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Is there rapid evolutionary response in introduced populations of tansy ragwort, Jacobaea vulgaris, when exposed to biological control?

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Abstract

Differences in the herbivore community between a plant’s native (specialists and generalists) and introduced range (almost exclusively generalists) may lead to the evolution of reduced allocation to defences against specialist herbivores in the introduced range, allowing for increased allocation to competitive ability and to defences against generalist herbivores. Following this logic, the introduction of biological control agents should reverse this evolutionary shift and select for plants with life-history traits that are more similar to those of plants in the native range than those of plants in the introduced range that have not been exposed to biological control. In a common garden experiment, we compared performance and resistance traits of tansy ragwort, Jacobaea vulgaris, among populations from the introduced range (New Zealand and North America) that have either been exposed to or grown free from the biological control agent Longitarsus jacobaeae. For comparison, we included populations from the native European range. We found lower levels of generalist-deterrent pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) and of soluble phenolics in New Zealand populations with than in populations without exposure to L. jacobaeae, while the opposite pattern was detected among North American populations. Contrary to expectation, populations with exposure to L. jacobaeae revealed more feeding damage by L. jacobaeae than populations without exposure. Introduced populations had higher levels of PAs and reproductive output than native J. vulgaris populations. Jacobaea vulgaris was introduced in different parts of the world some 100–130 years ago, while L. jacobaeae was introduced only some 20–40 years ago. Hence, the larger differences observed between native and introduced populations, as compared to introduced populations with and without biological control history, may result from different time scales available for selection to act.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to sincerely thank the many colleagues for collecting J. vulgaris seed material, N. Borowiec, R. Eschen, E. Gerber, N. Sailer, A. L. Torche and I. Vaisman for assistance in field and laboratory work, H. de Vos and C.A.M. van Wijk for their assistance in the chemical analyses, D. Matthies for statistical advice, and J. Maron, two anonymous referees and the handling editor for valuable comments on the manuscript. This research was financed by the National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) Plant Survival, research programme of the Swiss National Science Foundation to U.S. and H.M.S.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. CABI Europe-Switzerland, Rue des Grillons 1, 2800, Delémont, Switzerland

    Carole Rapo & Urs Schaffner

  2. Département de Biologie/Ecologie & Evolution, Université de Fribourg/Pérolles, Chemin du Musée 10, 1700, Fribourg, Switzerland

    Carole Rapo & Heinz Müller-Schärer

  3. Institute of Biology, Section Plant Ecology, Leiden University, PO Box 9516, 2300 RA, Leiden, The Netherlands

    Klaas Vrieling

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  1. Carole Rapo
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  2. Heinz Müller-Schärer
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  4. Urs Schaffner
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Correspondence to Urs Schaffner.

Appendix

Appendix

See Tables 2 and 3.

Table 2 Origin of the populations of Jacobaea vulgaris included in the common garden experiment, and presence/absence of the biological control agent Longitarsus jacobaeae (in Chereng probably the sibling species L. flavicornis)
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Table 3 Timetable of the experimental tasks carried out in each of the three experimental blocks
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Rapo, C., Müller-Schärer, H., Vrieling, K. et al. Is there rapid evolutionary response in introduced populations of tansy ragwort, Jacobaea vulgaris, when exposed to biological control?. Evol Ecol 24, 1081–1099 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10682-010-9367-4

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