Abstract Detail

Ecological Section

Marx, Hannah [1], Tank, David [2].

Alien encounters of the floral kind: interpreting patterns of community assembly on the San Juan Islands.

Understanding the process of community assembly is a key question in evolutionary biology. Considered as recent colonizers in an ecological community, modern species introductions can be used to understand the processes of community assembly in nature. Darwin predicted that distantly related non-native species would be more likely to establish due to novel traits that allow escape from competition with close relatives that are already present in the community. Patterns of community phylogenetic structure of vascular plants in the San Juan Islands show that introduced species are more closely related to native species, contradicting other tests of “Darwin’s Naturalization Hypothesis” (DNH) using molecular phylogenies. However, interpreting processes is controversial because mechanisms like competition can produce contrasting community patterns. Using ecologically relevant traits that have been shown to differ between invasive and native species in experimental tests of DNH, we use phylogenetic comparative methods to ask; are pre-adapted traits more important for naturalization in the San Juan Islands? What does this say about community assembly in this system?

Broader Impacts:

1 - University of Idaho, Institute of Bioinformatics and Evolutionary Studies, PO Box 443051, Moscow, ID, 83844-1133, USA
2 - University of Idaho, College of Natural Resources & Institute for Bioinformatics and Evolutionary Studies, 875 Perimeter Drive MS 1133, Moscow, ID, 83844-1133

Keywords:
megaphylogenies
vascular plants
invasive plants
macroevolution.

Presentation Type: Oral Paper:Papers for Sections
Session: 14
Location: Newberry/Riverside Hilton
Date: Monday, July 29th, 2013
Time: 4:00 PM
Number: 14008
Abstract ID:829
Candidate for Awards:Ecological Section Best Graduate Student Paper