New publication: “Global gene flow releases invasive plants from environmental constraints on genetic diversity” from PLANTPOPNET Network

We are delighted to announce that the first manuscript from the PLANTPOPNET network has been published this month in PNAS. The article is entitled “Global gene flow releases invasive plants from environmental constraints on genetic diversity” and Annabel L. Smith, the first author of the article, presents worldwide demographic and genetic data of the invasive plant Plantago lanceolata. Within the almost 50-authors list, Sergi Munné-Bosch and Melanie Morales, from the ANTIOX-Ecophys Team, have contributed collecting demographic data within the P. lanceolata native range.

The article is strongly significant not only in plant demography studies but also contributes to understand the dynamics behind biological invasions, as the PLANTPOPNET global dataset of P. lanceolata demography and genetic diversity revealed that long-distance dispersal and repeated introductions by humans have shaped adaptive potential of this invasive species by promoting genetic stock mixing from multiple populations.

Figure 2 from Smith et al. (2020). Global genetic structure in P. lanceolata. Read the article for more details.