Photo: Kochia, southwest Montana. © 2020 Delena Norris-Tull
Sampling effect: Its role in biological invasions
Summaries of the research and commentary by Dr. Delena Norris-Tull, Professor Emerita of Science Education, University of Montana Western, July 2020, updated November 2024.
Sampling effect refers to the effect of introducing into a new environment a selected sub-sample of a species’ many possible genotypes. “The interplay between native genetic diversity and a species’ introduction history ultimately determines the genetic diversity introduced. For instance, while ornamental trees tend to be transported in lower numbers and introduced in low densities, forestry species tend to be transported in higher numbers and introduced in high densities… Trees introduced for erosion control are often transported in high numbers and introduced into particularly vulnerable habitats… Artificially selected traits for ornamentation [flower, fruit, foliage traits] and forestry [rapid growth, disease resistance, environmental hardiness] are also often positively linked to invasion success. There are also substantial efforts to introduce and improve mycorrhizas for many forestry species, which may cause substantial increases in tree invasiveness following fungal introductions” (Zenni, et al., 2017).
“In accidental transports, only a few propagules tend to be released and invasions are more likely to fail… However, if high-performance genotypes… are present in the pool of accidentally released individuals, the chances of successful establishment may increase… Unintentional introductions often suffer from severe founder effect, reduced genetic diversity, and therefore strong genetic drift. This can lead to rapid, albeit non-adaptive (neutral), trait differentiation between introduced and native range populations… Drift may result in invasion failure. Strong founder effects could also cause inbreeding” (Zenni, et al., 2017).
References:
Next Sections on research on evolutionary dynamics:
Next Sections on research on the success of invasive species:
Sampling effect: Its role in biological invasions
Summaries of the research and commentary by Dr. Delena Norris-Tull, Professor Emerita of Science Education, University of Montana Western, July 2020, updated November 2024.
Sampling effect refers to the effect of introducing into a new environment a selected sub-sample of a species’ many possible genotypes. “The interplay between native genetic diversity and a species’ introduction history ultimately determines the genetic diversity introduced. For instance, while ornamental trees tend to be transported in lower numbers and introduced in low densities, forestry species tend to be transported in higher numbers and introduced in high densities… Trees introduced for erosion control are often transported in high numbers and introduced into particularly vulnerable habitats… Artificially selected traits for ornamentation [flower, fruit, foliage traits] and forestry [rapid growth, disease resistance, environmental hardiness] are also often positively linked to invasion success. There are also substantial efforts to introduce and improve mycorrhizas for many forestry species, which may cause substantial increases in tree invasiveness following fungal introductions” (Zenni, et al., 2017).
“In accidental transports, only a few propagules tend to be released and invasions are more likely to fail… However, if high-performance genotypes… are present in the pool of accidentally released individuals, the chances of successful establishment may increase… Unintentional introductions often suffer from severe founder effect, reduced genetic diversity, and therefore strong genetic drift. This can lead to rapid, albeit non-adaptive (neutral), trait differentiation between introduced and native range populations… Drift may result in invasion failure. Strong founder effects could also cause inbreeding” (Zenni, et al., 2017).
References:
- Zenni, R.D., Dickie, I.A., Wingfield, M.J., Hirsch, H., Crous, C.J., Meyerson, L.A., Burgess, T.I., Zimmermann, T.G., Klock, M.M., Siemann, E., Erfmeier, A., Aragon, R., Montti, L, & LeRoux, J.J. (Jan., 2017). Evolutionary dynamics of tree invasions: Complementing the unified framework for biological invasions. AoB Plants, 9 (1), 1-14 [plw085; 10.1093/aobpla/plw085].
Next Sections on research on evolutionary dynamics:
Next Sections on research on the success of invasive species: