Alliaria petiolata, common name garlic mustard, is a polyploid invasive plant from Europe which invades forest understories in eastern North America. Lankau et al. have suggested A. petiolata invasion is facilitated by the toxic glucosinolates it produces which acts as defenses against herbivory in the Brassicaceae. Over time, concentrations of glucosinolate levels decrease over time in invasive populations. However, comparisons of glucosinolate levels and other phenotypic traits from the invasive and native range have been performed without controlling for sources of genetic invasion.
The Global Garlic Mustard Field Survey has sampled A. petiolata populations from the native and invasive range, collecting seeds, phenotypic and population data. Genetic analyses on A. petiolata have been performed using microsatellite and ISSR markers which have detected multiple introductions of A. petiolata to North America (Durka et al.; Meekins et al.).
I am currently analyzing a set of populations on the east coast of North America, the historical site of invasion, using a RADseq approach for genetic variation and population structure.