Article

Population Genomics of a Cosmopolitan Weed Provides Insights Into Its Local Adaptation and Recent Demographic History

Marília Souza LucasGerman Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research Halle GermanyChristoph RoscheGerman Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research Halle GermanyIsabell HensenGerman Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research Halle GermanyStefan G. MichalskiHelmholtz Center for Environmental Research Leipzig GermanyDávid U. NagyGoethe‐University Frankfurt GermanyDiana GambaPennsylvania State University University Park Pennsylvania USARenske E. OnsteinGerman Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research Halle GermanyК. Т. АbidkulovaAl‐Farabi Kazakh National University Almaty KazakhstanMohammad Al‐GharaibehJordan University of Science and Technology Irbid JordanAli A. Al‐NamaziNational Center for Vegetation Cover Riyadh Saudi ArabiaSirwan BabaeiUniversity of Kurdistan Sanandaj IranFernando BastidaUniversity of Huelva Huelva SpainCaio BrunharoPennsylvania State University University Park Pennsylvania USAAurélien CaillonConservatoire Botanique National Sud‐Atlantique Audenge FranceRagan M. CallawayUniversity of Montana Missoula Montana USASam St ClairBrigham Young University Provo Utah USADarron A. CullenUniversity of Hull Hull UKRyan DonnellyKansas State University Manhattan Kansas USAAlyson EnnisUniversity of Colorado Denver Colorado USADavid J. EnsingAgriculture and Agri‐Food Canada Ottawa Ontario CanadaÖzkan ErenAydın Adnan Menderes University Aydin TurkeyAndrey ErstRussian Academy of Sciences Moscow RussiaRita FilepUniversity of Pécs Pécs HungaryLuke FloryUniversity of Florida Gainesville Florida USALauren J. FrazeePharmaLex Conshohocken Pennsylvania USAYusufjon GafforovNational University of Uzbekistan Tashkent UzbekistanFidji GendronFirst Nations University of Canada Regina Saskatchewan CanadaZigmantas GudžinskasNature Research Centre Vilnius LithuaniaChristopher Matt GuilliamsSanta Barbara Botanic Garden Santa Barbara California USAAvni HajdariUniversity of Prishtina Prishtine KosovoJian‐Hua HaoChangshu Institute of Technology Changshu ChinaErin HaramotoUniversity of Kentucky Lexington Kentucky USAAnna A. IvashchenkoInstitute of Zoology Republic of Kazakhstan Almaty KazakhstanJ LiAksu National Oasis Agroecosystem Observation and Research Station Aksu ChinaNolan KaneUniversity of Colorado Denver Colorado USAMatthew A. KaprothMinnesota State University Mankato Minnesota USAHesham KassemSuez Canal University Ismailia EgyptAbdelmajid KhabbachSidi Mohamed Ben Abdallah University Fez MoroccoDamase P. KhasaUniversité Laval Quebec City Quebec CanadaMatthew KoskiClemson University Clemson South Carolina USAMaria KozhevnikovaKazan Federal University Kazan RussiaNikos KrigasHellenic Agricultural Organization Demeter GreeceДенис КривенкоSiberian Institute of Plant Physiology and Biochemistry Irkutsk RussiaJesse R. LaskyPennsylvania State University University Park Pennsylvania USAYlva LekbergMPG Ranch Missoula Missoula Montana USAMohamed LibiadAbdelmalek Essaadi University Tetouan MoroccoVanessa LozanoUniversity of Sassari Sassari ItalyWenbo LuoNortheast Normal University Changchun ChinaTrobjon MakhkamovTashkent State Agrarian University Tashkent UzbekistanElizabete MarchanteUniversity of Coimbra Coimbra PortugalChandra MoffatAgriculture and Agri‐Food Canada Ottawa Ontario CanadaAbigail MooreUniversity of Oklahoma Norman Oklahoma USAAlbert MuldashevFederal Scientific Centre of the Russian Academy of Sciences Moscow RussiaA. B. NersesyanNational Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia Yerevan ArmeniaPål l Axel OlssonLund University Lund SwedenAdrian OpreaAlexandru Ioan Cuza University Iași RomaniaRóbert PálMontana Technological University Butte Montana USAAstghik PapikyanNational Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia Yerevan ArmeniaChristopher ProctorUniversity of Nebraska Lincoln Nebraska USAVadim ProkhorovKazan Federal University Kazan RussiaSatu RamulaUniversity of Turku Turku FinlandEmily RauschertCleveland State University Cleveland Ohio USABryan ReatiniUnited States Forest Service Washington DC USAChristian RixenClimate Change Extremes and Natural Hazards in Alpine Regions Research Centre Davos Dorf SwitzerlandScott RushMississippi State University Starkville Mississippi USAGemma RuttenUniversity of Bern Bern SwitzerlandMariem SaadaniMartin Luther University Halle‐Wittenberg Halle GermanyIoulietta SamartzaHellenic Agricultural Organization Demeter GreeceJulian SelkeMartin Luther University Halle‐Wittenberg Halle GermanyStepan SenatorTsitsin Main Botanical Garden Moscow RussiaM.D. ShahUniversity of Kashmir Srinagar Jammu and Kashmir IndiaMin ShengJamal SheriffUniversity of Illinois Champaign Illinois USABaasanmunkh ShukherdorjChangwon National University Changwon South KoreaPeter SikkemaUniversity of Guelph Ridgetown Campus Ridgetown Ontario CanadaTatiana SilaevaOgarev Mordovia State University Saransk RussiaSatoshi SuzukiHokkaido University Hokkaido JapanArpad E. ThomaGerman Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research Halle GermanyBaoliang TianHenan University of TechnologyValeriy TokhtarBelgorod State University Belgorod RussiaSabrina TrägerGerman Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research Halle GermanyTomonori TsunodaFukui Prefectural University Fukui JapanOrzimat TurginovNational University of Uzbekistan Named After Mirzo Ulugbek Tashkent UzbekistanKathryn G. TurnerIdaho State University Pocatello Idaho USATatyana VakhlamovaToraighyrov University Pavlodar KazakhstanYulia VinogradovaUniversity of Kashmir Srinagar Jammu and Kashmir IndiaViktoria WagnerUniversity of Alberta Edmonton Alberta CanadaLydia WestbergUniversity of Kansas Lawrence Kansas USASa XiaoLanzhou University Lanzhou ChinaChristopher D. BarrattGerman Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research Halle GermanyWalter DurkaGerman Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research Halle Germany

