1
Return

Phenotypic selection in weedy radish and its bidirectional crop-weed hybrids across two contrasting environments

delete2026-04-01
delete0
PRE
AI
R
Román B. Vercellino *
F
Fernando Hernández
S
Sofía G. Tillería
D
Denise Simian
I
Ignacio Fanna
A
Alejandro Presotto
DOI:10.1093/aobpla/plag010delete
deleteOriginal
deleteOriginal request for help
deleteShare
deleteSave
Abstract

Abstract

En 中文
Hybridization is a key mechanism in the adaptive evolution of weeds and invasive species. The evolutionary success of hybrids may be shaped by selection on functional traits, interacting with maternal genotype and ecological context. We performed experimental hybridization and common garden field experiments to assess phenotypic variation on functional traits, and the strength and direction of linear and quadratic selection acting on them, in bidirectional crop-weed hybrids and their parents of Raphanus sativus, across two contrasting environments: agrestal (agricultural) and ruderal (human-disturbed uncultivated area), over two years. Bidirectional hybrids exhibited overall greater values for size-related traits than their parents, with similar flowering time and no significant effects of cross direction. Selection acted on multiple functional traits through both linear and quadratic components, with broadly similar patterns across environments and cross types, although selection tended to be slightly stronger in hybrids than in weeds. Intraspecific crop-weed hybridization, regardless of cross direction, can increase weediness in weedy radish by enhancing plant size, thereby increasing competitive ability and potential interference with crops. Our findings highlight how hybridization and selection shape plant evolution, influencing the potential introgression of crop alleles into wild or weedy gene pools. Understanding the hybridization process and the mechanisms that control it is crucial for managing the evolutionary outcomes of crop-weed hybridization. Crop-weed hybridization can rapidly alter weed evolution. Using weedy radish (Raphanus sativus), we show that first-generation crop-weed hybrids consistently develop larger plants than their parents in both agricultural and ruderal environments. Natural selection acted on multiple functional traits, mainly favouring increased plant size. These results indicate that intraspecific hybridization can enhance weediness by increasing competitive ability and facilitating crop allele introgression.
Keywords:
admixture
hybrid zone
crop-wild hybrids
selection differentials
selection gradients
linear selection
quadratic selection
functional traits
phenotypical traits
Raphanus sativus

Journal

AoB Plants cover
AoB Plants
IF:
2.4
Papers:
126
Citations:
3.1K

Organization

U
University of British Columbia
Scholars:
6.8W
Papers: 6.1W
Citations: 8.6W
Cited Papers

Cited Papers

Citing Papers

Citing Papers