Objective:
Understand the population genetics of the invasive weed Arundo donax (giant reed) and its insect herbivores using molecular approaches.

Approach:
Populations of A. donax collected from its native range in Europe and Asia will be compared with invasive populations in North America, in particular the Rio Grande Basin, to determine their origin and invasion history. Custom microsatellite DNA probes will be developed for A. donax and the key insect herbivore species to investigate the population level co-evolution of the plant-herbivore interaction. This information will be used to select the candidate biological control agents that are best adapted to the invasive Rio Grande Basin genotype of A. donax.