BRS Fernando Hernández

a recording of this talk can be found here: 
https://ubc.zoom.us/rec/share/S1BcUO--laby6zSiZAWXb8TPke0WkiWHA9cEtZy-qQm-_PwZrLcRF3_TdJ74m0Uj.49Uk79v9_eIFzdXT

Passcode: %Y1ga8%B 

Host: Rieseberg Lab

Biological invasions as natural evolutionary experiments

Biological invasions are excellent models to study the speed and repeatability of evolution as well as the genetic and ecological drivers of rapid adaptation. In this seminar, I will present results of my research on introduced sunflowers, with particular emphasis on the role of post-introduction admixture with cultivated sunflower on invasion success. In the first section, I will show the utility of genomics to reconstruct invasion histories and to characterize the underlying genetic mechanisms. Second, I will present results of a common garden, aiming to study the phenotypic divergence between native and introduced populations and to identify traits that repeatedly evolved in the introduced areas. Finally, I will the discuss the key role of admixture with cultivated sunflower as a driver of rapid phenotypic evolution. These results suggest that admixture with cultivated species play a major role in the establishment and spread of introduced species.