Molecular Ecologyjournal2026en

ABI

Abstract

Invasive plant species present a growing ecological and economic challenge, and often adapt rapidly to their novel environments through complex demographic and evolutionary processes. Invasion genomics offers powerful tools to disentangle these processes, but most studies rely on geographically narrow sampling across native and non-native ranges. Erigeron canadensis is a cosmopolitan weed native to North America that has successfully invaded diverse climates worldwide. We used double-digest restriction site-associated DNA sequencing (ddRADseq) to investigate the genetic diversity and structure of 280 E. canadensis populations across the Northern Hemisphere. We found that native and non-native populations maintained comparable genetic diversity. Population structure analyses revealed four genetic clusters that were mainly differentiated along latitudinal and aridity gradients. However, one cluster was strongly overrepresented in the non-native compared to the native range. In the native range, genetic differentiation was shaped by spatial and environmental gradients, while in non-native regions human-mediated dispersal and repeated introductions disrupted environmentally driven genetic structure. Migration network analyses revealed limited intercontinental connectivity and a possible role of long-distance dispersal in within-range expansions. Genomic offset analyses showed that genotype-environment mismatches in non-native populations associated with reduced growth and reproduction. Together, our results indicate that the invasion dynamics of E. canadensis were driven by multiple introductions, population admixture, and lineage sorting, while some genotypes contributed disproportionately to the spread of this invader. The presence of apparent maladaptation suggests that even long-established invaders may still be evolving in response to their novel environment, raising concerns about potential future expansions.

Topics

Biological Control of Invasive Species Genetic diversity and population structure Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies

Identifiers

DOI: 10.1111/mec.70368

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