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Abstract Detail


Molecular Ecology and Evolution

Williams, Dean [1], Overholt, William [2], Copeland, Robert [3], Cuda, James [4].

Origin of a disjunct population of Hydrilla verticillata Royle (Hydrocharitaceae) in the East African Great Lakes.

Hydrilla verticillata Royle (Hydrocharitaceae) is an aquatic plant that is widely distributed across Asia and the Indo-Pacific, with disjunct populations occurring in NE Europe and the Great Lakes of East Africa. Hydrilla was first collected in the East African Great Lakes by Speke during his 1860-1863 expedition in search of the source of the Nile River and so it is thought that hydrilla may be native to the Great Lakes or was introduced prior to European exploration. Hydrilla was introduced to the New World in the twentieth century, and since that time it has become extremely invasive and costs millions of dollars annually in control efforts. In the Great Lakes of East Africa, however, hydrilla occurs at low densities and is not invasive suggesting there may be natural enemies that keep the plant at low densities. As part of a larger study aimed at finding biological control agents in East Africa, we used chloroplast and nuclear microsatellite loci to determine the genetic relationships of hydrilla throughout their native range and evaluate whether African populations were of recent origin. Our data indicate that hydrilla is genetically diverse throughout Asia and the Indo-Pacific. The African samples on the other hand, were very similar to samples from the Indian subcontinent, suggesting hydrilla was introduced from this part of Asia to the East African Great Lakes.

Broader Impacts:


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1 - Texas Christian University, Biology, Fort Worth, Texas, USA
2 - University of Florida, Department of Entomology and Nematology , Biological Control Research and Containment Laboratory , 2199 South Rock Road, Fort Pierce, FL, 34945, USA
3 - ICIPE (International Center for Insect Physiology and Ecology), P.O. Box 30 , 40305 , Mbita, Kenya
4 - University of Florida, Entomology and Nematology , Bldg. 970, Natural Area Dr., Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA

Keywords:
Biogeography
historical introduction
aquatic plants.

Presentation Type: Oral Paper:Papers for Topics
Session: 46
Location: 552A/Convention Center
Date: Wednesday, August 4th, 2010
Time: 9:00 AM
Number: 46005
Abstract ID:740

Canceled

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