TY - JOUR
T1 - Genetic variation increases during biological invasion by a Cuban lizard
AU - Kolbe, Jason J.
AU - Glor, Richard E.
AU - Schettino, Lourdes Rodriguez
AU - Lara, Ada Chamizo
AU - Larson, Allan
AU - Losos, Jonathan B.
N1 - Funding Information:
Acknowledgements We thank M. Jirsa from the Geological Survey of Minnesota and the staff at the Department of Natural Resources in Ontario, Canada for help in locating and accessing core material. This research was supported by a Marie Curie Individual Fellowship (S.W.P.) and the Danish National Research Foundation (Danish Grundforskingsfond).
Funding Information:
Acknowledgements WethankT.Campbell,D.Cardace,P.Colbert,K.deQueiroz,A.Echternacht, J. Gaskin, L. Harmon, J. Knouft, K. Kozak, R. Muller, G. Norval, S. Poe, R. Powell, V. Rivalta Gonzalez, A. Torres Barboza and A. Wright for advice and assistance, and the National Science Foundation and the Environmental Protection Agency Science to Achieve Results (STAR) program for funding.
PY - 2004/9/9
Y1 - 2004/9/9
N2 - A genetic paradox exists in invasion biology: how do introduced populations, whose genetic variation has probably been depleted by population bottlenecks, persist and adapt to new conditions? Lessons from conservation genetics show that reduced genetic variation due to genetic drift and founder effects limits the ability of a population to adapt, and small population size increases the risk of extinction. Nonetheless, many introduced species experiencing these same conditions during initial introductions persist, expand their ranges, evolve rapidly and become invasive. To address this issue, we studied the brown anole, a worldwide invasive lizard. Genetic analyses indicate that at least eight introductions have occurred in Florida from across this lizard's native range, blending genetic variation from different geographic source populations and producing populations that contain substantially more, not less, genetic variation than native populations. Moreover, recently introduced brown anole populations around the world originate from Florida, and some have maintained these elevated levels of genetic variation. Here we show that one key to invasion success may be the occurrence of multiple introductions that transform among-population variation in native ranges to within-population variation in introduced areas. Furthermore, these genetically variable populations may be particularly potent sources for introductions elsewhere. The growing problem of invasive species introductions brings considerable economic and biological costs. If these costs are to be mitigated, a greater understanding of the causes, progression and consequences of biological invasions is needed.
AB - A genetic paradox exists in invasion biology: how do introduced populations, whose genetic variation has probably been depleted by population bottlenecks, persist and adapt to new conditions? Lessons from conservation genetics show that reduced genetic variation due to genetic drift and founder effects limits the ability of a population to adapt, and small population size increases the risk of extinction. Nonetheless, many introduced species experiencing these same conditions during initial introductions persist, expand their ranges, evolve rapidly and become invasive. To address this issue, we studied the brown anole, a worldwide invasive lizard. Genetic analyses indicate that at least eight introductions have occurred in Florida from across this lizard's native range, blending genetic variation from different geographic source populations and producing populations that contain substantially more, not less, genetic variation than native populations. Moreover, recently introduced brown anole populations around the world originate from Florida, and some have maintained these elevated levels of genetic variation. Here we show that one key to invasion success may be the occurrence of multiple introductions that transform among-population variation in native ranges to within-population variation in introduced areas. Furthermore, these genetically variable populations may be particularly potent sources for introductions elsewhere. The growing problem of invasive species introductions brings considerable economic and biological costs. If these costs are to be mitigated, a greater understanding of the causes, progression and consequences of biological invasions is needed.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=4544233571&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1038/nature02807
DO - 10.1038/nature02807
M3 - Article
C2 - 15356629
AN - SCOPUS:4544233571
SN - 0028-0836
VL - 431
SP - 177
EP - 181
JO - Nature
JF - Nature
IS - 7005
ER -