Local adaptation to climate has facilitated the global invasion of cheatgrass
Journal: Nature Communications
Year: 2025

Local adaptation may facilitate range expansion during invasions, but the mechanisms underlying successful invasions remain unclear. Cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum), native to Eurasia and Africa, has invaded globally, with severe impacts in western North America. We aim to identify mechanisms and consequences of local adaptation in the North American cheatgrass invasion. We sequence 307 range-wide genotypes and conduct controlled experiments. We find that diverse lineages invaded North America, whe