基于分子生物学方法的外来入侵物种入侵历史重构

生物入侵是一个世界性的问题。全球每年因生物入侵造成的损失超过1万亿美元。探究入侵物种在入侵地的入侵历史对了解生物入侵的生物生态学机制、制定阻截及防除措施有重要意义。分子标记方法的兴起和大规模应用打开了入侵生物入侵历史研究的新天地。采用分子标记的方法可鉴定入侵物种的种类、追溯其来源地、回溯其扩散路径、分析扩散模式及探究物种入侵过程中对入侵种群本身的变化及其对生态系统所造成的各种影响。分子标记的应用使得多个入侵物种的入侵历史得以重现。由于分子标记方法重构的入侵历史受采样范围、采用的分子标记的种类及数量等因素的影响,该方法呈现入侵历史是否是真实发生的入侵过程还存在争议。

Inference on the invasion history of invasive alien species based on molecular methods

Biological invasions are a worldwide challenge, inducing losses of up to more than one trillion dollars (US) per annum. Having a detailed knowledge about the invasion process by following the invasive species from their source to their incursion areas i.e., their invasion history, may reveal the biological and ecological mechanisms that result in successful invasions. This information may assist researchers in finding effective controls. Applying molecular markers to the population genetics of an invasive species provides a new approach to investigate invasion history. Molecular methods have been applied to infer the invasion history, for example identifying the invasive species, the origin and pathway of the invader, reconstructing the colonization routes, analyzing the dispersal models, inferring the changes in the invasive alien species and the ecosystem effect on the regions invaded. Although the invasion processes of many species have been reconstructed using molecular makers, the reliability of these invasion history is debatable, because the inferred invasion scenarios may be affected by factors such as sampling range, type and the number of molecular markers used.