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Well, it looks a bit like… Alligator weed Friends and Foes?

Well, it looks a bit like… Alligator weed Friends and Foes?. Gary Houliston Landcare Research, Lincoln, New Zealand. Alternanthera in New Zealand. Currently three species described Alternanthera philoxeriodes (Alligator Weed) Alternanthera denticulata (Australian import)

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Well, it looks a bit like… Alligator weed Friends and Foes?

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  1. Well, it looks a bit like… Alligator weed Friends and Foes? Gary Houliston Landcare Research, Lincoln, New Zealand

  2. Alternantherain New Zealand • Currently three species described • Alternantheraphiloxeriodes(Alligator Weed) • Alternantheradenticulata(Australian import) • Alternanthera nahui (Endemic) • A. nahui was formerly described as A. sessilis • Is A. nahui endemic, native, or a recent import?

  3. A. nahui • Small leaves, ovary compressed, short stamen • Study also relied strongly on ITS sequence data • What about the other small-leaved Alternantherain Australia?

  4. Alternantherain Australia • Ca. 8 species in Australia • Some known weeds in other parts of the world (A. nodiflora) • Ca. 3 undescribed entities / known taxonomic problems

  5. Genetic / Genomic study of Alternanthera • 15 samples, 6 different species from Australia • Several different A. nahui samples from New Zealand • ITS sequencing / genome sizing via flow cytometry

  6. Genome Size = 2.59 ± 0.018 Genome Size = 2.52 ± 0.025

  7. Is A. nahui endemic? • Highly unlikely • Similar to several Australian samples • A. sessilis • A. denticulata“small green leaves” • A. sp “A” • A. nodiflora(small rather than large inflorescences)

  8. A. nodiflorain Africa…. • Flora Zambesiaca: “Inflorescences sessile…7-10mm. in diam.,…” “ovary strongly compressed” • Flora of New South Wales: “Inflorescence 1-2.5cm across” “ovary notched” • A. nahui: “Spikes 5-7mm diam” “ovary… compressed”

  9. SMALL FLOWERS LARGE FLOWERS Very plastic – how good are quantitative characters?

  10. One of these things is not like the others….

  11. A. nodiflorain Africa / Asia

  12. Where to next? • Source material from South Africa • Compare ITS data and morphology • If we find A. nahui is cosmopolitan / weedy, can we release other Alligator weed agents?

  13. Acknowledgements • National Biocontrol Collective, MSI Beating Weeds II • Dagmar Goeke, Ana Ramon-Laca, Diana Prada • ShonScholer, CSIRO Brisbane • John Hoskings, NSW Department of Industry • Jenny Dymock, Wendy Mead

  14. Australians

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