | Although plant invasion and expansions in Europe are some of the best explored, several plant groups are still largely neglected. A striking example is the Urtica dioica group, which includes several diploid taxa with restricted and partly relic geographic ranges, as well as tetraploids of unknown and possibly polytopic evolutionary history, which are some of the moct successful weeds in Europe. We propose how to unravel the geographic patterns of cytotype diversity, phylogenetic structure and morphological variation in relation to ecology and the climate using a multifaceted approach based on target enrichment combined with genome skimming (Hyb-Seq), flow cytometry, and both distance-based and geometric morphometrics. Our aim is to evaluate the role of diploids as indicators of natural habitats and address questions regarding the geographic origin and evolutionary history of rapidly spreading European tetraploid stinging nettles, and thus contribute to our understanding of the role of hybridization and polyploidization in the invasiveness or range expansion potential of plants. |