We herein constructed a phylogeny of Lepidoptera synthesizing multiple information types, a phylogenomics backbone, a multigene supermatrix with species‐comprehensive DNA barcodes, and topological information from a compiled database of standardized machine‐readable trees from over 100 previous studies. We then applied the new phylogenetic synthesis as a profiling framework for a large DNA barcode dataset of caterpillars from...

Aim Plant invasions are a global problem that requires studying plants and their environmental associations across native and introduced ranges. Location 2000 km transects in China, Europe and North America. Time Period June 2019–July 2020. Major Taxa Studied Japanese knotweed ( Reynoutria japonica ). Methods We surveyed 150 populations of Japanese knotweed, a noxious invader of the temperate zone, along 2000 km transects in n...

Biological invasions pose a global challenge, affecting ecosystems worldwide and human societies. Knowledge of the evolutionary history of invasive species is critical to understanding their current invasion success and projecting their future spread. However, to date, few studies have addressed the evolutionary history and potential future spread of invaders simultaneously. In this study, we explored both evolutionary history...

Like alien plant invasion, range expansion of native plants may threaten biodiversity and economies, rendering them native invaders. Variation in abiotic and biotic conditions across a large geographic scale greatly affects variation in traits and interactions with herbivores of native plant invaders, which is an interesting yet mostly unexplored issue. We used a common garden experiment to compare defensive/nutritional traits...