No evidence for genetic differentiation in juvenile traits between Belgian and French populations of the invasive tree Robinia pseudoacacia

Background – The role of evolution in biological invasion studies is often overlooked. In order to evaluate the evolutionary mechanisms behind invasiveness, both quantitative and population genetics studies are underway on Robinia pseudoacacia L., one of the worst invasive tree species in Europe. Methods – A controlled experiment was set up using 2000 seeds from ten populations in Southern France and ten populations in Belgium. Seedlings were cultivated in two climatic chambers set at 18°C and 22°C. Early development life history traits (e.g. seedling phenology) and functional traits (e.g. gro... Mehr ...