Supergenes, High Temperatures Promote Spread of Common Ragweed, Allergens at Higher Levels

As common ragweed spreads quickly because of supergenes and high temperatures, allergen levels are higher.

As the pollen season gets worse, the common ragweed plant, formally known as Ambrosia artemisiifolia, is growing more and more, causing allergy sufferers all over the world to experience protracted agony.

Common ragweed, a notoriously invasive plant, has now made it as far north as Norway, proving how adaptable it is. However, because of Norway's difficult climate, it is currently encountering opposition.

The Common Ragweed with Supergenes in Norway

The common ragweed can be found in Norway, but there are currently no stable populations of it, according to Vanessa Carina Bieker, a postdoctoral researcher at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU).

This strange species was discovered by Bieker near Oslo in the previous autumn. The environmental circumstances in Norway appear to be hindering the plant's development at the moment, yet given its history of rapid global spread, a temperature rise would boost its chances of survival.

Scientists believe that "supergenes," or big groups of genes that give the ragweed plant the ability to quickly adapt to new circumstances, are responsible for the plant's unceasing growth, according to the Norwegian SciTech News.

The next generation inherits supergenes as a single unit, which has a big impact on the plant's traits including size and flowering period. The likelihood of the plant surviving and reproducing under various climatic circumstances is subsequently increased by these alterations.

These supergenes influence the properties of the plants, such as their size or when they flower and are crucial for the plant's ability to survive and reproduce in changing climatic conditions, according to Professor Michael Martin.

Dr. Kathryn Hodgins of Monash University was one of the scientists that worked with the researchers to explore these supergenes and their function in the ragweed's invasiveness.

The groundbreaking research by Beiker, Hodgins, and several other researchers was recently published in the journal Nature Communications.

Common Ragweed: Native to North America, Invasive Elsewhere

Common ragweed originated in North America and traveled to Europe in the 19th century, presumably via imported seeds and horse feed. The plant's journey of growth isn't unique, though; it's part of a wider worldwide problem with invasive species upsetting regional ecosystems.

Species invasions represent a major risk to the environment. They interfere with the biodiversity that already exists, which frequently has detrimental effects on the local animals.

The genetic divergence between ragweed populations in North America, its original continent, and Europe is one of the team's important discoveries. Fundamental concepts in genetics and evolutionary theory are supported by this distinction.

Certain genes may provide specific plants an edge over others if the environment around them changes, such as when they migrate to a new continent. These genetic changes increase the rate of reproduction, increasing the likelihood that the favorable genes will be passed on to the following generation.

Martin said that the European plants' supergenes allowed them to adapt quickly during the invasion. Large areas of Europe have been colonized by ragweed thanks to these supergenes, which have altered crucial plant traits like size and lifecycle timing.

Martin emphasized the effects of ragweed's proliferation on global health, especially for allergy sufferers, by saying that these are qualities that have greatly influenced ragweed's success and the plants' production of highly allergenic pollen, Earth.com reports.