Genetic diversity may promote a plant species’ invasiveness by facilitating the evolution of local adaptation, enhanced competitive abilities, and phenotypic plasticity. We examined the possible role of genetic diversity in the invasiveness of purple loosestrife, Lythrum salicaria L., a Eurasian native introduced to North America, through a broad geographic comparison of eight populations, four from Europe and four from North America. We further cultivated these populations in two common gardens varying by nearly 20 degrees of latitude to evaluate whether invasive populations exhibit heightened growth/reproductive capabilities and/or phenotypic plasticity when faced with widely varying environmental conditions. We found similar levels of genetic diversity regardless of continent of origin, indicating no loss of adaptive potential during the North American invasion, along with more rapid first-year growth of invasive populations regardless of garden. Further, we found evidence that our source populations had adapted to their respective latitudes on both continents, as plant size decreased with increases in a population’s latitude of origin. We observed no difference between continents in phenotypic plasticity in response to the widely varying conditions affecting our two gardens, suggesting either that such plasticity has played little role in the latitudinal spread of L. salicaria in North America, or that local selection has erased it over time. Our results support earlier studies demonstrating the evolution of local adaptation and increased competitiveness in invasive L. salicaria, bolstered by high levels of genetic diversity.

,A potential biological control agent, Lygomusotima stria was collected in Thailand and Singapore and examined to determine if it was safe for release for Lygodium microphyllum. Old World climbing fern is one of the worst weeds of southern and central Florida. Old World climbing fern invades much of the southern peninsula of Florida where cost-effective, sustainable control methods are needed. Biological controls will assist land managers, reducing cost of control, and human exposure to pesticides. This agent has been recommended for field release by USDA APHIS.,Data in csv format included here is from a series of no-choice tests on neonate and third instars, oviposition, multigeneration, lower lethal temperature studies. Also included are native range collection information of L. stria and distribution data for the native Lygodium palmatum. A guide to the data files is included as 'Data files submitted to Ag Data Commons'.,

Data were collected on the seed production and genetic diversity of Lepidium draba, an invasive plant. Site characteristics were also measured for 26 sites throughout northern Colorado. In addition, a pollen supplementation experiment was conducted at six of those sites, in which L. draba plants were pollinated with within-population pollen, among-population pollen, or were not pollinated, and seed production was compared among treatments.

Data were collected from an experimental greenhouse study in which Lepidium draba plants were grown from root cuttings to create plants at different ontogenic stages. Plants were arranged in mixed-age and single-age stands and exposed to the Lepidopteran herbivore, diamondback moth caterpillars. The success (biomass gain and surivival) of herbivores, the amount of feeding, and the growth of plants were recorded as responses to ontogenic stage. In addition, glucosinolates (a group of secondary metabolites known to act as defenses against herbivores) were quantified on plants of differing ontogenic stage.

Preserving native species diversity is fundamental to ecosystem conservation. Selecting appropriate native species for use in restoration is a critical component of project design and may emphasize species attributes such as life history, functional type, pollinator services, and nutritional value for wildlife. Determining which species are likely to establish and persist in a particular environment is a key consideration. Species distribution models (SDMs) characterize relationships between species occurrences and the physical environment (e.g., climate, soil, topographic relief) and provide a mechanism for assessing which species may successfully propagate at a restoration site. In conjunction with information on species attributes, SDMs facilitate holistic ecosystem restoration by enabling practitioners to identify diverse, resilient assemblages of native species. This project develops SDMs for native species of fundamental ecosystem importance in order to guide restoration of Mojave Desert landscapes. The dataset contained herein provides an SDM for Lycium andersonii within its Mojave Desert range based on known occurrences.

,Within this dataset:,Linum lewisii, a perennial blue flax native to North America, holds potential as a sustainable perennial crop for oilseed production due to its ecological adaptability, upright harvestable structure, nutritious seeds, and low insect and disease issues. Its native distribution spans a large geographic range, from the Pacific Coast to the Mississippi River, and from Alaska to Baja California. Tolerant to cold and drought conditions, this species is also important for native ecosystem rehabilitation. Its enhancement of soil health, support for pollinators, and carbon sequestration underscore its agricultural relevance.,This study presents a high-quality, chromosome-scale assembly of the L. lewisii (2n = 2x = 18) genome, derived from PacBio HiFi and Dovetail Omni-C sequencing of the “Maple Grove” variety. The initial assembly contained 642,903,787 base pairs across 2,924 scaffolds. Following HiRise scaffolding, the final assembly contained 643,041,835 base pairs, across 1,713 scaffolds, yielding an N50 contig length of 66,209,717 base pairs. Annotation of the assembly revealed 38,808 genes, including 37,599 protein-coding genes and 7,108 putative transposable elements. Analysis of synteny with other flax species revealed a striking number of chromosomal rearrangements. We also found an intriguing absence of the single-copy TSS1 gene in the L. lewisii genome, potentially linked to its transition from heterostyly to homostyly.,Taken together, these findings represent a significant advancement in our understanding of the Linum genus and provide a resource for future domestication efforts and basic research on Lewis flax.,

This data set is comprised of 2 files consisting of field observations and water quality measurements relevant to a publication on the classification and population status of the WV Spring salamander, Gyrinophilius subterraneus.

,These files represent the final annotations for two hydrangea genomes derived from BRAKER2 using total RNAs extracted from seven tissue types, including sepals, buds, flowers, nodes, internodes, leaves, and roots, and subjected to library preparation according to the manufacturer’s instructions. The publicly available Iso-seq reads on NCBI (PRJDB9979) were used for genome annotation. Files include normal gff3 format and coding sequence (CDS) files.,

Preserving native species diversity is fundamental to ecosystem conservation. Selecting appropriate native species for use in restoration is a critical component of project design and may emphasize species attributes such as life history, functional type, pollinator services, and nutritional value for wildlife. Determining which species are likely to establish and persist in a particular environment is a key consideration. Species distribution models (SDMs) characterize relationships between species occurrences and the physical environment (e.g., climate, soil, topographic relief) and provide a mechanism for assessing which species may successfully propagate at a restoration site. In conjunction with information on species attributes, SDMs facilitate holistic ecosystem restoration by enabling practitioners to identify diverse, resilient assemblages of native species. This project develops SDMs for native species of fundamental ecosystem importance in order to guide restoration of Mojave Desert landscapes. The dataset contained herein provides an SDM for Lepidium lasiocarpum within its Mojave Desert range based on known occurrences.